Leodhais' eyes skipped between Peregrine and Fiona, who were seated at the opposite ends of the long table, throughout breakfast, his porridge-filled spoon, which the landlady had served to all of them, missing his mouth so often that it made Annwyn laugh. 

"You are covering your cheeks in honey," she said, giggling, cleaning the corner of his mouth with a napkin. She leaned closer to whisper in his ear, making him shift on the hard wooden bench and forget everything about everyone but her as her warm breath tickled his earlobe. "Don't worry about them. Leave it to Peregrine; he knows what he's doing."

She hoped so, at least. To his credit, Leodhais didn't tell her anything of what he might have found out when she had sent him to wake everyone up. But she knew her brother well and wasn't blind-- the change in him was obvious to her. He had fallen for the petite redhead; she was convinced about it since she had seen them appear together in The Gate. And, for better or for worse, their king's only daughter, their soon-to-be queen, a mother of a young Highlander whose father, as Peregrine had told her in a few rushed, whispered words, was the dragon who had killed his parents and he had pledged to kill, seemed to return his feelings in equal measure. 

Of course, Fiona didn't know what Annwyn knew about her son's father, and she didn't blame Peregrine for not telling her. It had everything, but nothing to do with her; there were many more important things she needed to learn and understand about this world and its inhabitants. She and Peregrine deserved to enjoy the feeling that had bloomed between them impossibly, despite all odds, unhindered by the thoughts of the past they couldn't change, or the future that didn't look bright for them, Annwyn mused, watching the woman's face glow like a candle as she observed Peregrine, while he spoke to her son about dragon shifter matters from across the table. It was incredibly easy to see that something happened between them last night, and they were both elated about it...

"You are covering your cheeks in honey," Leodhais' voice scattered her thoughts as he kissed her on the honey covered cheek, then muttered in her ear, making a shiver ripple through her body, "Maybe we should wash in that river you mentioned before... Together..." 

He was so tempting... But this wasn't the right moment. Annwyn cupped his face, kissed him deeply, then pushed him from her gently before he would sway her reasoning his way, replacing her conscious, serious thoughts with his fantasies. He was incredibly good at that.

"We should have gone to bathe when I told you about it before sunrise. Now it's too late."

"Annwyn is right, elf," Peregrine's voice scattered the last remnants of the visions Leodhais' mind was filled with. "It's getting late. Let us leave now."

He stood up to give all of them an example and headed into the kitchen to settle their bill with the landlord, while the rest of them filed outside into the sunlit courtyard crowded with their horses who were impatient to move on, and Gollum, sitting like a shadow at Shadow's side. 

Leodhais walked to Alexandra and helped her gallantly into the saddle of Annwyn's Firefoot. It had been decided that she would ride with each of them in turn, so none of the horses would get too tired by carrying the extra rider too soon. They had at least a week long journey in front of them still, Fiona mused, observing everyone from the inn's doorway as they mounted their steeds, feeling... satisfied. Happy. In love for the first time in over a decade...

She gasped when a strong pair of arms suddenly lifted her off the ground. Peregrine laid her gently over his shoulder, like a sack of flour, as if she weighed nothing, making giggle. It was the most inappropriate thing to do, so... unlike him, the darkly serious man she had fallen in love with. But he obviously couldn't help himself despite his own decision about not attracting anyone's attention to the two of them, and it made her heart soar.

"I know we didn't sleep much last night," he whispered oh-so-seriously, an eyebrow raised teasingly, as he set her in Snowmane's saddle, "but this is hardly the moment to make up for it. We need to rush. The weather is incredibly good, it can't last like this for too long," he muttered, tilting his head towards the suspiciously bright blue, cloudless sky.

Not caring about any of their friends looking at them with bemused smiles, Fiona bowed from her high perch and pressed her lips to his briefly, feeling... as if the weather was a reflection of her feelings, her elated mood. Sensing his bright blue eyes on herself, she cast a quick look at Freddie, ready to respond honestly to any question he might ask on the first occasion he got, and smiled when she found him beaming at them.

"Let us go then," she said then to no one in particular, bringing her horse to the head of their group as no one moved, exiting the inn's courtyard first, hoping that Peregrine would reach her before she lost her way.

Just like the previous day, taking advantage of the good weather, they rode until dusk, only stopping a couple of times throughout the whole day to refresh and eat. The food they had brought from The Gate was dwindling but they had bought more provisions in the other inn, and it should last for all of them until they reached the werewolf territory, according to Peregrine's estimates. 

Gilderoy's eyes shone, making Fiona smile, each time the werewolves were mentioned; she was incredibly curious about the girl, Aryana, whom their friend was hoping to meet there. Peregrine had told her just enough about her to make her feel intrigued-- after she had found her happiness with Peregrine, like Leodhais with Annwyn, she wished Gilderoy to find requitted love too. Fiona almost wished that her father wasn't married so he would fall in love with her mother again, she deserved it for all those years she had spent waiting for him, for bringing up his only child alone and lonely...  

Sighing, she shook her head as she allowed Peregrine to take her off the tall horse when they reached the place in Goblinica where, he had decided, they would set camp for the night. The last was an impossible wish, she knew it, Fiona thought as Peregrine set her on her feet slowly, gently, her body brushing against his fully as she slipped to the ground in his embrace. Her entire body hurt after another day spent in the saddle, but it didn't stop her from gasping at feeling him so close... Botheration! She would give anything to spend this night in an inn and share a room with him like before.

Satisfied with the effect he had on her as if he could read her mind, Peregrine pulled her flush against him for a moment, and she melted into him, letting him support her whole weight. He was irresistible. 

Annwyn's voice got her scrambling to her own feet.

"Are you sure we can't go back to the last goblin settlement and ask for accommodation for tonight?" the half dragon asked, looking back towards the cave-like dwellings carved into the omnipresent rocks free of any form of vegetation surrounding the road they had ridden along. 

Goblinica was a dismal place in Fiona's opinion, and she wasn't sure about how she felt about its inhabitants, despite having only encountered a few of them during the day's journey. Spending the night outside, in a rocky moor unfolding in front of them towards a distant forest, seemed better than being closed in a cave.

"Annwyn is right," her mother added, looking around herself with fearful eyes.

They would reach the forest in the heart of which lay the werewolf territory tomorrow, Peregrine had said... Letting her eyes find Gilderoy, who was looking longingly towards the still distant forest as she finally took a step from Peregrine and stood on her own feet, Fiona ended the discussion. 

"I don't think it would be wise to return; we should keep going onwards. And I trust in Peregrine's opinion about the goblins. One night under the stars won't harm anyone."

She didn't realise that they were all eyeing her with an expression of surprise and respect until Freddie rushed at her, hugging her around the waist even as he said, "Thanks, Mum, I think it's great to sleep outside. And..." he added on a whisper before disengaging himself from her arms, "... you just sounded like a queen right now, you know?"

"I didn't," Fiona muttered, feeling a blush flooding her cheeks, letting go of him when he turned to rush to Gilderoy, asking where exactly they would sleep.

"You did, and it becomes you, Bella," Peregrine whispered from behind her as he led their horses towards the only grassy spot of the surrounding moor in sight, where they would be tethered for the night. 

Fiona sighed, giving up the argument, making her way towards the other two women of their group. She was never going to accept the future her father had in mind for her, anyway. She had her own plans.