Remtani walked up to the door. This was the third house he tried in Bisfip. As a wedding gift for Pt’this and Sapphire, he was helping Pt’this locate Sapphire’s sister. It took him out of the castle, and away from Sen-gan, far enough away from Sapphire, she could relax. He felt bad for her. He needed to find a way to fix this. Once he was king, he couldn’t keep leaving Sen-gan. He had every intention of keeping Pt’this as an advisor, assuming the dragon was willing to stay. But Sapphire couldn’t live her life in terror, hiding in their rooms. There had to be something he could do. For now, it was find her sister, Ria. They both had run away from abusive parents. Their father, even their mother, had done to Ria what he had done to Sapphire. Only they had done it repeatedly for years. Ria had protected Sapphire but when she couldn’t take it any longer ran away. Sapphire had left soon after to avoid the same fate. Sapphire missed her sister but was too afraid of running into her parents to look for her. Pt’this decided it might be nice to find her and reunite them for the wedding, so Remtani had volunteered to go look for her. He had exhausted all possibilities in Illia, where Sapphire had been born. Part of the problem was that while he knew Sapphire’s real name and her sister’s, he had no idea who her parents were. It was something Sapphire had never told anyone, not even the great torturer, Drepal. Checking birth records had turned up nothing. Instead, he relied on his information network and that of Ann’s friend, Rejenn. Rejenn claimed to be a minstrel but couldn’t sing to save his life. And while he could play the lute he carried around, he wasn’t good enough to make a living with it. Instead, he bought and sold information. In addition to having one of the biggest information networks Remtani had ever seen, Rejenn could get information from almost anyone. Many people told him stuff hoping to be written into a ballad. Rejenn apparently also had no problems sleeping with a woman to get her to talk, although he hadn’t done that this trip. He was the one to find this house and the woman who might be the one they were seeking. Remtani knocked on the door, and a young boy answered. “Is your mom home?” He asked. The boy nodded. “Mom, a soldier’s looking for you,” he yelled. A woman came from the back of the house wiping her hands. She stopped when she saw him. He didn’t know if she recognized him or the insignia on his armor, but she did know who he was. “Kovi, that’s not a soldier. That’s the crown prince!” She shooed the boy from the door. “Please, come in. I’m sorry for the boy’s behavior.” “That’s quite alright. He’s actually right. I am a soldier.” He smiled but didn’t enter the house. “Would it be alright if we spoke out on the porch?” He glanced at the boy and stepped back so she could come out. If this was the right woman, she might not have told her family about her childhood. He certainly didn’t want to be the one to tell them. She stepped outside and close the door. “What’s this about?” She asked hesitantly. “Is your name Yamaria?” He asked. He had a good feeling. She had the same amazing blue eyes as Sapphire. Her face darkened. “I haven’t gone by that name in years.” “When you did, did you have a sister named Frindahl?” “Frin? Did something happen to her? Is she okay?” Remtani knew he’d found the right woman. “She’s fine,” he assured her. “Her chosen asked me to find you.” “What did you say?” She frowned. “Her pledged asked me to find you,” he corrected himself. “You said chosen. Is my sister marrying a dragon?” Her eyes narrowed. He wondered if she had a problem with dragons. Aside from Kortu, the chief steward, most people didn’t have a problem with dragons, in human form at least. He nodded. “Sir Tominptarthisbur is going to wed your sister in about a week’s time.” “Sir Tominpt…” She trailed off trying to remember the name. “Most times we just call him Pt’this. He’s hoping you’d be able to join them for their wedding. I know your sister would be thrilled to see you.” “Who is this man that you’re delivering a message for him?” “He’s a friend of my father. I volunteered. My sister is getting married at the same time, and my mother has the whole palace been an uproar.” “She’s getting married at the palace?” Remtani nodded. “As I said, Pt’this is my father’s advisor and friend. Sapphire has been friends with my sister for years.” “Sapphire?” Her face grew dark. Shades, he slipped again. Pt’this had told him not to mention that. “Sapphire the thief?” Remtani knew Sapphire had been good, but he hadn’t realized her reputation had gone that far. “She goes by the name Sapphire, but I don’t know that she’s that Sapphire. I always thought it was because of her eyes.” Ria didn’t listen. She sat down on the steps. “My sister’s a thief.” “At least she’s a good thief. There are worse things she could be.” He sat down next to her, not an easy trick in full armor. “What could be worse?” Ria asked. “Imagine finding out your sister was Drepal.” That had been the shock of his life. Ria’s eyes grew wide. “I never thought of that. That monster is probably somebody sister or daughter.” She shuddered. “Sapphire’s skills helped us out during the battle against Lyra.” Ria was surprised. “She was there? What did she do?” Remtani nodded. “She scaled the castle wall to gain access to a magical device that allowed us to rescue the elves’ children.” “She did?” “She’s not a bad person. She just didn’t see she had many options. Trust me; Pt’this is an honorable man, well, dragon. I’ve known him all my life. He wouldn’t be marrying her if she were a bad person. Go to the wedding. Get to know her again,” Remtani suggested. Ria nodded. “I must talk to my husband, but I think I can make it.” In the end, she did come. Her family wasn’t able to join her, so Remtani sent Solvnor and Rejenn to escort her. He wasn’t going to send the woman cross-country alone. He also wasn’t going back. He sent a message to tell his father that. He wasn’t going to be a dark cloud on Sapphire’s wedding day, or his sister's. He had been surprised how many kids were growing up on the street without parents. Most were runaways or had been abandoned. Orphans would be in the orphanages, but runaways were not allowed there. He was going to check the other cities, and talk with the guards. He wanted to see what could be done.