The Twins of Fire and Ice

Chapter Thirty-Three

As Nix was practically being dragged to Ran's room, Clara brushed against her mind. Nix, where are you?

I'm in a hallway currently going to the princess's room why being dragged by her. Why?

Just wondering. That response alone was enough to arouse Nix's suspicion.

The hell does that mean, Clara? You're scaring me.

She heard a faint chortle from her dragon, and she narrowed her eyes at that, just now realizing that her dragon's words had been slightly slurred. Clara. . .

Fine, fine. There was a sound that imitated the sound of a human or elf or dwarf clearing their throat and a heck of a lot of laughter at that. I may have, ah, drank this.

A watery image of a barrel that had the same name as the most known mead in their world on it. Nix barely repressed a groan and a sigh mixed together. Please don't tell me you're drunk. . .

Another giggle. Maybe a tiny bit. . .

This time, Nix actually did groan out loud, sighing right after it. Ran gave her a curious look, having not realized that Nix was talking to her dragon all this time.

"My dragon's drunk."

That's all she needed to say for Temperance to immediately burst into laughter, somehow still walking with the force of it.

"Oh my stars, I had forgot to tell you! The day after the dance is the day that we give about four hundred barrels of mead to the dragons and just sort of let them have at it. Generally the first year dragons get the most drunk because they don't know their limits, unlike the older ones. I bet that a bunch of other dragons also just contacted their Riders while drunk."

Nix's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Four hundred barrels?!"

Ran smirked. "They can hold a lot in those strong, muscular bodies. . ." the rest of whatever that sentence was reduced to mumbled and growls.

Not knowing what the rest of that sentence was and not wanting to, Nix contacted Clara again. So, you're drunk. Just make sure to not get blackout drunk. I don't want to be caring for tiny baby dragons in a year.

That somehow snapped Clara somewhat out of her drunkness. She let out a string of curses that Nix wouldn't dare repeat and made her ears turn red, withdrawing from their connection.

Ran raised an eyebrow at Nix's red ears. "What did she say?"

If possible, Nix's blush deepened. "She cursed like a sailor, so much so that even I wouldn't dare repeat anything she said."

The princess threw back her head and laughed. It seemed she did that a lot. "Oh, that's what having a dragon will get you! As much as I wish for an everlasting companion, I do not want to deal with a sentient being that can curse more than I do."

Nix furrowed her brow. "I've never heard you curse."

She snickered. "Then we clearly haven't been hanging out a lot. We're here."

They spent so much time walking, Nix nearly forgot the reason they were walking in the first place.

The Frost blinked at the plain door and gave the princess at her side a look. That said princess smirked. "I don't like boasting, but as with most things, you need not look on the outside to see its value." And then she opened the door.

Nix's eyes widened. She felt like they couldn't possibly take it all in.

The room was the grandest one she's ever seen. It was pink, or course, but it was a nice pink, one that Nix didn't immediately hate. The largest bed the world has likely ever known lay right in the middle, not against a wall, just there. In the middle.