When Lyra woke up the following morning, Reina was still not back, and now Lyra was actually properly worried, which also felt a bit strange. She had nearly killed Reina, when they had first met. Then decided to spare her on a whim, which in turn made Reina swear her undying loyalty to her. But Lyra had never planned to take her as a companion, it just happened to end up that way. Even now, she had only really known Reina for a day, properly, so why was she so attached already to the point she even went around and worried about her? It wasn't logical, and it definitely wasn't reasonable. Then again, neither was life, and Lyra could not help feeling the way she felt. People were not logical and reasonable all the time, and the heart worked in mysterious ways.
She found herself recalling the way Reina had stuffed the fish into the pot, trying to make her a stew. Or the way she had eaten the steaks with her hands as if they were slices of bread. And the way Reina had clung to Lyra in her sleep. Lyra realized, wanting it or not, she was attached to the dragon woman now, and there was no helping it. So she got out of bed, no stretching today as she dressed herself immediately and then headed outside, skipping breakfast too. She was just about to take off north, when she spotted something in the sky in that direction. A black dot. Multiple dots. Getting bigger and bigger. Dragon silhouettes, fast approaching.
For a second, doubt crept in. Had everything been a lie? Had Reina betrayed her, gone to gather more dragons, and returned to avenge their dead? Lyra raised her hand in the direction of the Dragons, ready to fire off her "Disintegration Beam". But she did not do it. She did not want to believe Reina had gone behind her back. She wanted to believe Reina was truly on her side. But her heart was beating fast, and she was more anxious than she had been in a long while. For five minutes, she stood there, debating back and forth with herself, all the while the dragons got closer and closer. Then, one of the many dragons broke off from formation and got ahead of the rest, flying faster and faster, and lower.
"...-aster..... master.....Master!" Lyra eventually heard it roar out as it got closer and closer, and with relief, Lyra lowered her hand. Seconds later, the large dragon was enveloped in a flash of light, and out of the light came Reina, now in her human form, tumbling down towards Lyra, still wearing that same shirt from before. Lyra had to scramble in a panic to catch the woman as she fell from the sky, and in the end the pair of them toppled over and tumbled down into the grass, with Reina ending up on top.
"I'm back Master, I'm bac-... where did you go?" Reina said, looking around.
-"Under... neath..." Lyra said with a grunt, while Reina sat up properly, straddling Lyra in the tall grass.
"Ah! Sorry! I just got so excited!" Reina said, smiling brightly, but despite apologizing she still remain sat on top of Lyra,
-"I get it... could you please get off?" Lyra said, though not without some amusement, and relief at seeing Reina alive and well.
As Reina got off and helped pull Lyra to her feet, the other dragons arrived, touching down at a respectful distance away. There were some 20 dragons present, all in all, Lyra counted, doing a quick headcount. She looked at them, then at Reina, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Ah right!" Reina said, suddenly looking a bit serious, as she took a knee right there, in front of Lyra, reaching for her hand. The other dragons all lowered themselves too, laying down in the grass, while Reina spoke up:
"Master, would you please listen to my request?"
-"Alright, speak up..." Lyra said, as she looked over the twenty-so dragons now prostrating before her in the meadow.
"I have taken over the clan, as the new Matriarch of the Red Dragons, Master. Most of the younger dragons have left to return to their own territories, but many of the older ones, like my mother, expressed a wish to see your Spirit Sanctuary. Living up in the mountains is rather dull, and they would much rather enjoy the warmth and abundance here instead. As the Master of the Matriarch, they asked if perhaps they could all live here, instead." Reina said, dropping bombshell after bombshell.
Lyra stood in silence for a moment, her hand still held by Reina who knelt in the grass before her. Ultimately, Lyra was not too keen on the idea. This was her sanctuary, meant to be the place of her relief, where she could find peace. Did she really want others living here? Reina, likely sensing her master's trepidation and hesitation, added swiftly:
"Not for free, of course. You mentioned wanting to go traveling and exploring, no? My Clan will act as guardians of your Spirit Sanctuary, Master. You can travel safely and without worry, knowing they are not only protecting it, but also looking after it! We-... we'll even pay tax! Many of the older ones have quite the large hoards. Gemstones, rare and precious metals- we'll pay you! Rent, yes, we'll pay rent!"
One of the other dragons raised it's head, speaking:
"My daughter speaks the truth. In our old age, the rocks and stone are not so comfortable for the bones. But this sanctuary is very delightful. Just being here brings me a sense of serenity. The grass is soft and comfortable, the river clean and the air fresh and lush. More importantly, it is warm year-round. We would be blessed, if you would let us stay here, master of our Matriarch."
Lyra considered. This made the offer more tempting. She was not too concerned about the payment aspect, not now when she had so much dragon material in her inventory, but the offer of protection was attractive. The Spirit Sanctuary was surrounded by a sort of barrier which warded off most monsters, but it was clear very powerful beings, like dragons, were unaffected by this. It was also clear spirit sanctuaries were very rare and highly sought after, for various reasons, so if she wanted to travel for longer periods of time, knowing her sanctuary was protected would grant her peace of mind. Finally, after much consideration, Lyra answered:
-"Very well, I will accept you as citizens of my Sanctuary, on a few conditions."
All dragons peered up, including Reina, eagerly listening for the conditions. So Lyra continued:
-"Firstly. In my absence, you will be tasked with ensuring the Sanctuary is protected. No one, monster or person or creature, is allowed access to my Sanctuary without my express permission."
-"Secondly. You may not harm the Sanctuary in any way. No forest fires, no over-fishing of the lake. For food, you have access to all of the Lunarsong Forest, but I would implore you to hunt in a fashion which is sustainable, and which does not cause a mass-migration of the monsters within the forest. If they escape out into the country-side, people will die."
-"Finally, tax or rent. Just a small token of appreciation is necessary, once in a while. I'll make a small treasury beside the main house, where you can donate whatever you feel like, when you feel like it. Everyone understand and agree?"
The dragons all nodded and said they agreed and accepted the three conditions. After that, they parted ways, going around in groups of 2-3 to look around the Sanctuary. Despite being massive and towering dragons, they looked jovial and almost playful as they tested out the grass in the meadow for sleeping, or when they bathed in the river, or just laid to sunbathe in the hot sands by the lake. Reina in particular looked very pleased, as she watched her mother fly along the surface of the lake, skimming the water's surface with her talons, laughing gleefully.
"Thank you for this, Master. Everyone was in a very bad mood, with morale low, after the losses our Clan had suffered at your hands. Our own fault, I want to make clear. No one is blaming you. But the elders were worried about the future of the clan, while the youngsters just wanted to leave and do their own thing. So... when I became Matriarch, I thought this would be a good solution. I am glad you accepted my proposal. I really am very fortunate, to have such a good master." Reina said, even blushing slightly.
Lyra sighed with content, and even went so far as to wrap her right arm around Reina's shoulder, pulling her in for a half hug, as she said softly:
-"I am happy to be able to help you, Reina. I was actually quite worried, when you took so long to return..."
Reina in turn looked up at Lyra with those big, red eyes of hers, before she threw both arms around Lyra and hugged her tightly in response.
"Really!? You worried for me? Missed me!?" she said as she squeezed Lyra hard, seemingly very happy to learn Lyra had been concerned. Lyra in turn used her free hand to pat Reina atop the head, and squeezed her gently back.
-"Yes, it seems I did." Lyra said softly, as much to herself as it was to Reina.
Afterwards, Lyra had breakfast and tea together with Reina and Reina's mother, a red dragon named Reastan, though called Rea for short. She was a very elegant and learned Lady, or so Lyra learned through their interactions. In her Polymorph form, she looked like a tall and muscular human woman in her early forties with the same red hair and eyes like Reina, however unlike Reina she had actually brought human clothes to wear, and seemed to have far more experience being under polymorph than Reina. Rea gracefully lifted her cup of tea, pinky out, handling the cup with all the grace and maturity befitting a woman of her stature. Reina on the other hand did not see the point in drinking the tea so slowly, and just downed the entire cup of scalding hot tea in a matter of seconds.
"She gets her temperament from her late father, I can assure you..." Rea had remarked, shooting her daughter a disapproving look.
-"Oh it is quite alright. I actually find it rather charming." Lyra said in response, reaching over to pat Reina on the head gently, which only made Reina smile brighter.
"Mhm.. it was part of her father's charm too. Still, to think this child ended up as the Matriarch. What has the world come to..." Rea said, giving her child a concerned look.
-"Wouldn't you be more suited?" Lyra asked, hoping the question was not offensive.
"No, I am afraid I lack the strength these days to push my weight around. Believe it or not, but now Reina is the strongest of our kin. All the others who were stronger were felled by you, after all." Rea said, taking another sip of tea. Lyra still could not quite get over the fact these dragons were so casually talking about Lyra having killed their kin, as if it was just another tuesday. Then Rea continued:
"I will however happily accept a leadership role here, amongst our kin who will settle here, as the Mother of the Matriarch. Keep them in line, ensure your will is enforced."
-"I would greatly appreciate that. It would put my mind at ease, to be sure." Lyra said, briefly glancing over at Reina who was trying to eat two steaks at once, to increase the efficiency of her food intake no doubt. It was difficult at times to consider that Reina was actually over 300 years old. Which made Lyra realize she actually did not know all that much still about the Dragons and their culture. What better way to learn than to ask directly?
-"Now that I have you both here at my table, would you perhaps let me ask some rather ignorant questions?" Lyra asked, looking at the pair.
"Of course dear." said Rea with a gentle smile.
"Absolutely master!" said Reina with her mouth full of steak.
-"Please do not take anything I say as rude. But... Reina you were around 300 years old, right? How old are you, Rea, to be considered an Elder?" Lyra asked.
"I am about a thousand years old. Dragons hatch from eggs, and spend the first years as Hatchlings, before they learn how to fly. This is when they are most vulnerable. As soon as they learn to fly, they are considered whelps, and that lasts for about a decade. After that, they become Drakes when they learn how to properly breathe and control the fire inside of them, and they remain drakes for nearly a century. After that, they are considered young dragons, or adolescent dragons, up until they reach 250 years of age. At that point, they are considered mature enough, and grown enough, to be proper adults. You remain an adult until 800 years of age, at which point you could call yourself an elder. Most dragons live to be about 1200 years old, though there are some who have lived close to 1500." Rea explained, being very methodical in her teaching, giving Lyra all the necessary background.
-"Oh, so that means Reina just recently became an adult?" Lyra asked, before adding: "Also, do all your names start with the letter R?"
"Yep!" Reina began, having swallowed her steak, already chewing on the next one as she continued: "And yes. Ra- for all the males, Re- for all the females."
-"And you were both born- I mean hatched, as dragons? You did not evolve from something else?" Lyra asked, looking at Rea, the biggest question already on her mind.
"We both hatched as Red Dragons, yes. Evolution within "Monsters" as you might call us, are quite rare the higher up the evolutionary ladder you go. I for one have never met a dragon who had evolved into a dragon from something else, but it -is- possible, just very rare." Rea answered, taking another sip of tea. Reina jumped in, adding her own insight:
"It is possible, way back in the past, some creatures first evolved into dragons through luck or circumstance that might be very difficult to replicate. They would be our forefathers. Same would be said for the other clans, like the Blacks, Blues or Greens. Not to mention that there are other forms of dragons too, like Earth-Dragons that look more like giant tortoises, or Sea-Dragons, also known as Sea-serpents, who live deep in the oceans."
Lyra nodded, sitting in silence, ingesting this mass of information while she finished her cup of tea. So evolutions within monsters were quite rare, which made a lot of sense. Most lower-tier monsters possessed very limited intelligence, to the point they might not even realize they can evolve and grow if they meet certain conditions. Which means, when an evolution do occur, it is most likely because the environment the monster has found itself in, by circumstance, is one which would naturally foster that evolution. If a monster is not in such an environment, they just won't evolve.
-"Thank you both, for teaching me. Now, Reina, we should get ready to head off." Lyra said, rising from her seat.
"Oh, we leaving right away?" Reina asked, not questioning the decision, rather just sounding excited to go on a journey with Lyra.
-"Yes. Figured we'd get some good distance in while it is still day. We are heading to the Capital City of the Revean Empire, where I need to handle a little bit of business, then we also ought to register you as an Adventurer Reina, I reckon." Lyra said.
"Oh, because we are going on an adventure together!?" Reina said excitedly, mimicking Lyra and also standing up.
-"Yes. I figured we could both find a nice little quest at the Adventurer's guild, that will let us travel for a bit." Lyra said, and she too was actually looking forward to it.
She and Reina then bid farewell to Rea, got dressed properly (Reina got to borrow short skirt and shoes from Lyra too) and then they took off. Lyra opted to skip traveling through the forest and instead rode on Reina, who had returned to her dragon form and could just fly Lyra all the way over the forest. Even so, it took the rest of the entire day to fly over Lunarsong Forest, previously The Oberon Wilds. When night fell, the trees began to clear out, and Lyra could spot the familiar lights of Brightfield Village of in a distance...