Chapter Eleven

"It worked, we need to get them back immediately. They are all in critical condition." Elsen said. Gromp and Averix carried one dragon while Kylon, Ogava, and Nokna carried the last. Everyone made their way back to the palace.

Atlas carried Nova in his arms all the way back. They landed and rushed all four of them to Crius. Crius was brought to the courtyard. The dragons wouldn't fit inside the castle. "My first priority is the queen," he said. Crius went to Atlas. Atlas wouldn't give him to Crius. "My king, let me see his injuries," Crius asked. Atlas lowered Nova's body. Crius looked over at him, scanning him with magic. "He'll be fine for now," He said. He rushed over to the dragons now. He held his hand out. "Force: Humanoid," He casted.

The three dragons began to shrink down into more humanoid figures. Two boys, one girl. Each looked like Gromp and Averix. They all had jet black hair that seems rugged. They had scars all over their bodies. They were each nude until they were covered with Atlas' cloak. "Thank you," Gromp said, picking up the female in his arms. The cake was long enough to cover all three. Crius picked up one of the boys and Averix picked up the other. They all ran inside the castle gates. Atlas separated from the group and took Nova to his chambers. He laid him down. His complexion was paler than usual. He ran a high fever now. Atlas conjured up a cooling spell. He wrapped a barrier of cold around Nova. Nova seemed to relax slightly.

Nova's POV

I woke up. It was dark in the room. Where? My head was pounding. Something was heavy on my lap. I looked down and children I hadn't seen before were laying there. Two boys, one girl. One of the boys had a dark tan but soon turned to burn marks. He wore a dark, brown jacket with a gray undershirt. He wore black pants with Brown boots. His hair was messy and burnt.

The other boy was laid across the bottom of the bed. He wore the same thing but it seemed slightly darker than the other boy. His eyes were covered with bandages however. His hair was combed back, also a bit singed.

The girl was curled into a small ball. She wore a black tailcoat. She also wears black pants with black knee-high boots. She wore leather, laced up gloves. Her hair was long and put into a braided bun. She had an eyepatch with a flower on it, looking slightly like the one I had on.

They seemed to be sound asleep. A very slight knock could be heard. The door opened and Gromp was standing there with Averix. The two seemed surprised at my awakeness. "Good morning your highness," Gromp said cautiously. "Good morning?" I asked. I held my head. "What happened?" I asked. The two looked over at each other. "Well," Averix began.

I was mortified. "I did what?" I asked. "It's alright though, no one is dead so," Gromp trailed off. I sighed. "And these children?" I asked. Averix smiled slightly in a warm fashion. "These are our children. They were uncovered by the dwarf girl," She said. "Not a dwarf," I said. "Where is she?" I asked. "Atls is sending her home," She replied. "Oh. Good for her," I said, looking out the window. "Daaad!" I heard. Gozol popped around the door. "I wanna play!" He said. Gromp giggled to himself. "Let your siblings rest for now okay? They'll play in a moment," Averix said. I sighed. Gonol looked over, surprise painting his face. "Goodmorning!" He shouted in glee. He ran over and jumped onto the bed. He gave me a big hug. The other three stirred from their sleep. "We should tell his highness you're awake," Gromp said devilishly. Averix and Gromp left quickly before I could object.

"We've been waiting for you to wake up!" Gonzol said. "Gonzol? Could you be a bit quieter?" The brother with his eyes covered. The boy stood up and seemed to bark. "Sorry if that's weird, I use my voice to see," He said, walking around the bed. "It's fine," I said. "I wanted to thank you for helping us," he said. "I didn't help you," I said. "But you did. If you hadn't trusted King Atlas, we wouldn't be here," He said. I patted him on the head. "Alright then," I said. He smiled. "My name is Feunoir, that's my sister Pluma, and that is Alensol," He said. The two were sitting up now. z"Thank you," They both said in unison. I patted their heads. "No problem," I said.

"We wanted to thank you before we returned to the land of dragons," They said. I smiled. "I see, thank you for waiting," I said. The four stood up. "Mother should be taking us back soon," Pluma said. "Stay safe," I said. The door opened again and Atlas was there. He stopped short of the bed. "Everything packed?" Averix asked. The four nodded. "You're leaving?" I asked. Gromp walked in. "We'll visit pretty often, as in everyday. Trip by flight takes only ten minutes to reach here," Gromp said. "You're leaving too?" I asked. He nodded. "I am, but since I am the king's right hand man other than Petrard, I am here every day," He said. "We don't live too far," Averix said. "Plus, we have to make preparations to find Thallia," He said. "I see." I said.

"I've given them a week to get their children accustomed to living normally again, it was the best I could do," Atlas said quietly. "I appreciate it," Gromp said, slapping his shoulder. "Well, we're off, later kiddo," Gromp said as they all left. Atlas still stood still. He turned and shut the door. "I-I'm sorry," I said, feeling awkward. He turned to me. "You're Not the one who should be apologizing. I allowed him to take you," He said. Now I feel worse. "Come here," I said. He turned around. Tears fell from his eyes. I put out my arms to give him a hug. He stayed still for a second until he embraced me softly. He curled up into my arms the best he could.

I could feel his tears as he cried silently. "It's okay," I said. "It's not your fault. I should have fought harder," I said. He shook his head. "What? Are you disagreeing with me?" I asked. "I should have kept a better eye on you," He said through tears. I rubbed his back. "It's alright now," I said. I kissed his head. He looked up quickly, shock in his eyes. Tears still ran down his face. He smiled warmly, making his face glow. He pushed his lips against mine. I kissed him back until he was out of breath. I let him go and he pulled me close. He rolled us both over and hugged me. We stayed this way for a while. It was comforting. "Were you scared?" I asked. "Of course," he muttered under his breath. I wrapped my arms around him again. Now that I looked at him, he seemed exhausted. "Take a rest," I said. He fell asleep almost immediately. After a while, I sat up. He inched towards me. I smiled. "Alright, alright," I said. I lay back down and closed my eyes."Were you able to get Kayleigh home?" I asked. "Mhmm," he said Sleepily. "That's good," I said out loud. I kept my eyes closed.