While Dalerina had spent the past days confined to her bed, turning between an unquenched disappointment and quiet tears unseen by anyone, longing kept pulling her every night into depths she had never known before. She was not only sad—she was lost.
She did not leave her room, did not smile at anyone, and did not react even when the head maid brought her favorite soup three times without her tasting it.The maids exchanged worried whispers, and even the king himself noticed her absence.
As for Fairo… he was the one who felt the dimming of her light the most.
Then came a quiet morning, broken by a faint knock on her door.The head maid opened it and allowed the prince inside.
Fairo was holding a small box in his arms, from which came a soft, faint sound.He approached her quietly, then sat on the chair beside her bed and said with a warm smile:
— "I brought you Elinor…"
Dalerina jolted up, her eyes widening with a mix of shock and hope.But she quickly drew back a little and looked inside the box… it was a small white dragon, looking exactly like Elinor.
He smiled and said:— "I knew this was the reason for your sadness… so I decided to bring her closer to you, even if just a little."
She looked at him, then at the little dragon, and returned slowly to her bed, as if trying to hide a slight disappointment… but she could not stop a smile from slipping onto her face.
She said quietly, as if speaking to herself:— "It's not her… but she's very beautiful."
Dalerina sat beside the small dragon, slowly extending her hand to touch its soft white scales. It was warm, breathing faintly, then tilted its head toward her palm as if recognizing her.
Fairo smiled and said in a light tone:— "It seems she's known you for a long time."
Dalerina replied, still staring at her:— "She looks like her… but she doesn't fill the void. Elinor… was more than just a dragon."
Then she turned toward Fairo, her eyes shimmering with silent doubt, and whispered softly:— "Do you think… she'll remember me?Will she forgive me for leaving her all this time?Will she roar with joy when she sees me… or… with anger?"
Fairo was silent for a few seconds, then moved closer, kneeling on one knee before her:— "Elinor was never like any dragon; she chose you herself. Her heart knows you.And I'm certain… she's waiting for you."
Dalerina kept staring into his eyes as if searching in them for certainty.Then she slowly closed her eyes, let out a heavy breath, and said in a voice barely above a whisper:— "Alright… I'll go to her."
Fairo smiled with joy, feeling her light begin to return. Then he told her that in two days, the dragon guards' carriage would—as usual—head out to inspect the dragons and change shifts, and he would find a way to sneak her along.She agreed, and two days later, the plan was carried out flawlessly.
Dalerina slipped into the carriage until it reached Mount Flear, the mountain where the kingdoms hid the Big Dragons using ancient magic cast by the greatest sorcerers centuries ago.The moment she entered between the cells, she began to hear deep, rumbling sounds… the dragons were awakening from their centuries-long slumber, one after another, then turning toward her and bowing.
She froze for a moment in astonishment, but quickly brushed it aside and whispered to herself:"They've been trained to do that, nothing more."
Her main goal was Elinor… and when she finally caught sight of her, she saw the white dragon rise swiftly even before seeing her, as if a spiritual bond had tied them.
Dalerina ran toward her, tears streaming, while Elinor leapt with joy.When she reached her cell, she found the opening narrow but was slender enough to slip through.She embraced her immediately, crying, while Elinor licked her with pure delight—like a child who had found its mother.
She sat beside her, lying against her warm wing, and began speaking to her:— "If only you knew how much I missed you… and how many times I wondered if you were alright… Were you lonely? Were you hungry?"
She spent the entire day with her, feeding her, speaking to her, touching her soft scales, as if the outside world had vanished.
At the same time, Nazar had decided to go to Dalerina to apologize, after feeling guilty—especially after hearing that she hadn't left her room since that day.But when she arrived at her chambers, Fairo stopped her at the door and refused to let her in.
She asked in surprise:— "Why?"He answered calmly:— "She's sleeping."
Nazar walked away with quiet steps, but her last glance toward Dalerina's chambers was enough to reveal what was stirring in her heart.Something… was taking shape in the shadows.