They sat in comfortable silence for a long time, staring into the flames. After a while Aidan voiced his thoughts. "You know, you've saved my life so many times now I'm starting to lose track."

Flame Song smiled warmly at him. "Well, I know I couldn't live without you, so I just had to."

"I always kinda thought I'd be somebody's knight in shining armor, but turns out I get to be the fair maiden most times."

Flame Song shook her head. Sometimes Aidan's Earth expressions left her bewildered by their complete lack of sense. "One thing you are most definitely not, love, is a maiden." She gave him a knowing look.

Aidan actually blushed a little. "No, I guess not." Then his expression turned more serious. "Beloved, I was wondering something."

"Yes?"

"Well, I know," he said with a grin, "that you can't live without me. But I was wondering if you could survive if I left for a little bit."

"Why?"

"Lately I've been thinking about Thomas. Did I ever tell you about him?"

"I know you're mentioned the name a time or two. He's another aerian, isn't he?"

Aidan nodded. "Yes. He's the one that first took me in when I came to Mysteria. You know that I didn't join the clan until after I met you and you started dragging me along on these crazy adventures. When I came to Mysteria I wanted to stay, but I figured that the Clan of the Lost Dragon was a bit too high and noble for the likes of me. So I just kind of wandered without much purpose. I really loved having wings; it's always been my fondest dream to be able to fly, so I decided I might as well go to Aerievale, the aerian city. Well, I didn't fit in there as well as I'd hoped, and I actually got myself into a spot of trouble or two. Then Thomas bailed me out. He was an old Mysterian, an aerian born and bred. He taught me what being an aerian meant, that it was more than just being a human with wings. He gave me a home too, and put up with a lot of nonsense on my part. I stayed with him until that little run-in with the demon lord landed me here in the north. I did send a letter letting him know I was still alive, but I haven't seen him in years. I don't even know if he's still alive himself. He was as old as the hills when I knew him, and it's been a while."

"So you want to go and visit Thomas then?"

"Yes. If you want me to stay I'll stay, but, well..."

"Of course you can go. How long do you think it will take you?"

"If I fly straight there, non-stop, nights and days, I can do it in three days. Four if I stop for a nap or two. Then I can stay for a few days and come back. Say two weeks at the very most."

"I'll miss you. Two weeks will probably seem like forever, but I agree that you should go see your friend."

"Better sooner than later then. If you don't mind, I'll leave tomorrow night."

Flame Song smiled. "In that case, maybe I should give you a proper send-off."

"Oh?" Aidan raised one eyebrow, which always made Flame Song laugh.

She chuckled as he'd intended and said, "Yes, a proper send-off indeed. And I had better start by helping you out of this thing. I don't know how you're going to manage it on your own." As she spoke she moved behind Aidan and began unbuttoning the buttons by the wing holes in his shirt. Aidan wore special shirts designed with aerians in mind. They had wing holes that fastened with buttons so they could easily be slipped on over his wings, but trying to button them alone resulted in twists that would do a contortionist proud. Aidan could manage them by himself if he had to, but he liked having Flame Song undo them, for more reasons than one. She finished the buttons and slipped the shirt off. Then with a little laugh she ran her fingers over his bare back and onto his soft, feathered wings.

"Mmmmm... What would a guy have to do to get a back rub from you?"

Flame Song bent her head to kiss the back of his neck, which sent a pleasant shiver through him. "I'm sure I can think of something," she said.