~Tabitha’s P.O.V.~

We spent three more days in Lysia. Between Blu’s injuries, Aaron’s mana shortage, and the many other casualties of the fight, it took us far longer than we had wanted to get on the move again. I did my best to help around the town, but it was difficult. We burnt many of the bodies - there were too many to bury - and fixed up the broken wall as best we could in the time we had.

There was a general fear around the town as well. Many were frightened, and there were few that wanted to continue on the journey. Now that Garagain knew about us… it would be even more difficult to move through the mountains. But at the same time… no one wanted to stay behind either. The horror of the recent attack had reawakened many people’s fear of the enemy. Memories that ran back to months ago when Teleran had been attacked and destroyed. We all knew that the army we had faced was miniscule compared to the previous battles, and we had only barely won.

Blu was slowly healing. The day before he managed to stand up, and today he was walking well enough that he suggested it would be a good time to continue on our journey. We had tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn’t be budged. He was still shaken from what had happened to him, and he was desperate to find some place to be safe. His other argument, which I definitely agreed with, was that he didn’t want to risk his hometown being attacked again, which would be inevitable if we stayed much longer.

So, we began to prepare, packing up our belongings, restocking on food and water. Eric gave us as much as he could spare without leaving his own town short. The people of Lysia had decided to stay behind, along with their leader Eric. We had tried to convince him and his people to come, but they would not agree. They didn’t want to leave their home to be destroyed. With that in mind, Aaron had decided to allow Eric to have the magical sword that had been used in the attack on the town.

We all gathered at the gate, the massive crowd of people, horses, and numerous magical creatures, ready to continue moving on. Blu stood with us while Tyron circled above. My brother’s wing was still broken, the white cast surrounding his wing looking rather odd against his blue scales. He was looking up at Tyron longingly, as if he wished to be up there with him. I felt a little sorry for him. To not be able to fly must have been a rather horrifying experience… at least for him.

Before we had to leave, I looked back to see Blu and Eric in what looked like a hug. I then heard Tyron snort from above. I frowned slightly, then couldn’t help but chuckle. Oh my goddess….is he jealous!? I laughed out loud and just shook my head. After goodbyes were said we began to walk out once again, out through the gates of Lysia. The red dragon and a number of gryphons were spiralling above, watching out for anything that may harm us.

I let out a breath, shouldering my back and looking back to the town behind us. It would likely be the last time I saw it for a long time, and some part of me wanted to run back to the wall and beg to stay. That was my home, and for however long I live… I knew that I would always consider it so.

Aaron approached me as we began our walk, “How are you holding up? I thought you were going crazy with that laugh of yours earlier.”

I looked at him and smiled, “Oh, that was nothing. Just an… observation.”

He blinked in surprise, “Okay.”

“But you shouldn’t be the one asking if I’m okay. How are you doing? You seem slightly less pale than you were yesterday,” I stated.

“Well… my strength is slowly returning I guess. But with everything going on, I’m feeling a little… stressed.”

It was my turn to frown, “Why?”

He was silent for a while before he answered, “It’s been over a month now and… well… my brother still hasn’t woken up.”

“They said it would take a while,” I replied with a smile, trying to get his thoughts away from what he was worried about.

“I know,” he responded, “But… well… I can’t help but feel like I’m taking over.”

“What do you mean?”

“I've taken his place while he recovers. I'm not meant to take the throne.”

“Hey, you’ve done a pretty good job so far.”

“Have I? I’ve led what’s left of my brother’s people on what could very well be a wild goose chase through the mountains to a safe haven that may or may not exist, and all the while under constant threat of demons, goblins and other such monstrosities. I just keep feeling like I’m… like I’m… that I’ve made the wrong decision. What right minded ruler would lead their starving, frightened people through the wilderness under a whim?”

I studied him for a moment He seemed very unsure, like everything that had happened the past month had caught up to him. The constant threat, the battle, the mana exhaustion, the near loss of a close friend. I was a little impressed he had held it together, but there was something else. He had had too much time to think these past couple of days, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“You had to do something,” I said softly.

“But this?!” he exclaimed.

“Do you think Blu is wrong?” I asked seriously, wanting the right answer.

He hesitated, “No! Well… maybe. I mean… it’s not his fault we are out here. I was the one that made the decision.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I replied.

He sighed, “Would I be so unreasonable to say that it just seems a little unlikely that a hopeful story based from a dream is true?”

“If you think he is wrong then why did you follow it in the first place?”

“Because he might be right! And… as you said, I had to do something. We couldn’t just sit there and wait for Garagain to slaughter us… but on the road it seems he’ll slaughter us anyway.”

“Okay, even if Blu is wrong, it’s not like our journey won’t accomplish anything. We might find another empire not conquered by that devil, and join with them, or find something that’s not exactly a safe haven, but somewhere easily defensible with food and water that we could use as a base to begin to rebuild.”

“I doubt it,” he muttered.

“Aaron! Stop doubting. The moment you start doubting is when you begin to lose. Please, at least trust that we are doing the right thing. Trust in your own decisions. Trust in Blu!”

He looked at me coldly, “I have, and look where that has got us.”

Before I could retort he turned and stormed away, leaving the words dying in my throat. I gritted my teeth, clenching my hands, wanting to throw something at him. He was being unreasonable, surely he knew that. One battle, a close one nonetheless, but a battle all the same, and he was shaken. Part of me understood. Many had died, many under his command, but he couldn’t keep beating himself up about it. Who would lead the people if he did? I decided that I would let him cool off before attempting to speak to him again. At the moment, I just needed some time to think.

~Blu’s P.O.V.~

I sighed as as I looked up at Tyron longingly. We were back in the mountains, finally continuing our trek toward the hidden kingdom. And I was stuck on the ground. My broken wing was itching something fierce under the casing, but I knew to scratch it would just be a bad idea. But I wanted to fly, I wanted to be up in the sky so badly

“Hey Tyron,” I called.

Tyron looked down to me and smiled. He flapped his wings and turned, gliding down in long loops toward me. There were plenty of other flying creatures in the sky, it wouldn’t matter if he took a couple of minutes break. Besides… I wanted to talk to him. He landed beside me, taking a couple of small steps to soften the landing.

“You OK?” he asked me.

“I'm fine. Just… wanted to talk,” I said quietly, knowing full well I wasn’t fine at all.

He studied me a moment, “Are you sure? You have seemed a little withdrawn recently.”

Something flashed through his eyes. I didn’t quite catch what it was. Suspicion? No, that couldn’t be right. Besides, it was gone as quickly as it came. It was probably nothing. Instead he adopted a concerned look, seeming a little worried.

“Well, I just feel a little useless at the moment,” I responded, shrugging my good wing

“Why is that?” he sounded genuinely confused, I thought it was pretty obvious.

I sighed shaking my head and looking to the ground as we walked, “Every time a battle breaks out, I’m always the one getting knocked out, injured, or needing to be saved. I never am the one helping.”

“That’s not true,” he snorted, “You have helped plenty.”

“How?”

“Well, there was the battle in the forest, we wouldn’t have won that without you. Then there was at that village just after we had first met. And you taught me how to hold my own as a dragon. Our first fight with the black dragon.”

I didn’t look at him. What he said was true, to an extent, but it was so wrong at the same time. Even though what he had said, I hadn’t been able to save Teleran, I had been broken in a single strike, I hadn’t done anything worth anything, except for maybe help save that village from before, but that ended up worth nothing as it was likely destroyed anyway.

“You were already a fighter before you became a dragon,” I muttered, “You would have figured out everything anyway.”

“That’s not true,” he grunted in attempted comfort, “I was completely lost as a dragon until you came along.”

“You would have found your way eventually, and since than I have been nothing but a burden,” I said with a grunt.

“That is not true,” he growled.

“Than what have I achieved? What have I succeeded in doing these past months? Ha? I...I’ve done… I’ve done nothing,” I couldn’t help it, tears were beginning to form in my eyes.

“You got us out here.”

“And look where that’s got us!”

Tyron fell silent, surprised at my outburst.

“People died ‘cause of me, and what if we end up in a dead end? We’ll be stuck and slaughtered, all because of…” I trailed off with a sob,” It’s just… sometimes I wonder if everything I’m trying to do is hopeless and everything I’ve done is meaningless. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just a burden to everyone around me and just can’t do… anything. Everyone is always worried about me, always looking after me,” I gave a shuddering breath, “And sometimes I wonder if I'm not… if I’m not good enough for you.”

This time the red dragon hissed, which caused me to jump, startled, “Don’t you ever say that!”

“B...b..but…”

“No blu. You are not worthless. If you're not good enough for me, than I’m not good enough for you, and I refuse to accept that.”

I stopped walking, looking to the ground at my claws. The red dragon turned and stood in front of me. He placed his claw against my chin and gently lifted my head up so I was looking him in the eyes. The he leaned forward. I felt Tyron press his lips against mine, pulling me into a surprise kiss. I grunted in surprise, before letting out a soft rumble of appreciation as I sank into his passion.

For a moment, I didn’t care. I didn’t care about the people circling around us, giving us a mixture of surprised and shocked looks. I didn’t care about the journey, or my injured wing. I didn’t care about all the doubts, decisions and destruction. He pulled away and I nearly grabbed him and kissed him again, not caring if we took it all the way, and not caring how many people would see us.

“Don’t you ever say that again,” he said, softer this time, but sternly.

A loosely formed smile spread across my muzzle and I nodded softly, “O...okay.”

“Good,” he nodded his head once before nuzzling me softly.

We began to walk again. I felt a little lighter, but there was still doubt. He hadn’t been able to take it all away. But that doubt was made better by something else. A reassurance? A small confidence? The slightest inkling that everything may turn out alright? It wasn’t much, but it was enough to put at least some of my worries aside, at least for now.

The two of us walked in silence for a little while longer, Tyron close at my side as if ready to shield me from anything dark that may attack, physical or mental, and I welcomed his presence. The despised thoughts began to disappear from my mind, the tears dried, and while I was still a poor excuse for a dragon, I felt as though that it would be okay.

Eventually my mate turned to me, “Are you feeling better now?”

I nodded my head, “Thankyou.”

He nudged me softly once again, “Alright. I… I think I should return to the sky again. At the moment we don’t have all the eyes in the air we ought to.”

As much as I didn’t want him to leave again, I knew he was right. I had to shake away the feeling of loneliness for now. At the moment there were more important things to worry about, such as the imminent attack from Garagain’s minions, or even that devil himself.

“Okay,” I responded to his nudge, “But tonight… we can be together again?”

“Of course,” he replied, before spreading his wings and once again ascending into the open air.