❦𝗪𝗲 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝗕𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲❦

❦Chapter 30❦

𒊹︎Your POV𒊹︎

Under the cover of darkness after the meeting, Loki, Thor, and I all traveled through the wastelands of Asgard. Loki had helped me put on my chest plate, snd my other armor pieces that would fit, minus the metal plate that was meant to cover my abdomen, since it wouldn't fit over my baby bump. We traveled on foot, all of the horses escaping when the castle was burned to the ground. I hoped that Bezos and Hilda had survived.

We were halfway through the countryside when a thunder-like sound came hurdling towards us. Loki pushed me behind him quickly, and drew out his daggers, ready to defend me and our child with his life. I almost burst out into tears when a tall, yellow-dappled horse came into view, Hilda. Behind her, was a herd of horses. They looked as though they were other members of the royal stables.

I could pick out Loki's black horse, Thor's grey-dappled steed, and the two horses that belonged to the King and Queen. I was beyond relieved when I saw a short horse bringing up the rear, Bezos. They all circled around us, each steed greeting its owner. Bezos was the last to come see me, and he limped over.

Now that he didn't have his arthritis medication every day, I'm sure he was in a lot of pain. Once he reached me, he gently nosed my stomach. He knew. Animals always had a way of knowing things. I rubbed his face affectionately, but I could stay long. We had somewhere to be. Loki managed to hoist me into Hilda's bare back, and Thor and Loki mounted their horses as well.

We rode to the sanctuary gate, the rest of the horses without riders following close behind us. Loki helped me off of Hilda, and I patted her neck. Thor was the first through the gate, and then Loki. I hesitated for a moment, looking back at the group of horses that stood near the gate. After a tug to my wrist was issued, I walked on through the gate.

I was relieved to see that the islands were just as I'd left them. Sunny came rushing over to me immediately, her circling me, searching for something. Her eyes widened, and she nudged my stomach gently, but it made me wobble. Loki was quick to steady me, and glare at Sunny.

'Congratulations!' Sunnys bright voice was in my head, and she clapped her claws together.

"Everyone knows, you don't have to be secretive." I spoke with a confused smile, and her happy mood left.

'All of us lost our ability to speak a little over three years ago. Speaking of, where've you been?!' Her voice went back to exited.

"Frigga's magic..." I trailed off, frowning.

"What is it, (Y/n)?" Thor's voice held concern.

"Frigga's magic allowed them to speak." I frowned deeper, and pushed past them all, looking for another dragon that would know what was going on.

"Where are you going?" Loki shouted after me.

"To find someone who knows what's going on!" I shouted back.

'Sunny, bring me to Clay.' She nodded, and soon, we were in the air, soaring up the what used to be Drakon's island.

When Sunny touched down, a whirlwind of stressed thought hit me like a tidal wave.

"Holy hel, Clay. Take a breather, would you?" I tried to lighten his mood, and when he whipped around at the sound of my voice, his eyes widened.

'(Y/N)!' His voice yelled in my head, and I winced as he came over and almost tackled me.

'Careful, you dimwit, she's carrying another person with her.' Sunny's voice entered Clay's mind, and I picked up on it.

It was almost as if we were all connected, me being able to read the minds of dragons and all.

'Oh? OH!' Clay's voice became exited, but he dialed it down with a small congratulations. 'I'd hoped that you survived. We all were starting to lose hope.' As Clay spoke, I just now realized how much he's changed.

He was almost as big as Drakon was now, and he had battle scars littering his body, along with small chunks of his left ear missing, not to mention a piece of his right horn had been chipped off.

"When Drakon....died....I went into coma. I only woke up a few months ago." I spoke aloud, so that Sunny could hear as well. "I came to see if you knew anything about why any of this is happening." My voice was desperate.

'Drakon had been training me
years before his death, knowing that one day something like this would happen.' His focused voice spoke into my mind.

"About that....there's something I need to tell you about him." I spoke aloud, wanting everyone to know of my guilt.

Clay motioned a claw for me to continue.

"I.....I killed him. I pushed him out of my head, snd I must have used too much force....and I killed him." Tears sprung into my eyes, and Clay tilted his head.

'(Y/n)......Drakon was killed during an attack. An ice dragon from Jötunnheim escaped and came after Drakon.' His voice was Sympathetic, and my face turned into one of surprise.

"What do you think caused this?"

'Take a seat, Dragoness.' Clay motioned to a small rock, big enough for just one to sit comfortably. 'King Odin enforced a rule over the nine realms that their dragons had to be kept confined, away from beings that wanted to hurt them, to keep them from going extinct. The other realms didn't go about containing their dragons as Asgard did. In many of the realms, they were chained up like wild animals, held like prisoners in their own home.' His voice was soft as he spoke, and a hard look way etched onto his face. 'When this ice dragon escaped, the rule was broken. The other realms took this as the okay to release their dragons. Instead of the dragons reading havoc on their own realms, their leaders convinced them that Odin was at fault, and turned them on the peacekeeper of the realms. Once the King and Queen died, and the palace was destroyed' Clay had to pause, him getting choked up. 'The dragons tried to return to their home realms, but most of them were killed as soon as they stepped foot on the ground. Most of the species has been slaughtered, even some that stayed here braved going out, they never came back.' He finished his speech, and looked down at the ground.

"What about Muspelheim? How come they didn't send their dragons out?" I questioned, wondering if my suspicion was true.

'Nuri convinced the fire dragons to turn on their own leader, but they didn't succeed. Nuri was killed in the crossfire, and the fire dragons were contained against their will once again.' Clay sighed deeply.

"How do we fix this?" I stood up, starting to pace around to help ease the stress I was under.

'I don't know...Drakon always said that the Great Dragoness would save us all.' He trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

I sighed deeply, my pacing halted. I looked between a confused Sunny, and a determined looking Clay, knowing what I had to do.

"I'll see what I can do."