Yara had spent a few days in the elf's hideout and learned many things. First, this place served as one of the many bases of resistance in the empire. It was close to the North and had many underground tunnels connecting it to other branches. Travelling through the tunnels would actually take months, and they were mainly for hiding and worst-case scenarios.
Another thing was that most inhabitants of the building had interacted with the smugglers or slavers, whether directly or indirectly, which made Yara feel a bit uncomfortable.
Staying with Orym broadened her healing knowledge, and she almost forgot why she was there. Almost.
She tried to get them to let her see the dragon, but they wouldn't allow it, making her suspicious that they were hiding something from her.
She also tried leaving her room to search for the dragon but got lost. She still hadn't heard the end of it from Farin, and she scowled as she thought of him. He could be so rude sometimes.
Orym had explained to her that Farin wasn't too fond of human beings since he had just been rescued from slavers by Sylleth two years ago. That piece of information had changed the way she looked at him and explained some of his behaviours.
It was another day, and Yara pestered Orym to let her see the dragon while he checked on her back. Apparently, it had healed fully, but elf magic was powerful and very draining for her human body, which was why she felt weaker the more she healed.
A sudden commotion erupted outside the room. Raised voices and hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, interrupting the conversation between Yara and Orym.
The door burst open before either of them could react, revealing a frantic elf with messy hair and wild eyes. "Orym!" he exclaimed, breathless and trembling with urgency.
Orym's expression hardened with concern. "What is it, Hermis?" he demanded, rising from his seat beside Yara's bed.
"It's the dragon—" Hermis gasped, his voice trembling. "It's awake! And he's... he's out of control! "
Yara's heart skipped a beat as she glanced at Orym. Without hesitation, she pushed herself off the bed, ignoring her weary body's protests. "Take me to him," she demanded.
"He's disoriented and losing control-" Yara cut Orym off, "All the more reason for me to be there!" she yelled, "It would recognise me and calm down," she said. Well, she hoped it would.
Orym seemed to consider her words for a bit and glanced worriedly at Hermis before nodding. "Very well," he said, his tone grave. "But be cautious. The dragon is powerful and in his current state..."
Yara cut him off with a determined nod. "I understand," she said. They all sprang into action, rushing out of the room and down the corridor, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls.
With Orym and Hermis leading the way, Yara followed, her mind racing with thoughts of what she would find when she finally met the dragon. It must be confusing waking up in a strange room.
Was it in pain from the curse? How would she face it when she told it Kellan took the eggs? Suddenly, a thought came to her. The buildings were still intact, and the ground wasn't shaking, so where was the dragon?
Yara's eyes widened as she stopped by the door that had been broken off its hinge; pieces of the wood lay splintered on the ground. An elf was being helped up; it was clear he was injured.
Inside the room were three familiar people. Farin was being held up in the air by someone, feet dangling, and Sylleth was leaning against the wall, blood dripping down the side of his head. It seemed he was unconscious.
This was surprising because she had thought Sylleth was a pretty strong guy. Seeing him slumped was shocking.
What shocked her the most was the person standing in the middle of the chaos holding Farin—it was the naked dragon man from the woods all those months ago! Well, he wasn't naked right now, but still!
"What?" she whispered, stepping into the room. Her foot crunched on one of the broken table legs, drawing the dragon man's attention. He turned, eyes glowing and glazed over. She could tell he wasn't fully conscious.
They stared at each other silently. Yara could see the lines of the curse runes running over his tense, twitching muscles. What did this mean? Were the dragon and the man the same?
Orym's voice cut through her thoughts, breaking the spell between them. "Yara, be careful," he cautioned, his tone laced with concern. "The dragon may not be himself right now."
The man's ear twitched at Orym's voice, and he growled, fangs peeking beneath his lips. Yara and Orym tensed at the heated stare. He was clearly feral and probably thought he was still under attack.
His slitted eyes moved from Orym to Yara and Farin in his hand back to Yara.
The dragon threw Farin aside and stalked straight towards her, and the elf grunted as he hit the ground. Yara stared at his curled-up form and felt relieved that he was still alive. She then turned her attention to the quickly approaching dragon.
"Easy now," Yara murmured, holding her hands out placatingly. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to fight him, too. While her skills were nothing to laugh at, this was still a dragon they were talking about.
He stopped right before her outstretched hand, staring at her with furrowed brows. Yara wondered what she was supposed to do now. Somehow, he recognised her, but his glazed eyes said he wasn't entirely there.
"Hey, it's me, Yara," she paused. Had she ever told the dragon her name before?
The dragon man's nostrils flared as he drew closer to Yara, his gaze intense and primal. His hand reached out, fingers curling around a lock of her thick, curly hair.
'What? Did they catch his attention?' she thought, tilting her head slightly to look at his face. She couldn't help a slight pout. Why did he have to be so tall? She suppressed a shiver as she felt his long nails scrape lightly against her scalp.
"Hey? Can you-"
With a rough grip, the dragon man seized a handful of her hair, drawing her closer. Yara suppressed a gasp as he pressed her close to him and began to sniff her, his breath hot against her neck.
This position reminded her of the first time they met in the woods. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and the rough texture of his scales against her skin as he pushed her hair aside, his nostrils flaring as he took in her scent.
Yara's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the intimate gesture. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to maintain her composure. This was not the first time he had sniffed her like this. It happened a lot when he was in his true dragon form. But right now, it sent a jolt of electricity through her.
What the hell was that all about?
She was smushed against his chest and could hear his heart beating wildly. Would he recognise her now? What if someone noticed the mark on her neck with the way he was sniffing it?
The dragon man seemed to sense her distress and stopped, his attention fixed on something behind her as he growled lowly, his hands tightening around her waist.
Suddenly, Yara became aware of the two elves standing by the doorway, their eyes wide with shock and concern. She knew she had to diffuse the situation before it escalated further.
"Hey," Yara said softly, trying to calm the dragon man's agitation. "It's okay; you're safe here. No one's going to hurt you." She patted his shoulder gently, then paused when she noticed small scales scattered along it.
But the dragon man remained tense, his gaze fixed on the elves with a menacing glare. Sensing his reluctance to let go of his protective stance, Yara gently touched his arm, trying to take his attention away from them. Farin and Sylleth might need urgent medical attention.
With a low growl, the dragon man pulled Yara further into the room, backing her into a corner. He faced the door, positioning himself between her and the elves.
"Easy, big guy," Yara murmured, her voice a whisper as she tried to calm him down. "They're friends, not enemies."
But the dragon man seemed oblivious to her words, focusing on the elves. His growls reverberated through the room and Yara's bones, a clear warning to anyone who dared to come closer.
'Well, at least he's away from the others now,' she thought, peeking over his broad shoulder. The room was a mess. All the furniture had been broken and thrown around. Shards of glass littered the floor. Sylleth's blood was slowly forming into a puddle beneath him, and Farin hadn't moved from where he was thrown.
Her eyes met Orym's, and she motioned towards Farin and Sylleth. His eyes widened as he understood what she meant. 'Great, he got it!' she smiled slightly.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the doorway. Other elves had arrived. Orym turned away to address them, and the dragon paused, confused.
It was probably wondering what sort of person would turn their back to an opponent. Yara watched his profile as he frowned; they might be able to reach him on time.
The crunch of glass drew their attention back to the doorway, where some elves had tried to enter when the dragon was distracted. He crouched as though preparing to lunge, and Yara quickly grabbed his hand, drawing his attention back to her.
"I am still talking to you," she said, motioning for the elves to hurry up with her other hand. The elves hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances before finally stepping forward to intervene.
Without a word, they moved to assist Farin, who groaned as they helped him to his feet. Sylleth, still unconscious, was lifted and carried out of the room, leaving Yara alone with the dragon man and Orym by the door.
"Miss—" he began, but the dragon snarled, startling even Yara. She didn't think human vocal cords could make such sounds. Maybe the dragon's human forms were lightly modified, she thought, staring at him, and then shook her head. Now was not the time to fall into her healing-induced curiosity spiel.
"It's Okay, Orym. I've got this," she said, waving him off.
Orym frowned and sighed. "If you can keep him calm enough, I can get him to fall asleep," he said.
"Really?" she perked up. Was Orym talking about using those strange powers of his that always made her feel like pudding when she was stressed? Were his powers strong enough to work on a dragon?
"Yes, please keep talking to him," Orym nodded, hands already glowing.
"Sure," she said, then turned to the dragon.
"I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I need you to get back to normal as soon as possible," she began. She could see Orym's eyes glowing as he whispered under his breath.
The wind picked up, and the dragon's senses must have noticed something because he tensed and made to turn towards Orym, but Yara grabbed his hand. "Hey!"
The dragon looked at her with a frown, "We have so much to do, the babies," she paused. Would telling him that the babies were taken not send him into another rampage? Her thoughts were cut short when she felt his hot palm grab her face.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice muffled by her smushed cheeks. She saw the light slowly fade in the sentient's eyes, and the frown lines smoothed until his lids fluttered close, and he collapsed against her.
Yara huffed as her back hit the wall. He was too heavy for her to hold up, "A little help here," she asked Orym, who sighed shakily from where he sat.
"Gimme a minute," he panted. He was pale, with cold sweats running down his face. As she had thought, using his powers on a dragon would take a lot out of him.
"He's asleep," she mumbled as Orym stumbled over to them. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine. We would have to move him to another room, maybe yours," Orym said as he knelt beside them and struggled to pull the dragon up.
"My room? Why mine?" Yara asked, breathing better now that the dragon was off her chest.
"Well, you can see that we need you to calm him down. If he wakes up disoriented again, it might be an issue if he doesn't find you," Orym pointed out.
Yara sighed. She could see where he was coming from, but her mind was a bit of a mess. She needed to sit down to clear her thoughts. The dragon was the same as the sentient she had met in the woods. She grunted as she helped Orym get the dragon off the floor.
'Why had he not revealed his form all the while they were together?' She thought, frowning as they half carried half dragged him out of the room.
Other elves rushed over and took him off her hands.
Yara took a deep breath, trying to compose herself as Orym and a few other elves moved the dragon man to another room. She followed them, her mind still reeling from the encounter.
What exactly was going through his mind all that time? Plus, it was clear that he was the human caring for her while she was sick.
What was he thinking when he acted like a dragon? Well, he wasn't acting per se. He was a dragon. He was simply acting like he couldn't communicate with or understand her.
'Wait,' she paused, flushing red to her toes as she realised he had seen her bathe!
"Miss? What's the matter?" Orym asked, noticing the look on her face.
"Wha- Nothing! Nothing at all!" she waved her hands in front of her heated face, flustered.
"Are you sure? Your face is rather red. I hope you aren't coming down with a fever," Orym said, moving closer to her.
"It's fine, really," Yara assured, slapping her cheeks lightly to get herself together.
'Calm down. Maybe it's a shared consciousness type of thing, and the sentient wasn't really the one at that point. Yeah, that's it,' she tried to give excuses.
They walked back to her room quickly. Yara helped Orym, and the others lay the dragon man onto her bed. His large form seemed oddly out of place in the small cot. His feet were sticking off the edge, and his bandages needed changing.
Orym got to work immediately, redressing his injuries and getting another set of clothes. She stood on the side, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he slept peacefully.
Once he was settled, Orym turned to Yara, his face concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.
Yara nodded, offering him a small smile as she turned away from the sleeping dragon. "I'll be fine," she replied, leaning against the wall. She had so many questions, but she could only wait until the sentient woke up to know the answers.
Orym placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You handled that situation well," he said. "Thanks to your quick thinking, we had no casualties."
Yara returned his smile, and then a thought came to her. "What of Farin and Sylleth?" she asked. "What were they doing there in the first place?" Right now, they are receiving healing", Orym explained, calm but exhausted.
"They had gone to check on him as usual. It seemed he was just disoriented and thought they were the trappers he had been fighting with earlier" He scrubbed his face with his palm.
"I'm sorry," Yara said, suddenly feeling the need to apologise."What for?" Orym looked at her, confused."It's very normal for the dragon to act that way after what brought you guys here. At least he still recognises you, so that's great," He patted her shoulder gently.
"Once he wakes up properly, we can all sit and discuss, okay? Don't worry too much," he smiled at her.
Yara nodded, watching him leave to attend to other matters. She was left alone with her thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, Yara approached the bed, her gaze fixed on his sleeping face. The light from the candle bounced off the small amber scales on his face and neck, and he looked slightly better than before.
She settled into a chair beside the bed, exhaustion washing over her. She closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of respite before she peered at the dragon again. When he woke up, she felt there would be more questions than answers.
"Where am I going to sleep?" she thought, leaning against the chair.