Leia continued, "The second way is to do him a favor. The only opportunity we know of is through his chronically ill sister. But this won't be easy—Alistair once used his greatest war achievement to convince Lord Hector to summon Silas for her, but even Silas couldn't help."

Xena's expression fell. If Dragonia's second-ranked healer, Silas, could not help, what hope was there? Any leader knew the invaluable worth of having a capable commander. Hence, earning Alistair's genuine respect was crucial to securing her position as a Warlady.

"Leia, did you come here just to discourage me?" Xena asked with a bitter smile. "Both options are impossible for me."

If Silas could not help, what could she do? Even if she did become Warlady, getting Silas' attention was not guaranteed. And as for the top-ranked healer, that was even less likely.

Leia replied, "Don't you know any master healers? Dragonia's history spans centuries. The current top-ten-ranked healers are just those who seek the