Dawn drifted into the Kael’Dri estate in soft strokes of gold and lavender, the kind of gentle sunrise that made even the most ancient stones sigh with warmth. Ethan pushed open the nursery door with his shoulder, one arm supporting Harley, who leaned against him like a sleepy moon caught in orbit.
Harley had insisted she was fine, but her steps were slow, her body still recovering from the strain of bringing two divine-level babies into the world. Ethan didn’t argue, partly because he was worried, partly because Harley could still glare with enough force to make any argunt evaporate.
"I told you we could’ve let the healers bring them to our room," he murmured, voice low so it wouldn’t wake the little ones.
Harley shot him a smile that was both tired and luminous. "And miss seeing their tiny faces in the early morning light? No chance."
Their whispers dissolved when they stepped fully into the room, because the sight before them didn’t just steal their words. It completely mugged them.
There, nestled around the crib like so surreal family portrait, were all four of their children. The babies slept soundly, bundled up and radiating the soft glow of divine presence. But Regnare and Delphina were sprawled on the floor beside them in a pose that could only be described as adorably catastrophic.
Delphina lay with her head resting on the edge of the crib, hair cascading like a red-gold waterfall. Her hand was loosely holding one tiny wrist through the bars, as if she’d fallen asleep mid-promise.
Regnare, however... had gone full instincts.
He had shifted in his sleep into a smaller dragon form, a sleek, blue-scaled creature the size of a large wolf. His wings folded around Delphina like a blanket, his tail curled neatly around all three of the others, forming a protective ring. His snout rested near the babies, exhaling warm puffs of smoke with each slow breath.
Harley’s jaw dropped. "They’re cuddling," she whispered.
Ethan blinked rapidly. "He turned into a dragon. In his sleep."
"So cute," Harley answered, eyes shining.
"So blackmail-worthy," Ethan corrected.
Harley covered her mouth, shoulders shaking from trying not to laugh. "Ethan... be nice."
"Harley. My firstborn, who livestread my entire fainting episode yesterday, fell asleep like a heat lamp around his siblings." Ethan reached for his storage space. "This is divine justice."
Harley leaned more of her weight against him, half-exasperated, half-delighted. "You are impossible."
"And they," Ethan declared as he summoned the holographic recorder, "have brought this upon themselves."
The soft click-click-click of pictures filled the room as Ethan drifted around them, capturing every angle: Delphina’s drooling innocence, Regnare’s curled tail, the precious quiet of the twins, the perfect dostic chaos of it all.
Harley whispered, "Ethan, don’t get too close. If Regnare wakes up in dragon form, he might..."
Regnare twitched.
Both Ethan and Harley froze.
The dragon boy’s wings flexed slightly, brushing Delphina’s shoulder. He shifted... but didn’t wake. Instead, he buried his snout deeper into the blankets near the babies.
Harley let out a long breath. "He’s adorable."
"He’s dangerous." Ethan raised his recorder. "Dangerously photogenic."
Harley laughed softly, the kind of laugh that curled into warmth instead of sound. She stepped closer to the crib, brushing her hand lightly against one baby’s cheek. Her eyes softened.
"They’re all so peaceful," she said. "We should cherish this. Before the chaos begins."
Ethan slipped his arm around her waist. "Oh, trust . I’m cherishing this so much I’m about to hang frad evidence across the entire estate."
Harley blinked. "Ethan, you wouldn’t..."
"I absolutely would."
She squinted at him. "Ethan."
He grinned, tapped his forehead, and sent commands through his ntal network.
In less than a heartbeat, dozens of Kael’Dri auto-forges whirred awake across the estate.
A heartbeat later, holographic printers started producing massive, beautifully frad images...
One in the grand dining hall.
One above the entrance.
One in the main courtyard.
One on Regnare’s bedroom door, the size of the door itself.
Harley brought a hand to her face in disbelief. "You maniac."
"You love for it."
"Unfortunately, yes."
Ethan placed a soft kiss on her temple, then whispered, "Let them sleep."
The two adults stood for a mont longer, soaking in the sight: a dragon curled protectively around his siblings... a daughter holding onto her baby brother and sister like a tether... two newborns blissfully unaware of the chaos their family embodied.
Then Ethan gently led Harley out of the room.
Behind them, Regnare’s tail twitched, sensing the shift in air.
Delphina humd lightly in her sleep.
The twins breathed in perfect unison.
And the sun rose over the Kael’Dri estate, illuminating countless frad pictures of a dragon-brother’s cuddling betrayal, ensuring that Regnare would never live this mont down for the rest of his very long life.
There’s sothing delightful about families that accidentally create their own mythology.
...
Sunlight ward the nursery’s carpet by the ti Regnare began to stir. His dragon tail twitched first, an unconscious flick that smacked Delphina lightly in the hip. She groaned, rubbed her face, but didn’t wake.
Regnare, anwhile, stretched with a low, rumbling purr, wings unfolding slightly like a cat arching its back. His snout lifted, nostrils flaring at the sll of morning... baby scent... warm blankets...
And then...
A presence.
Multiple presences.
Strong ones.
He froze.
Slowly, painfully slowly, Regnare cracked open one draconic eye.
A semicircle of adults stood at the entrance of the nursery.
Ethan.
And every single one of his mothers.
Twelve won in total, each with varying levels of amusent, disbelief, and maternal chaos glowing in their eyes.
Regnare blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His pupils dilated to saucers.
Ethan leaned against the doorfra with his arms folded, smirk firmly in place. "Morning, sunshine."
Regnare didn’t move. Couldn’t move. His brain had not booted past the loading screen.
One of his mothers, Pisces, pressed her hands to her cheeks. "He’s so tiny in dragon form! Look at him! Look at my little baby boy!"
Regnare’s left wing spasd in mortification.
Another, Christel, sniffed dramatically. "He wrapped his tail around the twins. He’s already a nurturing big brother... I’m going to cry."
Soone actually did cry. Might’ve been Barki. Might’ve been three of them.
Regnare made the smallest, most pitiful squeaking sound.
Ethan’s grin turned wicked. "Before you say anything... You should know your adorable mont has been immortalized."
Regnare finally jolted upright, wings flaring. "Immortalized how?!"
But the voice ca out wrong.
Very wrong.
Instead of his human teenage voice, it ca out as a squeaky, chirping dragon-trill.
All eleven wives lted instantly.
A chorus erupted:
"Awwwwwwwwwwww!"
Regnare’s entire body went rigid. His scales darkened from blue to pure, boiling embarrassnt-purple.
He turned slowly, fearfully, toward the door behind Ethan.
There, leaning against the hallway wall...
A massive frad picture.
No. Not just one.
Dozens.
Dozens lining the hall.
Every fra: him, asleep in dragon form, curled like a cinnamon roll around his siblings, snout tucked into their blankets, with Delphina drooling peacefully on his back.
Regnare’s jaw dropped in horror. "FATHER!"
It ca out as a high-pitched squeal.
Ethan clapped proudly. "Look at that. Perfect pitch."
Regnare flopped onto the nursery carpet and covered his face with his wings. "I can’t live here anymore. I need to go. I need a new planet."
Delphina finally woke up, blinking sleepily as she sat up and stretched. Her voice was soft. "Big brother Reggie...? Why are you purple?"
Regnare made another noise, sothing between a dying flute and a kettle boiling.
Delphina followed his gaze to the doorway.
Her eyes widened. "Oh."
Ethan patted her head as he walked past. "You’re in half the pictures too."
Delphina squeaked. "PAPA!"
The mothers chorused again:
"Awwwwwwwwwwww!"
Regnare deflated, wings drooping as if accepting his fate. "I didn’t even an to turn into a dragon. I... I was nervous and... and guarding the babies and... and... stop smiling!"
Ethan stepped closer, crossed his arms, and looked down at him with mock sternness. "Regnare. My boy. My firstborn. My pride and accidental livestream nace."
Regnare peeked out from under his wings.
"You slept so peacefully beside your new siblings that you nearly lted the hearts of thirteen powerful adults. That mont is precious. Too precious not to share."
Regnare groaned. "You’re evil."
"I learned from the best," Ethan said, patting his son’s horn.
Regnare slumped. "I can never show my face in the estate again."
Barki ruffled his scales. "Then stay in dragon form. You’re cuter like this."
Regnare’s soul left his body.
Harley, still tired but glowing with motherly mischief, gently adjusted Selene in her arms. "Be grateful, Regnare. The twins seed to love being near you."
Regnare peeked up at her.
The twins were awake, both gazing at him with cosmic eyes sparkling. Selene cooed softly. Sol reached out a tiny hand toward his snout.
Regnare’s heart collapsed into mush.
He lowered his head.
Sol grabbed his snout with all the strength of a divine newborn.
Regnare lted further.
Ethan whispered to Harley, "He’s gone."
She nodded. "Completely."
The mothers sighed dreamily.
And Regnare, embarrassed, humiliated, wings shaking in indignation, still nudged his snout closer so the twins could hold onto him.
Because no matter how mortifying the audience... he already loved these little cosmic gremlins far too much.
Monts like these have a habit of turning legendary families into legends for entirely unexpected reasons.
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