It hurt Valda when Carrick continued to ignore her as they packed up their things. To distract her from his disapproving looks, she played with Pandath and the other baby dragons, letting them launch off her arms and head.

Packing didn't take long, and before she knew it they were ready.

She said goodbye to her new friends, promising to return, before going to join the others. Carrick only became more removed as they prepared to leave, his eyes unseeing as Nandrin explained what they were doing.

Mauve moved to whisper a few words in his ear, and whatever she said seemed to work. His body relaxed just a fraction, though his knuckles were still white with how tight he clenched his hands.

Valda clambered between two spikes on Nandrin's back, and Tevin pulled himself up a few seconds later. Mauve and Carrick would ride a green dragon named Gadiar, the only other one who felt comfortable flying with two humans on his back.

Riding a dragon was just as exhilarating as Valda and the others had imagined, although terrifying at the same time. Sensing her and Tevin's enjoyment, Nandrin dived in and out of the clouds, making them squeal with laughter.

"Look!" Tevin shouted, pointing down beneath them.

Valda craned her neck as Nandrin flew lower. She peered in the direction Tevin was pointing at and gasped.

Nestled between the two mountains, the rebel's base sat tall and imposing. The mountain's naturally steep sides protected it on three sides, and a thirty foot wooden fence enclosed the fourth.

From their vantage point, Valda could make out various buildings inside the fence, with more spaces carved from the rock face. It was its own tiny village.

"It is better for us to drop you and your companions out of sight. Fae get a little agitated when they see fully grown dragons bearing down on them." Nandrin's mental voice was smug as he banked left, Gadiar copying his move behind.

Landing was jarring, but smoother than Valda had been expecting. They all dismantled quickly, being careful not to snag their clothes on the dragons' scales.

"Thank you, Nandrin and Gadiar." The dragons placed their heads close to hers so she could rest her forehead against them in farewell.

"No. Thank you, Valda, one of the legendary Healers and future ruler of Lania. We are forever in your debt." Nandrin and Gadiar bowed to her once before throwing themselves into the sky, quickly becoming tiny specks as they disappeared.

Valda turned to inspect Mauve and Carrick and felt a moment of panic.

Carrick was slumped on the floor with Mauve trying to grip his arms. Immediately, she and Tevin ran to help.

"What happened? Is he okay?" Tevin was first to ask, gripping Carrick's body.

"He'll be fine soon. He's a little scared of heights," Mauve explained.

"So high. It was so high," Carrick murmured before giggling to himself.

"On second thought, better give him a few minutes."

Valda and Tevin shared a look, they'd never seen Carrick so out of it. With his free hand, Tevin removed a water bottle from his pack and held it in front of Carrick's lips.

"Here, big guy. Take a sip of this." He popped the cap and pressed it to his friend's lips, watching as the water trickled out.

For the first few tries Carrick didn't move, but after a few seconds he seemed to understand what was happening and drank heavily.

Eventually, Mauve let go of Carrick's hand so he could take the water bottle from Tevin. He drank until the bottle was empty and let the last few drops fall onto his clammy face.

"Thanks, Tevin."

Tevin nodded, feeling sympathetic. It was only a few days ago when Carrick had been the one to help take care of him. It felt right to help him now in his time of need.

"Come on, we should get to the stronghold." Carrick heaved himself to his feet, feeling his legs wobble and resisting the urge to throw up.

"Are you sure you're okay to keep going?"

"Of course, I am." He snapped at Valda, before pushing past her, Tevin scrambling to stop him collapsing.

Valda stood back, stung and watched him and Tevin struggle forward. Tevin looked back at her in concern, but she just shook her head. Right now, he needed to focus on Carrick's stupid self.

"He's being a real muttonhead," Mauve said crossly, placing her hands on her hips.

The old-fashioned word brought a smile to Valda's face and made her laugh. "He has his reasons though."

Mauve only huffed at that.

They both began walking knowing the boys wouldn't last two seconds without them.

"Wow, it looks even more impressive from this level."

They all stared up in awe, silently agreeing with Tevin. The rebel stronghold looked increasingly intimidating the closer they got. The fence, in particular, was making Valda extremely nervous. None of them voiced their doubts, but suddenly the thought of going up to the door and not being allowed in, ran through their minds.

All of their planning had been about getting to this point, but none of them really had any idea if the rebels would even help them. It was a jarring realisation.

"So what do we do?" Mauve was the first to ask, but there was no simple answer.

"I guess we just walk up and see." Carrick, who'd recovered from his brief episode, began striding forward with forced confidence.

The others all looked at each other, but since they didn't have any better ideas, they ran to catch up with him.

"Wait! What is that?" Valda panicked, pointing to the cloud of dust fast approaching them.

"I don't know. Do you think it's magic?" Mauve held up her hand to see if it was just a sun mirage, but nothing she did made the image go away.

"No, I think it could be..." Carrick trailed off as five riders materialised from the dust.

Instinctively, Tevin pulled up his hood and drew his sword at the same time. Carrick mirrored his movements whilst Mauve and Valda hung back, arms raised in case they needed to cast their magic. All of them were on tenterhooks, knowing they had no hope of outrunning horses.

"Halt! Who are you and what is your business here?" The rider in the front spoke, his face wrapped up in cloth so that only his eyes were visible, whilst the other riders circled around them, cutting off their exit.

For a moment Carrick's eyes bugged out of his head but he reigned in his reaction and cleared his throat. The others looked at him with a frown but his gaze remained focused on the leader.

His sword lowered. "Please, we're here to join the rebellion against Lorcan's forces. We don't mean any harm." To illustrate his point, he threw his sword away. He glanced sideways at Tevin, nodding his head.

With great reluctance, Tevin did the same, hating the fact they were making themselves vulnerable.

"They could still be some of Lorcan's spies." One rider shouted out, his head entirely concealed in a silver helmet.

"Really, Boyd? They're just kids." Reasoned another, much friendlier voice.

"Enough." The leader called, silencing the other objections. "What are your names?"

"I am Prince Carrick of Lania and this is my sister Princess Mauve-"

"Y-your highness, we had no idea-" The friendly voice stuttered.

"What are you doing, you clodpate?" You're just going to believe what they say? You don't even know what the Prince and Princess looks like. And besides, who are these other two?" Boyd was practically vibrating in his armour. Valda was sure that there would be steam coming out of his ears if they could see them.

Carrick went to open his mouth to explain, but Tevin stepped on his foot.

"Now, now, children, let's not argue. Just take them to the General and let him decide." A female rider said indifferently, whilst she comforted her horse.

"Fine. Me and Tad will lead."

The friendly rider moved his horse next to the leader.

"Boyd, Monroe, and Naimh. You'll bring up the rear just in case they try to make a run for it." The riders all nodded their heads.

Three of them fell back whilst the leader specifically addressed Carrick and his friends. "Pick up your weapons and follow us. Don't think of trying to escape because we'll only run you down." His eyes were fixed on Carrick before he pulled on his reins and joined Tad at the front of the group.

Carrick and Tevin collected their weapons, both feeling happier to have their swords back at their sides, though Carrick kept discreetly glancing at the leader's back.

"Why d'you step on my foot?" Carrick whispered, looking over at Tevin's still covered head. The riders gave them plenty of room, so there was no risk of being overheard.

Tevin sighed, playing with his hood. "You were going to say who me and Valda were."

"And?"

"Use your head. If you just announce that Valda is Queen Orlaigh's daughter then they're going to think you're lying,"

"But I'm a Prince of Lania. Why would I lie about it?" Carrick's forehead crinkled, but Valda and Mauve were catching on.

"Because they don't know you're the Prince and the fact is, you're travelling with the son of a known traitor. How well do you think that would have gone down?" Tevin raised an eyebrow at the sudden understanding on Carrick's face.

"That's why you covered your face?" Mauve mused.

Tevin nodded once. "It won't keep me hidden for long, but hopefully it'll work long enough for someone to vouch for who you are. After that, I just hope my punishment won't be too harsh."

Mauve rushed forward, grabbing his arm. "You can't get punished. I won't let them do anything to you." Her eyes glazed with tears as they all realised the very real trouble Tevin could be in once he stepped foot in the stronghold.

Tevin patted Mauve's hand, looking both pleased and awkward. "Thank you, Mauve, but I don't want you getting into the middle of whatever is coming for me."

"No. Mauve is right. You're not getting punished. I'll stand next to you, convince them you're not like your father." Carrick placed his hand on Tevin's other shoulder, nothing but honesty in his eyes.

"They're right." Valda threw her arms around Tevin's neck from behind. "We're a team and we stick by each other."

Carrick's eyes connected with hers, and a silent understanding passed between them. She saw regret and an apology in his eyes, but she only smiled at him. It would take a few more days for their friendship to go back to normal, but at least it was a start.

"Hey, you four, keep it moving!" Boyd shouted from behind them.

They broke apart and started walking again, a new fire in their bodies.

"Thanks, guys." Emotion flowed from Tevin.

"Valda's right, we're a team. We're a family." Carrick held his sister's hand whilst she grabbed Tevin's, who in return grabbed Valda's. They would walk into the new unknown together, just like they'd face everything else.