I felt much better when I awoke. Still a bit of a chill in my limbs but nothing some walking around couldn’t fix. Ereneya was no longer present and I sat up and realized two things. One was that I did in fact have rocks covering me. They were small stones, maybe the size of my palm and flat and smooth like river rocks, and they glowed with a warm gentle light. There were maybe twenty spread across my body and they were warm. Like someone had put them in a boiling pot and then placed them on me. The second thing was where I was precisely. I was in her bedroom, laying across her bed. It was warm as well, something I hadn’t noticed earlier when I had felt half frozen. I hurried to my feet and gathered up a few of the stones and kept them in my hands, the gentle heat helping as I flexed my fingers and left the room. I found her in the kitchen once more, cutting the meat from the Oxen I had killed and some already in a pan over what looked like a larger and hotter stone than the ones I carried in my hands.

“Good morning!” She said, happier than I had ever seen her as she saw me step out of the room.

“Good morning.” I said back as I walked up to her and looked in the sizzling pan.

The smell of cooking meat had always been tantalizing but now… with my heightened senses it made my mouth water and I had to back away to keep from grabbing a piece out of the pan.

She smiled as she slid a cut of meat towards me, still raw but bite sized. I looked up at her with confusion.

“Dear, you’re a Dragon. A bit of raw meat isn’t going to kill you.” She said with a chuckle.

I looked down at the raw meat and shrugged as I picked it up and bit into it. It wasn’t bad. Not nearly as good as cooked meat with some spices added to it but… not bad at all.

“I think I still like cooked meat better.” I said, looking back towards the pan.

“Oh I agree but trust me when I say that there are few things better than a fresh kill when you haven’t eaten in a day or two.” She said, tossing a piece of raw meat into her mouth as she spoke.

I helped her with cooking as much as I could and within the hour we had all of it prepared and we were sitting back at the table both eating our fill. The food helped with that lingering chill, helped me not feel so cold.

We were about halfway through the food when a banging rattle sounded from the Cave’s door. I looked up in confusion and she glanced towards the entrance.

“Focus your mind on that rune.” She said, pointing at a rune next to the doorway.

I did and I could see outside. I was above the doorway and looking down across the cliffside. I saw the source of the noise and my heart stopped. My brothers, Tiran and Irand, were here. Irand was banging his shield against the door and Tiran was looking out across the cliffside.

“Dragon! We know this is your dwelling! Return our brother to us!” Irand yelled.

I snapped back into my body and looked at Ereneya. She gave me a questioning look.

“What would you like to do?” She asked, rising from her chair.

“Don’t hurt them. I… its better if they don’t know that I’m… me.” I said, gesturing to myself.

“I have an idea. Come with me.” she said, striding towards the door.

It turned out that her idea was for me to be tucked away behind the frill on the back of her head while she was in her Dragon form while she spoke to them. I would be riding along in her mind, able to see and hear them as she did so I could ask her to say things on my behalf.

She opened the door to the Cave and looked down at the pair of them. Tiran did his best to remain calm while Irand drew his sword while facing us.

“Why have you come here, humans? I have no human here for you to retrieve.” She said, letting a low rumbling growl escape her.

“We know you have our brother! Lady Sophia told us you did!” Irand yelled, doing his best to remain defiant and strong.

“How are you so certain that this human wench did not lie? Perhaps she disposed of your human and blamed me?” Mother said, prompting Tiran to speak.

“I believe myself to be fairly good at reading people. I’ve had to be. I didn’t sense any deception when she said that you carried our Brother off into the sky. We have no desire to fight you Dragon, simply tell us where he went and we will leave you in peace.” He said, his face the picture of calm.

‘Ask them what they plan to do with Siran when they find him.’ I said in her mind.

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“And what would you do with your missing human if you found him?” She asked.

“Get him home obviously! He's been missing for almost two weeks! Father is worried sick but he can’t leave the Capital with the Enemy approaching.” Irand yelled, brandishing his sword.

“You are either a very brave or very foolish little boy. Put your weapon away unless you wish to experience the joy of flight off of my doorstep.” Ereneya hissed.

Irand didn’t look as if he wanted to obey but he did when Tiran put a hand on his shoulder.

“Will you tell us where Siran may be found, Great Dragon? We just want to make sure he is safe.” Tiran said with a bow.

‘Ask them… ask them what they would do if Siran was no longer their brother.’ I said into her mind, my legs weak as I sent the thought.

“If I did know the location of this… Siran, what would you do if he was no longer your brother?” She asked.

“Of course he's our brother! I don’t care what he does, he is my little brother and I will never stop caring for him!” Irand cried, angrily clenching his fists.

Tiran went quiet for a moment as he studied Ereneya’s face before something clicked in his eyes and a smile broke out across his face.

“Well, if he was no longer our brother then I would ask our Sister what finally tipped her off to that particular realization.” Tiran said, beaming up at Ereneya.

I froze in my hiding spot behind her head as I pulled back from her mind. I reached up and peeked my head over her frill and looked down at him.

“You knew?!” I cried as Tiran doubled over laughing and Irand looked very confused.

“I had my suspicions.” Tiran said between laughs.

“Who…? Tiran why are you laughing?! We have to find Siran!” Irand asked, looking very lost.

Tiran put a hand on Irand’s shoulder and stifled his laughter into amused chuckles as he pointed at me with his free hand.

“We have found her.” Tiran said.

“Found who? An angry blonde girl who's friends with a dragon?” Irand asked as I dropped down to the stone below and Ereneya shifted to her human form, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I am not angry!” I cried at him.

“Not helping your case there, little sister.” Tiran said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“You are going to tell me exactly how you knew and why you never said anything!” I said to him as I stomped forward and pointed a clawed finger in his face.

He was taller than me now. He had always had a smaller build and now I was even smaller than him. His deeply tanned skin and black hair were the same as ever but now his bright green eyes were filled with a joy that I had never seen. He gave me a smile with those too perfect teeth of his and put a hand on the top of my head.

“Because I’m like you. The opposite actually but I know what it's like. You were always so shy about your body, always had to be covered up. You were always more into fashion than any man I knew of. You were always kinder and more understanding, you had a softer side than most. And you always carried a sadness in your eyes that most people would never see. And I never said anything because I knew it would push you into denial.” He said, understanding and a bit of pain in his eyes.

“You’re like me? What do you mean like me?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

“Tell me, you ever seen me without a shirt?” He asked.

“No.”

“Well I have two scars right here.” He ran his fingers under what would be the breast of his armor. “And I had no desire to explain to my brothers where I got them because I didn’t know how they would react. Mother and Father accepted me but I didn’t want to stir up trouble with you two.”

“Wait you were born a…” I let the question slip away without completing it.

I studied his face and I could see a certain resemblance to someone I had known a long time ago.

“So that's what happened to Ivali.” I said, remembering the noble girl we had played with when we were children.

He nodded, flinching a bit as I said the name. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and smiled at Ereneya.

“I have a very smart and very cool brother.” I said as he squirmed in the embrace.

“That you do. And what of you, loud one? Are you accepting of your sister? And your Brother for that matter?” She asked, looking at Irand who simply looked very confused.

“I… so you’re Siran?” He asked, looking at me lost and confused.

“I was. Its….” I paused thinking about if I wanted to share my name with them. “It's Naravie now.”

“Alright then. And you are happy with this?” He asked.

“I am. Was a bit on the fence at first but… yes.” I said.

“Then you are my little sister. Dad is still gonna be mad that you vanished like that though.” Irand said, crossing his arms.

“Well I can’t go back yet.” I said, looking towards Ereneya.

“True, in fact you need to finish eating before things start changing.” She said, looking me over.

“Changing?” Tiran asked.

“Yeah well… turns out drinking Dragon’s Blood makes you into a Dragon yourself and I might have… done that.” I said, not looking up at him.

“Oh.” Both of them said in unison.

“Yeah so… I should do what mom says.” I said walking towards the cave.

“Mom?” Three voices cried in unison.

I looked up to see Ereneya looking at me with disbelief and… Joy. I think.

“What?” I asked as the wind picked up and I shivered a bit.

“You called me… Mother.” She said softly.

“I mean, you are, aren't you?” I asked.

She didn’t say anything else but pulled me into her embrace and whispered.

“If that's what you want me to be then yes.”

I pulled back and looked up at her. I tried to speak but that chill ran up my arms and legs and it was like I had run out of magic again. I fell toward the ground and saw Ereneya’s expression go from joyful to one of Horror as she realized what was happening. I didn’t feel the impact with the ground.