A/N: Okay I didn't intend it, but I don't think this story can go much further, so this is the last chapter. As said in the previous chapter, Vanir is going to experience Aura's memory of hatching, and then after that, there's almost like an epilogue if you will. I hope you like it and I'd love to know what you think. I tried my hardest to give a realistic interpretation of Aura's experience within her egg, so please comment away on how you think I did. I've had a wonderful time writing this short story and I hope you've enjoyed it too. I thank everyone for reading, especially those who have been kind enough to review/alert this story or add it to their favourites. You are all AMAZING!
Heat…
Everything felt warm, but the space was so tight and enclosed.
Confined…
Despite being safe, she couldn't help but feel as though a crucial part of her were missing.
She yearned to move properly, to be able to flare her wings, but something had to happen first.
Aware…
She searched for that which she sought, that which she could not identify, using extra senses that were hidden in her sub-conscious mind.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, she found it. It approached her swiftly, before passing by unaware of what it had sparked. The chain reaction had her stretching, shaking, and desperately trying to find a release from that which had become a prison.
The noise of her prison wobbling filled her ears, and sharp cracks boomed in her sensitive ears.
Free…
Finally the egg broke open, and bright overhead light almost burned her unaccustomed eyes. Before a face and scent so familiar filled her nostrils, blocking the sunlight, despite the fact that she had never seen her mother; only felt her warm breath.
More heads craned over, each as unfamiliar and strange as the next, until a long thin face framed by midnight black hair filled her vision. She was drawn to him and he felt the same force that had made her hatch about him, but something told her it did not originate from within him.
He was…hers… There was no other way to describe it. A small smile graced his lips as he looked down at her, seeming just as pleased to see her as she was to see him.
Eagerly, she licked the air, taking in his sweet scent and trying to remember the precise shade of green that his eyes were. She longed for the day when she knew his name. She burned with desire for the day when he would accompany her wherever she wished, and unquestioningly love her.
Vanir gasped as he returned to his body. The sensation of being in Aura's memory was a bit too much for him.
See, Vanir?
Yes, he replied reluctantly, no longer feeling able to deny Aura's theory. It was sketchy at best, and he wasn't totally sold on the idea of gods causing her to hatch, but it did seem they were now dragon and rider.
I told you so, Aura murmured, sounding very smug. Convincing Vanir hadn't been as hard as she had thought. She had conceived the notion that as an elf, he would stubbornly resist her claims as there was no evidence to persuade them; but one look at her memory and he was swayed as easily as a blade of grass in a gentle breeze.
Vanir rolled his eyes at Aura's childlike behaviour, but he was still happy to be reunited with her.
Perhaps, and he truly believed it, it wasn't the how that mattered. To Vanir, the most important thing was that he and Aura were still alive and still together, the way they would stay forever as they grew older. It was a good thing he was an elf, and not an immortal human, or they'd have parted ways when his soul was released.