Page 34 of To Fight and To Fold

"I went for a walk to clear my head," Aaryn said, which wasn't a lie. However, she'd returned with muddier thoughts than when she'd left.

Rose hummed and perched on the edge of her bed. "Did it help?"

An unsure noise gurgled in Aaryn's throat and she sat beside her. Rose pulled her in and Aaryn laid her head on Rose's shoulder, her hand patting her arm softly. "What's wrong?"

"Besides the obvious?" Aaryn asked, possibly pouting.

Rose cooed. "Any progress on the investigation?"

"No," she answered, and now she was definitely pouting.

With a soft chuckle, Rose rocked her back and forth. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Can't," Aaryn said, and it was true. She was… afraid. Thea had found her in the orchard, and for a brief moment it occurred to her that she might not even be afraid for herself, just… for Thea. She wanted Thea to be trustworthy. But how could she be? Aaryn was so torn.

Rose pulled back, and her eyes had that curious light in them. "If you tell me what's going on, I'll tell you what happened to the last Tethered who went missing."

Aaryn sat up, taking the bait. "Okay, fine."

Rose pulled her knees up on the bed and they faced one another, girlish and excited to share secrets.

Aaryn would have never guessed treason would look and feel so casual.

"I haven't even told the prince yet, so you can't tell anyone what I'm about to divulge, okay?" Aaryn prefaced.

"Don't worry, he won't hear it from me," Rose said. "You're the one with the connection there."

"We are nothing," Aaryn told her, then stalled.

Sometimes Aaryn still felt that the world was big and strange.

"So?" Rose leaned forward. "Tell me."

Aaryn ducked her head, took in a deep breath, and peered up at Rose. "Thea found me," she whispered, barely offering volume to the confession.

Rose gasped and sat straight up, taking Aaryn by the shoulders. "Holy scales, Aaryn, did you have a forbidden tryst?" Her eyes were far too bright in their delight, and it… lightened the heaviness in Aaryn's chest at the subject.

"It wasn't a… tryst," she denied, though the blush on her cheeks raged.

"Was it at the orchard?"

Aaryn nodded and Rose squealed, holding a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound. "Did you kiss?"

"No!" Aaryn cried, a little too loudly, and lowered her voice to a hiss. "No. She tried to convince me to go with her. And I tried to convince her to bring Starspark back to me."

Rose pouted. "You didn't get a kiss?"

For a moment, Aaryn was transported back to the orchard, Thea's hand over her lips, the way her gaze had dipped to Aaryn's mouth. The way Aaryn felt herself drawn to her. No, they hadn't kissed. But it was a near thing.

Aaryn threw her hands up, shaking her head. "Rose, focus, please! She has my dragon."

"She hasn't… hurt Starspark though, right?" Rose asked, drawing a circle on her blankets with a finger.

"No," Aaryn said with confidence, because of her dream.

"You sound so sure," Rose said with a narrowed gaze.

"I am sure. I know. Starspark is safe. Just not where he belongs."