I think the bighorn hunt is one of those memories that will stick out to me for the rest of my life. Not only had the hunt been a thrill, and an impressive accomplishment for we young wolves who had worked together under Haven's skilled supervision to take down the animal, but it had been an altogether really good day. The fact that Vortigern had doted on me in the aftermath a bit longer than the others didn't hurt things, either. It had been that day that he revealed to me that he had figured out that I was a princess - a fact I wasn't exactly hiding from him, but that I hadn't told him outright either. At first I'd worried it would change our relationship, that he would treat me differently - and maybe he did a little bit, but in a good way. In any case, as the months passed by we became closer and closer and spent more and more time together. He had become a wolf I could rely on to support me as I worked to maintain my position as Heir, and someday become Protector. And I certainly wasn't complaining about that.

So it made sense that when he decided to begin work towards his own rank that I would be there to support him. Warden was the role he sought, and it would suit him well. He'd come to me after receiving his tasks from Daenerys, and I had readily agreed to accompany him to Taviora to begin talks about some kind of relationship between our packs. After all, it would be good for them not only to meet with our soon-to-be head diplomat, but also the heir to the pack. Mom wanted to finalize the details herself, and discuss bigger picture things as well - given everything that was going on with Iormar. But it would be Vortigern's job to lay the ground work, get the ball rolling and what not. My presence wasn't exactly needed, but hey I mean it was a chance to see how someone else handled diplomatic affairs and get a feel for what the alpha of Taviora was like.

We took the long way around to Taviora, intending to approach from the freelands rather than our longtime shared border. Playful teasing and jokes abounded between us, laughter filling the air more often than not as we made our way. We paused a couple of times to check out situations that just seemed out of place and wrong. I'd heard the rumors about the gargantuan beasts terrorizing the free lands, and the remnants that we found seemed to breath truth into the stories. With a bit more seriousness we pressed on from these discoveries, our pace quickened a little bit. But after a while we would dissolve back into our usual repartee.

Finally, we reached the fringes of the Tavioran forest, and we slowed to a stop. There was the most fleeting of looks on Vortigern's face as he abruptly came to a standstill that made my stomach lurch. I'd thought about the fact that he'd been born in Taviora before, but the fact that he might miss it now as much as I had missed the mountains when we'd been forced to live in Diveen for a year hadn't really occurred to me in its entirety. I couldn't help but wonder if he would change his mind, decide to stay here instead of coming back to Spirane with me. But then he turned toward me and flashed that winning, confident grin of his and it put some of my worries at ease. I smiled back at him and then, as his voice lifted on the forest breeze to call for someone in a position of power, I tilted my head back and let my sonorous alto voice harmonize with his. And our voices sounded pretty dang good together, if I do say so myself.