Lucy, Erza, Endoura, and the exceeds sat outside of the cave around a fire and started munching on the dried deer Endoura packed and drinking water from the deerskin. As the sun started to set the sound of a roar echoed out from the cave and then all went quiet.
Endoura just smiled and started to get ready to sleep on the bedrolls she packed for the group. Lucy and Erza were about to question what that was but saw that it didn't worry Endoura and slowly went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Natsu blinked his eyes open and looked at the cool body lying in his arms. Gray was breathing easy and smelled utterly happy and content. Natsu just purred and nuzzled his face into the crook of Gray's neck where he could see the curve of the scars his teeth made.
His own smell was emanating from it to show other dragons that this prize was his and only meant for him to enjoy to full extent. In the next moment, he conceived out of the happy moment of scenting Gray more he felt the need to eat and drink.
Reluctantly Natsu left the nest they shared and went hunting. There was a lot of elk in this cave and the water was clean and filling. Not knowing how much food would be eaten Natsu just brought back a large female elk.
Once he got back to the nest he saw Gray stretching like a cat and inspecting his body. When his eyes landed on the large scar on his foot he ran his fingers across it. It was healed and white. He moved his foot around and wiggled his toes to see that if he had broken any bones.
No, everything appeared fine with it. Gray then ran his fingers over the sides of his neck to find the ridged scar where Natsu bit him. That was healed as well and the feel of some magic emanated from it. The magic felt hot and strong, ready to flare up at any moment to jump in and protect him.
Gray sighed as he stroked the scar on his neck. Doing so felt so relaxing and arousing at the same time. But his body was completely spent from the activity of mating and the dragon force.
The sound of leaves crunching and the ground giving under weight made Gray look behind him. Natsu was pulling the corpse of an elk behind him. Gray just smiled and turned back to look at the scenery around him as he spoke.
"You know that if I thought you were a predator I could very easily kill you."
"You know I'm a predator and yet I'm still alive."
"Hmph. True, to a certain degree."
Natsu dropped the elk and sat behind Gray and started to rub his shoulders. A purr of appreciation left Gray's throat, both at the provided meal and the soft rubbing.
"So tell me where do we go from here."
It wasn't a question all that much just a statement to reinforce what was going to happen in the future. Gray let out a long breath of air through his nose and moaned, collecting his thoughts.
"Well, I was thinking that not much would change. Other than the fact that I'm ready to be much more intimate with you now after my heat. Wait for your rut, have more uninhibited sex, wait the rest of the year till fall and have a synced mating to fully claim one another and if that season proves fruitful. Hole up in a cave and give birth to your child. Sounds about right to me. And obviously the normal people stuff."
Gray looked over his shoulder at Natsu with lidded eyes that sparkled with love and desire. That look alone made Natsu's blood boil and start a journey south. Gray smelled it and proceeded to slowly lick his lips.
"So we're continuing this relationship. That sounds quite nice to me."
"Yes, it does. We'll just have to watch out for obvious threats to it."
"Threats?"
Gray sighed and wished he didn't have to explain this to Natsu like a child, but Igneel didn't seem to want to go over the basics of mated relationships. Probably due to the shame he felt for what he had done to Gray's mother.
"Yes, we are not a fully mated pair. We have mated yes, but I could easily be taken by a male whose rut is closer to my heat so the time to sync would be much shorter than what our sync period is.
For example, if a water dragon were to appear for some reason he could easily override your claim by simply going into a rut and claiming me. I would then be bound to him by summer because I've already had my heat and my body will adjust accordingly to the magic imbued in the scar of my neck.
You might have claimed me first but he will have the rights to my life after the synced session."
Gray smiled at hearing Natsu growl at the thought of losing Gray to someone with a rut closer to Gray's heat than his. His arms curled tightly around Gray's body. To placate Natsu Gray purred and rubbed their checks together.
"But the opposite is also true. I could still be your mate but if a female or male with a heat close to your rut you could claim easily. If you wanted you could have many 'mates'. That's how many dragons were. Multiple mates larger number of hatchlings and more likely chance to spread genes.
But that had drawbacks. The chance of unconscious inbreeding was much higher in those dragon families, which lead to weaker fledglings that took longer to hatch than the normal year.
It was later looked down to have more than two mates after many deaths due to inbreeding and no introduction of new genes was limited.
That was also around the time ice dragons became used as secondary mates. Nothing but a spare for any other dragon's mate to live. The only dragon that bred an ice dragon was the dragon's true or first mate."
Tears started to form in Gray's eyes as the thought of the pain of his kind. Being ripped from their family and not being able to pass down genes for strong children.
Natsu just moved to start licking at the salt water drops running down Gray's cheeks purring to rid him of his fears.
"I will never let you go. You are so beautiful, smart, and strong. I'm so happy that I was lucky enough to win your heart and have you carry my children."
Gray smiled as happy tears came down from his eyes as he kissed Natsu on the lips and tasted a mix of spice and grapes. To him, Natsu smelled and tasted just like spiced wine and got him just as intoxicated. He was finding that he was starting to become addicted. Dependent on the spit-fire he gave his heart to. He just hoped everything would turn out alright in the end of their lives.
When they stopped to catch their breath Gray spoke again.
"You know with use being the types we are we could have extremely powerful children. A sun and moon dragon to be exact. But in order for that to happen, they need to be twins."
"Can't wait to try to get you pregnant with them."
With those last words and one more deep kiss with very heavy petting, they fell back to sleep waiting for the sun to rise for the new dawn.
The sun rose from the horizon and a blissed-out Gray walked out of the cave. He saw Endoura rummaging through her knapsack. The sound of his feet crunching the snow made one of her pointed ears twitch and she simply threw some clothes towards him.
"We'll head to Markarth after we all eat. I'll wake the others and we'll be on our way in a bit."
Gray just smiled at the elf and walked back in to change clothes and give some to Natsu.
The group ate a breakfast of venison and slaughterfish stew. Then got on their horses and started to head down the mountain and towards Markarth. Or as Endoura called it the city of stone. As the horses walked the silence quite thick. With Gray staying as close to Natsu as the horses could and just purring.
Fed up with the silence Erza spoke.
"So Endoura do you happen to have any stories to tell?"
"Yes, quite a few. There are two that coincide with Markarth and then a legend. I'd be happy to tell you if you'd like."
"Please do."
Lucy was dying for a distraction from the dragons cooing at each other. Endoura just chuckled and started to tell her first story.
"Well ,there is the one time I helped find a lost expedition in the Dwemer ruin under the city of Markarth. A first I was just there to get rid of the giant frostbite spider. But the sight of a dead soldier peeked my interest.
He had a journal by him that told of an expedition. I went into the ruin hoping to find them alive. So I went down. The ruins were very large as they always are and filled with Falmer. Grotesque and corrupted snow elves. So I silently proceeded further into ruin and dispatching the falmer looking for the party.
I couldn't find any for a while and I searched the corridors and rooms trying to find anyone alive besides the falmer and their spiders and chorrus'. There were so many strange things that the dwarves did and had that just don't make sense.
But the further I went I just found their dead bodies. I collected their journals and went to find the mechanism to activate the automatons the dwarves had. I pulled a lever I found and activated them. But I must say that I almost killed many times down there.
But I will say I do feel sorry for the snow elves. But back to the story ,I was sneaking out of the ruins with the journals when a stone I couldn't see hit my foot and attracted the attention of a centurion. I can't tell you just how terrifying those constructs are. Twice as tall as a male nord. A oversized warhammer and waraxe always sharp and heavy, slicing flesh like a hot broadsword through old cheese, and breaking bone live a giant's step on the body.
I ran and quickly firing an arrow as fast as I could at the machine. But it just followed spitting steam at me till I came to the doors of the ruin. But I quickly turned back to it not wanting it to follow me and kill innocent people. I drew Dawnbreaker and started slashing it.
I left that ruin with many new scars but I was proud."
Endoura just smiled at the thought but sadness seemed to still fill her soul. But she just shook her head and started another story as the horses climbed the large hill.
"This story is one about a night I completely forgot will never forget, haha. It all started in an inn and a man named Sam dressed in a black robe challenged me to a drinking contest for a staff. I thought it would be fun so I accepted. He told me that what we were drinking was quite strong and we started.
After two mugs things start to get hazy but I remember him saying he was at his limit and I drank another mug. After that though just void.
I woke up the next day in the temple of Dibella and a priestess telling me to get up and clean up my mess. My head was throbbing but I cleaned everything off the floor and found a note from Sam. It told me the staff was broken and that it needed to be repaired.
With everything clean, I apologized to the priestess and she told me what happened in the temple. Apparently, I came in as a drunk mess fondled the statues made a mess of the temple and yelling about a goat in Rorikstead. With that knowledge, I went to the small town.
When I went to a farm a man came right up to me screaming at be about his prized goat. I had sold the goat to a giant. But the man wouldn't tell my why till I brought the goat back. I found her near a giant. Who was not happy that I was taking her back and I had to end the giant's life.
With the goat back to with her master he told me I left a note explaining why I took her but it was illegible. But I ran off yelling about how it was to repay Ysolda in Whiterun. With that I rode to Whiterun and found her.
But she was mad at me about a ring. So, confused I asked her about it and she told me about a romantic story I told her about meeting my fiance in Witchmist Grove. Now that got me wondering what really happened, because I'm already married to Vilkas.
When I get to Witchmist Grove I find a hagraven calling me darling and wanting to consummate our marriage. Completely horrified with myself but not wanting to be rude I ask for the ring back and she turns hostile and trying to kill me.
With no choice, I kill her to get the ring back. After giving it to Ysolda she told me the wedding was at a fort called Morvunskar. So I track down where it is just to find that it is over run with mages of all types. So I fight then sneak my way in. Killing the mages as I go. Mugs litter the floor as a stalk my way through and I figured that is where it all started.
I clear out a room filled with mages and traps and a summoning portal opens. Not knowing what else to do I walk through and I find myself in a beautiful place with the smell of wine in the air and the sound of revelry.
Following both I find Sam waiting for me and then he shows that he was really the Daedric Prince Sanguine that wanted someone to provide him with some entertainment. And I happened to be the one he wanted to watch run around in confusion.
But I will say that I'm not disappointed for not remembering that night. I gained a powerful staff in exchanged and a story to laugh about when ever I see a mug full of wine."
Endoura laughed at the story she told it definitely seemed like a night to remember but she completely forgot it. The mountains they pasted through grew taller and steeper but the road was smooth.
The stories were eating up the time and the silence of the ride to the next hold of the land. It was also putting Endoura in a light to the fairies as they were starting to trust her. After a moment of reprive where they all sat down to rest the horses and to eat.
After the break, they continued to the city. As the horses walked Lucy spoke up.
"Endoura could you tell us the legend you were talking about before?"
Endoura hummed in thought but nodded and started to look to the sky.
"It's the legend of the ice dragons themselves or more accurately the role they will play. The legend goes on about a pair of twin dragons that can only ever come into being when the impossible happen. An ice and fire dragon mate and they adopt the sky. After years, wars, and hardship they fall for seven years completely vanishing.
But soon they rise again with a festival of death looming over them. The ice dragon loses it's life in one reality and survives in another. In the reality it lives part of its soul is going to consume a demons that tries to corrupt it. The one where it dies the world ends in flames as it's mate grieves with the sky.
After all, darkness is over and all looks bright two will be born in the middle of summer and winter, day and night. The legendary twins. Dragons of the sun and moon. The cosmic twins will bring light and happiness to the world."
"What do you mean two realities? That can't possibly be happen."
"Oh, Lucy but it has and always is now. Currently, there are six realities happening simultaneously right now. Here we are talking about it. In another one of us could be dead, another all of us. Some we haven't even met. This is what happens when people try to mess with time.
The way that fate works isn't like a straight line. It acts more like an endless song. Everything we do adds another note in time to the symphony that if plays. When someone makes a choice the note may not appear right away but it will appear soon."
At the end of Endoura's sentence off in the distance the suns light shone on a city carved from the stone of a mountain with what looked like old gold outlining it.
"Welcome to the Reach where the city of Markarth is held."