After lunch, Andy went to his room for a few minutes peace. Both his parents had talked incessantly throughout the meal. He knew Tylan and Sapphire had explained to them how Pt’bur was actually Pt’this and that the real Pt’bur, Pt’this’s twin brother, had died as a child. Pt’this used his human form to act as a sort of spy for Emeton. He had taken human form when they were scrying Carla because, knowing she had never seen an elf, he thought that a human might be easier for her to see. Fortunately, they had avoided that subject. But, they talk about everything else. To be fair, Tylan and Emeton encouraged them and did their fair share of talking too. And, his mother was making a valiant effort to behave, and from the best he could tell, she had been sober the whole time. But, he still needed a few minutes of quiet. He had nothing scheduled for this afternoon. He thought about laying down, that was what Ann was doing, but he felt he should visit with his parents more. He didn’t see them often, and it would be a while before he saw them again. When he entered his room, he saw the shirt he was going to wear for the wedding hanging on the front of his wardrobe. He hadn’t had a chance to try it on since the final fitting so he decided to do that, just to make sure everything was how it should be. He was just about to put his regular shirt back on when someone walked in. He assumed it was a servant and turned to ask them to knock the next time when he saw it was his mother. Of course, the first thing she saw was the scar on his side from where he had been stabbed. “What on earth?” “Appendicitis, Mom,” he said quickly. “Steve, come see this,” she called into the hall. His dad entered. “He says that’s an appendectomy scar.” “Isn’t that the wrong side for the appendix?” Steve asked. “It is. I used to be a nurse. I’ve seen enough of them to know. It looks more like you were stabbed,” Carla accused. Andy sighed. He really hadn’t wanted to go into this, but he didn’t see a choice now. “I was. Sit down. Let me explain.” He put his shirt on. He started at the beginning with Sapphire finding trolls and the plans for the weapon, and the gate. He skipped the attack by Remtani and told them how they went to find a book from Ann’s birth father, although Ann had apparently told them about that. He told them of the attack on Resdelk, the city they were in, and it’s evacuation to an abandoned castle called Dragon Castle. He told them of the rescue of the elf children and his fight with Thilgat. He left out Ann becoming Drepal and torturing the trolls. He didn’t need his parents thinking she was unstable. He told them of the final battle and how he was attacked again by a troll and this one had stabbed him before Pt’this had torn him in two, literally. He explained about his magic although he left out his Augmenter abilities. It was not something to discuss there in the palace. The palace walls had ears after all. He also didn’t tell them about his eyesight. He didn’t want them to worry about that either. He told them of Ann’s magic and how she had defeated Lyra, and she was currently not able to cast, even about her rip. Finally, he told them of the bond he and Ann shared, how he could feel what she felt and that had something to do with why she didn’t have nightmares when he was nearby. His parents sat there stunned. He couldn’t blame them. It was a lot to take in. “All that happened in the months you’ve been here?” Steve finally asked. “All that happened in the first month I was here. There was some time that we stayed up at Dragon Castle until Ann was strong enough to travel. The rest of the time has mostly been what you’ve seen.” “And when did you get that tattoo?” Carla asked. She didn’t miss much when she was sober. “Tattoo? What tattoo?” Steve asked. “On his arm. Didn’t you see it?” Carla asked. “You told me to look at the scar on his side.” “Dad, relax, look.” Andy pushed back his sleeve and showed him the tattoo. “It’s Ann.” “Very nice job. Looks a lot like her.” Steve said admiring the work. “Steve, don’t encourage him.” His mother scolded. “It’s just a tattoo.” Steve shrugged. “Actually, it’s more than that. The dragons made us part of their clan. The tattoo is a sign of that. Ann has one of her birth father on her shoulder, and Sapphire has Pt’this on her ankle.” “Isn’t Ann already a dragon? Why does she need to be made a member?” “Her father wasn’t part of the clan here but another one somewhere else. It’s politics. I haven’t learned it all yet. “Excuse me a minute or two,” he said and left the room. Ann had fallen asleep and was having a nightmare. He wanted to stop it before it got worse. He hurried to her room and knelt by the bed. He stroked her head a moment, and she calmed. He waited a few minutes for it to return, but it didn’t. Not yet at least. Likely it would. When he was sure she was okay, he went back to his room. “Sorry about that. She was having a nightmare.” “Is she okay?” Steve asked. “She’s fine for now.” Andy nodded. “What happened to cause all these nightmares?” Carla asked. At the moment, there was true concern in her voice. “I don’t know. No one does. They started the day she was born. Sometimes, you’d barely know she was dreaming. Other times, she wakes half the palace with her screams. Mostly, I’m hoping to avoid her casting spells.” “But you said she can’t cast spells now.” “That doesn’t mean she won’t try. It’s just that now, instead of striking the palace with lightning, she’d just kill herself. I’d like to avoid that.” “I should think.” Carla nodded.