TBATE-ONESHOTS

A Dragon Princess 2

The experience was exhilarating, beyond anything Tessia had experienced before. Her arms were tightly wrapped around Helen's waist, and she was flying high above the sea of clouds. The cold wind bit into her skin as her hair flowed freely behind her, her braid now undone. An immense shiver ran down her spine, her body feeling cold.

"Just hold on a little bit longer," Helen said to Tessia over her shoulder, feeling her shiver. "We're almost home."

"Aren't you cold?" Tessia asked over the howling wind in her ears, her teeth chattering.

Helen chuckled and shook her head. "That's why we wear our flying leathers. The leather is tough, which is beneficial for combat. But it also keeps us warm and blocks the wind as we fly."

Tessia's eyes were narrowed to slits, her eyesight watery from the constant flow of intense wind blowing against her face. Yet, through her blurring and narrowed-eyed vision, she could see Helen's eyes were wide open, and there was not a tear in sight.

"How are your eyes open like that?"

The corner of Helen's lips curved in a half smile, knowing precisely what Tessia was talking about, "A perk from the dragon's bond. When you bond with a dragon, your body changes."

Tessia's memories swirled, and she remembered how the three dragon riders she now rode with had slit pupils, and their ears were slightly jagged. Tessia was about to ask more when Helen's head whipped to look ahead.

"Hold on!" Helen yelled.

So Tessia did. She tightened her grip around Helen's waist just as the three riders plunged into a dive straight through the clouds, and Tessia's stomach jumped straight to her throat. The moisture from the clouds clung to Tessia, dampening her clothes and hair and strengthening the bite of the cold. Tessia started as thunder boomed beside them, the sound shaking her very bones. Then lightning flashed all around them, and she practically jumped out of her skin.

"Is this safe?!" Tessia yelled, fear bubbling in her stomach, thinking they were going to be struck by lightning.

Helen howled with laughter full of excitement and adventure, "Don't worry." Helen raised her right arm, and Tessia could barely see the faint white glow that encased Helen's body. Looking down, Tessia could also see that she and the dragon had a similar glow. "I've wrapped us within a coat of mana," Helen continued. "A little lightning can't hurt us."

Feeling a bit reassured, Tessia relaxed slightly and continued to cling to Helen. The dragons soon began to level out, widening their beautiful wings as they flew ahead through the maze of clouds. Tessia wondered how the three riders knew where they were going and was about to ask until the words caught in her throat.

The three riders burst through the cloud cover, and Tessia beheld a magnificent gray stone castle carved out of the mountain face of the Grand Mountains. She was at a loss for words as she observed dozens of dragons, some mounted with riders, flying through the skies around the castle. The castle itself was carved near the top of the mountain, with a giant archway carved in front of it and a significantly sized landing platform carved before it.

Helen looked over her shoulder at Tessia with a proud smirk, "Welcome home."

"Dracthyria," Tessia whispered, and Helen nodded, looking forward as they flew closer to the castle.

Tessia misjudged the sheer size of the castle as they continued to fly towards it. It was growing by the second, making the dragons seem small in comparison. The three riders began their descent, decelerating as they slowly came to a landing on top of the platform. Tessia looked up, observing the archway, and saw it was big enough to fit a dragon.