After long conversations, we dozed off a bit.
"It's dawn," Shiva cheerfully announced while staying awake.
The snowy girl moved towards the entrance. Her soft steps woke both me and Asura, but I decided not to show it. The girl followed her ancestor.
"Mistress, are you leaving?"
"Yes, my strength is almost depleted, it's time to return to Azura's cozy cave, although it's not that cozy," Shiva smiled and turned towards the icy wall that blocked the exit. Running her hands along it, she effortlessly turned the icy wall into a pile of snow, and the wind scattered it around the room. "The storm has stopped, and the sun's rays will provide the final bit of warmth needed for these children to come into the world. Take good care of them."
"We won't abandon them, even if they are not our own..." Asura hesitated.
"Are you still thinking about Hilda?"
"Do you think Freya punished her..."
"Because she's not Freya's biological daughter? No, that's not it," Shiva shook her head and approached the exit of the cave. "Nordrune is a vast country, and it is governed by power. Perhaps Siegfried is the strongest warrior, but the council of thanes is still stronger. He rules as long as they respect him and obey him, but they obey him not because of his rightful strength. Hilda was not ready to become a ruler; the thanes would not have recognized her authority, especially if she immediately decided to change age-old traditions. Therefore, her father couldn't allow it. First, Hilda needs to mature, understand why she wants to do it, and find loyal allies. Even if she managed to defeat the thanes and become a ruler, she would likely end up with a dagger in her back. Freya understood that she would only be making enemies for herself, so she let Hilda go to the Academy, where no one would fawn over her because of her position."
"But she is still a good mother."
"Severe and strict, but fair. When Hilda understands that, then she will be ready to become a ruler. It may be difficult, but I would like you to help her."
"But I already said that I can't serve two countries at once."
"Hehe," Shiva leaned towards the girl. "Hilda didn't pay enough attention while reading the rules of the royal battle. She should have clarified what could be understood as 'resources.' Look at how the previous rulers managed to pass this trial, and if you can't find a precise answer, ask Hel; she will explain it to you."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll understand it yourself," the spirit spoke as a flock of swirling snowflakes: "And in the meantime, I'll take care of this nest, so that no one else can get out of it."
The snow warrior turned into a blizzard and rushed towards the closed part of the cave. In a few moments, the spider's lair turned into a solid block of ice. Now it would be unlikely for anyone to use the spider's remains.
"Hmm?" Katrina mumbled, rubbing her eyes irritably. "Who's pushing there?"
The rustling and tapping began to awaken the others present.
"It seems it's time," Reines rushed to the clutch. "Let's remove the hides to make it easier for them to get out."
The girls hurried to free the eggs and stepped back a little, wrapping themselves in the freed hides. With a crack, the shells began to crack open, first on one egg, then on the others. With a faint moan, the head of a small dragon began to emerge from the shell.
The pristine white creatures were of decent size. The hatchlings were about one and a half meters tall and almost four meters long. They had the same slender build as their mother, and their scales sparkled with icy crystals.
The dragonlings looked at the girls who had just hatched them. Shaking their heads, they transformed into a white flash and turned into children who appeared to be no older than eight years old.
"Mama," each dragonling rushed towards the girl who had kept them warm throughout the night.
"Huh? Eeee?" Katrina was bewildered and hoped that Reines would give her some explanation.
"What? They mistook you for their mother because they felt your warmth before hatching. It's quite natural," Reines explained.
"But you didn't tell us about this!"
"Well, what's the fuss about? If you try to convince them otherwise, they'll probably stay here waiting for their mother... and most likely die of hunger. I hope you're not heartless enough to leave these little ones here," Reines taunted Katrina, playing on her sense of duty.
"Of course, we won't leave them here. It's just... I didn't expect to suddenly become a mother," Katrina said, blushing and trying to avert her gaze from the blond boy clinging to her. "Um, by the way, will we find suitable clothes for them? And why did they immediately transform into humans?"
"Two girls and a boy, a good addition to the family, congratulations. They still don't understand the world well, but all the dragon instincts are preserved in them. They can fly too; they'll just say more than 'mama'. And they simply mimic their parents. After all, you are humans, and they want to be similar," Reines said as she approached the remains of the eggshells. "Let's recall some old skills. It's the only remnant of ancient magic available to us."
The dragoness waved her hand over the eggshells, and they sparkled with white light. Particles of the shells returned to their owners and turned into their first clothes. The shells transformed into thin white garments: light dresses for the girls and a long robe for the boy.
"Usually, the first clothes for young dragonlings are made from eggshells or the first shed scales. This clothing always stays with them, it doesn't tear, doesn't wear out, and is preserved even during transformations," Reines explained.
I looked at Ragni and she patted her arms. Her ultra-short black outfit, which didn't even tear when she half-transformed into a dragon.
"Now they will follow you wherever you go. Maybe you should give them names?" Reines grinned mischievously.
"I think it's better to leave that to their real father," Ragni blushed, trying to extricate herself from her "daughter's" embrace.
"Oh yes, the father... although mothers usually choose names... and the father only participates in their upbringing when they reach sexual maturity."
"But that's only after a hundred years!" Ragni pierced the mischievous dragoness with her gaze. "Alright, I will, but I doubt humans live that long. What happens if Hilda and Katrina die before that?"
Reines scratched her chin thoughtfully.
"I don't know; I think you should ask their father about that. Oh, and by the way... How are we going to get out of here?"
If you think about it, we all managed to get here with quite a load, but still, it was quite a struggle. And going back with three children who are still unsteady on their feet... Yeah, and with a baggage of trophies...
"Can't you carry us? You must be as big as a white dragon and can fit all of us," one of the girls suggested.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" Reines narrowed her eyes but quickly recovered, "I still won't be able to transform completely. Though I think I can spread my wings."
"Hmm," Ragni leaned over her daughter, "but they can already fly, right? And the effect of the venom has almost dissipated."
"Mama?" The little girl looked at the dragoness with her bottomless white eyes.
"Repeat after me," Ragni clenched and unclenched her fist, transforming her hand into a scaled paw. The girl imitated her mother and also transformed her hands into paws. Unlike the massive black dragon's paws, the white ones were thinner and longer. "And now the whole transformation."
Ragni shook her head and transformed her head, then her paws, and then covered herself in black radiance, growing into her full form. The girl imitated the transformation. Her brother and sister exchanged glances and looked at their "parents" with puppy-like eyes.
"Transform, transform," Katrina urged her daughter towards her sister, and with a little effort, she transformed into a dragon.
The boy snorted, easily transforming and proudly raising his nose above his sisters.
The sight was quite strange. The "mother" was only three times larger than her newborns, and considering the difference in growth, they would soon catch up to her in size.
"In principle, I can descend from here by warming myself with flames," Ragni turned to us, "if you make a net from the hides, I can carry our trophies, and you'll have to find suitable... transportation."
The white dragonlings allowed only "mom" and Asura on their backs, so Rumy, Rizel, and I had to find space on Ragni's back.
"Ugh... It'll be difficult with such a load... Well, never mind," the Dragoness slowly moved towards the exit.
"In these mountains, strong winds usually rise around noon. If we make it, we can fly to the capital in one go," Reines straightened her shoulders, and through her gray dress, large gray wings sprouted. "Is it the new capital?"
The dragoness pointed far to the south. Before us was a breathtaking sight. The clouds had dissipated overnight, and from this height, we could see the entire mountain range up to the capital, shimmering on the horizon.
"Yes, it's Nartandar, the capital of the northern lands," Hilda said with pride.
"Hmm, it looks somewhat simple. Necromancer kings used to build towers hundreds of meters high to show off their power and wealth. But I think this version is even better; it brings the ruler closer to the people."
The Northern Princess frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Let's fly!" Reines ran and pushed off the edge of the cliff.
The rush of air caught her, and gaining speed, she headed south.
"Hey, wait!" Ragni took a few heavy steps and pushed off the ground. Holding a net with the prey in her front paws, the dragoness tried to catch up with Reines. "I can't fly that fast!!"
The white dragonlings followed them. At first, they just dived, relying on the wind, but soon they flapped their wings and began to control their flight. Their bodies were more adapted to flying, so they easily outpaced Ragni and flew after Reines.
"Well, there you go," Ragni stretched out like a string and started flapping her wings more intensely. However, the load and the passengers were still slowing her down. "Haah, I'll never catch up with them."
Reines, despite her human appearance, still had better aerodynamics than Ragni. She descended to the top of the nearest mountain, which was about six hundred meters below the peak we had started from. Making a sharp turn around it, she accelerated even more and headed straight towards us. The dragonlings took it as a game and copied her every move. You should have seen the faces of the poor girls clinging to the dragonlings' bodies. The absence of any saddle helped only because the young dragonlings' necks were thin enough to be grasped, but it was still quite terrifying.
Reines soared upwards and caught up with us; the dragonlings quickly followed her.
"I think it's worth teaching them a bit about flying. It's better for you not to try to catch up with us," Reines smiled at Ragni and folded her wings, diving sharply downwards.
The dragonlings exchanged glances and followed her. For a moment, I saw a pitiful look from Katrina... Waving to her, I reassured myself that I had ended up with a more leisurely means of transport.
The flock of dragons with their riders rushed into the narrow gorges below us. While Ragni peacefully glided over the rocks, they zoomed through the canyons at breakneck speed, making sharp turns and passing through narrow crevices. I hope they haven't forgotten they are carrying humans.
After four hours, we finally reached the foot of the mountains. Surprisingly, the return journey was much shorter, and soon the dragonlings joined us with their load lazily sliding off them as soon as they touched the ground.
"How are you guys doing?" I leaned over the girls, whose faces matched the lush Alpine meadows. "Did you enjoy the flights?"
Hilda raised her hand sharply.
"It was amazing!" she said but then hurriedly covered her mouth. "But next time, I'll choose a different operator."
For half an hour, the girls recovered while the dragonlings, having returned to their human form, played in the snow.
"And how are they not cold?" Watching the kids in their thin attire when you're wrapped in a fur cape doesn't help to warm up.
"They are white dragons, young and not yet hardened, but still masters of the northern winds. Such cold means nothing to them... On the contrary, they handle heat quite poorly," Reines shrugged. "Well, ladies, shall we continue on foot?"
Getting the barely recovered girls on their feet, the dragoness nudged them forward.