Page 128 of To Fight and To Fold

"Starspark's a little weasel," Carissa once remarked, and Aaryn gasped.

"Well, at least he's not a cheat," Aaryn drawled, and they shared a laugh before the weight of Rolim's loss struck Carissa into quietness once again.

Then she'd attend the healers’ tent, which required fewer hands every day.

In the evenings, Thea and Aaryn would share the horrors with one another.

Aaryn hummed, stirring at her tasty stew with meat and vegetables and spices. "Do you think Skymore tried standing up to them? And Evergale retaliated?"

Thea stilled at the subject, spoon lifted to her mouth, steam rising from its contents.

"If that's the case… why haven't they claimed the land as their own?" Thea asked softly. "Now there's a hole where Skymore's imports and exports used to be."

It was difficult to think about something so callous as imports and exports when Aaryn had seen firsthand the scale of the damage Evergale had inflicted. She saw it reflected in the empty gazes of people who'd lost everything and children who'd lost their siblings, the shock of it all not having sunk in just yet.

And still the questions remained. What was the purpose of the attack? If Evergale wanted to claim Skymore as their own, why hadn't they?

She found no answers outside of their own private speculation.

They didn't return to the alcohol and the tin cups, maybe too afraid of the truths that would slip out were they to indulge again. Instead they returned to something achingly familiar as they danced around one another, just like before. Until⁠—

"I have something for you." Thea interrupted Aaryn's thoughts, pulling out a tiny bag tied off with a ribbon.

Aaryn blinked at her. "What is it?"

Lips twitching, Thea held it out. "Find out for yourself, if you want. Or⁠—"

Aaryn reached for the bag, their fingers brushing as she stole it away before Thea could second guess herself.

"You said it was alright to assume, so I hope it's okay that I got you something. It's nothing really, just a small⁠—"

"Presume," Aaryn corrected with a sly smile.

"What?" Thea asked, tilting her head. Aaryn found her adorable.

"I said you could afford to presume a little more often," Aaryn drawled slowly, so very endeared.

"Oh," Thea swallowed, face flushing her favorite shade.

Aaryn tugged the little bag open and tipped it into her palm, heart fluttering, stomach doing somersaults like dragons were roughhousing inside.

“Now, okay, I know you said you didn’t want them anymore, but I kept the chain. And it’s just clay, so if you hate it, I can fix it⁠—”

“Thea?” Aaryn asked, pausing. “Let me open it.”

Thea rocked back on her heels, biting at her cheek. “Yeah. Can do.”

Part of her expected a necklace, or a ring—now who was being presumptuous?—but instead what tumbled out was a small, clay design: a little seated dragon, inlaid with the jewels of what used to be her Tethered’s wrap. On the back was a small catch where a needle would pin it to a piece of clothing.

It was a tiny, glittery Starspark. Aaryn loved it.

"I thought about a necklace, but that seemed kind of…" Thea hesitated, moving on with a jump in her voice. "I remembered that time you told me necklaces made your chest itch, and how you hated wearing them. So I landed on... that."

"Thea," Aaryn laughed, delighted, and leaned forward, placing a hand on the flat of her sternum. She beamed up at her. "It's really precious. Thank you." She studied it for a beat longer. "Starspark,” she whined, and waved the little pin back and forth, overcome with appreciation.

Thea hummed, tension lightening, lips sliding into something easier, more natural. "Do you think Starspark will be jealous there's another dragon near you?"

Aaryn chuckled, staring down at the intricate design, the carefully cut wings, the carefully placed jewels. Such thought and care had gone into this. Probably as much care as some of the carved staves on her wall, the backdrop to this moment. When had Thea even found the time?