Alex had a terminal Cancer diagnosis and thought she would die before she got to be the girl she always was inside. That all changes when she's in the wrong place at the right time and gets transported to another world and into the body of a girl. So what if she's not human, she's alive and a girl. Now if only she had her sister with her to navigate this new world and her new responsibilities. Wait, she's here too? The passage of their souls between worlds may have doomed the Earth to apocalypse, but Alex and Michelle won't be there to see it and they have enough problems on their hands.
 

Despite the late celebrations on the night of our wedding, I awoke early the next morning. For several minutes, I just lay there smiling as dawn painted the sky outside in vivid color, while I drank in the naked form of my new bride. Finally, I decided to wake her, and I whispered in her ear, “Time to wake up, sweetie.” I followed that up with a soft lick behind her ear, causing her to giggle and sleepily open her eyes. I had discovered the night before that having a cat’s tongue can make things very interesting in the bedroom, especially when it’s applied to the erogenous zones.

“Ya do realize that if’n ya start with that again we’re going to be in bed fer candlemarks,” Jezz replied breathily. “I thought we were plannin’ on an early start.”

I had moved down to begin licking her right nipple, but I abruptly stopped at her words. “I suppose we’ll have to wait until we arrive at the summer house then,” I teased with a sly grin.

A slow and breathy groan escaped her lips as I stopped and she said, “I suppose we have a few minutes.”

“I thought you might say that,” I replied with another grin, before getting back to where I had left off.

It was over a candlemark before we had had our fill of one another’s bodies for the time being and decided to call Felice and Kiryn to bring breakfast and help us get prepared for the day ahead. The pair had packed our bags for the trip the night before, so all that we had to do was eat and get dressed for the trip. Once we had finished a filling breakfast of broiled lake fish and potatoes, scrambled liddeck eggs, toasted sweet bread, and rillfruit juice, we both got changed into our Drakan-hide riding gear.

I had my entire outfit on, in case we ran into trouble on our journey to Draden, and I would need to do some scouting. I also had my rifle in its harness and my weapons belt on, equipped with my sword, dagger, pistol, and several extra clips. Jezz had followed my lead and had all of her weapons on as well. We were hoping for an uneventful trip, but one can never be too careful, especially since our honeymoon trip was common knowledge throughout Azure by now.

Once we were completely dressed and equipped, I sent out my thoughts to Michelle. ~Good morning, Sis, are you ready for our trip?~

~Ready and raring, Alex,~ came her cheerful reply. ~We’ve got our harnesses on, your baggage is in the saddlebags, and it’s a beautiful day for flying. I can’t wait to get up there.~

~Me either,~ I heartily agreed. ~Are Snow and the others ready too?~

~We’re on our way now, Sis,~ I replied as Jezz and I headed out the door and made our way to the courtyard, where Patar and Runne waited with Michelle and our guard contingent. Everyone was mounted and ready to go, but I was a bit confused by Grayle’s absence. ~Where’s Grayle?~ I asked my wife as I squeezed her small hand in mine.

~She decided to get a head start while we were otherwise engaged,~ the Cinole replied. ~She wanted to give the others a chance to fly at full speed for a bit before having to slow to match her pace. And this way I’ll get to ride with you for a while.~

~Well, I won’t complain about that,~ I sent back with a grin as I released her hand. We placed Pounce and Chrissy into one of the bags on the harness and made sure there was an opening to give them some air. Then I leaped up onto Michelle’s back with feline agility and then made my way onto her shoulders and into the safety straps, which I made sure were well secured. Jezz flew up to join me and wrapped her arms around me from behind, causing me to sigh happily. “Okay, Runne and Patar, we’re ready when you are,” I called out once we were both comfortably settled in place.

Runne launched himself into the air, and all five of our Drakans followed suit. Soon, we were high above the castle and making our way westward over the farmlands and lush forests of Azure. Flying again, and experiencing both Michelle’s and my own feelings of exhilaration at doing so, had me on cloud nine. Within roughly half a candlemark, we had caught up with Grayle and slowed to a more sedate pace so that the Earth Drakan could keep up.

The sun was high in the sky when we took a break for the midday meal in a small clearing. Everyone was in high spirits from our first official flights, and we all talked merrily about it and the trip, as we ate the picnic lunch that the palace chef had prepared for us all. While we talked and ate, Pounce and Chrissy enjoyed the sunshine and their meal, and our Drakans hunted and ate their own meals before returning to join us in conversation. Finally, Patar got us moving again, and it was back into the sky and onward to Draden, though this time Jezz rode Grayle on the ground.

I could see the ocean on the horizon, and as we made our way closer, I began to discern buildings and streets, but nothing quite prepared me for the sight of Draden laid out beneath us. The city was massive, almost twice as big as our capital city of Velheim, and at the center was a large array of brightly colored tents, with throngs of people moving between them as they checked out all the various goods in the marketplace or looked for something specific. To the northwest were the docks, where boats of every shape and size, from rowboats and fishing boats to large trading vessels, sat amongst the flurry of activity common to any major trade destination.

Once we had reached the city, Irric and Lannah broke formation to land and have Snow and Forte run alongside Grayle, ensuring that she and Jezz were well guarded as they made their way around the outer edge of the city. Patar had us follow him to the southwest, where soon a large house, or perhaps a small palace, sat overlooking the beach. Whichever it was, it was surely impressive.

The grounds were fenced and well-tended from the appearance of the short grass and the beautiful gardens, with a large fountain at the very center. A cobblestone path led from the gates to the front entrance of the massive stone house, passing through the gardens and encircling the fountain. We flew over all of it and landed carefully in the massive inner courtyard while Grayle, my bride, and their escort made their way along the path to join us.

Nearly the instant that we had all left our Drakans’ backs, the house servants were there to take our baggage to our rooms, under the expert supervision of a pure white Zenin with blue eyes and long, curly blonde hair that was almost as light as her fur. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and, once she had sent all of the servants off with our baggage, she approached our group and gave a low curtsey. “Your Highnesses, it is a pleasure to have you here. I am Laila. I run the house, and I will be more than happy to see to whatever needs you may have while you are here.”

“Thank you, Laila. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said with a genuine smile as I looked around. “This is a lovely home that you have here.”

“It is your home, Your Highness, whenever you require or desire it. I merely manage it for you, as my mother did before me,” she replied with an easy smile of her own. “I haven’t seen you since you were a kitten, and my mother still ran the house. I was only ten then, but I used to change your nappies and take you to play on the beach. You have grown into a beautiful young Zenin, and I have heard great things about you from your parents when they were here earlier this pass. They are very proud of you, you know, all of Azure is.”

I could feel the heat of a blush building under my fur. “I’ll do my best to be worthy of all that pride.” Then I hurried on to introduce everyone.

She seemed fascinated by our Drakans and finally said, “They are beautiful, I love how pretty Michelle is with the setting sun reflecting off her scales. I was told that you were only Chosen a couple of tenths ago, but these Drakans look to be fully grown.”

“We got some surprise wedding gifts yesterday. Kanae decided to gift us with vitality so that our Drakans could grow to their full size. Even after the other gifts, that one was a bit of a surprise,” I informed her with a laugh. “We can tell you all about it over dinner, if you’d like.”

“I would love to hear about how the ceremony and the celebration went,” she eagerly agreed. “Dinner should be ready in half a candlemark, so I will give you a tour and then show you to your rooms so you can all clean up a bit before we dine.”

The house, if you can call something that big a house, was made of solid stone and thick yalk wood and was designed to remain cool in the summer and warm during the winter rains. It wasn’t nearly as big as the palace, but it was very comfortable and boasted a large rooftop patio, twenty guest bedrooms, a lounge, stables, ballroom, formal dining room, and all of the amenities required to live comfortably. The heir’s bedroom suite that Laila showed Jezz and me was similar to our quarters in the palace, and we quickly changed into more casual clothes. Jezz and I had left most of our weapons with Michelle and Grayle for safekeeping, but we kept our pistols on us and as hidden as possible in case of emergency.

Dinner was a casual affair, and as we ate, we told Laila about the union ceremony and everything that had happened after. She seemed very interested in it, and I felt a little bad that someone who served the royal family so loyally and well hadn’t been able to be there. After that, the subject changed to Drakans and Gifts, and what we should do while in Draden. Laila had no experience with either of the former, as she wasn’t Gifted herself, but for the latter, she had several suggestions for us.

First, she suggested taking us on a tour of the city whenever it could be arranged. I suggested doing a preliminary tour from above on Drakans to avoid the crowds, and she seemed very enthusiastic about the possibility. Next, she suggested spending some time just relaxing on the beach and enjoying the sunshine. Lastly, she thought that we should go to the marketplace to do some shopping.

Draden had the biggest marketplace in Azure and carried items imported from all over the Greylands. They had prickleberry brandy from the Great Sands, satins and silks from Torma, spices and delicacies from Syrnia, fine weapons and armor from the greatest Jiquar smiths in Hirn, and even rare herbs, tapestries, and perfumed oils from the fabled Dacotis Islands. The last part really caught my attention.

“The Dacotis Islands?” I inquired, burning with sudden curiosity. “I thought that the Kyran are extremely isolationist. Even more so than the Cinoles of Torma, at least Torma trades with other nations.”

“They are,” Laila agreed. “The Kyran don’t trust outsiders much, but they are practical, and they have needs that we can supply. We have a half-Kyran living here in Draden and, since her looks are all Kyran, they’ll trade with her when she goes to visit her father. I’m surprised you don’t know about her, actually, her name is Visanna, and she’s the Chosen of Arina.”

With the sole exception of Patar, every jaw at the table dropped at that revelation. I gasped and stared at her as I remembered my history lessons and replied, “They were the first Drakan and Chosen pair, and it was Visanna who discovered that Drakans could bond to other species. They helped my mother to reclaim her title of heir and become Queen during the Shadow War eighteen passes ago. And it was they who gathered all the remaining Drakans, led them to Azure, and convinced them to start the Choosings. But I didn’t know that she was half-Kyran, and I thought that she had left Azure.”

“She left for a time,” Patar explained. “She went to the islands to visit her father, and then she and Arina decided to facilitate trade between our two nations since they were going back and forth anyway. She still loyally serves the royal family by doing a lot of our ocean scouting to ensure the empire does not send an army this way by sea. She and Arina have a beach house not far from here, actually.”

“Do you think we could add a visit with them to our itinerary?” I asked, suddenly eager to meet the first Drakan/Chosen pair.

“I shall see if it can be arranged,” Patar responded with his bearish grin. “If she is back from the islands before we leave, I would not think she would mind seeing her Jikkune again. She has not seen you for several passes and likely would have been at the Union ceremony if the timing were better, but there was some sort of emergency among her people.”

I blinked several times as I stared at the Jiquar, not sure if I had heard him right. Jikkune meant goddaughter in Zenin, with godson being Jikkun and godparent being Jikkara or Jikkar, depending on the gender. It was usually an oath sworn before one or more Gods within the first few days after a child is born, to watch over and protect them should anything happen to their parents. It wasn’t something that was done often, though, because there is usually no need since most Zenin families have multiple parent figures. “She’s my Jikkara?”

“Aye, your mother trusts Visanna and Arina as much as she does me and Runne, possibly more,” he said with a sigh as he reminisced. “When you were born, I was still new to being your mother’s protector, and Visanna was like a sister to your mother. The Sea God Orin always calls to Visanna, so she does not like being too far from the ocean, but she did not want to leave your Mother, you, and Azure unprotected when she left. So, thirteen passes ago, before she left to return to her people for a time, she and Arina gathered all the Drakans that they could find in the Greylands, brought them to Azure, and helped to forge the agreement between them and your mother, which led to the nest breakings and the Chosen.”

We had planned to hit the beach the next day, but our plans needed to be changed for two reasons. The first reason was that when we woke that morning, it was to the sound of heavy rain pouring down outside. The second reason we didn’t discover until after Jezz and I had a morning romp to both relieve our desires for one another, and for something to do while we were stuck inside by reason number one.

Afterward, we had headed downstairs for a late breakfast in the dining room, where the others were waiting and already half-finished their own morning meals. I had barely sat down when I was hit by a wave of desire and the realization that someone smelled very good. Jonth seemed to realize it at the same time as I did, and I could see the desire in his eyes warring with other emotions as we stared at one another.

Lannah was, of course, the first to notice the looks that we were giving one another, and her voice slipped into my mind with a playful mental grin. ~So, it’s that time, is it? I would suggest that you eat something before you drag Jonth off to your rooms, though, you’ll be needing the energy.~

I tried to busy myself with helping myself to the morning banquet that had been laid out for us, as I considered both my desire for the handsome Zenin and the fact that this would be my first time with a man of any sort. Between my nervousness and my need to do something about the desire, my hands were shaking as I loaded up a plate. I had to make a conscious effort to more tightly control my empathy as I began to slowly eat.

~I know I promised myself and my mother that I would produce an heir, but I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I’m a bit nervous about being alone in bed with Jonth. What if he doesn’t enjoy himself? I mean, I really like him, but this could change our whole relationship. What if I enjoy it with him more than I do with Jezz?~ I sent back to the other telepath.

~Calm down, Alex, it’s only sex, ~ she tried to reassure me. ~It’s meant to be enjoyable by all parties involved. You love Jezz; anyone can see that, and she knows that you need to produce an heir. You need to get over this monogamy hang-up you have. You’re free to love more than one person and to have sex as an expression of that love or even just to have a child. You and Jonth are not cheating on Jezz and me, as you seem to believe. How do you feel about me and Jonth?~

I thought about that for a while before answering. Thinking would have been easier if I weren’t so horny, but eating at least gave me an excuse to be quiet. ~I care for both of you a lot. I care for Irric and Rozia as well, but with you two, it’s different. Jonth and I have the whole gender swap thing in common, and he’s attractive and a sweet guy who respects me as a person and not just because I’m the princess. Most guys would want to produce an heir with me just to get an in with the royal family, but not him; he considered my needs first. If I had wanted to make things easier on myself by marrying a Zenin male instead of Jezz, he’d likely be the one that I would choose. And you…~

~And me…~ she urged.

~We have a lot in common, too; we’re both Dabblers and telepaths, we both come from families where just being born put high expectations on us, and we were even born on the same day. You’re sweet, funny, and attractive, and once you got over your nerves and saw me as a person rather than the princess, I think we’ve formed a really strong bond. I think I’m in love with both of you, but not in the same way as with Jezz; you’re different people, and I love you for different reasons. I don’t want to hurt either of you, and that, plus growing up in a world where non-monogamous relationships were frowned upon, makes me think that I would be betraying you and Jezz by sleeping with Jonth.~

~I think that there will be a lot more than sleeping going on,~ she teased, smiling across the table at me. ~You’re not in your old world anymore, and you can’t let it hold you back from being happy. The four of us have formed a wonderful relationship since we met, and we all care for one another deeply. This is just taking that relationship to the next level.~

~She’s right, you know,~ Michelle interrupted. ~We’re not on Earth anymore, so you don’t need to conform to what’s acceptable there. You let that hold you back from transitioning for years, Alex; don’t let it hold you back now when it’s not even an issue. You’re my sister and my Chosen, and I want you to be happy. I’m the only other person from Earth who will ever know about this, and I say that you need to go native.~

~Jezz and I will be there with you the first time, if you want,~ Lannah offered. ~We’ll help you relax and enjoy yourself, and then hopefully, afterward, it won’t be so much of an issue for you.~

Once we had all finished eating, I was escorted back to the Heir’s Suite by Jezz, Lannah, and Jonth. I was very nervous about this, so I was a bit slow at undressing. I was trembling like a leaf, and I was pretty sure that I had a full-body blush going on underneath my fur.

The others didn’t seem to have my reservations, as Jezz seemed only too happy to get undressed again. Lannah wasn’t just getting naked; she was brazenly flaunting her body, and it was turning me on even more than I was before. Jonth too had no qualms about undressing in front of Jezz and me, and once he had dropped his pants, I discovered that he was… obviously very enthusiastic about the current situation.

Jonth noticed my nervousness and the way I was staring at his naked form and said, “I know that you said that you want to use this Tahrin to have an heir, but we have time to take it slow if you need to, Alex. We can wait until tomorrow.”

I appreciated his concern for my needs and my feelings; it was one of the things that I really loved about Jonth, but I needed to do this sooner or later, preferably before I completely lost my nerve. We were already here, so it might as well be now. I carefully peeled off my underclothes and took a deep breath to calm myself as I gave him a shaky smile. “It’s okay, Jonth, I can do this. I need to do this.”

I tried not to focus on my own nakedness and the fact that my Earth-bred inhibitions were screaming at me to stop this by focusing on Lannah and Jonth. I had only ever seen Lannah nude before during our ritual cleansing at the temple of Kanae, but the lighting hadn’t been great, and at that time, we were both trying very hard not to get turned on and to focus on our prayers and duties. Now that I was able to get a better look and to see Jonth that way as well, I had to admit that both of their naked forms were very pleasing to the eyes, and my breath quickened in response.

Lannah was even more slender than I had originally thought, with very nice curves, and while her breasts were not large, they were perky and firm and looked very nice on her frame. And apparently, when she changes her coloring, she changes it all, as the current white hair she was sporting was matched by the neatly trimmed bush between her legs. I had seen Jonth shirtless before, but this was totally different. I hadn’t noticed before how muscular he was under that grey fur or that little patch of white on his lower belly.

The three of them guided me to the bed and insisted that I just lie back and let myself enjoy it this first time around. I found that more difficult than I first imagined. My sexual encounters on Earth had been extremely limited, and since I loathed my body, much less the thought of using that thing between my legs at the time, I had trained myself to make sure that my partner was enjoying the experience as much as possible, to take the attention away from ‘pleasuring’ me.

During my experiences with Jezz, her enjoyment was front and center in my mind, while my own pleasure was a secondary concern. Her happiness was my goal, not my own, so just lying there and enjoying it while the others were trying to make me feel good was a bit difficult for me; it made me feel selfish, and I didn’t like that. Those thoughts soon faded, though, with the pleasure I was experiencing.

Lannah and Jezz both were taking turns kissing me while caressing me with their hands, and whichever one wasn’t kissing me was licking or sucking at my nipples. That on its own would have been amazing, but then I had Jonth between my legs, showing me exactly how my own cat’s tongue must have felt when I used it on Jezz. He could have just taken me and had his pleasure while I was distracted by the girls, but he wanted me to enjoy myself before he got his own pleasure, and frankly, just knowing that relaxed me even more than the pleasure that I was receiving. It was a quality that we shared, and it lessened my guilt that he was of a similar mind.

When he was ready to take us to the next step, he warned me first as he took his own turn at kissing me deeply. Then, he waited for my reaction before going any further. After the fact, I was thankful that we did this during my Tahrin, because if I were allowed to focus on anything but my desire and the pleasure I was feeling, I might have started to overthink things or freaked out when it came time.

I was also glad that we had spent the past tenth getting to know each other better, so I could get more comfortable with him. At first, just being too intimately close to him when my mind wasn’t flooded with hormones made me flash back to what had very nearly happened with Halan and the red bonnet pollen. I might have liked him, and I knew he was nothing like Halan, but Jonth was a man, and it sent me into a panic until I got comfortable being around him physically and intimately.

“I’m ready, are you?” Jonth whispered as he tenderly caressed my cheek. I quickly nodded in the affirmative before I could let myself think too hard on the matter and hesitate. I needed to relax, to allow myself to be in the moment and enjoy it.

There was a brief stabbing pain, but it soon subsided, and I was once again immersed in pleasure. Part of that was, of course, from the two beautiful women doing their best to tease me into slow orgasm after slow orgasm, but I also found that the feeling of being entered, having a man that I genuinely cared for inside me, and making slow love to me was a pleasurable experience in itself. I was nowhere near wanting to swear off women, and I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t the fact that the man was Jonth rather than someone I barely knew, but the thought that I could feel this good with Jonth making love to me made me feel much better about giving in to my Tahrin like I was.

It felt a little strange when Jonth finally released his seed inside of me, but it was a good strange. I knew that I both needed and wanted a child, and if I could choose any man that I knew to give me one, it would be him. We all continued to kiss and tease and give one another pleasure for a while after that. Finally, once we were all too weary to go on, we all collapsed together into a huge snuggle fest that made me feel so loved and wanted that I thought I might have trouble ever sleeping alone again, as one by one we drifted off for a nap.

For all three days of my Tahrin, we spent much of our time in that bedroom making love, whether it was all four of us or just Jonth and me… because of course we wanted to be sure that I would get pregnant, and this was the best time and all. I had mostly gotten over my hang-up and realized that all three of my lovers were right; this wasn’t Earth, and while a foursome relationship might not be acceptable there, here in Azure, it wasn’t uncommon, and it was something that we all wanted. It was a nice time for me and, with the last of those Earth-bred inhibitions gone, I was finally beginning to feel completely at home in my new life.

Not all the time was spent in bed, though, since Patar was making sure that we all got our daily combat practice in. During those practice sessions, we all noticed a marked improvement in both Jezz and me. The pair of us had more stamina, strength, agility, speed, and better reflexes than we had ever displayed before. Jezz could now pull off some mind-blowing aerial maneuvers, and whereas my balance, flexibility, and climbing skills were good before, now they were amazing. It would seem that when Gund gives a gift He doesn’t skimp.

The day after my Tahrin ended, we went for an aerial tour of the city at first light. Laila rode Michelle, with Jezz and me, while other servants who knew the city well were chosen to ride with Lannah, Rozia, Jonth, and Irric. It was a lot of fun and, although I couldn’t see her face to know that Laila was enjoying herself, I could feel the joy and excitement coming off the white Zenin in waves as she pointed out areas of interest, told us a bit of the history, and helped us to decide on what places to go to when we were inside the city rather than above it.

At the end of our Drakan-back tour, we followed Runne toward a large stretch of beach. There, the Drakans landed and took a morning nap while we all headed into the city. First, we visited all of the temples, and then Jezz and I spent some time visiting Varun, the Earl of Draden, before going to check out the marketplace.

If I had thought that the marketplace looked big from above, it was absolutely huge from the ground. Everywhere that I looked, there were brightly-colored tents with friendly merchants hawking their wares. I didn’t buy anything, but there were some very nice clothes and jewelry, and some well-made weapons and armor. I didn’t think that anything could compare to the weapons that Kardis forged at the palace, but these came pretty damn close.

Patar and Laila led us past various tent-shops to a large sea-green one, and we all entered. The inside was filled with the most interesting scents, and well-lit by kida lamps, so I assumed that the shop owner was wealthy, had connections, or ran a good business. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so I began to look at one of the tapestries while Patar waited for whomever it was that ran the shop.

The tapestries were unlike anything that I had seen in either Azure or back on Earth, especially one that had caught my interest. The weavers had done an amazing job on the seascape; it was so detailed, and the colors were so vibrant that it had completely seized my attention. I could hear talking, but I was so engrossed in looking at the tapestry that I wasn’t paying much attention to who was talking or what was being said.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice shouted, “Jikkune!” I turned just in time to see a blue and green blur before I had the air knocked out of my lungs by some sort of kamikaze tackle hug. Then the person’s lips were to my ear as she nuzzled my cheek and said softly, “I heard that you were going to be here, but I was not sure if you would have time to come see me. I am sorry that it has been so long since we have seen one another.”

“Umm… that’s okay,” I said uncertainly to this person, who was apparently my godmother and had no concept of personal space. “I guess you’re my Jikkara, Visanna?”

She nodded and continued to nuzzle my cheek with her own before seeming to realize what she was doing. “Oh! Right, Nisa did tell me when she was here that you had lost your memory. I am glad to see you healthy and whole. I have not seen you in passes, and I have missed you. I apologize if I took you by surprise, I forgot that you might not know me. My people show their affection through physical contact, and I have gotten into that habit as well, spending so much time with them. Let me get a good look at you, sweetling.”

Visanna then climbed off me and took a few good steps back so that we could look one another over. She wore only a bright yellow wrap around her waist and a bikini-style top of the same color, and she was humanoid with long, powerful legs and arms with large webbed hands and feet. Her skin looked to be covered with very tiny scales, ranging in shades of blue and silvery grey. Her dark green hair was currently tied back, revealing flared fin-like ears that resembled clamshells, and she had large purple eyes. She was about a tayr (close to a foot) shorter than me and had these strange, slightly pulsing slits along the outer part of her ribs, which I thought might be gills of some sort.

Despite all this, I think what surprised me the most was that she didn’t look a day over eighteen. I had been told that she was sixteen when she and Arina had formed their life bond, and that was well over eighteen passes ago. There was no way that she should still look that young. She smiled as she looked me over.

“You have grown, sweetling. You are taller than me now, and so beautiful,” she said wistfully before letting out a sad sigh. “I am so sorry that I could not be at the Union Ceremony, but we had the mother of all windstorms hit the islands, and there has been a lot of damage.”

“Do your people need any assistance? Azure would be more than happy to offer you any aid that you might need,” I offered. If a hurricane had hit and done a lot of damage, then they could probably use all the help that they could get.

“You are very kind, thinking of us like that, just like Nisa. She must be very proud of how you are turning out. I would be glad to take any aid you can give to the islands. Perhaps with your show of generosity, the elders might see fit to allow more personal relations between our two nations.”

I blushed at that, “Thank you, I’m just trying to be a good person, I think I need to do that before I can be a good leader.”

Visanna smiled and nodded in approval. ”You know, Arina is going to want to see you, and not just through my eyes like she is now. We were talking about coming to see you after you had your Giftsun and taking you to see a bit of the world. You were always so eager to see new places and find adventure, but I gather you have found some of that on your own, sneaking out and going to the Frozen Wastes of all places. You could have come to see me; I probably would have taken you home, but we would have had some adventures along the way. And I hear that you have a Drakan of your own now, and a Radiant of all things. Arina and I look forward to meeting her. But first I must meet this Consort of yours,” she said with a grin.

Introductions were made all around, and then Visanna showed us some of the more interesting items that she had brought from the islands. There were the tapestries, scented oil lamps, and she gave Jezz and me some seeds for a healing herb they called Kala. The large leaves were supposedly incredibly good at preventing infection in wounds.

She also had us all try something they make on the island called battu. It was named after the tree it came from, which only grows on the islands. The tree is really sappy, and the bark grows very quickly. They regularly shave off the bark and grind it into a powder, which they mix with the sap and ground loiku to add sweetness.

The result was a dark purple substance that tasted a lot like chocolate. There were two things I missed most from Earth: chocolate and coffee. So, with Michelle insisting that she wanted a taste too, I quickly bought all the battu my Jikkara had and resolved to definitely arrange better trade relations with these people.

Afterward, we talked about what kind of aid that her people might need, and how quickly we could get it there. By boat, it would take a week, and with Drakans, we might not be able to carry as much, but we could at least get it there with a flight of roughly six candlemarks. With Arina, Runne, Michelle, and my four guards’ Drakans, we had seven flying Drakans between us to carry relief supplies.

I quickly sent Patar out to arrange for medical supplies, food, and other supplies that we thought they might need that could be carried by the seven Drakans. I figured that if we got the supplies that afternoon and left sometime very early the next morning, we could be back before Jezz and I had to hold court in Draden in less than three days. We wouldn’t have much time to visit, but at least we could give the Kyran what they needed most to recover from the disaster.

When we were finished with the preparations and Patar had arranged for the goods to be delivered to the royal family’s summer house that evening, Visanna closed up shop, and we returned to the beach where the Drakans waited. Laila and the other house staff returned home to supervise the unloading and eventual packing of the supplies for our trip. Visanna had Arina join us at the beach, and the Water Drakan was as excited to see me in person as her Chosen had been.

I was really glad she didn’t tackle hug me too; I doubt I would have survived it. She, too, felt the need to chastise me about not coming to her and her Chosen when Visanee had run away to find a replacement. The pair seemed to care for me a lot, and I was starting to see where Visanee had gotten her love for adventure and exploring from.

The pair seemed very welcoming, not only toward Michele, Jezz, and Grayle, who eventually joined us, but to all my guards as well. They wanted me to be happy and safe and felt reassured that I would be, with so many loyal friends and protectors, so the pair treated them as family as well. It was nice of her to include everyone, and I really liked both Visanna and Arina; it felt like there was this connection between us that I couldn’t define.

That evening, we had a cookout at their beach house after Visanna taught us humanoids to spearfish and Arina introduced Xuth to the joys of deep ocean hunting. As we all sat around the fire that night, the first Drakan/Chosen pair told us stories of their adventures and even how they had first met my mother. We all enjoyed just relaxing, listening, and being content in one another’s company until it was time to return to the summer house to get some sleep.