Dragon Blossom

A night of tears.

—The day the dragon king attacked— The king of Meyrin had calmed down a bit and was explaining his unease to the attendants—four great beasts came with him, they passed through the fire to anyone brave enough or foolish enough to face them, my castle was prepared for incursions, but never one as large as this. And the dragon king... oh my goddess, I pray you never let me see that beast again, he took the highest tower and filled the castle with his black fire. Erina... Erina was in that tower, she tried to kill that monster, but only managed to wound one eye. Oh my girl, she was like you, General Freydelhart, she had finished off two dragons with her silver lance, a complete soldier, but it was too much for her, the dragon king crushed her against the walls with his claws. I saw her die that day five years ago. But I could never forget the face of my girl...

They had sent Eri to sleep before the king began his story. The queen was a descendant of a branch of the family of the Mother of Runa, yet she had never met Erina except for stories of her feats. Frey looked at the monarchs not knowing what to say, it had always been his weak point, he ended up staying silent in situations like this. He totally depended on his fiancée to tell him what to do. This time, she simply hugged the queen and apologized for having brought such a painful memory. King Alistor just listened to his equal as he immersed himself in memories of his daughter.

Freydelhart was overwhelmed with his thoughts. Maybe it was a simple coincidence, or maybe dragons took human form imitating the humans they saw more closely, but... Eri... How old was she really? If she grew up as a human, and what she said could be trusted, she would be about five years old, she would have been born around the date of the invasion, what did that mean? And something he hadn't thought of... What was Eri really like? Could she change to a different human form? Become a dragon and then human again?

He tried to concentrate, in thousands of years the human form of dragons had been a myth, something that only a few believed, the old man who took care of the throne room of Meyrin... Did he have horns or wings before becoming a dragon? He had seemed very normal to Frey until that moment... And the bones in the throne room... the ones he had noticed next to the shell... Eri said that the old man told her that her mother was there, but dragons don't leave their bones when they die... they explode and consume themselves in their own fire...

Except the old man, his body had not exploded like the others.

The king approached him—Freydelhart, please, let's bring my granddaughter back.

—If the princess agrees.

—She has told me the same—his irritated expression accentuated as he brought his fingers to his brow—you are going to be very annoying parents... you go for her, I don't want King Bestolf and Queen Eyren to continue seeing her as a source of their pain.

Frey obeyed without fully understanding, fortunately, Eri had not obeyed him this time, he found her looking from behind a pillar.

—Eri, why didn't you go to sleep?

—Daddy—What's wrong with Mrs. Kuin?—Frey imagined she was referring to the queen.—She cries when she sees me. Did I do something wrong?

—No Eri...—Frey didn't have the heart to explain the truth to her, let alone the suspicions he had—It's just that she misses her daughter, and she looks like you.

—Can we go look for her?

—No Eri, her daughter went to a place from which one cannot return.

—Oooh, maybe she's with my other dad, and that's why he didn't come back either.

—It could be Eri, but now come, your grandfather wants to see you.

King Alistor took Eri by the hand as soon as he saw her, and brought her closer to Queen Eyren, who sobbed listening to the stories her husband told.

—Your Majesty, I want to formally introduce you to my granddaughter, the adopted daughter of my Runaesthera, she says her name is Eri, I ask you please, to look at her, even if it brings pain to your heart.

—Hello your... hahesty. I'm Eri, I like chickens and cake, although I ate it for the first time today it's very tasty.

Queen Eyren listened to Eri's voice and understood, though not without great effort, that Eri was not her Erina, nor did she have anything to reproach her for. Surely she did not share the colossal understanding and wisdom of a thousand years of King Alistor, but her heart softened before the innocence of the little dragon.

—Really? My girl never liked sweets—she managed to say, with an attempt at a smile—Would you like a honey candy? They are a typical sweet from my country, maybe there were some in the castle, your dad says you lived there...

—Yes I want. No, they never gave me sweets in the castle, the door man said I shouldn't eat anything, that dragons don't need to eat. But I was always hungry.—she put the candy in her mouth which immediately melted from the heat of her breath, she brought her hands to her cheeks, delighted by the sweet taste—mmm yummy!

—What a horror! So you didn't eat anything before they found you?

—Sometimes, the door man would sometimes bring me a piglet or a rabbit. But he ate almost everything. My tummy was always growling.

It was obvious, Eri as a dragon was immortal, but she still felt hunger, Queen Eyren let out a few more tears, this time for Eri whom she gave a warm hug. King Bestolf smiled with moist eyes watching the scene.

—Alistor, old sly one, you always manage to convince everyone. Alright, that girl has nothing to do with my daughter, I'm still worried about the resemblance, I don't even want to think about the possibilities. Your knight says there is an intact dragon corpse in my yard, I will send the mages and wise men ahead, we will see what we can find out. Today, we will drink to victory, and you, lovebirds—he pointed to Runa and Frey with his full cup—Give that girl a name, if she's yours now, bless her with your family name—it seems the king had been calming his pain with wine.

—Your Majesty,—said Frey—for that we would have to...

King Bestolf and Runasthera spoke almost in unison:

—"'Well, it's about time damn it!"

The king continued:

—I demand that you get married and bless that girl before I leave in two months, and I'm serious, if you don't do it, I'll claim her by right of vassalage, she was born in my castle and I can do it, that girl will be princess of Artemia, before two months or she will be of Meyrin, and don't look at me like that Alistor, I have every right on my side, and you know it was time to put pressure on this stiff son-in-law of yours.

—Ha!, the problem is just that he's not my son-in-law yet, I support you Bestolf, I myself will sign a treaty establishing the obligation. And the commitment.

Eri looked at one king and then the other without understanding a word. Queen Eyren, stroking her head, sweetly explained to her that soon Frey and Runa would become once and for all, her dad and her mom.

Freydelhart and Runa hugged Eri. That night, everyone shed a few tears.