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parents needed them about the house and would not let them go out. Elbryan did not miss that every one of those “soldiers” seemed grateful to be relieved of the dull patrols.
    Elbryan continued his diligent work, though, reorganizing the routes to cover more ground since he was down to three teams of five, with a couple of messengers.
    “We’ll lose Shamus tomorrow,” Pony said as they sat side by side in a hollow on the high ridge, sheltered from the chill wind by a pair of large pines. The day was late, and gray clouds were rolling in to hide the afternoon sun. “His mother told me this morning this would be his last day out.”
    Elbryan prodded the ground with the tip of his sword. “His patrol group goes to four, then,” he said matter-of-factly.
    Pony recognized the frustration in his voice, though he did well to hide it. Elbryan was watching his first command crumbling about him, his soldiers being taken away so that they could help patch roofs or shore up barns. Pony sympathized with the young man, but logically, this was the best scenario they could have hoped for.
    “They are being called back home because no enemy has come,” she gently reminded him. “Better this than for your patrol to have been truly necessary.”
    Elbryan looked at her, little luster showing in his normally bright green eyes.
    “Or maybe we were necessary,” Pony quickly added, trying to salvage some measure of the young man’s pride. “How do we know that goblins have not ventured near Dundalis?”
    Elbryan cocked his head and ran a hand through his thick layers of straight, light brown hair.
    “Perhaps their scouts did come near us,” Pony went on. “Perhaps they saw our patrols and realized they would not have an easy time of it against the village.”
    “We are just children,” Elbryan said disgustedly.
    Pony shook her head. “And all but the smallest of our group is larger than a goblin,” she replied without hesitation, and that truth seemed to lend some credence to her reasoning. “Is not the best army the one so strong that enemies will not dare attack?”
    Elbryan didn’t answer, but that familiar sparkle lit up his eyes. He turned back to regard the ground in front of him, and the wild design he was cutting with the sword tip.
    Pony smiled warmly, feeling that she had done well. It pleased her greatly to help out Elbryan, to guard his emotions. She didn’t really believe goblins had come near enough to see the patrols, and neither did Elbryan, but at least this way he could hold out some reason to believe his first real effort at something important by adult standards had not been in vain. The simple fact that they could not be absolutely certain offered Elbryan all the encouragement he needed.
    Pony dared to reach out then; the connection was too strong to let the moment pass. She cupped Elbryan’s chin in one hand and gently turned him back to face her.
    “You have done a wonderful job out here,” she said softly.
    “Not alone,” he started to reply, but she stopped him by putting a finger of her free hand across his lips. Only then did Elbryan realize how close they were, their faces barely two inches apart. He felt warm suddenly, a bit dizzy, a bit frightened.
    Pony drifted closer. She kissed him! Full on the lips! Elbryan was terrified and thrilled all at once. He thought he should pull away, spit on the ground, and yell “girl poison!” as was the expected response, as had been his response all the other times Pony, or any of the other girls, had tried to kiss him.
    He didn’t want to do that; the last notion in his mind was to pull away. He realized then that it had been a long, long time since Pony had tried to kiss him—at least a year. Had she feared his reaction? Had she known he would have spit and yelled out “girl poison,” a chant that would have been taken up by every boy in the village?
    Or had she known he wasn’t ready, until now, to be kissed? That was it, the young man decided