Prince of Dragons

Chapter Forty-Six

It was the aroma of food that woke me the early hours of the morning, and once I managed to open my eyes, I realized I was alone in the make-shift bed.

I yawned, stretching as far as my body would allow, and finally sat up, staring at the ground in front of me while I blinked slowly—trying to wake up fully. I yawned again, and finally found the effort to stand up before I yanked on a loose shirt and made my way outside—squinting at the bright sunlight that greeted me.

Alaban and Narvi were also outside, not too far off, both doing their own little things. Alaban stood over a small campfire with a pot hanging overtop as he stirred something, while Narvi sat not too far away, curled up with a blanket over his shoulders and a steaming cup in his hands. The look on his face though was one of deep contemplation, and after what happened last night, I had no doubt it revolved around whatever nightmare he had had.

Taking a breath of the fresh morning air, I began heading over to them—causing Alaban to glance up at me as I approached. "Ah, I was wondering when you were going to get up," the sun dragon greeted me, pecking me on the cheek.

I blushed and nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's not that late, is it?"

Alaban shook his head and went back to stirring, while Narvi glanced at me. "It's not late, definitely before noon, I would wager. I just wanted to pick on you a bit." He chuckled and scooped the soup-like concoction he was in the middle of stirring before he blew on it and walked over to me, holding it towards me as if he wanted me to have a sample. "How did you sleep?"

I glanced at Narvi for a moment—trying to gage his reaction—before I looked back towards Alaban and shrugged. "Not bad. Though...well, Narvi had a nightmare. A bad one, if I were to go off how he was acting. So I got up, soothed him a bit, and went back to bed." I then pursed my lips. "Besides that, however, I slept pretty good."

Alaban raised a blond brow. "Oh, so that's why I awoke to him clinging to you like you were his only lifeline."

My cheeks burned red. "W-What?"

Alaban shrugged. "The both of you were curled up together and Narvi was holding you so tight I briefly wondered if you could breathe," he then chuckled and held the spoon against my lips, "but then he also awoke and here we are." He tilted his head, amber gaze searching mine. "I...don't mind, so do not beat yourself up about it. He was having a bad dream, and you comforted him because you are sweet. Now taste."

My cheeks were still a vibrant red as I leaned forward and took the spoon into my mouth, my brows darting up as a subtly sweet, hot flavor touched my tongue. It was...not too bad, actually. It was a mix of a sweet and spicy—with a slight lime flavor as well. There was—what tasted like—a chunk of squirrel, and admittedly the meat was a bit tough, but not so much so that I couldn't bite into it.

Alaban's amber gaze was intense as he stared at me, and I began to feel flustered as I chewed faster to get it down and tell him what I thought about it. Once I got it down, I licked my lips—causing Alaban's gaze to dart down—before I nodded my head and smiled. "That...wasn't bad."

Alaban pouted. "Not bad?"

"It was delicious, Alaban. What all did you put in it? I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like that before."

Alaban perked up with a relieved smile and plopped the wood spoon back into the soup. "It's something my mother used to make. Squirrel, mushrooms, a hint of lime, spices we had on hand...and what else did I put in it?" He paused and pursed his lips. "Oh, there's also onion...and there's supposed to also be noodles, but our village seems to be lacking—at the moment. I changed it just slightly, though, putting in a pinch of sugar to give that sweet hint to the spice. Are you sure it's good? I'm not normally good at cooking things—Aerylin is not wrong in that."

I nodded and smiled. "It is good, Alaban, really. It's good enough that I want a bowl right now, because I am absolutely famished."

Alaban grinned now and pressed a happy kiss against my lips before he turned to continue stirring. "It still has a few minutes, but I will be right on that."

I smiled as he did a little happy wiggle, though I doubt he realized he was doing it, and that thought had me silently laughing before I turned and sat down next to Narvi—who had watched the entire conversation with a tired gaze.

As soon as I sat down next to him, he leaned his head on my shoulder—being mindful of both of our horns.

"How are you doing, Narvi? Did you finally get some sleep?" I asked him softly, glancing down at him.

Narvi was silent for a moment, which initially caused me to worry, but then relaxed and nuzzled closer to me, cradling his cup tighter in his hands. "Better."

That was all he said, but I didn't let that worry me, as Narvi was usually a man of so few words. And I know, he lived in a forest—probably his entire life—and didn't know the first thing about the draconic language...but at the same time he seemed to understand what Alaban and I are telling him. And surely he and his mother had to have some way of communicating, right?

My chest tightened in realization, my heart only growing for the moon dragon. His mother probably died when he was young. It would explain why he knew how to speak in broken draconic, but could understand what me and Alaban was telling him, or asking him.

Gods, how young had he been? Being so alone like that, in the wilderness with no real knowledge of the world. So young and scared.

My heart clenched for him, and I felt like I could truly understand him and why he was the way he was. Maybe I could help him learn draconic, fully so that he could communicate with us better. Maybe that would help him learn to trust Alaban and I with his feelings, and hopefully give him clarity on life. Not to mention, were he to ever have any nightmares in the future—especially one as bad as last night's had been—he could talk about it, and maybe Alaban and I would be able to decipher them, and help him learn of what it could mean. It could get rid of his nightmares altogether, if he could understand why he was having them.

So I decided I wanted to help him.

I peeked down at the moon dragon leaning against me, barely seeing his lashes as he stared in Alaban's general direction. "Narvi?" He twitched, and I could tell he was listening. "Would you like to learn how to speak draconic? Properly, I mean, so you could talk to us when you're not feeling good?"

I winced when Narvi snapped his head up quickly—his horn unfortunately catching my cheek—and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Yes!" He said with enthusiasm bright on his face. "Yes, yes, yes."

I couldn't help but laugh, and even Alaban turned with an amused look. "Ok, ok, I will—ooph!" I grunted, as the moon dragon hugged me tightly, obviously excited.

I obviously hugged him back, and turned to glance at Alaban—the both of us gazing at one another with soft smiles on our faces, and I knew, in that moment...this was what my life was meant to be.

Simple, and free from my burdens.

A/N: Don't worry, this is in no way the last chapter lol, I just felt that was a good place to end this one lmao. But dawwww, in retrospect, poor Narvi has had such a sad life and needs so many hugs lol

Anywho, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Lemme know what you think! I love feedback!