Mark of the Eternal Bracelet - FULL | Reelshort
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Short filmTranscript
00:03The day we were supposed to complete our blood bonding ceremony, my mate Rylan had the clan
00:07sentinels drag me out of the sacred hall. Lyra's baby needs a father on paper. Once we divorce,
00:14I'll marry you. He walked in with his childhood sweetheart instead. Everyone thought I'd swallow
00:19my pride and wait another month. After all, I'd already waited seven years, but that night I
00:24accepted my family's arranged alliance and left the abyssal reach entirely. I disappeared from
00:30Rylan's world completely. Three years later, I returned to abyss reach with my mate for a clan
00:36ancestral rite. My mate had a work emergency, though he had his people to collect me. At the border
00:43crossing, I walked out and froze. That person was Rylan, my ex. The arrival clearing. I spotted a
00:51scout holding a marker carved with my name, my formal alliance name, Heela, and walked over.
00:57Rylan was holding it. He had Lyra with him, plus a few of his clansmen, all craning their necks
01:02toward the treeline. Rylan looked surprised to see me. He covered it fast. Hey, isn't that Rylan's
01:10obsessed ex? Isn't that Evara? I told you. She'd come crawling back. His men laughed. Evara vanished
01:17without a trass. Now she sees Rylan is in a higher rank. She probably cries herself to sleep every
01:22night. Evara, if you're gonna fake a random run-in, why show up like this? Couldn't you at least put
01:30on
01:30some makeup? Without Rylan, you can't even buy a nice outfit. Look pathetic. It was true. I used to
01:36make myself perfect every time I knew I'd be near Rylan. Sharpest claws. Finest scales on display.
01:42Best version of me. Not anymore. No point. Because I'm carrying, and my mate refused to let me be
01:48uncomfortable. He had this soft traveling wrap custom-tailored for me. Listening to them mock
01:53me, it suddenly clicked. They only knew my alliance name. They had no idea the one they were here to
01:59collect was me. Evara, hey, it's good you're back. Rylan's been asking after you for years.
02:05Yeah, our son is entering the young training cohort soon. From now on, you're in charge of the drop-off.
02:10He was still so incredibly arrogant, but I wasn't that naive girl anymore. I didn't want to waste
02:16another second on them. I was just about to tell them exactly who I was.
02:22I am- Please don't blame Rylan. He's just trying to take care of you.
02:25You disappeared for three years. Who knows what kind of shady stuff you had to do to survive.
02:29Rylan caught my expression and thought I was jealous. Something flickered in his eyes.
02:34Satisfaction.
02:35All right, Evara. Drop the attitude. You clearly can't survive out there,
02:39so stop throwing tantrums. Take care of the kid and learn your place.
02:42Damn, Evara. Look how good Rayon is to you. He's giving you free room and board.
02:46Isn't babysitting better than whatever trashy life you're living now?
02:49Hurry up and say thank you!
02:51Lyra touched the scales at her throat and spoke with false sweetness. Rylan smirked and glanced at me.
02:57Don't worry, dear. If my son acts up, I'll handle him myself. You won't be mistreated.
03:02Why would she be mistreated? She ran away over a tiny little misunderstanding.
03:05If she hit rock bottom out in the wilds, a little humility is good for her.
03:09My heart actually skipped a beat. Three years had passed,
03:12and he still thought it was a small matter to dump me and married Lyra?
03:15The Rylan who used to love me was truly gone. He wasn't the young warrior who'd carried me,
03:20wounded, across three territory borders in the dead of a moonless night. But whatever.
03:25It was all in the past. None of it mattered anymore. Besides,
03:29I was about to carry my second hatchling anyway.
03:33Aren't you here to pick me up? Let's go.
03:36I looked at Rylan calmly and said,
03:39Silence fell over the clearing.
03:40Pick you up, please.
03:42Lyra held up the carved marker. Read it carefully. We are here for Hela. Do you even know who that
03:47is?
03:48Kale is a living legend. Coldest dragon alive in the field, but completely devoted to his wife.
03:53Rumor has it he refused all alliances for years, just waiting for Hela.
03:57Everyone knows the rule. If you want Kale's favor, go through Hela. She is his entire world.
04:03Listening to them gossip about my marriage, I couldn't help it. A genuine happy smile spread
04:08across my face. We had been married for three years. Kale's reputation as a fiercely devoted
04:13husband had spread everywhere. To claim Hela as his, Kale went to the ancient exchange and paid
04:19down a legendary artifact, the Eternal Fang Bracelet, just to give to Hela. She's the most
04:25enviled female in every territory. Lyra stopped. Then she pointed at my wrist and shrieked.
04:31That bracelet! That's it!
04:34The clearing went quiet. Everyone looked.
04:38It's a pretty good fake. Which a lowborn Klansman bought you that? Buying you a cheap imitation.
04:44Absolute trash.
04:45Rylan grabbed my arm, studied the bracelet, then laughed.
04:47Wow, it really is high quality for a fake. Way better than the replica I had made.
04:52But I'd never actually wear mine in public. These outer territory imutations, though, the
04:56craftsmanship is something else. The weight actually feels real.
05:09The whole group fell apart laughing. Of course they did. It was absurd to them. Kale was a living
05:15legend across all territories. Cold. Absolute. Untouchable. And three years ago, I was just the
05:21girl Rylan had left standing outside the Sacred Hall. There was no version of reality where those
05:26two things connected. Lyra swung the bracelet around her claw. Just give it to me, Evara. I'll
05:32pay double whatever you traded for. Give it back? Kale gave me that. Rylan struck me across the face
05:38before I could finish. Shut your mouth! My head snapped sideways. I tasted copper.
05:45Evara, do you have any idea what you're saying? Rylan looked furious. You think you can just casually
05:53invoke Lord Kale's name? Are you trying to get me killed? His clansmen piled on immediately.
05:58Do you know how hard we fought for this pickup assignment? Kale absorbed Rylan's clan faction
06:04last season. Our entire livelihood depends on him now. The only way Rylan keeps his post is if
06:11Hela accepts us. And you're out here spreading wild rumors that you're connected to Lord Kale.
06:16Are you trying to ruin Rylan entirely?
06:22I wiped the blood from my lip. Slowly turned back to Rylan. Whatever he saw in my eyes made
06:28him flinch. Lyra caught it. She stepped forward and pointed a claw at my face.
06:33You ungrateful snake. Rylan offered you a place and you throw it back at him? I know you're still
06:38bitter about the past. Trying to sabotage his standing out of petty spite. That's sick.
06:44Hearing her say that, it felt exactly like three years ago. No matter what I did, Lyra would twist
06:50it, feed her poisonous version of the story to Rylan. In the early days, he used to defend
06:56me. By the end, he always took her side. Just like now.
07:05Jealous shrew.
07:14For old times sake, I'll let this go. Take these, get yourself proper clothes. If you
07:19really don't want to tend Lyra's hatchling, I'll find you something tolerable next season.
07:22Don't worry, ever since Kale absorbed us, this kind of thing cost me nothing.
07:26No, thank you. I don't take things from strangers.
07:36You won't take what I'm offering? What does that mean? I'm a stranger to you?
07:40Rylan grabbed my arm. He dissolved our bond. Better not to stay tangled in each other's lives.
07:45Others might get the wrong impression. I was thinking of Kale, who had a very particular
07:49dislike of misunderstandings. Rylan glanced at Lyra. He had a knowing look.
07:54My faction is hosting a tribute piece for Kale in three days. I was going to bring you.
07:59Show you something real. But you need to present yourself properly. Can't embarrass me.
08:03I'm fine. But thank you.
08:07Fine. I'll take Lyra.
08:10I won't let you down.
08:16Hope you're still this confident in three days, I said, and walked into the tree line.
08:21Fresh air. The nausea faded. I stood there for a moment, breathing it in. My mind flashed back to
08:29three years ago. My family had arranged an alliance overseas. I'd gone to Rylan for the first. Seven
08:35years together, I wanted to seal our bond before the journey. Forced the decision. He agreed. But at
08:42the sacred hall, it wasn't just Rylan waiting. Lyra was there too.
08:46Lyra's baby needs a father on paper. Once we divorce, I'll marry you.
08:51This is just about Hatchling. I watched him take her inside. That was the last thing I needed to see.
08:57I crossed the border that night. Met Kale. Bonded with him a month later. Had our son the year after.
09:04Now I was carrying it again. And the only reason I was even back in the reach was to attend
09:09a clan
09:09ancestral rite with Kale. Honestly, if it wasn't for the rite, I never would have set foot back here.
09:15And I definitely wouldn't have run into Rylan. Three days later, I painted on a light adornment,
09:21threw on comfortable traveling leathers, and made my way to the feast grounds alone.
09:25The second Rylan saw me enter the clearing, his eyes lit up. A smug smirk spread across his face.
09:33You said you weren't coming, but here you are. Listen. If you want me back, you need to at least
09:40present yourself properly to match my standing. I walked past him without a word. He grabbed my arm.
09:47Evara, I'm talking to you. Our circle is here. Where do you think you're going?
09:52I pulled free and said simply, That's your circle. Mine is up there.
10:00He followed my gaze to the head circle. The raised dais reserved for lords and their bonded mates.
10:06His face went pale. Lyra spotted my bracelet from across the ground, and her voice cut through the
10:12clearing. Evara, how did she get in here? She's here to cause chaos. How dare she wear that bracelet
10:18tonight? Of all knights. Tonight is the first time Kale is bringing his bonded maid out publicly.
10:24Is she trying to humiliate Hela? She slipped past the sentinels.
10:29She's trying to make us look disloyal in front of Lord Kale.
10:34Is this female with you? No.
10:40Take that bracelet off and get out. I looked at her with a faint smile.
10:49You sure you want me to leave? Lyra realized others were watching. Her eyes went vicious.
10:55Stop acting like you're something. Take it off now.
10:59She lunged forward to rip it from my wrist. I swatted her claw away and stepped back.
11:04Someone behind me tripped me. I hit the ground hard.
11:09Lyra stepped on my arm and ripped the bracelet off my wrist. My arm screamed. My wrist was bleeding.
11:17Treating this like it's something sacred. Trash.
11:22But I just sat there. Staring at the bracelet lying broken on the ground. Shards scattered across the stone.
11:29Pick her up and throw her out.
11:32A few sentinels moved toward me. They reached for my arms. I struggled.
11:38I am Kale's.
11:39Lyra struck me across the face before I could finish.
11:42Are you going to start spreading rumors that your Lord Kale's kept female?
11:46You wish.
11:48She struck me again. When I came back to the Reach, I hadn't planned to make a scene.
11:53It had felt beneath me. But now, she had made it worth it.
11:59Your Lord Kale's kept female? You wish.
12:07Ryland crouched down in front of me. Reached for my wrist. I pulled back instinctively.
12:12Are you done throwing your fit? You show up wearing the bracelet, dressed down on purpose.
12:17You wanted me jealous. Just say it, and I'll give you what you want.
12:19I laughed. Short. Sharp.
12:24Ryland. You're finished.
12:26He frowned, opened his mouth, and then the clearing went dead silent.
12:31Guests began to straighten themselves, drifting toward the entrance path.
12:34Kale is here. Behave yourself. Lyra and I have dissolved our bond, by the way.
12:40I stared at him. I was cradling my nearly broken wrist.
12:43I'm just stating word for again.
12:45Looking at the mail in front of me, thinking, how did I spend seven years on this person?
12:49What did his dissolution have to do with me?
12:52At that exact moment, Kale walked in with our son in his arms. Once they reached the feast grounds,
12:58our son squirmed and climbed down. He hit the stone path, all soft cheeks and small clawed boots.
13:04And every eye in the clearing went straight to him. His guardian scrambled after him.
13:10Ivara, if you stop being jealous of Lyra, I'll forgive you for disappearing three years.
13:16I'll give you another chance. Carry my hatchling, a real one, ours. Just come back and tend to my son.
13:24I'll get rid of Lyra.
13:25Ryland hadn't noticed who the cub was yet. I didn't say a single word to him.
13:30I just looked past him into the crowd, trying to catch Kale's and our son's eyes.
13:35Then it happened. Kale followed the cub's small, clumsy steps, straight to where I was.
13:42The second my son saw me, something broke open in his face.
13:46He threw himself into my arms. He looked at my wrist.
13:50Why is there so much blood?
13:52Mom!
13:53Every dragon in that clearing turned from the cub to me.
13:55The ones who have watched me get knocked around without doing a thing, all of them staring.
14:00My son's warmth in my arms washed away everything that had been pressing down on me.
14:05I crouched down to his level, cupped his cheek.
14:08He took my hand, bent his small head, and breathed very carefully on the wound.
14:13A dragon child's instinct, the faint warmth of an ember breath that couldn't yet burn but still tried to heal.
14:19I missed you.
14:20His eyes were wet, cubs. They see something hurting someone they love and they just fall apart.
14:25Protecting you is mom's job too.
14:28Before I could say anything more, the air in the clearing changed.
14:31A heavy, suffocating stillness washed over the crowd.
14:34Kyle was walking toward us. That quiet, controlled walk that made the air around him feel different.
14:39Dragons moved aside without knowing why. I felt him before I saw him.
14:43I picked up our son and turned around. The blood on my wrist looked stark against his white wrap.
14:48Our son looked up at Kyle immediately.
14:51Father, someone hurt mother. We have to make them pay.
14:55Kyle stepped forward and very carefully lifted my arm.
14:58What happened?
14:59His face was unreadable.
15:01Ivara, I'm right here and you're already hurt. I can't take my eyes off you.
15:05But his voice was quiet. He didn't finish the sentence.
15:08Whoever did this?
15:10He didn't need to.
15:12Looking at this cold, absolute lord turn into a fiercely protective mate made my heart ache.
15:17He was always like this. A mosquito bite. A bruise from sleep.
15:21Even just eating half a portion. He'd be beside himself with worry.
15:24But I loved how intensely he cared about me.
15:27The feast hall's ambient light was low and dim, but our son felt something hard beneath his boot.
15:32He bent down and picked it up from the stone. It was the central gem from my broken bracelet.
15:37Father, isn't this the bracelet you gave mother?
15:39Kale's inscription visible on its face. Kale took it from him, turned it over, saw the engraving.
15:44Then I looked at the shard scattered across the ground and at my wrist. The nearest stone pillar cracked in
15:49his grip.
15:50Bring every torch to the ground over here. Now!
15:53He drew me gently into the light. When our eyes met, his pupils narrowed slightly. I softened my voice.
15:59What happened to your face? They actually dared to do this to you?
16:04I'm fine, Kale.
16:06Evora, I am your mate. You never have to swallow this kind of treatment alone.
16:12No one gets to hurt mother!
16:15Our son pressed close. Honestly, I could have handled Rylan and Lyra myself.
16:19But perhaps it was pregnancy, or perhaps it was just finally feeling safe. My voice cracked.
16:26And they all came at me.
16:28All the weight I'd been holding for three days broke open. The feast grounds had gone dead silent.
16:33Rylan's scouts from the border crossing were somewhere in that clearing, shaking hard enough that they
16:38needed the standing stones to hold themselves up. They didn't expect it either. The female they'd spent
16:44three days calling Rylan's lovesick cast off was Lord Kale's bonded mate. They'd seen the bracelet,
16:50she'd told them, multiple times. Every single one of them was now looking for a way to disappear
16:55into the tree line. But then Lyra's companion, a female named Vesa who had arrived late, strutted out from
17:01the crowd. Evara, where did you find these two? Their performance is impressive.
17:08Vesa had arrived late. Do you want Lyra to get them placed with a traveling troop?
17:15Not that you could afford the placement fee. She hadn't seen Lyra fawning over our son.
17:20She had no idea who Kale was or what his cub looked like. She was just Lyra's tail, dressed up
17:26to find a
17:26high-ranked mate tonight, and she knew the easiest way to earn Lyra's favor was to make me miserable.
17:33Vesa threw her head back and laughed at her own words. Usually half the clearing would laugh with her,
17:39but this time the entire grounds just stared at her like she had lost her mind. Vesa noticed the dead
17:45silence.
17:48You're actually quite striking. She doubled down. She turned to Kale and smirked. If you ever want to
17:55leave her, I wouldn't mind taking care of you. My mouth twitched. She was propositioning my mate
18:02in front of me. I didn't know whether to call it brave or catastrophically stupid. Over the years,
18:09anyone who'd tried to get close to him had either vanished from the territories entirely,
18:13or ended up reassigned somewhere they had no desire to be. Vesa finally registered the clearing's
18:19energy. She drifted toward Lyra for backup. Lyra wanted nothing to do with her. Before Vesa could
18:25even speak, Lyra spun around and struck her viciously across the face. Vesa dropped hard.
18:31Vesa, are you insane? You just insulted Lord Kale and his bonded mate, eh? Do you want to be banished?
18:41Replaying the last few minutes. Evara is Hela. I just told her mate I'd take care of him. Oh no.
18:49Kale's reputation as the most protective bonded lord in any territory was not a rumor. Vesa started
18:54shaking, then someone near the back of the clearing made a sound. Heads turned. Vesa had lost control of
19:00herself entirely. Her shift reflex had misfired in the most primal, humiliating way a dragon can in public.
19:08Scales broke out down one side of her neck and arm in a panicked, involuntary half-shift,
19:13the kind that happened to hatchlings who couldn't control their fear responses. On a grown female in a
19:19formal gathering, in front of a lord, it was devastating. Kyle's jaw tightened slightly. A
19:25sentinel materialized and quietly escorted her from the grounds. Lyra and Rylan went scarlet. The guests
19:33looked at them the way you look at those who have shamed themselves past the point of recovery.
19:39Meanwhile, a healer Kale had summoned was tending to my wrist, nearby. I hissed.
19:45Kale and our son both turned with the same expression.
19:47Can you perhaps be a little more careful? The healer's hands started trembling. I shot them both a look.
19:59He's helping me. Stop. They immediately turned identical wounded expressions on me.
20:05Father and son, same face, same pout. I know. I'm sorry. Keep going.
20:11He visibly relaxed. When he finished, he turned to Kale.
20:15My lord, your mate is perfectly fine. The unborn is safe. The wrist is the worst of it. I will
20:23source
20:23the best remedies available and do everything possible to ensure no scarring. Kale said nothing.
20:29I knew exactly what that silence meant. It was the one that came before something irreversible.
20:35Standing in the crowd, Rylan looked terrified. But underneath the panic, he burned with something
20:41else. Jealousy. Watching how close Kale stayed beside me. His old possessiveness was peaking. But
20:50the survival of his faction was on the line, so he had to bite it down. Kale stood beside me
20:56and
20:56surveyed the clearing with the kind of stillness that made everyone in it feel like they'd already been
21:01found guilty of something. He looked almost cold. Almost lethal. I actually found it a little endearing.
21:09Especially with our son standing right beside him like a tiny furious mirror image.
21:13I want to know exactly what happened. Everything. If you speak now, perhaps you survive this.
21:22If I have to find it out myself, every single one of you goes down with it.
21:28It was a naked threat. These dragons had clawed for the chance to attend this feast.
21:33None of them wanted to burn for Rylan's sake. Rylan panicked. He stepped forward.
21:39Lord Kale, there's been a misunderstanding. As Evara's as her former bonded partner,
21:45I was simply reconnecting with her. Things got out of hand. He unexpectedly said
21:49former bonded partner with a particular emphasis. God blessed him. Such an idiot. The worst possible
21:56moment for it. He actually thought I had spent three years keeping myself for him,
22:01waiting for him to snap his fingers so I could come running back.
22:04He completely missed the murderous stillness crossing Kale's face. I heard the stone goblet
22:11in Kale's hand crack. Rylan kept going, oblivious. You likely know she was quite devoted to me before
22:17the dissimulation. Reconnecting after years apart, it's natural that emotions would-
22:24The goblet shattered in Kale's grip. Stone fragments fell. Blood ran down his fingers.
22:30I pushed Rylan out of my focus and reached for Kale's hand.
22:34Stop! Stop trying trying to put yourself between us. You had your chance and you threw it away.
22:39Don't flatter yourself. This is between us. And it has nothing to do with you.
22:43I pressed carefully around Kale's cut, looked up at him. I have loved exactly one person my entire life.
22:55I grabbed a clean wrap and frantically began binding Kale's bleeding hand. Rylan looked genuinely hurt.
23:06Evara, I know you're bitter, but Lyra and I have dissolved our bond. Her hatchling is ready to
23:13call you mother. You only bonded with Kale to wound me. I understand. I'm not angry. Just come back.
23:19Whatever he can give you, I'll work twice as hard to match it. Just return and tend to my son.
23:24If you
23:24don't want Lyra, I'll make her disappear. I honestly could not believe what I was hearing. His arrogance had
23:30no floor. Kale's blood was smearing onto my wraps, but as I urgently pressed the binding to his palm,
23:36he suddenly let out a low, genuine laugh. Why are you laughing? Evara. Kale reached over with his
23:43uninjured hand and quietly rested it on top of my head. You just said I'm the one you love most.
23:47Our son made a face and looked away. His cold, fearsome father was currently acting like a lovesick
23:53hatchling, all because I'd defended him. The entire feast grounds went still. Half the guests were in shock.
24:00The other half were dying of quiet envy. The whispers spread through the crowd like fire
24:04through dry grass. The rumors are real. He is completely devoted to his mate. Rylan stood there,
24:11his knuckles white with humiliation. But our son wasn't finished. He looked Rylan up and down with
24:16open disdain. Cub tender? My mother is the most protected one in our den. You think you deserve her?
24:27Mother? Mother only carries two cubs. Me and my sister. You really think your hatchling gets to call her
24:34mother? I know all about you. You're the one who broke my mother's heart. You're not as impressive as
24:43my father. Not as strong. Not as handsome. He tilted his head, studying Rylan with the kind of cold
24:55disdain that was entirely too familiar on that small face. And you smell like someone who peaked
25:02too early and never recovered. It's making my eyes water. Is your hatchling going to grow up leeching
25:13off others too? The guests surrounding us erupted. They couldn't help it. Rylan bit his lip hard
25:20enough to draw blood, shaking with shame. Everyone in that clearing knew the truth. He had coasted for
25:26years on Lyra's family resources. It was not a secret. Hearing all of this, Lyra had completely
25:32lost her grip on rational thought. Her hatchling was the most important thing in the world to her.
25:38The most exceptional cub alive. And this female was going to replace her. Rylan had essentially said so
25:44himself. Lyra grabbed a bone-handled knife from the nearest table and lunged straight at our son.
25:51You little wretch! I'll kill you! I didn't think. I let go of Kale's hand and threw myself entirely
25:59over our son. A blinding, searing pain ripped through my back. The color drained from my face.
26:04I didn't finish the sentence. Everything went black. I collapsed to the stone. The last thing I saw
26:12before I lost consciousness was our son's face. White with panic. I wanted to tell him not to cry.
26:18I didn't get the chance. I woke to the sharp smell of healer's den. Dried herbs, warm stone walls. I
26:25stared at the ceiling for a moment, disoriented. My best friend Sorin was in the chair beside me.
26:31The second she saw my eyes open, she grabbed my hands.
26:36Oh, thank the ancient fires! You're awake! If you had stayed under any longer,
26:42your mate and your son were going to tear this entire territory apart!
26:46What? She was definitely exaggerating.
26:51I reached for my stomach on instinct. Sorin caught the look immediately.
26:55You're both fine. The healer said it was shock and pain. That's why you went under. The unborn is
26:59completely safe. That Lyra is something else. Going after a cub with a blade. Dre. My chest tightened.
27:10My son! Kale! Are they... Both fine. Physically, completely fine.
27:19Slow down. Drink. Sorin handed me a cup of broth. I drank. The tightness eased a little.
27:26You didn't need to throw yourself in front of him. Evolai. Tunsil. Settolands. There were six
27:35sentinels in that clearing. Dre was never going to get touched. That's Dre. I know, I know. He's your
27:45whole heart. That terrifying little creature. He doesn't need protecting. He's more dangerous than
27:52most full-grown warriors. I smiled despite myself. Where are they? Sorin's eyes lit up. Getting revenge.
28:01I wanted to come along, but your mate and your son are genuinely terrifying when they operate together.
28:08So I volunteered to stay with you instead. She settled in and began.
28:14When I arrived, you were already under. Your son watched you collapse and went completely still for
28:20about two seconds. A cub. I don't know where he gets that kind of strength. Kale found out about the
28:28strike at the border crossing three days ago. And the bracelet. And everything they said to you.
28:34He had his sentinels hold Raylan down. And they dealt with the hand he used to hit you.
28:41I closed my eyes briefly. Then he had a chest of gemstones brought into the clearing.
28:47All the shards from your broken bracelet. And he told Lyra that since she loved taking things that
28:53belonged to you so much, she could have them. All of them. She had to swallow them.
28:58You know what Kale said? Sorin cleared her throat and did her best impression of my mate.
29:05You love taking what is hers. So here, I am giving you everything you wanted. The stones. And the mail.
29:16And the mail. She refused at first. So Kale had her hatchling brought in.
29:25Then she did it. She swallowed a great many shards. They worked her over until she was barely conscious.
29:33Then Kale had her dropped beyond the outer borders. Face first.
29:39Every dragon who stood around watching you get hurt carries a mark now on their wrist now.
29:45Just for doing nothing. Sorin fake-dabbed her eyes.
29:49If you weren't my closest companion, I'd probably have one too.
29:53I gave her a flat look. The clan records were updated, but the only news that spread was about
29:59Raylan's faction being absorbed and dissolved. Every allied group in that clearing with border exposure,
30:05Kale absorbed it. Some were disbanded entirely. Some are still bleeding out. Raylan was supposed to go
30:13the same way as Lyra. It wasn't hard to figure out. The hatchling. I think she made a deal with
30:20him.
30:21When a mother is running out of time, the one thing she'll trade everything for is her child's safety.
30:28Rylan must have promised her something about the boy. Lyra had swallowed shards and stones for the
30:33chance that her son would be alright. Kale was precise and he was cold, but every time I so much
30:39as bruised my arm, he acted like he'd personally failed. He was brutal because he was afraid,
30:44not of losing power, of losing me. And Dray, my sweet, sharp, slightly terrifying cub,
30:51had been shaped by that same love. I'd been trying to counterbalance it, clearly still working on it.
30:57The den door swung open. I thought it was Dray.
31:00Kale, can you grab my- Rylan.
31:04Ivara, it's me.
31:07His face was still swollen. He'd managed to find a decent cloak, the one I'd given him years ago,
31:12the one he'd told me was plain and unworthy of his rank. He had his methods for getting past
31:18sentinels, apparently. I stayed where I was. Last time I'd moved too fast, it had cost me. He seemed to
31:24read that. I'm not going to hurt you, I just needed to- What?
31:31I still love you. Every time I think about you with him, I can't breathe. I know it's too late,
31:39I know. I know what I did. His voice broke on it.
31:43But I can't just- Rylan. He stopped. You were with another female, while we were still bonded.
31:51You let me humiliate myself. You abandoned me. And then tonight,
31:57you stood in front of my mate? And told him I was devoted to you? You've had seven years and
32:04three
32:04more to figure out what you want. What you want keeps shifting based on what you can reach.
32:11It's not love.
32:12Rylan's jaw worked. He wanted to argue. I was always your contingency. And you were never mine.
32:19Not really. He looked at me for a long time. Then he looked at the cloak. You gave me this
32:25for the
32:26winter solstice. I told you it was plain. I know. I kept it. I didn't say anything. He left quietly.
32:35A moment later, Rylan hit the corridor outside. And Kale's sentinels. And Kale's fist. I heard it
32:43from inside the den. One impact. Then nothing. Kale came in with his hand newly wrapped, Dre right
32:50behind him. They both stopped when they saw I was awake. Then they were both in front of me at
32:55the
32:55same time. Dre getting there first, only because he was smaller and could cut the corners.
33:00You're up. Are you... Does anything hurt? Do you need... Father! She was fine two minutes before you
33:05got here. She was talking and everything. Kale ignored him. Are you okay? Tell me you're okay.
33:13I'm okay. Dre tucked himself under my arm. You say that every time. Because it keeps being true.
33:22After a moment, he spoke very quietly. Mom, are you upset that father raised his voice at me?
33:32Did he raise his voice at you? Dre's lower lip came out a fraction. He maintained firmly that he
33:38was fine. Dre... He was the worst liar, Dre said very firmly. He didn't yell. He was just loud.
33:48I pulled him closer and looked over his head at Kale who was suddenly very interested in the damn wall.
33:55Nothing. I kissed the top of his head. Protecting you is also my job. I'm not sorry.
34:03I know. I know, Mom.
34:05Soren eventually took Dre to find food and it was just the two of us. Kale pulled up a chair
34:09and stayed
34:10there, not quite touching, like he was still afraid something would break if he moved too fast.
34:14He wanted to look at my wrist. I let him. He was so careful about it, like the wound was
34:20still
34:21happening. I'll do better. You won't be alone like that again. Kale, this wasn't your fault.
34:28You were alone and you got hurt. I was in a clearing full of dragons and I got hurt. That's
34:33not the same
34:34thing as being alone. I'm not made of glass. He looked up. I'm also not leaving. You understand
34:42that? I'm here. I chose this. You chose it because your family arranged the alliance. He didn't answer.
34:49I chose to stay. Every single day for three years I chose to stay. That's not an arrangement. That's me.
34:59But something in his face shifted. I thought about the hidden chamber behind the clan tapestry.
35:05His quiet, years-long devotion that he'd never once spoken aloud. The young, unblooded dragon eating
35:11alone at the edge of the training grounds every day while I stuffed a pouch of resource tokens into
35:16his pack and told him he was my honorary younger clansman. He'd loved me before he knew what to do
35:21with it. Before I even knew his name. I reached over and took his uninjured hand. You want to know
35:27what I was thinking? Every time things got hard and someone told me I'd bonded with the wrong dragon,
35:34he waited. But they'd never seen you bring me warmth stones when the cold fever took me. Or stay awake
35:40beside me through three full nights because I was homesick and couldn't sleep. Or stay awake beside me
35:46through three full nights. And couldn't sleep. Or look at me the way you look at me when you think
35:53I'm not watching. They were comparing you to whoever they assumed you were. I know who you actually are.
36:02Kyle didn't show weakness easily. He was showing it now. I don't need you to be fearless. I just need
36:09you to stop assuming I'll leave. I told him. I'm not going anywhere. He brought my hand up and held
36:16it
36:16against his face. Didn't speak. Didn't need to. They kept me in the healer's den two extra days.
36:22Kyle and Dre's insistence, not the healer's. The morning they finally let me return to our den,
36:27I walked back through the entrance and stopped in front of the bonding tapestry. We were both so young
36:32in it. Kyle, already composed, already guarded, the barest pull at the corner of his mouth like he'd
36:38practiced not smiling until it became habit. Me, looking sideways, like I hadn't fully believed in
36:44the moment yet. I lifted the tapestry. And I found the wall behind it. Image after image after image,
36:52etched in the old way. Dragon memory stone, the kind that holds a moment in its surface like pressed light.
36:59Me at 19, handing out forage tokens outside the training grounds. Me at 16, laughing at something
37:05off-frame. Me at 14 in a clan corridor, arms full of scrolls, annoyed at whoever had pressed the stone.
37:11He'd loved me across a decade before I'd ever said his name. I heard the den entrance behind me.
37:18Kyle froze in the corridor, looked at the memory stones, looked at me.
37:22Ivara, I can explain.
37:24You noticed me first. He didn't move. I gave you resource tokens at the training grounds because
37:31I thought you couldn't afford to eat. I told you that you were my honorary younger clansman,
37:37and I never even asked your name. I didn't know it was you until I found these.
37:43Silence. I'm a little upset it took us this long. Think about all the time we wasted.
37:51His voice came out rough. You're not upset about the stones? No, I'm glad. I looked at him. I'm
37:59glad you kept looking. Kyle crossed the den in four strides and pulled me in before I could say
38:03anything else. I never thought you'd say that. I know, that's the problem. You've been waiting
38:09for me to leave since the day I arrived. He didn't speak for a long time. Then, against my hair,
38:15I'm not leaving. I've told you. I'll keep telling you. I felt him exhale. For how long?
38:21I thought about it. As long as it takes for you to actually believe me.
38:27Dre appeared in the den entrance, took one look at us, and silently backed away. Good cub.
38:34Kale held on a little tighter. Outside, the ancient forests of the abyssal reach kept moving.
38:40Wind through the canopy, the distant sound of wings, the slow pulse of a territory that had stood for
38:46ten thousand years. And I stayed exactly where I was.
38:50I was.
38:52All right.
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