Marise and Isolde had nursed Tania, who came out laughing. Marise remembered Zergalor's voice.

"Mama? You're not well?"

"Hahahahahah, I've never been better, hahahahah!"

Feeling Tania's beading violence, she walked away.

"Hey, don't leave without me...we must celebrate our overwhelming victory over the Orcs and the Dragon Lord...z"

Tania stood up and fluttered as Baron Zergalor did with the same sinister laughter.

They then left the infirmary and Tania clapped her claws: "We are celebrating the victory!"

And, with a sure step, she left her base and joined the palace of Altus.

Tania and Marise, Isolde and Andromedus, and Pharotek the Mentat of Tania, arrived at the foot of the throne of the human king.

Altus nodded to them.

The people were assembled (forcibly...) with the entire human army and Tania's army.

They appeared on the balcony of the castle and the king (prince-pontiff) declared:

"The prophecy has come true and the only end was that of the demon lord's army. He was defeated

The war is over. It is now time to rebuild our lives and our cities."

After a long political speech, the trumpets sounded and a real military parade was organized with the troops in line, horsemen, siege engines and mobile ballista, then vehicles of all kinds and an overflight by Choppers and other flying machines, the whole overhung by shuttles and a few ships showing the almighty power of the army.

Dwarves, elves and others, tremble!

Meanwhile, Marise had slipped away and wanted to see the "prisoner"...

At the bottom of the cellars of the castle, dungeons and one of them was a cylinder covered with white and luminous and anti-magic rings.

At the bottom, a broken rag was rotting in a critical state.

The dragon was unrecognizable, covered with wet gauze, no more, chained to its legs and a lock on its jaw.

He was moaning, with burns spread over 3/4 of his body. Marise wanted to protest but there was no one there.

The creature moaned but was only going to be there for a few hours, 2-3 days at the most in this state.

"Mamaann. Glaurung...

papaaaa. Please, St. Nicholas Marcus...

grandfather...

King Ghidhora...

help.

Where are you?

I don't want to die.... help me!

Mamaann... grandfather, Kraa, grandmother..."

And so on and so on until he collapses from sleep. The pain diminishing a little, asleep.

Marise went down into the pit and looked at his infected wounds.

"Tania! How could you..."

She saw a horrible necklace embedded in her neck, almost forming a cyst.

She looked at his skin all burned. It was burned 3/4 of the way through and was healing from infection.

The pain must have been excruciating.

Marise began to feel sorry for the dragon lying like that in just gauze and the wounds that followed just a little washed out before but it had to be done all over again.

Just by removing the gauze, the film of skin would peel off and come with it.

Even by soaking it in honey and with pain killers and an IV and antibiotics that were non-existent and impossible to get without Tania, the dragon was lost.

She put her paws on the lying dragon and instantly he grabbed her paw and licked her claws "Please, beautiful dragon, stay with me... I'm afraid to die alone... Tiamat, I'm ready...".

Marise saw no malice in this creature. She concentrated her mana as she had done for Tania.

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A light covered the living wound in front of her.

She was joined by Isolde who reinforced the major care in small restoration.

A kind of crust formed all over his body. And life returned to the wretched creature.

Servants under the spell of fear reduction saw with clean water and soap.

Marise thus cleaned the unconscious dragon.

When everything was tidied and cleaned, the dragon had regained its luster.

Pieces of metal and splinters had fallen out of its wounds.

Having arranged this in his Tania state, he was really very strong.

The necklace had been removed, revealing the monstrous curse on the dragon.

To his surprise, Altus and Ambrosius came to the sleeping dragon.

Altus said, "Why did you heal him? "

He was internally furious but this dragon remained a hidden card for him.

Tania, who had returned to her base was not fooled. She knew that Marise had cured her worst enemy.

Altus, in the dungeon, a secret and magic staircase was planned for the circumstance.

Altus:" What does it all mean?" looking at Isolde...

She showed the prince-pontiff the necklace.

Marise: "It's the same guy who enslaved Argentrix, the wife of Ivan the hero of our world. An Orc Shaman used this cursed object to enslave a silver dragon and make her do odious acts such as capturing and delivering children and orphans to the Orc to offer them as a sacrifice to activate mass teleportation portals for the Horde."

Altus: "I understand... The dragon is innocent and also a victim like all of us..."

He sighed...

"It's not my practice to execute innocent people."

Andromedius: "This is the work of a demon. Even the dead shaman forced the dragon to continue his destructive work.

It is normal that he hibernated many times through times and generations, but extending over a longer period and thus over a larger territory, the war of the "Demon Lord" against the humans. He got lost in time... He looks for and asks for his mother... but she must be long dead... poor creature...."

Altus began to laugh out loud. His most sinister laughter, but also full of despair...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....Mouahahahahahaha......HEHEEH."

Then he fell to his knees, palms of his hands towards the sky.

"We've been fighting for centuries against a chimera... HAHAHHAHAHA....OUAAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

Then he started crying and cursing...

"All these deaths... for nothing.... This endless war....."

He took the necklace and threw it against the wall. The necklace resisted, but the light flickered.

Andromedus: "Sire, we must take shelter. I must replace the broken gems...quickly, before he wakes up.

Altus: "It's not worth it.... it's neutral alignment good... Apart from a lot of anger... that's all we have to worry about."

Andromedius and Isolde: "Sire, take no risks."

He dismissed the others, standing alone in front of the unconscious dragon.

When Marise left the dungeon to reach the dining room of the castle, she met Tania.

The latter wanted to slap her.

Marise grabbed Tania's paw with surprise, strength and determination: "If you lift your paw on me, not only will you no longer be my mother, but I will be your enemy".

Tania was shocked and wanted to apologize to Marise.

Marise: "Don't give me that... I healed you because I still care a little bit about you, by a thread...But you disgust me. You seem to have merged with Zergalor.... Is it the army, the war that's drugging you? "

Tania didn't know what to say... then, with her head down, the voices echoed in her head and an unhealthy smile briefly appeared in her mouth.

Tania: "You like this dragon, don't you? ????"

Marise was shocked.

but Tania didn't give her time to respond.

"I like him too. I really want to do it again. He fights superbly well. Better than my master."

Marise left Tania in plan to go to eat with the others of the castle, the company of the Zergs being really not to her taste.

Meanwhile, Altus, next to the dragon.

"I know that you hear me and that you pretend to sleep..."

The dragon slowly unfolded his head and slid it to the ground, eyes closed and crying.

He touched the tiptoes of the Lord's feet and licked his boots.

"Mercy Lord.... it wasn't me... The orcs they wanted to fight all the time. I always sent them away and came back in greater numbers. They were always fighting for my place. They all wanted my treasure. But Tania destroyed everything in a second....

Fire, noise and pressure.

I was crushed like a nail and my lungs exploded. The mountain rose up with me inside.

I was dying and it wanted to finish me off. I'm afraid to die and I have to save Mom and Grandpa and Grandma"..."

Altus: "What was your treasure?"

George: "A picture of mom and dad... and grandpa and grandma... and my scrapbook.

It all burned to the ground."

The prince laughed... All this for a picture....They thought it was gold.

Georges: "I never had gold, well, very little. Dad had told me it was dangerous."

The king (prince-pontiff) made several rounds in the dungeon.

"Georges, I have a question. What do you want deep down inside yourself now that you are free of the collar?"

The dragon turned pale when he saw the necklace on the ground.

"Please, not the necklace, not the necklace, not the necklace...."

He was traumatized...and couldn't get it back together. Andromedius, above the well, was looking at his lord, attracted by the noise. He had returned in fear for his majesty.

Altus saw him, and with a wave of his hand chased him away. He understood that it was confidential.

"George, it is not my intention to hand over this horror to you, but to think of a way to redeem you. Since you are not guilty, we forgive you, but you must participate in the reconstruction. There will come a day when you will regain your freedom. Maybe not so far away... So, what are your intentions?

Georges: "To serve you and to repair... but also I would like to find what remains of my family...

Dad died of old age, because he was human...."

Altus: "Are you a half?"

Georges, it's a little more complicated... Yes, I was half-human but my part of man died of old age while hibernating... You can't hibernate human. The dragon in me took the other half.

That's why my family made no distinction between pure dragons and hybrids.

Whether we were 1/8 or even 1/16, the blood of the dragon, even diluted, always took over but they didn't know it and had an extraordinary heart.

Between my periods of hibernation, between the centuries, I always prayed grandfather, the "St Nicolas Dragon" or King Ghidorah for his enemies...but I never got an answer or clues. Everything is destroyed here, there is nothing left. "

Altus: "So you've been human...but do you still have your heart?"

Meanwhile, Tania was reorganizing the dismantling of the base.

She would keep her command center with the huge parabola, radar and the barracks and refectory. Everything else would be packed up.

The premises remained for the few helpers and mentors. The soldiers would board the ships but would not return to Tania or join the infernal army. The Zerg in Tania had other plans:

To return to Saheli and see the situation and the opportunities to settle his scores once and for all.

The Iberium thus removed, the land left behind was loose after the collectors' passage and made it into large scale arable land.

In the dungeon, under the castle :

"If you still have your human heart, you have seen what this infernal dragon is capable of. It is an offspring of Tiamat. Who can tell us that a sideways glance, a triggering element, the same fate as the Orcs would be reserved for us?

Georges was very attentive to the prince

"If Tania became our enemy, could you protect us?"

George: "No problem at all."

Altus: "She might ask you to go back in time... to see your family again."

Georges":Lies... It's my family here that needs help... If I'm not here anymore, who will save them?"

Altus: "That's why I need a hero... This is also your chance to redeem yourself..."

The prince took leave of the dragon who needed to rest...

He ordered that food be brought to him and that the necessary care be given to restore him as soon as possible.

The following day, Altus saw that the whole base was evacuated to his great happiness.

He hoped... but it was short-lived... Tania presented herself in the throne room with Marise...

The promise, the agreement...

"Majesty, I have fulfilled my task... I must find the other dragons..."

Altus answered: "Take what you want...men, news..."

Tania bowed and left... satisfied.

Altus saw that Marise remained...

Once Tania left,

"Do you want to go see him? Go ahead... I think he's waiting for you."