*Saphira*
It was strange but even more wonderful to finally be ho.
I glanced at Axureon out of the corner of my eye as we stood atop the hill. We both had stopped, independently of one another, seeming to need a quiet mont to just take in the sight.
A sense of peace fell over as I looked over the rolling hills and lush mountains that made up the Dragon Realm. It was such a beautiful place, yet there was an unease that filled as well. I was certain that Axureon felt it too.
As if reading my thoughts, he glanced at , his eyes glimring with the sa hope and nerves that I felt. “I fear that the Dragon Realm is far from the ho we once knew.”
I nodded. “I know,” I assured him. “That doesn’t make love it any less.”
“Your devotion has always been admirable to ,” Axureon said softly.
I felt my cheeks heat at his words, rembering when he had said sothing similar to when I was protecting Saoirse. I was pleased by his praise but also knew deep down that it was mainly due to my stubbornness.
Axureon reached down and took my hand carefully in his. “I want to rebuild this place,” he said firmly. “I know it is broken from years of turmoil, but I believe that together, we can raise it from the ashes of pain it had endured.”
I felt emotion cease my throat. “I want nothing more,” I said, eting his gaze intensely.
He nodded and dropped a kiss on my knuckles before leading forward.
The next several weeks were extrely busy and intense. Axueron and I were hardly ho, spending several hours each day working to repair our beloved realm. I spent most days in town, helping out with shifters and their families who were still feeling the effects of the battle against Pyroth. Many lost their loved ones in battle, and others were recovering from serious injuries.
An orphanage was built for the children who lost their parents during Pyroth’s attacks. I spent many hours there each day, tending to the children and giving them the love and attention they needed.
After an especially long and tiring day of tending to the children, I returned to the palace. I wasn’t too surprised to hear deep voices coming from the throne room. It was the middle of the night, but Axureon had been working nonstop for weeks with hardly any breaks.
I smiled slightly as I listened to my mate’s rising voice. He was such a skilled diplomat, which was required to have his role as leader. He wasn’t just skilled in the area of correspondence. He was also extrely compassionate, leading with a firm but kind iron fist. He was striving for cooperation and equality throughout our realm.
I couldn’t have been prouder.
I jumped when the door to the throne room slamd open, and several clan leaders filed out. I recognized imdiately the older one in front as Tyrin of the Jadestone clan. He had been a particularly nasty thorn in Axureon’s side. He and several other of the older clan leaders didn’t agree with Axureon’s new movent toward equality and cooperation.
Dragon shifters tended to not believe in anything soft and gentle.
Tyrin was clearly angry. He didn’t even seem to see as he stalked through the main room and out the front entrance. The other n bid goodnight and nodded politely to , although they didn’t seem very happy either. It must have been a tough eting.
I waited a couple of beats outside the throne room, but Axureon didn’t erge. Concern started to settle in my stomach, so I hesitantly pushed the heavy wooden door open, poking my head through.
Axureon’s back was to . It was clear that he heard , but he didn’t even turn, facing the large map of our kingdom. His back was rigid with tension. I sighed before crossing the room, reaching my hand out to rub his back.
“Rough eting?” I asked knowingly.
Axureon was normally level-headed. It was hard to see him on the verge of getting uncontrollably angry. I low growl resonated from him, but he relaxed slightly under my touch. “I could tear Tyrin to shreds,” he finally grumbled.
I winced with sympathy and tugged him over to a nearby chair so I could start massaging so of the muscles in his back. He slowly relaxed against my touch.
“What was his grievance this ti?” I wondered aloud.
“Nothing new,” Axureon said with a deep sigh. “He is insisting on more fortified borders between clans, claiming that will allow for tighter security.”
I scowled. “We don’t need anything else dividing us,” I stated firmly. “You are right to be against such a plan.”
Axureon sighed. “I thought so too until I was inford that a group of youths have been seen causing trouble just outside our border.”
“Youths?” I echoed. “What kind of trouble?”
“Stealing food and supplies, apparently,” Axureon said darkly. He stood up. “I’m going to go investigate.”
“You’re not going to send soone else to go?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.
“These are young shifters, likely so of the many children left orphaned after Pyroths attacks,” he said. “I would rather see to this myself. I couldn’t forgive myself if one of the less forgiving higher-ups decided to take matters into their own claws.”
My heart swelled at Axureon’s compassion. “I’m going with you,” I said.
Axureon’s eyes narrowed. “Out of the question,” he said with a low growl. “I won’t put your safety at risk.”
I rolled my eyes, even though I was touched by his concern for . “They’re children,” I said slowly. “They won’t hurt .”
Axureon’s eyes narrowed. “Many adolescent dragons are larger than you,” he said critically.
I pouted and then stepped between his knees, moving my fingers along his temples in a soothing gesture. His eyes fell shut automatically. “Consider it practice for when we eventually have hatchlings of our own,” I said.
Axureon’s eyes opened, and he gave a heated look. Eventually, he smiled, and I knew I won the argunt.
We wanted to start a family of our own. I wanted to sooner rather than later, but with all the work we’d been doing to build our realm back up, there just hadn’t been ti. We wanted to be able to have ti for our future offspring.
We would just have to wait a bit longer.
“Very well,” he said, reaching up to brush my cheekbone with his fingers adoringly. “We should leave imdiately.”
Axureon held tight to my hand as we approached where the informant told us the children were seen wreaking havoc. It was an extrely dark night as the moon was hidden behind thick gray clouds.
It didn’t take us long to find them. We watched blurs of shadows running through the hills ahead of us. The taller ones had sacks on their backs. The sll of stolen bread wafted through the air.
“Halt!” Axureon bellowed.
Several high-pitched gasps were heard, and then the children were running. There had to be at least a half dozen of them.
I glared at Axureon. “Halt?” I asked before we took off after them.
Axureon cursed under his breath. We couldn’t really shift without frightening the children further, but we were still faster than them. Luckily for us, they had a couple of young kids with them, so the older ones were forced to stay behind, allowing us to catch up.
The tallest, a boy who looked to have just entered early adolescence, whirled on us, raising a fist threateningly. “Leave us alone!” he yelled, stepping protectively between us and the other kids.
I looked the group over. There were six of them, three boys and three girls. The youngest, a girl, looked no older than early school age. She had large eyes and a round face.
“Easy, boy,” Axureon said. He didn’t even flinch when the kid threw a fist toward his face. He just seized the kid’s wrist and held it high above his head. “Calm down. We aren’t going to hurt you. We won’t even arrest you, even though that’s what should happen considering you’ve been stealing from my people.”
The boy scowled but hung his head, knowing he couldn’t escape.
With a little bit of convincing, the children eventually agreed to co ho with us.
“Are you going to be our new Mommy and Daddy?” the little girl asked, holding tight to my hand.
I felt my heartstrings tug insistently, and I brushed so of her dirty straight blonde hair back away from her smudged face. “We are going to take care of you,” I told her. “You won’t be on your own anymore.”
The older kids seed wary of us, but they were wise enough not to try and run. The group was wide-eyed when we led them into the palace and showed them to their rooms. They scarfed down the stewed ats and rice placed in front of them, and I felt concern twist my stomach.
“We’re going to keep them here, right?” I asked Axureon as we were getting ready for bed.
Axureon let out a long breath but nodded. “I couldn’t live with myself if we sent them away,” he said. “They will stay with us until further notice.”
I bead at him and kissed his cheek.
Much more quickly than I could have anticipated, we beca a family. The eldest boy, Fang, was still wary of Axureon and and kept a close eye on his younger siblings.
Axureon and I told stories of the early days of the Dragon Realm to them before bed. They gathered on a large plush rug in front of the fireplace. I could tell that Axureon loved them as well by the gentle gleam in his eye when he looked at any of them.
Just as we were wrapping up the story, a guard burst through the door. “mbers of Venomspike clan have been seen just along our border, Axureon!” he cried without preamble.
Axureon and I jumped to our feet. I imdiately soothed the children and ushered them off to bed.
“You’re not leaving behind,” I told Axureon firmly.
He ground his teeth but said nothing. We readied our weapons before bursting through the front entrance and into the frigid night.
We were just outside of our gate when they were upon us, about a dozen clan mbers, their weapons poised.
Kryndor, their cunning and ambitious leader, stepped forward, the scar along his left eye seeming to gleam beneath the moonlight.
“Greetings Axureon,” he hissed.
Axureon growled low and stepped in front of , trying to shield from their view. “Leave, Kryndor,” he hissed. “Leave on your own accord, and I will allow you to do so in one piece.”
“I’m afraid that isn’t possible, Axureon,” Kryndor spat, eyes flashing angrily. “You’ve gotten away with your new equality nonsense for far too long. It ends now.”
“All you are accomplishing is further tearing apart our realm,” Axureon seethed. “We are trying to unite it.”
“Let’s see if you can unite yourself after I’ve shred you apart,” Kryndor intoned. His n tensed, preparing to strike.
Axureon smirked. “I wouldn’t try it,” he said.
Behind us, several shifters in their dragon form descended, landing heavily at our backs in defense. Kryndor cried out angrily as a couple of dozen dragons surrounded us protectively.
I felt my shoulders sag in relief. Many were allies we had made while fighting against Pyroth, but the majority were our lifelong friends.
Kryndor had no choice but to retreat, his n following like newborn hatchlings.
I let out a breath and turned to give Axureon a huge grin but stopped at the hard look on his face. He was still staring angrily in the direction the rival clan had gone, and his face said it all.
This was far from over.
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