A/N: Hello again, guys. I'm just going to mention here that these little one-shots are not going to be posted at the usual weekly interval. I'll post them as I write them, so you could wait anything between a few hours and a few weeks (or even months, but that's unlikely) between each one. Thanks to everyone who's still following our favourite dragon couple.
1 - Grape is Not the Name of a Dragoness
Their large stone house in the forest was set in front of a trickling stream. All that could be seen in all directions were tall trees and a single wildflower meadow that had sentimental value, in a way.
When Ira left the house, her hair swept back with a purple headband, she looked instantly at the meadow. A small smile crept over her face when she saw Alduin patiently trying to teach Briiahnah how to use her stubby little legs. The girl was a first learner and had a stubbornness to rival that of her mother. She'd learnt how to crawl far sooner than expected. Her first word (wing) came within just a couple months, though Ira suspected it was just a coincidence, as there had been no sign of any other comprehensible word since that day.
Ira was wearing a loose, forest green tunic, the front of which was loosely knotted to keep the unusually warm, spring sunlight from making her overheat. Her legs were covered with a pair of brown, knee-length breeches, and her pale feet were bare as she walked silently across the moss-covered ground.
Apparently sensing her nearby, Alduin paused from his task and looked up, meeting her gaze with a soft one of his own. That was happening a lot lately - ever since Briiahnah had been born, Alduin had let a part of his solid outer shell crumble away, and so he was more open with... well, just about everything. Ira was no different.
"We should be going," she said gently, beaming down at her little girl as she swept the child into her arms. "Hello," she cooed, tickling Briiahnah's neck affectionately. The baby giggled, grabbing hold of Ira's finger. Ira turned to Alduin again. "The hobbits will be expecting us in an hour, and I want to make sure we arrive in plenty of time."
Brushing the dust off his clothes, Alduin stood up, asking, "Are you going to put some shoes on?"
Ira shook her head, settling Briiahnah comfortably on her hip. "There's no point - the grass there is softer than silk. And besides, you don't see hobbits walking around with shoes on."
"Their feet are somewhat different to yours," Alduin pointed out, walking over to them both and placing a tender kiss on Ira's forehead. He then stepped back from her and shifted into his dragon form, the meadow being just about big enough to accommodate his larger form.
After securing her hold on Briiahnah, Ira allowed herself to be swept up by Alduin's large claws as he flew swiftly towards the Shire. The whole journey, their daughter was letting out soft cooing noises, her wide, golden eyes taking in the scene of the ground so far below her. If Ira wasn't holding onto her, she had no doubt that the little girl would try to fly herself.
So far there had been no hints that Briiahnah would be able to shift, but there could be no doubt that there was dragon blood flowing in her veins.
Seeing Alduin or Ira (usually both at once) in the Shire was not uncommon, and the fact they were dragons meant they were greeted by a group of very enthusiastic children, which meant they didn't get away for another ten minutes. Ira had handed Briiahnah over to Alduin before she starting chasing the young halflings around the field they'd landed in. Eventually she'd managed to get two hobbits in her arms, two on her legs, and one more was clinging to her back. Much like the children of Rohan during the war, they'd tried to drag her onto the ground, but hobbit children were noticeably lighter than their human counterparts, and so Ira managed to stop herself from being pulled down.
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Ira said, laughing as she put down the two children in her arms. "Alduin and I have somewhere to go, and I expect you do too." She made a shooing motion with her hands. "Off you go." The hobbits ran off, calling goodbyes behind them as they went. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Ira walked towards where Alduin was leaning comfortably against a wooden fence, Briiahnah fast asleep in his arms.
"Promise me we'll never have that many kids at once," Ira said as the two of them started walking towards the house of the esteemed Bilbo Baggins.
Alduin smirked at her. "At once?" He challenged, raising an eyebrow.
Ira shrugged. "We're gonna be around for a long time, remember? It'd honestly surprise me if we didn't reach five kids, even by accident."
Alduin chuckled. "Fine, I promise," he said. "Just don't come up to me in the future and suddenly ask me to take it back. Because believe me when I say I don't want to have to raise five kids at once, either."
"Even if they're just like Brii?" Ira asked, smiling down at her sleeping daughter.
Alduin nodded. "Even then."
Briiahnah was an angel of a child. She nursed every six hours, very rarely cried, and slept all night from day one (apart from once, but that was because a bird had flown into her window and woken her up). Ira really hoped that all her kids would be that way, but she doubted her luck would hold out for that long.
Ira pushed open the gate to Bag End, the hinges creaking loudly in protest and causing Briiahnah to stir in her sleep, though she didn't wake. Alduin readjusted his hold on their child just as Ira knocked on the round, green door. There was a sudden symphony of loud, excited voices that Ira would probably mistake for those of children if she didn't know the occupants of the house personally. The door swung open, and Ira was instantly barrelled into by one overly-enthusiastic Peregrin Took.
"Ira, you're here!" He cried, beaming up at her.
"Evidently," she said in amusement. "How are you all doing?"
"We're coping," Frodo said softly, smiling up at her from inside the hobbit hole. "It's difficult to get back into old life."
Ira chuckled. "How do you think I feel? I haven't had a life like this for six hundred years."
A soft coo came from Briiahnah's lips as she woke up and saw Pippin hovering over her, smiling. The girl giggled and patted his nose a few times, before she huddled closer to her father's chest. She kept her eyes open and on her godfather, though. "Hi, Grape," Pippin said quietly, tickling her chin gently. Briiahnah giggled again and swatted at his finger, wriggling her feet at the same time.
Ira let out a groan of frustration. "Why must you insist on calling her that?" She asked, waiting for Pippin and Alduin to enter the hobbit hole before going in herself, Frodo dutifully closing the door behind them all.
"Because it's her name," Pippin said simply.
"No," Ira argued, "her name is Briiahnah. Grape is the name of a fruit, not a dragoness."
"Half-dragoness," Merry piped up, smiling at her innocently when she shot him a glare for siding against her.
"Nii fen kos pruzaan wah gahvon nu, lokaal, (It would be best to give up now, love,)" Alduin said, smirking at her. "Hi fen ni kron. (You will not win.)"
"I'm allowed to make my complaints known, though," she retorted, grinning and fondly ruffling Pippin's hair. "Unfortunately, I could never stay mad at this meyuz for long."
Pippin pouted. "You're not allowed to call me something I can't understand," he protested.
"Well I just did, so suck it up," Ira replied with a grin. "So, where's the lucky fellow?"
At that moment, Sam walked in with a very pretty, curly-haired blonde on his arm. This must have been the famous Rosie Cotton who'd stolen young Master Gamgee's heart. They both smiled at her. "Ira!" Sam said enthusiastically. "I didn't know if you'd get the news in time."
Ira chuckled. "Even if we were late, I would have forced Alduin to let us come and say 'congratulations' either way."
Alduin scoffed. "You make it sound like I'd try to argue."
"You might have done, depending on your mood at the time," Ira reminded him simply. Briiahnah squealed, poking Alduin in the chest, as if agreeing with her mother's words. Alduin couldn't help the quiet laugh that rumbled up his chest as he teasingly poked Briiahnah back. She grabbed his finger and didn't let go, tugging on it insistently until Alduin relented and allowed her to start gnawing on it with her gums. Ira smiled fondly at the image in front of her and moved to whisper in Alduin's ears. "I had no idea you were such a softie."
Alduin smiled at her, his eyes gleaming in the dull light. "Only for my two best girls," he answered back, ducking down and pressing a chaste kiss onto her lips. Ira smirked at him.
"One day," she said gleefully, "that's gonna come back and bite you in the ass."
Alduin laughed along with her, saying, "I'm sure it will."
