Easton received an urgent missive that made him drop everything he was working on at the offices the Duchy kept in the Capital.

‘Capital coup. Near resolution. Rhea kidnapped. Take Wren’ Althea’s signature at the bottom in hurried script.

Easton’s gaze widened as he looked at the skybeast that paced the yard growling at anyone who came near her.

Grabbing a couple of rolls from his breakfast plate he made his way out to the skybeast. Holding the rolls out as platitudes, the sky beast rolled its eyes at him before taking them from his open palmed hand teeth scraping his palm but no harm done.

“Will you let me come and find her, Wren?”

Wren threw her head back toward her saddle as if telling him to hurry up.

They made quick time, Easton held on for dear life and Wren sped through the skies at a speed he’d never seen a sky beast go before. They were flying over the Fern lands when she swooped down taking large lungfuls of air as if seeking her bonded companion's scent.

Still holding tight to the saddle, Easton closed his eyes and focused trying to catch any fragment of thought either from Lady Rhea or her kidnappers. He hadn’t stretched out his senses since a young child being trained by his Grandfather. It felt like hours had passed as they both searched throughout the land, when they crossed over they crossed over toward the Capital lands, and when they were just about to cross into the Marquis lands Wren dipped down and Easton at last caught the trail of suspicious thoughts.

Still no whisp of Rhea but that was not unusual, never had he wished so much that he could hear another thoughts before that moment.

It was night as they dipped down and landed. Not far away was the reflection of firelight upon a circle of trees. As they neared shouts echoed, Wren and Easton ran through the woods only to see an interesting sight.

Rhea had escaped and was making her way toward her captors' horses, her gaze making contact with Easton’s.

In her moment of surprise, her captors caught her. Before he could even act, Wren zoomed past him and attacked the captors. When Rhea is freed by a stunned captor, she quickly summons her ice arrows and proceeds to throw them her captor's way pinning them to the ground.

Immediately she walked toward Easton and a smile alighted her lips that made his heart squeeze in his chest. Only for her to walk past and hug the sky beast.

“What a good girl. You did a wonderful job, Wren.”

An ugly feeling rose inside Easton, something he could barely realize was jealousy as he narrowed his eyes upon the sky beast who almost looked like she was smug from her bonded one’s attention.

Easton cleared his throat and only then did Rhea turn toward him, her eyes widening as if she just registered who he was.

“What are you doing here, Lord Easton?”

“I came to save you.” He looked over at the incapacitated captors and wondered why he even bothered but then seeing her well made his stiff shoulders relax.

“Why?” She tilted her head, her hair messy but framing her face softening her features even as it felt like her eyes pierced him like daggers, “You don’t even like me.”

He scoffed, “Where did you get that idea?”

Rhea herself scoffed in turn, “You always glare at me.”

Perhaps he did stare at her often. But he couldn’t help but follow her curiously. She was an enigma.

“You didn’t want me to be friends with Althea.”

He stepped closer, “You didn’t want to be friends with Althea, I was just trying to fulfill your wish.”

As if feeling fed up Rhea threw her arms up in the air, “You don’t like my sweets!”

He found his eyes drawn to her pouting lips, “I desperately wonder if you taste sweeter.”

Rhea blushes.

A voice across the clearing interrupted their staring match, “So what are you going to do with us then?”