The day started out bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky but near midday a fine drizzle began and a long winding shadow covered the village soon after. Overhead circled a long serpentine dragon but the people didn't react, continuing on with their daily work or rest. Only the children shouted, happily playing outside as the heat that had just raged was dampened.

Arakei came outside, looking upon the dragon with a grin. It was strangely normal compared to her usual smirk and she patiently waited as with each loop the dragon neared the ground.

The dragon's eyes gleamed upon spotting the naga and he stopped circling. She had been the one he was searching for from the beginning. Lazily, he slowly made his way to her, looking like a ribbon floating through water. When he was close enough, he circled around her, winding through the statues in her garden and hiding her from sight as his long body doubled, tripled, quadrupled up. Only her tail was left visible as it trailed from out underneath him and along the path to her home.

"You're late, basstard," said Arakei, reaching out with her hand to stroke the dragon's snout. A single scale on his head was more than double her hand's size. "I've been waiting all week."

The dragon rumbled with amusement, making the ground shake even though he wasn't touching it- "I was enjoying the sights as I came here. They've hung lights up all over the empire, even your sunny Aerglo here gleamed from far off in the night."

"Is that any excusse to leave your mate alone?" Arakei asked, hugging his snout. Her eyes closed as she leaned her head against him, sighing. "Every year all of Assstra and this now Ssolian village hang up the lightss for our beloved crown prince, and every year you ssay you're late becausse of it. You're sso predictable."

"It doesn't become any less beautiful each time," he said, staying still as to not knock her off the ground with any abrupt movement, "Just as you remain as lovely as the thorns in your gardens back home. Won't you return with me this time?"

"You're sso sstupid too. You asssk me that everytime you come," she snorted, pressing against him and stroking him gently despite her biting tone.

The dragon shook it's head slightly, lifting her as he did- "Your mate misses you dearly, my beloved. Isn't it only natural to ask?"

Arakei sighed, "I know, jusst like you know what I'll ssay." After all, this village was her home. Even though this wasn't Astra anymore, this was where she and every generation of her family before her was raised.

"Your father tends to your gardens with so much devotion. Is even a visit impossible?" If only she could see what they'd built, what they'd made after the war, perhaps then she would finally leave this place.

"Zarga, pleasse jusst sstop." She had never seen the new capital. She couldn't. "Asss long asss the cursse remainss-" as long as the monster remained trapped- "sso do I."

It wasn't as if Arakei didn't want to see the new home her family, her people, had built. How desperately she longed for a proper city like the one this village had once been... How desperately she missed seeing scales and fur and wings and horns all around her instead of only humans... How desperately she wanted to see the opulence of Aiu that outshone even Aerglo at its greatest height... And by Mother Astra, she wanted to see the nest her mate had made for them.

With a sigh, Zarga's body glowed and he lightly set himself upon the ground in a humanoid form so that he could hold her. Her face hidden on his shoulder and her arms tight around him, he ran a hand through her hair, letting it settle low on her back.

"I understand. Since Urokai is still here... you couldn't possibly leave." She had always been his most ardent protector since youth. The one who kept him from harm. Despite that, she couldn't keep the horrors that befell him nearly a millennia ago and he was torn away from her. So she stayed here, waiting for him, waiting on him, until they could once more go home together. Yet, that wouldn't stop him from missing her, and from missing Urokai.

Arakei hissed quietly on his shoulder, wrapping her tail around him in tight coils. For a while that was all the sound there was until she raised her head to look at him. "I misssed you. I misss your daughterss too, couldn't you have brought them? Momo esspecially." Her mate's youngest daughter was the same age as the monster's twins, and so both he and herself were immensely fond of her.

"They're busy," Zarga said, not the least bit affected by the pressure constricting coils that would crush a human. It felt just like any other hug to him.

"Even Momo?"

"No, I just didn't want her puking on me," he replied bluntly. His youngest was notoriously airsick and the idea of bile between his scales wasn't one he was fond of. Especially since she had more than just one mouth. It might have incentivised him to get here faster though, or to come by carriage.

Arakei giggled, wrapping her hands around Zarga's neck instead of his torso like before to kiss him. "I guesss I can undersstand that. Do you want to go insside?"

"I was thinking we could visit Urokai first, and then I'll stay with you for the rest of month." Not that he could really walk with her wrapped so tightly around him. Maybe by magick but that was a pain.

"Mm." A month this time? He'd only stayed for a few days when he'd visited in winter. After a while she uncoiled herself, slithering a little ways off to coil part of her tail up. "Come on lazy bastard, you can sit on me."

Zarga smiled, amused. As much as she made fun of him, she never actually seemed to mean any of it. He settled down on her coil, crossing his legs. Although her swaying as she moved would make any simple being fall off if they were in his position, he remained calm and unaffected.

"The monsster has a guesst-" Arakei batted aside some vines and low branches as she slithered into the forest- "sso we won't be the only oness there."

"Mevek?" Zarga asked with interest. The previous empress was a wild woman, and his mate's eldest sister. In other words, she was just as enjoyable to spend time with since the two women were birds of a feather.

"I wissh." That would mean the monster would completely forget about his curse for a little while, distracted by his children. "It'ss the newesst ssacrifice."

His brow furrowed slightly- "I was under the impression that happened once a decade." Otherwise he didn't particularly care about the news. Why did the Solians even send a person to Urokai again? Was it because they thought he was lonely? Well, good on them, he supposed; they were right. Urokai needed the company since he chased away anyone else that came which was why even the villagers here didn't know much about him. Though didn't he also chase away the sacrifices? Or did he eat them? He had never paid much attention to them.

"It hass been ten years."

"Has it?" Zarga was sure the previous one had only been sent maybe two or three years ago, but it seemed he was wrong.

"Stop lazing around and time won't blend together." Honestly. Sure they were long-lived but, mistaking a few years for a whole decade still wasn't common for them. Arakei swiped at a large beast that was in her way, making it run off with a squeak- "One day you're going to get sstuck to the rock you ssunbathe on and ssomeone will have to peel you off."

He laughed, and they continued to chat as Arakei barrelled her way through the woods and to the castle. There was a well-worn path from how often she did this, and soon enough they were in front of the grand building. Not that Zarga was particularly impressed. He had been once, a very long long time ago when he had first seen it as a child but, now it barely compared to even some of the official buildings in Aiu, much less the palace. It had been altered drastically too to a more Solian style even if the architecture was of Astra and its influences remained. The paper birds that fluttered off the walls and away on their arrival were the one thing he found impressive. Though that wasn't even the castle's doing, it was Urokai's.

Getting off of his mate, he looked at the gates- "The bell's missing."

"Ssome of the children broke it while playing," Arakei said with a shrug. It had been somewhat surprising since the pretty white metal had been magicked but it was very old. "I didn't bother replacing it. Assside from the ssacrificess who I open the gate for, the resst of uss can sslither up the walls jusst fine."

He couldn't but- "Should I fly us over the walls?"

"Nah," she said, taking out a key from within her coat, "There'ss a sside entrance too. Never ussed it but I thought it'd be better for you."

Arakei knew him well, and he followed her, looking on impassively as she unlocked and pushed open a small door that seemed no different from the rest of the walls. Rock too? He didn't remember this being here but he didn't care either.

As they walked within the walls to another door, the darkness not bothering either of them, it opened before Arakei could touch it, revealing an annoyed man covered in flour and egg yolk with the castle grounds behind him. Zarga blinked at the sight, and the two stared at each other as Arakei stared blankly. Though she seemed confused, he knew she was simply struggling not to laugh out of love for her dear brother.

After the silence stretched on for several moments too long, Urokai gave a harsh sigh, some of the flour and yolk falling as he did.

"Why did you two have to come now?"