Morgianna and Fafnir waited only a week before they decided to leave for his homeland. She had seen the anxious way he had walked around the castle and knew that he was starting to garner unwanted attention.
The eve before they were to depart Morgianna had written letters to her family, Myra, Sophia, and Alnwick. She wanted to leave as soon as possible, but she also did not want to cause too much stress to those she was not taking with her.
In the years they had known Myra and Alnwick they have never discussed with them going back to Fafnir's home. It was not their fight and Morgianna did not want to put them in harm's way if she could help it.
Fafnir watched as she wrote each word carefully. To her parents, Sophia and Felix she wrote that she would be doing some light traveling as her supposed gift to herself. However, to Myra and Alnwick she wrote the truth. She told them of the turmoil that had befallen Fafnir's home those centuries ago and how she had made a promise to him that she intended to keep.
Having finished her letters she sat back and stared at the black letters that dotted several pages still drying. She did not know how long they would be gone, but hoped that the words written on these pages would give some semblance of peace to the recipient's hearts.
'Should I write a letter to the Princes?' That thought almost made her drop the pen still in her hand. She was baffled at why she would even think of telling the princes anything willingly. It was not as if they wrote letters to each other, to begin with.
...
When night fell Morgianna and Fafnir began their departure. From what Fafnir had said it would take them a week of flying to even arrive at his homeland and he was eager to leave.
Tiptoeing down the halls Morgianna placed her letters so that they would be found easily by their intended, Sophia's she left on her own bed, Morgianna's parents and the rest would see their letters slipped under their door.
Having finished what they needed to do they stole out of the castle walls, heading to a place that would allow Fafnir room to shift. She had not seen him change much over the years, but each time was a treat. His scales seemed to reflect the light of the moon above them, his horns curved with a wicked point at the end.
She normally flew by herself but for this trip, Fafnir had told her she could ride on his back and conserve energy.
He unfolded one of his wings so that she could easily climb up but before she could even start her ascent two voices sounded from behind her.
"I can't believe you were just going to leave us like that." Myra stood with her hands on her hips, a pout adorning her mouth.
"We are a team and trying to keep me safe is pointless if your life is on the line." Like Myra, Alnwick stood behind them, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a valid point though, if she died he would follow shortly after.
Morgianna did not know what to say, she honestly did not think too much about taking them with them. This had been something Fafnir and her had planned for years, way before they had even met the other.
Fafnir looked down at the three and nodded his head at Morgianna. An agreement to let them join with no words needed.
Looking around her group there was one of them that could not fly. Morgianna turned to Fafnir a mischievous look on her face. "Faffy it seems I will have to take a rain check on that ride, there is another who will be in need of your services this trip." She gave an exaggerated wink and pushed Myra towards Fafnir almost causing the woman to trip.
Myra blushed and turned her eyes up to Fafnir, both seeming to be having a private conversation. Alnwick wasted no time, bringing his and Myra's bags to Morgianna to place in her space and then promptly turning into his phoenix form. While Morgianna had out the luggage away Myra had already climbed onto Fafnir's back and even in the dim light of the moon her pale cheeks held a rosy color that was easily noticeable.
Even though it had not been planned Morgianna found herself looking at her group and was glad that they would be joining them on this adventure.
...
Days passed with them flying during the day and camping at night. The scenery always seeming to be trees, trees, and more trees. It seemed to be never-ending, as far as the eye could see and Morgianna knew that without Fafnir she would never stand a chance in finding the dragons kingdom.
On the fourth day while they were setting up camp Morgianna saw Fafnir pull Myra to the side. She had a pretty good idea of what they were going to discuss, but would not eavesdrop on such private matters. When she saw that Alnwick was going to head in the same direction she made sure to have him steer clear unless their friends were in danger.
Fafnir was nervous, he had known Myra for years but it was not until the last year that he had really paid attention to her. His heart had been broken and his trust was not so easily won. The only person he had opened up to about his past was Morgianna, and while he loved her as family, it was a different feeling than what he had started to develop for Myra. He was not blind to the blush that crept up the woman's face when they were around each other, or her making excuses for them to spend time together, what he needed to figure out is how deep her feelings for him truly are. After spending years together, they were still practically strangers, knowing nothing of each other's past only what they had experienced together.
"Myra, there are things about me that you will soon learn during this trip. I have thought about how I could tell you and decided the best course of action is to just lay it all out at once. How much do you know of me before you joined the group?" He kept his voice low even though they were quite a distance from the camp. He had seen Morgianna watching him and caught her smile and knew that she would be looking out for him and not interfere, but he did not know where Alnwick was.
Myra gazed at him questions in her violet eyes. "I do not know much to be honest. Morgianna would not just tell me things about you, always saying that you would have to be the one to tell me your story."
Fafnir almost let out a sigh of relief. He knew Morgianna would not carelessly tell of his past, but he feared that if Myra had learned some instances without all the facts it could affect her outlook on him in an unfair manner. "The kingdom I come from was not the largest and thrived on its secrecy. I am part of the Royal bloodline and as a royal we are not always so lucky as to pick the person we will spend the rest of our very long lives. Centuries ago, I had felt like I was one of the lucky ones, but instead of her heart she gave me a curse. I had been chained in a cave, a beast at best, but a small girl against all odds was able to set me free. She saved my life in more ways than one that day and since then she has continued to help me." It was obvious to Myra that the girl in his story was Morgianna.
"We made a promise that once she was 12 we would venture back to my home so I could see for myself what had happened to my people. The woman was working with my youngest brother, they killed and took whatever they wanted and I cannot let them get away with it. Things could be dangerous for us, they have to know that one day I would come. Im sure the moment the curse was lifted it was like a beacon went off telling them I was free. The only plus is that they do not know when." Fafnir watched as Myra's reactions changed throughout his story and found: hurt when he spoke of his pain, jealousy when mentioning his past fiancee, and understanding when he spoke of returning. There was no judgment for not returning immediately, no blaming for what had happened to him, only pure unadulterated understanding.
They had been standing close as he spoke, but as he told his story it was almost as if she gravitated towards him. A slight breeze had to squeeze between the hairs breadth of room that separated them. The cool air did not bother them, but to an outsider, it would look like two people huddling for warmth. "Fafnir, I am not afraid of going there with you. I am more afraid of what would have happened if I had not been able to go. I know that you are strong and that you have Morgianna at your back, but it would not be the same for me if I could not also be there. I care about you, your past and all. If I sat at home I would only stress about whether you and her were safe." Their eyes were locked on each other and as if a force were pulling them together their lips touched if only briefly. To Myra it was like coming home and to Fafnir it was like finding something he had not known was missing.