They waited for a few minutes, but then the suspense in Lance's heart was alleviated as a great shadow suddenly covered the entire sky above. Though the rest didn't appear surprised at all, Lance's mouth was almost agape, and it was for good reason. Aelyndra's mother was the size of a mountain. She was so big that Aelyndra would look like a fat cow compared to an whale. It was simple unreasonable to thing that any creature could even grow that big.
'I didn't realize I was in this kind of world…' Lance thought to himself, swallowing a tough bolus of saliva.
The ground shook as the massive black dragon landed in the open area, her wings folding tightly against her sides. Her scales shimred like obsidian under the midday sun, her presence commanding and unyielding. The energy alone that she emitted caused Lance to freeze for a mont, before it gradually subsided, as though permission had been granted for him to continue existing. Clutched in one of her colossal claws was the limp body of a leviathan, its size dwarfing all the dragons watching in awe, though, its body appeared to be in half.
rely looking at the creature she had in her hand, Lance was sure that though it bore a resemblance to the one he and Aelyndra had co across, it was much bigger and certainly more powerful.
Aelyndra's mother dropped the leviathan's corpse unceremoniously onto the ground, the impact sending a tremor through the earth. She let out a low growl, her voice resonating like thunder. "Pathetic creature thought it could challenge . A waste of ti."
She then turned her piercing gaze toward Aelyndra. "Aelyndra. You've finally returned ho, and to you're training, I see." She said.
Aelyndra stepped forward, her posture respectful. "Yes, Mother. I've decided to pursue strength and improve myself further, not just in magic."
Her mother's sharp eyes swept over her daughter, a satisfied look in her eyes. "It's about ti," she said gruffly, though there was a note of pride in her tone.
Her gaze shifted, landing on Lance, who stood awkwardly to the side, just a little figure amongst all the huge dragons.
"Elder Kaelthara, if you don't mind." One of the dragons said respectfully, his eyes on the great draconic serpent before them.
"Of course." Aelyndra's mother, Kaelthara said, allowing a few of them to take the creature's corpse away.
Her eyes then narrowed slightly towards Lance, and strangely, a knowing smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. "And this must be the human I've heard about." She said.
Lance straightened, trying to appear less intimidated. "Uh, yes. That's . Lance. A pleasure to et you, elder."
Kaelthara let out a low chuckle that rumbled like distant thunder. "So, you're the one my daughter has taken an interest in. A human, no less."
Aelyndra's tail flicked sharply, her golden eyes flashing. "Mother!" She shouted, her voice echoing far through the lands.
Kaelthara ignored her completely, as though she hadn't even said a word. She observed Lance, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "It's rare for a dragon to fall in love, especially at such a young age. Even rarer for that love to be directed at soone so... fragile."
Lance opened his mouth to respond, but no words ca out. The weight of her gaze was overwhelming, and the casual way she spoke about Aelyndra's "feelings" left him completely flustered.
Kaelthara chuckled again, a deep, rumbling sound. "Relax, human. I'm not here to judge. Dragons don't choose lightly when it cos to matters of the heart. If my daughter sees sothing in you, perhaps there is more to you than ets the eye."
Aelyndra groaned, covering her face with her wings to hide her embarrassnt. "Mother, please."
Kaelthara's smirk widened. "But you are weak," she added, her tone suddenly sharp. "And if you wish to stand beside a dragon, even as a companion, you'll need to be stronger. Much stronger."
Lance finally found his voice. "I... know that. I've been trying to train, to improve." He said. It was easier to answer that part of the question than to clarify that she and Aelyndra had no such relationship. He opted to leave that matter up to Aelyndra to explain, even he was a little shy to address the matter before such a powerful dragon who spoke so brazenly as though it was nothing.
Listening to Lance's response, Kaelthara closed her eyes thoughtfully. "Good. Then I will train you myself."
Aelyndra's head snapped up, her golden eyes wide with alarm. "Train him yourself? Mother, no. He's not ready for—"
"Nonsense," Kaelthara interrupted, her tone firm. "If he truly wants to grow stronger, I will make him stronger. He's the perfect type to learn from ." She said.
Lance hesitated, glancing at Aelyndra for reassurance. Her expression was a mix of worry and resignation.
"She's... intense, and frankly speaking, only a few dragons have been able to survive her ntorship, and even then, they did not go the full course." Aelyndra said carefully. "But if she's offering to train you, it's not an opportunity to take lightly either."
Lance nodded, swallowing his nerves, to him, there was nothing to think further, after all, the worse that could happen was death, and that was sothing that he could save himself from… as long as it didn't happen in the blink of an eye that is. "It would be an honour to learn from you." Lance said, bowing deeply.
Kaelthara closed her eyes, her size shrinking down until she was almost the sa with the elders. "Of course it is."
Throughout the entire conversation, every dragon who had been listening to the conversation showed a similar reaction. They went from feeling shy for Aelyndra, to feeling pity for Lance. It was not the first Kaelthara had offered to train soone, normally dragons. The result was the dragons she picked needing intense care and recuperation for at least a week to a month. It was that intense.
As for what she actually thought, no one really knew, and those who recovered never spoke of it.
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