I ended up delaying our departure for another hour so I could make some extra immune system boosting powder. Since we were going to town anyway, we could deliver the product to Nelaeryn and Hagmar personally. I knew Alys would be glad for the excuse to see them.
The immune system boosting powder didn’t produce any major fumes, so I claimed the same corner Alys had been treating as her indoors workshop and settled in to do some quick alchemy. Soren began cleaning up from breakfast, while Amara promptly grabbed Alys and curled up on a sofa to chat and sip torture juice.
Knowing what I did now about Amara, I could see that she had relaxed a tad around Alys. I was glad to see her making the effort, and even more glad to see how happy it made my dragoness.
I looked up again after a few minutes to find Grandmother watching me like a hawk from her own sofa. The interest was clear on her face, but she seemed loath to interrupt me. Glancing over at my dragoness and her mother, who were whispering about something with smiles on their faces, I decided it wouldn’t be right to leave the family matriarch all on her lonesome.
“I am making this powder for a couple living in town. They are… friends, I suppose?” I wasn’t sure about how that label really worked yet, but Alys definitely considered them as such. “They are also expecting a child, but with some rather dire factors at work.”
I explained the whole situation there: the curse, my detection of it, and even my decision not to take the risk of dispelling it. Shaessath didn’t speak, but I could tell she agreed with my reasoning. I then went on to explain what I was doing or planning to do in order to help. Her eyes lit up at my description of the powder, especially when I said I was planning to make a more potent version for the races gathered in our little family.
“I know there aren’t many illnesses that can affect a draconian, or fae and dragons,” I admitted. “But those that can are dangerous. I don’t want to take any chances.”
My thoughts wandered through all the plagues I could unleash if sufficiently motivated. Obviously, most of those diseases were powered by mana rather than simple biological functions, at least in part. But that was all the more reason to craft solid defenses against them. After all, that meant their sources were not natural, but purposefully crafted and even more purposefully unleashed.
Furthermore, a few truly repulsive ‘natural’ sources of disease did exist. Mass graves of just about every race, steeping in resentment and diseases. Corrupted nature spirits whose essence had been thoroughly twisted. Regular old nature spirits who had started out as plague furnaces, since nature wasn’t exactly benevolent in all its forms.
And plenty more.
I knew all such plague sources were either destroyed or contained immediately upon their discovery within civilized lands. But that meant they were left to rampage only in places hidden out of sight… in other words, the frontier. Where we were.
My mild paranoia was absolutely justified!
“I approve,” Shaessath rumbled, dragging me back to the present. “I will assist you in this endeavor also, if I can.”
“That would be appreciated. I won’t say no to some more blood samples, at the very least, since I’ll need to do a bit of experimentation.” I paused as an idea struck me. “You wouldn’t happen to know a full list of the diseases that can seriously affect dragons and draconians, would you?”
“I might.” She grinned toothily. The expression would have inspired terror in me a couple days ago. To be fair, it still did cause a tiny bit of terror, but I knew her well enough now to see that she was simply amused. “I am also interested in these potions you said you would attempt to craft to ease the birth itself.”
I nodded. While I didn’t think Alys needed such potions, I would not object at all if Shaessath wanted to help me boost them for draconian usage. I would have to approach things a little differently than the mortal version of the potions. Ironically, the recipe I was considering relied on imbuing draconic toughness into the drinker. But with an actual dragoness to advise me, I was confident that I could find a way.
Every so often, I stole a glance at Soren, who had been left to clean alone. I noted that he looked supremely pleased as he surveyed all of us. His gaze drifted from the happily chatting mother-daughter pair to the Thorn-Shaessath research group with equal fondness.
I felt a little embarrassed to be the target of what looked suspiciously like paternal pride, but I definitely shared in his warm joy at the sight of Alys getting along with her mother. Though Amara might not have handled my mate’s childhood perfectly, she was clearly trying to make up for it. Besides, I now knew her mistakes had come from a place of love.
Hopefully, she would find the courage to explain that to Alys soon.
Once I’d finished a large enough supply of immune system boosting powder to last Nelaeryn for a while, Shaessath talked me into quickly refining a few more samples of the ingredients she’d provided. Then, at last, it was time to depart.
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I felt somewhat guilty about leaving Grandmother behind, but I understood that it was best. Even if they didn’t know she was The Molten Expanse, regular mortals didn’t tend to feel comfortable around clearly powerful dragons.
Besides, Shaessath herself did not seem bothered to be left alone.
“Go,” she commanded serenely. “Remember I have something to show you upon your return, my child. And we still have a great many matters to discuss.”
—
“You know, it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been to town,” I mused later as we walked, Alys’ hand in mine and her tail firmly wrapped around my waist.
Amara had been giggling at us for that through the whole journey. Though Alys’ mother and father were also strolling together, Amara had chosen to hug Soren’s arm to her chest, rather than wrapping him up like my dragoness did with me.
Alys’ face was still glowing slightly from her mother’s unspoken teasing, but she hadn’t removed her tail from its customary spot.
“That’s because it has been a while for you,” she replied. “I still visit the fringes of town regularly in order to check on my crew’s work. They’re doing well, in case you were wondering.”
She motioned to the town, which was in sight by that point. I spotted two separate building sites relatively close to each other. Noting they were on the opposite end of town from Hagmar and Nelaeryn’s homes, I had a moment of inspiration.
“My dear, would you like to make a few quick stops before we talk to the elders? I was planning to suggest this after we finished at the Hall, but I wouldn’t mind delaying that chat for a bit.”
“Hrrrmmm. What did you have in mind?”
“A visit to Hagmar and Nelaeryn, for a start. Then maybe we can visit a tailor? Or the tailor, I suppose, since I think there’s only one in town?”
“You’ll note, hubby, that he didn’t even ask for our opinion,” Amara whispered theatrically from where they were trailing right behind us.
“I know.” Soren sighed forlornly. “Here we are, forgotten by both our daughter and our new son.”
I kept my face forward so he wouldn’t see me flushing at the appellation. Alys just ignored them, though I could feel her shaking slightly with suppressed laughter.
“That sounds good,” she said. “It’s been a while since I last saw the grumpy couple.”
“Grumpy couple?” Amara echoed.
“The two were trying to deny they had feelings for each other for the longest time.” Alys shook her head with a smile. “Even when they got caught engaging in ‘friendly’ activities. They preferred arguing and squabbling over showing any affection… and then, out of nowhere, they had to announce they’ve got a child on the way and that they are officially a married couple.”
Amara clapped excitedly. This was an achievement, since she still refused to release Soren’s hand. “Oh! Oh! That means we’ll be meeting the parents of our grandchild’s future playmate?”
“I… yes, I suppose so,” I mumbled, the realities of future parenthood once more slamming into me.
Alys simply looked pleased. I knew she cared about all of the townsfolk, having gotten to know them rather well on the journey to the frontier. The idea of that friendship extending to the next generation likely appealed to her.
I was also hoping our child would have plenty of peers to socialize with, of course. That did make me wonder how many expecting parents there were in Swiftband. I was fairly sure the grumpy couple, as Alys put it, had been the first, but had there been any new developments? Something to ask the elders about, I supposed.
“Oh, I wish I’d thought to bring some kind of gift,” Amara fretted. “We should leave a good first impression!”
“Don’t worry. I think they’ve got a good impression of us already,” Alys replied dryly. “I am a friend of the family, and my darling mate here is keeping Nelaeryn safe throughout her pregnancy.”
That triggered another round of explanations about what was happening with the elf. The tale upset Amara far more than I’d thought it would. She seethed at the cruelty of a curse that prevented generation after generation of mothers from meeting their children. Then she beamed at me when I explained my role in the story.
To my shame, I carefully did not reveal that I could have broken the curse. I didn’t think Amara would think less of me, since I had chosen to avoid helping in that manner in order to protect Alys and my life with her, but I didn’t want to risk it. Even the chance of facing Amara’s disapproval and disappointment made me uncomfortable.
Thankfully, we were now approaching the couple’s adjoining properties. All conversation petered out as we prepared to greet them.
I noted that Hagmar’s house had no smoke curling from the chimney, so I led us towards Nelaeryn’s domain. The two houses looked odd to me without animals bustling about the large yards, but Winter had well and truly set in. It was easy to deduce that the sheep and chickens were in their pens and coops, respectively.
This was confirmed when I heard giggling erupt out of the coop attachment Alys had added to Nelaeryn’s house. However, said giggling was awfully familiar to me, and it sounded nothing like an elf…
“Stop! Stop! I’m getting out of here now, and you can’t have any more food!”
The door to the coop opened. Out stumbled a well-known beagle, still giggling as she pushed the door closed with her back.
“Nasha?” Alys rumbled happily.
The beagle’s head shot up. She blinked at our group in confusion before a smile lit up her face.
“Alys! And Thorn! And… company?”
Without waiting for an answer, she charged at Alys for a hug. I barely stopped myself from stepping in front of my dragoness. Alys was tough, and it was extremely early in her pregnancy anyway. A tackle hug wasn’t going to do anything to her or our unborn child.
I managed to focus on my curiosity instead. “What in the Seasons are you doing here? Oh, and let me introduce you to Amara and Soren. These are Alys’ parents.”
“Oh! I did hear we had visitors come into town recently! There was also something about a dragon? I didn’t know you were Alys’ parents! I’m Nasha!”
The words fled the beagle’s mouth like they were afraid she would swallow them.
I spotted the exact moment Soren glanced between his wife and Nasha in mild horror. Amara looked taken aback, but only for a moment. Then a grin stretched across her snout.
“It is very nice to meet you, dear! I think we’ll get along splendidly, you and I.”
I could tell my dragoness was tempted to hide her face in her hands, and maybe scream a little. Nasha, meanwhile, was literally bouncing.
“Same! Oh, I’ve been curious about Alys’ family for the longest time! She told me some things about you, but not enough!”
“Really? Well we should fix that, shouldn’t we, dear?” Amara purred, shooting my dragoness a brilliant smile that promised embarrassment and mild torment in her near future.
I just sighed at how quickly our plans were getting sidetracked.
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