Fyns have the ultimate choice on whether or not to accept a mate. However, they must understand the consequences of their choice and think carefully before they decide.

This is Our Law.

~ From the Dragonling Grimoire

I sprinted through the crowded streets, dodging around stalls in an attempt to lose King Ray. I could hear him calling after me, telling me to stop, but I just ignored it and kept running. Dragonlings stumbled out of my way, complaining and yelling at me, but I ignored them too. I just wanted to get away.

After a few minutes of playing hide-and-seek, I decided it was safe enough to go back to my room. I placed my hand on the icy door, then swallowed hard when I realized I was trembling. The door slid open and I stumbled inside, collapsing on the pile of furs.

Dmitri was snoring softly in the corner, a pile of papers around him. Alek was still sitting at the desk, scribbling notes while Mishal perched on his shoulder. He looked up in surprise, concern darkening his face. "Anita, what happened?" He stood up immediately, walking over and kneeling beside me. "What's wrong?"

I was breathing heavily. What had just happened? It was still hard to believe. "I..."

Knocking at the door made me tense up. Alek's head snapped up and his lips turned into a frown. Straightening up, he walked to the door and put his hand on it. The ice slid away, revealing a very conflicted-looking King Ray. My stomach churned when I saw him. He still unsettled me, with his shifting face and critical eyes, but some traitorous part of me wanted him near.

"Who are you?" Alek's voice was colder than the ice outside of the caverns.

The two Liras faced off, Alek nearly a foot taller than Ray. To the king's merit, he didn't seem fazed. His face twitched, like he was trying to regain control and just couldn't. After a few tense minutes, he finally spoke. "Move. She," he nodded towards me, "and I have to talk."

And then the most beautiful thing I had ever seen happened - Alek sucker punched Ray so hard in the face he went down like a sack of rocks.

I was so stunned I couldn't even warn Alek when Ray surged up in a wave of fury, tackling him to the ground. They wrestled on the ground for a moment, both yelling insults as they tried to gain the upper hand. There was a grunt behind me and I looked over in time to see Dmitri blink his eyes open and stretch. "What...?!" His eyes caught on the fighting Liras and his jaw dropped.

"Long story." I scrambled to my feet. "Please stop them?"

Dmitri grunted again and got up, walking over to Alek and Ray. Grabbing a Lira in each hand by their collars, he lifted both of them up off the ground. Despite the fact that both were taller than him, their feet dangled in air. "I don't know what the hell just happened, but the two of you need to calm down."

Ray was thrashing around defiantly, but Alek was slumped forlornly in his grip. Blood trickled from his nose and his lip looked busted.

Dmitri dropped Alek, who stalked over to me with the grace of a scorned cat, before turning to Ray. He looked over him with disdain. "And who are you?" He asked.

The Lira paused and curled his lip, resentment written across his face. "Someone you should not be pawing at, dog."

"You're the one that barged into our room." I couldn't help myself from saying as I gently cleaned the blood from Alek's face. "I don't give a damn that you're a king. Leave."

"But-"

"Leave!" My temper boiled over suddenly and I whirled around to give Ray the coldest glare I could manage. "You dare hurt my mate? I will talk to you when I decide, understand?!"

Ray's face was halfway between furious and dismayed, the color switching from red to white rapidly. He opened and closed his mouth several times before shoving away from Dmitri and storming out of the room.

Complete silence.

I took Alek's hand and led him to the pile of furs. He laid down without complaint and opened his arms for me to join him. After I settled against his side, I buried my face into his chest, enveloped in his soft, cinnamon-like scent. I wanted to stay there and ignore everything that had happened in the past few days.

Dmitri cleared his throat and I moved my head slightly so I could see him. He looked totally lost. "Ani... ah, was that really...?"

"King Ray." I mumbled, closing my eyes. Alek began gently rubbing my shoulders and I almost melted at the feeling. "From the Watercress colony."

I could hear Dmitri's heavy footsteps as he began pacing. "What did you do? Is there a war on our hands now? Why was he chasing you down? This could be bad, Ani. What if-"

"We were going to spar, but it turns out we're mates." I interrupted Dmitri and pressed closer against Alek, who's hands froze in surprise.

Silence, again.

This one stretched out longer, becoming unbearably uncomfortable. Just as I was about to sneak a glance, I felt Dmitri collapse on the furs beside me. "You're... you're kidding, right? This is just some sort of joke?" He asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying against my back so that I was squished between both of my mates. "Please tell me you just, you know, attacked him or something."

It should have been funny, but I couldn't find it in me to laugh. "I wish." I mumbled as I opened my eyes. Alek was staring down at me in utter shock, his face even paler than usual. "I didn't want it, you know. I don't even know if he accepted or not."

"I have an idea." Dmitri said sourly. "You really have the damnedest luck, don't you?"

The room was absolutely tense.

After Dmitri had left to find Mako and Gvrilla to be mediators, I had invited Ray in to talk. Not much talking had been done in the past few minutes aside from introductions. Alek and I were still curled up on the furs together, though now Mishal was on my lap, cooing gently as I stroked his back. Dmitri, Gvrilla and Mako were perched on a sofa together and Ray stood alone near the door.

Mako was the one to finally break the ice. "Alright. I can't stand it. Someone please start talking."

Mishal chirped brightly, looking up. I bit my lip to stop from laughing.

"Other than the bird, please."

"Why do you have a phoenix?" Ray finally asked, eyeing Mishal warily. "We keep a few in our aviary, but no one keeps them as pets. They can be dangerous."

"He was a gift from Dmitri." I replied tensely.

Ray did a double take at the bird, then cleared his throat. "She."

I looked up sharply, my reservations about speaking gone. "What?"

"Your phoenix." Ray motioned towards Mishal. "It's a hen."

Mako sighed and put a hand over his face. "Not the kind of talking I was hoping for, but this is a start."

"Alek, you said-"

Ray interrupted, a gleam of superiority in his eye. "We have an entire flock back home. I can tell a hen when I see one."

"I study dragonlings, not birds." Alek muttered, watching Ray with open hostility that he pointedly ignored.

Mishal chirped again and flapped his - her? - wings. The phoenix hopped over to the fire and dove in, settling down among the flames. Ray laughed quietly to himself. I found the sound appealing, something real. For a moment his face was relaxed and open, but quickly a calmly serious mask slipped over his features.

"I suppose Mako is right," Ray began, "and we need to talk about something more serious. Firstly... Anita." His sharp golden gaze moved to me. "We should talk about us."

"What's there to talk about?" I asked guardedly. "Decide if you accept or not. That's your decision, not mine."

"You don't know what you're asking." Ray replied easily, though I could detect the hard edge to his words. "There's a lot to think about. I'm not just another fyn-"

"Implying any of my other mates are?" I interjected, feeling decidedly rebellious. Ray's lip twitched, as if he'd never been so rudely interrupted before.

He deserves it. I thought mutinously. A small part of me felt a little bad about being so petty... but only a small part.

"My apologies." Ray practically ground out. "I didn't mean to offend. What I meant is that you need to be prepared for the responsibilities that being my mate would entail."

"I'm not leaving Dmitri and Alek." I cut in. "I won't be able to live with you."

Ray went quiet, his face suddenly thoughtful. "I suppose... that might be best." I was shocked speechless, but he continued on as if he hadn't noticed - but, from the smug look in his eye, he definitely noticed. "I have... a lot of enemies. I can't imagine why..."

"I can." Alek muttered from beside me. Ray sent him a venomous glare and I patted my mate's arm, biting back laughter.

Ray took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I could see the tense muscles in his jaw flexing in anger. "Anita." He said slowly. "You would be in a lot of danger if you came back with me." His eyes opened, the flawless mask once again slipping over his face.

"She's in danger anyways." Mako said, giving me a sideways glance. I met his gaze, trying to see what he wanted - after a second I took a breath and turned to Ray.

"There's a lot of problems happening in my colony." I said, crossing my arms and sitting up straighter. My eyes were drawn to Mishal, who was watching me with her calm, liquid black gaze. "And I- well, you know Ryns can be enslaved?" Ray nodded slowly, his eyes darkening. "Well, that's me. Sort of. We have a lot more to talk about than you know."

Ray sat down on the floor, crossing his legs under him. His golden eyes burned into me. "Then let's begin."

Three hours later, we finally ran out of things to say.

Ray's eyes were dark as he stared into the fire, contemplating everything we'd told him. Mako was fast asleep with his head in my lap, Alek dozing against my shoulder. Dmitri and Gvrilla had left a while ago to talk privately.

"Well." Ray finally broke the silence. "I... I have no idea what to say. Are you sure... about everything?"

"I trust Cedric." I sighed, gently running my hands through Mako's hair. "He's my kin."

"And Dominique has never been the trustworthy sort, has she?" Ray added glumly.

"No, she hasn't." Alek suddenly said, his voice soft. I glanced over at him in surprise. His eyes were half open, caught between sadness and resignation.

My breath caught suddenly. I remembered back then, when Dmitri and I were the only ones in our little world, Dmitri had mentioned it. "She's your sister, right?"

Ray looked startled, but I hardly noticed. I could only see the pain flash across Alek's face. "She is." He murmured softly. "My elder sister." A huffing laugh escaped him, sounding almost like a sob. "Our mother always spoiled her and Ash, her clutchmate."

"What happened?" I asked softly, my heart twisting painfully at the look on Alek's face. He sighed and shook his head, either unable or unwilling to say.

Ray stayed quiet for a minute before standing. The sudden movement startled me, even more so when he walked over and knelt beside me. "Come on." He said sternly. "I know that look. It's not your fault, whatever happened." It took a moment for me to realize that he wasn't talking to me, but Alek. My mate looked shocked, but Ray continued on anyways. "You have Anita to take care of now. That should be your main priority."

Alek's crimson eyes burned for a second, the firelight making them seem even redder than normal. At last he spoke, his voice slightly shaky. "I know. Thank you."

Ray sighed, relief running across his face. "Good. You need to take care of her. I wont be able to."

I winced, gently easing Mako off my lap so I didn't wake him. "So you don't accept then? I suppose it's too much." Something in me knew it would happen, but it still hurt.

Ray closed his eyes. "Anita, you're a lovely wyk. But... I have a colony to take care of. They should be my top priority."

"You spoiled little child." A new voice made me jump. Mako propped himself up on his elbow and was watching us with bleary eyes. Despite his apparent sleepiness, his voice cracked like a whip. "Anita needs support and help, but you're too much of a coward to offer it. Don't," he snapped as Ray opened his mouth to defend himself, "even start. What could you possibly say? Do you think Anita is defenseless? Do you think you're the only one who could keep her safe?"

Ray stayed silent and I couldn't blame him. I didn't know what to say either. Mako had always been carefree and friendly. The sudden seriousness was completely out of character.

Mako sighed and flopped down on the furs again, closing his eyes. "Accept her already, or I'll beat you to death."

"Isn't it supposed to be my choice?" Ray sighed heavily before falling back. He laid across the floor and eyed me. "Okay then. Come here then."

I stared at Ray for a moment before feeling my cheeks burn. "Now?!"

"Why not?" Ray raised his eyebrow. "This is your room."

I hastily motioned towards Mako's sleeping body and Alek's blank face. Ray just sighed in a long, drawn out way before standing up. He offered me a hand. "Fine. Let's go back to my rooms." I glanced at Alek, who just shrugged and closed his eyes, then took his hand. Ray yanked me to my feet with surprising strength that nearly made me fall down again.

"Yank my arm out of the socket, why don't you?" I muttered, pulling my hand away from Ray before he really could dislocate something. He just smiled and walked to the door, putting a hand on it confidently.

That confidence faltered when the door didn't open. I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my mouth, barely holding it back just enough to prevent Mako from waking up. Ray glanced back at me in confusion that quickly melted into indignation. "What? What was that? It worked for you and the others. Why isn't it working for me?"

"It's magic, genius." I said once I could regain my breath. "It doesn't recognize you as... ah, someone who should be in here."

Redness crept across Ray's features. "Excuse me? I am a king, I should-"

"Not the king here, mind you." I said as I walked over, putting my hand on the cool ice. The door clicked and slid open, letting in the outside chatter. A few Watercress dragonlings were lingering near the door, watching Ray with curious eyes.

"Dismissed." Ray said, raising his hand. The dragonlings nodded and dispersed into the thick crowd.

"Look at you." I snorted softly, realizing suddenly that my pettiness had evaporated. It was like a weight had been lifted off my chest. "Does everyone follow you around like that, or is it a harem you've built?"

Ray rolled his eyes as he put an arm around my waist in a nonchalant yet possessive way. "A harem is a wyk's kind of thing, isn't it? Besides," he gave me a sly glance from the corner of his eye, "I don't need some silly harem to bring someone to my bed."

If Dmitri or Alek had said that, I would have probably started crying. But this was different. Ray was different. I didn't mind his gentle taunting or mention of other wyks. I studied his face, trying to remember the uneasiness that had twisted my stomach into knots. Nothing. His face was open and playful, no mask. "No, but for now you're only going to have me."

"Really?" Ray gave me an exaggerated pout before winking as he sidestepped an arguing couple. "Shame. Your other mates don't look too bad. We can't convince them to come to bed with us?"

I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head as I remembered my mates' faces when Mako hit on them. "No, I don't think so... Mako, though, probably would if he got the chance."

Ray laughed and opened his mouth to reply, but a dragonling stepped out of the crowd and approached us.

The wyk eyed me warily before turning to Ray. "Sir, we've got those reports." She gave me a meaningful glance. "Once your... guest... is gone."

"My guest," Ray said, his voice cool and sharp, "will be staying with me for a while. Go and tell Theodore. He can deal with it tonight." The mask was back, now a stoic commander. My blood ran cold. Oh. There it is.

The wyk sniffed and turned away without a word, striding off with purposeful steps. Ray sighed, the mask falling away again. "You shouldn't do that." I muttered, half to myself. "That... that mask thing. It's creepy."

Ray glanced at me, looking surprised. "You noticed?"

"It's hard not to." I shrugged and started walking again. The uneasiness already began to fade away as Ray's face became more relaxed.

"No one else has noticed." Ray replied. He blinked, a new interest lighting up in his eyes. He suddenly began to tug me towards a one of the residential parts of the cavern. "I think."

"Maybe they're too caught up in your beauty?" I asked innocently. "Or is it just because you surround yourself with your harem?"

Ray's lips curled into a smile and he picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder. "Alright. That does it." I shrieked and clung to him.

"Hey!" I laughed. Ray just walked over to one of the doors, placing his hand on it. It slid open to reveal a room almost identical to mine. "Oh, look. This one worked for you!"

Ray snorted and tossed me on the furs, bending down to ignite the fire pit. "Don't even start with that. I could always, you know, take the acceptance back. It's not permanent yet."

I wiggled out of my tunic before I stretched out across the furs, sighing as the soft fur brushed across my bare skin. With heavy-lidded eyes, I gave Ray my best bedroom eyes, having the pleasure of seeing his face pale and then redden slightly. "Why would you?"

A carnal smile crept up to Ray's face. "You're right. I wouldn't."