The rest of the term passed quickly, and before I knew it, exams were over. Thankfully, after practicing the buddy system the entire second half of the term, there were no more incidents with Torlan or his flunkies.

  Given what had happened, Valissa decided that it wasn’t safe for Kolo and I to stay on campus for the break before the autumn term, so she coordinated with her family to have us visit for those three weeks. Come the Polday after exams, we left with the others and caught a shuttle bus to the train station.

  Our train arrived first, so we said our goodbyes to the boys and loaded up. It was only my second train ride, and this time, I was much less worried about being discovered, so I could finally enjoy myself.

  I loved watching the terrain speed by at high speeds, faster than I had traveled before—not that I’d traveled much at all. I had been more than happy to avoid the attention that would be necessary for a princess traveling the world.

  During the trip, Valissa explained to us what to expect.

  “My mother is… a lot. There really is no good way to prepare you for her. My father, though, is somewhat stoic—I take after him in that way. My younger brothers are in their second cycle of their basic degree at the university. They are twins, and while they have matured somewhat over the years, they still like to pull pranks, so be forewarned.

  “Arahona, my hometown, is on the Ayithean Peninsula and is quite humid. The rainy season just ended, so while there might be a bit of rain here and there, it should be largely dry.

  “I wouldn’t say my family is rich, but my father is an engineer and makes enough money to afford a house with enough room for each of you to have a guest room.”

  Kolo and I nodded along with her explanation, even though we had already heard most of it before—Valissa was clearly somewhat nervous, an uncommon sight for her.

  Kolo must have noticed this as well because she pulled out a deck of cards and suggested we play a few hands of “Trolls vs Crowns.”

  The distraction helped, and Valissa seemed to relax a bit. We had a long trip—we wouldn’t be arriving until early the next morning. Besides playing card games, we ended up spending our time watching the scenery flow by, chatting about classes, and making plans for our break. Valissa was excited to show us the Arahonan Bresse Test Gardens—well, as excited as she ever outwardly got. Apparently the Gardens were the premier breeding center for creating new bresse varietals, a popular flower native to the region. According to Valissa, the gardens there were simply stunning and open to the public most days.

  The trip passed fairly quickly from my perspective, though the fact that we slept through much of it probably helped. As we pulled into the station at Arahona—the town being large enough and in the right position to warrant its own stop—Valissa’s nerves returned. Knowing she wouldn’t like a big deal being made of it, I ignored her despite my inclination to try to help.

  Stepping off the train with our bags—I didn’t want to draw attention to my storage bracelet—we then made our way through the station. As we headed toward the exit, I heard an unexpected sound. My immediate reaction was to drop my bag and fall into a combat stance, scanning the surroundings for a threat. Quick motion off to the side drew my attention, and I barely managed to avoid striking the woman running at Valissa with her arms out.

  “Sweetie, you’re back!” The woman, clearly Valissa’s mother, let out what was almost a squeal as she pulled her daughter into a hug. Valissa returned the hug, although there was still some tension in her shoulders as she did so, making her movements appeared slightly stilted.

  After a couple seconds, the woman released Valissa and turned to me. “And you must be Dax. Valissa has told me almost nothing about you.” She said that last part with a glare at her daughter, though there wasn’t any heat in it.

  I was definitely not expecting her to subsequently glomp onto me in a hug, and I froze, unsure how to respond. Hugs were not something I was used to, especially not with such fervor from someone I had just met. Hugging in dragon form was… different, and I hadn’t spent much time around people whom I would embrace in elf form.

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  After a few seconds, I started to relax and gently patted Valissa’s mother’s back. She pulled away at that and gave me a knowing look that confused me.

  “And Kolo!” she exclaimed, turning to my other friend. “It is wonderful to meet you, even though getting information about either of you is as difficult as keeping a young sidhe on the ground.” Like with me, she pulled Kolo into a hug, though she probably expected it as she returned the hug, albeit tentatively.

  Valissa sighed. “Everyone, this is my mother, Vaeli Crimea, and my father, Yandar Crimea,” she said, gesturing to her mother and a sidhe man standing off to the side with a subtle look of fondness that I might not have recognized if I hadn’t spent so much time with Valissa.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you ma’am, sir.” I greeted each of them with a nod.

  “Yes,” Kolo added. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

  “Oh, posh. Of course! We’re happy to have Valissa’s friends stay with us.”

  “Indeed,” said Yandar, speaking for the first time. His voice was a soft tenor that matched his appearance well.

  “Well! Let’s head to the house, yes? Unless—have you all had breakfast yet?”

  We shook our heads. “No,” Valissa answered. “They didn’t serve breakfast on the train given how early it still is.”

  “Well then, we should stop for breakfast on the way!”

  Valissa agreed for us, and we stepped outside, where the humidity hit me like a wall. While it was slightly warmer than back at the academy, it was much less humid than I had ever experienced, catching me off-guard. I shook off my surprise and followed Valissa’s parents.

  Waiting for us a short ways down the street was the Crimeas’ car. It was a standard sleek hatchback that looked to be relatively new and in good condition. It only had the two front seats and three seats in the back, so we all had to fit together. Fortunately, none of the three of us was particularly large, and Kolo’s diminutive size meant that with her in the middle seat, it was reasonably comfortable. I was glad to see that the car, like most, had adjustable restraints to fit smaller species and children despite being primarily designed for elf-sized people.

  We ended up stopping at a local diner for breakfast. The food was fine, nothing compared to the palace food, of course, but similar enough in quality to the food at NOTA. Vaeli dominated the conversation, unsurprisingly, asking us about our classes and telling us all about Arahona. I wasn’t sure why we needed to know that their neighbor at the end of the block was pregnant with her third child, but after that breakfast, we did. It was supremely interesting the contrast between Vaeli and her husband, who had barely said a dozen words since we met him.

  Once we had all finished eating, Yandar paid for our meal. Kolo and I made sure to thank him, but he waved us away, simply saying, “It’s expected.” I opted not to push further, and neither did Kolo.

  Soon enough, we were arriving at their house. It was a moderate sized, three-story house made primarily of brick and featuring a large wraparound porch. It was hard to tell from the front, but I suspected there was a decent-sized back garden as well. Off to one side sat a two-car garage, and the front was decorated with a variety of trees and flowering bushes.

  “You have a lovely home,” Kolo commented, causing Vaeli to beam.

  “Aren’t the jhodaries beautiful? I’m glad they’re still flowering—they probably won’t be by the time you leave.”

  “Those are the white ones, correct?”

  “Indeed! They are some of my favorites. Now, let’s get you all in and settled.”

  Inside, the house felt homey. Rugs covered most of the hardwood floors, and there was a curved staircase leading to the second floor. Photos decorated the walls, featuring both people and landscapes, and everything felt warm and inviting.

  “It’s comfortable and cozy, in the best way,” I declared, getting me another one of Vaeli’s beaming smiles.

  “Thank you! If you come through here to the right, your guest rooms are on the first floor. There’s a bathroom in between the two rooms. There’s only a shower, but if you want a bath, just let me know and you can borrow our bathroom.”

  The rooms were just as well-decorated as the rest of the house. My room was painted in a soft blue, and the bedding was a darker blue that complimented the walls. The furniture was well-made out of a light-colored wood, and there was a plush rug covering most of the floor.

  After getting settled a bit, Kolo and I left to see the rest of the house. Near our bedrooms, there was an open living area-dining room-kitchen with modern appliances and comfortable furniture.

  Sitting at a breakfast bar were two young men, presumably Valissa’s twin brothers. As we walked in, they turned to look at us, and a pair of identical mischievous smiles appeared on their faces.

  “They’ll be trouble,” I murmured, just loud enough for Kolo to hear.

  “Definitely,” she replied.

  “Ah, yes. Twins, these are my friends, Dax Juniper and Kolo Tamori. Dax, Kolo—meet my brothers, Evan and Dorian. Do not fret about telling them apart—they are experts at confusing people.”

  “Sis! Don’t reveal all our secrets!” one of the twins said in a joking tone.

  “Yeah!” said the other. “Besides, Evan is way more likely to give us away.”

  “Totally!” the first agreed. “Evan is definitely the worst.”

  Kolo and I gave each other a look, implicitly agreeing that these two would keep things from getting dull.