My baby daughter is a dragon

Grandfather

The enormous walls of Artemia appeared with the morning sun peeking out from behind the caravan. Imposing white walls millennia old filled Eri's heart with wonder and curiosity, to the point that she jumped out of the coachman's cart, from which she had not been separated during the two-week journey, and ran towards the city gates; her enthusiasm ignited like the very flames she breathed. The soldiers moved out of her way, she had had time to win many sympathies, but also, the incident with the bandits had ignited some fears; Frey had made her promise that she would never hurt anyone again. Eri took that promise very seriously, trying to do things slowly so as not to hurt anyone or break anything.

Runaesthera followed her on horseback begging her to stop, the girl was getting stronger day by day while sleeping less and eating more. It was Freydelhart's voice that finally made her stop in front of the first column of the caravan.

"Eri! Come here. I'll take you for a ride around the wall." He already had it planned, he would leave the urgent matters to his second for a few hours, and take a walk with his new family. Anyway, he would postpone seeing the king as long as he could.

With wide eyes Eri turned around and jumped on the horse with her father, almost making him fall. He caught her in a hug and shook the dust off the dress Eri was wearing, which was already quite dirty and messy, her little wings had worn away almost all of her back, she moved them frantically when she jumped, but they didn't seem to make any difference. During the trip, she had taken advantage of the breaks to climb the nearby trees, jump from a high branch and try to fly. Apparently, although she couldn't read and understood little of the world, she did know that dragons could fly; she fell like a stone every time, fortunately she didn't get hurt, Runa and Frey had only worried the first time.

"Daddy, let's climb the wall!" Eri had also become more affectionate over the days. Runa galloped up to them, visibly frustrated.

"Eri, please, don't go off by yourself. Frey, sometimes I don't know how you always get her to listen to you."

"Daddy is scary, his brow furrows ugly." The couple couldn't help but laugh, Runa made fun of him because his brow furrowed even when he ate or sat down to think. If Eri had the chance, she would try to erase his frown with her little hands.

They let the soldiers march in parade to the castle with Jimmer at the head so that they would disperse to the barracks, while the newly formed family rode around the wall on horseback along the great battlements. Eri was drawn to the crossbows that topped each of the machicolations. Frey had no way of explaining to her what they were for, he still didn't know how much she understood about the war against her race. Instead, he showed her the interior of the opulent city, with districts delimited by the rings of water, canals that provided the entire city with the vital liquid for its inhabitants to use to live, or to put out the fire of a dragon attack; they were fed by a set of rivers that flowed down from the mountain on which the castle stood, an ancient elven construction made entirely of white stone, it practically glowed in the morning sun. The city itself was a testament to the long war with the deadly beasts. With a high mountain range on one side, and the sea on the other, Artemia would always be the center of the world, or so the oracles predicted.

The long ride ended almost at noon, they returned on foot pulling the exhausted horses to the road that led to the royal palace. Artemia's castle was up to ten times larger than Meyrin's, where Eri had lived. It rose from the mountainside so the road was not really a very steep slope, the river that fed the canals ran alongside the road, so it was a very pleasant walk. Frey still didn't feel ready to reach the end.

They were received by the royal guard, copper-skinned elf soldiers dressed in Mythrill armor. The court had gathered in the great court hall to witness the return of Princess Runaesthera and her betrothed, lords from nearby lands had traveled to the capital for the occasion, but no one among all the nobles of the city was prepared to see them enter with Eri, the rumors started immediately, Frey could see them whispering in low voices, although given their unusual relationship they were more than used to it. As they walked down the red carpet of the great throne room, they were given way to the place where King Alistor awaited them.