As the princess waited expectantly for a new batch of dandelions to grow, the following months passed quickly for them. The days she visited were spent standing nearby Gale while he worked and gave pointers as she practiced drills or stances. Not the most diligent student, she would often adjust or change them slightly to look more elegant and show-off-y. When she stopped to take a break or was feeling particularly lazy, as was the case many a day; she would play violin for him while he worked. Gale teared up the first time he heard it, and even though it would eventually become background music for his work, he would treasure it all the same. At first, Puffrel would sit nearby and play but when winter rolled around, she sat on his shoulder for warmth and played there instead. Though, despite the weather warming up, she kept the habit in the spring.
            “Isn’t it getting a bit warm for you up there?” He would ask.
            “A princess must look down her subjects, no?” She’d wax poetically.
            “So growing taller was out of the question then?” He’d say with a cheesy grin. She’d pout back at him.

Gale, while an expert in his craft, was not the most attentive teacher and was easily distracted, much to Puffrel’s offense. He’d find whimsy in everything, often stopping advice or lessons mid-way to find shapes in clouds or to try and work out a new smell carried in on the wind. Puffrel once tried to focus him by whistling to a bird in the sky that he was watching and calling it to come land on her finger. Gale, enthralled by this, showered her in compliments about how amazing this was.
            “Ohohoh. I assure you; this is nothing”. She’d say, waiving it off. But she clearly enjoyed the attention as he’d start asking her to call down different birds from the sky. This however quickly backfired when Gale asked her to call down so many birds that eventually Puffrel swore she had so many of them on her that Gale could see more bird than princess.
            “Back to training!” She’d shout, waving off all the birds at once, except for a very stubborn, moderately sized peacock that seemed determined to sit on her head. Gale opted to laugh heartily rather than help.
On many a day, Gale tried to get Puffrel to show her dancing. She would always turn her nose up. She was willing to provide music, but she refused to dance. She’d often say things like “Dancing’s gross”, “I’m forced to dance all the time I’m not doing it now” and “I came here today to ESCAPE from dancing”.
Eventually Gale wore her down and she agreed if only he’d stop asking.
She got down from his shoulder, and started to play the violin as she took a few ballet steps ahead of him, building up to a jumping pirouette. To Gale it was beautiful, except for that when she spun the full way around in mid-air to face him again, he realised she had the sourest deadpan look. With beauty of it completely dead, Gale returned a similar face to her.

When night-time rolled around Gale would occasionally find himself walking with her around the wheatfields, talking about whatever came to mind. Occasionally she’d duck in and out of the wheat to play with the violin bow, smacking the wheat like she was cutting it up. She’d always come back to Gale with small, light bruises but she’d never explain how she got them. This aside, Gale was very fond of the night-time sessions and would encourage her to come to them more. When Puffrel noticed this, she pressed him on it, and Gale tried to dodge the question while holding back laughter.
            “What?!” She’d say.
            “It’s just...” He said, regaining his composure. “Ever since you started showing up, I haven’t had to kill any wolves.” He said smiling awkwardly. Puffrel was caught off guard but regained her composure.
            “Ohohoh! Well of course.” She bragged. “Even the beasts on my land know to respect my presence.” Gale couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore.
            “Actually I’m pretty sure it’s cause you’re so loud that you’re scaring them off!” Gale said, cracking up.
            “Y-you ungrateful sod! I am not loud!” She shouted loudly. “A good princess… merely requires a boom in her voice to bark orders!” She said, red in the face and brandishing the bow.
            “Still, thank-you” he said sincerely. This calmed her temper.
            “…As you should.” She said, turning away and pouting. “Can’t believe the mouth on you.” She mumbled after a bit. “You’re really bad slave, you know that?” she said turning back.
            “And you’re an entitled brat.” Said Gale jovially. Puffrel stopped walking, squinting as she tried to comprehend the statement.
            “But I am entitled to be a brat, that’s what entitled means.” She said condescendingly. Gale looked back her, trying to work out if she was joking or not.

The dandelions grew more and more until they decided that tomorrow would be the day. That night as Gale was about half-way through his scan of the wheat fields with the bluish-purple light on the end of his sword, he heard the beat of wings. A strange fluorescent light drifted down with Puffrel as she landed on the ground next to him. In her hand was a large extravagant glass tube with a handle. It was filled with water and several vibrant yellow jellyfish that pulsed in circles, giving off a surprising amount of vibrant yellow light.

Gale marvelled at it, he’d never seen anything like it.
            “I thought you’d enjoy it” she said passing it to him.
            “Where’d you get it from?”
            “The Duke of Glass’s son, he couldn’t attend our annual gathering, so he sent it as an early gift”

            “He sent this to you?”
            “Excuse me?” She haughtily, with a twinge of a playful smile.
            “Maybe he’s got a crush” Gale said teasingly.
            “Please, it’s a formality. Still, it is pretty.”
            “It’s weird to me you can see the beauty in this but not dancing. What is it anyway?” He said idly looking into it.
            “Just another of the many novelty glass products from Transcenda. The glass is infused with everything the jellyfish need to live, over the next couple of months it’ll slowly leech into the tank. It’s not as practical as Transcenda’s slime lamps which last for years without food, but it IS very pretty” She pondered, seemingly interested in the trade. Half-way through the explanation Gale blew out his cheeks and started pretending he was underwater.

            “Transcenda… So that’s where the slimes and these jellyfish come from?” He asked after comically coming up for air and gasping.
            “Yes. Well. Technically they’re from ‘The Hollows’. The large caves underneath Transcenda’s capital.”

            “And there’s other stuff as cool as this down there?”
            “There’s a lot of monsters that want to kill everything and anything, but there could be more stuff like this. They only started exploring them relatively recently so it’s hard to say.”

            “Ahhh… I want to go…” Gale said whimsically.

Puffrel averted her eyes and went silent. When she started awkwardly poking the wheat with her violin bow, Gale asked her what was wrong.

            “I’m just not sure if going there is even possible” she said awkwardly.
            “You don’t know that, maybe us slaves will escape one day” he shrugged.
            “That’s... optimistic. But not what I meant” she said awkwardly looking away. “Father’s always saying our slaves are the only thing keeping the peace. I assume if we lost our slaves we’d go back to war, and they’d have to seal up the entrance to the Hollows again. They only opened them in the first place cause this peace freed up the time and resources to manage it.”

            “Hmm… maybe if it was just me….” He pondered.
            “We have a lot of systems in place to prevent individuals leaving… Plus, father can just order you and anyone else back anyway.” She muttered.
Gale looked distant, Puff looked back at him sympathetically, before pulling the violin case off her back, opening it up and setting the violin against her neck.
            “I can still bring you things though. And I can play music for you.” She added with a light smile as she started to play. Gale smiled as they continued up and down the paths through the wheat. Puffrel played a slow and peaceful song for a few minutes before she stopped suddenly, catching a flash of something in the forest line. Gale clapped, thinking it was the end of the song while Puffrel looked to the air and made a distinct whistle, it sounded like a bird call.
            “Thanks” she said looking back dryly. “But you clearly have no point of comparison”.
            “Pfft, what, so I’m not allowed to like the song?” He scoffed.
            “No, it’s just it doesn’t mean anything to me.” she said pompously. “Now maybe if you’d heard let’s say… the Lionettes for instance? Then I’d accept that you think I’m best”
            “I didn’t even say that.” Said Gale dryly.
Suddenly Puffrel held out her arm with her typical pompous flair and a bright-eyed barn owl came to perch on it. Gale stared in fascination as she whispered something to it. Its eyes glazed quickly, before it took off and headed towards the forest line.

            “Come, lets trek a bit closer to the forest” she beckoned, heading down one of the paths.

            “So, the Lionetts,” Gale said starting back up conversation as Puffrel began to play again.

            “Oh, you’d probably love them, they’re a clan of musicians who are intertwined with music. Most agree they’re the best in the land. They can harmonise with anything, waterfalls, tavern chatter, some say they can even do it with lightning. Sometimes merchants and other travellers won’t realise the musician that’s hitching a ride with them is a Lionnet until they craft a new song on the spot by harmonising with the beat of the horse’s hooves. Their jaws drop! It’s quite amusing.”
            “Do they dance too?” Said Gale excitedly. Puffrel gave him a dirty look.
            “Yes, they do, as a matter of fact, dance. They do the same sort of thing. Somehow managing to match their movements with the rain, or busy street corners, it’s hard to describe, you really need to see it.” Gale stopped walking.

            “Will I ever see them? Or are they a product of peace too?” He added sarcastically. Puffrel blushed and scratched her head awkwardly.
            “I guess their clan only did come out of hiding after the war ended…” She muttered. Gale sighed.
            “Sorry…I always thought you seemed content here.” She muttered off-handedly.

            “Content?! Who would-” Said Gale, exasperated.
            “I don’t know! You always seem so cheerful!” Sputtered Puffrel, waving her hands.         Gale looked at her.
            “Puff, it’s not that I want to live as a slave.” He emphasised.
            “I just… I don’t want to waste my life not enjoying what I do have” he said looking at the clouds. Puffrel looked back wistfully.

The silence that followed was shortly interrupted by an owl flying back from the forest to land on her shoulder. They were now about 30 feet from the forest. Gale had never been this close before, but he’d been distracted by the conversation and had only just now noticed. He peered into the eerie expanse of the forest as it disappeared into darkness.
            “There’s a sail campsite” Puffrel whispered to herself. Gale wasn’t sure what to make of this, but she sounded serious.
            “Gale, prep your sword and prepare to jump to my side.” She whispered before putting away the violin and stepping forward into the wheat towards the forest. Gale tried to protest but she looked back and put her finger to her lip to shush him. Relenting, Gale placed the jellyfish lamp on the ground and prepared his stance.
           

Confidently but still with a serious expression, Puffrel took a step into the forest boundary and crossed her arms. She looked around without moving her head for a couple of seconds, but nothing happened. Then she heard the rustle of leaves, but she didn’t move. But when she heard the clink of metal…

            “Gale! To me!” She ordered. Gale’s eyes glossed over, and his body launched itself forwards. At the same time two men dropped fast from the treetops and a bit behind them two flew out from deeper in the forest. They were too fast to make out details, but Gale was fast enough to stop them.
            “Orbit!” Gale shouted, directing his palm towards Puffrel’s back as he flew. Two cutlasses swung in her direction from above, but her expression or pose did not waiver. She stared directly ahead before being whisked away, pulled out of place, and replaced by Gale instead. With a single sword swing he hit both cutlasses hard, locking them in a brief battle of strength.
            “Hey brat! You called this peacetime! So what do you call these guys?!” said Gale grimacing before overpowering both and throwing back into the forest.
            “Stupid.” Said Puff coldly, without even looking, her hair blowing in the wind from the force of Gale’s swing.