That night Arianna dreamed miserable, dark, muddy dreams. It started out when she was hunting in the forest by herself, her bow in hand and her breath bated, waiting for some sort of creature. The forest was gloomy and twisted, with gnarly branches barren of leaves that rattled like dry bones in the cool wind. Someone stepped in front of her, his longbow strung taut, broad shoulders almost blocking out the glaring moon. “Papa,” she whispered, edging up behind him.

        He put his finger to his lips and glanced at his daughter, but his eyes were a violent green. “Papa?” she asked, but her mouth was covered by a rough hand.

        A rustle to her right. She stiffened, her hunter senses kicking in. Her father slowly put his hand back on his bow, his body language reading danger. Reaching over her shoulder, she grabbed an arrow and aimed at the bushes, her arrow shaking in her hand.

        Something exploded into the moonlight. A monstrous figure, its form flickering and heaving. Arianna’s eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened as she recognized the unholy beast of the devil, rearing its monstrous head into the dark sky, a strange keen emerging from its chest.

        Beside her, her father lowered his bow, “The cat. The cat’s come for me!”

         Arianna didn’t think twice. She let loose a hail of arrows, each impaling its feathery chest. The creature screamed and swing its great claws in agony. Arianna thought I have you now foul beast, and reached to get the arrow that would finish it off. Her groping hand came up with nothing. “What? But… but that’s impossible!” she cried.

         The Julnfr smiled grotesquely, then its form flickered and it looked like a giant cat on its haunches. It blinked again and was once again the giant bird. Arianna backed up against a gnarly tree as it stomped closer, a thick purple tongue sliming over its beak. Its form flickered again, this time its face a grotesquely bloated version of Arianna’s mother’s- The Queen. Her eyes glittered maliciously, “Arianna, you never should have left Grunde. You’ll be the ruin of us all! You left your responsibility! Your country depended on you! You have always been a disappointment to me, Arianna. The only Princess in our royal bloodline to have the cowardice to run away. You are no daughter of mine, coward.”

             “But.. you don’t understand! I had to-”

             The Queen/bird laughed and for a second it looked like a misshapen cat. Something quivered above her and she looked up to find her father shaking like a leaf in the sturdy barren bough, his eyes firmly shut. His form flickered for a second and her father’s beard disappeared, his hair shrunk to just above shoulder-length, and his stature became even taller. What? Ralem is here? She thought. A stomp brought her back to the attention that a killer bird was about to impale her.

            “Now you must pay the price for your wrongs, Princess Arianna,” the creature said mockingly, shifting forward and opening its huge slobbery beak. In a blur of white it dashed at her, claws aimed for the strike.

              BAM! Several sickening crunches and squelches rang through the forest as the bird was beaten back. “DON’T”-punch-“TOUCH”-jab-“HER”-kick It flailed its saber claws ruthlessly, but could find no purchase in the blur of the attacker. Within seconds, it flopped to the ground, its form shimmering again, writhing and compacting. Ralem, or was it Jaydon, landed softly by it, his fist raised and a snarl on his face. Yes, definitely Jaydon.

               The thing reappeared as a man with dark, wild hair and strange green eyes. Jaydon faltered as the thing writhed, bleeding into the forest floor. “Jaydon, help me!” it called out weakly, “Please. Heal me, my soul brother.” Jaydon dropped to his knees. “Ralem?” he asked pitifully. 

             “He’s NOT Ralem!” Arianna screamed, just as claws snapped out of the fake Ralem’s hands and lurched at Jaydon’s neck.

              Then the fake Ralem gasped soundlessly as Jaydon drew his claws back out of its chest. “Bad cat,” he said in a small voice. And then, like a mist blown away by the wind, the body was gone.

              Jaydon got to his feet, his claws snapping back into his hands, “Arianna. That is you right?”

              Arianna nodded before sitting heavily on a tree stump, “This is a weird dream.”

              “Really? What is this place?” Jaydon asked, scanning the trees.

              “The burned forest by Grunde. I’ve always hated the place, but it’s a great hunting area.”

              “Really? I see the forest between Baroke and Redfield, where I was hatched,” he narrowed his eyes, “How did you get into my dream?”

               Arianna shrugged, “I don’t know. I was kind of thinking this was my dream.”

                 Jaydon sat down on a rock across from her, “Usually Ralem joins me in my dreams, but I’m glad he didn’t on this one. That was really scary.”

                 “So, you’re seriously Jaydon?”

                 “Well, yeah,” Jaydon said stretching, “And I’ve been asleep for forever, but I can’t wake up. Even if I try real hard.”

                  “Okay then, when you wake up I’m going to ask you about this dream and I bet you’re just going to look at me like I’m an idiot,” Arianna said, rubbing her arm.

                  “Hey,” Jaydon said, stretching on the rock for the invisible sun to cover every inch of his body, “While you’re here, could you tell me a story?”

                  “A story?” Arianna asked. She thought it was adorable of the dragon to ask for a story, and felt it was an honor to have been asked. She nodded, thinking of her favorite story of all time. “Okay, I’ll tell you the story of King Arthur….” And as the story progressed, so did the dream, and soon they found themselves sitting on the round table. Arianna looked across at Jaydon, sitting smartly in full armor, “Is this how your dreams usually are?”

                 “Well, yeah. But most of the time Ralem tells the story,” Jaydon replied,

                 “You guys must have so much fun! I wish I knew how to join in,” Arianna laughed, “but shhh, the king is talking!” she said, mock seriously.

                 “My valiant knights- LET ME OUT! PLEASE,SOMEBODY!” the king screamed, even though his mouth was moving like, good morning.

                  Arianna’s eyebrow furrowed, then she looked down at her arms. They were fading! “What’s happening?” she cried.

                   “So soon?” Jaydon said mournfully, “You’re waking up, Arianna. I’ll see you… when I wake up… whenever that is…” his voice faded out along with everything else until Arianna was thrown into pitch blackness, then dazzling light. She blinked in the acid sunlight.

                   “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” a yell boomed down the hallway. She jerked up in her sheets, just to remember that it was Ralem. She sank back, wishing more than ever to fall back into that wonderful dream under the wonderfully warm sheets, but a loud cry reminded her that Ralem had still not taken his medicine. Resignedly, she got dressed and prepared for her new job; healer duty.

                  Arianna had never been a healer, and she had absolutely no experience with poisoned Riders. But she knew enough; make him rest, medicine three times a day, and keep out of the sun. Grabbing the bandages by her bed, she opened her door and walked down the hall, where people groaned and rolled over in their beds. A few early birds roamed through the hallways or leaned over the balcony, steaming cups of tea in soft hands. Arianna nodded her head to many of them as she passed, breathing in the sweet air. The flower smell was slightly tinged with the salty sea air of the distant ocean and even this late in the spring, she could hear the strumming background of the frogs in the lake. Birds tweeted and twittered, hopping on the railings and belting out melodies from their perches. A soft red washed over this all as the sun just started to peek over the mountains.

                   Even with the jovial mood in the air, Arianna hesitated before opening the door. The Rider mark shimmered on door, three silver curly lines that flowed over the door knob, surrounded by spade shaped leaves. She stared at the sign, then sucked it up and slowly turned the knob, cracking open the thick wood door.

               The second the door clicked open, the knob was thrown from Arianna’s grasp and she was nearly bowled over by a person very desperate to escape the room. Arianna fell with a wild spin of her skirts, her eyes wide as she saw the Rider fling himself over the balcony.

               Time seemed to slow down as Arianna propelled herself off the wall, her good hand grasping for Ralem’s retreating arm. She amazed herself as her hunter senses kicked in, her hand catching his arm just in time. Just as her fingers tightened around him, she felt a sharp tug that jerked her to slam her into the railing. She bit back a cry as her breath was almost knocked out of her lungs and her bruised hand was knocked hard on the iron railing. Still, her bruised arm shot out, and she tugged at Ralem, who was hanging haphazardly fifteen feet off the ground. She felt as if her arms were being torn off from her shoulders, but yet she didn’t feel like she was holding his whole weight. Her hands were slipping on his sweaty skin, “Ralem,” she wheezed.

              Suddenly she felt the weight decrease to nothing. She gasped, thinking she had dropped him. But he just hovered until he was eye to eye with her, “I was just going to get dinner. Have you seen Jaydon? Last I saw him he was messing around with Sprite. They’re not in trouble, are they? Hey, you want to join me?” He leaned over the balcony and extended a hand. 

              Arianna noticed he had the same wild look to him, his hair crazy, eyes vibrant green, and skin even hotter than before. Yellow tinged the corners of his eyes and his breathing was shallow and fast. He faltered for a second, then completely gave out, hanging on to the railings as the floor seemed to give out underneath him. He gulped, his eyes wide, as he scrambled for a better hold, “Arianna- be careful! My house is falling down!”

                 Arianna had had enough, “Ralem Whatever-your-last-name-is, you get over that railing right now!” She knew that was a little hard on a guy that was crazier than a drunk fairy, but it seemed to do the trick. His eyebrows furrowed together, and he looked at the railing as if just realizing that was what he had been holding the whole time. Slowly, he pulled himself up, then sliding effortlessly over the iron railing, he landed softly on the floor.

          Arianna couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles would move fluidly and his effortless strength. She was annoyed at herself for having such girly- immature thoughts, and pushed this to the back of her mind. She reminded herself that even though he was strong, he was also terribly ill, and she gently reached for his arm, “Ralem, I know that you want to go out, but you can’t. The sun will only hurt you.”

          “But the sun is not even up,” Ralem protested, for once making sense. The sun was still haggling over the tree tops.

           Arianna sighed. She couldn’t let him go when he could do something awful. But her heart just couldn’t take having him cooped up. She looked hard into his eyes, “You can go if you promise me you’ll come back with me when the sun comes up. Do you promise?” Ralem’s eyes were distant and she shook him back to reality, “Promise me you’ll come back and rest.”

            “I promise,” he said, his eyes focusing on Arianna for a split second. That was all that she needed. She softly grabbed his arm and started leading him down the hallway, “How about we go to the garden real quick? Would you like that?” she asked.

             “Is Jaydon waiting down there? I wanted to show him something. I think he must be playing a joke because he’s not answering me.”  He walked with her, his breaths ragged, even though he seemed to be doing fine.

            “No… he’s busy right now. You feeling okay?” The early risers that ambled in their path skittered away when they saw Ralem. Some people disappeared behind their doors, whispers floating behind fans and eyes darting away. Arianna continued to the front, where the courtyard spread out and the fountain tinkled over the fragrant flowers.

            “I’m feeling… fine,” he replied, his voice unsure. Once he staggered, but regained his composure, sucking in a deep breath. “Arianna,” he said, “Why?”

           “Why what?” she said nonchalantly.

           “Why?” he asked, looking deep into her eyes.

           Arianna looked sharply away. She couldn’t take the crazy look in his eyes. His pupils took up almost his whole eyes, making him look like a lost kitten. She smiled nervously, tenderly taking his arm into hers and leading him into the garden. The flowers bobbed in the dull light as they swished by, leaves crinkling underfoot, the shadow of the castle tucking them under its wing.

            Suddenly Ralem gasped sharply, and he stumbled on the path. Thinking fast, Arianna about shoved him into a bench. He hit the bench with a thud, his eyes widening for a second. Then he relaxed against the backboard, “I’m fine.” He tried to get back up but Arianna pushed him down, “No. Rest. How about…”

            “You know what, this reminds me of something,” Ralem said. Then he started out with the craziest story that was so embarrassing that Arianna was sure that he would never share it with her in his right mind. She almost laughed herself to death when Ralem explained the time when he used to get into his neighbor’s apple tree when he was little. One time, she had set a trap for him and he found himself hanging from the same apple tree by his underwear for almost a whole day until his brother found him and helped him make his escape. When he got to the end, he started laughing so hard that he cried. Arianna had never heard him really laugh this hard and she could have sworn it was the most hilarious laugh she had ever heard. Usually his laugh was light and deep. But now, it was so high and breathless that he sounded like a hyena that had inhaled helium. And by the end, Arianna was not laughing at his story, but at his crazy laugh and for a split second she promised herself that she would do anything to get him to laugh again like that. Ralem wiped a tear from his eyes, his body shaking from pent-up laughter, “That was the only pair of underwear I had at the time,” he said, “I had to wear my brother’s extra pair for a week. Haha! I couldn’t imagine her face, coming home to find all my torn clothes strung on the tree and all the apples gone! I took… every… last…. One of them.” Then he promptly threw up beside the bench.

           Arianna gagged, and then remembered what Lauri had said about sunlight. It was nearly daylight, the hot rays of pure sunlight streaming from the heavens and marred only by a few dark clouds. “Come on, we got to go back inside,” she said, getting to her feet and helping him stagger to his own.

         “I don’t want to go back inside,” Ralem said slowly, his words painfully thought out. “It’s so pretty out here. Arianna, isn’t it a pretty place? Look at the view you can have from my backyard! You know what… we should go for a ride. You and me. On Jaydon,” his shaking hands plucked a flower and he put it reverently in Arianna’s hair. He smiled at her, a crazy lopsided smile.

         She smiled back, gently pushing him back to the castle. “It’s okay. How about we just walk around for a little while, okay?”

         “Okay,” he said thoughtfully. Another step and he gasped and leaned heavily on Arianna. She could hardly support him, and almost fell before she felt him wrench away from her. She whirled around to find Daemon, his teeth clenched and expression determined, “I’ve got him, Arianna. Now, step away. I’ll take him back to his room.”

            “Stop!” Arianna said, trying to show him how desperate she was with a strong glare, chopping motions to her neck with a flat hand, and even a strange hissing noise. But it was too late. Ralem’s lips slimmed to a hard line, and his eyes narrowed, pure green blazing like a beacon on a cool night. Daemon held his hands tighter behind his back.

            Ralem jerked out of Daemon’s grasp and punched him hard on the stomach. Daemon made a sharp “O” face and sank to his knees. He just managed to dodge another blow, and sinking to the ground, lashed out with his legs, kicking Ralem to the ground in one blow. “Daemon!” Arianna cried, “Stop! He’s ill!”

           “I know,” Daemon growled, “That’s why I was trying to protect you in the first place! He’s nothing but an animal right now.”

        Ralem growled deep in his chest. He dove for Daemon, but the other Rider twisted under his tackle and he skidded into a flower bed. Thrusting off the ground, Daemon lunged for Ralem, who was bent over on the road, shaking like a leaf. Hooping his arm around Ralem’s neck, he grabbed his hand with his other arm and jerked quickly up. Ralem silently screamed as he found himself abruptly on the edge of unconsciousness.

         His animal instincts seemed to kick in behind his large eyes, and in a wild movement, he flung himself backwards. Daemon’s head cracked against the old oak and he released Ralem, a groan escaping his lips. Ralem twisted around, his arm wound like a spring to give the finishing blow. Arianna jumped between them, her hair flying and her mouth half-opened, “Ralem, calm down. It’s okay. Shh… shh calm down. You’re okay.”

            Ralem looked frantically from her to Daemon, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles shone white. He was trembling even worse now, his cold sweat even more apparent in the soft morning glow. A hoarse breath heaved from his lungs, and then he collapsed into a patch of poppies.

          Arianna’s hair swept into her face as she crouched beside him, “He was doing so good! Dae-mon,” she sighed, “Now you have to help me take him back to his room. The sunlight will hurt him.”

             Daemon cursed in his head. This is what I get for trying to save her life? Then he consented, albeit sourly. Hooking his arms under Ralem’s underarms he started tugging him to his room. This guy is heavy, he thought, even though he was too proud to admit it. Arianna bent over to help pick him up, but Daemon cut her short with a, “Arianna- don’t you dare. He’s going to be fine. Remember- your dress. You’re wearing a dress, Princess! And your arm can’t take the weight” He didn’t see the face she made behind his back.

             As he dragged the other man up the stairs, Daemon couldn’t help but notice the swirly tattoo on his shoulder blade. So that’s where it is, he thought, trying to look closer at it without anyone noticing his interest. He wanted to touch it and see what would happen, but instinct drove him to shy away from the mysterious sign. And besides, he was puffing like a dragon at Ralem’s heavy weight. Boy was he tempted to drop the unconscious Ralem to the stones. But he didn’t dare even think of Arianna’s reaction to such treatment. Why does she have to have such a soft heart? He thought, opening Ralem’s door. How does she get attracted to idiots like him? he lamented, huffing and puffing as he shoved the Rider onto the bed. I could understand if it was the Prince of Shanur, he’s stupid but hilariously so. Or even the Prince of the Vikings; barbaric but so very good at chess. And at least that’s close to home. But him? A peasant of no royal blood and no education to speak of? This I don’t understand.

           Arianna beamed at him in the way that had always melted his heart and gotten him in trouble. “Thank you,” she breathed.

          Daemon dipped an eyebrow, “Arianna, I’m sorry but I can’t let you do this.”

          Arianna sighed, “I can do what I please.” She turned her head away.

         “This is a job for healers. Not a Princess. Listen to me, let the healer do this.”

         “You know you’re not going to change my mind,” Arianna said stubbornly, already dipping the rag into cool water.

         Daemon sighed, “Yes. I know full well,” he tarried by the door, his face accented by the half light and his hair inflamed with gold. “I’ll be here if you need me,” he offered, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice, “Just give a call and I’ll be here.” Like I’ve always been, he thought

           “Thanks,” she said leaning toward him, “I know I can count on you. Tell Fraylon I said hello.” She gave a fluttering goodbye and he turned and slipped out the door. Then he nearly jumped a foot when he heard a You forgot to tell me hello for her.

         Curse you, dragon. Why do you have to abruptly talk in my head like that?

         And it scares you still. After four years.

         Please…. Daemon rubbed his forehead wearily… Be silent.

          Unfortunately Ralem wasn’t out for long. But when he woke up again, he was much worse. His fever had intensified until his head was burning to touch. He shivered involuntarily under the sheets, biting his lip until it bled. Arianna gave him his medicine, and extras when it dribbled down his chin. She tucked him in, got a towel wet with some cool water from an unbroken vase, and set it on his forehead. The whole time, her concerned eyebrows created rifts on her smooth forehead as she fretted about him. He tried talking.. but his words made even less sense than before.

           In less than an hour after their excursion the male healer walked in without any warning, his hat under his arm and his eyebrow raised. He stomped up to the bed, every loud bang made as his heel touched the ground making Ralem flinch. The doctor looked the Rider over with a practiced eye, “He’s not doing much better. In fact, he’s doing much worse. It appears that you’re a little rusty, Healer Princess.”

          “What business have you prodding in things that are none of your business!” Arianna said hotly, “Oh, you should have seen him earlier, healer. He was walking and talking…. And making sense sometimes! He just got scared… and that got him back to where he started.”

           “I am not surprised.”

           “You’re not?” Arianna was taken aback.

           The healer waved his hat dismissively, “Of course not. They all have that hour of calm. But don’t be fooled, valiant Princess. That was just the eye of the hurricane. The worst is upon us. This is where you’re going to have to pull all you can, because he most likely won’t make it through this. But hopefully his youth will prevail.” He sighed heavily, “Well I must be on my way. Just checking on things…. And giving you an offer. You sure you want to be doing this? I can take over right now if you want to.”

               “Yes. I’m sure,” Arianna said evenly, her head down until she heard the stomping of feet and the slow closing of the door. Then she got the now-steaming rag off his forehead, wrung it out over a vase, and dunked it into the cool one. She put it reverently back upon his forehead. Ralem tried to reach up weakly, his fingers trembling, then his arm fell soundlessly back to the bed. His lips formed soundless words and his eyes groped blindly in the room. Arianna gulped down her tears and forced him to drink, even though most of the water dripped down his chin. Then, not knowing what else to do, she brought out something that had always helped her when she was feeling down; a book. The tale of Sir Gawain, in fact, though she had finished that days ago. Now she held the leather cover in shaking hands, and slowly turned the pages to where she left off. She put a finger on the page and propped up the pillows behind the Rider’s head to look at him in the face. “Hey, Ralem, you’re going to make it. Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got this. You’re going to be fine. In a couple hours, we’ll be practicing our dancing and, and….” Her eyes built up with tears. She blinked them away as he took a shuttering breath that sounded almost painful. “Okay… back to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight… .” she cleared her throat “There hurtles in at the hall-door an unknown rider, One the greatest on ground in growth of his frame…” The whole time, she stroked and massaged his sweaty hand. It was unresponsive as Ralem sunk deeper into his illness… too deep for even dreams to exist and amuse his conscious. Faintly… he could feel Jaydon reach for him then fall back. But over this all he could hear the exciting tale of a great knight, leading him onward.

                Arianna read for hours until her throat was so sore she couldn’t bear to read another page. She had changed the cloth every so often, and with a sigh she did it again, biting her lip as her fingers briefly touched his burning forehead. She couldn’t help but notice how peaceful he looked; his long eyelashes fanning out over uncharacteristically pale cheeks, his lips pursed into a thin line, and his hair swept around his face. The only thing that showed how much pain he was in was the slight incline of his dark eyebrows creating a small frown line on his forehead.

                 She ran her hand softly down his sweaty cheek, her hair sweeping his unresponsive face. “What am I to do with you?” she moaned in her native language, hot tears building in her eyes. She had no clue what she was doing. She sat back hard onto a chair by the bed. I have no clue what I’m doing. Another voice spoke up, Just doing the same thing he’d do for me. She let her head rest on the bed, her hair flung out over the covers like a dark halo, “What am I supposed to do, Fraya?” she asked the goddess. She lay there for a moment before getting to her reluctant feet and grabbing a water skin, letting it drip onto his tongue. Several drips later, he swallowed. She almost pumped her fist in victory, “Yes!” Then she did it again. And again. He swallowed every time.

                 She felt pretty proud of herself, and small stirrings of hope rose up in her like an unrelenting flower. But nothing else happened. He still lay there, as unresponsive as a log. She about cried as he faded out for an hour.

              A kind maid brought some lunch in for her, steaming on a plate. She left it untouched.

              Hours of torture passed. The sun slowly crossed the azure sky. The meal grew cold as Ralem grew hotter. And still, he did nothing. Finally Arianna had had enough. She stood up, “Come on! You can’t just die right now! That would be ….extremely selfish!” she waggled a finger at him, her hair flying. “Think about your dragon! He’d die without you! Oh come on! Don’t look at me like that! You know you’re being selfish!” she screamed, feeling like she could rip her hair out. “And… and think of me! What would I do without your…. Your hilarious weirdness and your dragon’s entertainment! Come on! Think of your family!” Still nothing. His face was as blank and white as the sheet he was wrapped under.

            “Ugh! I hate you!” Arianna screamed, slapping him on a sudden impulse.

            He twitched.

            She jerked her hands back to her chest, her eyes big, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said softly.

            He opened his eyes, blinking, then smiling, “Arianna, I…”

            She smiled hopefully, nodding her head to encourage him to speak more.

           “What are you doing in my house? Welcome,” he tried to get up, but sank back into bed, “I would get you some tea, but William and Aidan apparently thought that it would be funny to tie me into the bed. Do you want to sit on some melons? My great uncle lives nearby.”

           Arianna sighed. He was still crazy. With an agonized sigh, she sank back into her chair, a dark shadow passing over her face.

          Sweaty hands brushed over her bruised arm, “Don’t be sad. I’ll get you some leather if you need some. You know what, this reminds me of a story…”

          Ralem had lots of stories. Lots. Arianna listened to him for two hours, one embarrassing story after the other. He was too exhausted to laugh, and sometimes his voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper or his story was intercepted by a cough that would squeeze all the energy out of his body and he’d have to lay still for a couple minutes. But all of his stories were hilarious, and picked up Arianna’s mood even in her state.

          Finally he dropped off into a deep slumber, his body so weary that he could not do much more than raspingly struggle for breath.

        Arianna found herself physically and mentally exhausted also, tired from the inside out. She fought to stay awake, fretting and messing with his bandages, changing his cloth, and tapping her favorite tunes on the desk.

         She never knew when she had finally dropped off into a deep sleep. After an hour of heavy napping, a stream of light fell across her body and strong arms picked her up and carried her back to her own bed, where she involuntarily curled up and crooked her arm around a fluffy pillow.