Verana coasted through the dark in a random direction, waiting until she could no longer hear the humans before returning to the ship to find Drakos standing in what she could only guess was the spot she had jumped into the air from. She was still getting used to the senses of the Rulin people and wondered if it were coincidence or if he could smell the trace of her presence.

After she landed, he took in a slow breath and smirked ever so slight. " What trouble did you find, Princess?"

She held her ground, tilting her head to look up to him and narrowed her eyes. "The Humans have already suffered greatly for their mistakes."

Verana couldn't say why she responded with those words, as surprised as he appeared to be by them.

"You forgive them for their crimes against your people?" He asked as his gaze searched her face for some explanation.

"No." She shook her head and breathed in slowly, smelling Drakos instead of the lingering memories of the Irlen priest's cruelty and anger. "No. But the weak and scared sometimes follow the advice of cruel men."

"Yes... that is true for most situations." Drakos murmured as he leaned against the railing, only watching her from the corner of his eye. "I can distinguish the scents of people, perhaps in the order of how they come in contact with something but not nearly as well as I'm led to understand you are able to smell. You can pick up on emotions, feelings, desires... am I right?"

She inclined her head, turning her face into the wind, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Yes. For the most part, but my father and the rest of the Feysha are beyond even my abilities."

Drakos may have been watching her still, but he didn't move, just murmured after a few moments. "Tell me where you went. I can see that it has unsettled you."

"There were two Irlen ships travelling south towards their capital." She offered a shrug, though she frowned at him for demanding the information from her. For some reason, she continued speaking despite her dislike of his audacity. "The man who has sworn a Blood oath to me was in one ship, the other ship had his father and a priest. The vileness of that priest was so thick... "

Verana shook her head at that, cutting her line of thought short as her words came out in a growl, trying to find some serenity before she continued speaking. Through her inner battle, Drakos remained quiet until she continued speaking. "Their King and his council have asked Nicklus to speak again, they have indicated that they're willing to hear him out, about his recommendations of cooperating. I fear that they may be bringing him there to kill him. Or he may be going to betray me, and I was starting to trust him."

"That's the man I smell on you." Drakos offered, raising a brow, saying more than his words did.

She watched him for a long moment, before she realized there was a question in his words, blushing and shaking her head. "No. He came close to me so the others could not hear our words. I told him that they will only get one more chance for them to cooperate, but we will free the Feysha."

"Yet another friend." Drakos chuckled darkly, though his eyes were more thoughtful than amused. "You do collect loyalties like most people collect baubles or riches. If I notice that man that I smell and he is in trouble trying to remain loyal to you, I will do my best to ensure his safety. But only if he is loyal to his oath."

She blushed again, glancing back and forth between Drakos and the water. "You don't need to do that. I appreciate it. But, of all the things you should be worrying about, why would you care about my personal concerns?"

Drakos offered a shrug and a lopsided grin, his features becoming almost boyish in a way that reminded her of Anzael. "You will go in, you will issue your ultimatum to the Irlen, with the might of three nations behind you. And then your job is to free the Feysha. I know you can fight and I know you will fight. I couldn't stop you any more than any of my men could stop me. It's not in our blood to be stopped when our people are fighting our battles. But in everything going on, you need to remember that you're the only one who can free those that are imprisoned. Because our enemies will not forget it. And if you're trying to save someone you feel responsible for, you will take risks that we can not afford. I've seen you fly headlong nearly into the jaws of a Cassaei in the midst of battle, you fight with such heart that you will throw yourself completely through what you're fighting but at the end of the day, you are an asset that we need to accomplish our task. Which is to free the Feysha"

"It is my task." She said softly, motioning towards the back of the ship and the office where the plans were being laid, finally voicing her frustration. "This is my Path."

"No, Princess." He shook his head, giving her a hard look. "You have allies now. You have people here that you convinced that this was important to all of us. It ceased to be just yours when you made us all care about it. Fair or not, I am risking myself and my men to accomplish this, not because of you, but because this is something I want to accomplish. It is our task. You can not take that away from any of those who are going to fight with you. You do not carry this load on your own shoulders, no matter how strong you think you are."

Verana let out a slow breath, trying to come to terms with his words. She let her eyes scan his face, which had become stoic and unmovable, then glanced back out at the ocean.

She struggled with admitting he was right, even though she knew that she was unreasonable not to do so. His words made sense and that was partly what irked her about them. Drakos was someone who was used to being right, she didn't need to add to his ego on the matter by agreeing with him.

***

Drakos had let the Princess have her silence, leaning against the railing and watching her work through whatever was running through that odd mind of hers. It wasn't that he wanted to argue with her but she had to understand the weight of what she was doing was beyond her own individual capabilities. Drakos had learned early in his life that he couldn't do everything alone and it seemed that she had not yet come across the lessons who convinced her of the same thing.

He wanted to push her for more information on whatever Human had upset her so much, having seen the fear and revulsion on her face when she was returning, but he had let it go. If it was important, it would come up again and she looked troubled enough as it was, her blue eyes going distant as she struggled with whatever warred within her.

In the end, they fell into a companionable silence, enjoying the wind rushing past them as the ship cut through the water. It was an odd sensation akin to flying, even as their feet remained on the ground.

Or decking, as it were, they were standing and moving at the same time.

When Byzan had emerged from the meeting, walking with the Human General and the Lady Reyani, the two of them were still standing as they had been. Though there was more of a look of serenity on Veranandein's face and he had an easy feeling growing within him, just from watching her.

A peace in his soul that did not take root very often had blossomed from merely being next to her.

"Regency." Byzan murmured softly, drawing him out of his thoughts and he nodded, straightening fully as Verana turned and looked as if she were pulling herself out of a dream.

She offered him a bow, which he returned nearly in kind. "Goodnight, your majesty."

"And you, Princess." He grinned and watched her turn and walk away.

The Lady Reyani was just about to follow when they were approached by the Admiral, who glanced up at the sky, then back down to him, offering him a bow. The man was odd, though Drakos couldn't say he disliked Oliver, as far as humans were concerned.

Duke Oliver didn't say anything, just gave him a long, thoughtful look that was half pitying, half warning, that Drakos didn't completely understand and handed him a folded up piece of paper. The man then bowed and left without any further word or unspoken messages. Lady Reyani looked as confused as Drakos felt, before she bowed and took her leave, followed by General Shelby.

"Humans are bloody weird." Byzan muttered, shaking his head and spreading his wings, stretching them out into the wind as they stood alone for the first time in hours.

Drakos slipped the paper away without responding and leapt into the air, wheeling around to take the short journey back to the coastal stronghold they were based out of for the next little while. The flight was short and uneventful, a calm before the storm they were brewing.

After landing and bidding Byzan goodnight, Drakos turned to his private rooms, knowing he would need rest for the battles to come in the morning.

A simple bed, a chest of clothing, a desk and a bookshelf, fireplace that had a low fire still burning within were what greeted him, the only things he really needed in life. A large window overlooking the sea was a luxury that he didn't often have, with how indefensible it would be to attack, but he allowed himself to enjoy it now. Drakos stretched, took his weapons then boots off, before pulling out the paper from his pocket and turning it over in his hands thoughtfully. Something made him take his time and clear his mind before he unfolded it, noticing it was the same thick quality that he had seen in the Admiral's sketchbook.

He let out a soft curse as he flattened the paper, covered in a shading of blacks and greys that still managed to look very realistic. The only parts of colour that had been used were for the eyes, gold and blue. He found himself staring at a scene of himself leaning casually against the railing of a ship, wings half open, watching Verana.

Only, the Admiral had managed to change perspective, as if he had been standing in front of the ship instead of somewhere behind them and Verana's blue eyes stared straight ahead with a look of sad, thoughtful determination and his own gold eyes flickered in the light, half hidden by shadows.

Somehow Admiral Oliver had managed to see them, despite being somewhere else entirely. Was Drakos such an open book to be read? Or perhaps the human whimsy was not showing him in the correct light. But he had noticed in this short span of time that Duke Oliver was an intuitive man that knew how to read people and situations with a skill that even impressed Byzan.

Part of him recoiled from the expression caught on his face and he was tempted to throw the sketch directly in the fire. Drakos even determined to do just that but on the way to crossing the room to the flames, he found himself slipping it into the pages of one of his books, unable to part with the memory that the human seemed to think would be important.

Drakos glared at the offending book for several moments before he tried to catch a few hours of sleep. Though he ended up merely staring at the ceiling, contemplating the meaning behind everything that was happening right at that moment.