In the dead of winter, it's cold outside, but the forest provides a wind-break against the frigid gusts, as a party of n'gyah and Dromodon-riding travelers makes its way east across the wooded hills of northern Kroz. Prince Kiri Naochi, a young man of a Skreek in ringmail and thick furs, rides a shaggy n'gyah in the front. He has the bearing of one who thinks himself a knight, warily scanning the trees and keeping a hand near the sword at his side just in case some bandit might challenge him.

Next to the young prince is a taller and much older Khatta with black fur frosted with gray, thick bundles about him doing much to bulk up his naturally thin frame. Kiri's personal butler, Rezhinald, seems not greatly concerned about any threat his surroundings may present, instead riding with his eyes closed most of the way, having the expression of one reaching out with other senses.

Behind the two n'gyah riders comes a beaten old covered carriage drawn by a couple of Dromodons in winter manes, part reptile, part mammal in appearance. A pile of thick blankets on the driver's seat hides a bundled-up Kavi driver, his position given away by his muffled chatter to his beasts, and the puffs of steamed breath coming from a gap in the blankets.

Inside the carriage rides another black Khatta – Prince Sebazhan Dack – and a gunmetal gray rat. It's not quite as classy as his usual mode of transportation, but at least the beasts drawing the carriage are also drawing breath. Sebazhan has been spending the past few miles talking about some of the lands surrounding his estate.

"… and my grandmother tried planting some Coruscant Fiero in the garden at the top of the waterfall on the back grounds, but they didn't winter well. Still, after she died, I went up there on her birthday … and I found one lone Coruscant Fiero abloom." Sebazhan sighs. "Kitten that I was, I picked it and ran back to the castle to show my sister. Of course, no Coruscant Fiero has ever bloomed there again since. Not that I tried very hard after my first few failed attempts. … But still, it's a nice, quiet spot, and it helps me remember Grandmother."

Willow seems distracted for the most part. She's avoided smoking her pipe since it would mean scrambling out of the warmth of the carriage (instead of smoking everything up inside) and it hasn't helped relax her fidgetiness in the slightest. "I'm sure that you didn't do any great harm to the plant. You probably shared the last bloom the flower was going to have, instead of keeping it secluded. I'd rather that someone pluck and share my last flower instead of letting it wither away all alone." She chatters her teeth and buries her nose in the mass of blankets. "Where is your sister now?"

The black Khatta ponders this, nodding. "I hadn't thought of it that way. Oh, my sister? She's the elder, and has been travelling for years. She's the sort never to marry, and she's as much as relinquished the throne. I only see her when she comes to visit on occasion, to spend the holidays."

"What was her name?" Willow asks, pulling her nose out of the blankets again.

"Kassy," answers Sebazhan. "She looks much like me, only prettier." He smirks.

The Skreek shrugs her coat across her shoulders, not quite used to the feeling of the new fabric quite yet. "I've an odd question for you, Prince Dack. It's just one of those things that's been itching at me inside… but… when you gave me the gold coin, did you do it because you felt sorry for me, because you wanted to help me, or just because you wanted to give me a gift?"

Sebazhan takes a moment to think this over, then says, "I'm not really sure. I wanted to do something for you … but you aren't the sort to take gifts. Not normally, anyway. If I gave you something outright, you'd accuse me of having pity on it, and take offense … or you'd expect me to be wanting something in return. I didn't really put that much thought into it. Maybe I figured that you just wouldn't notice." He chuckles. "All right, so I seriously doubt you would have thought nothing of accidentally finding a gold shekel, in retrospect."

Sebazhan looks back at Willow. "You're a good person … and an unusual one. You've got a lot of compassion in you, and a lot of fire, too. But … " He frowns. "… you're also a Skreek. So you're likely to get the raw end of a lot of deals. What harm in letting you get a little break to help offset that, for a change?"

Willow manages a small smile. "That's what I figured you were going to say. It's just that these past few days I've been thinking about the whole plot that Dagh and Abzhalom had about getting me married off to you, I've been thinking about a lot of things… maybe this carriage reminds me a little too much of the cold time on the airship when you can't work yourself into oblivion and don't have anything better to do than sit and think… "

Sebazhan nods. "I'm not quite the traveler that Kassy is … or that you are. But then, it's not like I've had much cause to travel in the first place. But I do have a lot of time to sit and think. So … what do you think of my reasons? Should I have done something else instead? Perhaps I can learn from my mistake."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I was just looking at any excuse to find an insult in what you did because I didn't want to believe you were genuinely trying to do something nice for me or that I was… " The Skreek sniffs sharply through her nose, trying to warm it with her breath. "If you sit and think, do you ever sit and think about what you'd like to do with the rest of your life, Sebazhan? Where you'd like to be?"

Sebazhan nods. "Yes … though I wonder how many of those thoughts were entirely my own. I used to have delusions of grandeur, of reaching great heights of power, of leveling the mountains of Bosch and sending the imps scurrying for cover, then uniting the principalities and becoming a force the world would have to reckon with… " The prince sighs, deflating a bit. "Well, I wouldn't mind that, honestly. Power is nice. But just over the past few days, you've forced me to shift my attention. Now that you've gotten me to promise to help Kiri rebuild his kingdom … I have to stop and wonder about my own. Have I let things run themselves for too long? I think I have my own land to clean up before I start thinking about how the rest of the world should be run."

Willow looks out the window again. "This isn't working like I'd hoped. Not that I'm being all that helpful now, trying to gently nudge the conversation along to make this easier for me." The Skreek shakes her head. "When I think about my future, I do it with feelings. How would I feel if I had to let Burr and Thorn go? How would I feel if I stayed inthe wandering airship business or if I found something else to do with myself… "

Sebazhan looks up. "I see. I think. No, I'm afraid I don't, really. I'm obviously missing something here. I'm afraid you'll just have to state your point plainly. I tend to be fairly dense, sometimes, when it comes to matters of subtlety, as witty as I would like to pass myself off to be."

"Will you marry me?" the Skreek asks, not taking her eyes away from the window.

The black Khatta's jaw drops, as he turns to look at Willow. "Pardon? Did you just … ?"

Willow manages to pull herself away from the window. "Yes, I did. And I'm dead serious about it too. Mind you, I intend to renounce any ties I have to the Naochi household… but I planned to eventually do that anyway."

"But I thought… ," the Khatta says, then he shakes his head. "What am I saying? I think it's a splendid idea, really. But … you're not using some sort of sarcasm or pulling a joke on me, are you? Not that I would accuse you of such a thing. It's just that … I really must regain my composure here."

The Skreek hugs the blanket around herself again. "I've been thinking about what I'd like to do with my future… and I toyed with the thought of staying in Dack and helping you rebuild everything there. For some reason, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea, and then I had to think about why I liked it. It wasn't the prospect of staying in your lands, but… well… staying with you." She sighs. "It's no joke. I'm… well… I'm not very good at showing my feelings, but I still feel them. From the time I was a baby right up to Olympia, you've always tried to help me, you've treated me like a lady, and you've been wonderful to spend time with. I've never known anyone like that before, at least not anyone who really honestly meant it."

The Khatta still looks quite surprised. "And here I thought you … Well, I would have never guessed. That is, I was, of course, hoping that I was making a favorable impression on you, but I've never really been very good at discerning such things. And … well … you're definitely quite full of surprises. I never know quite what to expect out of you. I … am most flattered. Alas, I don't have a ring on me at the moment. Perhaps if you'd said something while we were in Diamante… " The Khatta's smirk returns. "Hmm. Do you think a mid-year wedding would be rushing things?"

"I was thinking New Year's, actually. Ariel could show up to be the maid of honor that way, and I'm not going to be doing anything for the next three months except twiddle my thumbs anyways." Willow manages a smile a little bit. "I'm not some fluffy maiden that needs months of courting, and I'm not expecting any kind of extravagance, especially since you're going to be helping Kiri out and stretching yourself that way." She clears her throat a little. "I'm sorry, I'm just not the type to wait around when I've already thought so hard on a decision. If you'd rather wait until mid-year I suppose I could bite my tail and hold off as well."

"Rather … wait? Oh! No, no, that won't be necessary at all," says the Khatta. "Forgive me if I'm over-eager … but I must confess to fearing that I'll wake up to find this all some cruel dream. No, I most certainly am convinced that I could find none better than you. I've … been hoping a long time that you would show up again."

"I'm beginning to realize now why most ladies let the poor man squirm with asking the question now." Willow folds her arms in her lap, letting the blanket she's bundled herself up in drop a little. "It won't bother you to be married to a rat? I mean… people are probably going to talk. I'm sure that Cobalt will have twelve litters when he hears the news." She fidgets a bit with her hands. "I mean, I'll tell you now that I'm a horrible cook and I'm scared to death to have any children. Not to mention you've seen how I curl up when you've tried to be affectionate. I'm not exactly a perfect bride."

"I don't care," says the Khatta, smiling. "We'll turn the whole world upside down if we have to. As long as you don't regret this, I won't."

Willow coughs again, pretending to scrub at her nose with the blanket as she tries to catch a bit of moisture in her eye. "You really mean that? I mean… wanting me to come back and all this now?" She shakes her head. "I'm not even speaking straight anymore. But… well… I did say back when we left Olympia that I could very easily… "

"Here," says the Khatta, as he digs around in his blanket, and then hands Willow a handkerchief. "Are you catching cold?"

"No, I'm just trying very hard not to bawl like a baby like every other lady seems to spontaneously do in situations like these and I'm doing a horrible job at hiding it… but thank you for playing along." She accepts the handkerchief and daubs at her eyes.

"I won't tell," Sebazhan says, hiding a faint grin by turning away. "I'm having enough trouble believing all of this as it is. Ah … let's see … New Year's is not far away. I wonder where we should hold this? And I have no way of letting Kassy know before she shows up for New Year's Eve. She'll be surprised."

"Where's Rephidim right now? Ideally, I'd like Testy to marry us, since he married another dear friend of mine… but since he's on Abaddon right now, Captain Barnacle makes for a good second choice. Besides, I can rub a certain white rat's nose in this." The Skreek grins to herself.

"Presently," says the prince, "I think it is just off the east coast of the continent. Not all that far away, by airship, as things go."

The prince ponders. "I … don't think I can get word to Abaddon … not on such short notice … and I don't think I have that sort of clout anyway, principality or not." He winks. "Do you know if he'd have a place he receives messages at, on this side of the Procession?"

Willow leans back. "So how do you feel about spending new years in Rephidim? Um… do you think you could get your castle exorcised while we're away? The… er … spirits there don't like me all that much." Her ears perk. "Messages? Probably at the gate in the Himaat. I'm sure that priests from his order go in and out all the time."

"Rephidim … yes, that sounds good. You know … I have never been to Rephidim before," remarks the black Khatta. "I must confess to being a little intimidated … but I suppose I have seen plenty of Rephidimites already in Olympia. And as for a message … I'll see to it that a message is delivered to the Gate. Hopefully, with enough coins, someone will make sure it gets to the right hands."

"I'll have to show you the sites then. It's not so bad really. I can show you where my old tent was and all that." The Skreek grins. "So you really want to do this? I mean… instead of some pretty Kattha lady or a noblewoman or someone with a few less rough bits?"

"My dear Will – " Then the Khatta blinks. "I just realized … Will I be marrying Willow the Wisp … or will I be marrying Chiria Naochi? And, please, the rough bits make you all the more fascinating, I assure you."

"You'll be marrying Willow the Wisp." Her expression saddens a little. "I had a twin sister that died, and we both were considered to be 'Chiria'… I think she deserves to have a name so I've decided to give it to her. My new one suits me well enough."

The Khatta looks serious for a moment, but then fades back into a smirk. "That or 'Lady Foxfire'. I suppose I have the right to call you that now, don't I? You did say that your friends call you that. If I'm your fiance, I should hope I would qualify at least as a friend."

Willow chuckles. "You do… you more than qualify. Although it might take me a bit to get used to this sort of friendship, but you were the one who started me thinking about myself as a lady again." She tugs at her shirt. "I'm sure you're worldly enough to know why I've never acted much like a lady, or why I never went prancing around the Merryweather in a dress."

The Khatta looks up, nodding. "Yes … yes, I can understand that. But, of course, this doesn't mean that I will suddenly start treating you any differently. I am no less fond of you than before." He grins. "Ah … have you thought of any plans for a honeymoon? I do believe that is the Rephidimite tradition, yes? And I suppose I shall have to arrange for some entertainment."

A mischievous glint lights up in the corner of Willow's eye. "I was thinking we might pay a visit to Abaddon for the honeymoon… maybe chuck your great great and then some grandfather's chair off a cliff." She grimaces. "Of course, I've no idea if that would even be possible."

The Khatta smirks. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of my strength … but I think we may need some assistance to deal with the throne thus. And … yes, I must confess that part of me is thinking that a bit extreme … but that seems an apt symbol of the rather drastic move we're making. Ah … not that I'm comparing this to jumping off a cliff, of course."

"I don't know much about this throne of yours except for the bits I've pieced together from studying Krozite history and from what you've told me. I just figured that since magic doesn't work on Abaddon that might be the best place to permanently dispose of it." Her ears flatten slightly. "If a pup or two does come into the picture I'd rather they not accidentally find themselves using this thing. But if it can be taken apart or sealed away someplace that would be equally fine with me. I… um… just get the feeling that Dagh is probably frothing wildly over all of this right now." The Skreek offers the prince his handkerchief back.

"Yes, well … " The Khatta takes the handkerchief back and tucks it away. "… I'm not doing this as some part of grand master plan. I'm going to help Kiri rebuild his kingdom … and maybe he can give me a hand with mine, too. If Dagh wants to share in our happiness, he'll just have to do it by the rules we make."

"I never would have thought that I'd end up with Dagh as an in-law," Willow chuckles to herself. "Although by those terms it means that Ariel really will be part of the family as well. She'll like that."

"Hmm. Ariel as an in-law," muses the Khatta. "Just one big happy family."

"We'll make it a happy family, Sebazhan. I think we've done pretty well so far." The Skreek plucks at her lip. "Do you think Mother Diamante would let me wear Nene's dress for the wedding? I know it's plain looking, but I think that Nene and I had quite a few things in common."

"I can't imagine her refusing you," says the Khatta, "though you might need to give her a moment for the news to sink in."

"Hmm," muses Sebazhan. "Which of us shall break the news to your brother?"

Willow laughs. "She's probably guessed it already. Mother Diamante is really amazing." Her smile fades. "Kiri? Hmmm… might as well be me, unless Rezhinald knew this was going to happen and already told him." She bundles her blankets up. "I can climb out there and nudge him."

"If Rezhinald foresaw this … " Sebazhan shakes his head. "… he would have given a sign. I can't imagine otherwise. I can't imagine even a seer foretelling this." He grins, then remembers himself. "Oh. Here, let me help you."

"Thank you." The Skreek eases the door open and starts to clamber up onto the roof of the carriage.

It's definitely colder out here, though thankfully there's no wind to speak of. Kiri is the first to notice Willow's appearance. "What? Careful there! You should stop the wagon first before you do a stunt like that!"

"I've carhopped on the roof of a moving train, I can manage just fine with a wagon." Willow drags herself up the rest of the way and then jams herself behind the Skreek Prince and his butler. "I'm just curious, do either of you have any plans to be anywhere for New Year's?"

Kiri shakes his head. "Well, the thought occurred to me to throw a big bash at my place as a good excuse to get drunk at the stroke of midnight … but I'm open for other suggestions."

Rezhinald, meanwhile, turns slightly to look at Willow, but resumes his concentration again.

Willow clucks her tongue. "How would you like to attend a wedding in Rephidim?"

Kiri says, "A wedding? Well, maybe if I don't have to dress up all stuffy like I did at this one. You know how hard it is to beat up a Jupani in that getup?"

"You can go however you like. I never cared much for fancy clothes so I don't see why I should force the guests at my wedding to dress up in them either." The gray Skreek smirks a little.

Kiri nods, smiling … then … looks back.

He raises his eyebrow. "Eh?"

"I just proposed to Prince Dack," Willow squeaks. "And he just accepted. If it's all right with him, I'd like for you to be my best man." She gives the butler a small nudge. "And I'd like for you to give me away, since you're probably the closest equivalent I have to a father."

Kiri looks aghast, then says, "Rezhinald! Have you got a dispel up your sleeve? Dack has cast a spell on my sister! You've got to do something!"

Rezhinald raises an eyebrow. "If he's cast a spell, it's not of the magical sort, young master."

Willow sputters, "He's not done any such thing! Hmph… "

"You're serious?" gasps Kiri. "You're marrying … him? I mean … but … really?"

"On New Year's day." Willow nods. "And I'm also formally renouncing any rights I have to the Naochi lands. This isn't some plot to take Naochi away from you, because I'm going to make sure that Naochi stays in your hands no matter what."

Kiri slumps a bit. "Oh … I … Sorry … I didn't mean to suggest that this was… " He clears his throat. "Well, this is great! Here and I thought you didn't like guys… "

Willow arches an eyebrow. "I like gentlemen, and it's very hard to find a true gentleman these days, much less one who actually can bring themselves to like a grubby little Skreek like me."

"Oh!" Kiri turns away, chuckling in embarrassment. "Yeah, manners. Some girls like that sort of thing, yeah. Uh … so when's the big date?"

"New Year's… that way Ariel can hopefully make it." Willow grins, adjusting her blanket a little.

Kiri nods. "Ah. Yeah, a year to plan things sounds good. You going to have it at the castle? Maybe we can fix up the grand hall. And Dack can drum up some good wine, I figure."

The Skreek rests her chin in her hands. "I think that's still up in the air. Rephidim seems like a possibility, since we can hop to our honeymoon straight from there… but considering our plans aren't even an hour old at the moment I still think they're on the malleable side."

Kiri nods again. "Well … after the next holiday, I'll see to having Rezhinald taking measurements on the hall, and I can see how much room we have for guests at the castle … I mean, hey, might as well start early. No sense waiting until the last minute, even if we've got a whole year to plan."

"You've got about a month to plan actually. And if you start making comments about me being mindzonked again I'll chuck you into the nearest snowbank!" Willow pulls the blanket up over her ears.

"A … month? You mean THIS New Year's? I … DON'T CHUCK ME!" squeaks the younger rat.

Willow sticks her tongue out.

Kiri ahems. "All right … a month is good. If you're holding it on Rephidim, that means it's someone else's problem to do the fixing up anyway. I'm fine with that. Bosch's bottomside! You never know what's going to happen just when things start seeming normal."

The older Skreek pulls the blanket off her head and adopts a more dignified looking pose. "Think of it this way, Kiri – I'm going to be living a lot closer to you from now on instead of vanishing to who knows where along the airship routes like I was going to do before."

Kiri smiles. "Yeah." He ponders. "So … uh … I wonder if I'll have a pup or a kit for a nephew or niece." There's a moment's pause, then, "I don't do babysitting!" Kiri suddenly blurts out.

"Never fear," says Rezhinald. "I do."

"Nooooo kids. Not for a long long while." Willow waves her hand. "I was barely able to take care of my slaves. Fires save me from what I might end up doing to a pup… "

Kiri wipes his brow. "Well, that's a relief. Glad to hear you've got some sense left. Well … that's grand. I'm happy for you. Now … you probably ought to get back in there where it's a fraction warmer. We'll keep watch out here."

"If something happens let me know, I'm perfectly capable of holding off bandits. I did it once before out here already." She winks and then scrabbles back into the cabin.