Wyheree awoke with a start, looking around her beloved study. Blinking, she struggled to clear the dreams from her mind. Has it 10 years since she first crashed in Rhydin? The strange realm had been more on her mind lately. She walked quickly to the windows overlooking the courtyards, sighing with relief to see Aerynn, her young son, sparring with Asdos, the golden-eyed elder who had been their only friend these long years. Wyheree smiled in spite of herself as watched the lad whirl and land a strong roundhouse kick to the side of the old man. At the impact, the man turned, and in a burst of golden light shifted into his true form - an ancient gold dragon. Wyheree opened the windows to let in some fresh air, and to keep a careful eye on her only son. The frailities that had plagued Aerynn since his emergency birth had long faded, and he was now strong and fast, able to keep pace with the gold dragon's twists and turns. "If only your father could see you now..." she thought aloud, eyes misting over at the thought of the bronze dragon that had crushed her heart. If not for Aerynn, she would have likely not survived the harsh return to her realm. Sighing deeply, she returned to her studies, flexing her fingers, firing icy tendrils across the room with pinpoint accuracy. Her form never returned to what it had been before the accident, neither had her magics, so while Aerynn practiced with his mentor, Wyheree practiced and perfected the ice magic that was now hers to command and control as she saw fit. She stepped forward in a graceful line, blasting a bolt of ice at the target on her wall. This time, instead of dissipating, the ice stuck, glowing, as if a doorway had formed...

The Inn was exactly as she rememered it, alive with the conversations of the patrons, the clink and clunk of glasses and mugs, the occasional shouts and screams....and all of it terrified Wyheree. "What do I say - how do I act - around all those people..." she thought, hesitating, then finally, she entered the Inn. The blast of sound was immediate, nearly overwhelming, but upon spotting a tender (Falcon was his name), she made her way to the bar and took a seat. The tender was friendly and kind, keeping her glass of Elven wine topped, which helped to keep her in her seat as she eyed the patrons. One of the first that caught her attention was a dragon - for they still proved fascinating - that was curled near the hearth...

The first visit to the Inn prompted a second, then a third, and soon Wyheree was making the Red Dragon Inn a regular part of her routine. After settling Aerynn in his chambers, she would slip into her study and walk through the portal, now shifted to phase her directly into the Inn itself. And slowly, Wyheree began to open up to a chosen few - the first being the dragon, who was named Icer. She helped her begin to overcome her shyness caused by the many years spent nearly alone, and took time to introduce her to other patrons: Sakura, the raven haired lady whose kind eyes and gentle nature had charmed her from the moment they met; Kairee, the near-goddess who simply radiated confidence and poise; and finally Brian Ravenlock, who upon her asking his help finding the vile deceiver Bolt, took her request to heart and was searching for the bronze with a fierceness Wyheree had not expected from someone she had just met. Brian's wife Charlotte reminded Wyheree of the simple joys that only come in the company of good friends. Skyler was rather an enigma - one minute loud, brash, and joking; the next minute sad, withdrawn, and brooding. His initial reaction to her was to test her with a mechanical fire device (lighter), which Wyheree easily froze so completely the youth had been forced to drop it. After this, Skyler had treated her with nothing but the utmost kindness and caring, even going so far as to offer a comforting hand during the grand royal wedding. But Wyheree was not yet ready to open her heart again to anyone who would crush it - until Charlotte introduced Wyheree to one of her dearest friends - Dakota Steele...