While Dalirina 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 utterly 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 a single drop.
The maids exchanged worried whispers, and even the king himself noticed her prolonged 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 heavy door.
The head maid opened it, allowing the prince inside.
Fairo was holding a small wooden box in his arms, from which came a soft, faint sound.
He approached her quietly, then sat on the chair beside her bed, offering a warm smile: "I brought you Elinor…"
Dalirina jolted up instantly, 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 once did.
He smiled softly, his voice gentle: "I knew this was the reason for your deep sadness… so I decided to bring her closer to you, even if just a little."
She looked at him, then at the tiny dragon, and returned slowly to her bed. She tried to hide a slight disappointment… but she could not stop a faint smile from slipping onto her face.
She said quietly, as if speaking to herself: "It's not her… but she is very beautiful."
Dalirina sat beside the small dragon, slowly extending her hand to touch its soft white scales.
It was warm, breathing faintly, then tilted its head directly toward her palm as if recognizing her touch.
Fairo smiled, keeping his tone light: "It seems she has known you for a long time."
Dalirina replied, her gaze still completely fixed on the creature: "She looks like her… but she doesn't fill the void. Elinor… was far more than just a dragon."
Then she turned toward Fairo, her eyes shimmering with a silent, heavy doubt, and whispered softly: "Do you think… she will 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 he moved closer, kneeling on one knee right before her: "Elinor was never like any ordinary dragon; she chose you herself. Her heart knows you. And I'm certain… she is waiting for you."
Dalirina kept staring into his eyes, as if searching in them for absolute 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 genuine joy, feeling her inner light finally begin to return.
He told her that in two days, the dragon guards' carriage would—as usual—head out to inspect the dragons and change shifts. He would find a way to sneak her along.
She agreed, and two days later, the dangerous plan was carried out flawlessly.
Dalirina slipped into the carriage until it reached Mount Flear—the forbidden mountain where the kingdoms hid the Big Dragons using ancient magic cast by the greatest sorcerers centuries ago.
The moment she entered between the massive iron 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 their heavy heads.
She froze for a moment in pure astonishment, but quickly brushed it aside, whispering 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 colossal white dragon rise swiftly even before seeing her, as if a spiritual bond had tied them together.
Dalirina ran toward her, tears streaming down her face, while Elinor leapt with absolute joy.
When she reached her cell, she found the iron opening narrow, but her slender frame was enough to slip through.
She embraced her immediately, crying heavily, while Elinor licked her face with pure delight—like a lost child who had finally found its mother.
She sat beside her, lying against her massive, 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, and touching her soft scales, as if the outside world had completely vanished.
At the exact same time, Nazar had decided to go to Dalirina to apologize, after feeling a crushing weight of guilt—especially after hearing that she hadn't left her room since that fateful day.
But when she arrived at her chambers, Fairo stopped her dead at the door, flatly refusing to let her in.
She asked in surprise: "Why?"
He answered calmly, his face expressionless: "She's sleeping."
Nazar walked away with quiet, hesitant steps.
But her last, lingering glance toward Dalirina's chambers was enough to reveal what was stirring in her heart.
Something dark… was taking shape in the shadows.