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its own privacy, War-prize." Joden seemed to settle in the saddle, as if making himself more comfortable. "Now, Lara, between friends, what is wrong?"
    "Oh, Joden." I blinked back tears. "This is so much harder than I thought it would be!"
    "Ah," Joden nodded. "You miss your home. That is norm—"
    "No." A sob escaped my throat. "Oh, no, that's not—" I took a deep breath. "Joden, it's so boring!"
     

 

     
     

Chapter 2
     
    I told Joden everything. How hard it was to sleep with people moving around outside the tent all the time. How much my body ached from riding the long hours day after day. How Firelanders talked about nothing but horses, horses, horses. Their coats, eyes, gaits, their withers, for hours. The food was—well, it wasn't up to Anna's standards, that was for sure. My voice sounded whiny, even to me, but I didn't let that stop me. I poured out all of my unhappiness into Jo-den's ear, as the privacy bells chimed.
    Finally, the worst of all, was that I was afraid that Keir had lost interest in me. Thankfully, I couldn't see Joden's face as I confessed my doubts. Keir wasn't around, constantly moving here and there, and he didn't always re-turn to our tent for the night. The Firelanders had very different ideas about things, and the women warriors were all tall, strong, confident, and…
    ample.
    I lay my head down against his back. "I'm sorry, Joden. I've no right to talk like this. I sound like a fretful child. I mean, I did follow Keir, and I asked for this. It's just that…"
    "It's not what you expected." I felt his voice rumble through his chest.
    "My father used to tell me about his campaigning, and his travels. How hard it was. I just didn't realize that it was so hard and uncomfortable every single day!"
    Joden laughed. I was offended at first, but couldn't help but laugh with him.
    "So, you thought to become one of the Plains within the space of a few days? You, that have never ventured far from your home of stone." Joden chuckled.
    "I guess I did expect that it would be easy."
    "And it is not." Joden shifted a bit in the saddle and the leather creaked in response. "If Marcus has a flaw, it's that he believes that Keir can do no wrong. Have you talked to Keir, Lara?"
    "No. I'm too embarrassed."
    Joden fell silent at that, a silence that was all too much like Eln when he was trying to get me to think about what I had said. And when I did think about it, I flushed in shame. It was the truth, I didn't feel that I could talk to Keir about these things. He was so proud, so confident, so…
    perfect. How could I let him know that his Warprize wasn't? I heaved another sigh. Joden turned his head slightly, as if to look at me. "This land of yours, this Xy, it is strange to us. Many have confided their unease to me."
    "Really?" I looked around the valley, with its hills and trees. The sky above was a bright blue, and the air sweet with the scent of crushed grasses. "Why would they be uneasy?"
    "On the Plains, one can see for miles and miles. A storm builds as one watches, and sweeps over the grasses with its rains." Joden looked up to where the mountains blocked our view.
    "Here, one can see nothing, and the trees block the stars from sight. It is uncomfortable."
    "The Plains sound so big, Joden."
    "As wide as the skies themselves, Lara." Joden spoke with a smile I could hear. "They hold their own special beauty." His voice was filled with a quiet pride. "But life there is hard, make no mistake about that. We are of the Plains and we accept the harshness, for it is also a life of freedom, and its taste is sweet."
    His tone changed. "Keir seeks to change our ways, to ease the harshness, to improve the lives of all. But change is also hard."
    I absorbed his words as he took a deep breath to continue.
    "We are returning to the Plains, Lara, and normally our hands would be filled with the spoils from raiding. But this time, this army, although victorious, returns with but a Warprize. In your own way, you have