A/N - Spelling errors in the previous chapter have been fixed. I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get on those but I usually wright at night when my brain is mushy and playable.

Anyway, here's the next chapter, on time for a change.

Happy reading everyone.

Wings of Freedom

Chapter 21

~Day 31~

~Well, today is the day~

~It has been two weeks since the kids were presented before the eggs and one has yet to hatch for Mikasa~

~I am admittedly less concerned for her mental state should an egg not hatch, now that I have had the chance to talk to her and help her though it, but on a personal level, I do hope that one decides to hatch. These kids have already suffered enough as it is and the last thing they deserve is to be ripped apart by this~

~On a lighter note, Scarlett is now four weeks old and apparently with all the training and stress over Mikasa, Eren has forgotten the significance of this, which I look forward to reminding him of today~

Roy set the pen down and closed his book with a sigh. He then glanced down at the kids on the ground floor. Eren was exercising with Scarlett, trying to get his strength up and Armin was absorbed in a book on magic while he simultaneously held a magical light over his off hand to practice how long he could keep it up. It still amazed Roy how Armin took to magic like a fish to water and how much he devoted himself to studying whatever subject Roy gave him. Though Roy's admiration was somewhat diminished by the combination of cuteness and humor that was the baby Dragon sitting on Armin's head, which was apparently the little reptiles favorite place to be when he wasn't sniffing everything in reach.

Roy's mood took a dive though, as he looked to the last of the kids, who was practicing a routine of sword motions that Roy had taught her, but her mind obviously wasn't on her work as she kept glancing over at his and Thalia's room, waiting and hoping for an egg to hatch.

Roy cast his eyes over in the direction of the eggs as well, and Thalia who was looking over them "anything?" he asked his Dragon, who gave a sad hum "no, nothing" she answered and Roy gave a sigh before looking over the room again. They may have hid it well but Roy could tell they were all worried well, maybe I can at least help lift Eren and Scarlett's spirits Roy thought to himself as he started making his way down "hay Eren!" He called out and the boy stopped mid sit-up as he and his Dragon, who was holding his feet down, looked to him "yah?" he answered and Roy smiled "think you can give me a hand with something?" he asked and Eren nodded as he got up and started walking over to him.

Roy went ahead and made his way over to the little workshop he had sung out of the tree "you're getting better at speaking their language" Thalia suddenly chimed in and Roy hummed as he thought it over I suppose I am he thought. He still had a thick accent but he sentences we're getting smoother.

Roy brushes this train of thought aside as he opened the door to the small workshop and Eren caught up with him "so what do you need help with?" he asked but Roy simply chuckled "you'll see" he answers cryptically, much to the boy's confusion. Eren's attention was quickly pulled to the room it's self though as he entered. He and the other kids, hadn't really ever been in here yet, not that it was off limits or anything like that, it just never came up and they had been pretty busy with training. There were shelves lined with basic tools and material and even some fabrics. But what really caught Eren's attention was the half dismantled set of O.D.M. Gear, sitting on the work bench.

Eren gasped slightly upon seeing it "wow, you have O.D.M. Gear!?" he said with surprise. Roy looked over at Eren with confusion for a moment, before following his gaze "oh, so that's what it's called. Yah I've been trying to figure out how it works but between how much more advanced it is then anything from back home and trying to find Scarlett's egg and now training you guys, I've had to put that project on hold" Roy explained.

Eren couldn't help but stare at the O.D.M. with an almost dreamy expression as he couldn't help imagining how he might have trained to use it in another life. But then again if Roy could figure it out, then maybe he still could one day.

Eren was snapped out of his fantasy by Roy tapping his shoulder "come on, help me with this" he said as he stood on the other side of a bundle of leather straps and padding. Eren quickly moved to the other side and helped lift it up and carry it outside "so what is this thing anyway and where are we taking it?" Eren asked with a bit of strain in his voice but Roy just chuckled again "you still don't remember huh?" he said and Eren arched a confused eyebrow at him, eliciting another chuckled "right next to Scarlett will be fine" he finally answered as they moved over next to the equity curios Dragon.

The two let it fall to the ground and Eren whipped his brow as Roy smacked the dust from his hands "as for what it's for, I made it for once Scarlett was four weeks old" he said and the bonded pair looked at him with confusion "what are you talking about? Why would-" Scarlett paused mid sentence as her eyes widened with realization "wait, you mean?" she trailed off with excitement and Thalia decided to walk up and join them "yes, it is time my hatchling" she answered for Roy and Scarlett gave a happy roar, gaining everyone's attention "what's going on?" Mikasa asked as her and Armin, still with his Dragon on his head, gathered around.

Eren crosses his arms with an impatient frown "that's what's I'd like to know" he muttered. Normally he'd be willing to endure Roy's occasional cryptic teasing, but that changed once his Dragon was in on it and not revealing anything. The older Rider just smiled though "it's a saddle Eren" he said but the boy just tilted his head in confusion "a saddle? Why would-" Eren mimicked his Dragon's earlier reaction as it suddenly dawned on him and he gasped before looking between the saddled and his Dragon and taking note of how much she had grow, now at the size of a small horse.

Roy laughed a little at the boy "now you get it! Come on, I'll show you how to put it on" he said and Eren nodded vigorously as Roy unfolded the saddle and walked him through strapping it to Scarlett, though the Dragon didn't help much as she pranced with excitement and the others observed with smiles.

It took about fifteen minutes in total to get the saddle strapped down comfortably and snugly and for Roy to check that it was secure. Now they were all standing at the entrance with the two flight worthy Dragons lined up and Roy standing by Scarlett, ready to help Eren up into the saddle. The boy just stood there for a second though as he looked over his Dragon with her new saddle, ready to take flight and he took a deep breath before walking up to Scarlett and climbing up on the Dragon's back.

Eren immediately felt a rush go up his spine as he settled into the saddle and he could tell Scarlett felt it too, it just felt right to be up on her back. He was so caught up in the feeling that Eren almost missed Roy helping him strap himself to the saddle before walking over to his own Dragon.

Roy climbed his own Dragon's considerably larger saddle but gave Eren and Scarlett a moment as Eren felt the grooves and stitches of the saddle and felt the rhythmic rise and fall of his Dragon's back. Scarlett then looked back at him "ready to feel true freedom?" she asked and Eren smiled as he gripped the handles of the saddle tightly. Eren did spare one last look back at his friends though and a ping of guilt flashed though him upon seeing Mikasa, but the smile she flash him helped beat it back down as they waved and nodded to him with smiles. Eren then looked up at Roy who gave him a nod and Eren turned forward again to look his Dragon in the eye "let's do this" he said and she gave happy roar "then hold on tight" Scarlett warned as she stood up and Eren gripped the saddled tighter and instinctively leaned forward.

Eren felt his heart start racing faster and faster as Scarlett stood and stretched her wings. Then, like an arrow from a bow that had been drawn for far too long, the young dragon shot forth and out of the tree "WHOAAAAAAAAA!"Eren couldn't help but scream as Scarlett dive-bombed with Thalia hot on her tail. But then the Dragon unfurled her wings as they drew closer to the ground and Eren's screams turned from that of terror to that of joy as they suddenly pulled up and gained altitude.

Scarlett roared and Eren laughed as they bobbed and weaved though the trees at high speed and Eren relished the rush of adrenaline and the feeling of the wind pelting his face, even as his stomach lagged behind. Then Scarlett started going up higher and higher, braking the tree line and continuing to climb until they grazed the clouds and suddenly the rush and adrenaline gave way to awe and Eren gave the widest smile he had in a long time, as he gazed out at the beautiful landscape, complimented by a rainbow from the previous day's storm this is amazing! Eren though and Scarlett hummed below him "told you" she commented as Thalia and Roy, came up beside the two as they continued to take in the atmosphere and the rush of the wind.

Meanwhile, back in the tree, Armin and Mikasa continued to watch them fly with smiles as they heard Eren laugh like a madman until they were out of sight. The Dragon on Armin's head gave a tiny roar before jumping off Armin's head with his wings out, as if he wanted to join the other Dragons in the sky and Armin panicked for a moment as he scrambled to catch the hatchling. Armin gave the baby Dragon a less then amused look as he held him but it quickly broke as the Dragon turned on the puppy-dog eyes and Armin gave a defeated sigh "fine, you can practice flying, but do it inside the tree" he said and the young Dragon yipped happily as Armin started carrying him back into the tree.

Armin paused for a moment to look back at Mikasa though "hay Mikasa…" he called out and she turned to face him with her usual mask "I'm fine Armin, you go ahead" she reassured him. Armin hesitated for a moment though. He and Eren had gotten good at seeing through that mask of her's in the time they'd known her, at least when it matter and he could tell she was still a little upset but not as bad as she had been. The Dragon in his arms protested the delay and Armin gave a reluctant sigh "well you know where to find me if you need anything" he said before turning back to his Dragon with a smile as he carried the hatchling further in and Mikasa stayed behind, watching for Eren and Scarlett as they occasionally flew into view.

Armin walked about a third of the way up the steps to the upper level as he held his excited Dragon "ok now be careful with the landing" he warned the hatchling who snorted in acknowledgement, but Armin didn't need to be bonded to the little Dragon to tell he wasn't really paying attention. Never the less, Armin held up the baby Dragon as he snapped out his wings with a light toss, the Dragon started gliding to the ground with a happy little roar.

Unfortunately, the little hatchling didn't have very good control over where he was going and Armin saw where his, not quite strait, flight path, was taking him "no wait, not in there! That's Roy and Thalia's room!" he called out before racing down after the little Dragon.

The Dragon landed with a light thump and his back end was thrown in the air slightly as his belly slid against the floor. The Dragon quickly jumped back to his feet though with a happy hum.

CRACK!

The hatchling's attention immediately snapped deeper into the room as his more sensitive ears, picked up on a sound the two-legs had missed, and as was usual for this particular Dragon, his curiosity got the better of him as he pounced further in "hay, where'd you go!?" Armin called out as he made it to the dragon sized entrance to the room, pushing the leafy vines that formed a curtain between it and the rest of the tree away.

Armin glanced around the dark room with anxiety. It wasn't like Roy's room was off limits or anything but it was still his and Thalia personally space and Armin didn't like intruding in it without permission "come on, we shouldn't be in here!" he called to his Dragon and heard a chirp in response but no Dragon was forthcoming. Armin gave an exasperated sigh as he felt his Dragon's curiosity flowing off him if curiosity killed the cat then this Dragon will be the death of me Armin halfheartedly joked to himself as he followed their link further in while casting a light spell to see better, the orb of light shining over his palm and he cupped his hand and aimed his palm so it shined somewhat like a flashlight.

Armin continued to fallow his link and the sound of chirping while shining his green tented light to the floor in front of him until he came to the other side of the bed, where the eggs were kept and found the Dragon sitting in something "there you are. What do thing you're doing wandering in here like that? And what are you sitting in?" he asked, as the Dragon chirped at him and actually looked a little sheepish under his scolding.

As Armin got closer and shined his light on the Dragon he felt sudden surge of panic when he noticed that what the Dragon was sitting in, looked a little like a broken bowl "oh no, you didn't brake something did you!?" He said with worry as he rushed over, but as he picked his Dragon up, he felt something slimy on him and he noticed that the thing was too thin to be a bowl "what is this?" he pondered aloud as he set the Dragon down and picked up what he had been sitting in "wait this looks like a-" Armin cut himself off with a gasped as he realized what it was he was holding.

Mikasa was sitting at the entrance to the treehouse as she gazed up at Eren, soaring through the air with Scarlett and as much as she hated herself for it, she was envious of them and a little sliver of her depression came creeping back to haunt her.

Eren and the others may still be hopeful but by this point Mikasa had excepted the truth for what it was. Life was cruel and she wasn't going to become a Rider, she had excepted that. It didn't make it sting any less but still.

Mikasa took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and remember her talk with Roy I won't give up, even if this is my fate she thought to herself before opening her eyes again and looking back up towards Eren. So caught in own her introspection was she, that Mikasa didn't notice the squeaks and chirps behind her I won't let go, no matter how cruel the world is she though with determination as she stared intently into the sky.

SQUEAK!

Mikasa gave an amused sigh, thinking Armin's Dragon was behind her "come on, you know Armin-" Mikasa froze up as she turned around and her eyes widened to the size of plate as her jaw came unhinged at what she saw behind her.

Eren had only three words to describe what he was feeling at the moment this is Freedom he thought as they flew high up in the clouds and he felt Scarlett's wings beat in a strong, rhythmic pattern. He could already tell this would be like drug to him from now on. He was so high in it right now that he didn't even care about the cold winds biting at his face and body through his thin shirt. He would need to start warring thicker clothing or learn some wards to stave off the cold in the feature.

Scarlett glanced back at Eren as they circled back around with Thalia "there is nothing else like it, is there?" she said and Eren nodded with a smile "no there isn't. I almost never want to leave it" he admitted as he basked in the open air and reached up to stoke a cloud as they passed. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Except for maybe Mikasa screaming at the top of her lounges in agonizing pain. A sound so foreign to Eren that his brain almost didn't believe it actually happened as he sat there frozen in the saddle with wide eyes.

After a moment though, Eren snapped out of it with a gasp as he, Roy and the Dragons, turned their gazes down to the treehouse "MIKASA!" Eren yelled out as they all dived for the tree.

The Dragons quickly came in for a landing and the Riders waisted no time in hopping off and rushing to Mikasa, who was passed out on the floor. Eren did have to unstrap himself though, which gave Roy a head start. Once he was down though, he heard Thalia yelp and freeze up along with everyone else.

Eren couldn't help but stare in bewilderment as Roy and Thalia both stood frozen in place and then he noticed Armin standing there frozen as well as he held his Dragon with his moth hanging open what the heck are they just standing around for!? Eren mentally yelled as he ran to Mikasa's side and went to his knees next to her.

Eren looked her over and felt her forehead. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with her so why was she out cold "my stars!" Scarlett suddenly called out in shock and Eren glanced at her in confusion as she was now standing there frozen too what the heck is-

SQUEAK!

Now it was Eren's turn to freeze up momentarily as he looked down to see a scaly little tail, sticking up from behind Mikasa and soon after a head of midnight black scales and equally black eyes with four black nubs for horns, shot up.

Eren stared for a long moment before a wide grin stretched across his face as the little Dragon hoped up on top of Mikasa, showing it's already massive wingspan that dragged the ground, with light grey dots speckled across them like stars on a night sky, with a similar speckled pattern along it's belly and up the bottom of it's neck and around it's cheeks a little, it didn't have any spines down it's back yet though.

SQUEAK!

Eren'a grin disappeared as another squeak rang out…from behind Mikasa again, and another head popped up and this time, Eren allowed his jaw to drop too as he finally understood what caused the others to stove up like they did two of them!? he thought with disbelief.

The second hatchling was covered in grey scales as it crawled up next to the other one. This one's wings weren't nearly as big as the other, but they were thicker with scales then any of the other Dragons and actually seamed a bit heavy, with black stripes running down the length of the wings and down the spine from the crown of the head, which already had spikes growing along with four horns like the first.

There was a thud as Roy fell to his knees next to Eren and carefully lifted Mikasa's hands, to reveal two silver marks on each palm "I…I can't believe it…"he muttered and Eren turned his gaze up to Roy "I thought you said Riders couldn't bond to more then one Dragon?" He asked and Roy shook his head "I said Riders who are already bonded were exempt, not that a Rider couldn't be bonded to two Dragons, but for it to actually happen…this is such a rare thing that even before the fall, I'm not sure if there was even a livening pair-…" Roy paused to think over the terminology "trio?…well, you get the idea" he finished as the others seamed to get their nerve back and gathered around.

Eren then looked back down at the two hatchlings as they sat on Mikasa's chest and stomach. The grey one sniffing at her face while the black one was content to just lay down on her stomach while giving a yawn.

Then, as the shock wore off, Eren gave the second biggest smile of the day before thrusting his hands in the air with a triumphant laugh that seamed almost contagious as the other started smiling and the Dragons gave happy roars.

Roy then picked Mikasa up carefully and cared her to her room, which he recently finished and set her down to rest and recover. Mikasa was a Dragon Rider now, they all were, and the others followed with happy smiles, exited for her to awaken.

But Roy's smile hid his worry as he glanced over at Thalia and she gave a subtle hum of agreement. They could no longer pass this off as coincidence. This was the third time the bonding process had knocked one of them unconscious, even if this time was different from most others, and they would need to investigate.

But that could wait until after Mikasa awoke. They couldn't really examine her without her consent and besides, there was no reason to dampen the mood when everyone was so happy after weeks of stress.

Everyone was happy, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

A/N -

Finally! I've been waiting to write this one for a while now, and now all of them have Dragons.

Now I would just like to say that I'm not just B.S.ing some Riders being bonded to two Dragons. To my knowledge, it is cannon for the books, just extremely rare.

Also this is another big mile marker for me as this story is now past everything I had outlined before the rewrite and it has vastly changed since the original idea, but for the better I think. I do feel the ending of this chapter might have been a little weak, but I didn't want it to stretched out another moth before posting.

Anyway, please leave your thoughts on the story so far. Reviews for the site may still be messed up but I still get it in E-mail. Thanks for reading everyone.