As Crystal and Violet left the village, the gates closed behind them. The iron gates clashed together, sealing the duo out. “I guess we’re off,” Violet said, adjusting Crystal’s arm once again. Crystal nodded, and they started down the path. Crystal’s leg was flaring up, even as she kept it off the ground, but she kept her mouth shut and her eyes forward. Just get down the road she told herself. Just don’t stop.

“You okay?” Violet asked.

“No,” Crystal snapped. She blushed and said, “I’m sorry. That was harsher than I meant.”

Violet laughed. “Calm down, Crys. You’re freaking out.”

“Can you blame me?” Crystal asked.

“Not really,” Violet allowed, smile waning. “But you do realize you looked stupid back there, right?”

Crystal flushed, and Violet stopped walking. “I’m sorry, Crys,” Violet said. “I didn’t mean it like that. Um…”

“I know,” Crystal said. “I botched that whole thing.” She winced as she let her left leg down. It could not hold her weight, and she had to lean against Violet to not fall over. “Now I can’t even walk. I’ve already ruined everything.”

Violet walked over to the side of one of the mountains lining their path, helping Crystal to lean against it. Without a word, she turned around and hoisted Crystal up onto her back. Crystal let out a yelp of surprise and nearly fell backwards before grabbing the shoulder plates on Violet’s armor.

“What on earth?” Crystal demanded.

Violet shrugged, a motion that made Crystal feel like a bouncing baby. “You said it yourself; you can’t walk,” Violet declared. “So I’m gonna carry you.”

Crystal felt her jaw go slack, but she gathered herself. “You can’t carry me the whole trip!”

“You don’t know me,” Violet said with a smile.

“Violet, I have known you since we were infants,” Crystal reminded, voice unamused.

“Pfft,” Violet responded. “I’m still gonna carry you as far as I feel like.”

“Hmph.” Crystal allowed herself to rest on Violet’s shoulders. “And you say I’m the stubborn one.”

“Of course you are,” Violet laughed out. “I don’t think it was me that forced me to swim through a freaking river for your bracelet.”

Once again, Crystal blushed. “We were eight!”

Violet started cackling as she continued down the road.

———————————————————————————————————————

As night fell, the duo found a scouting outpost. The outpost was set up as a tall wooden tower with a small wooden building adjacent to the structure. The tower rose high into the mountains, and Crystal could feel herself getting sick at the thought of being on top. Once they were within sight of the tower, two scouts approached. One scout was a tall, wiry man, and the other was a short and athletic man. They both wore Velestotian colors: forest green and charcoal gray. The tall man spoke up, “Who is there?”

“Crystal Levin Whit,” Crystal responded.

Immediately, the wiry man ran up. “The new chief?!”

He reached out to help, but Violet made a small motion with her hand. “I’m fine. She’s not that big.”

Crystal let out a quick, “Hmph.” The short, athletic scout eyeballed Violet, eyebrow raised slightly. “Are you okay, Lady Crystal?”

Crystal attempted to step down from Violet’s back, but once her left leg hit the ground, she collapsed. Violet and the two men were at her side in an instant. “She was injured in a duel,” Violet explained to the scouts.

“A duel?” the wiry man asked. “Who would duel the chief on her coronation day?”

“Not important,” Crystal said, trying to stand up. Violet pulled her up and placed Crystal’s arm around her shoulder. “Thank you.” Crystal took a deep breath and continued, “Gentlemen, I would like to request shelter tonight. I am sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It would be our honor,” the tall man exclaimed. “My name is Jonathan,” he pointed to his partner, “and this is Everett. We do not have much room in our little shack, but we are honored to house you for the night.”

Jonathan led Violet and Crystal into the small shelter, Everett following behind. The shelter was little more than a single room with two unkempt beds set up in one corner. On the opposite wall, there was a small stove with a pipe leading up to the ceiling. The stove appeared to have been used recently but not cleaned. A table with various dirty dishes sat in the center of the room, three chairs positioned around it. There were no decorations aside from a small window against the back wall.

“I apologize for the mess,” Jonathan said, rubbing the back of his head. “We didn’t think that we would have company today.”

“I thought you woulda been a lot further along,” Everett spoke up.

“Everett!” Jonathan chided.

“What?” Everett asked. “We ain’t too far from the city, you know?”

“It is okay,” Crystal spoke as Violet helped her into one of the chairs. Once she sat down, she realized how much the wound still hurt. Even if she hadn’t been walking, Crystal had still been bounced around on Violet’s back. “If I hadn’t been so foolish, we likely would have been further down the road. You were not expected to be prepared for a visit.”

Violet sat down next to Crystal and removed the wrapping from her knee. Crystal looked down and saw that the wound was still bleeding lightly. Luckily, the bandage was not soaked all the way through. Violet pulled a small sack from the left side of the belt on her armor and removed fresh bandages from it. She rewrapped the wound and grabbed another bag from the opposite side of her belt. She put the bag on the table in front of Crystal. A couple berries fell from the bag, and Crystal ate them.

Jonathan and Everett stood still, and Violet noticed them. “You can get back to duty,” she said. “We’ll get you if we need you.”

Jonathan nodded and left, but Everett paused for a moment. He looked at Violet, his eyes unsure. Crystal watched as Violet met his eyes and held his gaze. He appeared as if he wanted to say something, but he turned around, leaving out the door. Violet nodded.

“Do you know him?” Crystal asked.

“What?” Violet asked, turning to her.

“You were staring at each other,” Crystal said.

Violet cracked a half smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Violet finished wrapping Crystal’s knee and sat back. Crystal ate a few more berries and then sat back herself. Her leg was still throbbing, and she had to force herself not to touch it. You will only make the wound worse she told herself. Still, the wound was distracting, so she pulled the book her mother gave her out of her satchel.

The book was well bound, made from a sturdy leather. The cover shined a simple forest green. The only marking on the book was a design of a dragonfly. Crystal smiled as she opened it, but as soon as she did, her mouth dropped open, her hand flying to her mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Violet asked, standing up.

Crystal tried to speak, but she could not manage to get the words out. Tears came to her eyes, and in the back of her mind, she chided herself for crying yet again. The front of her mind, though, was preoccupied with the object attached to the front page. A small dragonfly pin sat on the page. Crystal reached out and touched it. The metalwork was exquisite, every tiny detail in its correct place. The metal did not feel like steel or iron, but instead felt soft. Despite the softness, the metal did not yield as she touched it. If anything, the more pressure she placed on the pin, the more it resisted her touch.

Violet stepped over to see what Crystal was looking at but stopped dead in her tracks. “Is that…?” she began.

Crystal could only nod. Gently, carefully, Crystal removed the pin from the paper. It gave little resistance. Underneath the pin, a note waited. Crystal held the pin in one hand and picked up the note in her other hand. The note was folded three times, and on the front square, it read, “For Crystal’s eyes alone,” in beautiful penmanship. Crystal noticed a smaller, less legible note below the first. It read, “And maybe Violet.”

Repressing a small laugh, as well as some tears, Crystal opened the note.