Once we got back to the compound everyone was already at dinner. "I think I'm going to skip and just head to my room; I'm pretty tired," I said, as Erik and I put the horses away.

He caught my shoulder as I went to walk off. "No, you're not. There is no skipping meals unless you are sick. We train hard so we need to keep our bodies nourished to keep us healthy as we train," he said guiding me towards the cafeteria. We entered and I found my brothers already in their usual spot. I quickly grabbed dinner and took a seat at the edge of the bench beside Benedict.

"How'd it go?" Alakay asked.

"It went well. I didn't think we'd be gone so long," I replied.

"Who were you escorting?" Benedict asked, as he glanced at my limited food choice.

I ignored the raised eyebrow. "The princess. She wanted to go riding and her father didn't want her out with any less than a Dragon escort," I explained.

"Oh, so you got some quality time with Princess Isabella? You gonna be falling head over heels for her?" Alakay asked with a chuckle. I shook my head choosing not to respond.

Dinner wrapped up and soon we were in our usual dance circle. I had once again tried to slip off, but was told by Micah that wasn't allowed. Tonight was my final night on trial and they planned to celebrate it. However, after two or three songs as we were changing dance partners I managed to slip away and found my way up to the tower. I could hear the laughter of the Dragons as they all continued to dance and enjoy the night. For a moment, I thought of abandoning my seat and heading back to join them. This could be my last night. In the end, that is why I did not move from my seat on the tower. Tomorrow I would be facing the decision that Orion would make about my future with the Dragons.

"Mind if we join you?" Louis asked from behind me.

I gasped and spun to see my four brothers standing over me. I quickly wiped at my eyes. "How did you know where I was?" I asked. Benedict smiled down at me and took a seat beside me.

"Alakay said he found you here a few days ago. We thought that with what tomorrow holds you'd be looking for a quiet place," Louis said leaning against one of the posts. Alakay walked forward and took a seat on my other side.

Shepherd took to leaning against the other post. "So what's going through your mind?" He asked.

"I don't even know," I said, looking down at my hands.

"Sometimes it helps to talk... just let the words come," Benedict said.

I looked around at the four guys who had taken me under their wing and become family. "I'm scared," I said. "I am scared that Orion will tell me that I am not good enough to be a Dragon, that I'm done. Then what? Andrew offered me a place, but is that where I belong?" I said not talking to anyone, simply voicing the thoughts running through my head. "Then I failed... I failed my family. How am I supposed to find my brother?" I said, starting to shake. There was silence for a few minutes, my voice lowering as I continued to talk. "I'm scared that Orion will say that I have what it takes to be a Dragon. All I've ever known is a small village. This past week has been incredible, but it still seems like a dream. What if I can't live up to what Orion is expecting? What if this is all for nothing?" I said tears running down my cheeks. With a shaky breath, I looked up. "I have only been with you for six days, yet you have become family. I've already lost two families. I can't stand to lose another. If I'm sent away it will be like losing you all. If I stay and don't live up to what all of you keep saying I am, then I may lose you anyway," I said trying to control my emotions, but they were too strong.

There was silence as my words not only sunk in for them, but for me as well. "No matter what happens tomorrow you will not lose us. You are our brother and whether you are working on a farm or beside us that will not change," Alakay said.

Benedict nodded, dropping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. I let out a ragged breath as I felt the comfort of his embrace. "Alakay is right. You have given us all something that we didn't know we needed. There was already a bond among the four of us, but when you came it sealed it," he said and after a pause, he smiled down at me. "And it's okay to show emotion, Sam. It doesn't mean you are weak; it means you are human," he said.

Alakay jumped to his feet. "Shepherd, come with me. Louis, Benedict stay with our little brother," he said. We watched as the two of them descended the tower.

Louis took Alakay's seat. "I can say with all certainty you have gone through more in your fourteen years than any of us in our entire lives. No matter what Orion's decision is tomorrow, you will find a place to thrive. You have not failed your family. You have stood strong in the face of all life has thrown at you," he said. He then grinned at me. "And all the Dragons would call Orion a fool if he says no to you tomorrow." I ducked my head in embarrassment. The three of us sat in silence. Soon Alakay and Shepherd returned with blankets and pillows.

"What are those for?" I asked, sitting up from where I had been leaning into Benedict. Alakay and Shepherd grinned as they started to spread them out.

"We are sleeping out here," Shepherd said.

"I used to do this with my siblings when I was at home. If one of us was going through something hard or if we were celebrating something we'd camp out under the stars," Alakay said, taking a seat beside Louis. "And we happen to be doing both tonight. Tonight we are going through the ups and downs of what tomorrow holds, but at the same time we are celebrating that you have made it through a week of Dragon training," he said.

And that is how I found myself sleeping in the middle of my four brothers. Never once did it cross my mind that this could mean me being found out. This night, I found comfort being surrounded by four men who had claimed me as their brother and for one night I let my guard down and simply was present in the moment.

The following morning when I awoke I found myself in the middle of the platform with Alakay and Benedict on my right and Shepherd and Louis on my left, all still sleeping. I lay in peace for a few minutes before my heart sped up as I remembered what I was going to be facing today. It took another fifteen minutes before any of the guys started to wake. Shepherd was the first, our eyes meeting as his eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," he yawned, stretching and accidentally smacking Louis in the face.

"Hey!" Louis exclaimed, shooting up.

"Would you quiet down," Alakay mumbled, accidentally elbowing Benedict in the side as he pulled a pillow over his head. Benedict reacted with little thought as he grabbed the pillow he had been holding in his sleep and smacked Alakay's stomach. The rest of us laughed as Alakay groaned. I tried to wiggle out of the blankets and stand up but there was little room left on the platform with all the blankets. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Alakay asked as he sat up tossing Benedict's pillow back to him.

"I gotta pee," I said, earning chuckles from the guys as they moved around so I could get down. When I came out of the latrine the guys were carrying the blankets back to our room, ignoring the questions of where they had escaped to during the dance last night. I followed grabbing a few items from Shepherd. As we were putting the blankets and pillows away I turned to my brothers. "Thank you for last night guys... I don't think I could have handled being alone," I said. They all gave smiles, but said nothing.

Soon we found ourselves standing in the training yard waiting on instructions for the day. The guys all groaned as Erik walked towards us a grin on his face and strips of cloth in his hand.

"Erik, please take into consideration that today is Sam's final day of trial. I think he deserves a less painful day," Alakay said with pleading eyes. Erik chuckled as he nodded for us to follow. We were headed for the obstacle course. I now understood why the guys had groaned; we were going to be doing the obstacle course with a few of us blindfolded. He handed them to Benedict, Alakay, and Shepherd.

"Louis you're mute," was all Erik said to Louis.

"Wait! Remember what I said earlier this week? I will end up killing someone if I am left as the sight person," I said realizing that he meant for me to lead. Erik simply smiled. He was getting too much joy out of the pain he was causing.

"To answer Alakay's question, I think this is actually a great way to end the trial. It will really give Sam a feeling of the brotherhood. As for you Sam, have some faith in yourself. You've done this enough to know what to do. To show that I do have a heart I won't give you a time limit," he said, nodding to the course. "You better get to it before I change my mind," he said, turning and walking off to torture some other group of brothers.

I looked up at my brothers. "You'll do fine Sam. You have leadership instincts," Benedict said wrapping his head so he no longer could see. The rest gave reassuring nods.

"How do we do this?" I asked, not wanting to have to lead.

Benedict shook his head. "Erik is doing this to see how you will guide us, not to see you doing what we say. You've got this, Sam," he said.

I took a deep breath, as I thought through how to guide my four brothers through the six obstacles. "Okay, I think I have an idea," I said. "Louis, I want you at the front. I am going to put the rest in line and have you put a hand on the shoulder in front of you," I said, lining them up. "We're going to start out at a walk. Louis if I call for you to stop, then do it cause it means something's not going right behind you," I said and after another breath gave the order to start.

Soon we got to the crawl. "Okay so two can go at a time," I said, looking at the width of the rope. "Benedict and Alakay drop down to your bellies," I said. I had Louis go with Shepherd as this was one obstacle I noticed he struggled with more than the rest. "Do I still have to do each one?" I asked and after confirmation, I stood to the side and guided them through. "Now just wait," I said as I belly crawled through. We formed up and this time attempted a jog.

When we got to the next obstacle I paired Louis with Benedict knowing that this was his struggle. Alakay was like a monkey and was able to do this one on his own. I went with Shepherd and he did fine with a few minor adjustments from myself. We jogged to the tower. I studied the tower for a moment before making a decision. "Louis, I want you to go first. Then you can reach down and guide them up. We'll have to lay on our bellies and help each other up from level to level," I said. We accomplished the tower much quicker then I had expected. I decided to chance it and had us go up to a run. We stumbled a few times, but managed a quick pace.

These next two obstacles would include good communication. The stump field was a challenge. No one fell but it took a lot longer than normal. We then made it to the rope swing. I learned the hard way that they needed a little advance warning on when to let go of the rope to land on the log. The first time Benedict, Alakay and Shepherd went together and I called it a second too soon and they all dropped right away falling into the water. Alakay hit it just right to do a summersault over the log causing a large bruise to form on his side. I grimaced. Louis stood watching. That's when I got it. I wasn't up there with them. "Louis I want you to grab the middle rope. Benedict the right and Shepherd the left rope. I'm going to stand on the other side of the log. Louis, nod to me a second before you need to drop," I said and this time it worked!

Alakay and I went together and this time we both landed. "I'm sorry about your side," I said, as we formed up in a line.

He smiled. "What's a run through the obstacle course with no injuries?" He asked with a chuckle.

We ran to the wall and were silent a minute as I figured out how to do the wall without them having sight. It took awhile but somehow we managed it and ran to the finish line in the same form as we had been doing the entire course. Erik stood waiting. The guys took off their blindfolds as Erik called a finish. I looked at the soaking guys. "I told you I wasn't cut out for this," I said. Erik shook his head.

"Actually that was impressive," a new voice said. We all turned and found Orion standing a little off to the side. He smiled as he walked forward. "Each of your brothers has led your team through the course like you did. If I recall Alakay's leadership ended with Louis in an arm cast. Benedict's first go gave Shepherd a cracked rib. Shepherd did decently until the wall where they dropped Benedict and knocked him out for an hour. Louis didn't injure anyone, but he took a day and a half to finish," Orion said.

Louis shook his head. "It wasn't that bad," he said.

Orion laughed. "You might be right, but you did take your sweet time," he said.

Louis held up a hand. "I did, but as you pointed out the others ended in injuries. It just took a while under my direction," he argued.

Orion waved it away. "Whatever it might be, as you can tell this is not an easy task to lead a group of men through the course. You may have gotten them wet, but you all got here with no serious injuries and it only took you a little under two hours," he said, nodding his head in approval. "Now go get cleaned up and get some hand to hand combat in," he said and walked off.