Princess of dragons

by smilesforsale

A small child named Maya gets lost one day in the forest and wanders away from her village. Upon wandering, she eventually encounters a dragon named Skadi who after meeting the small human decides to take her in to become the first human to leave her past behind for a world of dragons, danger, action and thrill. Follow Maya on her journey and new life.

7. Departure

Departure.

5 days can feel like a long time, but it can also feel like a short amount of time. For Skadi, Embla, and Freyr, it had been a noticeably short amount of time. Every day, the family of three would leave their cave early in the morning for flight practice and come back later and later by each passing day. Skadi had her two children flying longer distances with her to build stamina and had also started doing slight terrain flying. Embla was getting more used to flying and taking off, gliding and landing were not too scary anymore either. The wind in the sky was indeed difficult for her, but she was happy that flying was sinking in well. Terrain flying, diving, and ascending was a different matter though. The sudden extremes in flying were incredibly challenging for her small body and weak muscles that it was a miracle she had not fallen off Freyr yet. She thanked whatever being or thing there was that had kept her on his back so far. She had gained a lot of courage from this new type of training and living. Being on the back of a dragon would become to be like a second home to her in due time and damn it, she would get there. Freyr had been put to the test every day so far as he had to do the hard job of flying with the extra weight, but he had become extremely good at reading how Embla was moving back there too. It almost felt empty and weird when she was not on now!

Tomorrow was the day that they would leave this cave. Skadi felt they were all ready for the journey, sure they would have to make stops now and then during the day until they have found a good spot, but she was sure both of her children would handle it. Now, Skadi was alone in the cave. She had allowed the young ones for a walk and a swim at the lake and simply play today, she herself had a lot of her own planning to do for herself. Dragon mating happens every four years and for the first time, Skadi was considering how long she would stay with her young. Every female dragon goes about bringing up their young differently, for most parts. Low-class dragons will stay at tops with them for 2 years, some leave them soon after they are born to fend and learn themselves. Higher ranked females tend to stay with their young for 4 years, however, Skadi has always only stayed for 3. She has done so in order to rest and travel as she chooses for a year before the mating season is upon them again. This time however it is different, with Embla here as well. She is considering staying for a full 4 years with them. Skadi did the math, Embla would be 10 years old in that case and Freyr would be 4. She knew Freyr would handle it, being a 4-year-old dragon but with Skadi having no experience with humans really, she was unsure how Embla would handle it. She decided to leave the matter for now and focus on something else. She looked towards the entrance of the cave and saw their dinner from last night. A moose cow carcass was laying the grass, mostly eaten but still a bit of meat left on it. A few crows were picking on it now and Skadi paid no attention to it and felt no need to chase them away. Neither she nor her young would be feeding on it anymore, so why not let the poor creatures have it. Skadi had gained her weight back from the time when she had laid her eggs and would not eat. She would no longer need to eat everyday like her children still do as they need to grow. Now, once a week, like normally, she would consume food. Winter is a harsh time to hunt for dragons, like any carnivorous being, as the cold climate slows them down a bit, but it is an incredibly effective time for young dragons to learn how to hunt. They will be forced to perfect it in order to eat. Skadi therefore will no longer be hunting for her young unless she absolutely must. She had much to think about and was grateful that her children were away for a bit to allow her the time to think. She was sure they would call for her if needed.

Embla and Freyr had been playing for a good while. Embla had been swinging from tree to tree as Freyr had been chasing her on the ground. Freyr, like a dragon, did not understand these games, but he was now too strong to play games dragons normally would with Embla, as she might get seriously injured. Instead, he happily played the games Embla wanted to play. After a while of playing and filling their bellies with water, the two were now exploring the forest on the other side of the lake, the same place where those bandits had come from who attempted to kidnap Embla a while ago. They were not going in far, rather, they were staying awfully close to the entrance. It was the last day where they as a family started their journey together and both wished to cherish this place, though its highs and lows. Embla was wearing her bag and was looking for useful things that she could take along on the journey. Knowing that the bandits had come from this location, she wished to see if they had dropped something. Freyr was a bit unsure about going this way but stuck close to his sister in case of assistance and protection. He was also unsure of what she meant by useful items but did not really question it. He was looking out towards the lake, making sure they did not go too far in as it would be hard for him to fly out through the thick trees in here. The forest here had a weird scent to him, he was not sure if it was from those bandits that had come through here or what. But he knew something was not as it should, so he had asked of Embla to not go in far.

- Look at this!

Embla suddenly shouted, catching Freyr off guard and he quickly turned his head towards her. Embla held up a dark grey cloak, something Freyr had never seen before. He leaned his head towards it and sniffed it and immediately growled. That sent was not one he enjoyed. Embla did not say anything.

- It is burnt at the bottom; this must be a cloak one of the bandits wore that kidnapped me.

She calmly spoke, no emotions showing on her face.

- No wonder I do not like the scent.

Freyr said with an annoyed tone. Embla looked at him before looking back at the cloak.

- I can wash it to get rid of the scent and then use it myself, it will come in handy during winter when it will be cold out.

She turned around and was about to put the cloak on Freyr's back but stopped as Freyr made a low annoyed growl.

- I do not want any other scent on me than yours, when it is your scent, I will carry it, but for now, if you want it, you will have to carry it.

Embla once again made no expression towards his words. She simply hung it on top of her bag as it was too big to get in there and felt happy with the find.

- What is a cloak anyway?

Freyr asked and observed Embla as it was now hanging on her bag.

- It is a fabric to wear that will help you against the cold.

She spoke. Freyr did not understand what she meant really but decided not to question it any further. She turned back into the forest and saw that there was a road up ahead. She started walking towards it whilst Freyr stayed put. There was something sparkling on the road and Embla had to investigate it.

- Embla do not walk too far, we should be heading back soon anyway, the day is passing after all.

Embla looked back.

- I know, dear Freyr, I just see something on the road here.

Embla got onto the road and stopped in front of the glistening item, she bent down to pick it up. It was a beautiful comb. Made from pure silver, Embla assumed. She was inspecting it thoroughly and did not realize that danger stood on the road. A dragon roar was heard, and Embla quickly snapped her attention at it. A young dragon, a bit smaller than Freyr with dark blue scales and a white belly, stood on the road not far away from her, looking at her as if she was dinner. His bright yellow eyes piercing her being and she felt herself freezing in the position she was in. The air suddenly felt heavy to breathe, the wind stopped blowing and it felt like time itself stood still. She had hidden last time she encountered a dragon, the previous one was an adult, she was sure this was a child but still, this one could kill her as well. Without thinking, Emblas arm twitched. The dragon noticed it and roared once again and got ready to attack but stopped when Freyr came dashing out and circled Embla. His body was next to her and his tail on the ground in front of her along with his left-wing and head. His scales standing up a little to increase size though he could make them stand up more. Freyr made a low threateningly rumble towards the young dragon, to make it clear to leave this one alone. The dragon took one step back but did not move back completely. The dark grey dragon in front of him had appeared out of nowhere and he did indeed notice the size difference between them. The human would be his dinner though and he was prepared to fight for the meal. He took a step forward, showing no inch of fear towards Freyr to Freyr's dismay. The blue dragon made another roar and a rumble in the bushed on the side of the road that leads deeper into the forest was heard, out of the bushes came another smaller dragon. Freyr and Embla observed the dragon coming out from hiding. This one was a bit smaller than the blue one in front of them. It was a turquoise dragon with the same bright yellow eyes as the blue one had. The only noticeable difference between their eyes is that the turquoise ones were slightly larger and more intense. It stopped moving once it stood next to the blue dragon and made a rumbly noise. Embla had not moved an inch as this whole scene took place, she remained in the circle Freyr had made around her. Freyr carefully studied their movements, preparing himself if they were to throw an attack any second. Once the turquoise dragon stopped next to the blue one, Freyr leaned his head slightly down to Embla and whispered to her.

- Same litter.

Freyr sniffed the air, gathering the scents the two in front of him were emitting.

- Blue is male and turquoise is female.

Embla nodded. She wished to calm the situation and herself, she took a deep breath and felt herself calming down a little. She slowly moved her hands down to her sides, the dragons observing her every move. Embla took another breath and decided to attempt a conversation in the dragon language with them, to show she could be trusted.

- Fahdon.

She spoke. The two dragons widened their eyes slightly at her for speaking their language. The female gave her brother a quick glance before they both roared at Freyr and Embla. Freyr noticed the quick glance of hesitation from the female and had hoped they would give up there and then, but the roar they both made discarded those hopes. Freyr had pretty much stayed silent for now but was getting agitated as not only was it two against one, but they were getting cocky as well. Clearly roaring to show strength and doing it together to almost brag how he was outnumbered. Once the two dragons had finished their little roar. Freyr breathed in and made a louder roar back at them to show his strength. He would not be made fun of by smaller dragons, they would learn to respect him! He was also hoping it was loud enough for Skadi to hear before they had a chance to attack as Embla might get killed. He had never fought before, rather, he is most likely less experienced than them as dragons learn how to fight by playing with their siblings. He would not show them those thoughts though, he would only exude confidence and strength. The two dragons acknowledged him for a bit by not making a noise, but they were not backing down either, therefore, they were still challenging him. Embla looked at Freyr, he was not breaking eye contact with them but turned his head ever so slightly to hear what she had to say.

- What should we do?

She whispered. Freyr was silent for a couple of seconds before answering. Not once taking his eyes off the threat in front of them though.

- For now, we need to get Monah here as quickly as possible.

- What if they attack before she gets here?

- The only thing we can do is getaway, I will attack with fire, you get on my back and we will get out of here.

Embla nodded at his plan. Now they have one if they do not back down. Embla felt worried if they were to attack though, whilst he did indeed have size and strength, two against one is still a tough battle. Hoping to aid her brother, Embla remembered she had her whistle in her bag, she slowly put her hand down in the bag and started searching for it, the young dragons were observing her carefully as she gently pulled her hand out. They have probably not attacked yet due to Freyr being here, but in a fight where there is two against one, they will most likely not back down, believing to have the upper hand. Therefore, Embla decided to assist Freyr in calling for Skadi. Embla put the whistle between her lips and blew long and hard in it. Both Freyr and the two siblings on the opposite side of them did not like the sound this close very much and it agitated one of the siblings in front of them enough to attack. The female ran towards them with fangs and claws aiming to kill the noise and whoever made it and as she got close, it was clear she was after Embla, meaning Freyr had an opening! He quickly turned his head and opened his mouth and got a good bite in at the area between her neck and her wing. Embla had reacted to the female's charge by ducking behind Freyr's wing for protection. The small female cried out at Freyr's harsh bite and jumped back to create some distance between them, and the slightly bigger blue dragon came charging right after and breathed fire at Embla and Freyr. Embla was not frozen now as Freyr was protecting her. She would not allow herself to be in his way! At the sight of the blue dragon breathing fire, she jumped behind Freyr who got in front and breathed fire back. Their fires hit each other and they both took a few steps back from the impact. Freyr was much stronger than his opponent and did not take as much damage as him. But the two dragons would not be defeated so easily and they both got ready to attack together. The three dragons were growling low at each other, showing distaste for the actions their opponent/s had made. The female started slowly walking closer to the edge of the road, ready to block their path if they tried to escape. The human would be their dinner and they were prepared to fight Freyr for it. Freyr noticed the female dragons' movement and could tell what she was planning to do. He gently pushed Embla a bit further behind him with his right-wing. She did as commanded and took a few steps back for now.

\\\\\\

Skadi had heard Freyr's roar and had started moving towards the location. It sounded like a roar for power not for help, so she had not been sure if they were in actual danger. It was when she heard Emblas' whistle that she had started running towards their location. Yes, Skadi was on her way. Worry was taking over her, but their scents were strong, so she knew they were not far. She was hoping to get there in time as her legs carried her as fast as she could. These damned trees, making it hard to fly. The scent of blood was in the air, but it was neither from Freyr or Embla, it was from a dragon. Skadi immediately realized, they were fighting another dragon and she began running as fast as she could.

/

Embla blew in her whistle again, which made both dragons shake their head a little from the sound. She quickly jumped on Freyr's back, but he too was hurting slightly from the noise. The smaller female dragon came attacking again whilst her brother made another roar, this one sounded different but Embla did not understand what it meant. Freyr did but he had no time to think about that as the female attacked him and bit him on his neck which made Freyr take a few steps back from the impact. Freyr roared in pain and anger before biting down hard on the female again who was now bleeding heavily from both wounds done by Freyr. She released her bite on Freyr, as she was getting more wounded and he did the same to her and the small female quickly ran back to her brother, too weak to fight now. The blue dragon licked his sister's wounds before charging once again. Running straight into Freyr and Embla. Embla jumped off as the smaller male imploded onto Freyr and pushed him away. She landed hard on the ground and had no time to get up as the male was turning towards her. With Freyr away, the male quickly came charging at Embla in full speed opening his mouth to bite down and run away with his prey. He jumped into the air and was coming straight towards Embla who desperately tried to crawl away. His claws opened wide to wound her so she could not escape him. As this happened Freyr quickly regained his composure and ran towards the male and bit down hard on his tail stopping him from landing on his sister and killing her. The young dragon managed to wound Emblas leg and blood was now drawn. She was injured quite a bit on her left leg now from the dragon's sharp claw and was crawling to the side of the road as Freyr and the smaller male was now in a bloodthirsty battle behind her. The male had struck her and Freyr was now seeing red after he had harmed his sister. The young female saw her opportunity to catch their prey but stopped dead in her tracks when two huge roars were heard. Yes, two huge roars were heard on either side of the road. The mothers had arrived at the sounds of their young calling for them. The two smaller dragons immediately ran up to their mother and Freyr stood still where he and the smaller male had been fighting. He had landed some good blows to the weaker male who had been overpowered by him but had still managed to get a few bites and scratches in as well. When the turquoise mother saw Embla, she immediately bent down her head to kill the pest, assuming they were fighting over food. She assumed killing the human would end this ridiculous fighting. Skadi intervened and put her head in front of her roaring angrily at the female dragon. She backed off with her young ones tucked behind her front legs. It became silent. Skadi had her scales up, giving clear signs that the human was not to be messed with, the female dragon known as Eydis, observed her in confusion and slight horror at her for protecting a human. Eydis allowed her own scales to go back down, surrendering to the stronger female as she wishes to not be on bad terms with her, but if she were to strike, she would indeed fight back. Eydis intensely observed as Freyr calmly walked up to the human and leaning down his body to help her stand up, she put her hands on his lowered head and stood up before they backed up to where Skadi's legs were. The young dragons looked at their mother, before making small roars. She would not take her eyes off the scene in front of her though. The situation was still threatening after all.

- What is going on here?

Eydis spoke. Questioning Skadi.

- I am protecting my young ones.

Skadi spoke with a clear tone, one that caught Eydis off guard. She was shocked. Skadi had not said the young one, she had said young ones. Did that mean, this human, this pest, was someone Skadi was caring for?! The thought was sickening to her and she stared at the human with detest, to which Skadi replied with a low rumble.

- You are caring for this insect?

Eydis spoke with clear distaste in her voice. Embla hid behind Freyr, clearly not expecting these thoughts and words against her. Freyr glared angrily at the larger female dragon for her comment.

- I am not caring for an insect; I am caring for my daughter.

Skadi spoke without a hint of doubt in her voice. Eydis stayed silent. Skadi had said it so clearly that she remained speechless for a second.

- Have you gone mad, old friend?

Eydis spoke, eyeing Skadi who did not like that look.

- The reason will show itself in time.

Skadi cryptically spoke. The only one remotely understanding Skadi's words were Eydis. She knew of Skadi's many mysterious powers, not to the full extent, but the reason she was so highly ranked is due to just that, her mysterious powers. Many dragons, therefore, respect the things she says and does due to what she might know. Therefore, Eydis stayed silent. Noticing her calming down, Skadi did the same and as Freyr noticed the difference in tension, he leaned down and licked his sister's wound. The young dragons behind Eydis's legs did the same. The situation had calmed down, but no one was moving yet.

- Hi nos?

Eydis spoke to her young ones who submissively looked away from her. Eydis shook her head seemingly annoyed at their actions before turning her attention and eyes onto Freyr who looked right back at her. She observed him for a bit, he was bigger than her young ones, with more muscles, and a stature that read strength.

- It seems that my young attacked the young of a higher-ranked dragon first, let me apologize on their behalf and know they will be taught better. You show clear strength young dragon, I see great things in your future.

Freyr remained silent but nodded slowly, accepting her compliments but still not liking her after the rude comments towards Embla.

- May I ask for your name?

Eydis spoke.

- Freyr and this is my sis-

- Ah yes, Freyr is a name that fits you.

Eydis interrupted him, clearly not interested to hear about this human behind him. Which made Freyr glare angrily at her. How dare she treat Embla that way? Freyr was truly getting agitated by how this dragon was acting towards his beloved sister and was about to say something but stopped when Skadi spoke.

- I believe we all have calmed down now, why not head over to the lake and calm down together, I wish to not have our friendship torn due to this, rather, allow our young to play?

Skadi spoke. To most, that would have sounded like a suggestion, to Eydis, there was a hint of order in there, they had matters to discuss. Eydis did not wish for her or her young to be in the presence of a human but she accepted the offer as she dared to not go against Skadi. The two families headed over to the lake. Embla had a hard time walking from the wound she had received, rather, it was more like she was hopping on one leg, leaning on Freyr the entire way there for support. Freyr was walking slowly as to make it easier for his sister. The wounds he had received were not deep enough to have done him any real damage, therefore, he could help Embla instead who clearly needed it. He observed her wound, her fragile skin was covered in blood and he hated seeing it but helped by licking it to get some dragon saliva in there and to stop it from bleeding too much. It stung every time he licked her, but Embla knew he was simply trying to help so she decided to grin and bear it for now. Once at the lake, the mothers laid down next to the lake as the young ones drank some water. Embla limped over to Skadi's left side where she was protected by her mother from the other dragons to drink and to wash the cloak she had found earlier. Embla was cautious and scared about the siblings and stayed close to Skadi. Once she had finished drinking and washing the cloak, she laid the cloak out on the grass next to the lake in the sun to dry it off. Once finished, she made her way over to Skadi and sat down close to her mother, on the opposite side so that Eydis would have to go through Skadi to get to her, which she believed she would not. She did not trust the mother sitting next to Skadi, nor did she trust the two siblings who wished to eat her moments ago. She made sure to stay out of their ways for now as both the wound and the harsh words from earlier were hitting her hard. When the young dragons had clenched their thirst, Eydis spoke to her young.

- Dreh ni krif.

To which her young ones nodded and walked up to Freyr, exhibiting a cat-like behavior of rubbing upon him to show affection. Embla observed their behavior but stayed next to Skadi whilst the scene was playing out. Skadi looked down to Embla who was sat down next to her with her knees tucked close to her chest, making herself even smaller.

- Embla, me, and Eydis need to discuss some matters, go join the young ones, and play.

She said with a soothing voice. Embla looked up to her mother who was looking at her with a calm expression. She glanced at Eydis for a second who showed no interest in her, rather seems annoyed that she would be interacting with her young. Embla remained silent and showed her wound to her mother. Skadi had noticed the scent of blood but had not checked on her until now. She gently pushed Embla with her wing in front of her and began licking the wound as Freyr had done earlier. The difference being, Skadi had more healing properties in her saliva than Freyr due to her being a full-grown dragon so her licks stung even more. Embla hissed but Skadi did not pay attention to that and kept on caring for her daughter. Eydis watched on, Skadi was showing a behavior any dragon would have to their young, it was disgusting to her to see it being directed to a human though. After a short amount of time, the wound had stopped bleeding and Embla would be able to walk a bit better on it now. It has not fully healed yet as dragon saliva cannot miraculously heal up a wound like that immediately, but it can numb the pain a bit which made it easier for Embla. Skadi once again urged Embla to go play with the young and Embla did as she was told and carefully started walking towards the young, hopping a little on her right leg as her left was not fully healed from the fight earlier. Freyr noticed that Embla was coming over and walked up to her. She looked up at him.

- You okay?

He calmly asked, she glanced for a second at the other two young dragons behind him who were observing them. They had sown such affection towards him moments ago but would not do so towards her. She turned her gaze back to Freyr.

- I am a bit nervous and scared, but Skadi wishes for me to play with you all.

Freyr smiled at her. A gentle breeze blew through Embla's icy blonde hair as she awaited Freyr's response.

- Do not worry, I will protect you.

Embla smiled and hugged him tight and received a lick on her cheek from her dear brother, who once again proved that he would care for her. They turned around and walked up to the young dragons who stayed silent.

- What los hin name?

Freyr asked the young dragons. It was clear they did not speak the human language yet, the communication, therefore, would have to be in the dragon language. It would put both Freyr and Embla to the test of their dragon language knowledge, as they mostly communicated in human language.

- Zu'u am Calder.

The dark blue male spoke.

- Zu'u am Ragnhild.

The turquoise female spoke.

- Ahrk hi?

Calder spoke.

- Freyr.

He casually said and turned his eyes towards Embla and gestured her to say her name when asked.

- Zu'u am Embla.

She spoke, Calder and Ragnhild were still surprised that a human knew dragon language and looked at each other for a second before turning their attention back to Embla and Freyr. Embla took some courage to her and spoke.

- Laan wah play?

She spoke. To which the dragons nodded and suddenly, despite human or dragon descent, they were all playing. In the beginning, Calder and Ragnhild were a bit cautious chasing Embla like they were with Freyr, not only was she, not a dragon but she was slowed down due to her injury as well. However, Embla herself has learned a lot about how dragons play from playing with Freyr. Whilst the dragons played together, the siblings gained confidence in playing with her as well. She moved with them like any young dragon would and kept up with them to the best of her abilities despite being weaker and smaller. It helped that Skadi's saliva had numbed her pain as well. The two dragons observed them from where they were laying. Not uttering a word during the time when their children's introduction was taking place. Eydis did not like the fact that her children were playing with a human at all but wished to not anger Skadi as she knew she did not stand a chance and it was more in her favor for future mating and allies to be on good terms with her, so she decided to bare it for now.

- You have two beautiful children I see.

Skadi spoke to Eydis, catching her off guard a bit by the compliment and breaking her stare from the small human.

- Thank you, they are part ice due to their father being Haldor.

Eydis spoke.

- That is quite a high ranked male, well done.

Skadi praised her friend some more which made Eydis smile for a second. But quickly dropped the smile as she realized, she had allowed herself to act this way when there was a human present.

- You have done well with Freyr. The alpha will be proud when their encounter takes place.

Skadi remained silent, Freyr's father is the alpha of the dragons, the highest-ranked male to breed with. Skadi is one of a few selections of females to be allowed the chance to mate with him, with Skadi being a personal favorite of his. Freyr's shade of dark grey scales mixed with her iridescent on the edges of his scales made him a very striking looking dragon, yes, Skadi was incredibly pleased with his appearance. He would indeed become extremely attractive to female dragons when getting older. Thus, making him a higher rank for being sought after.

- Was he the only one who made it out of the egg?

Eydis spoke, to which Skadi nodded.

- I lost the other three.

Eydis stayed silent.

- I only laid two eggs this time, I was sure since there were so few, none would make it. I am pleased they both survived.

Skadi chuckled.

- Even though the other three did not make it. I got a wonderful daughter instead.

Eydis's eyes became stern-looking again.

- You do realize the consequences that might happen from taking a human in, right?

She spoke, Skadi remained quiet.

- You are giving our knowledge away to another species that wish to harm us, you are putting this creature you care for in a lot of danger in the future, along with your son, you will receive some backlash towards this, you will-

Skadi looked at her dead in the eyes which interrupted everything she was going to say.

- I am aware of how this may look to an outsider, what terrible things I am putting my two young through, and myself in the future by doing this. However, you will understand one day why I did this. The future will reveal itself and by then, no one shall be against the decision I made regarding raising a human. She will never look like a dragon, but she will become one.

Skadi spoke with such mystery to her words that made Eydis second guess herself.

- What have you seen?

Eydis asked and observed Skadi's icy blue eyes that appeared to be changing into an even icier blue as if she was seeing something new. As if her mysterious powers were slightly showing themselves in front of her without her realizing.

- Enough to know that I have made the right choice.

Once again, Skadi's cryptic words had Eydis quiet. She sighed.

- Do not think I will be accepting humans from now on.

Skadi chuckled.

- I do not expect you to, I simply wish that you will not harm this one is all.

Eydis remained silent, she decided to accept what Skadi was saying, but she would not give any attention to the human either. She would leave her alone.

- How will you bring the human with you to your next home?

As Eydis asked this, Freyr came running over to the two mothers and they both turned their attention towards him.

- Monah, we wish to play in the air, may we?

He asked in his politest tone which made Skadi smile.

- Yes, but just around this meadow, not towards the forests or any mountain, stay visible.

She ordered and Freyr nodded and started running back to the other young.

- You will see Eydis, I have trained my daughter Embla as well.

Eydis turned her gaze away from Skadi back to the human. So Skadi had also given the human a dragon name. Eydis silently praised Skadi for her guts but also shunned her for her seemingly stupid decision. Though Skadi seemed very sure about her decision, Eydis would simply have to leave the matter to the fire starter herself. Eydis observed in horror, to begin with as the human got on Freyr's back and watched both Skadi's young and her own take towards the sky. Her look changed though when she saw how beautifully they flew in the air, Skadi's son definitely had more experience in flying than her own, in fact, she would go so far as to say he was on par with some dragons that are a year or two older than him! The human girl was even staying on him as they flew fast and rapidly in the sky. Diving and playing, fast turns, and going high. Indeed, the human was impressing her a little with her abilities to stay on. Skadi noticed Eydis look and smiled for herself.

- Embla is only a small human child, but by playing as a dragon and by being trained with Freyr and by herself, she has built muscles as well to keep up with the ever-changing speed and pressure from flying. She still has a lot of training to do like the more extreme types of flying is still too hard for her, but she has proven herself to have the will of a dragon to dare go against what a human normally would.

Eydis looked away, annoyed that the human impressed her for a split second, and decided to have a bit to drink instead.

- We will be leaving our cave tomorrow; you and your children can have it. I have plans of heading northwest with Freyr and Embla.

Eydis stopped drinking and raised her head back up.

- Why northwest, would there not be better to go south? There will be more food there and Freyr will have a great opportunity to grow.

Eydis spoke, Skadi knew what she was saying made sense, but she had other plans for her young. She also caught on that Eydis was only hoping for Freyr to grow up strong and not Embla but trying to talk her out of her thoughts against humans seemed pointless.

- There will be a larger number of dragons there. I wish for Freyr to become a great hunter as Freyr and Embla will be traveling together when I leave. He, therefore, needs to be able to keep himself and her alive during cold climates as well and grow his muscles in flying. I also wish to isolate Embla during the winter from other humans. She has experienced much hardship near humans, and I wish for her to grow more comfortable around us to get stronger.

- What if she wishes to go into human villages, or even more, remain in one?

Eydis questioned. Skadi hesitated for a split second which Eydis noticed. She was surprised to see the care Skadi was exhibiting towards the human.

- in time I will allow her to go into villages if needed and even if she decided to stay in one I would allow it, but for this winter, she will train and grow with us, to rid her of bad experiences she has had with humans and make her communication with dragons stronger.

Eydis had no words, she still thought Skadi was making a bad decision but decided to let Skadi do as she pleases and left the matter at that. For now, she would do as her old friend, and observe her children playing with others. Some female dragons take care of their young in groups with other females, others do it alone. No matter how one goes about it, it is good for the young ones to play with others as they grow. The two mothers knew that and remained seated without disturbing their fun.

/

The sun was setting, and the families decided to withdraw to their own homes, Skadi and her children had to get enough rest for the travel tomorrow and enjoy their last night here. As the families departed, Calder and Ragnhild rubbed up on Freyr again to show affection. Once done they started walking back towards Eydis before stopping. Eydis waiting for them to come with her was shocked to see them turning back around and walking over to Embla to show affection to her as well. Embla felt accepted by the two siblings and rubbed her nose back at them. They were a bit rough for her taste, but she would not say anything about it, rather enjoy the fact that they had accepted her as well. She was glad to know she had made more friends today. Eydis made a rumble which immediately made her young running back to her before they walked back into the forest disappearing from their sight.

Skadi laid down on the grass outside the entrance of the cave along with the children, who were exhausted from today's events. Embla was especially exhausted from the fear she had felt earlier, though that fear had subsided a bit after the fun she had experienced with the same dragons that had caused said fear. She was also tired of the injury she had received earlier. The numbness was subsiding, and she decided to lay down in the cave. Skadi's saliva had help her wound for the moment, but it would need more to heal. Skadi had Freyr explain in detail what happened today between them and Eydis's children. He did not understand why, as the situation was over, but as usual, he did as he was told and explained to her how they had attacked first and his only reason for attacking back was to protect Embla. Skadi listened to Freyr and felt relieved to hear how he had gone about it. He seemed to often surprise her with his actions towards situations.

- I am proud of you Freyr, you protected her well and did well in combat where the numbers were against you, you have shown great skill today.

Freyr looked at Skadi, but not with pride towards the praise he had received. He instead looked towards the cave and sighed.

- I am not proud. Embla got hurt and is exhausted from the event. It got better once we played with Calder and Ragnhild, but she has once again experienced a lot. I blame myself that she is wounded.

Skadi smiled at Freyr with a sad smile and gently rubbed her nose on him and licked his wounds.

- She will be wounded in the future too, all you must worry about is it not being a fatal one. Any other wound she gets, you can not blame yourself for. Whilst not having the tough skin of a dragon, she will not break like a twig.

Freyr looked unsure at her.

- Embla's weakness is that experiences like this take a huge effect on her like the bandits did a while back. I am sure in the future, she will handle it better, but for now, I feel like I could have taken care of her better. She is a cautious girl, low in confidence, most likely due to experiences like these. Freyr continued, starting to feel more worried about his sister.

Skadi intervened before he started to realize more things about her to worry about.

- Yes, those are her flaws, but she has a lot of good about her, she has an extraordinarily strong will for example. With experience comes strength and confidence, she has been put in very life-threateningly situations more than you after all, so she does fear for her life. But by working through these things she will handle them better. That is where me but mostly you come in to help guide her through it. When I am gone, that will be up to you as well. You must remember the good qualities she possesses and not worry about her weaknesses or flaws as much.

Freyr remained silent, Skadi always had something wise to say and it always made him feel like he understood more after talking to her. He looked back at the cave where Embla was and sighed.

- You know son. Things like this will change, this is not forever.

Skadi spoke, Freyr slowly turned his eyes back to her.

- Speaking of change.

Skadi continued.

- From now on, I do not need to feed every day like you and Embla, I have gained back the weight I lost when taking care of you, therefore I will leave the hunting to you now.

Freyr's eyes widened but he remained silent, feeling a slight pressure to hunt as he had not done much of that yet. Skadi glanced at the cave for a split second before looking back at Freyr.

- However, I shall do the last hunt today. You go check on her in the meantime, I suppose I can bring back a boar or something.

Skadi casually spoke before turning around and started to take off. Freyr watched her leave and sighed in relief of her hunting for them today. Once she was high up in the air, Freyr turned around and started walking towards the cave, he carefully walked inside, feeling the cool rocky texture beneath his feet, quite the difference from the soft grass that was outside and that he had been enjoying sitting on not too long ago. But it was not for the difference in surface he came in here for, no, it was for the small being curled up on her bed made of plants on the floor, laying on her right side so that her left leg did not have any pressure on it. Her face was hidden by her icy blond hair and she used her arms as a pillow. Freyr observed her for a second before carefully laying down next to her, putting his long tail on her to warm her up slightly. He noticed that she was cold and how she shuffled closer to him to receive even more warmth than what his tail was providing. He chuckled. He leaned his head over to her leg and carefully licked the wound to get more dragon saliva in there. Embla hissed but Freyr kept going.

- It hurts.

She quietly said. The wound was on her thigh, it was not that wide but it was awfully long and a little bit deep. One claw had scratched her, and that one claw did enough to harm her quite a bit.

- I know briinah but allow me to help you heal.

She nodded and Freyr kept licking the wound. Embla occasionally biting her lip at the stinging pain.

- Are you okay Zeymah? You got hurt as well.

Freyr laughed.

- My skin is much tougher, I am completely fine. Do not worry about me.

Embla removed some of her hair to show a smile to Freyr, who smiled back. Once he had finished helping her, he allowed Embla to cuddle up to him whilst they awaited Skadi's return to have the last feast in their home before departing on a new journey tomorrow.

- Thank you for protecting me today.

Embla quietly spoke. The young dragon turned his head a bit to examine her face. Her eyes were closed, and her eyebrows were twitching ever so slightly now and then, probably due to her wound. He lowered his head and closed his eyes.

- I… am ashamed.

The sad tone in his voice and the words itself made Emblas eyes open wide. She looked at him with surprise and wished to know where this was coming from.

- Even though I was there, you were wounded. Monah has explained to me that wounds will befall you and I must learn that this happens. But I can not help but feel ashamed that you were wounded like this even though I was there.

Embla remained silent for a second. Freyr has always been caring for her and be the strong one. She was surprised to see this side of him but also grateful. She sighed with a slight smile on her face. She extended her hand towards his face and gently turned his head towards her. He opened his eyes. With a sad look in his eyes, he met hers which seemed more endearing. The look she gave him puzzled him a bit. She had been wounded but she was not sad or angry?

- Silly Zeymah.

She spoke and Freyr tilted his head slightly.

- If you had not been there, I would have been lunch earlier. I am alive thanks to you. Let us focus on that.

Freyr closed his eyes and felt himself calming down after hearing those words. Monah was exceptionally good at advice and teaching him, but Embla provided words dragons do not hear. Where she gets these words from, he has no idea but no matter where they came from, they calmed him down in a vastly different way. He placed his head on her right leg as to not disturb the injured left one and exhaled deeply from the calm and soothing pets he was receiving from his dear sister.

/

Early the next morning, the family of three was getting ready to set off on a mission to find a new home. Embla had spent her morning gathering a few berries and some fruit to eat if she needed on the way. She had also gathered the cloak she washed in the lake yesterday. It had dried during the time they spent playing together yesterday with Calder and Ragnhild and it no longer had the smelt of a bandit, according to Freyr. Embla had questioned whether she should use it as a cushion to sit on or wear it but considering the air being colder higher up, she had decided to put it on. It would take up too much space in her bag to keep it in there anyway. Freyr had eaten a bit of the boar Skadi came back with last night as an energy boost for the flight they would be doing today. He would need all the energy he could muster today. He had gone outside and stretched his legs and wings and felt ready. Skadi herself had not really prepared herself much, having had other clutches and young ones before, she had certain spots she knew off that she had used. She would decide on which spot to go to, depending on what type of training she believed they needed. She had decided on a spot she used last time when she had a clutch with the alpha dragon. The young ones of his always proved to be harder working and highly determined children. Skadi observed her two young, this would be a big challenge and step for them. The first move dragons and their young ones do always weed out the weak. Skadi felt confident though, Freyr had grown a lot of muscles and therefore size doing this unusual training for a dragon. She knew that, as he was bigger than Eydis children that should have been born about the same time if not earlier than him. She observed as Embla was gently stroking his head and Freyr leaning into her hands and enjoying the touch. She would start at the top of his head and gently stroke him all the way to the nose. Their bond was strong and Skadi observed it for a little bit before standing up and walking over to them. Hearing their mother's steps, they both turned their heads towards her.

- We shall have a drink before we depart, once finished, we shall set off.

She calmly ordered and started walking towards the lake that was so familiar to them. The young started following her immediately. Summer was not over yet, and the morning sun was a clear indicator of that. There was barely any wind out, but it was as if the forest was somehow saying goodbye to them anyway. Embla carefully studied the environment as she would not be seeing it again for, she does not know how long. It felt surreal to her, to imagine herself not being here anymore. She studied every flower, bush, tree, and bird that she saw as if she would not see it again. She would see all those things again, but not here. Not for a long time. Embla would be turning 7 this fall, the age where a lot of children start various things depending on their upbringing. Some would start learning the way of the swords, some would start working various jobs, some would start education. But Embla would start to more so than ever, truly leave her human life behind. She already had, to some extent, though she believed that she truly would not be able to leave it behind. She was excited to see what more this world had to offer her; this place had always been awful to her. Bandits killing her human family, living at the orphanage, almost getting kidnapped, yes, humans had not treated her well up until now. She was therefore excited to see what more there was for her out there.

As they entered the meadow and had a bit to drink, the three of them got ready to set off. Skadi inspected Emblas's wound from the day before once again and carefully licked it to help it out as much as she could. It did not sting as much, and Embla had already shown this morning that she was able to walk on it regularly today. Skadi was pleased by this. Skadi noticed Eydis's scent in the air and made a friendly roar towards the forest where the encounter had happened yesterday. No roar came back but Skadi did not pay any attention to that, instead, she waited for Embla to get up on Freyr's back and get ready. Freyr leaned his body down, allowing Embla to get on. She buttoned her cloak around her and hopped up on his back, grabbing a hold of his spikes and settling down on him. Once ready, Skadi looked up to the sky, took a deep breath, and spoke.

- Let us be off.

And with that, they all took to the sky. Flying higher and higher to the point where they were above the few clouds that were in the sky today. The ascending was still difficult for Embla but once in the air, it was much easier to stay on her brother's back. They were gliding above the clouds, flapping their wings whenever needed to keep the height and speed regularly. Embla was glad she had decided on wearing her cloak, the air is indeed much colder up here and the winds are stronger up here. She looked back at their cave that was disappearing as they were going further and further away. The memories she had of that place were a mixture of everything, but she would still carry it close to her heart as that is where she found her new family. The views were as always stunning from up in the air. She looked down and saw a lot of new lakes and meadows she had never seen before. She was aware that where she was living was only a small spot in the grand scheme of things, but you never truly realize that until you see it from a different perspective. Embla's perspective was from the sky. She enjoyed the thought of them moving. What adventures lied ahead of them. She dared to take one hand off Freyr and was gently stroking his scaly neck. His dark grey scales had been an unusual sensation to touch when she first encountered him and Skadi but now, they felt nice to touch. It is bizarre, but due to the love she felt towards these dragons and the affection she wished to show them, scales were not abnormal to her at all. Freyr was as usual enjoying the petting his sister was giving him as they were flying high up in the air. He was noticing her confidence during flight growing, every time she dared the remove one of her small hands that were holding onto him tightly. As much as he enjoyed her confidence and signs of affection, he also liked to feel how she needed him by holding onto him. Skadi was checking to make sure her young kept up every now and then, she was sure they would keep up as Freyr showed impressive skills in fighting and flying for a dragon his age. However, they were not the only dragons in the sky. Many were moving during this time of year and older males would circulate the skies to find young dragons to kill to beat the competition in the future. The never-ending journey for mating and rank was something that drove a lot of younger males from various ranks into a sort of rage if you will. She was sure none would attack if Freyr and Embla stayed close by, but if they were too far away, they would surely strike. Skadi therefore sniffed and looked around a lot to make sure this would go as smooth as possible.

After a few hours of flying, Embla was noticing her and Freyr slowing down a little. She looked down at her brother who seemed very tired and realized he needed a break. Skadi had a quick pace, one that Freyr could not maintain much longer due to Embla being on his back. The days before their move they would indeed stay out longer for flying practice, but they would take breaks as well. Embla felt worried about seeing her brother's expression. He seemed to refuse to ask Skadi for a break. Embla decided to say it for him as she was worried, he might pass out as Skadi had mentioned before.

- Monah, Freyr might need a break.

Skadi quickly turned her head and saw the expression on her sons' face. He seemed to be in pain barely keeping his eyes open. Skadi felt how anger was bubbling inside her but swallowed it for now. She would be sure to have a word with him on the ground.

- Follow me Freyr.

She simply said. Freyr did not wish to land yet but was at the same time happy to finally rest. He had intended to push himself more so he would get stronger but realized as they were descending that rest is truly needed right now. Below them was a forest with a large lake. No mountains or caves insight but Skadi did spot a large oak tree not far from the lake where they could land and relax by for now. No dragons seemed to be nearby either. Everything seemed very well. They landed next to the lake and Embla quickly got off Freyr who immediately laid down from exhaustion. She was about to sit down and pet him when she heard Skadi speak with a tone which she had never heard before. Skadi was furious.

- Do not touch him right now!

Her tone was harsh. It made Embla stop immediately and she retracted her hand. She did not even dare to look at Skadi right now. Skadi was not angry with Embla though. No, it was her son that she was angry with and she planned to make it clear why that was.

- Embla, move away from Freyr for now.

Skadi said with a much gentler tone but a very pointed one as well. Embla did not dare right now to do anything else than what Skadi asked of her. She gave Freyr a quick glance of worry as he was breathing heavy. He did not look at her, he had his eyes fixated on the ground right now. Knowing full well that his mother was displeased with him. Once Embla had stepped back, Skadi turned her gaze back towards her son and unleashed her thoughts on what had just happened.

- How dare you.

Skadi started.

- How dare you to put both your life and Emblas life in danger like that?!

She was not shouting at him, but the words were very much filled with anger right now. Freyr had stopped breathing heavily but was still laying on the ground, refusing or rather, not being able to look her in the eyes.

- You were not far away from passing out. Thank your sister for noticing and notifying me because if we would have flown for just a bit longer…

Skadi did not finish the sentence.

- That was reckless. So very reckless. You are to realize that. I will not have you push yourself too hard for what, to prove something?

- That is not it!

Freyr suddenly shouted.

- Then share with me, what was so important there, that you had to risk two lives?

Freyr hesitated for a moment. He closed his eyes and slowly sat up. Once seated, he raised his head slightly and looked at Skadi. He kept his head low to show obedience to her.

- I did not mean to risk any of our lives. I wished to push myself further than what I had done during the days of us practicing flying. I wanted to go further than I previously had with Embla on my back.

Skadi listened but was not convinced.

- You were being selfish.

Freyr lowered his head more.

- I… guess I was. I did not mean to put our lives in danger. I did not mean to do that at all. I apologize, Monah, I shall not do it again.

Skadi squinted her eyes at him.

- I will only accept your apology as a sign you will not do anything like this again and that you will heed my words. But Embla is the one who deserves your biggest apology. For your selfish desires, you almost killed her.

The truth and reality of Skadi's words his Freyr hard. He never intended and never will intend to harm Embla. All he wanted was to push himself further, to become stronger for himself and for her. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head in shame at what he had done. How did he not realize the danger that he had put her in? How was he that foolish? He had sworn to protect her yet he almost… Freyr could not even bring himself to think about losing her. Dragons do not cry. But Embla, who was watching from the side, saw how Freyr reacted and she knew, that if they could cry, he would have done so now. She was holding her hands in front of her mouth. She did not know how to react to what had just happened. She felt sorry for Freyr. She knew he only meant well but she did not shy away from what Skadi was saying either. She understood both sides. After a few moments, she attempted to break the silence.

- Erm, I am fine so please do not-

- IT IS NOT FINE!

Freyr interrupted with an angry and desperate tone. Embla did not continue, she waited for Freyr instead. Freyr slowly turned his lower head towards her.

- Do not shy away from this. Embla might be forgiving of you, but until you have faced this situation and faced it straight on, I will not be.

Skadi spoke with a decisive tone. Freyr did not speak for a moment. He did not know how to apologize to her for this grave mistake that he has done. He cares for Embla more than anything. He slowly opened his eyes and met Emblas worried ones.

- I do not know how I could possibly apologize for doing something like this towards you, my dearest Embla.

He paused.

- But please know that I am so sorry for what I have done.

Everything became quiet. The only thing that was heard was the leaves fluttering in the wind. Embla swallowed and stood up and carefully walked up to her brother. She kneeled and hugged him around his scaly neck.

- Of Freyr. I thank you for the apology, however, you looked to be in so much pain. I hope that you are okay now.

Skadi closed her eyes and allowed her young to hold each other. She had almost hoped Embla would have been harsher on him but knew that she is too kind for that. Her anger subsided and she went back to using her normal tone.

- We shall rest here for the night. There is a large oak tree nearby this lake here where we can sleep. It was good that we did not keep flying if you were so exhausted Freyr. Not far from here is a vast sea which we must pass in one go. I expect you to rest and be able to do so tomorrow.

Skadi started to walk towards the large oak tree. You could see its tree crown above all the other trees nearby so Skadi knew they would find it. She would leave them alone for now though. She knew Freyr was probably too embarrassed to speak in front of her right now and would only do so once he and Embla were fine. Freyr did not answer Skadi and Embla was simply holding him. He did not move, even though he would normally nuzzle her back. After Skadi had left, Embla released her hold of him and attempted to look in his eyes. He would not grant her that, he was too ashamed of himself right now.

- Freyr, please look at me.

He did not answer her and did not comply with her wish either. It started to really worry her. She gently placed her hand under his chin and raised it up.

- Please talk to me Freyr. You have helped me so much in the past. Allow me now to help you.

Freyr stayed silent for a while longer. He was too ashamed to look at her. However, he did notice the concern in her voice, so he forced himself to speak.

- I am ashamed, Embla. Yesterday I could not protect you from harm and today, I almost killed you.

Embla was aware that these were his thoughts. She knows him well enough by now to know that. She just wished for him to speak with her and to not let this take over him to the point where he would not dare to speak. She stroked the bridge between his eyes.

- I am aware these thoughts are in your head. There really is nothing I can say to change them. But will you do this again?

That question made him fully open his eyes and look at her.

- No, never!

He desperately spoke. Embla smiled at him.

- Then it is okay. You made a mistake. I have made plenty now and will do plenty more. Mistakes happen and if I have learned anything from being with you and Skadi, it's about how we grow from the mistakes that shape us as beings.

Fryer looked at Embla, not sure how she could be so kind to him even after this.

- But I almost killed you. How can you treat me with such kindness even now?

Embla wrapped her small arms gently around his head, closed her eyes, and smiled.

- Because I love you Freyr, and although dragons do not have a word for it. I know you love me too. I know that all you do is ultimately done to protect me. I was never angry with you regarding what happened. I was worried about you because you seemed to be in pain. I want you to allow yourself to take care of yourself as much as you take care of me.

Freyr was shocked at her words, but just like last night, her words hit him so differently, then a dragon does. This must be due to her being human. Her words are sweet and filled with care and they always make him care for her more. Freyr finally moved his body, he wrapped his tail and wings around the small human and held her close to him. Embla moved her arms from his head down to his neck and hugged him back. Freyr lifted his head up and looked down at the smaller being who looked back at him.

- I may not know what love is that you speak of. But I promise to treat you better.

Freyr spoke.

- And yourself too.

Embla spoke to which Freyr could not help but smile at.

- Yes, and myself.

He lowered his head and licked her cheek which he received a giggle from Embla. The two siblings stayed like that for a good while before walking towards the large oak tree together. When Skadi saw them, she saw them smiling towards each other and she could not help but smile as well. She did not know what Embla had said. But it seems like she managed to calm him down. She will have a calmer talk with him once Embla is asleep later though.

The rest of the evening was spent in this forest. As Skadi had said earlier. This would be their resting place for the night as Freyr needed it. They had indeed flown for much longer than they ever had during practice and had gone a longer distance than Skadi had expected. But he needs to rest for the long-distance over the sea tomorrow. Due to his state right now, Skadi had gone hunting for her two children tonight as well and after the feast of the boar she had caught, she had put Embla to bed first. She wished to have a calmer conversation with her son to ease the tension between them. Skadi had made a fire for Embla to keep her warm whilst they sat further away.

- Are you feeling calmer now?

She started. She knew he was still troubled by what happened earlier.

- Yes, but I have a hard time struggling with realizing what I did and how to grow. Please, Monah, guide me.

Freyr calmly spoke. Skadi did not expect him to be upfront about it.

- What did Embla say?

Freyr glanced at Skadi who was looking down at him. He turned his gaze towards his sister.

- She was not angry. Rather, she was worried. I believe she did not realize the danger of what could have been. She was worried about me as I was in pain. She wished for me to take care of myself just as much as I care for her.

Skadi smiled after hearing that.

- Embla is truly kind.

She spoke. Freyr looked away.

- I do not deserve it.

Skadi observed him.

- But you do Freyr. You believe yourself to not be deserving right now.

He turned his eyes towards Skadi.

- I know you mean well by always pushing yourself during training. You do it to become stronger, but not just for you, but for her as well. That is very admirable of you. I am sure now that you realize that what you did today was a grave mistake.

Freyr looked away.

- But just like what Embla said. What you need to realize and do from now on in order to grow from this, is to take care of yourself too. Embla cares for you as well you know. She wishes for you to be well and happy too.

Freyr nodded.

- Yes, she said that.

Skadi chuckled.

- What Embla said is the guidance you need. Accepting that it happened and letting it go is something only you can do. How long will you torment yourself over it, whilst the rest of us moves on?

- I will not torment myself, but I am uncertain if I can forget it.

Skadi closed her eyes at his reply.

- I suppose some things you simply cannot forget. They will be a memory forever. That is not a bad thing though. That is how we grow.

Freyr observed his mother whilst she was speaking.

- You always talk about growth monah, why is that?

- Growth is something every living being does. From the smallest flower to the largest of dragons, we continuously grow. The plants do not allow themselves to die just simply because they can not reach the sun from where they are planted. They grow in order to reach it. Even if the flower dies from lack of sunlight, its seeds will be planted where the sun reaches, and they will grow from there. The trees do not regret letting their leaves fall during autumn, as they know they shall grow back in spring. We all grow my young one. Realizing this will give you another way of looking at things. Life, mistakes, successes, the environment yes everything really. This is the wisdom that I shall pass on to you.

Freyr simply listened to his mother's wise words, as he always does. Whilst he may never forget about this incident if he can grow from it like trees grow then he will become stronger. Just like the large oak tree in front of them. Freyr smiles at the thought and Skadi felt proud of him.