Hoppy was nowhere to be found, no matter where Sylvia looked. She tried magic, hunting, & everything else within her power to find the little creature, but to no avail. Sighing softly, Sylvia plopped herself down on a fallen log & began to dismay.

She was so fed up with Aranhil correcting her & making her feel incompetent. He acted as though she had no clue how to survive in the world or make her own decisions. It didn't matter that she was the most accomplished of her sisters, that she had top marks in her classes, or that she did whatever it took to make him happy. It was never enough, he would always have a complaint.

"I will never be enough," Sylvia finally said aloud, feeling her spirit sink. Suddenly, Sylvia didn't want to return to the palace. She stood & walked deeper into the forest after a few more moments of frustration, dragging her feet one after the other. Would Aranhil even miss her if she never returned?

crap, I'm so sorry. Things have been rough around here, finally remembered this, though!

Slowly, the sun sank down beyond the horizon. With the mountains there to block it out, the sunsets were fast. He'd always liked the sunsets here. They weren't drawn out, and they weren't colorful, but they were usually beautiful, and usually golden. Today, he flew through the darkening sky, watching it set as he headed for home. By the time he reached the castle, the moon was the brightest object in the sky.

Touching down upon the ground, the young prince gave a nod to his companion. "Well done today. Get some rest. I will excuse you for tomorrow, spend the day off. Go to the bars or dancers or something." He informed the boy. He smiled at him, watching the kid's eyes light up. If he remembered right, this boy had only passed into adulthood recently. A few months ago, he thought.

Aranhil stretched lightly, his spine popping gently, before he rolled his shoulders, shook his head, and went inside. He should find his wife, to wish her good night before bed. Stopping a maid in the hall, he asked, "Did my wife retire for the night?"

There was a quiet unrest throughout the castle as Aranhil walked through the corridors, a feeling not at all pleasant enough to match the quiet & peaceful evening he'd had outside. The maid he stopped in the hallway flinched visibly as Aranhil addressed her, slowly turning on her heel to face him. Still her gaze refused to meet his, instead averting to the floor before her, as though ashamed.

"The princess... she is missing," the woman admitted nervously, "The staff is gossiping something awful, your majesty. Some think she is in search of her rabbit, others believe... well, they believe that the princess ran away because you struck her. There was a small search party sent out for her earlier, but there has been no word of where she could be."

..._..._...

Exhausted & hungry, Sylvia was greatly relieved to see a small cabin just in the distance, in a small clearing. Carefully, she navigated to the peaceful dwelling, a tall, tower of a man coming out from behind with firewood kindling under his arm; he looked to be about Aranhil's age or a bit older, but she couldn't tell with his unkempt beard obscuring his chin & cheeks. Without a word, the man waited for Sylvia to approach him. Mere steps away, he reached under his arm & grabbed a bit of the firewood, tossing it into Sylvia's arm's. She nearly dropped the large chunks of kindling, looking up at him in surprise.

"I'm sure you need a place to stay for the night, Elf," the man observed, addressing Sylvia with a deep, quiet voice, "I don't have much use for money, so you'll be paying me back with labor. Help me take this stuff inside & cook supper."

Just as abruptly as he addressed her, the man turned around & went back to his cabin, bewildering Sylvia. Should she trust this man & go into his home with him? He didn't seem to have any aggression towards her, even after clearly stating that he knew she was an elf, so that at least put her at ease. For now. Taking in a deep breath, Sylvia followed her host to his cabin, going into the cozy little place with him. She was assaulted by warmth & a relaxing atmosphere inside, one like she'd never experienced. Her own country was full of marble & extravagant decoration, & Aranhil's castle was all stone & minimal furniture. This tiny little cabin gave her a sense of ease she'd never been exposed to before. Maybe this stranger would allow her to stay for a few days if she helped around more.

"A SMALL search party!?" Aranhil roared. "I want to know who authorized the number of searchers! And I want their head on my desk!" He did not have the authority to order that himself, and he knew it would not be carried out, but he wanted to voice his displeasure. "You send out a small party for when someone's favorite dancer went missing. Not when your future queen disappears!" Growling to himself, he turned away from the maid and stalked back the way he had just come from.

Tonight it seemed he would be getting no sleep. He was still steaming when he found his parents. His bow was short, and crisp. "What is word on my wife?"

The queen smiled politely at her son. "I have sent most of a dozen men after her-"

"How many?" Aranhil hissed. It was not like him to interrupt.

The queen paused, considering scolding him. She let that one slid. "Ten."

"That is not nearly enough!"

"Shush. I have made the decisions. I have sent ten men out to look for her. She's an elf, she won't have gone far. They'll find her crying on some stump within an hour, I am most certain."

~~~~

Emera sat next to several young women. She was sewing another handkerchief. This one had a bright green flame licking the edges, with a little E in one corner, and an R beside it. She hummed softly, enjoying watching her handiwork come together.

"I think he's very cute." One of the maids giggled. "Maybe I'll see if I can steal a kiss from him. He looks like the kind of guy who would give out kisses."

Emera tried not to be bothered about the fact she knew they were talking about River.

"After all," The girl continued, "I won a kiss from OUR prince. How hard can it be to take one from the dragon prince?"

Emera stuck herself with the needle. "Ouch!" She stuck her slender digit into her mouth, sucking at the blood. "I'm sorry." She turned towards her companion, "You said...you've kissed our prince?"

The girl smirked at her. "Yes. I have. I know how harrrrd you tried to win his fancy, but he'd never look twice at a whore's daughter. Now, excuse me while I flirt with royalty." She stood up and flounced over to the dragon prince.

After carrying the firewood inside with her host, Sylvia was taught to make soup, & rather good soup as well. The man, Rowan, proved to know his way around the small kitchenette, advising Sylvia to cut vegetables before meat, showed her how to cut properly, & even gave her small bits of info that taught her how to coordinate ingredients together. In less than an hour, the ingredients tossed into water had boiled into a delicious soup which the both of them enjoyed.

Sylvia was quiet as she ate her food across from Rowan, unsure if she was allowed to ask him any questions. Other than his name, the tower of a man had yet to divulge any information fo himself. Likewise, he didn't ask Sylvia anything besides her name. It was... nice to not have to be witty for a change, she could enjoy the silence & focus on her food & the sound of the fireplace crackling just in the distance.

..._..._...

The women Emera surrounded herself with in the Elven palace were maddening. Mere months ago, River would have reveled in the attention he received from these women, perhaps even deflowered a few that seemed to think they were above falling from grace, but now that he had his sights solely on Emera, they were as good as knats nipping on a horse's hindquarters.

Coming in from his daily training in the courtyard, River could spot the woman with ill intentions immediately, catching the sound of her insulting his woman with his keen ears. It took all of his self control not to insult the woman's pride then & there, but here in Emera's country, he had to exercise a bit of diplomacy. Women were considered more as equals here, which made him wonder how Aranhil was faring with Sylvia back home, he knew his brother could be rather insensitive, & if the princess was anything like Emera, it would only take so long before she stopped catering to her man's needs blindly.

"Can I help you, Miss?" River asked the woman, his tone bored now, noncommittal. Not at all how he addressed Emera.

Aranhil was not enjoying the silence. All he wanted was to find his wife. And then remind her in a not so nice way that she was completely out of line. And all over some dumb rabbit. He could kill her.

With his guards in tow, he systematically made his way through the forest. Leaves crunched under his foot, and twigs snapped against his arms. Eventually he would find her.

~~~~

The young woman pressed herself tight into his bosom. Her own strained against the confines of her dress. Outfits lately were starting to gain a style with a much tighter, sexier look. "Oh, yes, I do believe you can." Giggling, she wrapped her arms around him.

"I," she declared, "have heard some interesting rumors." He voice dropped, murmuring got him alone. "Supposedly, Dragon men are larger than elves. In all ways. As I have had experience with our own Prince, I think it only best that I investigate this rumor myself, and find out which ruler has a bigger staff."

"Do you live alone?" Sylvia asked quietly as she & Rowan cleaned their dishes & laid out blankets on the small sofa for Sylvia to sleep on. The dragon simply nodded & tossed pillows down on the sofa, then tossing a long linen nightgown for her to sleep in. & then she was alone in the living room, between the bedroom door & fireplace.

Too tired to pry anymore or put up a fight, Sylvia pulled on the night dress & climbed into her bed for the evening. Laid on the sofa, Sylvia wondered for a bit of Aranhil even missed her. She wasn't the wife he wanted, so why should he care if she was gone?

..._..._...

"If you have experience with the Prince, you should be devoted to him," River replied dryly, narrowing his eyes, "As for size, I do believe that is none of your business, Miss, for you are not Emera."

River replied with a dull tone, with no room for argument or misinterpretation. He couldn't just publicly humiliate the woman as he wanted, but he wasn't going to pretend like her desperate attempt to get his attention was getting her anywhere. To think, there was a time he would have been willing to not only give the woman what she wanted, but even more that she wasn't prepared for.

"Excuse me," River muttered, carefully prying the maid's hands off of him. Slowly, her went to Emera's side, unashamed as he swiped her pricked finger & gently kissed over the tiny hole she'd left on her finger.

"Do be more careful, my dear," he urged Emera gently.

Aranhil smiled at his guards. A grim, tight smile. "Well, we know she want eaten. The lack of bones attests to that." He didn't feel very encouraged, though. "Let's keep going." He continued searching through the night.

~~~~

Emera blushed. "I'm sorry, my love." She replied. "I'll be more careful in the future." She was a little embarrass by his display of affection in such a public place, but at the same time, she really liked it. It made her feel special.

She offered him her latest handy work, offering a smile. "Do you like it?" He'd be finding it on his pillow later today. She'd gotten pretty good at sneaking in to leave him handkerchiefs on his pillow.

The other elf lady followed him over, looking displeased. "Excuse me, I'm not sure you're aware. Princes can't have that one. Her mother was unmarried."

Sylvia awoke in the morning, feeling well-rested & relaxed. Maybe it was the serenity of the cabin in the middle of nowhere, or the fact that she had a bit of distance between her & Aranhil to be alone with her thoughts. Roland was just as quiet as the day before, only speaking when he was instructing Sylvia how to stir the breakfast porridge, or tell her to fetch something. There was something quiet about his every action that Sylvia had yet to see in a dragon, a slow deliberateness in his every action. Was it because he lived out here in the forest?

"Why don't you ask questions?" Sylvia mumbled curiously as the two finally set down at the table, "Don't you want to know who I am? Or where I'm from?"

There was an uncomfortable, drawn out silence as Roland continued to eat slowly & watched Sylvia from his chair. She couldn't tell if he was ignoring her question, or if he was simply thinking, but as everything else, he took his slow, quiet time to respond to her at all.

"I can tell that you were lost in the woods," Roland finally replied, "& by the lack of calluses or muscle in any part of your body, I feel it's pretty safe to assume that you are fairly harmless, & need protection until someone comes to fetch you. Do I need to know anything else that you won't tell me on your own?"

Sylvia felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment & moved her spoon around in her bowl, unsure of how to respond. Roland was very clear in his statements, getting right to the point. He didn't dance around his words like the aristocracy she was constantly surrounded by did. There was something... refreshing about his words, though, an honesty few people offered her.

"I wish my husband was as honest as you," Sylvia blurted out before she could stop herself, "He simply sees me as a doll to be left on the shelf, I am expected to be docile & pretty until he comes back to fetch me."

Roland looked bewildered for a moment, but his expression relaxed soon, instead being replaced with understanding. Sylvia still couldn't believe that she told a stranger about her current problems with Aranhil. But she didn't dare admit that he was responsible for the small cut on her cheek, lest Roland think she was even more defenseless than before.

"Then leave him," Roland finally replied, his tone flat, "I am assuming that if you are married to a dragon, you are that princess who recently came from the Elven country. In this land, men are mostly considered superior, but women still hold the final say in a marriage. If your mate is unsatisfactory & cannot please you, you are allowed to leave him, no matter the circumstances of your arrangement. It is a great dishonor for a dragon to be left by his mate, probably even moreso since your mate is crown prince; you leaving him would make his subjects question his ability, you could take his very pride from him."

Sylvia felt her stomach flop at Roland's explanation, feeling a physical pain at the thought of hurting Aranhil so badly. But how was that so different from how he treated her now? Sylvia would never hurt Aranhil out of spite, but she knew that she couldn't be with him if he couldn't at least respect her. The comments of her fragility, the assumptions that she couldn't make up her own mind, it was all cutting blows, & without Emera there to side with her, Sylvia was afraid to stand up for herself.

"You're... right," Sylvia replied sullenly. She couldn't think of another thing to say. It was even worse that Aranhil had never once told her of this law, as though she wasn't even sound of mind enough to know that she had power in their relationship.

..._..._...

River carefully admired Emera's handiwork & took a seat beside Emera, feeling himself bristle up once more as the woman from before refused to give up. Now he could understand why Aranhil warned him that elven women could be frustrating in a sense, they were certainly much more outspoken than dragon women. Even after being promptly turned away, this woman was going out of her way to drag Emera down with her. Certainly she didn't see this pettiness as noble?

"I think you would be shocked at what I can do, Miss," River drawled out as she carefully handed Emera back her kerchief, "& I happen to be far more acquainted with her mother's plight than you, thanks to public record. Emera's mother was the victim of a sleezy man's lust, & when she brought him to trial for reparations, it was thrown out because he was of high standing; one is even supposed to feel as though she was done a great service that her child was practically taken away from her, & shipped to a boarding school, "to avoid further scandal," I believe."

Quietly, River took to his feet, his body easily towering over the vindictive woman. He didn't like trying to scare the fairer sex usually, but he wasn't going to stand for someone bullying the woman he was to marry over something she had absolutely no control over. At the end of River's attack, the maid was deathly pale, & even better, perfectly silent. River dared her to say another word, because whether Emera, or his brother, wanted it, he would take her right back home & marry her then & there.

"In my country, a man is held accountable for his sins," River announced, "& the woman he assaulted is properly taken care of, even protected by law enforcement if need be. Lady Emera has done not a thing to be ashamed of, & her mother would be a celebrated woman for trying to raise the child her rapist forced upon her."

Aranhil felt lost. They'd searched the woods completely. Over the night they had passed a few small houses, but he doubted his timid wife would be brave enough to enter one looking for help. "Search the woods for one more day. If she is not found by tomorrow, we will start knocking on doors." He announced.

With a heavy sigh, he raised tired wings and took to the air. Time to go home, and check in on his other projects.

~~~~

Emera blushed deeply at her beloved's words. She knew he meant well, but in his hate to protect her, he only made it worse. "River-" she tried to cut him off, too correct him, but it wad to late. She saw the woman's eyes light up.

"Rape? Far from it! The lustful woman never raped was raped! She seduced the gentleman, and tricked him into her bed. When she became with child, and he refused to leave his wife for her, she accused him of impropriety. She lied, claiming she never knew he was married, claiming he said that she, of all people, would be his wife!"

Emera lowered her eyes, unable to deny it. She remembered very well her mother's anger. The warnings, the accusations, even the blame. No, it had not been rape. That was well known.

"River, sweet, please, we should go." She whispered, hoping to save her dignity just a little.

Too late. "Go? The Nobel girl laughed. "Where, to bed with him? I know you, Emera. Dragons are not known to be kind here. I know what you want to do. You might be able to claim rape, unlike your mother. But when you ruin your princess's sacrifice, I only hope you get what you deserve."

It was a week later when Sylvia began to really miss Aranhil, her stomach often turning & flipping from nervousness. Roland was nice company, relaxing & calm, but each time the bushes in the distance shook, or she heard noises not too far away, Sylvia would stand in attention & hope that her husband was here to retrieve her.

"I can take you back to the castle," Roland offered once.

"I want him to come get me," Sylvia stubbornly replied, "It's meaningless unless he comes to get me & I know he wants me back."

..._..._...

Nearing the end of his patience, River finally took a step towards the woman, & then another. He would never raise his hand to a woman that did not attack him first, but the maid had no knowledge of that, & he allowed her the assumption for now that she was currently in physical danger. So what if Emera's mother wasn't raped? How did that absolve the father for impregnating a woman who wasn't his wife & then toss her aside when she told him of their child?

"I'm going to warn you only once, you pitiful girl," River said quietly, "The Elven kingdom is currently bending over backwards to please me right now, so if I were to announce that a certain someone had seduced one of the king's precious sons into her bed, just as so so claim Emera's mother did, I wonder if your only punishment would be a mere dismissal from employment. I couldn't care less what a gossiping child like you thinks of me, but I'm not going to stand by idly while you slander my future wife's good name over the sins of others. Turn around, leave my sight now, & never allow me to see your face again, or the whore you are will be revealed to the whole Elven kingdom."

Aranhil had spent the week doing nothing but searching. He'd barely gotten more than three hours of sleep each night. Some magic was hiding his wife, he was sure. It was pissing him off, too. He has four different sets of men with their own cycles out searching, along with every bounty hunter and mercenary he could trust to keep their mouths shut.

It was one of these mercenaries that found the correct door to knock on. As soon as it had been opened, his eyes fell on Sylvia. There was his payment. "I've come to take you home, little queen."

~~~~

Emera smiled at River. Her bags were all packed. She'd waisted no time that week. "I hope you are ready, dear. The king has refused to send with us a detachment of soldiers, so we will be traveling alone, I'm afraid."

She hadn't been expecting her request to be filled. "It won't matter, though. It will only take us a week to reach the vampires this way."