Several days passed, and Jasen was no closer to making a decision. On the one hand, every concern he had expressed to Rilvor still held. Accepting his proposal would throw the Court into chaos. Perhaps Rilvor was right that the scandal would pass, but he couldn’t know that for sure. Rilvor said Jasen was more popular than he knew—but then again, Polina had been popular, too, and look what happened to her.

If Jasen said yes, he would have to steel himself for intense humiliation. He would like to think he was brave enough to face it, but Queen Urga was ten times stronger than him and it broke her. And his wasn’t the only humiliation he had to take into consideration—his friends would have to face it, too, although he was certain Rilvor would protect them from legal consequences. Larely was most likely to escape the worst of it anyway, especially since his family cared very little for the law and would be unlike to turn him over if he was summoned. And despite Adwig’s threats, Risyda hadn’t really done anything other than indulge in kara weed—she was hardly the only noble who shared that vice.

But she was his friend, and if his reputation was ruined, hers would be as well. Risyda made a big show of not caring what people thought, but did Lady Wessor feel the same way? She was Risyda’s last hopes of a respectable marriage. The loss of Risyda’s reputation would force her to go back to her father’s home for good—and that was if she was lucky and her father decided not to turn her out.

But on the other hand, if he refused Rilvor, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Staying in Grumhul with Queen Urga was safe, but that didn’t mean it would shield him from pain. Already, he missed him terribly. The thought of never seeing him again made him feel hollowed out. He didn’t know if he would ever love another. And the thought of passing the rest of his life in this castle in the swamp, growing more and more bitter with each year, was as frightening as the Court’s humiliations in its own way. He felt like his only decision was between a sharp, intense pain, and a slow, dull one.

Jasen did his best not to spend every minute brooding. There were nowhere near the amount of diversions as there were at Strengsend, but he began to settle back into the quieter pleasures of Grummish life. He especially enjoyed spending time with the noble children, who adored him, Tin most of all. Once the queen decided that Tin was “recovered,” he insisted on including Jasen in all of their games.

One afternoon on an unusually sunny day, they decided to go frog catching in the swamp. Tin had just netted a large specimen when he dropped the net and pointed at the sky. “What’s that?”

Jasen shielded his eyes from the sun and looked where Tin had pointed. He was right—something was moving toward them—a bird, perhaps? But as it grew closer, it became larger and larger until it was very clear it wasn’t a bird at all.

“It’s a dragon!” Tin shouted.

All of the children starting jumping and running around, screaming their heads off in a mixture of giddiness and fear. Jasen tried to settle them down, although his own heart was racing. Had Rilvor come to demand an answer so soon?

But as the dragon grew closer, it was clear it wasn’t Woria or Tasenred. The dragon was smaller than either of them, sleek and green. Someone was riding on its back—actually, it looked like two someones, but Jasen couldn’t make who they were.

The dragon circled around the castle, no doubt making the same calculations Tasenred had. It came to a similar decision and splashed into the swamp. One of the riders cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. “Jasen! Is that you?”

He still couldn’t make out her face, but he’d recognize that voice anywhere. “Risyda!”

“And Polina!” The little figure behind her waved. “We can’t swim!” Risyda shouted, but she didn’t sound particularly concerned. In fact, she was laughing.

By then, the commotion had caught the attention of the castle. Queen Urga headed up a group of guards, just as she had when Jasen arrived.

“Is that Rilvor?” she bellowed when she caught up with Jasen. “If it is, he can stay in that swamp for all I care!”

“No, it’s my friend—” He looked again at the two figures. “My friends,” he corrected himself, for if Polina was with Risyda, that must mean that she’d come around after all. Jasen’s cheeks hurt from how hard he was smiling. He had no idea what they were doing here, but he was happy to see them, nevertheless.

The guards took two boats out this time—one to retrieve the girls, and one to help haul out the dragon. This dragon, however, did not require assistance. It was small enough that the swamp didn’t have the same amount of pull and was able to extract itself. Soon it was in the sky and soaring away.

Urga shook her fist at it. “And don’t you come back, wretched beast!”

The boat containing Risyda and Polina docked. As they got out of the boat, Jasen noticed they were both barefoot. Risyda ran toward Jasen just as he started to run toward her. They grabbed each other into a fierce hug. But after a moment, Risyda pulled back and punched him hard in the shoulder. He staggered back with a cry. “What was that for?”

“That’s for running away without telling me.”

Jasen rubbed his arm. “I guess I deserve that.”

Queen Urga seemed impressed, for once. “You are a strapping young lady—I thought all consorts were weak.”

Jasen turned to the queen. “Your Majesty, may I present the Lady Risyda.”

Risyda gather up her soaking wet skirts and curtsied. “Your Majesty.”

“And this is Princess Polina,” Jasen continued as Polina made her way to them.

She curtsied as well. “If it pleases Your Majesty, just ‘Polina’ will do. I have renounced my title.”

Jasen looked back and forth between the two of them. “It seems like a lot has happened since I’ve been gone.”

Risyda grinned. “You have no idea. So I take it your dad isn’t ill?”

Jasen blinked. “How did you know?”

“I guessed when—well, you really need to hear the whole story.”

“Let’s get you dried off first, and then you can tell us about it,” the queen said. “Wretched dragons, disturbing my peace,” she added under her breath.

When they reached the castle, servants whisked Risyda and Polina away, and within the hour, they were clean and dry, dressed in Grummish attire. It was so strange to see the two of them dressed so plainly. It suited them. Polina, in particular, had never looked better, although that probably had more to do with the absence of her usual scowl.

The queen called them to her chambers to give them the most privacy. Jasen’s dad joined them as well. After introductions had been made and everyone had settled, the queen turned to Risyda. “So what in blazes happened to bring the two of you here?”

“You tell it, Polly,” Risyda said. “You’re the hero after all.”

Polina looked down at her lap. “I would hardly say I’m a hero.”

Risyda gestured to the others. “Why don’t we let them decide?”

Polina smiled weakly. “All right, then.” She took a moment to collect herself. “The day after the the king returned to Strengsend, Minisiter Adwig took me aside and explained that you—” she nodded to Jasen, “—were ‘defeated.’ I asked him to tell me more, but he refused. He went on to tell me of his plans to bring the king and me together—he had some plan to put me in distress so that Rilvor could ‘rescue’ me and advised me to be clumsy and vulnerable, since he is sure that’s how you ‘fooled’ the king into loving you.”

She touched Jasen’s hand. “He had been telling me that all along, you see—that everything you did was a calculated move to endear yourself to the king. I used to believe him, but now I knew better. And the king looked so heart-broken. Adwig wouldn’t tell me what he had done, but I knew it had to be a dirty trick of some sort. After all, he’d been helping me pull dirty tricks myself.”

Realization struck Jasen. “The cursed shoes!”

Polina nodded. “He was the one who told me how to contact the person who did enchantments for a price. He didn’t tell me precisely what to do, but he encouraged me to do whatever was necessary to eliminate you.” She paused. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t want you to be seriously hurt.”

Jasen waved her off. “I already said that I forgive you. Did you go to the king?”

“I considered it. But I reasoned if I did, the king would take care of it privately. I felt like there needed to be a more…public discussion of the issue, not via the usual Court gossip.” Polina paused, twisting her hands in her lap.

“Go on!” Risyda said, grinning. “This is the best part!”

“It was the day of the Sun Ball. That’s the event that starts in the morning, in the Bedrose gardens. Everyone was there—the consorts, the suitors, the ministers, and the king. It was the perfect time. So I climbed up on a table and started talking. I told everyone everything the minister had told me, including his plans to cause Jasen’s downfall.” She smiled a little. “Needless to say, it caused a bit of a stir.”

Urga slapped her knee and laughed. “Well done, lass! I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces!”

Risyda’s grin grew even wider. “It was one of the best moments of my life.”

“But what happened then?” Jasen asked. “How did you get a dragon?”

Risyda took over the story. “After Polly made her speech, I felt this tingle in my chest, pulling me toward the draemir. I’d felt it before, so I knew it was a dragon calling me. I wasn’t about to leave poor Polly stranded, so I helped her off the table. We kicked off our shoes and ran.”

“Didn’t anyone try to stop you?”

“Oh, they tried.” Risyda snapped her fingers, causing a flame to spark into existence.

“She didn’t hurt anyone,” Polina interrupted. “She just…made a demonstration of her abilities.”

Urga was laughing so hard by now that she nearly fell out of her chair. “Now that’s the use of a dragon blessing that I can get behind!”

“Anyway,” Risyda continued, “once we reached the draemir, the dragon was waiting for me—the same one who blessed me all those years ago. I could feel that she wanted us to get on her back, so we did, and then she took off.”

“Did you know she was bringing you here?” Jasen asked.

“No, but I trusted her.” She spread out her hands. “And here we are!”

“And the king?” Jasen asked quietly. “He didn’t try to follow you?”

“He might have. It was all a bit of a blur. But we didn’t see any other dragons.”

If Rilvor wanted to follow them, he supposed they would find out soon enough. “How did you know my dad wasn’t ill?”

“Once Polly made her speech about Adwig’s tricks, I figured it was a ruse to get rid of you. Was I right?”

Jasen’s father burst in. “No, that ruse was mine! And it was a very good one, if I do say so myself.”

Risyda raised an eyebrow. “All right, now it’s your turn to tell us what you’ve been up to.”

Jasen told them his story. When he finished, Jasen’s father was the first to speak. “But now that this minister has been disgraced, there’s nothing stopping you from accepting the king’s proposal!”

“It changes nothing,” Urga snapped. “Kill one viper in a nest of them, and you still have a nest of vipers. Besides, even one viper is not so easy to kill. I have no doubt this Adwig has talked his way out of it.” She turned to Risyda and Polina. “And I am happy to offer you refuge from those vipers. The two of you are young people of considerable honor and common sense. I would be honored if you would join my court—my court is not a grand one, but I think you would be quite happy here.”

“Or there’s Hagas,” Jasen’s dad said. “We could all live there, if it please Your Majesty to perhaps give a bit of coin to make it suitable to house such brave and noble persons as these two fine young ladies.”

“You aren’t going anywhere, you old scoundrel. You’ve proven yourself a poor steward of the land. But it’s not a bad idea. What do you say, girls?”

Risyda and Polina exchanged looks. “You mean…us, together?” Polina said, blushing.

“Why not?”

“Would we—” Risyda broke off. Her cheeks reddened, too. “Would we have to…wed?”

“Of course not! Unless you want to.”

They blushed even harder and said nothing, looking everywhere except at each other.

“Well, there’s no rush,” the queen said when it became clear she wasn’t going to get an answer. “Sleep on it, if you like.”

“We will,” Risyda said, standing. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

After that, they dispersed. His dad went back to whatever he had been doing before. Polina slipped away to the room the queen had given her without so much as looking at Risyda again, leaving Jasen and Risyda in the main hall.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Jasen asked.

“I would love to.” She gave him a wry smile. “I’ll let you know as soon as I figure it out myself. And what about you? Your dad is right—I’m almost certain that Minister Adwig will lose his position, especially with what you already told the king. It gives him the perfect excuse to get rid of him.”

“But Queen Urga is right as well. He may have found a way to save his skin, and I know for a fact that he wasn’t alone in his disapproval of me.”

She squeezed his hand. “Whatever you choose, you have my support.”

He squeezed back. “And you mine.”

They went their separate ways. Jasen went back to the swamp, alone this time. He had hoped some time to himself would help clear his head, but it all seemed as hopelessly muddled as ever. He gathered up some rocks to skip along the water.

“It’s nicer than I thought it would be,” a voice from behind him said.

He turned to see Polina standing there. “The swamp, I mean. I always thought it would be dreary, but it’s actually quite beautiful.” She twisted her skirt in her hand. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Be my guest.”

She sat down and picked up a rock. She attempted to skip it, but it plunged into the swamp. “Oh dear. It seems I’m not very good at this.”

“It takes practice. Here, let me show you.”

They skipped rocks for a little while until the pile ran out. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a little while. “Do you think the king will have me arrested?” Polina asked eventually.

“He wanted to, before,” Jasen said. “As Lord of the Drae, I’m almost certain he knows where the dragon was taking you. He could have followed you, if he wished it. But I don’t think he will.”

“Because you talked him out of it,” she guessed. “I don’t deserve your protection, but thank you, all the same.”

He nudged her with his shoulder. “You paid me back already. It was very brave what you did.”

“It was the least I could do.” She turned to him, her eyes wet. “I am so sorry for what I put you through.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“No, I really do. I was horrible to you, and there’s no excuse for it.”

“Apology accepted. I don’t think there’s any need to dwell on it further.”

She smiled. “The king loves you, you know. You should have seen the look on his face when he returned. I didn’t know the full story at the time, but I could tell his heart had been broken. For any argument the ministers may make, it seems evident that no good can come by breaking the king’s heart.” She touched his hand. “I remember what you told me about this not being a game, and you were right. I had trained my whole life to ‘win,’ and all it ever did was make me miserable. But at the same time, if I had a fighting chance at real, true love like you do, I would do whatever it took. You deserve to be happy.” She stood up. “And I won’t say anymore. It’s your decision.”

“Thank you. And I hope you take your own advice—you deserve happiness, too.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” she said, turning red. She excused herself in a hurry. Jasen couldn’t help but laugh a little. At least he wasn’t alone in being confused. Love was difficult. Or maybe it wasn’t love itself—the truly confounding thing was that the world seemed so intent on thwarting it at every turn.

* * *

Jasen was in the water, floating on his back. He determined that it was a river, and he was being carried gently with the current. The sky above him was a deep purple—a night sky, but not a night sky he’d ever seen before. Stars twinkled, but they were larger, brighter than he thought possible. There were no clouds—instead, ribbons of color floated in the sky, pink and blue and violet, bright against the dark sky.

Eventually, the river carried him to a lake, and from the lake, gentle waves pushed him to a shore of sparkling white sand. He lay on his back for a while, blinking up at the sky, trying to understand what was happening. A dream, surely, just as before.

A cool breeze passed over him, and then he felt a presence behind him. He got to his feet and was not entirely surprised to see a blonde woman standing before him, dressed in a simple white gown, her long tresses floating around her as if they were underwater.

“Queen Consort Quendra,” he said.

She inclined her head. “Lord Jasen. We have much to discuss.” She gestured. “Come—let’s take a walk.”

They walked along the shore as the waves lapped quietly at their bare feet. Although Jasen was wet, he was not cold. His own hair floated around him, and his movements felt weightless. “Where are we?”

She thought for a moment. “It’s difficult to explain. It’s a place in between.”

“In between what?”

“In between everything—dreams and wakefulness, life and death, imagination and reality.”

“Oh,” Jasen said, which hardly seemed adequate. “It’s nice.”

Quendra laughed. “Indeed it is. More importantly, it’s a place where we can talk.” She folded her arm with his. “We don’t have much time, so let’s get down to it. I hope to convince you to marry my husband.”

“That’s not something I ever thought I’d hear.”

“Much about our situation is unusual.”

Jasen’s stomach churned. “Are you going to tell me that the fate of the Allied Realms lies in my hands?” he asked miserably.

Quendra pursed her lips as she considered him. “We can’t start this way,” she said at last. She released his arm and took a few steps forward—and up. Jasen gaped as she floated above him. “Come with me.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Yes, you do. Jump.”

Jasen hesitated. “This is allegorical, isn’t it? A leap of faith?”

“If you say so. Mostly, it’s just fun.”

Jasen screwed his eyes shut and pushed with his feet. When he opened his eyes again, he was floating beside Quendra.

“There,” she said. “Was that so hard?”

“I guess not.”

She floated up further. “Come on, then. There’s something I want to show you.”

“I still don’t know how,” he said helplessly.

“One foot in front of the other—the same as anything else.”

Jasen tried it, and to his surprise, he began to move upward, as if he were walking on invisible stairs. He followed the queen consort as they made their way across the sky, over the lake that was growing smaller and smaller the further they went. They came to a mountain peak. With one fluid step, she floated her way to the top, her feet touching down silently. Jasen was considerably less graceful, but he managed to land beside her.

She sat down, and Jasen followed suit. The view was spectacular, even if he wasn’t quite sure what he was viewing. There were so many swirling colors and bright lights, all bathed in a milky glow.

“What do you see?” she asked. “And really take a look before you say ‘nothing.’”

Jasen squinted at the swirl. Gradually, shapes appeared. “Mountains,” he said. “And oceans, and rivers, and forests—”

“—and swamps?” She smiled.

“It’s the Allied Realms.”

“Yes. And now tell me what you don’t see.”

Jasen was at a loss. He looked out again, but how did you describe something you couldn’t see?

“I’ll give you a hint,” she said. “I don’t see any ministers.”

Jasen rubbed his neck. “No, I suppose I don’t either. I suppose this is supposed to teach me to take things into perspective.”

“If that’s what you think.”

“It’s all very well and good to point out that out when we’re up here, but living in the midst of it is much harder.”

“Perhaps. Living often seems very difficult. But being dead gives you a different perspective.”

Jasen startled at that. “And what perspective is that?”

“The problems that seemed so important to me while I was alive faded to nothing. Instead, what I remember is the love I had. My love for my family, for my children. The friendships I cherished. And yes, the love I had for Rilvor as well, imperfect though it was.” She met his gaze. “You seem to believe that by casting off love, you will be quick enough to escape the storms of life. But those storms are unavoidable, Jasen. Love is not a weight holding you back—it is an anchor. And without that anchor, you are doomed to drift aimlessly through life.”

Jasen dropped his gaze. “I’ve never thought about it that way.”

“Of course you haven’t. You’re young.” She cleared her throat. “Now, then, let us get back to the matter at hand. You love Rilvor, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Jasen said quietly. “But what if it isn’t enough? The fate of the Allied Realms rests on the strength of his love for me, doesn’t it?”

Quendra sighed. “You really are young, aren’t you? The Allied Realms existed long before you were born, and will exist long after you’re dead.”

“Right. And if something in our marriage goes wrong, that death will come sooner rather than later!”

Quendra furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Isn’t that what happened to you?”

“I became ill. It happens.”

“But Rilvor said—”

“Rilvor is very fond of responsibility. It’s a fine trait in a king, but he can be overzealous as to what he takes responsibility for. Perhaps our imperfect marriage did lead to my death. Perhaps it didn’t.”

“You don’t know?”

She smiled wryly. “The afterlife doesn’t offer many answers, unfortunately.”

“But the magic of the realm weakened because you two were not—well, compatible. Or is that untrue, too?”

“That’s true, but what of it? Rilvor will die one day. Perhaps my son will have better luck and magic will recover.”

Jasen frowned. “I don’t understand why you’ve brought me here if the fate of the Allied Realms isn’t at stake.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And the fate of my children and my husband are not important?”

Jasen snapped his mouth shut.

She touched his arm. “I’m not saying that your position is not unique. Being joined with the Lord of the Drae is a strain, and yes, magic will depend on you. It isn’t an easy life. But your life will pass, as all things must. What I’m trying to say is that the world is much bigger than you.” She gestured to the landscape. “Look again. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? But nothing is perfect. Beauty does not require perfection. Neither does love. The dragons understand this better than humans do. They have felt the love in your heart, and that is what is important to them—not the pedigree of your family or the kingdom of your birth.”

Jasen scoffed. “Try telling that to the ministers.”

“That’s a splendid idea. Why don’t you?”

“They wouldn’t listen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Jasen opened his mouth to reply and shut it again. “I suppose I can’t,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Then it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

“And what if they still oppose me? What if Rilvor defies them and it sets off a political crisis? What if he grows to resent me because I caused all that strife? What if—”

“You want reassurances from me,” she interrupted. “But I can’t give them to you. I can’t see the future. But I can tell you that you will regret living your life in fear.”

Jasen held his head in his hands. “I need more time.”

“That, alas, I can’t give you, either. You must make up your mind, Jasen. Life is fleeting. You cannot wait forever.”

A dragon circled overhead and dipped down, passing close to them. “Are these dragons dead, too?”

“Dragons can travel in the spaces in dreams and the afterlife in the same way as they move in the waking world. Life and death are a little different for them than they are for us. It isn’t quite as final.”

“What do they want? Tasenred called me when I first came to the Draelands. Queen Urga thinks that he was trying to get Grumhul under dragon control by using me, just as she thinks they tried to use her.”

“Queen Urga makes the same mistake many humans do. They ascribe human motivations to the dragons. The dragons don’t care about control.”

“Then why did they intervene in Westrona?”

“The dragons are more in tune with human hearts than humans are themselves. When humans and dragons first connected, the humans gave dragons the gift of knowing themselves in a way other beasts never can. They are eternally grateful and want only for humans to be happy. They are perplexed by human tendency to bring misery upon themselves and try to intervene where they think they can. That’s why they call humans to their service—they know they can never truly understand the complexity of human society, so they seek humans to act for them.”

“Is that why they called me? Because they knew I would make Rilvor happy?”

“I believe so. I was blessed, but never called. The dragons accepted our marriage well enough, but I think we confused them. They aren’t match makers in general, but since humans got it so hopelessly wrong the first time, they might have felt the need to intervene more directly.” She squeezed his hand. “I agree with them. I think the two of you are a good match. You have a good heart, Jasen. That’s what he needs, and what my children need.”

She stood. Jasen got to his feet as well. “Call to the dragons, when you are ready,” she said, taking his hands in hers. “You have their support, and mine. And if that is not enough, there is nothing more I can do for you.”

She kissed him on the cheek. With a push of her foot, she launched herself off of the mountain top and floated onto the back of the dragon. She waved good-bye—

—and Jasen’s eyes flew open. He sat up, breathing heavily as he looked around. He was in his bed, safe and sound, although his thoughts still felt slow and dreamy. He got out of bed and opened the window shutters. The sun was creeping up over the horizon, banishing the darkness of night.

He watched until the sun was fully risen. As the morning began in earnest, the fog of Jasen’s dream faded. The light here was harsher than it had been in the dream world. His body was heavier. The ground beneath his feet was hard and cold. And the breeze coming off the swamp was chilly, and didn’t smell very good, either.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was life.

He shut the window and went to get dressed. After picking out something sensible and comfortable, he donned the Drae’s cloak. He had made his decision.