After Fafnir's family had finally calmed from their reunion Morgianna and Fafnir were led to a sitting room of sorts. On one of the couches, one in each corner sat their comrades. Myra had an angry expression, daring anyone to get close to her, while Alnwick was all smiles, his body sunken comfortably in his seat.
"Where have you all been, they did not hurt you did they?" Myra glared around the room as if daring someone to have hurt her friends. Her anger almost tangible and suffocating to those who did not know the fiery basilisk.
Watching Myra give the Queen and Princes a glare was hilarious to Morgianna but she decided to step in before she royally made her love interests family hate her.
"Myra, this is Queen Eingana, Fafnirs mother and these two gentlemen are his brothers Prince Fergus, and Prince Finian." Myra's already pale skin became paler with each person Morgianna introduced, her previous anger replaced with a blank expression though her eyes showed her embarrassment. Regardless of Myra's reaction the Queen kept a pleasant smile on her face the Princes sharing a small smile.
Alnwick watched from his seat a lazy smile on his face. With about as much grace as a flailing duck he rose from his feet and into a half bow. "A meet to you pleasure, Alnwick I am."
Morgiannas eyes grew wide at the way Alnwick was speaking. "Why is he speaking that way?" She turned her questioning eyes back to the pair of princes. Fergus was grimacing with a slightly sheepish look on his face.
"Umm, well you see... He woke up too quickly so we dosed him with a tranquilizer and it may have been too strong of a dose on top of the previous dose we had given both your friends...." Fergus rubbed the back of his neck as they all watched Alnwick bob his head and shuffle back to his seat. The goofy grin still plastered to his face.
Fafnir was pinching the bridge of his nose while he looked between his brothers and his comrade. "Finian, I am unsure of the living situation that has been set up, but is it possible to get him to bed so that he may sleep off the drugs?"
Queen Eingana who had not spoken since they had come to the sitting room moved over to Morgiannas side. "It is not much but we can take your friends to where we keep the beds. Unfortunately there are no private rooms."
Morgianna wanted to check Alnwick for any injuries before letting him go but a shake of Fafnirs head had her staying put. She trusted Fafnir and his family so she needed to trust that they would take care of her friends. She was about to nod her approval when a voice broke her train of thought.
"On second thought, the female can come with us. The looks she keeps giving my son make me want to get to know her." Eingana turned to Myra and gave her a look over, her sharp eyes seeming to pick the green-haired woman apart where she stood. Myra's face was burning with mortification, she couldn't believe she got caught staring at Fafnir, by his mother no less.
...
After Alnwick had been tucked in Queen Eingana turned to the remaining occupants of the room. Her three sons shared a look, an understanding passing between them while Morgianna and Myra waited with bated breathe for the Queen's next words. "As you know the Kingdom has been taken over by those who are unfit to rule. Sora, and my youngest son Faust, members of our own race betrayed us and staged a coup." At the mention of her youngest child the Queens's eyes darkened considerably but still she continued on.
"It has been many years since then, but things have only gotten worse. The first century of their rule our biggest worry was that one day they would empty the reserves and our people would start to starve. She began buying things at an alarming rate, sending our people out into the world...many never returned.
Things continued to decline from excessive shopping to public beatings, then on to wrongful imprisonment. About 40 years ago things took a turn for the worst. Things were already bad, but never quite so dark. It was like Sora became a different being entirely. Random citizens started to go missing; men, women... Even children. There were guards who had still had to work for the current rulers and they discovered her dark secrets... She is doing experiments. She kills people and animals and is bringing them back to life. The dungeons are full of her creations. When she ran out of people because we escaped the kingdom she turned on the guards that remained, before they too fled." Fafnir was staring at his mother in shock.
Hearing about his home and how much it had suffered brought him pain. "I should have been here... I should have saved them." His face was a mix of agony and self-loathing as he turned his back on his mother searching the room until his eyes locked on Morgianna's and then Myra's. He hated that they saw him like this, but they were a team and if he could count on anyone it would be them. "Help me, help me save my people."
His begging broke Morgianna's heart and she found her legs to be moving before she even realized it. Crossing the room in quick strides she stood in front of Fafnir a complex look on her face. "Fafnir this is not your fault. The sins that have taken place in this kingdom fall on the shoulders of Sora and Faust. We are here now and we will help you." She wrapped her tiny arms around his large frame and was surprised when she felt another body press behind hers and wrap their arms around both of them as well.
"We have known you for years and I have never heard you beg... So don't start now. Especially with us... Of course, we would help you. We care about you." Myra had spoken so softly only Morgianna and Fafnir heard her, but her words were enough.
With tears forming in his eyes Fafnir squeezed the two girls in front of him for a moment. Their familiar scent that he had fought beside for years calming his raging heart. He wished he could stay there in that safe bubble a little longer but he knew his brothers and mother watched him.
Releasing them with an awkward cough Fafnir wiped the punished tears and turned to his mother. Her expression catching him off guard was one of unrestrained delight. The reason was unknown to him and at the moment not important. "If we are to fight we need every person we have available. What are our numbers looking like?"
Fergus stepped up beside his mother, all previous joking and laughter missing from his face. The hard times finally showing on his otherwise still youthful appearance. "As you know we have never been a large kingdom, and previous years have seen a decline in our population. The only beings left in the kingdom are Sora, Faust, and an unknown number of her experiments. Every other citizen is here in the forest and caves with us. We have around 7500 adults, those who have reached at least their fiftieth year and approximately 2800 younglings who are unable to fight. We are spaced out, unable to keep all of us together and in fear every day of being attacked."
Fafnir saw Morgiannas confused look and explained. "We dragons cannot change form until we turn fifty, to us that is similar to you all becoming teenagers."
Morgianna nodded her head, it made sense for their aging to be slow with their extended life spans that made even vampires seem human. "So of the 7500 available adults, how many will be staying back to help guard the children? Our group will help infiltrate the castle to take care of Sora and Faust, so as long as you have enough people for the experiments we should be fine."
Fergus just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. He knew from her appearance she was young yet hearing her talk of their younglings like she were older than them was quite shocking. Snapping his mouth shut he turned to look at his brother Fafnir which earned him a smirk.
"It's pointless to tell her that she is a child, she has the heart and mind of an adult." Though Fafnir's mind comment was dead on the money Fergus did not need to know.
Returning back to his previously impassive countenance Fergus looked to Finian who pulled out papers from seemingly thin air. "We figure we will need to leave at least 2000 adults to protect the children, it is not an ideal number but we do not know what we are fighting against. Mother and I will also stay back. I am not the strongest fighter as my skills have always fallen more to planning. However, I will not let our youth be destroyed by a power-hungry whor- ."
Before Finian could even finish his sentence Fergus slapped a hand over his brother's mouth. "As you see we do not have the greatest amount of fighters and are having to leave almost a fourth of our able-bodied adults behind. We do not know what is happening in the kingdom so our enemy is unknown to us. We could all be marching to our death."
The whole room fell into a depressing silence. Each person looking to their neighbors for a reaction.
"No." Morgianna clenched her fists a fire burning in the depths of her eyes as she purposely made eye contact with each person in the room. "We will fight them and we will win."