It’d been two days since the attack. After getting a long lecture about safety, Galenova’s father announced they would be returning back to the Eastern Leaflet as soon as possible. He and the others spent as much time as they could with her. She promised to write to them, and they made the same promise to her. For the short time she’d been here, Rustam really enjoyed her company. Listening to her talk about her homeland and its culture fascinated him. The way her eyes lit up whenever she talked about special days, their foods, and rituals...

A knock on his door brought him back to reality. “It’s open.”

Ignacia and her grandmother’s heads popped in, and both smiled at him. “Rustam!”

“Igy. Lady Brunhilda, it’s good to see you again,” Rustam greeted as they entered. “What brings you here?”

“We came to deliver something!” Ignacia replied.

Brunhilda nodded and placed three small wooden boxes on a table. One of them had a dark purple ribbon tied around it. “I’ve finished the circles you asked for. I hope it’s not too late.”

Rustam shook his head and hugged her. “No. They’re leaving soon. Thank you so much, Lady Brunhilda!”

The old Dwarf ruffled his hair and nodded. “You’re welcome, Prince Rustam. I expect you to still come to the forge to work off your debt. You can do some tasks even with a broken arm. Take a week off to recover, but I expect you to be ready to work.”

He nodded in understanding. “Yes, ma’am. I promise I’ll work off my debt to you. I just hope Prince Lennoxir and Galenova love them.”

“They will. That design of yours was a little tricky, but I got it. The little Nymph will love it,” Brunhilda assured him.

Daelyniel knocked on the open door. “C’mon! Galenova and her father are leaving the castle. We’ll go with them to the docks!”

“I hope you understand why I made the decision to cut our trip short, King Padraig and Queen Xylaurel,” Prince Lennoxir said solemnly. As much as he hated having to do this, his daughter's safety was his first priority. Even though she was upset and cried about having to leave early. “I have to inform my brother of this attempt on my daughter’s life. Even if she wasn’t the main target in this attack, she was still a target.”

The royal couple nodded. “We understand, Prince Lennoxir,” Padraig assured. “We will continue our investigation into the matter and inform you and your brother when we find out more.”

The Nymph man smiled. “Thank you. And it wasn’t a horrible trip. Not many Fey can say they’ve seen a dragon or a giant flying lime-shaped toy. Your youngest son and his friends are special.”

Padraig laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. “They are. I should’ve told them not to go on any adventures while you were visiting. Though I fear that wouldn’t have stopped them. The kids are too clever for their own good.”

“If not them, Galenova would’ve found a way. She’s been caught outside the palace more than a few times,” Lennoxir revealed.

“U-Umm, Prince Lennoxir?”

The adults turned around and saw Rustam, Daelyniel, and Ignacia standing there, each holding a small wooden box in their hands. Xylaurel wondered what her son needed. He seemed a little nervous. “Is everything okay, Rustam?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes. I-I just wanted to give Prince Lennoxir and Princess Galenova their gifts. They’re ready now. Forgive me for not having them ready upon your arrival.”

Daelyniel walked up to the Nymph prince and handed him the box. “This is for you, Prince Lennoxir.” He opened the box to reveal a gold circlet inside. It had a large piece of blue opal in its center with two white opals on either side and two dark gray opals next to the white ones. Lennoxir had to admire the design. It wasn’t over-the-top and flashy, but it would be a good circlet to have for formal occasions. It looked sturdy but wasn't large and bulky with simple yet elegant knotwork.

Ignacia walked up to him and opened her box. The circlet inside looked similar to Lennoxir’s, but it was smaller and had different gems. At the center was a large fire opal with two dark gray opals and two pink opals. It would be a nice contrast to Lennoxir’s, but it would still match his with its more delicate-looking knotwork. The color of the gems was noticeable but not too bright. The Nymph prince had to admire Rustam taking that into consideration, especially since his wife didn't like having flashy gems in her jewelry.

He smiled at the youngest Dwarf prince. “Thank you, Prince Rustam. These are very beautiful and I know my wife will love hers.” He took the boxes from the other children after they closed them. “And I will carry them in myself to ensure their safety.”

Rustam nodded before walking over to Galenova, who’d been standing close by. Her eyes were a little puffy and red from crying. She didn’t want to leave so soon, but she had no choice. He just hoped this gift would bring a smile to her face. “Here. This is for you.”

Galenova looked at him and then looked at the box with a dark purple ribbon around it. She untied it and held it as she opened the box. Her fluorite-like eyes widened when she saw her circlet. Unlike the ones her parents received, hers was far more intricate with its knotwork and designs. At the center of it was one large single gem that left the king and queen stunned.

“Is that a black opal, boy?” King Padraig asked in disbelief. “That’s the rarest one to find. How did you-?”

“We found it the day that dragon attacked. That’s why we were outside the castle,” Rustam replied and looked at his friend. “Do you like it? If not, I can ask Lady Brunhilda to put more gems on-”

“I love it!” Galenova beamed. She took it out of the box and put it on with some help from Daelyniel and Ignacia. It was a little big on her now, but Daelyniel and Ignacia managed to keep it in place with help from the ribbon that'd been tied around the box. Once it was on, she looked at Rustam with a big smile. “How does it look?”

The little Dwarf’s heart skipped a beat when he saw it on her. He knew it would stand out against her hair, but even he couldn’t predict how good it would look. “Beautiful…” His bright blue eyes widened when he realized what he said and looked away, but his cheeks were flushed in slight embarrassment. “I-I’m glad you love it.”

Ignacia nudged Daelyniel and whispered in his ear when he leaned down. "He liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkeeeessss her."

The Pixie boy nodded and grinned. "He dooooooooeeeessss."

Galenova giggled and blushed as she closed the box and held it close to her chest. She kissed Rustam's cheek. “Thank you, Rustam! I’ll cherish this gift forever!”

Rustam couldn’t really remember what happened after since he was stunned by her reaction. He vaguely remembered seeing Galenova and her father get on their ship and waving to them as the ship sailed away. Daelyniel and his family left from there to go back to their home, which was a day’s ride away. He knew he would see his cousin again soon, but it was never easy being away from him.

When they returned to the castle, Ignacia said she was going to rest up since she was still exhausted from using up her magic. Now, Rustam found himself sitting in the castle library and reading a book about Nymph culture. His brothers were spending the day training with their mother, and he was sure his father had some business with Drefan. But all Rustam could think about was Galenova’s bright smile when she saw his gift and the kiss on his cheek.

“Your mother said I’d find you in here.”

Rustam saw his father standing next to him. “F-Father! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with Uncle Drefan?”

Padraig smiled softly and ruffled his son’s hair. “Your uncle left early. Said he had business elsewhere that needed to be taken care of. So I came here to see how you’re doing. Kind of lonely without your friends here.”

“It is,” Rustam admitted quietly and scooted over so his father could sit next to him. “But I know I’ll see Dael soon and will probably see Igy later.”

Padraig frowned at that. “You don’t spend time with Rexus and Rhodaph?”

The little boy shook his head. “Not really. Whenever they have free time, they usually want to train more or talk about what happened in the council meetings. I like reading or helping Sir Oren or Lady Brunhilda.” A small smile appeared on his face. “But I was happy that they joined us the other day. It would’ve been more fun if the assassin hadn’t ruined it.”

“Speaking of…,” Padraig began. “Your brothers told me that you and Daelyniel defended them against the beast that was with the assassin.”

“I did. I put them in a stone dome to keep them safe. Dael and I held another stone shield up in front of it as extra protection,” Rustam explained.

“But why didn’t you get in there with them?” the king asked. “You would’ve been safe and-”

“They’re my brothers and the heirs,” the little prince answered. “And I wasn’t going to let my friends fight by themselves. I wanted to help.”

Padraig sighed wearily and pinched the bridge of his nose when he felt a headache coming on “Rustam, you are still a prince and also next in line. Your life matters just as much as theirs. When I saw you on the Bronze Horror during that fight, I feared I would lose you! And I was so helpless. There was nothing I could do! No way I could save you. All I could do at that moment was pray that you would somehow make it. And with this latest attack, I-”

Rustam smiled reassuringly and patted his father’s arm. “It’s okay, Father. I’m still here. I’m fine.”

The king almost wanted to shake him and tell him that’s not the point, but seeing his son trying to reassure him…he couldn’t do anything else except hug him. His little boy, who was smaller than the average Dwarf. His little boy, whom many brushed off as weak because of that and his struggles to do things that others his age could do. And his little boy, who sat here with a broken arm, some burns on his shoulder and back from the Bronze Horror’s blood spilling on him, and who’d almost been killed just a few days ago…was telling him he’s fine with a smile on his face. He looked so tiny and frail.

“I know you’re okay, son…” He wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. “I know I haven’t spent much time with you, and I’m trying to do better.”

“I understand you're busy, Father,” Rustam said.

Padraig laughed humorlessly. He almost forgot how smart his boy was. “I know you do, but I need to be a better father to you. I promise I will try my best.” He kissed the top of his son’s head and let him go. “Now, why don’t you tell me about this book you're reading? I've read almost every book here, but my memory is a little foggy.”

Rustam smiled excitedly. “Okay!”

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Drefan threw a bottle of wine at a nearby wall as he glared at his associates. “You had one job. ONE. FUCKING. JOB! Find someone capable of killing the princes! CHILDREN! FUCKING CHILDREN! And none of you could get that right!?”

“Apologies, Your Highness,” a male Dwarf said. “We thought he could do the job without issue. We even gave him one of our experiments.”

The Dwarven prince rolled his eyes. “Yet, he and the experiment are dead while the children still live. How hard is it to kill children!?”

“Getting angry won’t solve anything,” a female Dwarf snapped. “It’s just a small setback and we are working on improving our experiments. It’s going to take time, but I can assure you: we will succeed in this.”

Drefan scowled as he walked down the hall and looked at the large crystals with five of the six legendary dragons within them. “And what of the Bronze Horror?”

“We have enough samples that we don’t need him anymore. Besides, what could one dragon do?” the female asked.

“He defeated the first experiment,” Drefan pointed out. “And he killed the second one. He’s going to keep getting our way.”

The other male Dwarf chuckled darkly. “Let him. Once we complete our masterpiece, there will be nothing he can do. I’ve even assured our benefactor of this. It will take some time to complete it, but you will be king when all of this is said and done.”

Drefan nodded and looked at the trapped dragons. “That is all that matters. I can wait a little longer. We've been at this for so long...what’s another decade or two?”