For the Love of a Dragon Heart 3

by Draco'sDragonheartMaiden

With their next chapter of their life ahead of them they decide to spend a day at the river. But what starts out as a calm day turns to a stormy one. A chance encounter with two strangers turns into a realization that Draco never imagined it would ever happen.

A Month Later:

The couple had gotten into their own routine and were enjoying life together, Draco always kept a very close eye on his pregnant mate. Skygazer had more or less learned to put up with how Draco behaved now, remembering everything that she had learned about his past. She knew he was just being overly protective because of what happened long ago before they ever met and she did her best to be patient with him. They'd had many a conversation about it and she always reassured him that nothing was going to happen to her or their little one. With their bond through blood and their shared heart, she was able to convey to him everything silently most of the time. It made him feel better to hear her reassure him of his fears and worries, and he was grateful. Draco did his best to try and not get too over protective of her as he knew that she was capable of taking care of herself but he still worried over her. During the day he was fine but at night his mind kept going back to what happened in the past with Aura and that was his worse fear. He didn't want anything to happen to Skygazer or their little one. This was his second chance at having a family and he would do whatever it took to protect it.

Today was like any other for them he was relaxing out in the warm sun while Skygazer saw to things around the cabin, humming a song to herself. Draco smiled as he listened to her song, "she has such a beautiful voice..." he said to himself. He raised his head up to gaze at the bright blue sky before getting up and stretching his dragon body and wings. He transformed back into his humanoid form so he could go inside to check on his mate. When he entered he found her leaning against the chair, "my Sky are you alright?" he asked. She looked at him and gave him a small smile, "yeah I'm alright...just a little tired," she glanced down at her stomach which was only starting to show, "our little one is taking a bit of my energy away from me," she said placing her hand there. Draco smiled at her as he approached her, "your body will adjust to it at some point and you shouldn't feel as tired," he replied, placing his clawed-hand on hers. She looked up at him as he leaned down to kiss her lips tenderly. When they let go of the kiss she asked an innocent question, "I'm curious...are dragons able to tell if the unborn baby is girl or boy?" This made Draco laugh, "my Sky...we dragons may have heightened senses but they're not that heightened..." he replied. She looked down slightly as he continued, "with our bond I may be able to sense it but I can't tell if it's female or male, I'm just as curious about that as you are. The only thing I can tell you about our little one is that it has a very strong heartbeat but with it being part dragon, that's no surprise.." he replied. She nodded to let him know she had heard him as she let her hand drop from her stomach. When she went silent Draco knew why, he could feel it radiating through his body, Skygazer wanted to go to the hot springs to soak in the soothing water. He nuzzled her affectionately before holding her close to him, she knew he could feel her frustration at not being able to soak in the hot springs the way she was use to. She returned the gesture before placing a kiss on his muzzle.

A little later he decided to take her for a flight so she could get out for a while to clear her head and enjoy the day, "are you ready to go my Sky?" he asked. She smiled as she cinched the saddle on his back, "you know I am...it's been a while since we last went for a flight together..." she said. "Yes it has..." he commented. "How's that feel?" she asked. "It feels fine my jewel," he said bringing his head down to nuzzle her. She giggled at him being playful with her before she got into the saddle and locked her feet into the stirrups. Once she had settled in the saddle Draco propelled his bulk off the ground and into the air with his powerful back legs. Now soaring high above their cave home Skygazer relaxed in the saddle as she enjoyed this time with her dragon mate, "it's so peaceful up here...I never fail to enjoy myself up here with you." He smiled at her comment as he nodded his head, "I agree with you my jewel and I too enjoy being up here with you as well. It feels so good to feel the wind beneath my wings again. I wasn't sure if you would've felt up to it with you being pregnant," Draco replied. Skygazer nodded in understanding, "yeah at first I wasn't feeling up to doing very much but now since I've been using those herbs that Rose gave me, I feel more like myself now. So I am able to do and enjoy things like I did before I got pregnant," she explained. He had already known that she hadn't been feeling well due to their connection, "you don't have to explain it to me my treasure, you know I can feel everything you do because of our blood and heart bond," he replied. She smiled, "I know baby..." she replied patting his neck. He let a purr-like growl erupt from his throat in response to his mate's affection.

As they flew along Skygazer gazed at the land below them until she noticed something, "Draco look we're near Aria's place." "So it appears..." Draco said with slight amusement in his voice. "Why don't we visit her...we haven't seen her since before the battle with the Stormcloaks," Skygazer suggested. "Hmn..." was his only response. "Besides..." he turned his head slightly to look at her, "we can share with her about our gift," she added. He let a smile play on his dragon lips as he nodded his head before descending towards Aria's hut. Once his feet landed on the ground Skygazer slipped from her dragon's back before removing the saddle. Afterwards Draco transformed back into his humanoid form before making their way towards Aria's door, "she'll be so surprised.." Skygazer said happily. Draco smiled at his mate's excitement, "yes she will..." he replied as he knocked on the door. They waited patiently for a response before the door opened to reveal the sorceress standing there, "ah young one, deary...it's so good to see you two again, please come on in and I'll make us some tea..." she greeted as she allowed them to enter.

Once inside Aria prepared them some tea before sitting in the front room, "it really is good to see you...I have missed you," Aria said. "We've missed you too Aria..." Skygazer replied. Draco decided to speak, "yes we have..." he added. "So what brings you out this way?" Aria asked, taking a sip of her tea. "We were actually out on a flight and we were in the area so we decided to stop by and see you," Skygazer answered. Then Aria noticed something about the dragon sitting across from her, "you seem quiet today young one...what is it?" she asked. He looked down slightly before locking his gaze with the woman who had raised him, "well it's just that...we have something to share with you." "Then please speak what is on your heart young one," she said. He took a breath before speaking, "Sky and I are...well..." he took Skygazer's hand in his as he spoke, "she's pregnant..." he replied. To say Aria was surprised was untrue, she had suspected that after she'd had that talk with Skygazer that this would be in their future, "I am so happy for you two young one...you have been given a great gift..." she said. Skygazer rested her head on Draco's shoulder. "I also sense something in you deary..." Skygazer looked at the sorceress as she continued, "you two share a heart." The couple was surprised at her words, "how did you know?" Draco asked before remembering. "Second sight young one...I think you keep forgetting that..." she replied playfully. He gave her a smirk, "yeah I guess I do..." he replied. Aria then became very quiet and Draco took notice, "mother...what is it?" he asked. Aria's face softened and her eyes quivered as she spoke, "this gift you have been given is something so so special...you don't know the happiness that it will bring to you." Skygazer knew the reason for Aria's emotions, "it has already brought us happiness and I'm sure it will be even more so when our little one arrives," she replied. Draco nuzzled Skygazer affectionately as he turned to Aria, "Sky is right...and aside from all that we didn't even think that this was even possible. Have you ever heard of this happening before? A child born of dragon and human?" he asked. Aria knew that at some point he would ask this so she felt that she could no longer hide it, "yes...but only once." Hearing this made the dragon's eyes widen slightly, "how do you know?" As the question left his scaly lips a realization hit him, "wait...you mean you and my great-grandfather? How come you never told me?" he asked. Aria took a shaky breath as she spoke, "because it was too painful for me to talk about it," she answered.

Draco was silent for a moment or two before turning to his mate who sat silently, "you're awfully quiet my jewel..." he said. She looked down slightly as she was trying not to meet his gaze and seeing this made him cock a browridge at her before something hit him, "wait..." he turned to face her, "you knew didn't you?" "Well I..." she still refused to look at him. "You knew and you didn't tell me..." he said, his voice raising slightly. Aria felt that she should step in, "do not raise your voice at her young one it was I that asked her not to tell you. She felt it was best that it came from me than her because it was my secret to tell." Draco looked down at the floor in front of him as he felt the hurt he had caused his beloved course through him. He then turned his golden gaze to see her face stained with tears, he hung his head slightly, "I'm sorry my Sky...I shouldn't have raised my voice to you..." he looked at her as gold met blue, "can you forgive me?" he asked, caressing her cheek gently, being mindful of his long claws. She gave him a small smile and nod as he wrapped his arms around her while she nuzzled her cheek against his chest before placing a kiss on the scale that covered his half-heart. After a moment or two Aria spoke, "do you have questions for me?" she asked. Draco thought for a moment or two before asking, "how long after bonding to my great-grandfather did you two have a child?" he asked. Aria's eyes quivered slightly as she spoke, "it was several months after our binding ceremony that we discovered that we were given that special gift." Draco nodded, "how did great-grandfather feel about that?" he asked. The sorceress smiled, "he was overjoyed at the news and he was so proud..." Aria smiled as the sweet memories came flooding back to her. Skygazer smiled at the sorceress, "how was Histva during your pregnancy?" she asked. Upon hearing his great-grandfather's name he looked down at his mate, "you know my great-grandfather's name?" he asked her. She looked up at him with gentle eyes, "yeah Aria mentioned his name when she was telling me about their child." Draco then turned back to Aria, "he was so attentive during my pregnancy but he would become overly aggressive at times and I would have to calm him down."

Hearing this made the dragon stiffen slightly and Aria noticed, "what is it young one?" she asked. He looked down slightly as Skygazer spoke, "did he ever get to the point where he snapped?" she asked. Hearing this concerned Aria a great deal as she became very serious, "tell me has something happened to make you ask this question?" she asked. Skygazer nodded, "yes...during the battle with the Stormcloaks, Durza had summoned a daedroth and it attacked me. When Draco saw this something inside of him snapped and he became feral." Draco hung his head as he was ashamed of those actions and Aria turned to look at him, "you really went feral young one?" she asked. Draco refused to meet her gaze and she knew why, "how did you manage to bring him back?" she asked Skygazer. "At the time I was badly injured but I knew I couldn't let him stay in that state so I approached him carefully and began talking to him. I showed him the rose quartz charm I always wear around my neck, then I used our blood bond to send him a silent message and that worked," Skygazer answered as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest affectionately. He returned the gesture as Aria spoke, "it is good that you were able to bring him back to himself deary..." she then turned to the dragon she had raised, "young one..." he locked his gaze with hers, "you are very fortunate that she was able to bring you back to your senses because if she hadn't been there then there would've been nothing you could've done to return on your own." Draco hung his head slightly, "I know...I don't know what came over me, in that moment it was like something deep within took over me and I had to just watch it happen. What's wrong with me?" he asked. She was sympathetic towards the dragon, "there is nothing wrong with you young one. When you witnessed your mate being injured so severly your dragon instincts kicked in, in order to protect her. You just need to not let it happen again..." Aria answered. Draco felt frustrated at hearing this and Skygazer knew, as she felt it race through her body as if it were her own. "Histva never got to that point during my prenancy or during the time our son was alive," Aria added. Upon hearing this Draco's eyes went straight to the sorceress, "son?" "Yes...we called him Vorstag and he was a dragon that we were very proud of. He lived his life according to the elders teachings, he wanted to bring man and dragon back together so they could live peacefully with one another," Aria explained. Draco had to smile, "he was like me..." he mused. "In a way, he was very much like you young one.." Aria added, "I believe you two would've gotten along very well if he had lived long enough to have met you. Sadly he took ill and he died long before you were ever hatched back then your parents had just became a mated pair."

There was silence for the longest time before Skygazer let a yawn pass through her lips which caused Draco to look at her, "we really should be getting you home to rest..." he said caressing her cheek. Aria smiled, "very well but if you need to me for anything you can always come to me." "We will mother, you can be sure of that..." he replied kindly. Aria embraced the pair before they left the hut and once back outside he transformed into his small dragon form. Skygazer placed the saddle back on him before climbing on and once she was settled Draco took off and headed for home.

The flight back was spent in silence because they were still absorbing everything they had talked about with Aria. For Draco he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the woman that had raised him had a son with his great-grandfather. His mind was also on something he hadn't mentioned to either woman in his life. While he still remained in the dragon's heaven he had crossed paths with his great-grandfather, his elder and his parents. There was something he hadn't understood then, he had seen a young male dragon much younger than himself. He had never known who it was until now, "in a way...we have met," Draco smiled to himself as he reached their cave home, "we're home my treasure..." he said. Skygazer smiled, "good..." she sighed when they landed. Draco turned his head to look at his mate, he could feel how tired she was and knew he needed to get her inside to rest. He nuzzled her gently before giving her warm smile, she smiled as she slipped from the saddle to uncinch it and remove it from her dragon's back. He quickly transformed into his humanoid form, "here I'll take it to the barn you go on inside..." he said gently. She gave him a tired smile before walking towards their cabin to go inside.

He watched her disappear from sight before taking the saddle over to the stall next to her mare to place the saddle over the door. After taking care of that task he went inside the cabin. Upon entering he walked towards their room and when he did, he found his mate curled up on their bed. He smiled at the sight before him, "she looks so innocent when she sleeps..." he thought to himself. He felt compelled to lay next to her but he also felt a deep need to keep watch while she rested, "seems I can't turn off these instincts no matter how much I might want to..." was what his thoughts were at the moment. He went back outside to have a quick look around to make sure it was safe before he came back into the cabin to lay next to her. Now laying next to her, he wrapped his arm around her small frame with his wing protectively draped over her. While laying next to the sleeping Skygazer, he remained on alert despite knowing the area was safe. He had made a habit of doing this ever since they found out about their gift but he made sure to keep to this routine while she slept. He knew that the area they lived in was always peaceful and they rarely ever had anything come into their territory. The only time Draco could let his guard down slightly was when Bowen and Kara would come by to visit. He smiled to himself as he remembered the last time they had seen their family and he knew there would be more time with them later on, especially after their little one arrived. He glanced down at her stomach which was starting to show as he placed a clawed-hand to rest there. He felt his half-heart beat with pride at the thought of finally having a young one of his own and being able to pass on his bloodline. While he was grateful at having a deep connection to Skygazer through blood and their shared heart, he wasn't looking forward to the day their little one arrived because he would feel everything that his mate would go through then. He still remembered back before the rebellion when he had felt the pain in his shoulder when the tyrant had been stabbed by Kara, "if that was the pain from that kind of injury what will I feel when my Sky has our little one?" he pondered. He shook his head to rid his mind of the thought for now and there would be time to figure that out later on anyway. He finally decided to lay his head down on the pillow next to his beloved to rest his eyes for a bit.

It was around sunset when the dragon stirred from his slumber and let a yawn pass through his lips, which came out as a growl. When he looked beside him he saw that Skygazer was still peacefully sleeping, "she must've been really tired..." he said to himself as he raised up to arch his back and flex his wings. When he relaxed again he stood up from where he had been laying to pull the cover over Skygazer. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he turned on his heel to walk out the room as he knew when his mate awoke, that she would need to eat. So he silently crept outside the cabin to go on a quick hunt to get them something for their dinner. He looked back at the cabin briefly, "I'll be back soon my jewel..." he murmured as he transformed and took to the sky. Once he was up in the air he quickly scanned the ground below him, "come on where is all the game?" he growled in his head. It was when he was soaring over a hillside that he spotted movement below him, "there we go..." he said as he went in lower to have a look. When he spotted what was moving his dragon eyes lit up and his mouth began to water, "now there's prey I haven't seen in many a year..." he said licking his lips. What he had seen was a herd of wild, mountain-living sheep and sheep was his favorite prey. He scanned careful to pick out the largest animal in the group and once he selected his target he dove down like a torpedo. When he was low enough he snatched up the leader of the group and the motion of his attack snapped the sheep's neck, to make a clean kill. Draco flew back towards their cave with his prize in his mouth and he had to resist the urge to scarf it down because he had his pregnant mate who needed to be fed. When he reached the cave he landed and placed the sheep on the ground to build a cooking fire to cook up their dinner over. They had set up a spot next to their cave to build a cooking fire, Draco had used his powerful tail and claws to clean off a place for it. They also kept a decent stack of wood for use in their cooking fire. He made quick work of getting the fire going and skinning out the sheep he had harvested, using his claws to cut the meat from the animal and placing it on the spit to roast over the fire. While the meat cooked he transformed back into his dragon form in order to move the rest of the kill away from the cave entrance. Once he had it a safe distance from their home he endulged himself a little bit as he devoured the bits of the meat that had been left behind. It had been a long time since he had eaten raw meat but he found the taste dancing on his tongue and he let a growl erupt from his throat. After he was done he returned to their cave and upon landing he transformed back into his humanoid form to sit beside the cooking fire to keep an eye on the meat.

Inside the cabin Skygazer's heightened senses were starting to pick up on the scent of the cooking meat outside. As she began to stir, she felt her mouth begin to water, "that smells delicious..." she said to herself. She raised up as another scent filled her senses, "Draco lay next to me while I slept..." she said as a smile played on her lips. She raised up slowly to stretch her body before making her way outside to where the smell was coming from.

Outside Draco could feel a hunger flow through his body, "she's awake.." he said to himself as he glanced towards the door of the cabin to see his mate standing there. He smirked at her, "it's good to see you up my jewel...I went on a hunt and brought back dinner. I thought you might be hungry when you woke up..." he said as she approached and sat beside him. She nuzzled him affectionately to greet him as he returned it, "you're so thoughtful baby..." she cooed. He smiled at her as he turned his golden eyes back to the meat, "it should be done shortly.." he commented. He could feel within his body that her hunger was more than usual but he knew that was because of their little one growing inside of her. A quick check of the meat and it was ready to be enjoyed, "it's done..." he said. He picked up one of plates that was sitting next to him in order to place a couple pieces of meat on it before handing it to Skygazer. She eagerly began to dig into the mutton while he picked up a couple of pieces for himself to devour. They ate in comfortable silence and Skygazer was grateful to her mate for always taking such good care of her. As she took her next bite, she sent a silent message to her dragon through their blood bond and upon receiving it, a thrum emanated from deep in his chest. She smiled at hearing it before taking another bite to finish the meat she had in front of her. Draco swallowed down what he had in his mouth before speaking, "would you like another?" he asked. She thought about it before responding, "half a piece..." was her answer to his question, "I don't want to eat too much...I already get tired from our little one growing inside me." He nodded in understanding as he cut the selected piece in half before placing it on his mate's plate, "there you are my treasure..." he replied as he placed the other half on his plate. When they had finished their dinner Skygazer spoke, "I'm going to bathe at the hot springs if you would like to join me..." she replied with a hint of desire in her voice. He smirked at her as another thrum came from his chest, she had learned long ago what the sounds he made meant. She smiled at him before disappearing into the cabin to retrieve her cloth that she bathed with before going down the tunnel to where the hot springs were. Draco watched her disappear for an instant before scarfing down the last of the meat and having been satisfied, he got to his clawed-feet and made his way into the cabin to place their plates inside. Once that was done he headed to the hot springs where he knew his mate was waiting for him.

At the hot springs Skygazer sat on the edge of it with her feet in the water as she scrubbed her legs clean with her cloth. She missed feeling the hot water on her body but she knew it was for the best, for now anyway. She enjoyed the feel of the hot water on her skin as she rubbed the cloth up and down her arms before wiping her face. When she went to dip the cloth in the water again she found a hand on hers, which caused her to jump slightly. He smirked at her as he brought his scaly lips to her ear, "did I startle you my jewel?" he purred. The feeling of his hot breath against her ear made her shiver with delight, "yes..." she purred. He nuzzled against her neck before brushing his lips there and continuing down her collarbone, she sighed contently when she felt him do this. He could feel it radiate through his body too and he continued to her chest to circle around her nipple with his tongue. Her breath hitched in her throat at feeling his wet tongue on her skin, "Draco..." she panted out. It delighted him when he brought pleasure to his mate, he paused his pleasuring to murmur in her ear, "my Sky..." Shivers ran down her spine as he continued his teasing when he traced circles around the nipple of her other breast. She whimpered slightly as she brought her head down to press her lips to his in a heated kiss. He was surprised to see her be so agressive but it pleased him at the same time. He returned the kiss as he lifted her into his lap to wrap his arms around her body, he broke off the kiss for air as a pleasure-filled purr pass through his lips. She turned to face him and straddle his waist as his dragon girth became exposed and engorged, he was ready to claim her body again and she wanted it. Having their hunger for food satisfied they now seeked to satisfy a hunger for each other's body and touch. She looked down at his member briefly before wrapping her fingers around it, to gently stroke it. This sensation made a pleasure growl erupt from the dragon's throat as his breath hitched in his throat. After stroking him for a few moments she raised up slightly so he could enter her heated core, to completely pleasure her body in every way. They once again locked their lips in a heated kiss as she began to move up and down on his girth with his large clawed-hands on her hips to steady her. She ground her hips against his while he thrusted upwards into her desirable body, "my Sky..." he panted out. With every move she made she felt as though he delved deeper into her body and she responded to him with a purr of her own. He nuzzled beneath her chin affectionately as she continued to move on him, "I love you..." she panted. He licked along her jaw as he spoke, "and I love you my precious treasure..." he was breathless at the pleasure she brought to him and their bond was only intensifying it. It was the same for her, she could feel every ounce of pleasure he was feeling as well as her own. Their lovemaking had only been intensified after their binding and heart sharing, and it also reaffirmed their love for one another. Draco remained mindful of her body and their gift nestled within as he thrust into her dripping core and with three passion-filled thrusts he came deep within her body, "my Sky..." he groaned out as he released his seed into her. "Dra-Draco..." she panted out as she clenched around his hardened shaft. Their bodies shuddered slightly from their exertions and they rode the waves of ecstacy together, all the while nuzzling each other.

Once their breathing returned to normal they shared a loving kiss before he lifted her up to place her next to him. She sighed contently before she grabbed her cloth to finish bathing but she found Draco's hand already there. "Please allow me..." he said as he got into the hot springs to drench the cloth in the hot water, "turn around..." he gently instructed. She did as he asked and enjoyed the feel of him scrubbing her back clean, "hmm that feels so good..." she sighed. He smiled at her as he continued to wash her back and once he was done he handed the cloth back to her. She gently took it from him before she dipped it into the water, "now it's your turn..." she said. He nodded his head and turned his back to her to allow her to wash his back and scales clean. She paid close attention as she rubbed the cloth over his scales, maneuvering around his back spines to make sure not to miss a spot on her dragon. She once again dipped the cloth into the water before turning her attention to his wings, "relax your wings..." she instructed gently. Draco had never allowed anyone to touch his wings as they were important for him to be able to fly but he trusted Skygazer with his life so he allowed her to cleanse his wings. He was pleased that she was gentle in her handling of his wings and it showed how much she cared about every inch of his dragon body. Once done she kissed his shoulder, "there you are my sweet one..." she murmured. He turned his head to smile at her before completely dunking himself in the water to rid his head and horns of dirt before resurfacing. Once they were both clean Draco got out of the hot springs while Skygazer redressed in her soft clothes. The dragon held his claw out to her and she happily placed her hand in it and walked back to the cabin together. When they reached their cabin they walked inside and to the back room to turn in for the night. Skygazer got in bed, pulling the cover over her as Draco got in beside her, "sweet dreams my dearest mate..." he murmured, kissing her shoulder. She smiled at how affectionate he was being with her, "sweet dreams to you my sweet dragon..." she replied as she snuggled into his warmth. He wrapped his arm around her before draping a wing over her and letting sleep overtake him.

It was nearly dawn when the dragon was startled out of his slumber, "what was that?" he thought to himself. He looked beside him to see Skygazer still peacefully sleeping. He then raised up to lean on his palms, "time to have a look around..." he got off the bed and made his way towards the door to go outside. Once outside the cabin his keen, golden eyes scanned the area for any sign of anything around. After a moment or two he heard it again, "it's coming from the barn..." he thought to himself. When he approached the stall he saw Skygazer's mare half-rearing and kicking the stall. He calmly approached the startled animal, "easy...easy girl..." he spoke gently to the mare as she continued to toss her head slightly. He stepped closer to the stall and when he did he caught movement in the hay, "something is in there with you..." he told her mare. Once he was close enough to he reached out his claw to the mare in order to grab a gentle hold of the halter she wore, "there there girl...you're alright..." at hearing the dragon's calming voice the mare settled down. "Now to see what you have in here with you," he said looking over the stall door. When he did he spotted what was in there with her, "so this is what had you so spooked," he said. He opened the door enough to have a look at what was sitting beside the door, "now how did you end up in here?" he said. What was sitting at the bottom of the stall door was a small bat that had flown into the stall and became disoriented. He gently picked up the small creature and placed it on the wall of the cave to recover. He let a small sigh pass through his dragon lips before he turned back to the mare to see she was still standing calmly in her stall. He smiled at her before shutting the stall door once more and fastening it, he petted the mare's neck gently before heading back into the cabin. When he was once more inside the cabin, he walked back into their bedroom and saw that his little woman was still peacefully sleeping. He crawled back in beside her and wrapped his arm around her form before draping his wing back over her and going back to sleep.

When the sun rose that morning Skygazer was already awake and outside with her mare on an early morning ride. She had woken up before the sun came up and slipped by her sleeping dragon to go outside to spend some time with her mare. She kept in mind everything she and Rose had talked about when they had been at the castle, "as long as it's a gentle ride it should be fine..." she said to herself. "Besides Rose did say that I should do some kind of gentle exercise during my pregnancy so my body would be ready for when our little one arrived." She knew she couldn't go galloping around the countryside but a gentle ride was fine. She just decided to ride a few laps near the cave so she would be close by, knowing Draco would be alarmed if he found her gone. She then began to talk to her mare, "you know something girl...while I love that Draco is looking after me the way he is during my pregnancy, I do hope that he doesn't lose it again. I would never tell him this but if I'm being honest, when I saw him like that after my injury...I was a little afraid of him because I didn't know what he was going to do. Even back when we first met, he was never that feral with me...I've never seen that side of him and I hope I never do again.." she said to her mare. She took in a deep breath as she let her inner fears go on the wind that blew around her as she petted her mare's neck affectionately. She did a couple more laps near the cave before she brought her mare to a stop near the barn, "there we go girl...did you enjoy that as much as I did?" she asked her mare as she removed the saddle and began to groom her.

Inside the cabin Draco was just starting to awaken from his slumber but when he went to pull his mate in close to him, he found that she wasn't beside him. He raised his head up to look around, "where could she be so early?" he wondered. It was then that his heightened dragon hearing heard her voice outside, "she's outside with her mare..." he said arching his back to flex his wings slightly before getting off the bed and making his way outside. Once standing outside the cabin he completely stretched himself and flexed his wings before he relaxed again. When the wind shifted Draco followed her scent around behind the cabin to find her grooming her mare.

Skygazer was focused on grooming her mare, "there you go girl, I bet that feels good..." she said as she finished removing the dust and dirt from her mare's coat. She set the grooming brush down in order to rebraid her mare's mane before she turned her out into the pasture for the day. As she worked she couldn't help but think about the look on Draco's face when he had snapped and her eyes quivered slightly, "he became a dragon I no longer knew..." she murmured to herself. Unbeknowst to Skygazer, Draco was leaning against the side of the cabin as he watched his mate take care of her mare, "she's gonna make a really good mother..." he thought to himself. He was admiring her body as it showed the love blooming within, "she's a vision..." he was mesmerized at her beauty when the sun shone upon her hair as the breezing blew it around her face.

Once she was done braiding her mare's mane she led her over to the pasture to let her graze, "there you go girl..." she said as she fastened the gate before leaning on it. When the breeze shifted it brought a scent to her nose that she knew well, "how long have you been standing there?" she asked as she turned to face him. He smirked at her, "long enough to see how beautiful you look in the early morning light..." he replied. She smiled as a light blush covered her cheeks, "you are so sweet my love..." she said as she approached him. Once she was standing in front of him, he captured her lips with his as his scaly arms snaked around her small frame. His hold was so tender and his kisses loving, Skygazer could feel how much her dragon loved her and how much she meant to him. She conveyed to her dragon how much he meant to her and how much she loved him, to which he responded with a purr-like growl. When they let go of the kiss he caressed her cheek as he spoke, "so beautiful..." he murmured. She smiled at him as she placed her hand on the one that was on her cheek before nuzzling against it affectionately, "you are just the sweetest dragon I've ever met..." she replied. He smirked at her, "well how many do you know?" he asked playfully. She laughed at him, "you're the only one..." she said pressing her lips to his. He returned the kiss before picking her up in his arms and playfully spinning around one time before placing her back on her feet again. Skygazer enjoyed those rare moments when he would be playful with her, "it's almost funny how he acts like a young dragon when he's like this..." she mused.

Later in the day the pair were by the river enjoying the cool water, "it's so hot today...good thing we have this place to come to, to cool off..." she commented. Draco, who was resting in the middle of the river, glanced in her direction, "yes it is...otherwise I'm not sure what we could do to keep cool in this heat..." he replied. Skygazer was sitting in the water resting against a rock and watching the clouds float across the sky. Draco was silently keeping an eye on his mate to make sure she didn't get overheated because he knew that it wasn't good for her and especially wasn't good for their little one. As he lay in the water of the river he could feel his body cooling down. With their blood and heart bond he was able to monitor how her body was feeling so he could feel how his mate was feeling as well. A gentle breeze began to blow around them, "aahhh...that breeze feels so nice..." Skygazer sighed contently. Draco smiled at her but it quickly faded when the breeze suddenly picked up, "what..." he said standing up and looking at the sky. Skygazer was sensing the same thing Draco was but before she could say anything the sun went behind the clouds and they became darker. Upon seeing this Skygazer had a flashback to her nightmare, "it's like my nightmare..." she was brought out of her thoughts when the thunder boomed overhead causing her to yelp in surprise. Draco made a move to get over to her to try and bring her comfort, as he knew of her fear of thunder, "you're ok my jewel..." he said bringing his head down to her level to nuzzle her. She was grateful for the comfort he was offering her but when the thunder boomed overhead again the sky opened up and torrents of rain began to drench them. "My Sky get beneath me..." he said as he opened his wings to give her more shelter from the heavy rain. Draco knew he couldn't fly in this but they couldn't stay here, the rain was sure to make the river rise and he couldn't risk having Skygazer getting sweapt away by fast moving water. "What are we gonna do?" she asked as lightning began to illuminate the sky above them while the thunder continued to boom overhead. Draco scanned the area quickly to try and find them some shelter, "come on...there has to be something around here..." he said to himself. It was when the thunder boomed again that Skygazer yelped as she clung to her mate, when he felt her hold to him, he knew he had to find somewhere fast and get his pregnant mate somewhere safe. He knew his old den behind the waterfall wasn't far from where they were but with it being so damp in there, it wasn't good for building a fire nor was it good for Skygazer in her current condition. The wind whipped around them and Draco had no choice but to crouch down and keep Skygazer beneath him, "Sky stay down..." he said he huddled close to the ground, bringing his wings in tight around them to keep the wind off of her as much as possible. Skygazer huddled near her dragon's chest as it was her only option, as she couldn't cling to him at this point. They waited for a moment or two before the wind slowed and they knew they had to move, now. However before they could make a move the river began to rise, "uh Draco...the river is rising..." she said. He had to figure out what to do, they were desperate and drenched from the heavy rain. It was then that the river rose again which caused the fast moving water to knock Skygazer's feet out from under her and making her fall into the water, "Draco..." she said. "Sky!" he called out. If he could take to the air he could keep up with her but the storm was preventing him from doing this so he had no choice but to run alongside the river as she was pulled down river faster than he could follow.

Along the river another pair were also caught in the storm, "are you sure about this?" asked one figure. The smaller figure turned to the larger one as he spoke, "yes Drake...I'm sure, our cave is up here and we'll be able to get out of this." "I hope you're right Geoff..." Drake said. He was about to say something else but became distracted by the sound of a voice coming from up stream, "hey do you hear that?" Drake asked. Geoff, who was still learning how to use it, listened intently until he picked up on the voice, "yeah I do...come on..." with that the pair took off towards the river. When they reached it they saw a woman in the water, "hey she's in trouble," Geoff said. "We better help her..." Drake said as he lunged forward with Geoff right with him.

Skygazer was fighting against the rough current to keep her head above water and she didn't know how long she could keep it up. She had lost sight of Draco when the river swept her away so she was on her own. However when the wind shifted it brought two unfamiliar scents to her nose and she was able to catch sight of two figures on the riverbank, "help me!" she called out. "Hang on! We'll get you out of there!" Geoff called. "Please hurry!" Skygazer called back as she managed to grab hold of a log wedged in the riverbank. Geoff took notice of a nearby vine hanging from a tree, "Drake pull down the vine, we can throw it to her..." he said. Drake did as Geoff said and he grabbed the vine in his jaws and began pulling it down with all his might until it came loose. Geoff turned to the woman, "I'm gonna throw this to you!" She could only nod as she had no other choice but to trust these strangers, "please let Draco catch up..." she said to herself. It was when Geoff threw the vine that it landed right in front of her, "I got it! I got it!" "Ok hang on!" Geoff called as he turned behind him, "pull Drake!" Drake backed up with the vine still clenched in his teeth. "Keep going Drake!" he encouraged, as he kept pulling as well. The water was strong and they had a hard time pulling, that is until Draco appeared beside them, "Sky!" he called. Then he noticed the strangers pulling Skygazer to shore, "hey...help pull..." Geoff said. With no choice but to do what the young man said, Draco grabbed the vine in his teeth and pulled with all his might. Within minutes Skygazer was on shore and safe, she panted for her breath as she was exhausted from fighting the current. Draco let the vine drop from his jaws before Geoff approached her, "hey are you alright?" he asked as he knelt in front of her. When she raised up she looked up at him before turning her eyes to other figure with him, "thank you for saving me...for saving us..." she said. Geoff cocked an eyebrow at her, "us?" he asked. It was then Skygazer raised up which made her wet clothes cling to her and reveal her belly to them. To say the pair was surprised was an understatement but they didn't get a chance to say anything as she turned to see her mate standing there, "Draco..." she murmured. He was relieved that she was safe as he came over to nuzzle her affectionately, "I'm glad your safe my jewel..." he said. Geoff stood up and came over to stand next to Drake as they silently watched the interaction. Skygazer returned the gesture before Draco looked at the pair, "I want to thank you for saving my mate..." he said. Geoff shook off the shock as he spoke, "you're welcome..." he replied. It was then that the rain became hard again, which made Skygazer cling to Draco for warmth. He looked down at her before looking back at Geoff and Drake, "I need to get her out of the storm..." he said. It was Drake who answered as Geoff got on his back, "come on our cave is just through the trees." Draco nodded, "lead the way..." he said picking Skygazer up in his mouth. The group moved quickly through the trees to the cave that was waiting for them.

Once they reached it Geoff dismounted from Drake's back while Draco gently placed Skygazer on her feet. Draco took note of the provisions and bundles of firewood stored in the cave, "you two live in here?" Draco asked. Drake was the one to answer, "yeah kind of, it's just until we can find a true place to call home." Draco nodded to let Drake know he had heard him while Geoff placed a bundle of firewood in the pit, "alright Drake.." he said. With that Drake lit the wood a blaze with his fire breath, "ahh that feels so nice," Skygazer replied as she shivered from being completely drenched. Geoff took notice, "here..." he picked up a blanket he had near him, "wrap this around you..." he said as he placed it gently in her hands. "Oh thank you..." she said as she wrapped in around herself. Draco brought his head down to her level to nuzzle her affectionately as silence hung in the air for several moments between the group. While they enjoyed the warmth of the fire each member was silently wondering about the other. Geoff's mind was reeling when he had heard the dragon's name, "it's really Draco...I had only ever heard stories about him but to see him in the flesh...I can't believe it. And he has a human woman for a mate..." Drake on the other hand was curious about this new dragon that looked similar to himself, "I wonder who is this dragon? And why do we look similar to each other?" Skygazer was too focused on getting warm to wonder about the two young ones that had saved her but she couldn't help but notice how much the young dragon favored her Draco, "I wonder...could he be his son?" Draco ironically was wondering the same thing, "how can this be? There's no way..." It was then that the silence was broken, "so I'm curious..." Geoff began, "are you really Draco? The Draco we've heard so much about?" he asked. The dragon looked at the young man, "yes I am." "We thought you had been slain by Sir Bowen long ago? So how are you here?" he asked. Draco didn't really know how to answer that but Skygazer did, "everything you heard was true, Draco was slain long ago by Bowen but..." she glanced at her dragon before continuing, "I met him long ago before Bowen ever did so he and I had more time together back then." "You mean you were there during the rebellion?" Geoff asked. "Yeah I was and once the rebellion began we both knew how it was going to end and it did end that way. Years after that I crossed paths with a special woman and she had the power to bring him back to me," she replied. The pair of young males were shocked, "wait...a woman brought you back to life?" Drake asked. Draco nodded his head, "but I thought once someone was dead they were gone for good?" Skygazer spoke, "so did I and if it hadn't been for Aria I wouldn't have my Draco back in my life again." "Aria?" Drake asked. "Yeah..." Skygazer said. Draco noticed the look on the young dragon's face, "what is it?" he asked. "It's just that...I've heard that name before..." he commented as he locked his dark eyes with Draco's golden ones. Draco raised his head slightly, "what's your name?" he asked. "I'm called Drake," he turned to the human sitting next to him, "and this is Geoff." Draco nodded, "you already know who I am," he glanced down at the woman sitting next to him, "this is Skygazer...she's my mate." "Skygazer..." Geoff whispered. She cocked an eyebrow at him, "have you heard my name before?" she asked. "Yeah I have...the monks spoke of you...they are a part of the order of..." "Brother Gilbert..." she finished. "You knew him?" Geoff asked. "I know him and Bowen and Kara too, they're the closet thing we have to family," Skygazer corrected. "Wait...they're alive?" Geoff asked. "Yes..." Skygazer laughed, "why did you think they were dead? Where did you two grow up?" she asked. "In a Kingdomnot far from here, I was a stable boy and he was raised in the monastery and raised by the monks there," Geoff explained. "Who brought you there?" Draco asked. Skygazer could feel how curious Draco was being now about young Drake, "I was told that Bowen brought me there...it was also said that I was found in your cave before I hatched." Draco's dragon eyes widened slightly as the realization hit him, "the Scarred One...Aura..." Skygazer couldn't believe it and she was just as speechless as her mate was. Drake tilted his head slightly at Draco, "who's Aura?" he asked. Draco closed his eyes for an instant as he now understood where she had been the day before she died, "she's your mother.." he said. Drake's eyes widened slightly, "my mother? Then who's..." but he didn't need to ask the question, "that means you're...you're my..." he couldn't speak. Draco looked at the young dragon, "yes...you are my son..." he said as the two dragons could hardly believe it. Silence hung in the air around them as they absorbed everything they had just heard, Skygazer turned to Geoff, "what about your parents?" she asked. "I don't know...I was an orphan so I don't know who my parents were or what happened to them," he answered. Skygazer rested her head against Draco's shoulder as her hand subconsciously went to her belly as she listened to the heartbeat as Draco had taught her. Geoff was curious about her, "what are you doing?" he asked her. She looked at him as she spoke, "I was listening to the heartbeat..." she replied. Geoff cocked his head slightly, "how are you able to do that?" he asked. "It's because of the blood bond Draco and I have, it's what we did when we became mates. Through our blood bond I gained his heightened senses and was able to feel his feelings as if they were my own. It was only made stronger when he saved my life by sharing his heart with me," she explained. Both Geoff and Drake were silent as they absorbed her words, "how did you get injured?" Geoff asked. "During a battle with the Stormcloaks, a daedroth attacked me and left me so badly injured that I died a few days later. But because he couldn't live a life without me he shared his heart with me. That's also when I found out about our gift," she said looking down at her belly. "Stormcloaks? Daedroth? Who or what are they?" Geoff asked.

Several minutes went by with both Skygazer and Draco explaining everything to the two young males and by the time they were finished, they both understood so much. Geoff stared at the flames in front of him, "you two have been through so much in your lives.." he commented. "Yes we have..." Draco said. "And Aria was with your great-grandfather, which is my great-great-grandfather...and they had a son together?" Drake asked to which Draco nodded. "Our elder performed their bonding ceremony and Aria performed it for me and Sky..." he added as he transformed in front of the pair and wrapped his arms around Skygazer to help keep her warm. Drake was a little jealous that he couldn't do that but then again his father had magic he didn't, "so she basically raised you after your mother and father were killed by dragonslayers sent by a dragon named Vuljotnaak?" "Yes she did...I'll have to bring you to meet her when we reach home..." Draco said. Hearing this surprised the pair, "wait home? You mean...you're bringing us back with you?" Geoff asked. It was Skygazer who answered, "of course we are, you two are family too...it only makes sense that you stay with us." She then turned to look at Drake, "besides I'd like to get to know my new sons..." she commented. Hearing this made the two look at her, "sons? Is that how you see us?" Drake asked. "Yes, it's what you are..." she replied. "By the way I know that you shared your heart with Geoff..." Draco said. Geoff's mouth hung open slightly, "how?" he asked. "I can hear it, the same beat within Drake's chest is within yours so you're just as much my son as Drake is," Draco said. Skygazer knew it as well, with her heightened senses, "so tell me how did you end injured to where Drake had to save you?" she asked.

Drake then began to unravel the tale of what happened to him and Geoff and how they faced an ancient dragon that only meant to enslave mankind. When Drake had used his ice breath, the dragon turned into solid ice and when he fell to the ground and shattered it caused an ice spike to pierce Geoff's chest, killing him. Drake then shared his heart to save his brother. Now it was Draco and Skygazer's turn to be surprised, "Griffin?" she asked. "Yeah he was in the east...further east than even this...it was a land that Lian came from, where they have emperors and all sorts of odd things," Geoff answered. "Wow..." was Skygazer's only response but as she was ready to speak her stomach growled. Draco glanced down at her, "we need to find you something to eat," he turned his eyes to the cave entrance, "but with this storm there's no going hunting..." he said. Drake was the one to speak, "no need...we have some food we got this morning, we could all use something to eat." Geoff brought out the meat and placed it over the spit to cook so the four of them could eat.

While they waited for the food to cook Drake turned to his father, "father..." he said trying it out on his tongue, "what's the land like where your cabin is?" he asked as he remembered being told that Skygazer had built a cabin in his father's cave. Draco pondered for a moment before turning to his son, "it's wide and open, the land is vast and beautiful...the people there and in Bowen and Kara's Kingdomsee me as the protector of the lands. There are streams and hot springs, you will have fun learning to hunt when we return." Drake was quiet before speaking again, "I would like that very much...my hunting skills aren't very good." "Then how have you been feeding yourself?" Draco asked. Drake hung his head slightly, "plucking up cows..." he said quietly. Draco shook his head at his son, "you should know better than that..." he said. "I know..Mansel already scolded me for that," he replied. Geoff was amused at the converstation between the dragons, "the food is ready..." he said. "Good I'm starving..." Skygazer said to herself. The group ate in a comfortable silence before they began to settle in for the night, "that was so good..." Skygazer replied. Draco nuzzled his mate, "that's because you are eating for two..." he replied as he playfully licked her cheek, her response to him was a purr as she returned the gesture. She then let a yawn pass through her lips as she curled up against Draco's side while he kept his arm around her, "you should get some rest..." he said. She nodded her head as Drake spoke, "night Sky..." he replied. She smiled at the young dragon, "night Drake...Geoff..." within moments she was sleeping peacefully leaning against Draco's side. Geoff then decided to speak, "here I have an extra bedroll she can lay on..." he said. Draco smiled, "thanks son..." he replied as Geoff laid it out for his new mom. Draco lifted her into his arms and gently placed her down before covering her with the blanket she had wrapped herself in before. Drake turned to his father, "do you need one too father?" he asked. Draco shook his head no, "I appreciate the offer son but I can sleep in my dragon form...I'll be fine." "Ok..." Drake said as a yawn passed through his lips, "you boys should get some sleep too," Draco said. "Alright...night father..."

Drake replied as he laid his head down. "Night father..." Geoff said as he lay on his bedroll. "Night you two..." he then turned his golden eyes to his mate and placed a kiss on her forehead, "goodnight my precious jewel.." he murmured before transforming back into his dragon form. He lay down carefully next to Skygazer before draping his wing protectively over her as sleep overtook him.

When morning came it found Draco already awake, he glanced around the small cave at the three others that still slept peacefully. His golden eyes rested on his son for an instant as memories returned to him, "it's hard to believe that Drake is even here now. What I don't understand is why Aura didn't tell me? Why did she keep our egg a secret from me?" He couldn't wrap his mind around it and knew those were answers that he would never find. He briefly thought about when he was still in the dragon's heaven and how he had seen Aura there. What had surprised him though was that she had kept her distance from him, just as she had done when they first met. He shook his head to rid his mind of those thoughts as a voice came from beside him, "hmn Draco..." he looked down to see his beautiful mate starting to awaken. "Morning my jewel..." he said as he nuzzled her affectionately. She smiled at him as she sat up, "how did you sleep?" Draco asked. She stretched out her body before answering, "I slept better than I was expecting to..." she said, leaning against his side. He brought his head down to her level, "how are you feeling?" he asked. She looked down at her belly as she spoke, "I'm feeling alright...our little one seems calm right now," she said looking up into the golden eyes of her dragon. He gently brought his muzzle in to rest against her belly, "I'm happy that you are feeling well this morning my jewel.." he murmured. She smiled at him before she stood from her place when another voice was heard, "morning father..." The pair turned to look in the direction, it was Drake, "morning Drake I hope you slept well," Skygazer greeted. He let a yawn pass through his dragon lips as he stood up from where he had been sleeping, "I did thank you...and you?" he asked as he approached her. "I did too, more so than I was expecting," she replied. He gave her a gentle smile, "I'm glad..." then he became very quiet and the pair took notice, "Drake what is it?" Draco asked. He glanced at his father briefly before turning back to look at Skygazer, "I was wondering...would it be alright if I called you mom?" he asked. Skygazer was a bit surprised by the question but gave him a smile as she answered, "of course you can," she embraced him gently and he returned it before nuzzling against her side. Draco watched the interaction between his mate and his son and it pleased him greatly. He then turned his eyes to Geoff who was still sleeping, "Geoff..." at hearing his name be spoken he began to stir, "come on son time to get up..." he said. Geoff rolled over onto his back before turning his head to look at the dragon that had spoken to him, "alright..." he said as he knew it won't no point in resisting. He stood up and stretched his body out before looking at Drake, "well we should pack this stuff up so we can bring it with us to our new home." Skygazer was able to help Geoff pack the things onto both dragons before they were ready to leave. Once that was done Geoff got onto Drake's back while Draco lifted Skygazer up so she could sit behind his head and hold to his horns. They did a quick check before they took off, "is that everything?" Skygazer asked. "Yeah I think so," Geoff answered. "Alright let's get going..." Draco said as he walked from the cave with his son following right behind him.

Standing outside the cave Draco raised his wings and took to the sky, propelling them off the ground with his powerful legs. He turned his head to see Drake mimic the action in order to keep up with his father, "how far is it to our new home?" he asked curiously. Draco was the one to answer, "it won't take long with us flying back but once we get there, there will be work to be done." The pair knew what Draco meant with his words and the rest of the flight was spent in comfortable silence. Skygazer relaxed a little bit on Draco's back as she let her eyes roam the land below them, enjoying the beauty of it.

It didn't take them long to reach their home, "this is it boys...your new home..." Draco said as he circled before making his descent with Drake following right behind him. When they came in to land Draco spotted a horse waiting for them, "it would seem Bowen has come to see us..." Draco said. Upon hearing the Knight's name Geoff and Drake turned their eyes towards him, "wow..." was Geoff's only response. "Yes and it appears he has someone with him too," Skygazer added. When they landed at the entrance of the cave they were surprised to see who was with Bowen, "hello Master Draco...Miss Sky..." called a voice. It was Rose, "it's good to see you two again," she greeted as she hopped off the Knight's horse. Skygazer was happy to see the young woman, "hello Rose..." she greeted as Draco brought his hand up to bring her down to the ground. Skygazer embraced Rose before looking at Bowen, "it's good to see you two again." "It's good to see you too Sky, Draco..." Bowen said but then he noticed the two young males with the couple. "It seems that you found two strays..." Bowen joked. Draco chuckled before turning to the pair, "don't take offense to Bowen, he's only teasing..." he reassured. Geoff turned to the Knight, "none taken..." he replied as he dismounted from Drake's back. "It's a pleasure to meet you Bowen, I've heard much about you..." Geoff said. Bowen arched a brow at the young man, "so it appears and what is your name?" he asked. "I'm Geoff..." he then turned to the young dragon behind him, "and this is..." Bowen finished the sentence before he could, "Drake..." he said. This caught both Draco and Skygazer by surprise, "you know my son?" Draco asked. Bowen turned to his old friend as he spoke, "yes I do...very well in fact, I found him here as an egg a couple years after the rebellion." Draco approached the Knight, "how come you didn't tell me?" he asked. Bowen rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I didn't know how...I mean it's not like I haven't thought about it but I just wasn't sure how to tell you." Draco glanced at Drake as Bowen continued, "besides I knew he was in a different Kingdomso I wasn't sure you two would even cross paths." The dragon nodded his head slightly before he turned to Rose, "it's good see you again Rose. What brings you two by?" he asked. Rose smiled at the dragon as she spoke, "well I asked Bowen to bring me out here so I could deliver these herbs to Miss Sky. I thought she might've been getting low and I wanted to make sure that she had enough to get her through the rest of her pregnancy," Rose replied. Skygazer smiled, "that was very thoughtful..." she said, "come on in and I'll make some tea." They began walking towards the cabin before she stopped short of the door, "I'll help them unpack the dragons," Bowen said. "Thanks Bowen..." Skygazer said as she and Rose went inside, leaving the boys outside.

As Bowen unpacked the items from Draco he turned to look at Geoff, "so how did you two cross paths with these two?" he asked. "It was during the really rough storm yesterday, Sky was caught in the river and we pulled her out," Geoff replied. "She was in the river? How did that happen?" Draco was the one to answer, "she and I were by the river enjoying the cool water when the storm came in from out of nowhere. The wind was rough and rain completely drenched us both, we couldn't fly back here. So while we were trying to decide what to do, the river rose so high that it swept Sky's feet out from under her and took her down the river faster than I could run. If it hadn't been for these two, I might've never seen her again." Bowen was surprised, "it's lucky you two were there for her," he said to Geoff. "Yeah it is and I'm glad we were able to help her," he replied. Draco then decided to speak, "Bowen do you remember when we first crossed paths and I mentioned the Scarred One?" he asked. The Knight looked up at his old friend, "yeah." "She's Drake's mother," Draco said. Bowen then got very silent as he pondered his past actions, "I never should've taken her from you Draco...knowing what I know now." Draco brought his head down to Bowen's level, "we've all done things we're not proud of...but if we are wise, we learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them," he said. Silence passed between the males for the rest of the time they unpacked everything.

Inside the girls were enjoying their talk, "so tell me who is that you have with you?" Rose said. "Do you mean Drake or Geoff?" Skygazer asked. "Geoff?" Rose answered. "Well..." Skygazer took a sip of her tea as she spoke, "aside from him being a stable boy I don't know too much about him yet. He was an orphan that was raised by the monks of the monastery as was Drake." Rose was silent for a moment or two before speaking again, "and Drake is Master Draco's son?" "Yes he is, I think them finding out they are father and son has been a bit of a shock for them both," Skygazer said. "I can certainly understand that..." she glanced out the window as Geoff approached the door to open it, "hey Sky..." he stopped short when he rested his eyes on Rose as she sat at the table with Skygazer. Silence hung in the room for an instant before Geoff spoke again, "where would like us to put the provisions?" he asked. "Just bring them on into the kitchen Geoff and the firewood you two had can be placed by the firepit," Skygazer answered. "Alright..." he then turned his eyes to look at Rose again, "oh I'm sorry I should've introduced you two. Geoff this is Rose, she's a young woman that Draco and I have become very fond of. She works in Bowen and Kara's castle." "Hello Geoff...it's nice to meet you..." Rose replied. Geoff nodded his head in respect, "it's nice to meet you two Miss Rose," he replied. She laughed, "Geoff there's no need to be so formal, we're all family," Rose reassured. Geoff was ready to say something else when a voice called out to him, "are you helping me with the firewood or am I doing this on my own?" Bowen called. "I'm coming..." he turned back to the two women, "excuse me..." he said as he walked from the cabin. Now left alone once more Skygazer spoke, "it would appear that someone likes you..." she teased. Rose blushed slightly, "I don't know about that.." she said. "I do...did you see how Geoff looked when he saw you?" she asked. Rose smiled, "well I will admit...he is rather cute..." she said. "Perhaps if he wasn't busy unpacking their belongings then maybe you two could talk," Skygazer said. Rose smiled at the thought, "it would be nice to have someone to share my life with like you do with Master Draco." Skygazer placed her hand on Rose's, "I think you two would make a fine match..." she said. Rose smiled but as she went to speak again Bowen entered, "come Rose we should start heading back before it gets dark," he said. She nodded, "very well..." she then turned to Skygazer, "I hope you do well through your pregnancy and if you need anything you know where I am," she said. Skygazer embraced Rose warmly, "thanks Rose..." she said as they walked outside.

Once outside Skygazer came over to stand with her mate, who had transformed into his humanoid form, as he wrapped an arm around her. Bowen got into the saddle before extending his hand to Rose to pull her into the saddle with him, "you two travel safely," Draco said. "Thank you Master Draco..." she then turned to Geoff and Drake, "I apologize that we weren't able to speak but perhaps when next we meet then we can get to know each other better." Drake nodded his head, "I would really like that," he said taking a small step towards her. She smiled at the young dragon then looked at Geoff, "I trust you will help take care of our family?" she said. Geoff nodded, "I promise I will Miss..." he said with a respectful nod. She nodded back as Bowen spoke, "I hope you will come back to the castle soon, I know Kara would love to meet your sons Draco." Draco chuckled, "I know she would..." he commented. With that Bowen rode away from the cave and out of sight, leaving the family to settle in.

Now left alone Drake spoke, "Rose seems really nice.." he commented. "She really is a delight and her daughter is just the sweetest and most mature child I've ever met," Skygazer added. This caught Geoff's attention, "she has a daughter?" he asked. Draco looked at the human male, "yes she does but Sapphire is so mature for her age...when we visit the castle again I'm sure we will see them there." Geoff looked in the direction they had left before he was nudged by Drake, "...Drake what was that for?" he asked. "You like her don't you?" he asked. Geoff crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from his dragon brother, "I don't know what you're talking about." Drake shook his head at Geoff, "you know you can't hide anything from me now, not since we share a heart. I felt how she made your heart race," he teased. Geoff's cheeks flamed slightly, "that's enough you two, come on there's work to be done," Draco said leading them away with Skygazer at his side. They sat on the boulder that was just outside their cave as Geoff spoke, "so what is it that needs to be done?" he asked. Draco glanced at the young man before looking at his mate, "my jewel...I know that you built this cabin long ago and it's a beautiful home but," he turned to look at their sons, "I think that it's time to make a few changes because we have our sons." Skygazer knew he was right and she knew at some point that they would either have to build onto it or rebuild it entirely, "I know my love and I've been thinking about that. With our baby coming we would have to change it at some point..." she said. He nodded in understanding as she continued, "so the question now is do we build onto the cabin or rebuild it entirely and adjust it where we need to?" Draco looked at her before looking at Geoff, "what do you think son?" he asked. Geoff looked at his dragon father before answering, "well..." he pondered for a moment or two, "with the way the house is now, from what Sky told me it's only two rooms. The front room with a kitchen and the bedroom where you two sleep." He placed a hand to his chin as he thought out his words before continuing, "if we did rebuild, the front room could remain the same but how could we build it to accommodate Drake as well. I mean he was raised in the monastery and he was able to come and go as he pleased. So how can we recreate that here?" Draco looked at the stable boy, "I've thought about that too..." It was then that Drake chimed in, "it would be easy if I could transform like you father..." he said looking down slightly. Draco looked thoughtfully at his son as he placed a clawed-hand on his head, "don't worry my son...we'll figure it out together.." he replied. Drake gave his father a half-smile as Skygazer spoke, "well..." she thought for the longest time, "maybe a complete rebuild is the best way to make sure everyone is comfortable in our home."

They spent the next few moments talking over the plan for the rebuild of the cabin before Draco and Geoff removed the furnishings from the cabin and then began to take the cabin apart board by board. Once that part was done, they rebuilt the foundation, making it larger than it originally was to accommodate the additions they were going to build. They built the kitchen area first, making it larger and also keeping with what Skygazer had done before and keeping the sitting room in the same area as the kitchen and they even added a pantry to keep their provisions in as well. The front of the house faced outside the cave entrance, adding windows to be able to keep an eye out for anyone or anything that approached. Drake's room was built off the kitchen area and they made sure to keep the doorway open so he could come in when he wished but they also added double doors leading outside so he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased. Drake had insisted that Geoff stay in the same room as him because it was what he become accustomed to since meeting the stableboy, so Geoff decided to do as Drake wished of him. Draco had decided that he and Skygazer's room would be on the second floor so they could have privacy and the room next to theirs would be the room for their little one when it arrived. Outside their room was a balcony that was built on the top of Drake and Geoff's room with double doors that led out onto it, so they could come outside for some fresh air. All in all the cabin was beautiful and to Skygazer it was even more so because they had all built it together. She still had her mare's barn behind the house and her rain barrel still in it's place as it captured the water that dripped from the ceiling of the cave. Skygazer had decided to keep her mare in the pasture while they had been rebuilding their cabin but made up her mind to place her mare back in the stall before nightfall.

With the building part done they brought the furnishings inside and placed them in their proper places, Drake was able to help with it as he and his father brought the couple's bed upstairs so it could be brought in through the double doors. Geoff, meanwhile furnished the room he and Drake would be sharing. He knew how Drake's room had been back in the monastery and wanted his dragon brother to be comfortable. There was still more to build, such as the bed for him and the new baby, along with a few other furnishings. By midday they had everything finished and placed into the cabin, "we did it...it's finished," Skygazer sighed as tears welled up in her eyes. Draco knew that this meant so much to his mate because they had built it together but it was more than that, "why do you cry mother?" Drake asked. She turned to her dragon son as she spoke, "these are happy tears...because we built our cabin together but it's more than that. For the first time in my life I finally have what I've always longed for...a family. Our family makes this a home..." she said as she wiped a few stray tears away. Drake came over to nuzzle her side lovingly before she embraced him. "Home..." Geoff sighed, he was content to finally have a place that was home to him and Drake. Draco smiled at his sons, "come on let's go inside and rest for a while..." he said leading his mate inside with Geoff following them while Drake entered through the double doors they had put onto his and Geoff's room.

Later in the day Draco decided to spend some time with his son, just him and Drake, which left Geoff to protect the cabin and Skygazer while she rested. Draco transformed into his smaller size dragon form so Drake was able to keep up with his father a little better, "come Drake..." he said as he took to the air with Drake following right behind him. Once the pair were up in the air Drake began asking questions, "so I'm curious...what else can you tell me about my mother?" Draco glanced at his son before speaking, "when I first met her, she wouldn't give me the time of day...she didn't want anything to do with me." Drake couldn't help but laugh, "she was a spitfire?" he asked. Draco smiled as he nodded, "yes she was...I later found out that she was that way because of something that happened to her when she was young." "What was it?" Drake asked. Draco thought back for a minute as he tried to recall what she had told him, "what I found out was that she had been attacked by some other dragons that would bully her. That's how she became covered with scars along with whatever ones she sustained from encounters with dragonslayers." Drake absorbed what his father had told him before asking another question, "how long did it take for mother to warm up to you?" he asked. Draco had to chuckle at his son's question, "it took a long time before she was comfortable enough to even give me her name. After that she slowly began to open up to me and that's how I found out what all happened to her when she was younger. She'd had a hard life and her body reflected that, she had become known as the Scarred One because she never spoke to anyone, so no one knew her name." "Until you met her..." Drake said. Draco nodded to let Drake know he had heard him, "how old were you then?" Drake asked. "I was much older than you...when we were together, it was the happiest I had ever been back then. I would never tell Sky this but I still think about Aura often but it's because I had been trying to figure out why she had disappeared the day before she was slain." Drake looked down slightly before turning his eyes back to his father as he continued, "but after finding you...I now know why," Draco smiled at his son and Drake returned the smile. "You and mother both had hard lives when you were young..." Drake said. Draco nodded, "come we should find dinner before we return," he said leading Drake in the direction of the hunting grounds.

Back at the cabin Skygazer was spending time with Geoff and talking about little things, "so how long were you a stablehand before finding Drake?" she asked. Geoff leaned back in the chair as he spoke, "I started working in the stable when I was nine and had been up until my twentieth year. It was that summer that I went exploring the monastery and found Drake hiding down there. I later found out how he ended up there and also how long he'd been there, I was completely surprised because I never knew he even existed. I thought that Draco had been the last but when I found Drake, I found out different." Skygazer nodded her head, "yeah I know the feeling and I thought the same thing before I found Draco but I'm so glad that I did find him because my life has been enriched by his presence." Geoff nodded in understanding, "I feel the same way about Drake now but it was at one point that I took him for granted and end up hurting him. I wanted to be a Knight and I threw our friendship away for a short time because I wanted to be a Knight bad enough. Lian set me straight though and made me realize that Drake was a gift and it was a miracle that he was even alive. After that I never took him for granted again and in turn...he saved my life." Skygazer smiled, "you two have been through a lot since you two met haven't you?" she asked knowing the answer. He nodded his head, "yeah we have..." he sighed.

Back with the pair of dragons, Draco was showing his son the proper prey he should be going after instead of plucking up peoples' livestock. "Look down there...tell me what you see..." Draco said. Drake used his keen sight to scan the land below carefully until he spotted movement, "there..." he motioned with his claw. "Good boy now let me show you how to make a clean kill from the air," Draco said diving lower with Drake right behind him. Once he was at the perfect height, "now you watch me then you're going to try," he said kindly. "Alright.." was Drake's only response as he watched his father's actions carefully. Draco dove down, targeting a deer in the middle of the herd and once he was close enough he snapped his jaws onto the animal. The motion of his attack, snapped the animal's neck which made the kill clean. Drake was impressed at his father's skills as a hunter. Draco came back up to fly next to his son before placing the deer on his back, "that's the technique to use on the hunt, now it's your turn." Drake took a breath before flying lower as he had seen Draco do, he targeted an animal in the middle of the herd before swooping in and snatching the animal into the air, breaking it's neck which made a clean kill. Draco wore a smile of pride on his face at the fact his son had paid close attention to his lesson. When Drake was once more flying next to his father he spoke, "you did very well son now come Sky and Geoff will be waiting for our return." Drake placed the deer on his back before he spoke, "alright father.." he said flying back towards their home.

Skygazer had decided to come outside to sit on the boulder that was just outside the cave with Geoff staying close to her, "Sky.." he said. She turned to looked over her shoulder at him, "yes..." she said. Geoff looked down slightly before looking back at her, "is it ok if I..." he stumbled over his words but even so Skygazer knew what he was asking, "you can call me mom too." He looked at her, "how did you?" She giggled, "I thought that you might ask me that just like your brother did." He smiled as the sound of beating wings caught their attention, "there they are..." Geoff said. Skygazer smiled at seeing her mate return with their son in toe, "there you are my love..." she said getting up off the boulder and embracing him when he landed. He nuzzled her affectionately as he spoke, "were you waiting for me?" he asked. She smiled, "yes of course..." she turned to the young man behind her, "Geoff stayed out here with me as well." Draco smiled, "good job son...looking after your mother as I asked you to," he praised before turning to Drake, "and my other son is a very skilled hunter, he used the same technique I did and made a perfect kill." Geoff came over to remove the deer from his dragon brother's back while Draco lifted the one from his own, "two skilled hunters..." Skygazer praised. It was then that Drake spoke, "my brother is too..he's the reason we had those provisions we had with us when you found us." Geoff smiled at his brother's words, "good then he can help me clean the kills," Draco said. "I'd be happy to," Geoff said. Skygazer smiled before looking at Drake, "come on Drake let's let them take care of the kills and you can help me with the firepit..." she said and he smiled as he followed behind Skygazer to help prepare for dinner. Draco transformed back into his humanoid form before he began his lesson with Geoff.

Drake stayed near his mom to help build the firepit so they could cook dinner over it, "grab a bundle of that firewood would you?" she asked kindly. Drake grabbed a bundle with his mouth before using his claw to cut the cord that held it together while Skygazer put the tender and kindling. Drake then placed the wood over it before lighting it with his fire breath, to which Skygazer smiled, "you are very good..." she praised. "Yeah Geoff showed me once and I never forgot it...I knew I was going to be an important part to our lives because without my fire, we wouldn't be able to eat," Drake said as he bedded up next to Skygazer. She leaned against his side as she would do with Draco as she spoke, "can I share something with you Drake?" she asked. "Of course mom..." he replied. "Ever since we crossed paths, I sense within you is a strong sense of honor but it's more than that, you have the same nature about you that your father does. Even though you will never know any of your elders you still live by their teachings. You help any human you come across and try to see the good in them..." she said. Drake wasn't too sure what she meant but he did remember some of what was told to him when he was younger. The monks ofter spoke of what the dragon elders would teach the next generation and made sure he understood the ways of his kind. "The monks often spoke of the dragon elders teachings and made sure I learned...so I could be a dragon that the elders would be proud of and live the life I'm suppose to," he said. Skygazer smiled at him, "I'm proud of you Drake and I know your father is too..." she praised. He smiled before nuzzling against her side and laying his head down to rest his chin on the ground as they enjoy the warmth of the fire.

Meanwhile Draco was pleased at Geoff's skills at cleaning a preparing kills for cooking, "you have learned well my son...we'll make a hunter of you yet..." he said. Geoff chuckled at Draco's somewhat playful nature, "well it was either learn to hunt or go hungry..." he said. Draco was amused at his son's words, "come on your mother and brother are waiting for us," he said leading Geoff over to the firepit. When they reached it Draco smiled at the scene in front of him, Drake was curled around his mate, enjoying the warmth with her, "well you two look comfortable..." he said kneeling down next the firepit. Skygazer smiled, "yeah even though it's a warm night...the warmth of the cooking fire feels nice." Draco was pleased, "can you hand me the spit?" he asked her. "Sure.." she said as she handed the pole to her mate so he could place the meat onto it. Once the meat had been placed onto it he handed it back to her to place onto the two smaller poles so it could cook over the open flames. Draco sat near Drake while Geoff sat across from him, he turned his golden eyes to the sky to gaze at the beauty of the sunset sky before them. "It's such a peaceful evening..." Drake commented. "It's one of the nicer evenings we've had I think..." Skygazer said as she relaxed against Drake's side. Draco glanced in his mate's direction as he nodded his head, "the beauty of the sunset sky is truly a sight to behold..." he then turned his eyes to his mate, "but it pales in comparison to the beauty that is your mother." Skygazer's face felt warm as her cheeks were twinged pink and she smiled at her mate. As Draco checked the meat that was cooking Drake decided to speak, "father..." Draco glanced in his son's direction which silently told him to continue, "when will we meet Aria?" he asked, raising his head. Draco pondered his son's question for an instant before giving an answer, "in the morning..." was his only response. Drake nodded to let his father know that he had heard him as Draco checked the meat that was cooking, "won't be long now..." he commented. The next few minutes silence passed between the family while the meat finished cooking and once it was done, they began to enjoy it.

As they ate their dinner there was a content silence hanging in the air but in his head Geoff was reeling at how his life had changed so much. He never imagined that his life would turn out this way but he was happy that it had because he was no longer an orphan. He'd had a hard life growing up as a stablehand, fortunately the man he worked for was always kind to him and treated him as if he were his son, and Geoff was grateful. Drake too was deep in thought, he glanced around him at the people around the firepit and reflected on everything that had happened to him. After being raised in the monastery and being sheltered by the monks, he felt like that was how his life was going to be forever. When Geoff came into the basement of the monastery he was unsure of what to think, Geoff was the only other person that had ever come in there aside from Mansel and Friar Peter. He was happy that Geoff had come down there because after that day, he didn't feel so alone anymore, he had someone to talk to and confide in. After the battle with Vuljotnaak, he felt closer to Geoff...the whole incident had made the stablehand realize that having Drake in his life was a gift and he was fortunate to have found him at all. Draco's mind still couldn't wrap around the fact he had a son. He had been able to pass on his bloodline with Aura and he had never known about it. He knew that if their paths had never crossed during the storm, then they probably never would've even met. Draco knew that Skygazer could feel how he was feeling now and he knew she was too, so much had happened since yesterday. First a rough storm comes from out of nowhere, then Skygazer gets taken down river only to be rescued by his son and bonded human. He never imagined that anything ever came of him and Aura's intertwining but it did and he couldn't be happier about it. He was proud of the dragon Drake was becoming and knew that more lay ahead of him in the future. Skygazer knew her mate had a lot on his mind and she did too, being able to feel each other's feelings as if they were their own, they knew without words.

By the time they had finished their dinner the stars were shining brightly in the night sky as a full moon hung in the sky above them. The family enjoyed the warmth of the fire and view of the night sky before them, "Drake..." upon hearing his name he turned his gaze to his father, "yes father." "Drake when you were growing up in the monastery did they ever speak of the dragon's heaven?" Draco asked. Drake shook his head no, "no they didn't but Master Quan did...he told me that a dragon must earn his place up there with all the dragons of the past." "Well that's only half the story..." Draco said. "What's the other half?" Geoff asked. Draco glanced at his human son before turning his eyes up to the constellation, "back when I was young and still living in the mountains very far from here, the elders taught us hatchlings that we did have to earn our place up there but they also told us how the dragon's heaven came to be." "Will you tell us father?" Drake asked. Draco was amused at his son's curiousity which silently told him that Drake had never heard the story, "well...the elders told us hatchlings that when man was young and a dragon already old the wisest of our race took pity on man. He gathered together all the dragons making them vow to watch over man, always. And at the moment of his death the night became alive with those stars..." he pointed to the sky which made his sons look up at them as he continued. "And thus was born the dragon's heaven but when we die not all are admitted into this shining place...no...we have to earn it," Draco explained. Drake turned his eyes to his father, "is that why we are able to share our hearts with humans that are truly worthy?" he asked. Draco nodded his head, "yes it is...upon the wisest elder's death the magic that dwelled within him was shared among our kind and gave us the ability to share our hearts."

Drake was silent for a moment or two but as he went to speak Geoff did, "so is the story about you sharing your heart with a prince true?" he asked. Draco's face darkened slightly which made Skygazer decide to intervene, "Geoff perhaps he doesn't wish to talk about that." The boys turned their eyes to their mother, "why not?" Drake asked. Skygazer looked at her mate before looking back at their sons, "because that was not a pleasant experience nor a good memory for your father..." she glanced at Draco as he still refused to meet his sons' gaze, "it's true what you heard but there's more to the story than that." Geoff arched a brow at her words before turning to his dragon father, "father?" he said. Draco glanced in his direction before looking away which made Geoff look at the flames in front of him and Drake rest his chin on the ground. Skygazer could see that the boys seem to understand the meaning behind their father's silence and didn't push the subject any further. She let her hand rest on Drake's head as she gently scratched the scales above his eyes, which made him respond by nuzzling against her side. She smiled at him before turning her bright blue eyes towards her silent mate. She knew why he was silent, he still felt the pain of his mistake on his conscience, even after all these years later. It pained her to see him this way so she stood up from where she was sitting in order to walk over to her mate's side and sit with him. When he felt her warmth near him, he looked at her and he knew...he knew she was offering him comfort. She nuzzled under his chin before kissing the scale that covered his half-heart and he returned the gesture as he purred in response to her affection. The boys just looked at each other curiously before looking at their parents interaction. With Geoff being a human, he didn't understand the sounds that Draco was making, even with half of Drake's heart beating in his chest, so he turned his eyes back to the flames. Drake on the other hand watched the interaction closely as he tried to understand, he had never known about any of the interactions when it came to having a mate. No one ever told him and he figured it was because no one knew anything about dragons. He watched them a few moments more before laying his head back down and looking at the flames as they flickered in front of him.

When their interaction ceased, Draco locked his golden gaze with Skygazer's and gently caressed her cheek with his clawed-hand, being mindful of his long claws. She placed her hand on his to nuzzle against it and kissed his palm before he wrapped his arms around her. Drake raised his head up once more to look up at the dragon's heaven as a question burned in his mind, "I wonder if my mother is up there?" He wanted to ask his father about it but felt right then wasn't the right time to and decided that he would go to his room for the night, "I think I'm going to turn in for the night..." he stated as he stood up from where he had been laying. Geoff stood up too, "I think I am too," he turned to their parents, "night mother...father..." he said. Skygazer smiled at her sons before standing up to embrace them warmly. Geoff had only ever been hugged by Lian but this was different, it was filled with a mother's warmth and love, something he had never known of until now. He returned the gesture before she let go of him in order to embrace Drake, "goodnight my sons...may you have sweet dreams." When Drake returned the embrace he nuzzled against Skygazer's side, "night mother..." he turned his dark eyes towards his father, "night father..." he said. Draco smiled, "goodnight my sons..." he replied. Geoff began walking away but as Drake did Draco spoke, "Drake.." Upon hearing his name he looked at Draco, "when you wake up in the morning I'd like to talk to you before we go to Aria's.." he said. Drake merely nodded as he followed after Geoff as they both entered through the double doors together and closed them behind them.

Now left alone Skygazer came back over to sit next to Draco as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders before draping his wing around her as well. Skygazer leaned against her mate's shoulder as she enjoyed the feeling of her dragon's body against hers. She could tell that something was off with her dragon and she had an idea about what it was, "you still feel the guilt from long ago don't you?" Draco didn't look at her but nodded his head to let her know he had heard her. She nuzzled against his chest before placing a kiss over the scale that covered his half-heart. He nuzzled his muzzle into her hair as he spoke, "I know that everything was rectified but I can't help but still I feel the guilt from my past mistake," he stated. Skygazer was sympathetic to her mate, "you shouldn't dwell on the past my love..." she placed her hand beneath his chin so his gaze met hers, "not when you have a happy future ahead of you..." she said caressing his cheek. He leaned into her caress before placing his claw on her hand, "I know you're right my jewel..." he looked down slightly, "it's just fortunate that Drake has already shared his heart with Geoff so I do not have to worry about him making the same mistake I made long ago." She nodded her head in understanding before pressing her lips to his, which he returned. When they let go of the kiss he spoke, "come..we should get some rest..." he said. When he stood up he picked Skygazer up into his arms, he opened his wings and flew up to their balcony, to enter through the double doors. When he landed he placed her on her feet before closing the doors behind him. Skygazer got into bed and curled up beneath the covers as Draco got in beside her to wrap his arm around her before draping his wing over her, "goodnight my precious treasure..." he murmured. She smiled, "goodnight my sweet dragon..." she replied as they let sleep overtake them.

When the sun rose the next morning it found young Drake already awake, still laying on the bedding that Geoff had fixed up for him. He turned his dark eyes towards his human brother briefly before carefully standing up and slipping outside through the free swinging double doors. Once outside he made his way towards the entrance of the cave before glancing up at the balcony where he knew his father and mother's room was, "wonder why father got so quiet last night when Geoff asked him about his past? I understand what mom said but still...was it really that bad?" Drake turned his eyes back towards the entrance of the cave as he made his way outside to lay on the boulder just outside the cave. He wasn't usually up so early in the morning but this morning was different, his mind was filled with questions, not just about his father's past but also about other things as well. "Father is fortunate to have found mom back then..." he looked down slightly, "with there not being anymore dragons I will never have a mate. If I could transform like father then maybe there would be a chance but in this form...how could anyone want me?" he turned his eyes back to the sky to watch as it became painted with the colors of the sunrise.

Up in their room Draco was just starting to awaken from a peaceful slumber, "hmn...too early..." he murmured. He let a yawn pass through his scaly lips before raising up to look down at his sleeping mate. A smile played on his lips as he nuzzled her gently before getting up and walking out onto the balcony. Once he was, he stretched himself after having been curled up all night. He flexed his wings out before relaxing once more, "that was the best night sleep I've had in ages..." he said to himself, leaning against the railing of the balcony. A gentle breeze blew into the cave which tickled his wings slightly but it also brought a scent to his nose, "seems Drake is already awake..." he said to himself. He looked towards the entrance of the cave to see his son laying on the boulder and looking up at the sky. Draco glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Skygazer before leaping from the balcony and landing on the cave floor. He made his way to the entrance of the cave to lean against it to silently watch his son.

Unaware that his father was watching him Drake flexed his wings restlessly as well as his tail spike as he continued to watch the sun rise into the sky. When the breeze shifted, it billowed around Drake briefly before a scent reached his nose which made him turn to look behind him, "father..." he said as he watched Draco approach, "how long have you been out here?" he asked. Draco came up to stand beside Drake, "long enough to wonder what has my son awake so early.." he stated. Drake glanced at his father as he spoke, "I was just thinking about some things is all..." he said. Draco arched a browridge at Drake's words, "what about?" he asked. Drake was silent for a moment or two before speaking, "just about what mom said last night..." he locked his dark eyes with his father's golden ones, "was it really as bad as she said?" he asked. Draco let a sigh pass through his lips before speaking, "yes..it was..." Drake was silent as Draco continued, "back before the rebellion ever happened the Queen was the wife of a dragonslaying King and she was also the daughter of the Celts. She knew of our kind and always treated us with kindness and love, even called our kind friends. When she came to me that day with her injured son, I knew...I knew of the evil that beat in his breast but she pleaded with me to save him." Drake was intrigued because he had never heard this part of the story from anyone, "I've never heard this part of the story, no one ever told me." Draco snorted slightly at his son's words, "I'm not surprised..the only ones that knew this part died long ago...well aside from Bowen of course." Drake flexed his wings slightly as Draco continued, "anyway...I asked Bowen to give me his sword...to make the boy swear that he would never be the tyrant his father was. He swore to me that he would be a King that would rule with mercy...and as he did he breathed his last breath. At the time Bowen was very close with the prince, he was his pupil...training to become a Knight and live by the Old Code. So when the prince died Bowen became angry and pulled his sword from my claw, I calmed the Knight before I made the choice to save the prince. I foolishly believed that my heart could change him...I was so naive then. As the prince grew up he became what he swore to me that he would never be and made the lives of the villagers so much harder. The sacrifice I had made became my sin..." he said turning his gaze to his son, "that's what Sky meant with what she said last night...it wasn't a happy time for me because when I had shared my heart with him, it cursed my soul. If I had been slain by some random dragonslayer then my spirit would've disappeared as if I never even existed." The young dragon became very silent as he absorbed his father's words before speaking, "so that's why you sacrificed yourself and let Bowen slay you...to save your soul?" he asked. His father nodded, "yes...if it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have been allowed to join the dragon's heaven nor would've been able to be brought back to be with your mother," Draco explained. Drake felt his half-heart break at the knowledge his father had shared with him before bringing his head up to nuzzle his father's side. Draco was surprised by the gesture but placed his arms around his son to return the embrace.

It was at that very moment that Skygazer had come out onto the balcony and had seen the interaction between her mate and their son, "it's good that they got to have that talk with one another..." she thought to herself as she walked back inside to prepare some breakfast for her family.

Later that morning the family was enjoying breakfast together and a comfortable silence hung around the room. Drake lay in the open doorway they had built, eating on what Skygazer had prepared while the rest of the family sat at the table. As he ate his mind was on what he and his father had talked about earlier, "father really has been through more than I ever could've imagined..." he thought to himself. With their heart bond Geoff was feeling Drake's sadness and wondered what could be bothering his dragon brother, "hey Drake..." he said making the young dragon look in his direction, "yeah?" he said. "What's on your mind? You're usually talkative over breakfast...something bothering you?" he asked. Drake looked down slightly as he wasn't sure if he should tell his brother what he and Draco talked about. He glanced in his father's direction as if silently asking him. Geoff cocked a brow at the silent glances between the two dragons. Draco noticed the curious look on the stable boy's face, "do you really wish to know?" Draco asked making Geoff look at his dragon father. "Yes I do..." he replied. Skygazer glanced between her son and her mate, "Geoff maybe he..." but she was silenced when Draco placed a claw on her hand, "it's ok my treasure..." he replied as he began to unravel everything to his human son just as he had done to Drake.

By the end of his tale Geoff understood and became silent for several moments after. Skygazer was surprised to notice that her mate was no longer feeling the same as he had been the night before and it pleased her, "perhaps him sharing this with his sons will do him good..." she said to herself. A moment later Geoff spoke, "wow...it's worse than I thought it was...no one ever spoke of all that." Draco let a sigh pass through his scaly lips as he flexed his wings restlessly, "I'm not surprised...no one but Bowen knew about it, the other people that knew are long dead. It was my greatest sin and it deeply scarred me, right down to my soul. After that day I became wary of any human I crossed paths with, that is until I met your mother," he said glancing at his mate and smiling. She smiled as she placed her hand on his claw as he continued, "that's why it's hard for me to talk about it...I still carry the guilt and shame of my mistake long ago." Geoff merely nodded to his father's words, it was then that Drake spoke, "when do we leave to meet Aria?" the young dragon asked. Draco smiled, "after breakfast..." was his reply.

Once they had finished their breakfast the family made their way outside to prepare to leave to visit Aria. Draco transformed into his smaller dragonform and forced his backspines down so Skygazer could place her saddle on his back. Seeing this intrigued Drake along with Geoff, "how's that feel on your back my love?" Skygazer asked. Draco brought his head down to nuzzle his mate gently, "it feels comfortable my treasure..." he replied before flicking his tongue against her cheek. She giggled at his antics before placing a kiss on his muzzle and getting into the saddle. Geoff cocked an eyebrow at their mother, "you really ride on father's back using a saddle?" he asked curiously. Skygazer turned to look at Geoff as she spoke, "yes it was actually your father's idea." "I didn't think it was possible for you to ride on his back being that he has those spines made of solid bone on his back," Geoff replied. "I didn't think so either but Draco was able to use the magic that Aria infused into him when she brought him back. It's also how he transforms too," Skygazer then turned to her mate as he spoke, "are you ready my love?" he asked to which she nodded. "Alright hang on..." he said raising his wings high and propelling his bulk off the ground as Drake mimiced the action.

Once he was at a comfortable height he was able to sore effortlessly along with Drake, Skygazer relaxed in the saddle while she enjoyed the feeling of flying with her dragon again. It was then that Geoff's voice reached her ears, "how are you feeling today mom?" he asked. "I'm feeling good...ever since Rose gave me those herbs, I haven't been having any morning sickness or anything," Skygazer replied. "That's good but I do have a question," she looked at her son which silently told him to continue, "with your blood and heart bond with father and you sharing in each other's strengths and pains, how is he gonna get through the day when you have your baby?" he asked. Hearing this made Skygazer looked at her son before staring down at her mate's back, "honestly...I hadn't thought about it perhaps that's something we need to speak to Aria about," she said looking at Draco. He glanced over his shoulder at her, "yes it is..." was his only response as they got near Aria's hut, "look there my sons," the pair looked down to see a small hut built into a large tree, "that's Aria's hut." The boys gazed down at it as the family began to make their descent while both Skygazer and Geoff braced themselves for the landing.

Once the dragons' feet touched the ground the two humans dismounted from their backs. Both Geoff and Drake were in awe of the outward appearance of the hut, "wow...look at this place, it's built into a huge tree..." Drake commented. While their sons were occupied with admiring the hut Skygazer had removed the saddle from her dragon's back and Draco had transformed into his humanoid form. Drake looked at his father as he stood there with his arm around Skygazer's waist before approaching her and nuzzling her lovingly. Skygazer smiled at Drake as she embraced him warmly, Draco loved seeing the bond that both his sons had with his mate, "come Aria probably knows we're here..." he said. Geoff cocked an eyebrow at Draco, "how?" he asked. It was Drake who answered, "don't you remember what father told us about her, she has a second sight plus she can probably sense us too." The family approached the hut only to have the door open to reveal Aria standing there, "young one...deary...it's so good to see both again, I hope you have been fairing well," she said embracing the couple. "We've been well mother..." Draco said. "We've missed you Aria," Skygazer said when embraced the sorceress. "I have missed you both as well," it was then she noticed the two young males standing quietly behind the couple. Draco noticed the look on her face when she rested her eyes on Drake and Geoff. She moved towards the young males who watched her curiously, she gently held her hand out to Drake who shied back at first. Draco wasn't sure how his sons were gonna react to his mother but he hoped that they got along as he watched the interaction closely. Aria remained still and silent to allow the young dragon to come to her, just as she had done with many a young dragon over the centuries. Drake slowly raised his muzzle to the sorceress' hand to get use to her scent before he took a small step towards her, to allow her to touch him. Aria smiled at him, "hello young dragon...I am pleased that your father has brought you here to meet me," she said warmly. Drake bowed his head slightly, "I am too...my father told me that you raised him long ago," he replied. The sorceress smiled, "yes I did...I see him as my son which makes you and your bonded human my grandsons," she replied. Geoff looked at Draco, "what you said is true, she does have second sight." Aria laughed at Geoff's comment, "told them about me have you young one," she replied playfully as she turned to face him briefly. "Of course...I hide nothing from my sons.." Draco replied. Hearing this made Aria smile as she turned back to the two young males, "may I know your names?" she asked. Drake bowed his head as he spoke, "my name is Drake," he turned to the human standing next to him, "and this is Geoff." Aria locked her gaze with the young man as she approached to place her hands on his shoulders, "you have been through so much in your life...you both have," she glanced at Drake briefly before continuing, "a strong heart beats within you...you two share a heart and a strong bond," she said letting her hands fall from Geoff's shoulders. Geoff's eyes widened slightly, "that's incredible..." he commented. She then turned to Draco, "I take it the Scarred One is Drake's mother?" she asked. Draco nodded his head, "she is..." was his only response.

She was silent for the longest time before she spoke again, "tell me..." she turned to Drake, "do you have your mother's magic within you?" she asked. Drake looked down slightly, "I don't really know...I don't think so..." he admitted. Aria once again held her hand up to him, "rest your forehead against my palm..." she instructed gently. Drake glanced at his father briefly, "it's alright son..." he reassured. The young dragon turned his dark gaze back to the sorceress who was patiently waiting. He took a breath before taking a small step towards her and placing his forehead in her palm as he closed his eyes. A moment passed before her hand began to glow which surprised Geoff slightly but he remained silent to watch her. Aria focused her powers to get a complete feel of Drake's body, to see if she could sense any magic within him. Several moments passed before she let her hand drop from it's place on Drake's forehead, "your mother's magic is within you young Drake but haven't unlocked it yet. I also sense that you do have her power of ice as well as fire just as she did." Hearing this surprised Drake as he once more locked his gaze with his grandmother, "how do I unlock it?" he asked curiously. Aria pondered his question for a moment or two, "I'll have to help you to unlock your abilities so that you are able to use them." Drake nodded his head as she turned to Geoff, "this means once he has learned how to use it then it's possible you will be able to use it as well." Geoff's eyes widened slightly, "really? I could be able to use magic?" he asked curiously. Aria nodded her head, "it's possible but I can't guarantee that you will right off. He first must learn how to use it himself, once I unlock his ability it will be up to you and your father to help him master it. Only then will you be able to use your bond with him to tap into it and use it as he does," she explained. Draco and Skygazer approached the sorceress, "mother..." she looked at Draco as he spoke, "is that type of thing really possible? When you brought me back you infused magic into me but I never knew it was possible for my bonded mate to do it too." Aria turned to face him fully, "as I said there's no guarantee that it will work, it may only be you and Drake that will be able to use magic.." she explained. "Even with your bond with Sky being as strong as it is...the chance that she could tap into the magic that resides within you is very slim," she added. Skygazer could feel that this knowledge frustrated her mate slightly but remained silent as Geoff spoke, "it doesn't matter to me if I cannot use the magic that Drake has, as long as he is able to use it...that's what matters." Aria smiled at the young man, "you have a very kind heart and a gentle soul...with the bond you two share through the heart, you have gained the wisdom of the elders." Geoff smiled at Aria's words and Drake turned his head to nuzzle against Geoff's side while Geoff placed his arm over the dragon's neck.

A bit later Aria began working with Drake, "alright young one, from what you have told me you have both a sense of your fire lung and your ice lung, the trick to sensing your magic is the same. Close your eyes..." she instructed. Drake did as she asked him, "take a breath and let it out slowly...clear your mind amd focus your senses on your body." Drake wasn't sure about it but listened to Aria's instructions carefully, "now tell me...what do you feel?" she asked. Drake was silent for a moment as he felt everything around him but when his heart beat again he felt something within him that he hadn't before, "I feel something when my heart beat just now...it's like an energy I didn't know was there..." he said, keeping his eyes closed. Aria smiled, "good young one, that new feeling is your magic...now to unlock it focus yourself on that new feeling and allow it to fill your senses," she said. Drake took a few gentle breaths to allow himself to get a feel of the magic dwelling within him, as he allowed this he felt his eyes begin to glow, "my eyes are...are glowing..." he stated. "Good, now try to use it..." she said, "try to summon the element of fire to your claw." Drake took another breath to keep himself calm as he tried to focus his sense of the magic in order to tap into it. Drake then felt his claw begin to glow as the a small flame materialized in his claw, "open your eyes Drake..." Aria said. When he opened his eyes, as they continued to glow, he saw that in his claw was a small flame, "I did it..." he turned to see his father smiling proudly at him before looking back at Aria. "Well done...though it is a small flame you now have a feel for the magic that dwells within you. You must train yourself in using it so you can one day be as strong as your father and be able to transform just as he does," she said smiling. Drake called back the flame and his eyes stopped glowing, "I never knew I was able to do this." "I'm not surprised you're still young and you have much to learn yet but there is plenty of time for that," she said, placing her hand upon his muzzle. He smiled at her before approaching her to nuzzle against her side affectionately, which made Aria smile. Draco too was smiling, he was proud of his son and what he had been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. When Drake raised his head once more Aria spoke to Geoff, "as his brother it is up to you and your father to help him train so he can get better at using his magic. But do not push him too hard too fast, for if you do he will be left weakened and fatigued." Geoff nodded to let Aria know he had heard her, "I am sure your father will make sure of that..." she said looking at Draco who merely nodded to her statement.

A little later on Skygazer pulled Aria aside to talk privately while the boys worked with Drake for a bit. "So what is it you wish to speak to me about child?" she asked. Skygazer took a breath as she began to speak, "well I have questions..." she said. Aria nodded her head which let Skygazer know to continue, "the day you had Vorstag...were you able to..." Aria could see that the young woman was stumbling over her words but she understood what she was asking, "you are wondering how was I able to bring Vorstag into the world and not have Histva feel what I was feeling too?" she asked. Skygazer merely nodded to Aria's words as the sorceress placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "child if you are worried about your dragon feeling what you will feel on that day then you needn't fear." Skygazer looked at the sorceress as she continued, "I was able to use a temperary spell so that Histva never felt anything I went through." "How long did it last?" Skygazer asked. "It lasted the day and when the next morning came the spell had worn off," she explained. Hearing this made her feel better because she knew her dragon wouldn't feel everything she went through that day.

It was about midday when Draco decided that it was time for them to return to their cave home, "well as much as we have enjoyed this time with you mother, it's time we should be heading back." Drake looked at his father curiously, "why father?" he asked. Draco looked at his son, "because your mother needs her rest..." he stated. Drake looked down slightly until Aria's voice reached his ears, "you are welcome to come back whenever you wish young Drake," she replied. Hearing this made him smile, "really?" he asked. "Of course...and Geoff you as well besides I would love to get to know my grandsons better," Aria said approaching Drake and placing her hand on the side of his face, which made him nuzzle against her hand affectionately. Skygazer smiled, "we promise we'll come back to see you soon Aria," she said. The sorceress moved to embrace the young woman, "I hope you do...with this being your first pregnancy with a child that is half dragon, we need to keep a close eye on things to make sure you both are healthy." Skygazer nodded her head as Draco embraced his mother, "we love you mother.." he murmured. She smiled at his words, "I love you all too..." she said before embracing Geoff. Draco then transformed into his smaller dragon form so Skygazer could place the saddle on his back before she climbed on while Geoff got onto Drake's back. It was then the little family took to the air and began to head home with the sorceress watching them until they were out of sight.

As they flew through the air a comfortable silence hung around them until Drake spoke, "I really enjoyed meeting my grandmother," he stated. "Me too, I know we had heard you tell us about her father but there is so much more to her than I ever thought," Geoff added. Draco chuckled at his sons' words, "yes she is full of surprises..." he turned his head slightly to look at his mate, "I trust you spoke to her about our concern?" he questioned to which Skygazer nodded. "I did..she told me that when she brought Vorstag into the world she had used a temporary spell so that your great-grandfather wouldn't feel anything she experienced," she explained. Draco felt relief at hearing this and Skygazer could feel it run through her body because in truth she had been worried that with their bond that her dragon would feel everything on that day with her. With her worries put to rest she was able to relax in the saddle and enjoy this time with her dragon mate and their sons.

It didn't take them long to reach their cabin home, "finally home..." Skygazer murmured. Draco could, not only hear how tired she was but he could feel it too. He felt bad for her because there wasn't anything he could physically do to help alleviate the fatigue and everything else she was feeling. He wanted so deeply to do so but lacked the ability, "perhaps you and I should go to the hot springs," he suggested to his mate. Hearing this made Skygazer smile, "I would like that very much," she replied, petting his neck affectionately to which he responded with a purr. At hearing this Geoff spoke, "there are hot springs?" he asked. Skygazer laughed, "yes there are hot springs...they are a little further in your father's cave." Geoff nodded to let his mother know he had heard her, "perhaps I should bathe in the hot springs as well..." he said to himself as he turned his gaze towards the ground as they landed safely. "Home sweet home..." Geoff said. "Yeah..." Drake breathed as he stretched out his body and wings, "I think I'll go rest for a little while in my room." Draco turned to his son, "if you perfer to sun yourself then you can do so out here if you wish or on top of our cave. Don't forget we are finally free to live our lives and do as we please without the threat of any dragonslayers seeking us out." Drake contemplated his father's words for a moment or two before he locked his gaze with Draco's, "I think I will...thanks father..." he replied as he walked over to the side of the firepit to sprawl out in the warm sunshine to rest. After watching his brother walk away he turned to look at their parents, "I think I'll go enjoy the hot springs..." he said. Draco nodded, "just don't go any further than the hot springs..you don't know this cave the way me and your mother do." Geoff nodded, "alright..." he replied before walking down the tunnel to get in the hot springs. Skygazer then slipped from her mate's back to remove the saddle, "there you go my love..." she said once the cinching straps had been removed. He stretched his dragon body and wings out before transforming back into his humanoid form to pick up the saddle in order to place it back over the stall door. "Come let us enjoy the hotspings," he said kissing her knuckles. She smiled at her mate as he turned to look at his son, "Drake..." the young dragon lazily opened one eye to look at his father, "when your mother and I return from the hot springs we can continue your training..." he said. "Alright father..." Drake said as a yawn pass through his scaly dragon lips. With that Draco picked Skygazer up into his arms and carried her down the tunnel towards the hot springs to bathe together.

When they reached the hot springs Draco set her down on her feet so she could remove her clothes while he stepped into the water to completely dunk himself to cleanse his body and wings. When he came back up Skygazer was standing beside the pool admiring his body as it gleamed with beads of water making his scales shimmer in the sunlight that shone through the hole in the roof of the cave. He could tell that she was enjoying the view of him before her as she came over to sit on the side of the pool to place her feet in the water as she grabbed her cloth to bathe with. Draco gently took it from her and dunked it into the water before rubbing it up her long legs. She smiled as she allowed him to do this, "he's always so gentle with me..." she said to herself. Once he was satisfied that her legs were clean he rewet the cloth in order to cleanse her body, "turn around my jewel," he instructed gently. She turned so that her back was facing him, moving her hair aside, she felt him rub the cloth against her skin, "hmm that feels so good..." she sighed. He knew she enjoyed this very much, he felt how content she was to be loved by him in this way, "I'm glad that it pleases you my treasure..." he replied as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. She turned back around to face him to gently take the cloth from him so she could wash the rest of her body. When she had the wet cloth in her hands she rubbed it across her slightly swollen belly, pausing briefly to smile at the love blooming within. Draco placed a claw there, gaining her attention, she watched him place his muzzle against her stomach to nuzzle it gingerly before kissing it. She felt the love he had for their little one radiate through her body as her own love for their gift filled her body. When he raised his head back up he pressed his lips to hers briefly before allowing her to finish her bathing.

A little ways away Geoff was enjoying another pool and he smiled at the affection his parents shared, "I wonder if a girl would be that way with me once we got to know one another..." he thought to himself as he finished soaking in the hot water. He got out of the water to get redressed and head back to the cabin, "I'll go ahead and fix us some lunch when I get back to the cabin," he said looking at his parents. "Thank you Geoff..." Skygazer said. "Thanks son..." Draco added as the young man disappeared from sight.

Now left alone Draco wrapped his wing around his mate, "now we're all alone..." he murmured before placing a kiss on her neck. Feeling his scaly lips on her skin made her shiver with delight, "looking to have something sweet on your tongue are you?" she asked giving him a half-lidded look. He replied by wrapping his arms around her and drawing her in close as he let his thrum erupt from his throat. She responded to him with a purr before pressing her lips hungrily against his, which made him wrap his tail around lower leg. He pulled back slightly for an instant to stand up and lay the blanket out that Skygazer kept nearby before bringing her onto it with him. Once she was sitting next to him, he pressed his lips to hers once more as she feverishly returned it. He leaned back with her so that she would be beneath him as another thrum caused his body to vibrate against hers. She arched her back slightly in response to him as his tail wrapped, once more around her lower leg as she rubbed it up and down his. He let go of the kiss in order to pleasure her breasts with his tongue, he knew how his teasing made her body feel and because of their blood and heart bond he could feel it as well. After teasing her breasts he moved lower to lick his way up her thighs before delving into her moist cavern, making her desire skyrocket. He knew she wanted him right then, he felt it and his body responded to her as he length became exposed to brush against her thigh when he came up to capture her lips once more. He dove into her with a passionate thrust which made her moan out his name, "...Dra-Draco..." she was left breathless at the pleasure he was giving her. He kept himself braced up on his elbow while his freehand came up to rest on the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. They got into a steady rhythm with one another and the only sounds that could be heard was their panting and her moans. He never moved his lips from where they were as he brought his clawed-hand down to caress her stomach affectionately while he continued to thrust into her. With several passionate thrusts he came deep within her body with her right behind him. Their bodies shuddered slightly from their exertions before Draco disconnected and lay beside his mate. Skygazer rested her head on his chest to listen to the sound of his beating half-heart while he wrapped his arm around her small frame, letting his claw rest on her stomach.

At the firepit Drake was stretching himself out before completely relaxing on his stomach as Geoff reappeared outside the cave, "so how was the soak in the hot springs?" he asked. "It felt amazing..." he replied as he sat beside Drake, "so are you hungry?" Drake perked up a bit, "yes I am but aren't we gonna wait for father and mom?" he asked. Geoff shook his head no, "I told them that we would go ahead and fix lunch today." "Shall I go hunt down something or are we using our provisions inside the cabin?" he asked. "It's probably a good idea for us to use the provisions this time, don't want them going to waste..." Geoff said standing up, "I'll be right back." With that Drake watched his brother walk into the cabin to retrieve something for them to prepare for the family's lunch. It didn't take long for Geoff to return with a few dried fish, "good idea brother...it's been a while since we last enjoyed some fish," Drake commented when Geoff came back outside. The former stablehand placed fish onto sticks while Drake got the fire going, "this is going to be delicious..." Drake said to himself. While the pair watched the fish cook, silence hung in the air but Drake was deep in thought and Geoff knew it, "something on your mind?" he asked. Drake glanced at Geoff briefly before he spoke, "it's just...I was just wondering when I'll be able to transform like father...that's all." Geoff merely nodded to let his dragon brother know that he had heard him, "if you like we can train some more after we eat..." he said. Drake smiled at Geoff's words, "the fish is almost done..." Geoff added. Once the fish had finished cooking the boys began to enjoy the meal they had prepared.

Back by the hot springs the mated pair were still resting, wrapped in each other's embrace, "I always enjoy this moment with you my love..." Skygazer murmured. Draco kissed her hair, "I do as well my treasured mate...having you in my arms, I know that I have the most precious of treasures with me..." he replied nuzzling his muzzle into her hair. She nuzzled against his chest affectionately as she let a purr pass through her lips in response to him. He raised up just enough to look into her bright blue eyes while his claw came up to rest on her cheek, "come I'm sure the boys already have lunch prepared by now..." he commented. She smiled and nodded, "alright..." she said as she stood and got redressed. Draco then took her hand in his and they walked back outside hand in hand to find the boys already eating together. "Seems they started without us," Skygazer said playfully to which Draco chuckled, "so it appears..." he added as they too joined their sons and began eating.

After lunch the boys focused on Drake's training with Skygazer and Geoff sitting on the boulder, watching. Both Draco and Geoff had built targets for Drake to propel his magic at so no one would be accidently injured. Draco was helping his son to hone his magic so that he was able to use it properly, "alright Drake...try it again...call the fire element and strike the target in front of you.." Draco instructed. Drake took in a deep breath to focus on his magic, as he let out his breath he felt his eyes begin to glow as did his claw. "There you go son..." Draco praised. Drake inwardly smiled to himself as he called forth the element of fire before propelling the element onto the target. "That's it...hold that for a moment before you call it back..." Draco instructed. Drake focused his power towards the target as he opened his eyes to see the target burning. "Alright call it back..." his father said. Drake slowly brought his claw back to call the flame back as the glow faded from his claw and eyes. "Well done Drake..." Skygazer called. "Good job brother..." Geoff added. Drake smiled as his father approached to place a claw on his son's shoulder, "you learning fast...this is good." Drake nodded, "thank you father...I do feel a bit drained though..." he admitted. "That's to be expected you are using something that your body isn't use to yet but with time, your body will adjust and you will no longer become fatigued," Draco explained. Drake nodded his head as he moved towards the water trough to quinch his thirst while Draco went to douse the flames. Drake noticed this but decided to show his father his ice breath, "wait father..." Draco turned his head towards his son as he made his way back over to him, "I can douse those flames with my ice..." Drake said. Hearing this intrigued his father, "very well..." he said as he stepped aside to allow his son to show him his ability that he inherited from Aura. Drake took a breath, opened his ice lung and projected it towards the flaming target, dousing the flames. Once the fire was out Draco looked at Drake, "you truly have your mother's gift..." he praised which made Drake smile.

Sometime later, after spending the majority of the day focusing on Drake's training the rest of the family was relaxing around the firepit. Drake meanwhile, was sleeping peacefully in his room, having been exhausted from his magic training. Skygazer rested her head against Draco's shoulder while Geoff sat on a log across from his parents, "dear I think you pushed Drake a little too hard today, Aria gave him the same warning that she did you," Skygazer said. Draco nodded his head, "I know my jewel but I wanted to test my son, to see how strong he is. I want to be sure that he can handle the responsiblity that comes with the magic." "I understand that but still...you don't want to have anything to happen to him like it did you," she reasoned kindly. He knew his mate was right but still he couldn't help being this way, it was the way he had been taught when he was young, "I know you're right mate but I can't help being this way...back when I was young we were taught that you must master skills quickly because it was the only way to survive. Old habits die hard I suppose..." he said. Geoff found amusement in his father's words, "make sense to me..." he commented. Draco glanced at his human son, "rest assured that if you are able to tap into Drake's magical abilities through your heart bond then you will be training as well..." Draco said to which Geoff merely nodded. It was now late evening and the sun was setting over the horizon, "it's time we turn in for the night to get some rest," he turned to Skygazer, "especially you my treasure..." he replied nuzzling her affectionately. She smiled as she returned the gesture as he stood from where he had been sitting before picking her up in his arms. "Come Geoff, time for you to turn in too," he said. "Yes father..." Geoff said as he obediantly followed his parents into the family cabin.

Once inside Skygazer spoke, "night Geoff..." she said smiling at him. "Night mother..." he then locked his blue eyes with his father's golden ones, "night father..." he said. "Night son..." Draco said as Geoff disappeared from view. Draco then carried Skygazer upstairs to their room for the night before he went out to have a quick look around before he laid down next to his pregnant mate. Skygazer knew that her mate went out after she fell asleep as she had heard him return a few times now but never said a word to him. She knew he was just following his dragon instincts and being protective over his family and she didn't blame him, "not after losing so much in his past..." she thought to herself as she felt her eyelids grow heavy. She let a yawn pass through her lips as she nuzzled him once more, giving him a soft purr, "goodnight my sweet dragon mate..." she murmured. He smiled a toothy smile at her as he returned the gesture and giving her a soft purr-like growl in return, "sleep well my treasured ones," he said caressing her cheek before placing a kiss on her belly and nuzzling it gently. She smiled at how affectionate her dragon was being as she let sleep overtake her tired body. Draco sat on the side of the bed for a few moments before her even breathing told him she was asleep. He smiled down at her as he stood up and made his way out onto the balcony of their cabin to feel the night air gently blowing into the cave, "there's a storm coming..." he said to himself. He knew that with the coming storm nothing would be roaming around so he decided to have a quick look around before laying next to his pregnant mate. He leapt from the balcony, landing on his clawed-feet which made his wings flex with the motion. He walked outside the cave, took his dragon form and took to the air to survey his territory.

Once up in the air he flew over the forest, the nearby plains where the game like to rest and the hillside, "just as I thought, nothing moves on this night..." he said to himself as he turned back towards the cave. When he reached his cave he was gently gliding on the air current but as he neared the cave he caught sight of movement, "what's this?" he said, narrowing his dragon eyes. He focused his dragon sight on the movement he had seen and once he was close enough he saw what it was, "a bear..." he growled, "I can't let it attack my family." In that moment he dove down towards the animal silently, "almost..." he said as he got closer. When he got in range he snatched up the creature and brought his jaws down on it, killing the animal, "you won't be coming back..." he said to himself. He then flew higher into the air to remove the bear from the area, he briefly thought about gorging on the bear and it was too tempting not to. So he took his prize away to feast on what he could before returning to the cave to sleep. When he landed on the hillside he had chosen he sank his sharp teeth into the animal's flesh, devouring what he could of the meat, "been so long since I last feasted on raw meat.." he said to himself. Once he had eaten all he could off the bear he covered it up so nothing else would find it then took to the air once more. On his way back to his cave and his sleeping family, he found himself smirking slightly but shook his head slightly, "what's wrong with me?" He pushed those thoughts aside as he neared his cave once more and landed in front of it. He transformed back into his humanoid form and made his way upstairs to where he knew Skygazer still slept peacefully. Upon entering, he indeed found her still peacefully sleeping with her hand resting on her belly, which made him smile. He flexed his wings slightly to rid them of any dirt he had gotten on them before getting into bed and curling his body around hers. He wrapped his arm around her as he buried his nose into her hair before draping his wing over her and letting sleep overtake him.

Several Weeks Later:

It was a peaceful morning and Skygazer was sitting on their balcony enjoying the breeze that blew into the cave entrance. She had been out here since she had woken up, not from a dream but because of her little one moving, "you can't let your mother rest can you little one..." she said as she rested her hand on her belly that had become larger as their baby grew. She smiled down at her belly when she felt the baby move beneath her hand, "you're a strong one..." she commented.

What she had been unaware of was that her dragon mate had been watching her for several minutes and he smiled at the scene before him. His golden gaze rested on her belly as he noted everytime their little one moved, "it grows stronger everyday..." he said to himself as he raised up off their bed to stretch. He arched his back slightly to flex his wings before making his way out onto the balcony with his mate, "enjoying the fresh air my jewel?" he asked. Upon hearing his voice she turned to see him approaching her, "morning my love and yes I am." Once he was in front of her, he knelt down in order to place his claw on her belly, "did our little one moving wake you?" he asked. She merely nodded, "yes..." she replied softly. He smiled but brought his head down to listen to the heartbeat and upon hearing it, he spoke, "our little one's heartbeat is even stronger today...probably why it's moving so much this morning." "Get's that strength from you my sweet one..." Skygazer said before kissing his forehead. He nuzzled against her belly affectionately before raising his head up to kiss her tenderly on the lips. When he let go of the kiss he stood up as he offered his claw to her, she smiled as she placed her hand in his and allowed him to bring her to her feet. "Come we should get you something to eat, you need to keep up your strength," Draco said. She smiled at him as she followed him downstairs. She was grateful to her dragon for looking out for her the way he was, he was being so attentive of her needs...always making sure she took care of herself and their unborn baby. This morning Draco decided to prepare breakfast, to let his mate have a break. He had learned from Rose how to prepare food that was good for Skygazer to have during her pregnancy. He had paid close attention to her lessons because he wanted to make sure that he took very good care of his mate.

When they got to the kitchen he insisted that Skygazer rest herself as much as possible and she knew that it was no use in protesting, "he's been taking very good care of me ever since he came back to me and now he's putting in so much more extra effort to take care of both I and our little one. I'm so lucky to have him by my side..." she said to herself. This morning Draco was preparing some eggs for his beloved, he and Geoff had gone out the day before to purchase some eggs from a nearby farmer. While he cooked, he made sure to use a few of the herbs that Rose had said was the best to use in food. Once the food was done cooking he placed it onto the table for Skygazer to enjoy, "there you go my mate..." he said pressing his lips to hers briefly. She smiled at him, "thank you baby but what about you and our sons?" she asked. "I can cook up some of that deer meat from yesterday..." he replied. "Alright darling..." she said as she began to enjoy the breakfast Draco had made for her. Draco then grabbed what he needed from the pantry and made his way outside to cook up breakfast for him and their sons.

Once outside he went to the firepit to get the fire going and once it was he placed the deer meat on the spit to cook. He glanced over his shoulder briefly before turning his eyes back to the food. As he sat there he began reflecting on everything that had happened to him since he had been returned to life, "I never imagined that this would be my life when I was brought back...I am happier than I ever thought I could be. Being with the woman I love more than anything in this world, making this our home and having a family...something I dreamed of for so long but never thought I'd ever have. My Sky has given me everything I've ever wanted and more..." he smiled to himself as he kept his golden eyes on the meat as it continued to cook.

Down in their room Drake and Geoff were still peacefully sleeping but as the armora of the cooking meat began to billow into the cave, it inadvertently began to come in through the double doors. When the scent reached the nostrils of the sleeping dragon, he began to awaken, "...hmn...something smells good..." he said to himself. He turned his head to see his human brother still sleeping who he thought about waking but decided not to. He stood from his bed and made his way outside to see what was making his mouth water.

When he was standing outside the cave he stretched himself out, flexing his wings to get the stiffness out of them as a yawn passed through his dragon lips. After a few moments he relaxed once more and turned his head to see his father cooking breakfast. "Good morning father..." he greeted as he approached. Draco glanced at his son briefly, "morning son..." he greeted. Drake sat on his haunches as he spoke, "what smells so good?" he asked. "Deer meat..." Draco replied, "where's your brother?" he asked. "Still sleeping," Drake answered. "Go get'em...the food is nearly done..." Draco said. "Alright father..." Drake said as he walked back to his room to rouse his brother from his bed.

When he stepped into the room he found Geoff standing next to his bed and stretching his body, "Drake...there you are...where were you?" he asked. "I was outside with father, he asked me to come get you for breakfast," Drake answered. "Alright..." was Geoff's only response as he followed his dragon brother outside to where their father was waiting for them.

When the boys got to the firepit they found their father placing the meat on a plate, "come and get it boys..." Draco called upon seeing them approach. Geoff sat on the log as he began to enjoy the food his father prepared for him and his brother while Drake did the same. Draco too was enjoying this time with his sons but he also wondered what their life would be like once their little one arrived. He shook those thoughts from his head for now as he knew there would time for that later.

Inside Skygazer was enjoying her eggs, "these are the best eggs I've eaten in a long time or maybe I'm just hungrier than usual..." she said to herself. Once she had finished eating she placed the plate in the sink to wash it up before going outside to sit with her mate and their sons. When she went to take a step towards the door she felt her head begin to spin slightly, "whoa why am I feeling dizzy all of a sudden?" she didn't get the chance to try and figure it out as her world went black and she passed out, hitting the floor hard.

Outside Draco had just finished eating when he felt a sharp pain in his head, "ow..." he said shaking his head slightly. "What is it father?" Drake asked. Draco didn't answer as he stood up and made a mad dash towards the cabin with his sons sitting in confusion. When he got inside the cabin he found his mate laying on the floor unconscious, "my Sky...my Sky...please open your eyes..." he turned his head towards the door, "Drake...Geoff..." he called out. When they heard their father call them they ran towards the cabin, "father what is it?" Geoff asked but upon seeing his mother on the floor, worry raced through him, "what happened?" he asked. Draco didn't answer as he lifted Skygazer into his arms and carried her upstairs to place her down in their bed to rest. Geoff followed up to stand in the doorway, "is she gonna be alright?" he asked. Draco looked at his human son, "it's another one of her fainting spells..." he replied. Geoff looked down slightly as he spoke, "they're getting more frequent aren't they?" he asked. Draco caressed Skygazer's cheek, "yes they are..." he then turned his eyes from his mate to the young man standing behind him, "Geoff, you and Drake go to Aria's and bring her here...maybe she'll know what is going on with your mother." "Yes father..." with that Geoff made his way outside to Drake leaving his father alone in the room with Skygazer. He looked at her beautiful face and noticed that she was slightly pale this time, "what is happening to my Sky?" Worry raced through him and all he could do was wait for their sons to return with Aria, "please stay with me my precious treasure..." he whispered as he held her hand in his claw.

When Geoff got outside he called to Drake, "Drake we gotta go." "Go? Go where?" he asked. "To Aria's, father has asked us to bring her here," he answered. "Alright..." that was all he needed to hear as he stood from where he had been laying as Geoff got onto his back. Once Geoff was comfortable Drake raised his wings and took to the sky, propelling himself off the ground with his powerful leg muscles. As they flew towards Aria's there wasn't a word spoken between the brothers, they knew that this situation was serious so they had to be focused. When they reached Aria's hut Geoff hopped off as soon as Drake's feet touched the ground. The boys were surprised when the door opened to reveal the sorceress, "my grandsons...I sense that something has brought you both here.." she said. It was Drake who answered, "yes it's mom, she's fainted again." Hearing this gained the woman's attention, "again? Tell me has this been happening recently?" she asked. Geoff nodded his head, "yes it has...for the past few weeks." Aria looked down slightly before going back into her hut, which made the boys look at each other briefly before looking back at the hut. A few moments later Aria appeared with a satchel over her shoulder, "take me to her..." she said. Geoff nodded as he lifted the satchel from Aria before Drake knelt down so she could get onto his back, "are you alright up there grandmother?" Drake asked. She smiled at the young dragon, "yes dear one I am.." she replied, petting his neck affectionately. Geoff then got on behind her before passing her satchel back to her, "alright Drake let's go..." he said. With that Drake took off and headed back towards their cabin home.

They quickly reached the cabin and Aria was surprised at how it looked, "you all have built a fine home here..." she commented as Geoff helped her slide from Drake's back when they landed. "How did you..." Geoff said. It was Drake who answered, "second sight remember?" he replied. Aria smiled, "you have a good memory young one, even your father sometimes forgets about my ability.." she said. Drake went on ahead to let their father know they had returned while Geoff walked in with Aria following right behind him. Drake got up to the balcony and poked his head in, "father..." Draco raised his head up to look at his son, "Geoff is bringing grandmother up now..." he said. Draco found ammusement in his son's words as Geoff and Aria appeared in the room. When her scent reached his nose he turned to look at her, "mother..." he said softly. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder before coming around to have a look at the unconscious woman, "your sons tell me she's been having these fainting spells for the past few weeks," she said. Draco looked down slightly as he spoke, "yes she has..." "Why didn't you come get me sooner?" she asked. He refused to look at her, "I thought it would pass but...they keep happening. What is happening to my Sky?" he asked. Aria was sympathetic to her 'son' she knew he had always tried to solve things on his own and even now he was still trying, "I will do what I can for her young one, worry not." She quickly set to work, using her magic to get a closer look at Skygazer and their unborn little one. The males in the room were holding their breath as they watched the sorceress work, "I hope she'll be ok..." Drake said to himself as he lay down on the balcony with Geoff leaning against his side. After a few moments of scanning Skygazer's body with her magic she turned to the dragon she had raised who was flexing his tail claw nervously, "what's wrong with her?" he asked. She gave him a serious look, "she is very weak...because the baby she carries is of the dragon blood, it's causing her body to become weak. She can't adjust to how strong this little one is," she said. Hearing this made Draco's heart break slightly, "what can be done for her?" he asked grimly. Draco didn't understand how this could be happening, she has his blood in her veins, he thought that her body was strong enough to go through this. Aria let a sigh pass through her lips as she thought out her words for a moment or two, "I can mix a potion that will make her stronger, it's the same one I prepared for you when she brought you to me after you had been injured." Draco merely nodded as he knew what she was referring to, he never took his eyes away from his beloved while Aria prepared the potion. Once it was done she turned to the young man, "Geoff lift her head so I can administer the potion.." she said kindly. Geoff did as Aria asked of him and helped her give his mother the potion, "will this help her?" he asked. Aria looked at her grandson and nodded, "yes it will help her body restore it's strength and when she awakens she will no longer fall to fatigue." Draco felt relief flow through his body at hearing her words, "thank the elders..." he said to himself. It was then that Geoff spoke, "do you need us to take you back to your hut now grandmother?" he asked. She shook her head, "no...I'm going to stay close by for a while, just to monitor your mother and unborn sibling," Aria said as she sat in a nearby chair to keep a watchful eye on the young woman as she slept.

While their mother rested the boys decided to go out for a flight but Draco made sure to tell them to be back before sunset, to which both Drake and Geoff agreed. After the new cabin had been built Draco had decided to set a couple of guidelines: the first one was that if they decided to go out for the day they had to be back before sunset. The second was that there would be no fighting inside the cabin, if there was to be an arguement they would take it outside the cave to settle it. Skygazer had agreed with Draco about the two guidelines he had set for their sons, Drake had respected his father's decision but Geoff, being a bit headstrong tried to talk Draco out of it. Draco knew that from everything the boys had told them when they had crossed paths that between the two of them, Drake was the only one use to guidelines, but Geoff wasn't. Draco had to sit Geoff down and talk to him, he understood the life Geoff had lived before coming here but he wanted the former stableboy to understand that he was only looking out for him. Geoff had never really had that kind of parental figure in his life, aside from the stable owner he had worked for, so it was an adjustment for them both. Skygazer had decided that Draco could handle their sons when it came to guidelines but she made sure to let all three males know that she would never tollerate any kind of brawling or magic use inside the cabin. The only other thing she made their sons understand was that if either she or their father told them to do something, they do it. Draco knew since he had first met her what was expected of him and he never once questioned it because of the way he was raised. He had always lived by the elders teachings as well as the Old Code, he had a very strong since of honor and he made sure that his sons understood it too. Draco, Drake and Geoff respected Skygazer and her wishes, they never wanted to get on her bad side.

As Draco looked at her sleeping form he let his mind wander back to the first day they had met.

Memory:

He remembered that it had been raining all day that evening and when the night came it had become a really rough storm, "seems we're in for another rough storm tonight..." he said to himself as he rested on his bedding in the back of his cave. He had his head resting on the soft grass and was half dozing when he heard the wind blowing hard into the entrance. He knew he was so far back in the cave that nothing would ever find him in here. However as he lay on his bedding half-dozing his sensitive dragon hearing caught the sound of something entering his cave, "what would be crazy enough to come into my domain?" he asked himself as he got to his clawed feet and began to make his way towards the entrance to investigate. The thunder rolled louder than he had ever heard it before and the wind howled as he neared the entrance, "I know I heard something..." he said scanning the darkness for anything. Even with his keen eyesight at night the darkness of this stormy night was almost too much for him, however when the lightning lit up the sky once more he caught sight of something at the entrance. He cautiously approached, keeping a bit of distance between him and whatever it was. He focused his sight on what was in his cave and was shocked to see that it was a human, and not just any human but a woman. The dragon watched her for several moments and noticed how drenched her clothes had become, "she must've been wandering around out there for a long time to be that drenched." He arched a browridge, "what would she even be doing out this far all alone?" he thought to himself. He stared down at the ground in front of his claws as he flexed his tail talon for a few moments as he tried to decide what to do about this woman in his cave. When he brought his golden gaze back up to look at the woman, she clung to her cloak as she tried to keep herself warm. When he saw her shivering, he felt bad for her, "she may not make it through the night in her current state.." he thought to himself. He had been brought up to follow the elders' teachings and knew deep down that they would want him to help her. His kind had sworn to watch over man always and he lived by that, he felt it was his code of honor and he never wavered from it. He continued to watch the woman for several more moments before noticing that she had somehow dozed off leaning against the wall of the cave, "now's my chance to slip by her..." he said to himself. Even though he was a rather large dragon he was able to move silently when he needed to. When he reached the entrance he paused briefly to bring his head down to have a quick look at her before standing tall once more and walking from the cave.

Now outside his cave he made his way into the forest, as the storm prevented him from flying. He was a very skilled hunter but this storm would make it difficult to find any prey at all, he only hoped that he would manage to find something. He kept his keen eyes out for any game that was still in the area and when he was scanning back across the field in front of him, he spotted a large rabbit, "that will do.." he said. He knew camouflaging himself would be his best chance to snatch the rabbit in his jaws, "got one shot at this..." he said to himself. The rain pounded against his thick hide and made it difficult to remain camouflaged, if this hunt failed then the woman would certainly perish. He waited for a few moments and when the thunder rolled again the rabbit he was watching came running towards him, "that's right...come over here..." he said. When the rabbit was close enough he broke camouflage and snatched the rabbit in his jaws, "gotcha..." he said through clenched teeth. With a quick shake of his head the rabbit lay limp in his jaws, "now to get this back to the cave..." he said. He quickly got back to the cave entrance to lay the rabbit on the floor before going to retrieve some wood to build a fire. He knew most of the wood would most likely be completely drench by the rain but he had to try, the woman's life depended on it. He gathered what wood he could find, carrying back as much as he could in his mouth before gently placing it on the floor of the cave. With the task done he had to get a fire going or this woman in his cave might not make it, "come on..." he said breathing his fire on the wood. After a moment or two he managed to get it going, he felt relief flow through him then turned his attention to the rabbit he had caught. He had grabbed a stick to place the rabbit on while he had been retrieving the wood for the fire. He made quick work of skinning the animal then placed it over the fire to cook. Once he was satisfied he turned his eyes to the sky to see that it was nearly dawn, "nearly dawn...I should get out of sight before she awakens.." he said retreating back into the cave and out of sight.

When the sun rose into the sky the dragon was standing just out of sight of the woman, keeping an eye on her for a bit. As she began to awaken the dragon began to retreat to the back of his cave to rest as he had been up most of the night keeping a close eye on the woman. He paused once to glance over his shoulder at her once more before walking down the tunnel and disappearing into the darkness. When he reached his bedding he lay down as he let a yawn pass through his dragon lips, "I'm more tired than I thought I was..." he said to himself as sleep overtook him.

A little later he was awoken by the sound of someone near him and when he opened his golden eyes he was shocked to see it was the same woman that had taken refuge in his cave. She stood there staring at him and he couldn't turn his eyes from her, "what? Why did she come back here? Had she heard stories of a dragon in this area?" These were questions that ran through his head as he kept his golden eyes on her. After a tense bit of silence she spoke, "I take it that you're the one that made sure I had a warm fire and food when I woke up?" she asked. It took a moment for it to register in his brain that she had spoken to him, "yes..." was his only response to her question. Upon hearing his voice she stood there silently as if trying to believe what she was looking at in front of her. He watched her take a few tentative steps towards him as he still lay on his bedding, "what is she doing?" he wondered. When she had gotten right in front of him, she looked down at his claw briefly before kneeling down to place a gentle hand on it. The dragon was completely caught off guard by this woman as no one had ever approached him the way she was now. His golden eyes rested on her as she ran her fingers across the scales on his claw, "it's not as rough as it looks..." she whispered. The dragon remained still to allow this woman to do whatever she was doing but even he was surprised at himself that he was allowing her to do this. He recieved another surprise when she looked up into his golden gaze as she spoke, "thank you...for last night, without your kindness...I probably wouldn't have made it through the night." The dragon was silent for a moment or two before responding to her, "you're welcome..." he said bringing his head down to her level to rest his chin on the floor near her.

End of Memory:

It was then that Draco was jolted out of his thoughts by Aria, "young one..." she said shaking his shoulder slightly. He looked in her direction to see the sorceress giving him a curious look, "what?" he asked. She laughed, "you were half-dozing again..." He looked down slightly and then noticed that his sons had returned from their flight, "Drake...Geoff..." he looked at them as if he was surprised they were there. Drake approached his father, "were you dreaming?" he asked. Draco looked down slightly before looking back at Drake, "yes I was...I was dreaming of the day I met your mother..." he said, letting his eyes rest on her prone form. Drake gave a half-smile as he remembered what his father had told him when they met, "she's always been tough hasn't she?" he asked. Draco nodded as he let a smile play on his scaly, dragon lips, "yes she has..." he said caressing her cheek affectionately. Geoff came up to place a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder, "I'm know she'll be alright...she's the strongest woman I've ever met, aside from Lian. Besides she has us waiting here for her when she wakes up..." he said. "Geoff's right father...she would never leave us behind..." Drake added. Draco couldn't help but find amusement in his sons' optimism but smiled at their encouraging words.

It was late in the day when the family decided that they should eat something to keep their strength up while Skygazer rested and recovered. Aria decided to cook up something for her son and grandsons, "I know you all are worried...especially you young one.." Aria said looking at Draco as she finished speaking. As they ate Aria told her grandsons a few stories about their father but a few moments in Draco had finished eating and decided to take up his place back beside his mate's bedside. As the boys watched him disappear upstairs they looked at Aria, "he is so worried about your mother and with good reason but the potion I gave her will help her recover." Drake was silent for a few moments before speaking, "grandmother can I ask you something?" he asked. "Of course..." she replied. Drake thought out his words before speaking, "how was he when my dragon mother was slain?" he asked, surprising the two humans at the table. Aria was silent for the longest time because she didn't know how much Draco had told his son about Aura, "what all has your father told you?" she asked. "Well he did tell me that when they first met that she didn't want anything to do with him. She would either blow fire at him or smack at him with her tail," Drake answered. "What he has told you is true, she was a real spitfire...but once she warmed up to him she became so warm and loving towards him," Aria explained.

The brothers spent the next little while listening to details about the relationship between the two dragons, and it was then that Drake had another question, "father told me that she never told him about me...did she ever tell you?" he asked. At this question Aria looked down slightly, "you both must promise to never breathe a word to your father.." she said to which both males nodded their heads. "The truth is Drake that the day before she was slain she came to me and told me that if anything ever happen to her to make sure her egg was well cared for and the young dragon within raised in the ways of the elders. I've kept my promise to her all these years..." she said. Drake looked down at his claws as Geoff spoke, "why didn't you ever tell Draco? I mean he is Drake's father...shouldn't he have the right to know?" he asked. Aria nodded her head, "it is true but after your mother was slain Drake your father was inconsolable and aside from that he had been severely injured trying to protect your mother. Then the rebellion began and he became wrapped up in the heart of it so the only thing I could do was keep my promise to Aura.." she explained. For the rest of the meal, silence hung around the room as the boys absorbed everything they had heard.

Upstairs Draco sat by their bed, holding to his beloved's hand, "please my precious treasures do not leave me now..." he turned his eyes to look out the window that faced the outside of the cave to see the stars shining brightly. He locked his golden eyes onto the dragon's heaven as he spoke, "I beg you...do not take away my only reason for living..." he pleaded as he lay his head down the edge of the bed. He still held to her hand but when he closed his eyes, he felt them begin to burn and he knew why, tears were welling up in them. There were only a few times he could ever remember crying but being that he was alone, he allowed them to fall before he fell into darkness from exhaustion.

Downstairs the sorceress and the brothers were completely unaware that Draco had passed out at Skygazer's bedside, "well it's getting late...time for you two to turn in for the night," Aria said. Geoff let a yawn pass through his lips as did Drake but before going into their room they embraced their grandmother, "goodnight grandmother," Geoff said. "Night grandsons..." she said as Drake nuzzled against her side. She smiled at the gesture as she watched them walk into their room to get some rest while she went back upstairs to check on Skygazer. When she entered the room she found Draco sleeping, leaning against the side of the bed. She shook her head at him before turning her attention to the young woman, as the sorceress examined her with her magic the young woman began to stir slightly. Aria paused her hands while she watched Skygazer come back to consciousness, "easy deary..." she whispered so as not to disturb the sleeping dragon. When Skygazer opened her bright blue eyes her vision was blurry but slowly it began to clear up until she could see Aria standing beside the bed, "Aria..." she murmured, her voice sounding very hoarse. Aria motioned for the young woman to stay quiet, "you had us all worried but you're awake..." she whispered. Skygazer was silent for a moment before looking at her dragon then at her belly, "fret not...your little one is alright...I've been monitoring you both with my magic. Your body was weak because the child is half-dragon, your body was unprepared for how strong it is. I gave you a potion to give you back your strength..." At hearing this Skygazer understood what Aria had done, she knew that she had been given a potion similar to the one that Aria had given Draco when he had been left fatigued after the fight with Vuljotnaak. "Thank you..." she replied quietly. Aria smiled at her, "you're welcome child and no need to fret the potion I gave you will allow your body to go through the rest of your pregnancy without anymore complications." Skygazer was relieved to hear it as she let a yawn pass through her lips, "try and get some rest child..." Aria said. Being too tired to protest Skygazer merely nodded and fell back into a peaceful slumber. Aria remained awake for a bit longer before going down to the front room to get some sleep as well.

When the sun rose the next morning it found a young woman stirring from her slumber, "hmn...too early.." she mumbled as she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She stretched herself before looking at the dragon that still slept peacefully leaning against the side of their bed. She smiled at him, placing her hand on his claw and upon feeling her soft touch began to open his golden gaze. Skygazer watched her dragon awaken, letting a yawn pass through his scaly lips that came out like a growl. After a moment or two Draco looked at the form of his mate to find her sitting up and looking at him, "my Sky?" She smiled, "yes my love..." she replied. He smiled at her as he sat on the bed to hold her in his arms, "you had me worried my jewel...are you feeling better now?" he asked. She nuzzled against the spot that covered his half-heart, "yes I am, whatever Aria did worked." Upon hearing this made Draco looked down at her, "how did you..." She merely laughed, "I have your heightened senses remember, I can smell her scent." He smiled all the while nuzzling his nose into her hair before pulling back just enough to place his claw on Skygazer's belly, "have you felt our little one move at all?" he asked. She placed her hand on his claw, "no not this morning...our little one must be resting too." He smiled at her words, "even so we'll still have Aria have a look at you both when she wakes up," Draco stated. "Alright..." was Skygazer's only response to her mate's words. For the next little while the couple sat on the balcony still wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying this time together while the rest of the cabin slept. Skygazer rested her head against Draco's, as he had his chin resting on her shouler, "have you thought of any names for our little one?" she asked. Draco was silent for the longest time before answering, "no not really...normally we dragons don't think of names until the young are born because we never know how many will be in a clutch or how many will be male or female." Skygazer nodded her head to let him know she had heard him, "how many were in the clutch with you?" she asked. He thought back for the few moments, "I believe there were six in all, including me but I was the only one to hatch." Skygazer nuzzled her mate affectionately as he returned the gesture, "it's fortunate that you did..." she stated. "Yes it is..." he murmured, pressing his lips to her cheek before licking her playfully. She giggled at his antics, "what was your father's name?" she asked. He thought back, to try and remember, "Nazareth..." he replied. "That's a unique name if I ever heard one..." she replied. Draco chuckled at her words, "the name they gave me was unique as well but I've been called Draco for so long I no longer remember the name my parents gave me. It wouldn't matter you couldn't possibly pronounce it in your tongue." Skygazer looked down slightly before asking her next question, "what about your mother? What was her name?" she asked. Draco smiled as he recalled his mother, "she was called Mirai..." he said. Skygazer's face lit up slightly, "wow what a beautiful name...I was expecting something that would've been hard to pronounce." "Yes...mother was so unique in many ways, I just wish she could've met you. She would've loved you..." he placed his muzzle beneath her chin slightly as he spoke, "just as I do..." he murmured, nuzzling her affectionately. Skygazer pressed her cheek to his muzzle to return the affection he was giving her as she purred in response to him.

A little later Aria came upstairs to have a look at Skygazer and her unborn little one, "now lay still deary..." she instructed gently. Skygazer did as she asked while Aria used her magic to scan Skygazer's body, "thanks to the potion I gave you, your body has strengthened so you should do just fine the rest of your pregnancy," Aria stated after she was done. Skygazer sat up to place a hand on her belly, "that's good..." she said as Draco nuzzled her. "Just do well to remember not to push yourself anymore than necessary, though your body is stronger now you still need to take it easy," she said. "I will..." Skygazer replied. Aria smiled at the young woman, "well I must be getting back to my hut now but if you need me, you know where I am.." she said before teleporting herself back to her hut.

Now left alone the couple still sat in each other's arms for several moments before either of them spoke, "now that we have our room to ourselves..." Draco brushed his lips across her knuckles, "how shall we occupy ourselves..." he whispered into her ear before trailing kisses down her neck. Skygazer could tell from his tone and the feeling radiating through her body that he was hungry, not for food, but for her. "Hmm how indeed..." she murmured before locking her gaze with her dragon to give him a half-lidded look. He let a purr-like growl pass through his lips before pressing them against Skygazer's hungrily as she returned it. Draco lay back on the bed with Skygazer in his arms, "you are so beautiful..." he murmured. She purred in response to him as he hovered over top of her before bringing his muzzle down to nuzzle beneath her neck as he trailed kisses down to her collar bone. She let her hands roam over his chest while he slipped a claw beneath her shirt to massage her breast, which caused a whimper to escape from her lips. He smirked against her soft skin before raising up enough to slip her shirt from her body, as well as her pants leaving her in only her undergarments. He turned his attention back to her breasts as he slipped her covering off her body, exposing her soft mounds to him. She gave him a half-lidded look as he dove down to capture her lips briefly before pressing his lips to her breast while his free hand massaged the other. Skygazer arched her back slightly at feeling him tease her breasts, it sent shivers up her spine and she knew he could feel it too. With their blood and heart bond, their lovemaking became all the more sensual for them both. He trailed kisses down her body pausing to love on her belly as it had become larger over the past several weeks. A blush played across her cheeks as she watched him love on her belly and their unborn baby that was nestled within. He then moved down to her most intimate spot to plunge his tongue into it and as he delved into her moist walls she whimpered and purred to him. He responded to her with his thrum which made his chest vibrate against her body. Feeling his tongue within her, she rubbed her thigh against the side of his face as he brought a claw to rest there. Her body felt hot and Draco knew it, he was feeling the same way she was and he couldn't hold back anymore. He came up to capture her lips with his as his member became exposed and ready to enter her. Kissing her passionately, he entered her in one swift motion as he brought his hands to rest on either side of her head as he thrust into her. She placed her hands on either side of herself to keep from sliding while he moved, she could feel all the love he had for her, it radiated through her body. The only sounds that could be heard were their panting and moans. They were lost in their lovemaking, their eyes were glazed over with desire as they locked their gazes on one another. With several deep, passionate thrusts Draco came within her, with her right behind him. Their bodies shuddered slightly as they rode the waves of ecstacy together before the dragon collasped onto her chest as he panted for every breath he took, as did she. After a few moments Draco raised up just enough to nuzzle his mate lovingly before disconnecting and laying next to her while she rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, to draw her closer to him in a loving embrace, "I love you..." she breathed. He smiled, "and I love you my precious treasures..." he replied bringing his free claw up to rest on her belly.

Down in their room Geoff was just starting to wake up from his slumber, he opened his blue eyes and turned onto his back before glancing in the direction of his dragon brother to see him still sleeping. He found amusement at seeing Drake sleeping on his back. He shook his head at the young dragon as he stood up from his bed to stretch his body out, having been laying in the same position all night. He made his way outside to see to his mother's mare for her before fixing up some breakfast for his family, "just hope by the time I'm done with out here Drake will be awake to help me." Once outside he saw the mare was looking in his direction as she had heard him come outside, "hey there girl..." he greeted once he was close enough. Even though he no longer worked in a stable he still enjoyed being around horses, that's why he had asked his mother for permission to take her mare out for a ride some time ago and was happy when she had said yes. He petted the mare before placing her halter on her to bring her out for a good grooming, "I know you'll enjoy a nice grooming..." he said to the mare. He brushed out her coat to make sure it was free of the dirt and dust that had accumulated after being ridden. With her coat clean, he took a look at her hooves and trimmed them up a bit before cleaning them as well, "there now bet you hadn't had that for a long while.." he said to the mare. Once her grooming was done he brushed out the mare's mane and refixed it the way his mother had done before leading her out into the pasture to graze.

Back inside Drake was starting to wake up and stretched himself as a growl-like yawn pass through his dragon lips. He glanced over at the other side of the room to find it empty, "hmm must be outside with mom's mare again..." he said to himself. He stood up from his bedding and began to make his way outside to lay in the morning sun. When he was outside he found his brother leaning against the gate of the pasture as he watched their mother's mare. He smiled briefly before opening his wings and flying up to lay on the top of their cave.

Back upstairs Skygazer was still laying against Draco's body, with his arms still wrapped around her. She smiled at him as he dozed before she gently got up from where she had been laying to pull her clothes back on. Once she was dressed she glanced once more at her dragon before going downstairs to prepare some breakfast. Now in the kitchen she decided to cook up some eggs with some deer meat, "this will be delicious..." she said to herself. As she cooked she hummed a tune to herself, "so much has happened to me...ever since I met Draco my life has never been the same. I use to believe that I would always be on my own the rest of my life but all that changed the day I met him and I couldn't be happier," she smiled as her hand subconsciously came up to rest on her belly.

The smell of the cooking food began to fill the house which began to rouse a certain dragon from his nap, "hmn...something smells good..." he said opening his golden eyes and raising himself off the bed. He stretched his body before going downstairs where he knew Skygazer was. When he got to the kitchen he found his beautiful mate standing by their wood burning stove, he smiled upon seeing her. He leaned against the door facing while he watched her, admiring her beauty and everything about her, "I'm so fortunate to have her by my side..." he said to himself. Even though she had her back to him she knew he was standing there, "enjoying the view?" she asked. He smiled, "clever girl..." he said as he approached her. When he was close enough he placed a kiss on her cheek, "I always enjoy the view of you my treasure," he said nuzzling against her neck. Her cheeks became warm whenever he was affectionate with her, "are you hungry?" "Hmn do you mean for food or you?" he purred into her ear as he slipped his tongue against the soft skin of her neck. She shivered slightly at the tingling it brought to her body, "you are insatiable this morning..." she purred. A soft chuckle emanated from the dragon's throat as he continued to trail his tongue against her skin. She let a soft laugh pass through her lips as she spoke, "the food will burn if you keep this up..." she replied playfully. Draco finally relented his playfulness before kissing her shoulder, "you're so tempting I can help myself..." he murmured as he kept his arms around her form. She was enjoying this closeness they shared and glanced out the corner of her eye at her dragon who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. She too was lost in her thoughts as well but pushed them back for the time being so she wouldn't burn their breakfast, "do you think the boys are up yet?" she asked. Draco chuckled, "yes I imagine they are, they're probably outside again.." he said. "Could you bring them in to eat?" she asked kindly. "Of course my precious one..." he replied kissing her shoulder before making his way outside to call their sons for breakfast.

Draco came outside to find Geoff at the pasture gate and Drake on the top of the cave sunning himself, "come on boys breakfast..." he called. Upon hearing their father's voice they looked in his direction, "coming..." Drake called from above as they followed Draco back into the cabin to eat together. Throughout breakfast they ate in comfortable silence as they enjoyed this family time together. Skygazer felt that it was important for them to at least eat meals together if nothing else. Draco agreed with his mate that they should spend meal time together, it reenforced their bonds with one another. Plus it was something he was use to doing as well.

A little later on Geoff had gone off on a ride for a bit while Draco helped Drake with his magic training. The day was peaceful and Skygazer was sitting outside in the warm sunshine letting her previous thoughts flow through her mind. When they had rebuilt the cabin Draco had made a bench for Skygazer to sit on whenever she wanted to sit outside in the fresh air. She had smiled brightly when he had showed it to her and he was very proud of his work. She loved being spoiled by him and it made her feel all the more loved. She was letting memories of long ago return to her, she thought back to a night that had changed the way she looked at Draco. How her heart had softened and began to love him:

Memory:

The night was warm but still Bowen kept a fire, she had happened by when she saw the dragon cook the rabbit Bowen had over the spit and found amusement in it. "Sorry Bowen I hope you like it well done..." the dragon said. She had remained out of sight as she hadn't yet crossed paths with the Knight. Despite it being slightly tough from the excessive heat he had eaten all of it. It was then Skygazer watched a rather heated discussion between the dragon and the Knight about the young man the dragon had saved. "That's a lie dragon!" Bowen half-yelled. She saw how the dragon tensed up as he spoke, "stop calling me dragon! I have a name.." he stated. Bowen, still cross, spoke, "well what is it?" he asked. The dragon scoffed at the Knight, "hmph you couldn't possibly pronounce it in your tongue..." he stated. Bowen smirked, "try me..." he said as he went to turn his back to the dragon.

Just as the dragon was about to speak Skygazer saw his shoulder flame red hot which caused him to wince and roar out in agony before flopping onto his side as he held a claw to his shoulder. She was ready to leap to his side but noticed Bowen reach for his dampened blanket and place it over the dragon's shoulder. She was relieved that this man was helping the dragon but as she watched him settle down to rest she felt herself smile. She knew why his shoulder had flamed bright red, it was because of the heart bond. She was sure that the one who had been saved, had been injured causing her dragon friend to feel it as well, "poor thing..." she murmured. She still sat in the edge of the camp, just out of sight, but noticed that Bowen had stayed awake to keep an eye on the dragon as he slept. Even though she had yet to meet this Knight, she felt that he could be trusted, she became distracted when the dragon shifted slightly to look at the Knight, "have you been watching over me all night?" she heard him ask. She listened intently as the pair talked for a moment or two before hearing Bowen bestow the name Draco upon the dragon, "Draco..." she murmured softly, trying it out on her tongue. She had always wondered what his name was but she never knew, nor had she asked. She watched them for a moment more before she saw Bowen drift off to sleep leaning against Draco's side.

She decided that now she could approach him, "Draco..." she murmured. He turned his head in her direction upon hearing her voice, "Sky...what are you doing out here so late at night?" he asked her. She came to stand near him as she spoke, "I've been kind of...following you two since yesterday." He cocked a browridge at her, "why?" he asked. She fidgeted slightly, "well I...I wanted to make sure you were alright, I mean you did hit the ground pretty hard yesterday." Draco nodded his head slightly, "yeah I guess I did, I'm still a bit sore from it." Skygazer knelt down next to him, "is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. Draco was touched how much she cared for him, he brought his head down to her level, "you're sweet but no...I do appreciate it though my Sky..." he said. She looked at him curiously, "what?" he aked. "My Sky?" she questioned. He smiled at her, "do you not like it?" he asked. "No..no it's not that...I was just surprised that's all..." she leaned against his forearm, "actually..." he trained his golden eyes on her, "I like the idea of being yours..." she said as she smiled at him. He felt a warmth radiate through his body as he moved his muzzle over slightly to rest against her legs. She moved her hand to let it rest on his muzzle as she began to stroke it gently. He nuzzled against her palm slightly in response to her touch, this was the first moment they shared where they felt a real connection between them. Skygazer traced the small scales on his muzzle before locking her bright sky-colored eyes with his golden ones. In that moment something passed between them, a small flame of affection had been lit within their hearts. Skygazer curled up against Draco to rest her cheek against his forearm while he draped a wing over her. They didn't know where this would lead them but for now, they just enjoyed this moment together.

End of Memory:

She was brought out of her memory when she heard the sound of hoofbeats coming her way and she turned her head to see Geoff returning from his ride. "It's good that you returned safely son..." she greeted. He smiled at her as he dismounted from her mare, "it feels good to be riding a horse again..." he commented, "thank you mother for letting me take her out whenever I want to." She smiled, "you're welcome...I am unable to ride her now so it's good that she can still get some exercise." Geoff brought the mare over to the stall to unsaddle her then brush her down before he placed her in the pasture to rest. Afterwards Geoff went to the hot springs to bathe and wash his hair, as he was covered in dust and dirt. Skygazer watched him disappear from sight before turning her eyes back to the pair of dragons in front of her. She smiled at them as she glanced down at her belly, "I do wonder how you will be when you arrive little one..." she said caressing her belly gently. Skygazer was happy with her life now but she couldn't help thinking back to a time when she wasn't. It was burned deep in her memory, like a scar that wouldn't heal...she shook her head slightly to rid her mind of it. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt the baby move within her, "fiesty little one..." she commented. Still she thought back to other times she had shared with her dragon long ago...

Memory:

She had been out on an early morning hunt when Bowen had taken Draco out to swindle the village out of gold, "those two..." she shook her head at the thought. She had easily bagged her game and was on her way back to the spot she always met up with Draco. However as she got near to the spot she began to hear a voice she knew well but this time he was singing, "what has him in such a good mood?" she wondered. She was surprised to find out why because when she got to the waterfall she saw Draco singing to a red-haired woman, "who is that? And what is she doing here?" she wondered warily. It was then she heard the woman speak as Draco finished singing, "you have a beautiful voice..." she heard the woman say. "Oh thank you, we dragons love to sing when we're happy..." Draco stated. "But you're not like a dragon at all," the woman commented. Skygazer watched as Draco seemed to flirt with this woman, "hmm well how many dragons do you know?" he asked as he let his eyes roam every inch of the woman in front of him. Skygazer was deeply hurt by what she was seeing, "how could he?" she thought bitterly as tears began to sting her eyes. "Well you're the first..." she heard the woman say. "You should never listen to minstrel's fancies, a dragon would never hurt a soul, unless they tried to hurt him first," she heard Draco say. She saw the red-head fold her arms across her chest, "really...then why were you in my village?" she asked. The realization hit Draco like a boulder, "oh village..." he said bringing his fist down on the ground in front of him. At that moment hoofbeats could be heard as Bowen rode up, "yes the village...you remember the village?" he asked. Skygazer found slight amusement at Draco's actions as the red-head drew her knife to threaten the Knight. She watched Draco motion to the Knight to keep quiet about their schem, using his claw to make a slashing motion across his neck. She watched as Bowen dismounted from his stallion, "where have you been?" he asked angrily. She heard the dragon's voice respond to the Knight's question, "I'm truly sorry Bowen..." Skygazer watched her dragon closely, "...uh...I've been distracted..." he replied giving Bowen a rather sheepish look. Skygazer heard their conversation continue but she couldn't stand it anymore, she had to get away from here. But as she was ready to ride away she heard approaching horses, "who's that?" she wondered. When she raised her eyes, she saw who it was and anger began to race through her, "bastard..." she growled under her breath. She watched the entire scene before her as the Knight and the King dueled in the water with Kara looking on from one side and King's men from the other. She knew Draco had taken refuge behind the waterfall to watch how this played out. She watched them duel and after hearing everything the King had said to Bowen, she knew that not only was she feeling angry but her dragon's blood had to be boiling. She knew...she knew this had been the one that Draco had saved long ago and it had been a huge mistake to do so, "oh Draco...how must you be feeling right now?" she silently wondered. It was then she saw the King draw a dagger from his hip and was ready to throw it at Bowen when Draco leapt from the waterfall to protect the Knight. He roared angrily in the King's face before exposing the scar beneath the scale on his chest. She saw the horror on the King's face as he ran, jumped on his horse and rode away as fast as he could with his men following behind him.

It was quiet now, she saw Bowen stand up to face the dragon, "who asked you to interfere?" he asked pulling his hand back to fling the blood off, "I had everything under control!" he half-yelled. Draco stood there in the water somewhat surprised at the Knight's reaction and knew he had been unaware of just how close he came to dying. Draco looked down at Bowen briefly before looking away from him and as he did, he caught sight of Skygazer watching him, "how much did she see?" he silently wondered. Skygazer was slightly angry at the Knight for his reaction to Draco saving his life, "ungrateful Knight..." she muttered to herself as she met the eyes of her dragon who was now looking in her direction. She looked away from him as she got onto her horse and began to ride off.

Sometime later Draco caught up with Skygazer as she rode towards a clearing, "my Sky..." he called down. She looked up briefly as he flew overhead before coming to land in front of her as she brought her horse to a stop, "why did you not come to the waterfall? I saw you there..." he said. She wouldn't meet his gaze, he could tell something was bothering her and knew she had seen him with Kara, "it's because of her? Wasn't it?" he asked. She refused to look at him and he could clearly see the hurt on her face, "my Sky..." he murmured. He watched her dismount from her mare and stand with her back to him, "why? Why was she there?" she asked still not looking at him. Draco looked down slightly as he spoke, "well Bowen..." he didn't get to finish his thought, "it's always Bowen isn't it?" she shot back. Draco was surprised, he had never seen her angry before, "Sky..." he whispered. Silence passed between them briefly before either of them spoke, "Bowen told me to get rid of her because he had told the village she was a sacrifice. He spun some yarn about dragons being partial to maiden sacrifices..." he stated, "nonsense..." he added. She turned just enough to look at him from the corner of her eye, "it was his idea...not mine...I didn't intend for any of that to happen," he replied. She turned her head away from him as she cast her eyes downward, "if it was all a ruse then why were you singing to her? Why did you bring her to our spot?" she asked as tears stung her eyes. He knew...he knew when he had seen her watching them at the waterfall that his actions had hurt her. He had no answer to her question, he knew he had to say something or risk losing her forever, "it wasn't my intention...I had to get her away from the village to make them think what Bowen had said was true. When I was brining her to the waterfall she told me about everything, about her life in the village and how she wanted to make things better. I just...I was just being kind to her..." he said bringing his head down to Skygazer's level. She felt his hot breath against her back as she turned her head to meet his gaze and when she did he saw her tears, "oh my Sky..." he murmured bringing his muzzle close enough to nuzzle her slightly, "you are the only woman who has my affections..." he whispered as though it were a prayer. Her eyes softened as she brought her hand up to rest on his muzzle before resting her forehead there as well. He moved his body closer to lay down in front of her but never let his muzzle out of her reach. This gesture they shared was so gentle, this was his silent apology to her as he comforted her, "I never meant to hurt you..." he stated softly. "I know..." was her only response as she snuggled into the warmth of him. Several moments passed with them sharing in this moment before either of them spoke, "so...am I forgiven?" Draco asked. Skygazer gave her dragon a gentle smile, "yes..." was her only response to his question. He smiled at her, raising his head slightly as he spoke, "I have to meet up with Bowen in a village by the river but I promise when I return it will be just you and me. I give you my word..." he said bringing a claw up to caress her form gently. She let a sigh pass through her lips, she didn't like Draco being involved in the scheming but she knew he would keep his word to her, "alright..." she said placing her hand on his claw. He withdrew his claw before standing up and taking to the sky once more. She watched him disappear from view for a moment as she clutched to the rose quartz charm he had given her, "just be safe my Draco..." she breathed as a gentle breeze blew her hair around her face.

End of Memory:

That day had been so vivid, she remembered that she had waited for him to return but he never did. It was only after she had gone looking for him that she had found out that Draco had flown off carrying Bowen's horse with three people aboard. She had been so angry then, when she returned to the camp she had set up she had cried herself to sleep that night. It had been a few days before Draco had returned and she learned from him that they had been on Avalon. She shook her head once more to rid her mind of those old thoughts, "*sigh* seems so long ago now..." she said to herself as she enjoyed this time outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

Later on in the day after Drake had trained with Draco that morning, he and Geoff went out for a flight, leaving their parents alone at the cabin. Draco was sunning himself outside the cave while Skygazer saw to a few things around the cabin. He listened to her hum a song to herself while she worked. He smiled because he knew she was happy and content, their blood and heart bond allowed him to be able to keep an even closer eye on her. He was able to monitor how she was feeling, "it's good those herbs Rose brought her has certainly helped her through this time in her life as have the potion Aria gave her too."

He raised his head to look in the direction of the cabin as he became lost in his thoughts, "my life has changed so much since I met her. One day I'm out here alone with only anger and mistrust of humans as my companions...then she comes into my life and changes my outlook completely. She never showed any fear of me nor did she have any kind of hatred for my kind...she always treated me with respect and always cared for me." He knew deep down that he'd never be able to repay her for everything she had done since they had met. He knew there was nothing he could ever do in return for it, all he could do was be a good mate to her and father to their sons and unborn little one. As he lay his head back down on the ground he began to daydream, something he rarely ever did before meeting her.

Memory:

He remembered that it was the same day he crossed paths with Bowen. He and Skygazer had been out by the waterfall and he was curled up in the sun enjoying it's warmth. Skygazer had been sitting on a nearby rock watching him half-doze, she always found amusement when he would begin to snore. He remembered her playing a prank on him that day, she had eased over to his side to lay next to him and lay as if he had accidentally laid on her. She began to moan softly which roused the dragon from his half-dozing state. He looked around slightly before hearing the soft sound again but upon looking down next to him, he was horrified to see her laying there next to him, "Sky..." he murmured softly. When he saw that she lay motionless fear began to race through him, "Sky...Sky please open your eyes..." he said nudging her gently with his muzzle. When she still didn't move he brought his head down closer to sniff her. Skygazer was laying as still as she could but when she felt his hot breath on her body she decided that she had tormented him enough. She took a gentle breath and blew it into his nostrils that was hovering right above her. Feeling this made him jump backwards and shake his head, he wrinkled his nose slightly because it still tickled but became distracted when he heard her laughing. He turned his head to see her laying there laughing, "Sky?" he asked as he approached her once more. She tilted her head backwards to look at him, "yes..." she said between her giggles. He tilted his head slightly which only made her laugh more, "what's so funny?" he asked arching a browridge at her. She rolled over onto her stomach and braced herself up on her elbows, "the look on your face when I surprised you..." she replied as she panted slightly from laughing so hard. He looked away briefly before laying back down near her, "I fail to see what's funny...I thought I had accidentally laid on you..." he said softly. Skygazer stopped laughing as she raised up to sit on her knees in front of his muzzle, "I didn't think you would react that way...it was only a little jest..." she said. He looked away from her until he felt her soft hand on his muzzle, "I didn't mean to upset you..." she said apologetically. The dragon was silent for a long time before moving his large clawed-hand to rest against her side, "I'm not upset...when I saw you laying there like that...I just thought that I had hurt you," he said. She rested her hand on his before nuzzling against it affectionately, "I know you would never hurt me...I just wanted to be playful with you. Have you never pulled a prank when you were young?" she asked. He shook his head no, "I was always on the end of a prank by the older hatchlings and their pranks were more mean than funny." Skygazer was sympathetic, "I didn't know any of that...you never really talk about your past much...or ever." The dragon gave a half-smirk, "that's because it's not filled with many good memories..." was his response. Skygazer's face fell a bit, "oh...I didn't realize..." she said. Draco raised his head up slightly, "how would you...it's like you said I don't talk about my past." He kept his claw where it was as Skygazer sat between his front legs to snuggle against his chest. Draco was surprised by this gesture as she had never done this before, "what...what are you doing?" he asked. She was silent for a moment before she answered him, "haven't you ever been given affection?" she asked. He was silent for a moment, "no...not really..." he answered. Skygazer looked up at him with her bright blue gems, "I just wanted to comfort you because of everything you went through in your past." He was surprised at this, "why? You didn't cause any of it..." he stated. "I know but I also wanted to make up for how my little prank might have brought up some old memories," she replied leaning back against his forearm. He was touched by her gesture, he brought his head down to her level so he was able to look at her fully, "you're very sweet Sky..." he said. She smiled at him before moving to rest her chin on his muzzle so she could look him directly in his golden orbs. He could tell by the look in her eyes that there was something on her mind, "is there something you wish to share?" he asked. She looked away briefly before looking back at him, "well...yeah..." she replied. "Then speak what is on your mind," the dragon encouraged. She took a breath before letting it out slowly, "the thing is that...spending time with you today has made me realize something...it made me realize how much you mean to me." His dragon eyes widened slightly at her statement, "really?" he asked. Skygazer nodded her head, "yes...I know that we haven't known each other very long but still...you already mean so much to me. You're the only real friend I've ever had," she said nuzzling her cheek against his muzzle. Draco's face softened slightly as he returned the gesture and giving her a soft purr-like growl. She giggled at him as she continued to nuzzle him affectionately.

End of Memory:

That was first time they were genuinely affectionately with one another, but then the day became both tiring and interesting for he and Bowen. After the interaction with the Knight he remembered how Skygazer had saught him out and had seen everything that had happened.

Memory:

The dragon was resting in the clearing while the Knight rested with the monk who had followed them. He shook his head at how the day had turned out and he wondered just how long their plan could work in their favor. It was then he was brought out of his thoughts, "hey handsome..." a feminine voice said. He turned when he heard her voice, "hey Sky..." he greeted upon seeing her. She came over to him as he brought his head down to her level, "what are you doing out here?" he asked. "When I came back to the waterfall and didn't see you there I found the hoofprints and followed them until I spotted you," she replied. He looked away slightly, "so I guess that means you saw everything that happened between me and the Knight?" he asked. She nodded her head, "I did...I also saw him stab you in the roof of your mouth." The dragon turned his head slightly, "yeah he did..." he commented. She was silent for a moment or two, "is it sore?" she asked. "No...I've had worse than this before..." he replied, turning his eyes back to look at her. "Let me see..." she said. His eyes widened slightly, "what?" "Let me see inside your mouth..." she said a second time. He was apprehensive at her words, he had already had one human in his mouth tonight and wasn't looking for a second to be there, let alone her, "it's not necessary..." he said flatly. Skygazer stood in front of him, "I know dragons' cuts heal on their own especially when it's in their mouth but will you let me look at it anyway?" she asked. He let a small sigh pass through his dragon lips before opening up his mouth to her. She took a breath before placing her hand on one of his sharp teeth to steady herself as she moved forward slightly. She raised her head to look at the roof off his mouth to see a clear cut there, "the cut isn't as deep as I thought it would be..." she said to herself. However she noted a small piece of metal embedded in the roof of his mouth, "there's a small piece of metal..." she said. Draco lay perfectly still to allow her to do what she was doing, "I can't believe I'm even allowing her to do this..." he said to himself. He then felt her hand on the roof of his mouth, his first instinct was to pull back or shake his head but he remained still so he wouldn't hurt her. Skygazer grabbed what she saw and pulled it from the roof of the dragon's mouth before pulling back out of his mouth to allow him to close it once more. She sat on her knees in front of him as she spoke, "while the cut wasn't as deep as I thought it would've been I did find this embedded in it, "she said holding it up for him to see. He was surprised to see it as he hadn't noticed it before, "thank you..." was his only response to her removal of the metal.

She tossed it aside before looking up at him, "so I'm curious..." he looked at her, "why did you strike that deal with the Knight?" she asked. He knew there was much about him that he hadn't shared with her but he knew he couldn't hide it from her, "the truth is..." he looked down slightly, "I had to do it...otherwise him slaying me would've done nothing to elivate my sin." Skygazer cocked an eyebrow at him, "what are you talking about?" she asked. He let a sigh pass through his dragon lips, "years ago I saved a prince, even though I knew of his blood thirsty nature I thought my heart could change him. My god I was so naive...he's grown into the very thing that he swore to me that he would never be. He became worse than his father...he betrayed his vow and me..." Draco looked at the woman as anger burned in his eyes. She remained silent as she let him continue, "I believed that I would earn my place among my ancient brothers and sisters of the sky but my sacrifice became my sin. He polluted the heart that I shared with him and in doing so, has cursed me and robbed me of my place in the dragon's heaven. The only way I can atone is if I am slain but the timing must be right..." he explained.

He became distracted when the smell of salt reached his nose and when he turned his head he saw the woman sitting near him in tears. He instantly regretted sharing all that with her and he turned his head away from her, as he couldn't bare to see her cry, "I am a fool...I never should've told her that..." he said to himself. He had surprised himself because he had never opened up to anyone like he had with Skygazer, "she's just so easy to talk to..." he said to himself. Skygazer sat there in tears but she wasn't crying for her, she was crying for him, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said anything..." he said to her. It was then that she surprised him when she moved to bury her face in his chest where the scale that covered his heart was. He didn't know what to do but remained still and silent, "I do not cry for my sake...I cry for you...you have had a hard life and now to be robbed of something like that because of a mistake...it's not fair." His face softened as he brought his chin to rest against her back gently so as not to hurt her. After a moment or two she was able to stop crying and turned her gaze to the dragon, "I'm sorry for falling apart on you like that...I don't know what came over me." He shook his head as he brought up a gentle claw to cup the side of her head, being mindful of his claws, "no I'm sorry I never should've told you all that. I don't know what came over me, I never open up to anyone like that," he stated. Skygazer looked down slightly, "perhaps all those years of bottling up those feelings finally caught up with you..." she reasoned. The dragon merely nodded, "perhaps you're right...still I shouldn't have just poured all that on you. I never meant to upset you..." he replied apologetically. She gave him a weak smile, "everyone needs to vent at some point, just let me know next time you decide to do that..." she said adding a bit of a lighthearted joke in. The dragon chuckled, "I'll bare that in mind," he replied giving her a soft smile.

End of Memory:

Draco was jolted out of his daydream when he felt a gentle hand on his muzzle and upon looking he noticed his mate kneeling down in front of him. She smiled at him, "daydreaming again?" she asked. He chuckled, "yes..." he said raising his head up as she sat against his shoulder. "What about?" she asked. "Old memories...of times before the rebellion..." he replied. She merely nodded at his words, "seems like a lifetime ago now..." she said. "Hmn..." was his only response as their sons arrived back home from their flight, "there you two are..." he said. "How was the flight?" Skygazer asked. "We enjoyed it very much," Drake replied as he came over to nuzzle Skygazer's side gently. She smiled at her son's affection before looking at Geoff, "what about you?" she asked. He smiled, "yeah it was good..." he replied. "Was there anything out there?" Draco asked. "No father it was calm and quiet out today," Drake answered looking at his father. "Good..." was Draco's response before looking at his mate, "come let us go to the hot springs," he suggested kindly. "Alright..." Skygazer said but as she went to stand she found a hand already in front of her, "here let me help you up mother." She smiled, "thank you Geoff..." she replied as she allowed Geoff, along with Drake to help her to her feet. Draco stood and transformed into his humanoid form before placing an arm around Skygazer's back, "I'm going to take your mother to the hot springs.." he stated. "Alright father we'll prepare dinner..." Drake said as he turned to his brother, "come on Geoff." Geoff said nothing and merely followed after his dragon brother.

Once they were at the hot springs Draco helped his mate remove her soft clothes as her growing belly had made it a bit difficult, "there you are my love..." he murmured. She smiled at him as she went to sit at the edge of the pool before grabbing her rag she used to bathe. Draco decided to get into the hot springs to bathe as well, he got into the soothing water, moving to the deeper part before dunking himself completely beneath it to rid his entire body of dirt and pollen. He flexed his wings a few times before coming back to the surface to find Skygazer watching him. He merely smiled as he gently took the rag from her to wash her back clean of dirt, "hmm that feels so good..." she commented. He came close to place a kiss on her shoulder which sent a jolt down her spine, "hmm trying to get something started?" she questioned, glancing over her shoulder at him. He gave her a half-lidded look, "maybe..." he purred. She smiled as she turned to face him before capturing his lips with hers in a tender kiss that conveyed her hunger for him. He responsed with his thrum as his arms snaked around her form to draw her in closer to him. When he broke off the kiss for air he could see the desire in her eyes as well as feel her desire for him radiate through his body. He began to trail kisses down her neck, to her chest where he began to tease her breasts. Using his tongue, he traced circles around her nipples as his hands fondled her breasts. She gasped at the sensation but she didn't have time to react as he moved lower to love on her pregnant belly briefly before licking up her legs and thighs, asking to be let in. She complied and allowed him to tease her in the manner he wished. He buried his face between her thighs as he plunged his tongue into her heated core, lapping up her juices and purring as he did so. She lean back on her hands to give him more access and to brace herself up as well. She enjoyed being loved on by him in this way, it made her body hot and she knew that he could feel it too, "*pant...pant* Draco..." she panted out. He responded with his thrum as he continued to pleasure her, all the while his body reacted to the sounds she was making. His shaft became exposed and ready to enter her dripping warmth, to pleasure her and enflame her desire all the more. When he came up to capture her lips with his, his pulsing length entered her and he began thrusting passionately into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as she still remained leaning on her hands to brace herself while he supported her with his arms around her back. Her pregnant belly made it bit difficult for her to sit in his lap the way she once did but she knew Draco would keep her steady. Draco was always mindful when they made love now, as he didn't want to hurt her or their unborn little one but their bonds made it hard for him to stay in control sometimes, "her body is so desirable...she ingnites a fire within me that can only be put out by making love to her," he said to himself as he continued to thrust into her. "My body is hot..." was the only thing on her mind as she became lost in this intimate moment with her mate. She could also tell that his body was burning up as the pleasure intensified, "oh yes...oh yes...Draco..." she panted out. He purred in her ear, "my Sky...*pant*...*pant* my Sky..." Their moans now echoed through the cave as they came together, "Dra...Draco..." she moaned. "Sky..." Draco replied as his seed spilled into her body. They rode the waves of ecstacy together as they nuzzled each other affectionately. Draco held himself up on shaky legs as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before nuzzling her once more. A few moments passed before Draco disconnected from her and pulled himself from the hot springs while Skygazer stood, with Draco's help and got redressed.

They walked hand in hand back to the entrance and when they made it outside they found their sons already eating their dinner. The couple walked over to sit by the firepit to eat with their sons and share stories before they turned in for the night. This was their routine every night and they enjoyed it very much but they knew soon enough the new addition to their family would arrive.