"Fulke!" Xavier spread his arms wide, and the two men embraced.

"Xavier! You're bigger than I remember. And short one eye, How did that happen?" Fulke laughed as he shook Xavier's hand.

"Long story, I'd rather not get into it." Xavier put his arm around Zephrine's waist, pulling her close. "This is Zephrine."

She gasped, but, remembering their talk, smiled and put her hand on Xavier's chest.

"Wow." Fulke was dumbfounded, mouth agape, and eyes burning with a sick satisfaction. Xavier remembered Rosario's warning and boiled hot with rage, but kept it hidden. "How'd you land that? No offense, Xavier but she's a little out of your league. And what's she Queen of?"

"I'm not Queen of anything. I'm a farm girl." Zephrine clarified.

"You're too pretty to be a farm girl."

"Oh, if only the world worked that way, my Lord, but unfortunately, it doesn't." Zephrine, obviously uneasy, clung tighter to Xavier.

"Well why else would Xavier be with you?"

"Because she's smart, generous, and compassionate. To be honest, I notice her internal beauty more than her external." Xavier bristled, but managed to keep a straight face. "But we're here to talk about a dragon."

"Oh, so you know about it." Fulke straightened. "Please, come in, and we'll discuss this matter over dinner. I'm sure you're both starving."

"Ravenous." Xavier nudged Zephrine forward gently. She took a deep breath, but walked in front of Xavier, with her hands in his. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't be nervous."

"I'm not nervous. I'm eating myself inwards, but I'm not nervous." She whispered back.

"So, what do the two of you want with my new dragon?" Fulke asked as Xavier subtly scooted his chair closer to Zephrine's.

"Actually, my Lord, she's not yours. I'm her Singer." Zephrine squeezed Xavier's hand, seeking reassurance. In return, he ran his thumb over her knuckles, a gesture she seemed to do to reassure him. "I just think that there was a mistake in her being given to you, and I'm not entirely sure how she came into your possession, but I'd like her back."

"It's a girl?"

"Was that not evident?"

"Well, I'm sorry, not all of us can talk to dragons. I wasn't feeling brave enough to get under her and check, either."

"What Zephrine is saying, is that Seyr was given to you via an illegal trade." Xavier pitched in, hoping to defuse some of the tension between Fulke and himself. "We were unaware of her disappearance, and she was stolen."

"How do you miss a dragon, Xavier?"

"We were out of town."

"A romantic vacation?" Fulke took a large bite of a roll the size of his hand. "Do tell."

"No thanks. The point is, we weren't there to authorize the trade, therefore making it null and void on our behalf. Seyr was stolen on the soil of Yna, that makes her our responsibility. Keeping Seyr here would be assisting a heist." Zephrine finally spoke up. Xavier beamed proudly at her. "Now to negotiate terms." She straightened, looking more regal than ever. For a split second, Xavier found himself believing that she was in fact his Queen, and that he was deeply in love with her. As Zephrine tossed her hair back behind her, Xavier's heart exploded with that the realization that he did actually, truly love her. He shook himself back to reality, wiping the bit of drool that threatened to spill out of his mouth.

"There's a drought here, correct?" Zephrine folded her hands on top of the table, thankfully not seeing Xavier. "What if Yna gave you enough crops to feed your people for a whole year? They'd have to be distributed sparingly, of course, but we have the resources."

"Xavier, you've taught her well, but I'm still not convinced." Fulke eyed Zephrine, but his gaze was a little lower than her face.

"A year and a half. That's all we can spare." She countered.

"All you can spare or all you're willing to spare?"

"We have our own people to feed, sire. Any more would cause a famine, not to mention mass hysteria, and we're trying to avoid that."

Xavier had to bite the tip of his tongue to keep himself in line. This wasn't the Fulke he remembered meeting as a kid.

"Very well then. A year and half's worth of crops for your dragon. We'll seal the deal tomorrow. Now get some sleep, I'm sure you're exhausted after all your traveling. Just pick any chamber in the South Wing." Fulke used the hand with his chalice in it to gesture to the south.

Xavier and Zephrine stood and bowed, leaving to find a room.

"You have been studying!" Xavier whispered as they climbed the staircase.

"I told you I was." Zephrine took his hand in hers. "Did you mean all that stuff you said about me?"

"'Stuff' being when I called you smart, generous, and compassionate? Of course I meant it."

"But the first thing you always say to me is that I'm beautiful."

"If I'm being honest, when I say that, I'm looking more inside than outside. Sure, your body is gorgeous, but your personality is breathtaking and that's what I mean when I call you beautiful. Now, I don't want to kill the vibe, but I need to talk to you."

"Okay, go ahead." Zephrine shrugged, looking Xavier in the eye.

"Not here, though. Let's find a chamber first."