Page 3 of Her Dragon Defender

Eden could hardly sleep that night, thinking of Diana dancing the night away at the castle on the hill, and that purple dress, shimmering in the starlight that shone through her window, didn't help matters, either. Sometime close to dawn, she fell into an uneasy doze, and by the time she woke, she was certain she'd missed breakfast, so instead of heading down to the dining hall, she wandered up to Diana's room to see if she was awake yet.

Only to find Lily in there instead, dumping armloads of dresses on the bed. Diana's dresses.

"What are you doing?" Eden burst out.

Lily turned. "Packing all of Diana's things to send home to her family. The headmistress wants it done now, so the room will be ready for the next student." She reached into the wardrobe for another dress, which she draped over her arm.

"What happened to her?" Because something bad had to have happened. No way would Diana leave the Academy before she'd finished her degree.

"She got married, and now she's on her honeymoon, too busy to come back. Just like all the other girls do. Once they get rich husbands, they don't come back." Lily lifted a box onto the bed and began folding Diana's dresses into it.

"But Diana wasn't dating anyone. How could she possibly get married in one night?"

Lily shrugged. "It happens more often than you'd think. In fact, there were three weddings last night alone, so I have another two rooms to pack up after this one. Headmistress's orders. So if you don't mind...I have a lot of work to do today."

"I'll help, then," Eden said, heading back to the wardrobe to fetch more dresses. For a girl who spent most of her time in practical clothing, Diana sure did have a lot of gorgeous gowns.

"You don't have to. It's not your job," Lily said.

"It should be. I mean, I was Diana's closest friend. Why did the headmistress ask you to do it?" Eden laid the last load of dresses on the bed. Oh, how she wished she owned a fraction of Diana's wardrobe. One day, maybe. Then again, what need would she have for ballgowns when she and Diana were running the animal sanctuary? If Diana came back...

Lily ducked her head. "Because I work here now. To cover the costs of my room and board. So I can stay until I finish my degree."

"The school has scholarships for that. I should know – I got one. Maybe if you talk to the headmistress..."

Lily just shook her head. "I'm not taking charity, especially when there are more deserving students who need it. I already spoke to the headmistress, and this is the arrangement we've made. Besides, packing people's things is much easier than serving in the cafeteria. Last week, someone cooked Candace's egg white omelette in olive oil instead of coconut oil, and I had to listen to her screeching about it for an hour. I had a headache all day. Still, it's better than going home, and trying to finish my degree via correspondence." She shuddered.

Eden realised she'd never heard Lily talk about home. "Is your home that bad? I mean, I grew up in the foster system, so I never stayed anywhere for very long, but if you want to talk about it, I can definitely empathise."

Lily produced a watery smile. "Actually, I'd rather not even think about it. Home used to be just that...home. Even after my mum died and it was just my dad and me, it was still home. Then he got remarried, and for a while, it was all right, because while my stepmother and her daughters came to live with us, I was here, so it didn't really matter much, but then he got sick. I didn't even know until it was too late to go home to say goodbye." She sniffled, then taped the box shut and hefted it in her arms. "I need to stack these in the hall."

Leaving Eden in Diana's room with no idea what to say. What could she say?

When Lily came back, wiping her eyes, Eden knew she had to say something, even if it was the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Eden said. "I never knew mine, so I can't imagine what it's like to have parents you loved, only to lose them. I'd be gutted."

"Yeah, that pretty much describes it. Only there's more. Mum and Dad ran a company together, and the plan was that I'd get my degree, and then join them. But when Dad died, there was no one left with the right licences to run the company. I need to get my degree and qualify for my licence before the company's registration is up for renewal, or we lose everything. If my stepmother hasn't already sold the company assets, because she needed the money for one of my stepsisters." Lily rolled her eyes, before slamming the next box shut. "They make Candace look like a saint."

Eden had to laugh. "Not even the devil could do that."

"You haven't met them. When the pizza shop put coriander on their chili chicken and coriander pizza, they called the police to arrest the pizza guy for trying to poison them. One of them even stuck her finger down her own throat so she could throw up on the floor as evidence." Lily grimaced. "I had to clean it up, because the housekeeper had left after they couldn't afford to pay her any more. A bit of food service and packing here is nothing compared to everything I'd have to do at home. I wouldn't have enough time to sleep, let alone finish my degree if I couldn't stay here." She taped another box shut. "Actually, I kind of envy the girls who've found themselves rich husbands. If I married some guy who had his own place with staff, I wouldn't have to go back home to that." She carried the next box out into the hall.

Eden backed up to let her through, her mind whirling. Sure, she could understand why Lily might have wanted to marry some rich guy she barely knew, but Diana wasn't like that. Diana loved her family and called them every week.

Diana couldn't have gotten married since she'd seen her last night. Diana didn't want a husband, any more than Eden did. None of this made any sense.

"Did the headmistress tell you the name of the guy Diana married?" Eden asked.

Lily shrugged. "Does it matter? She'll only stay married to him long enough for him to go back to his mistress, so she can catch him cheating on her and file for divorce. Once she's got half his assets, she won't need him any more. Then she can go looking for love...or just enjoy life, and live happily ever after. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Eden had to admit she wouldn't mind a bit of a fairytale ending for herself, though she suspected it would come with more complications than Lily's simple sounding plan. And while Eden herself might not have a happy home to go back to during the holidays, Diana was different. Her family were so supportive of her and her dreams, they were paying for the construction of the animal sanctuary. The only reason she collected donations at events like last night's ball were to cover the running costs, so she and Eden could be employed there full time.

"So you don't know who she married?" Eden pressed.

"Nope. Can you pass me that box? I may as well do her shoes next. Wow, her shoe collection probably cost more than a semester's tuition. I wish I'd thought of collecting designer shoes when I had the money for them. Designer dresses, too. Then maybe I could have sold them and saved myself the hassle of working in the cafeteria. Oh well. At least we only have until year's end, and we graduate, right? Not that much longer to go."

Indeed it wasn't. Eden could only hope Diana returned before then. Honeymoons didn't last that long, did they? After all, how much sex could one couple have?

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