Candy had dreams of fluffy pink clouds and laughing dragons.

Then she was slowly coming to. She was lying on her stomach. She could hear someone breathing heavily next to her as if they were asleep. The world slowly came into view, and she found herself laying on a bed made from downy feathers and animal skins. She was in a large room with towering windows carved into the stone walls and an archway where the exit was.

The room was made completely out of stone, grey and smooth, except for the carvings in the walls where there were no windows.

After taking in the room, she realized there was someone next to her. she blinked a few times, turning her head to see who it was and immediately sending flickers of pain all along her back. She grunted, slowly turning her head back to where it was.

Something wet and slimy slipped down her shoulder and fell to the ground with a small squelch sound. She noticed the wet, weird strips of something gross all along her back and wings.

"You're awake," She knew exactly who that was. "Oh, don't turn your head," he quickly added, walking around to face her. She smiled as Night dropped to the ground in front of her.

"Feel better?"

She slowly nodded.

"Now, help me up," she moved her legs, slowly and carefully lifting herself off the fluffy, soft bed. Thankfully - for his sake - Night didn't argue, helping her onto all talons.

Suddenly the memory of everything that had happened before she'd been knocked out popped into her head.

"Oh, no. Night, I have to say sorry, I totally freaked out and . . ." she winced at the sight of his black eye and patched head. He was still smiling.

"Oh, this? It's nothing," he gently felt the bandage wrapped around his head.

"Was that . . . from me?" she asked, shrinking towards the ground. He blinked, slowly nodded in a "yeah . . . this was all you" way.

"But I'm fine, I'm good so . . . how are you?"

She would've shrugged.

"I've been better. Thanks for . . . you know," her mind flashed to her clawing and nipping at him after headbutting him with her horns. Stopping me from flying away with half a mind, she finished in her head. "I feel better though so," she tipped her back sideways, letting the slimy things fall off her back, shoulders, and wings.

"Oh, wait, I was supposed to keep you from going anywhere. Not help you. So, lay back down."

Candy said nothing, making sure he was watching her as she stared at him with a defiant smile on her face as she walked saucily to the exit. He sighed dramatically, following her out.

"Well, I tried," he muttered as they left the room. They walked right into a hallway made completely of stone, stretching a way to both the left and right. She had to turn around completely to see Night - it was too hard to turn her head - with an expectant smile on her face.

He narrowed his eyes, his wings drooping as he led the way. He eventually let down his show, chuckling as he glanced back towards her. Candy caught herself smiling dreamily back, the only thing in her head was the sight of his twinkling grey-green eyes.

Their talons click-clacked over the smooth surface, echoing off the walls around them. Candy couldn't help but admire the strange mysteriousness and yet majesticness of the stone archways and hallways and rooms. 

The air smelled heavily of dust, stone, and mountain breeze. Candy loved it. She inhaled deeply, momentarily forgetting about the soothed burns rippled across her back. Night led her all the way to the end of the hallway, through an archway, and a blast of sunshine and fresh air smacked her in the face.

She stepped back, squeezing her eyes shut until they were used to the bright light. When she opened them, she could both breathe - really breathe - for the first time, and the air inside her paused in her lungs.

She was standing before a round pit sort of thing, with giant steps leading out of it in every direction, columns lining the whole place that held a stone ledge above them, and in the center stood a group of variously colored dragons. She immediately recognized the twins, and Thunderclap, and a familiar face in the crowd - the lady she'd seen right before being knocked out - and a plethora of other dragons. 

At the moment, they all seemed to be arguing about something, their voices all echoing through the dignified crater, all mixed together and talking over each other. Candy was so happy about seeing them, she hardly wondered what they were talking (arguing) about.

They stopped upon seeing her, some had inquisitive faces and some looked mirrored her expression and feelings perfectly.

"Candy!"

"You're awake!"

"How are you feeling?"

She said nothing at first, swooping Scorpian and Silver up into her arms. She attempted to hug them with her wings until the burns streaked across them reminded her they were there.

It felt as though she'd been away from them forever.

When she pulled away, she focused more closely on the bigger dragon. She was the one Candy had seen from before, still purple with silver and gold speckles. Something about her seemed strangely familiar. Candy could almost see herself in the dragon, who smiled down at her, mostly with her eyes.

"Kala . . ." her voice was soft and gentle, but Candy heard a tightness to it. Then realization binged into her head like a lightbulb.

"M-mother?" 

The dragon pulled her close to her scales, holding her tightly (careful to avoid her burns) as she wrapped her massive wings around her. Candy had always thought she was fully grown but being cradled by this - her mother, she felt like a young hatchling. She sat there for a moment, letting the feeling of her mother's scales and the thump of her heartbeat wash away all her pain and heartbreak.

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When they pulled away, the older dragon still had misty eyes that she quickly brushed away. She kept opening and closing her mouth, but no words came out as she changed her mind at every sentence. Finally, she simply sighed.

"I love you so, so very much, my warrior," she caressed Candy's cheek, still wearing the sparkly-eyed smile. Candy felt a burst of warmth at her words, my warrior. Not sweet Candy, or sweetie, or even darling. She slightly straightened her back at the thought.

As much as she wanted to return the words, she knew she'd cry if she did, so she gently changed the subject.

"Mother, how did you find m- us?"

"For a while now, we've been helping the people of Nigintia by giving them new homes, or for some, putting them here. So last night, when Griffin spotted you all after that bomb went off, we didn't hesitate to bring you here."

Candy's smile momentarily faded as the thought of the broken village burned into her mind. She quickly shoved it away. She was home now. With her real mother. That reminds me . . .

"Mother . . ." She looked at her, her brown eyes still sparkling down. How do I ask this!? "Uh . . . where's Father?"

The dragon's wings shagged at her words, which Candy immediately regretted. But she picked them back up again.

"He is a wonderful dragon, Kala. He's an amazing fighter too - that's one of the reasons I let him go," she sighed, pulling Candy away from the others, who gave them privacy for the moment, "he begged me to let him go with the pack headed to Dragon Teeth . . ." Candy's heart dropped like a rock, right into her stomach. Her thoughts flashed to the awful place; the river of blood that replaced the rock's surface there . . . the missing bodies. But her mother went on, oblivious to her slowing pace.

"I haven't heard from him since, Kala."

Her glittery head drooped and spirals of deep blue swam through her scales for a quick moment. She swallowed, squaring her shoulders and turning boldly to Candy.

"But I haven't given up hope, my warrior. I promise you this. He has to be out there somewhere, searching for you or-"

"Was that what he was doing in the first place?" She didn't mean to blurt it out before it was too late, but her mother didn't mind.

"It's very complicated, but I'll try to explain it as best I can. When your egg was stolen, we searched as far and deep as we could, refusing to give up until we'd found it. After a while, we got a few clues - all of which-" she took a deep breath -"pointed right to the Ghostfangs. Our septs have had our differences for quite some time now, but the moment we realized it was them, a war broke out. Your father went with a group of incredibly well-trained dragons to search a group of Ghostfangs."

"But I don't understand. Dragon Teeth rocks are so far from here. Why would you send out a group to fight them off even though they'd hardly gotten to the mainland?"

Her mother chuckled, continuing forward.

"They weren't coming to the mainland, they were escaping it. The Ghostfangs know we've been searching for you, and have fled countless times. So we sent a group to search them, and I've recently gotten word it ended in a fight. Listen, I know it's hard to believe Ghostfangs are real but-"

"I . . . don't actually know what they are. Mother, up until about a week ago, I'd been living with the queen and king of Nigintia. They . . . lied and convinced me I was their princess."

Despite her attempt to make it soundless, Candy heard a growl rumble at the back of her mother's throat right before she muttered something along the lines of "Those filthy, rotten bags of nothings."

"I grew up there. I don't know much about being a dragon, is what I'm trying to say."

"I'll teach you everything you need to know. Do you know how to camouflage? Shift to and from a dragon to a human? Use your talons and not your ears?"

"Yes, yes, and no," the thought of her mother teaching her all these things sent butterflies crawling through her stomach. 

"Your highness, I hate to interrupt but we need you now," a grey dragon with blue highlights scared Candy half to death as he appeared next to her. 

"You're the queen!?"

Candy's mother sighed, visibly disappointed the not-so-much-of-a-secret had been spoiled. Candy raised her neck, studying the swirl patterns on her mother's back that she'd heard so much of about herself.

Of course! That's why I'm still a princess! Then with much less enthusiasm about it, I'm still a princess.

"I'm sorry, Kala but they need me. Ooh! Why don't you come with me? Learn what's going on! It'll be your first lesson," she said proudly. Candy wanted to burst with joy at her words. She couldn't believe she'd ever actually, truly thought the queen and king of Nigintia had been her real parents.

"What did you name me, again?" she asked as they strolled over to the group of dragons.

"Kala. Oh, I forgot. Of course, you wouldn't have the same name that I gave to you. Bah. What did they name you, after all?"

For some reason, Candy felt strangely guilty and pathetic telling her mother her name.

"Uh - Candy."

 "Birthname or not, it doesn't matter. I have you back," she said excitedly, strangling Candy with another hug before sitting majestically in front of the group of dragons. Candy noticed she didn't see Thunderclap in the midst of the group. Griffin was just flying down to join them when she and her mother arrived again.

"I really do hate to spoil the precious moment but this is an important matter that we simply can't hold off." 

Candy pressed herself against the queen, itching to ask what they were all so riled up about, but knowing her question would be answered soon enough. She looked up at her mother, the kind and caring expression completely gone, replaced by a fierce authority and calmness.

"It's alright, Peak. Tell me, have any of you agreed on what we should do with him?"

Candy's stomach twisted. With who? Thunderclap snapped into her thoughts. No, it couldn't be. My mother wouldn't be so upset at such a weak dragon. Could she? But he refused to leave her thoughts as they went on.

At her words, a chorus of voices was sent off again throughout the crater. The queen flared her wings, quietly demanding silence. When she had all eyes on her again, she straightened.

"Greytail, I want to hear what you have to say." 

Before another eruption of complaint and disagreement went off, the queen shot some of them a certain look. A smaller dragon with black patterns dancing over him, missing half a leg and a horn, spoke loudly for all to hear.

"I think we should keep him in that stinky dungeon forever. He deserves it."

"And Sky? What do you think?"

"I think we should end him now before it's too late."

That sent off another round of arguing that took a while before the queen called it off again. Candy had no idea what they could be talking about, but Thunderclap kept nagging at her, so before she could stop herself, the words slipped out.

"I think we should give him a chance," she didn't speak loudly, not in the least, but the shape of the crater along with the shock of her words caught everyone's attention. She tried to swallow; all those stares aimed right at her. What are you thinking!? All these dragons know what they're talking about. You hardly know anything!

But she didn't disagree with herself, although she desperately wanted to get away from all those eyes.

"Kala, what do you mean?"

"Well, have you spoken to him?" she remembered how haughtily Thunderclap talked and hurried on. "What I mean to say is, do you know his reasoning?"

She didn't really know what she was talking about, but at the same time, she didn't want to give up. Clearly her view on the subject hadn't had much (if any) thought. Her mother proudly smiled down at her.

"We should go with Kala's point of view," it was strange to hear a foreign name and know it meant her. Scorpian and Silver heartily agreed, but besides those three, only a couple of dragons considered her idea. But the queen saw hope from them and continued.

"I mean, it is true. We haven't spoken to him besides rude insults from the guards - I'm sure. We do need him after all."

A few dragons wondered what for, but the older looking ones seemed to already know, taking the queen's words with every caution. She looked down at Candy again, giving her an early victorious smile. When she looked at the group of dragons, she could see them starting to agree as well.

"Very well. We'll keep every eye on him, refuse not to go with every caution, and always have two watch guards," the grey dragon glanced at the others. "Your majesty, you have our approval."