~~~ Chapter Notes ~~~
Loki and Kira have spent several days with the dragon mother. The girls are missing them. All chapters in this tale are complete and have been submitted. Hopefully, the kind, gracious, smartly-attired, and gorgeous admins will release a new episode every day or so.
~~~ Dragon Cave ~~~
After breakfast, the dragon told Kira to warn Rilla to go visit the guards. The dragon said that she had covertly spied out the capitol city while hunting and estimated that we were a little over an hour away.
By the time we were getting ready to go, Rilla reported that the guards had been warned that we were coming. She said that she was only able to keep them from alerting the king because she had invoked Kira's name. Kira told her that she'd confirm that with the guard captain when we arrived.
Once again, the hatchling, Kira, and I climbed onto the dragon mother's back - settling between her shoulders.
I still just about lost my breakfast when we took off - but I thought I was doing much better.
"Better is relative," the dragon said before giving a snorting-laugh.
"It's not nice to eavesdrop," I teased.
"It's not like you're trying to hide it," she replied. "Your mind is practically screaming into mine."
"Sorry, sovereign mother," I told her.
"It is no great burden, my child," she said.
"Child?" I asked. "You honor me, great one."
"Save your forked tongue for pleasing that mate of yours," the dragon teased.
Kira busted up laughing. The dragon joined her.
"When I introduce you to my father, how should I tell him to address you, holy matron?" Kira asked the dragon.
"I may share my name with you at some point but he may address me as you have been," she replied.
"As you wish, sovereign lady," Kira responded.
"Before I meet your sire," the dragon said, "I wish to get the scent of your sister-wife and your mate's offspring."
"Zima and Hanna are not his daughters by birth," Kira warned her. "They were abandoned. He asked them if he could be their sire by writ of adoption."
"I will take their measure," the dragon declared.
"As you wish, holy mother," Kira answered.
We flew for a bit before she spoke again.
"Fear not," the dragon said softly. "You'll better understand my intent when I'm done."
"You have been more than generous - sharing so much of yourself with us," Kira answered, "I do not wish to presume ..."
"I feel your protective nature," the dragon interrupted. "Hold onto that. It's what keeps us strong. You both have it - and it is just one of the ties that binds you. Sensual lust and battle lust are two more of those ties. Those things burn brightly when you two couple. It is the magic of creation. It is most pleasant to behold."
"Thank you, great mother," Kira told her, glancing at me.
Kira's gaze held all of what the dragon had described and so much more. I pictured the two of us as we had destroyed our enemies in the commander's tent. I recalled the look in her eyes when I had adopted Zima and Hanna. My mind filled with images of our lovemaking with Monika, Nella, and even Dora. I grinned as I remembered her peeking over the edge of the planter box as Dora and I had lit up the orphanage roof with plant magic as we climaxed together. I recalled how fucking awesome it felt when I finally succeeded in making her spider-glue work - and then gave a snort of laughter as I remembered falling on my ass. I was addicted to that honest laughter in her eyes.
"I fucking love you," I told her.
"I love you too, my king," she said, before pulling me into a kiss.
"Are we complicating things by bringing in Rilla ...?" I whispered.
"It feels right," she said. "I regret that Dora couldn't accept it; I think Nella will be fine. I see so much of me in Rilla that I ache. She's so smitten with you. Three cords are stronger than two ..."
"I just ... I don't want you to ever be second place ...," I told her.
"It won't be that way, husband," she promised.
"Monika?" I asked.
"I think you'll find that Rilla's as adventurous as I am," Kira replied. "Stop worrying so much."
"You're the princess ..."
"I left when they couldn't accept me before and - if we have to - we'll do it again."
"The girls?"
"I can't wait to see what our new friend has to say about them once she has their scent ...," she told me.
After that, she climbed onto my lap, clung to me, and kept my lips busy so I'd stop flapping my jaws. She didn't let me rest until the dragon was circling to land.
The courtyard had been cleared of people. The archers had their bows in their hands but no arrows were nocked. The soldiers were doing their best not to grip the pommels of their weapon's hilts. It was easy to tell that they were nervous. I hadn't been living in this world long but it was easy to see that this was an unusual event.
We came in for a gentle four-point landing.
{"Remain seated,"}
the dragon spoke into our minds.
{"The hatchling will head to the ground. I wish her to meet your family."}
Kira and I looked at each other as the little dragon clambered down its mother's back.
Kira's father (the king), her brother (the prince), and the king's guards hurried from the massive receiving hall where the king had - obviously - been holding court. They were followed by a small crowd of onlookers.
"One moment, little lord," the dragon barked at the king. "I've been waiting to meet a couple others first. I'll be with you in a minute or two."
There was a brief look of shock on King Korl's face - but he quickly got control of himself. The others knelt when he did.
"Thank you, great mother," he said.
The dragon turned to look at the other members of our family.
It seemed to me that each of them had grown taller while Kira and I had been away these last few days.
"Rilla. Zima. Hanna," the dragon called out. "Approach me. I will have your scent."
Rilla's eyes were wide when her head came up. She quickly stood and pulled the girls up with her. She spoke a word to them, raised her chin, glanced to see that the younger ones had copied her form, and strode forward. There was just a touch of hesitation in that first step. Whether it was a moment of fear - or maybe she had been checking to see if the girls were following - the rest of her steps were strong and sure."
Rilla stopped three paces away from the dragon's scaled feet.
She glanced at us for a split-second but then focused her eyes on the massive beast in front of her.
"Well met, great mother," Rilla said firmly. "You honor us."
The dragon lowered her massive head and eased her head forward until her nostrils bumped against Rilla's breasts. She inhaled so powerfully that Zima and Hanna began to lose their balance. They reached out and clung to Rilla's hips. Their hair stood straight out towards the dragon as she did a little more than just "take their scent".
The whirlwind stopped. The three young women - my girls - were still all but pressed against the snout of the massive dragon.
No one in the crowd - whether guard, palace staff member, citizen, or king. Moved or spoke. All stood, waiting, to see what would happen next. I suspected that most of them (like I had that first time) had forgotten to continue taking breaths into their lungs.
"Zima, daughter of Loki," the dragon said, loudly enough for all to hear.
"Y ... yes ... great mother?" the dark-headed girl said.
"Who is the kindest, sweetest, most helpful person you know?"
"Hanna, great mother."
Without even being able to see, I knew that the eyes of the dragon had moved to the 10-year-old. The arm she had around Rilla's waist tightened a little.
"Hanna, daughter of Loki," the dragon said.
"Yes, great mother?"
"Who is this woman beside you?" the dragon asked.
Hanna stood a little taller.
"This is Rilla, great mother," Hanna replied. "She is kind, and strong, and ... patient."
"She is one of your father's intendeds ..."
"Yes, great mother."
"What strengths will Rilla add when she joins with your father and the princess?"
"Rilla is fierce - like my father and Princess Kira. When we fight together, she is our center. When we are near her, we are stronger, we heal faster, we move more quickly, and our attacks are more powerful."
"What is Zima's role?"
"Zima counters the attacks of those who try to strike at us."
"Kira?"
"Kira is death to those who stand against us."
"Your father?"
"The trainers don't let him fight with us."
"Why do you think that is?"
"I have been with my father when he faced what others would call overwhelming forces," Hanna replied. "He analyzes the enemies attacks even faster than I do. He turns their own strengths against them. The All-Father named him champion and I'm not sure any could stand against him. The trainers put us together for one sparring match and ... they determined that there was nothing for us to learn."
Even sitting behind her head, I could feel the intensity of the dragon's gaze.
"I asked you about your family and - instead - you tell me about your sparring sessions ..."
"Princess Kira and my father have already told us that - once they are wed - they will continue their work - supporting the poor and the oppressed. I told Kira that I wanted to have the chance to travel with them. I have studied and trained - as she asked to me to do - so that I may prove that I can carry my own weight and not weaken my teammates ... my family."
"Rilla?"
"Great mother?"
"Who is the weakest among you?"
"I am, great mother."
"Zima?"
"I am, great mother."
