I have overslept.

I cannot believe that I overslept.

I never oversleep, so why did it have to happen today?

I missed breakfast and no one woke me up!

I'm hungry!

"Look who finally decided to wake up and grace us with her beauty while others have to work their ass off every day - the little princess of Orton! Did your dragons leave you behind after all? Were you not good enough for them?".

I pause dead in my tracks and stare to my right where I can find a group of knights gathered in the training ground, their eyes looking annoyed as they stare me down like I'm some kind of pest they have to get rid of.

Yoongi told me I could show them my teeth, right? I can bite them?

"Who knows, maybe they were the ones not good enough for me, and what are you going to do about that, huh? At least I have beauty working for me, all you have going for yourself is your ability to cut things in half, you lousy scum".

Backs straighten up and jaws fall agape before one of them grabs his sword to point at me.

"You arrogant- you think you're all that now that you have the dragon knights' attention, is that it? Maybe we ought to remind you that when it comes to actual skills, you're way below us!".

Oh, he didn't!

"Oh yeah? Let's test it out, then, you piece of shit" I grumble before grabbing the sword at my hip, the shine of Namjoon's scales under my palm enough to give me the strength I need to beat their asses and then beg for breakfast in the kitchen, I am not in a mood to be messed with right now!

Unaware that my group of mates are observing from a distance with their backs against a wall, curiosity keeping them from stepping in because they want to see how much I improved from training with them, I get into position in front of the first knight who seems to think that this will be over just as fast as it started.

I adjust my stance to fit what I always see Taehyung do, and the dragon's eyebrow lifts at the detail that not many would notice otherwise.

Let's just get this done and over with so I can eat something, damn it!

One of the knight's friends signals for the duel to begin, and I watch as he immediately runs forward to get the first hit in, something that used to sometimes work against me in the past, except that this time, his movements feel... kind of slow?

I side step, then use the momentum of his lost balance to push him down to the ground with my foot, and before he can stand up with a confused glare, a sword to the neck stops him from fooling around any longer.

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Is that all you've got? This is quite disappointing".

"Give me the sword, Dave, I'll give her a taste of her own medicine" another knight utters between his teeth before taking his friend's place, and I sigh before getting into the same position as earlier because now that I'm trying it in an actual battle, it's pretty great. It gives me more ease to move more quickly and my body feels less awkward than when I use the stance I learned years ago.

We humans truly have a lot to learn from dragons.

This time, no signal happens when the knight simply decides to swing his sword at me, but against all odds, I block it easily before countering with a swift swing of my own, and he manages to block only the first one before I send his weapon flying up and behind him.

Huh. Interesting.

"You were saying? Maybe my medicine is not so bad after all, maybe you're the one who ought to change yours" I let out for all to hear and Yoongi grins proudly while my opponents grit their teeth in anger, are they being humiliated by a woman right now?

"Is there someone else who would like to show me how bad this princess of Orton is at using a sword before I take my leave? Or are you all aware as much as I am that you'd only be wasting your time?" I ask when the silence rules for a minute too long, and a few more people decide to stick around when two of the little group grab their swords at the same time.

Two against one? I see... maybe Jimin's stance would be more appropriate this time, he always points his blade slightly higher than the others and that would always disconcert me because there was never any telling what he would do next.

The blue dragon's eyes focus on my form sharply when he understands what I'm going for, this is a lot more interesting than he was expecting to see this morning considering that I seem to have gotten out of bed only a few minutes ago.

He understands now why Namjoon and Seokjin were so impressed with me yesterday, I truly seem to have learned bits and pieces from each of their dragon dances - it's the first time he's seeing me use them though, as I never really had the opportunity to try against them.

The two knights share a glance before roaring out a war cry, and I somehow manage to parry their moves without even breaking a sweat before I counter attack with a mix of swirling my body and tricking their mind to get in the perfect hit, and my blade cuts through skin lightly when the closest knight doesn't notice my swing fast enough.

"What..? What manner of cheating are you using, you whore?! Did you give up your soul just to better the knights you grew up with? Is that what you've been learning from these dragons these last few days?!" he shouts with freaked out eyes when some blood begins to stain the cotton shirt underneath his armor, his arms raised as if my next move is to breathe fire at them.

"You want to repeat that again for me, buddy?".

This voice is smooth, low but melodious, and as an arm wraps around my waist with a tight grip to pull me into a strong chest, a cloud of white smoke breathes out from behind me before the feeling of tiny droplets of water fall over my skin, and I suddenly realize that this must be the last dragon I had yet to meet.

Jungkook.

Faces turn pale as the purple scarf around the stranger's neck speaks for itself, and the knights who picked a fight with me for no good reason stutter out endless apologies before running away without looking back, the glint they could find in the dragon's eyes letting them know that they were not to repeat themselves as they were asked, else they would surely lose their head.

And for some reason... watching them leave like this pisses me off even more.

What are they running away from like this? They have no problem saying all that bullshit in my face all the time, so why does it only take a dragon to get them like that?

"Stupid pieces of trash, lowlife garbage, ugly piles of horse shit" I utter under my breath while running the blade of my sword against my leg to clean up the metal before sheathing it back in the scabbard, unaware of the amused eyes still observing me as the others head over together.

"They call me a princess and a whore, but ask them to own up to their bullshit and they scamper off like scared headless chicken, fucking twats, what's the point of all this nonsense if I can't even get satisfaction out of it in the end?" I continue while settling my sword back at my hip, the grumbling of my stomach not helping in putting me in a better mood, I'm going to eat the next bastard coming up to me with insults on his tongue, I swear-

"You're hungry, aren't you? Figured you'd be when even I had time to get here and eat breakfast before you. Here, I asked the cooks to keep a few things aside and into a bag for when you'd wake up".

A cotton bag appears in front of my eyes and I find myself sniffing it like a dog would when I get the smell of bread and cheese, and is that... fruits? Why can I smell honey too?

Too hungry to really care that I haven't greeted Jungkook yet, I snatch the bag from his hold to have a look inside and- goodness, this is all very good food, they put only the best in there!

A block of honeyed cheese melts in my mouth first while I get a handful of grapes, I feel starved as if I hadn't eaten in ages when in reality, I ate very well last night, but either way, nothing is stopping me in my quest to fill my stomach with substantial food, not even my mates.

"I think she was hungry".

"Hungry? I'd rather go with HANgry. She was ready to destroy every single knights coming up to her with snarky comments, I've never seen her like that before. It was hot".

"Are we just going to ignore how she used two different dragon stances like it was a piece of cake? She had full control of the fights and ended them so quickly that starting them was a complete waste of time to begin with".

"She's been training with dragons for days now, of course switching back to inexperienced human knights will feel like child's play for her. They stood no chance against her, it was a splendid thing we could see this morning".

Hearing their praise now that my hunger has subsided allows me to feel a shyness crawl up my guts, and I clear my throat after swallowing the last piece of bread before slowly turning on my heels to stare at the new dragon, after which I bow in both apology and gratitude.

I wasn't expecting to see two eyes of different colours, one blue and one green, but it made his gaze that much more captivating. They were clear and sparkling even in the few seconds I looked into them.

"You must be Jungkook, I'm sorry for not greeting you sooner. Thank you for keeping food aside for me, I don't know if I would've been able to make it through the day otherwise. I'm Y/N Aithne Shields, as you must already know, it's nice to meet you".

"Not to worry, I got to see a spectacular sight of your sword skills so I am more than satisfied. I only wish it didn't have to include any of those knights insulting you, but you showed them what you were made of better than any of us saw coming. Those were Taehyung and Jimin's stances, weren't they?".

I raise my head to stare at the two mentioned dragons, part of me already looking for some sort of approval that I did good and did not in fact go against some rules, but the look of pride on their faces is more than enough to assure me that I'm safe and I relax before nodding at Jungkook.

"I'm not confident to use Hoseok and Yoongi's yet, but Taehyung and Jimin's were a bit more accessible and... I was angry, that made it easier to stop overthinking everything. I didn't know you were looking so that helped too" I admit, something that makes Seokjin and Hoseok snort lightly while Yoongi frowns.

"My sword dance isn't that hard to use, I'm sure you could manage it too" he defends himself as if my lack of confidence is his fault, and I shake my head quickly with a look of disbelief on my face, he cannot mean that.

"Yoongi, I don't even know how your sword dance works yet, when I duel against you, it's like staring right at my death. You're too fast".

Namjoon nods at my statement and that somehow makes me feel better because that means I'm not the only one thinking that way about the black haired dragon.

"Honestly, she's right. You forget that you trained hard to be a shadow knight, Yoongi, you're the best when it comes to being invisible. Sometimes, I feel like calling you an assassin would be more accurate, you're too fast when you give it your all".

Yoongi huffs indignantly at that.

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or as an insult. You might not be able to follow my dance, but I know she will be able to replicate it one day. I have high hopes because she's a fast learner, that much has been revealed and confirmed this morning".

I nervously stand from one foot to the other while looking around our group for a distraction that does not come, can we talk about something else before he asks me to try it in front of everyone? I truly am not confident enough to perform his dragon dance without practicing it on my own first.

"Maybe you are right, but I don't think our young mate is willing to try right now" Jungkook comes to my rescue when he sees that I'm already trying to come up with a way to run away, something that he would not allow - he would follow behind me until I stop running if that were to happen.

Yoongi grumbles but otherwise does not say anything, and Hoseok pats his shoulder to comfort him.

"It hasn't been long yet since we met, give her some time, Yoongi. It's not like she's required to learn all of our dragon dances, so it would not be wrong of her to stick to the ones she's more comfortable using if that is what she prefers" he says words that calm the dragon down, and I inwardly sigh in relief when Yoongi finally relents.

"Yeah... I know you're right, Hoseok. I only wish I could see her using it at least once, I bet it would be a magnificent sight".

"I- I'll try it one day, Yoongi, I promise. Just... not today" I blurt out though quite shyly to reassure him that I will make his wish happen one day, and his soft gummy smile is everything when he stares at me to see the sincerity over my face.

"I'll wait however long you need, sweetheart, forgive this selfish dragon for making you feel under pressure, it wasn't my intention" he apologizes politely, and I respond to his small bow with one of my own with round eyes, I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

"Not at all, I'm perfectly fine, don't worry".

Jungkook steps closer and wraps his arm around me a second time once this matter concluded, satisfied with how everything is going.

"Great, now that this is settled, how about we leave the fortress for today? We could go to that oasis a few miles from here to bath in the fresh water, or... oh! We could reach the other town nearby, Seadhor! We could reach there in three hours if we leave now in our dragon forms, what do you think? Anything would be better than staying here where there's too much to dislike" he adds the end with a hint of disgust that I understand too well.

It's just as the others had predicted Jungkook would say and while I would rather keep training since I do feel some adrenaline from earlier still flowing throughout my body, I quickly give my approval because indeed, anything would be better than staying here.

My tolerance is running low today and I can't guarantee that I wouldn't fight against other knights with too much free time on their hands.

Namjoon hums as he ponders the options.

"None of us have our horses yet except for Taehyung so we can't go too far, Jungkook. Our young mate has never been on a dragon before and I don't think this is the time and place to try. I asked our attendants to bring our mounts over so that we can remain on land with her on our way to the Capital, but it will take at least another day before they get here so I do believe we should stay in Orton for now".

Jungkook and I pout at the same time, the prospect of staying here not one we want to entertain in the slightest, though what Namjoon said made sense too. I do not know how to ride a dragon, that much is true. The thought alone of being in the sky is intimidating and scary, though also exciting.

What does the world look like from up there? A part of me longs to find out and feel the breeze against my skin while the other would probably beg me to hold onto the nearest thing to remain on ground for as long as possible.

I sigh softly, gaze on the ground as I kick a rock, lost in my thoughts. If it was only up to me, I would be long gone from Orton, in a permanent kind of way, but there's not much we can do at the moment since my transfer is still ongoing.

At this pace, I'm going to have to see Commander Rayner to ask him why it's taking so long, I feel like I'm going to lose patience very soon. Why is it taking so long? Are they beginning to doubt that I can do a good job in the capital?

Jimin chuckles at my obvious dislike of Namjoon's opinion on what we should be doing for now before bumping his shoulder against my own, an act that pulls a tiny smile from me. A tiny, barely seen smile that softens their souls.

"What's wrong, love? You can tell us what's on your mind, the decisions are not only in our hands but in yours as well. What would you rather be doing today? We will do our best to make it happen if it's within our power, only, we cannot guess if you remain quiet".

I raise my head to stare at him with a bashful glow in my eyes, then bring my gaze to the six other dragon knights currently observing me in silence. Can I really make a personal request, no matter how selfish it may be?

My eyes eventually stop on Hoseok, the red-haired man who has given me much comfort during our conversation from yesterday morning, and his words immediately come back to mind as I hold his gaze. He did say that I could be selfish now, didn't he? That I could do whatever I want now?

His lips stretch into a smile when he manages to understand where my mind is taking me, and he tilts his head in curiosity.

I bite on my tongue before breathing in deeply to steady my nervous heart, then dig my heels into the ground before squaring up my posture so I can look more confident even though I have not a single clue if my request will be taken seriously or not.

"The truth is... I'm really tired of being stuck here. I keep being told to wait until the transfer finalizes, until we get confirmation that I can go to the capital and I'm just... so sick of it. I've had enough of doing nothing when I could be on my way to my family already. That's how I feel".

Taehyung softly takes a hold of my hand once I've spoken my mind, and I stare into his beautiful eyes as he smiles with a gentleness that always takes me aback when directed at me. It's not something I was granted much in Orton, so to be offered it by seven dragons... it's really not easy to get used to.

"Waiting here any longer when I have gotten a taste of how everyone is going to treat me from now on earlier... I'd rather leave Orton today, even if it means having to ride a dragon for the first time" I admit sheepishly, unsure of what impact my words will have.

And even if nothing happens in the end, I'm glad that they at least allowed me to tell them how I really feel about my current situation. It's not something I was allowed to do much until now, other knights were never that interested to listen to my opinions.

The seven men share a look that I don't quite understand at my admission, and Taehyung suddenly tilts my head up with a finger under my chin so I can look into his green-ish eyes, the heat I can feel from his touch causing me to unconsciously melt into him to get more of it.

"Have you already packed your belongings, little one? I'd have to let Rayner know first, but I am adamant he would not oppose to this new plan should we tell him that we are to take our leave today. I do believe the man is not foolish enough to refuse a dragon knight his harmless request, especially if it is to please his pretty little mate".

I gulp as a blush fully covers the whole of my face, and Yoongi lets his fingers wiggle against his side, the temptation of squishing my cheeks between his palms stronger than him - he definitely would've done so if there weren't so many of his mates in the way right now.

Another time, perhaps.

"I have not... but there is not much to bring home. One small bag will be enough" I let him know with a stuttering heart that pleases him, though the meaning behind my words is sadder than any of them would let show on their faces.

Do I not own anything? Will my bag only contain simple little trinkets of old times? That would be sad indeed.

"Then we shall get that done. Since we cannot bring Eclipse and Bear with us, we'll have to land at some point to let our attendants know to reach Orton to get our mounts before coming back to Goldwyn, but that won't be a problem for them. They are used to sudden change of plans so they'll take good care of your girl, I promise, she'll be in good hands with them" he assures me as he moves his hand from my chin to my hip, and he grins slyly when a sudden pull towards him makes me gasp a little.

"Now... since you have seven dragons more than eager to offer you a ride back to the Capital, we need to discuss about whom it will be, as well as whom will accompany you in human form so that you do not remain alone on a dragon's back".

I blink at him as I process what it is that he just told me, then glance at the others when I hear them shift closer with interest.

They will not make me choose, will they? I cannot choose two out of seven on my own, that would not be right.

"I would love to keep her company" Seokjin speaks up first before anyone else can formulate a single noise, and one look at him is enough to see that he would gladly force anyone into a duel to keep his desired position.

"Well I desire that too" Yoongi utters with a frown and a stance that show me he would gladly accept the duel if needed, and Taehyung sighs as he looks down at me with forlorn eyes. "As would I. It feels like forever ago when I was allowed a moment with her".

"Well I for one have not spent a single moment with her, so I believe I should be granted the position of accompanying her at least for today. You lot have been with her, whether alone or in small groups, but I was busy talking with those lousy knights all this time. How is that fair?" Namjoon speaks up next and when Jungkook growls in displeasure, my eyes widen with nerves.

"What about me, then? All I saw of her this morning was of her fighting other knights, knights who disrespected and verbally abused her in front of me. Shouldn't I be allowed peaceful time by her side as well?".

"Then I shall be the dragon bringing her home, as my way of apologizing for scaring her yesterday" Yoongi shares his new idea next, which has Jimin perking up with the desire to do the same as he also had a say in my getting sick yesterday, and lo and behold, hell breaks loose when none of them can seem to reach a consensus together.

Hoseok is alone to sigh calmly as he observes his mates throw words left and right to try and gain a moment with me, as if acting that way would make anything easier when clearly, they all have their own opinions of how this day should go.

"Perhaps we should ask our mate? Maybe she would rather choose herself, since this all concerns her comfort after all".

Silence follows his statement and when they all turn to stare at me with expectations, I need to take a step back from Taehyung to free myself from the hold his warmth has on me to think rationally, else they will really start fighting because of me.

To think that this is happening because I told them that I would like to leave Orton now... maybe I should've been more patient after all, then we would've left with our horses together and things would have been more enjoyable for everyone.

But then again, leaving on a dragon will allow me to see my parents and my sister much, much faster so really... is that not a good thing? The only difficulty here is that there are seven dragons who all want the same roles, while there is only one me.

"What if... what if we separated the travel in half? I could begin with Yoongi and Namjoon, then end with Jimin and Jungkook? I wish everyone could find satisfaction in how the travel goes but... there are too many of you for what needs to be done" I eventually speak with hesitation, for there is not much else to be done about this.

If they want me to choose, then I shall with the best of my abilities, however lacking they may be.

"If that is what our mate desires, then I shall respect her wishes. There will be other opportunities to share a precious moment with her, I am sure" the eldest of the dragons relents first, much to my relief, and though Hoseok and Taehyung are also not granted much today, they also understand that there is fairness in my decision.

Yoongi and Jimin indeed require to apologize for the panic they forced upon me while Namjoon and Jungkook have, as mentioned earlier, not been allowed a single moment by my side until now.

Seokjin did not get much either, other than what followed my getting sick, but considering that the bond is new and quite overwhelming to the human that I am, he will swallow his disappointment so that it does not make things any worse for me.

"That sounds fine to me. Thank you for making the decision for us, dear mate, you have saved us from quite a headache" Namjoon comments with a smile full of contentment as he takes me in with creased eyes, and I smile back with a nod of the head, for as long as they don't fight, then all shall be well.

It's then that Jimin decides to pull me under his arm with a wide smile that makes him look adorable all of a sudden. How is that even possible when he looked so handsome a moment ago? How can they switch so easily?

"Then, shall we head to you room together, love? I will help you to pack your belongings while the others get everything ready. Hm?".

"Out of the question. You will get hours with her very soon so leave that task to us, you greedy dragon" Seokjin counters readily before pulling me away from Jimin and into his strong hold where Hoseok is already by his side and nodding eagerly. Is this how dolls feel when children fight over them?

The blue dragon is already on the verge of complaining when Taehyung stops him as peacefully as possible by holding one of his hands tightly.

"Leave them to it, Jimin, they'll get little to no time with her until we make it to the Capital after all. Come with me to see Rayner, alright? You can always see her again once we're about to leave" Taehyung tries to break the fight before it begins, and the beautiful dragon knight pouts before nodding his head slowly.

I never would've thought that it would be so difficult to take care of seven dragons at the same time, but there is only so much I can do considering that I am what I am. It's more difficult to deal with than I would've liked, seeing them sad pains me greatly.

"Well... Namjoon, Yoongi and I will... um. We will wait in the hall until it's time to go" Jungkook then says with a weary smile, for there is nothing else to do after all. My room is not big enough to allow everyone to follow, and it would only make me feel pressured, which is not their goal.

"Perfect. With that said, let's go, my sweet mate. I would be most curious to see your room, I want to see what it looks like. Lead the way, we will follow" Hoseok chirps happily before taking me by the hand, and when Seokjin takes my other, it suddenly feels like I am a child walking with her guardians.

Needless to say that it feels quite strange. This will certainly take time getting used to, though I do not hate it.

"There's not much to see in my room, Hoseok. I fear you will be disappointed".

"I'm sure there is a charm to it that only visitors can see. Be it in the mess, or lack thereof, there is always something interesting that speaks of the owner's personality. Do not concern yourself over how much you own, that will not bother me" he makes sure to reassure me when he sees the worry in my eyes, but though I remain unconvinced, I still nod my head at him as we enter inside the living quarters, leaving behind our other mates who look over us with puppy sadness.

"Very well. As long as you know what to not expect... it should be fine".