#yanro

Whispers of those that recognized him. He'd been gone twenty years, and had grown quite a bit. Yet they still knew him. They had no idea where he'd been, what he'd done.

He ignored them, his eyes stinging with held back tears of shame as he walked slowly up the road.

Upper city, and more whispers, yet no one dared even approach him.

The palace.

He stood at the gate of the palace. Two guards, one a plain grey and another a dull aqua, gasped when they saw him approaching. They immediately bowed and opened the gate, letting him in.

He still wasn't ready.

The whispers must have made it there before him, because a red dragon with black stripes and a smaller dull white dragon were there waiting for him.

They looked startled, angry, upset.

The red one marched right up, and Nayro winced. "H-"

"Where have you been?" The furious woman asked. "You just went up and vanished on us all! Do you have any idea-" She paused, seeming to compose herself. "Do you have any idea what you've put us through. Any idea what you've put me through? I was worried sick, Nayro!"

"Sorry, mother." Was all Nayro could say. He could feel his scales burning. This had been a mistake. He shouldn't have come. He felt sick. He wanted to disappear into the floor.

"Is that all you can say?" She asked him. "Sorry? You disappear only a month before your coronation, for twenty years, and leave us in a panic, and all you can say is sorry?" Her golden eyes shone with clear betrayal. "Nayro, come inside. We can talk about it later. Let's get you out of that raggedy soaked hood and into some proper clean clothes."

She turned and marched into the palace, the small white dragon following her. Nayro sighed and followed.

-

Nayro sat with his tail curled up, still feeling like throwing up. His mother was sitting across from him, and they were drinking tea.

So far, all that had happened was awkward silence.

"So." She stated briskly, putting down her cup. "Where have you been?"

"Mainland. Place called Aidorin."

"The mainland!? You do know that's a very dangerous place to go, right? Why do you think we've not left this island for generations?"

"Because we're cowards." Nayro stated bluntly.

His mother furrowed her brow, clearly taken aback by his tone. "Pardon?"

"Because our people, this proud people of dragon bloods and half bloods, has been content to sit here for thousands of years under an invisible bubble, too afraid of anything to explore. Do you have any idea what I saw out there?"

His mother blinked, still shocked. "It seems that wild barbarian land out there gave you quite a tounge, dear."

"I saw things you could never imagine. Things you'll never see. Lands full of demons. Ruins of long ago fought battles. Dragons not native to our island and almost as big as it. People of all shapes and sizes and who have stories so different and music and culture so unique that I couldn't get enough of it." Nayro ranted, having put down his cup and started pacing.

Yanro stood herself, clearly upset. "Nayro, you will stop this immediately."

"Hey, you were the one who asked where I'd been." Nayro snapped, teeth bared. "I answered your question."

There was a long silence.

"Alright." His mother said stiffly, gently folding her hands together. "Now that you're here, it's time you took your rightful place as King. No more of these other things. Aestreovar is all you should be worrie-"

Nayro shook his head. "No. I didn't come back to be King. I came back to see how things were going, ask you a question and get an answer, and leave."

Yanro's jaw dropped with horror. "What? Nayro you can't just abandon your home again! You have a responsibility!"

Nayro didn't budge, staring her down. His own mother. "I have one question."

Yanro sighed, clearly upset. "You are needed here. You cannot just leave."

"I did once, and I will again." Nayro told her. "Now. I keep having these visions of things I've never seen, accompanied by silver magic that isn't mine. Can you explain this?"

Silence.

"...Is that all... you came back for? You don't care about this home, your people? What your father left you to protect?" Nayro winced at the heartbreak in her voice. "You don't care about me?" She whispered, starting to cry.

Nayro felt a lump in his throat, but refused to show it.

He didn't have to stay. He shouldn't be forced to.

"Can you explain the visions?" He asked curtly, trying desperately not to show anything else.

Yanro shook her head sadly, turning to walk away. "Your father would have known. But I do not. Perhaps... you should ask Vari."

"Where is Vari?" Nayro asked without missing a beat. "And... also, I've never actually seen her."

"Go to the throne room. Your father talked to her often there. I'm sure she will talk to you." Yanro told him without turning back or stopping.

Nayro nodded to himself and turned to the staircase.