"Let's go," Erik said, walking into the room.

Startled, I came to my feet. "Where are we going?" I asked, but got no response. Erik's body was tense as I followed him through the halls. My heartbeat speeding up as we neared Orion's office.

"Sit," Erik said, pointing to one of the chairs in front of Orion's desk. I obeyed. Then Erik left again. My mind raced. Had the entire compound been informed of my lies? Were my brothers packing their bags as I sat here? Would I even get a chance to see Chloe before being run out of Jarrow? I shook my head. Those thoughts could not be the ones overtaking my mind right now. I closed my eyes; remembering the reason I came to Jarrow. Remembering why I was willing to risk it all when it would have been easier to stay with Andrew and work on his farm. But easy was not an option. Easy was not a path to take. Since coming to Jarrow everything has felt right. Felt like I am meant to be here. However, to find out why this felt so much like home, I had to find my brother and to find my brother I needed to stay in Jarrow. My eyes fluttered open as I heard two sets of footsteps coming towards me. I sat up straighter and waited. Watching as Orion and Erik walked around the desk.

Orion took a seat in his chair while Erik stood beside him. No words were spoken as the two men stared at me. I wanted to shrink back. I wanted to let the fear come out through tears and trembling, but I sat straight.

"How long did you think you could keep up these charades?" Orion asked.

"The truth is, I had no idea," I said honestly. "When Hillsdale was destroyed all I had to cling to were my papa's dying words. That my brother was out there and that I would do much for the people. I always knew I wanted to help people... to defend them, but knowing that as a girl my choices were limited," I said. Neither face changed. "When Ally came to me with the idea of how to get into knight school, I could see no other choice. I didn't want to lie. At first I argued that I could attempt as a girl and hope that my skills were enough. In the end, it didn't seem like I would be given a chance. I'm sorry for leading you on... for getting my brothers to lie for me," I said. "I will accept whatever consequences you deem fit for what I have done. Please, do not take away my brother's spots as Dragons. I know that they also lied to you and there will be trust that needs to be gained back. If it wasn't for me, they would have not even been in this predicament," I said, letting out a long breath as I tried to stay calm.

Another silence filled the room as the two men looked at me. "Erik, go bring in the four," Orion said glancing at his son. Orion stood walking around his desk to stand in front of me. "Was it worth it?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "It was. I have gained more being a Dragon for the past five months, then I could have expected. Being here has only confirmed my desire to stand up for my people and do all I can to protect them," I said meeting his eyes. "After losing my family and village I never thought the feeling of home could be found again, yet here I feel at home. Being here has brought healing that I never imagined possible. Whatever you decide for my future, I will always be grateful for the time that you let me spend here," I said. He nodded. Before he could respond the door opened and Erik walked in followed by my brothers. I stood and walked to them.

"Are you okay?" Benedict asked, looking me over.

I nodded. "Yes," I said looking at my brothers. Unlike me, they had not gotten much sleep last night. "Thank you for all you have done for me. You have helped me more than I could ever say," I said giving each one a smile. They nodded.

"We can all say the same. Whatever is to come we will always be here for you, Sam." Alakay said.

A throat clearing brought our attention back to Orion and Erik. We all straightened and stood in silence waiting for the verdict. "Erik and I have talked with each of you. Each of you standing up for the others. Sam, each of your brothers quickly told of how your skills did not depend on your gender and that the reason they protected you was not something you asked," Orion said leaning against his desk. "The fact remains that you lied to us and that you are a girl," he said. I could sense the tension in each of my brothers. None of us liked where this was heading. I knew that this time would come, but had never figured out how I would handle it.

"Again you are all correct that there is no rule stating a Dragon must be a male it is more costume then rule," Erik said speaking for the first time.

Orion nodded. "I knew this day would come, but when Erik came to me last night I wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be to decide," Orion said. All of us, including Erik, were caught off guard. "I was hoping that you would make it easier on me, Sam. That you'd make some mistakes that would make it easy to send you back to Andrew, but you've done the opposite. You are just one person, yet you have changed the entire dynamic of the Dragons in a good way," he said.

Erik shook his head holding up his hands. "Wait, it sounds like you've known Sam was a girl," Erik said, his eyes growing wide as his father nodded. My heart skipped a beat as the realization sat in. Orion had known this whole time, but had said nothing. I wasn't shocked that Louis had put it together, but I spent almost every hour with him.

"Let's sit down," Orion said, nodding for us to go to the table. After sitting down Orion leaned back in his chair. "Do you remember your first day here?" He asked, getting a nod from myself. "Do you recall when Andrew asked to speak to me in private?" Another nod and he continued. "In that private conversation, Andrew told me. He said from the start he wanted me to know the truth. He spoke of the reason you had for keeping your secret, but as any father should he was worried for you, Sam. He knew what you had recently gone through and what you were about to put yourself through. He wanted someone to know the truth, so that you would be watched over. He also knew that if the truth came out later without me knowing things could go very bad for you," Orion said.

Silence overtook the room. "Why did you let me keep up the lie?" I asked quietly.

Orion sat up and looked at me. "Because I saw something in you. Something that was . . . no . . . something that is special. An endurance to go through difficult situations and come out stronger. A determination to defeat the odds and overcome," he said. "You could have given up multiple times, many have. You could have thrown your hard work to the wind, because it was more than you imagined. You didn't. You pushed on," he said, folding his hands. "It was when you came with the information about La Fray that I realized you fit in as a Dragon. You came to find your brother, but you put that all behind you when the people needed you. When your sister came back into your life you could have let everything fall and let her take care of you, but you didn't," he said.

"What now?" Benedict asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Now you have a choice to make, Sam. When it was just your brothers that knew it was still your secret. Going forward, if you are to remain here, you must get approval not from me, but from the Dragons. If you are willing to explain yourself to the Dragons and if they are willing to accept you as you are, then we will move forward. If you are not willing or if they are not willing to accept you, then we will find you a place in Jarrow or we will make sure you get back to Andrew's," he said.

From the dark light of the office to the beaming sunlight. I now stood among the Dragons. Orion had gathered everyone together for a meeting. The reason, he had not told them. "Alright, alright, quiet down," he said, gaining everyone's attention. "Today we have a choice to make. A choice that will change the lives of everyone here. Sam has something to share and then a question to ask," Orion said motioning me forward.

After a glance at my brothers, I walked over to where Orion stood. I looked at the men in front of me. Orion and my brothers had been quick to accept what I had hidden. How would the rest respond? "I haven't been honest and I'm sorry for that,'' I said and with that, I went into my story, my full story. The silence that covered the compound was not comforting. I had expected a verbal reaction, but the silence I didn't know how to handle. The faces before me stood shocked at the news. "I'm sorry for lying to you for five months. I know that it was wrong and I know that if I stay that I will have to earn back your trust. As Orion said, it is you that have a choice to make. Orion could make the choice, but then if the majority of you did not agree with him, then there would be discord amongst the Dragons. So I come to you to ask what it is that should be done. If you will accept me for who I am, I would be honored to stay and continue training as a Dragon. If my being here will cause discord, then I will leave and return to Andrew's farm," I said then looked to Orion.

"Thank you, Sam," he said, then turned to the group. "This is a lot to consider. So I will not ask you to make a choice right now. We are calling off all training for today. You will have until after dinner to think about your decision. After dinner, I will have two boxes where you will cast your votes. All that I ask is that until tonight you keep Sam's secret here. If you have any questions please come to me... or speak to Sam. She has a lot to answer for and she is willing to do so," he said looking at me, then releasing us.

"Come on," Shepherd said, taking my upper arm and guiding me towards the obstacle course. He guided me to the tower. Without words, we climbed to the third level. I looked around at my brothers standing beside me. No matter what happened tonight everything would change. We all stood silently staring off over the walls. Soon we heard noises and turned to see Luke, Jonah, Peter, and Micah climbing up the wall.

"Mind if we join?" Micah asked. I nodded and watched as they all walked over. We took seats and another silence fell over us.

"So... a girl huh?" Luke asked looking over at me.

"I knew something was off when we were dancing! You were too light on your feet," Micah said, shaking his head with a smile.

"That also explains the fancy footwork when you beat me the other day with the swords," Jonah said nodding his head.

"So... you aren't mad?" I asked cautiously.

"Not mad... shocked... disappointed you wouldn't give us a chance, but not mad," Micah said.

"Your right that women are not looked at the same as men. However, you showed us that you have talent," Peter said.

"What do you think the rest of the Dragons are thinking?" Alakay asked leaning forward. The four newcomers all looked at us without speaking for a bit.

"I think the younger Dragons, like around our age, won't have any issue with it. The problem might lay with a few of the older Dragons who are more set in their way. They have also seen your talent and we can only hope that they choose based on your talent and not your gender," Micah said. I'm not sure how long we spent on the tower, but I do know we missed lunch and I do know it was worth it.

Soon it was after dinner and my brothers and I were in Orion's office. "Tonight everything changes. You four men still have a place as a Dragon, but we will go over consequences later. As for you, Sam, if the majority of Dragons say that they cannot continue with you here, then I will give your brothers a week off to take you back to Andrew's. I hope if that is the path that is chosen, that you will find a way to locate your brother," he said with a sad smile. "If the choice is made for you to stay here things will need to change. It is not right for a young woman to be rooming with men that are not her relatives," he said.

I sat up a little straighter. "Wait, if you were not comfortable with me living with men knowing my identity why did you let me?" I asked, without thinking.

Orion glanced at Louis. "Because I knew you had someone watching over you," I said. Shock crossed all our faces.

"You knew I knew?" Louis asked.

Orion nodded. "I could tell by the way you treated Sam and the way you stood up for her that you knew her secret," he said. "If you remain here you will move from your current room to one of the guest rooms. You will remain part of your current group and will get to face the consequences of your lies with your brothers," he said with a grin.

"I see where Erik gets the joy of torturing people from..." I said with a smile. There was something else running through my mind. "Will I be telling my secret to all of Jarrow or will I still remain a boy in their sight?" I asked.

Orion nodded as he thought about his response. "This is something that Erik and I have been talking about today. We both felt that in the end, it will be up to you. For now with the situation with La Fray, we feel it may be better to let it ride and when things settle down, then we can think about what's best," he said.

Before any further conversation could be had, Erik walked in. "The only votes left to cast are that of those in this room," he said.

Orion stood and led us out to where the Dragons stood. I watched as my brothers and Orion approached the boxes. Orion and Erik then took the boxes and with their backs turned to us counted. I felt something and looked up to see Benedict with his hand resting on my shoulder.

"We face what is to come together," he said, smiling down at me. I nodded unable to speak.

Orion and Erik turned back to us, their faces void of emotions. "Sam, come up here," Orion called. I walked up and stood between the two.

"The choice was unanimous. There was no hesitation on anyone's part," Erik said looking down at me. His face still unclear on what this meant.

Orion chuckled. "Erik, stop keeping the poor girl waiting," he said. It was odd hearing myself being talked of as a girl after all these months.

Erik smiled, dropping an arm around my shoulders. "Not only do we have our first apprentice in years! To top it off she's a girl!" He said. "You're stuck with us for another four years." I froze. I could hear the cheers go up, but my mind still was processing what was said.

I felt the air go out of my body as Alakay grabbed me and spun me around. "I've always wanted a sister!" He said.

I laughed as I shook myself free. "Thank you," I said, turning to the Dragons. "I promise that I will do all I can to regain your trust," I said, holding back the tears. To not only remain in Jarrow after being found out, but to remain a Dragon was more than I could have ever asked for.