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"Wait, so he saw people riding huge birds?"

Kel questioned as Calix finished the story.

"According to the story," Calix replied. "The tale of Telos and the giant birds was actually quite beloved among Northerners, apparently."

"Hmm, I guess birds could grab the crates like worms and carry them," Kel chuckled. "That explains how they were moved overnight."

"Itzae always swore that story was true," Calix smiled to himself. "He said the giant birds were dragons, and the Felion people lived with them in the mountains there secretly."

"Uncle certainly had quite the penchant for ancient legends and dragons," Kel sighed. "I suppose I should be grateful for that, however, or I would still be living in the streets."

"This again? I told you, I would have just adopted you myself," Calix smirked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"You really would have adopted a Consort when we were children?" Kel raised an eyebrow. "That\'s a bit too eccentric, even for you."

"Don\'t forget," the Emperor reminded her, "I was officially considered an adult while you were still a snot-nosed little kid."

"In that case, don\'t you think it\'s creepy how intimate you\'ve been with this snot-nosed little kid, Your Majesty?" Kel teased, sliding out from under his arm.

Calix caught her with his other arm before she could escape and pinned her to the ground.

"But you aren\'t a kid anymore, are you, Keliyah?" he whispered, pressing his lips against her neck.

"That wasn\'t an invitation!" Kel squirmed underneath the man.

"Oh, so you want me to stop?" Calix tilted his head with a smirk.

Kel gulped.

The fire\'s heat chased away the night\'s chill, but tiny bumps had begun to form along her neck and arms. Her stomach jolted as she became aware of each part of their bodies that were pressed together.

"No.." she whispered, wrapping her arms around the Emperor\'s neck.

For the coming weeks, the pair took their journey straight north, stopping for supplies in small towns along the way.

Fortunately, they were rarely recognized among the townsfolk they crossed paths with, and so their trip continued peacefully.

At first, Kel was worried the towns close to the old borders of the Empire would be torn from the war, but, to her surprise, they had all recovered and were flourishing.

She couldn\'t help but remember the wagons of supplies and people that arrived in Tael back when she was hiding away in the tiny northern village. It seemed all the tattered settlements under the Dragon Emperor\'s authority had received the same.

It made her heart twist in a painful yet happy way to see places that could have easily become ghost towns--like the abandoned fields around Tael--teeming with life. She hoped that the beloved little village she called home for a short time was the same, that Nesta and Harrow were now surrounded by a lively community instead of the endless gray dust.

She found herself smiling at and staring at Calix more often with each happy little town they passed through. To think such a big scary tyrant cared so much for such small, seemingly inconsequential, places. 

In fact, she frequently caught him sending notes through couriers to Ira at the Serin capital with reports and remarks about each town and their revitalization efforts.

At one of the larger towns they stopped at, connected to a Serin outpost, the Emperor procured two messenger hawks--one trained to fly to an outpost near the capital of Vitocia, and one trained to travel to the outpost at Serin\'s palace.

"We can use these to communicate with Ira and my First General more easily while we\'re at the White Mountains," Calix explained.

"What are their names?" Kel smiled, reaching out to stroke the hawk nearest to her.

With a disgruntled squawk, the other hawk promptly hopped up onto her shoulder, demanding pets for itself.

Kel giggled, patting the bird\'s head.

"That demanding one on your shoulder is called Icarus," Calix rolled his eyes at the needy bird before turning to the one still perched obediently on his shoulder. "And this small girl is Astrid."

"They\'re beautiful," Kel laughed again as Icarus rubbed his head against her cheek. "Perhaps they will grow giant and carry some crates for us while we\'re ther-Ack!"

She jolted as the hawk on her shoulder suddenly jabbed her cheek with its sharp beak.

"Ah, sorry Icarus," she pressed a finger against the tiny gash while soothing the ruffled bird. "I shouldn\'t make jokes like that, huh?"

Before she could reach to pat the temperamental bird again, Calix snatched it from her shoulder.

"Looks like we should return this one," he growled, squeezing Icarus\'s neck. "Or kill it-Ugh!"

He grimaced and released his grasp as the hawk tore a chunk of flesh out of his fingers.

As blood began pouring from his hand, Icarus flew indignantly back to Kel\'s shoulder.

"You ill-tempered little pest!" Calix shouted, frightening Astrid to a nearby branch. "I am your master!"

Kel put up a hand to stop him as he reached for the bird again, her entire body shaking with laughter.

"Calix, it\'s just a bird," she chuckled. "You scared him when you grabbed him like that."

She motioned to Astrid, who was watching the scene from nearby, her head tilted.

"Look, you already scared the other hawk away as well," Kel pointed out.

Calix pressed his lips together.

"If it weren\'t for the fact that he\'s the only reliable messenger for Vitocia, I would wring his neck right now," the man huffed, pausing to add, "as I would with anyone who\'d dare injure your face."

Kel paused.

She knew, all too well, the truth of Calix\'s words. Just hearing them reminded her of the day months ago in the capital of Mevani when she ran into trouble on the streets. Calix had punished Thane and Lucy severely for something that wasn\'t even their fault.

She shuddered to think what he would do if one of his subordinates directly caused her harm. The subordinates probably shuddered at the thought as well, which is why they tended to keep their distance from her, aside from Thane and Lucy.

".. you\'re the one who\'s most injured right now," she changed the subject, shooing Icarus away to the branch with Astrid.

She rummaged through their bags until she pulled out a large bandage and some medicinal salve.

"That stupid bird," Calix muttered under his breath as Kel smeared the salve on his wound and wrapped the bandage around it.

"I\'ll have to wrap these two fingers together," Kel explained, ignoring the man\'s whining. "Try your best not to bend them."

After returning the medical supplies to the bag, she settled herself next to Calix, who was already ignoring her advice and using both hands to start a fire.

She shook her head as she watched him, but her mind was drifting elsewhere. 

"Calix," she finally spoke, just as the Emperor finished building a comfortable blaze.

"Something has been bothering me…"