Valeris leaned back slightly, eyes drifting toward the inn's flickering lantern light. The warmth made her golden hair glow faintly, and for a long moment, she said nothing—just gathering her thoughts.
"It started… with an egg."
Veyra blinked, surprised. Asher simply watched quietly, respectfully.
"I was already the Dragon Queen by then," Valeris continued, her voice calm but distant. "There was no rival strong enough to defeat me. No mate worthy of my bloodline. So, I did something that hadn't been done in centuries. I created life through will alone. I laid a single egg—pure, untouched by any other's lineage. My child."
She paused, her tone darkening.
"But not long after, it was stolen."
Veyra straightened. "Stolen?"
Valeris nodded grimly. "By a sect known as the Dragon-Binders. They had long sought the blood of royal dragons to create artificial vessels for their dark rites. My child—unhatched, defenseless—was their perfect target."
She exhaled slowly. "I tore through lands to find them. Burned mountains, leveled strongholds, but they were always a step ahead. Until… someone else found them first."
Her eyes flicked toward Asher.
"Of course after knowing my threat none of them dare to sacrifice my child but they did try to auction him and Asher found the egg and rescued him"
Veyra's eyes widened. "He fought them?"
"He crushed them," Valeris said simply. "Though a powerful person came so he just ran away"
She smiled faintly. "He shielded it. Held it close. And then—right there in the middle of a collapsing sanctum—it hatched."
Veyra was speechless.
Valeris's eyes softened. "The hatchling didn't see me. It didn't know my voice. It only knew the one who had bled for it. When I arrived, it was curled against his chest, asleep. And when I approached, it growled at me."
Veyra let out a short breath of disbelief.
"I could've taken the child. I had every right. But then I watched him. Asher wasn't just protective—he was patient. He held the hatchling like it was fragile, precious. He didn't want a weapon or a symbol. He just… cared."
She looked at Asher for a moment. "So I made a choice. I took them both with me."
"You raised your child together," Veyra said softly.
Valeris nodded. "At first, it was practical. He stayed because the child needed him. But I began to see more. In the way he trained. The way he spoke. The way he never once asked for anything in return."
Her gaze grew distant. "I challenged him, of course. I am the Dragon Queen. If he was to remain in my domain, he had to prove he was worthy."
Veyra arched a brow. "He passed?"
Valeris smiled. "He passed more than I expected. I told him—if you can defeat me, I will be your queen."
Veyra's eyes widened.
"He didn't hesitate. We fought for hours—skyborne, flames against shadow, fang against will. And at the end, when I was grounded, wings scorched… he didn't gloat. He didn't demand anything."
Her voice softened. "He just offered me his hand."
"And you took it," Veyra said.
"I did," Valeris whispered. "And from that moment on, we were husband and wife—not by conquest, but by choice."
Silence followed. A warm, respectful silence.
Veyra smiled after a moment. "That… is a story worthy of a queen."
Valeris smirked. "I know."
"What about you, Asher?" Veyra turned to him now, curious. "What were you doing before you met her? And I heard the two of you talking about going back to your world—so what's your story?"
Asher leaned back with a small smile. "Not as grand as hers, honestly. I was born a noble. Our world was at war with two others, and after I came of age, we were all expected to join the army and serve."
"Did you?" Veyra asked, intrigued.
"I did," Asher nodded. "Even though I was hiding my powers as my talent was really great, I still thought I could win. I was… well, overconfident."
He laughed faintly. "Eventually, I was seriously injured during a mission. I lost consciousness, and when I woke up… I was no longer in my world."
Veyra blinked. "You jumped dimensions?"
"More like I was tossed out of one," Asher said dryly. "I ended up in Valeris's realm. Half-dead in the snow… until a gentle voice and a pair of warm hands saved me. She wasn't Valeris, but a good friend I made there."
Valeris didn't say anything—her expression unreadable, though she clearly knew whom he was talking about.
"We traveled together," Asher continued. "Had many adventures. And during one of those, I was given a mission by the local guild—to recover an egg that, according to them, might cause the destruction of several empires if left unchecked."
He chuckled, glancing at Valeris.
"I assume they didn't know it belonged to her."
Valeris snorted at his side. "If anything had happened to my child… I would've wiped out every last human. No question."
Asher smiled. "So yeah, no pressure. I saved the egg… and somehow ended up becoming a father. Even though I was still a virgin at the time."
He laughed to himself, the memory still fresh and bizarre.
Veyra blinked. "Wait, what?"
Valeris just smirked. "Dragon inheritance doesn't care about mortal customs. My child chose him. That was enough."
He smiled fondly. "And when I proved myself, I told her how I felt—and she accepted me. Then came the wedding and a month long wedding night."
Valeris, now clearly flustered, turned away slightly.
Veyra raised an eyebrow. "You mentioned… a month-long wedding night?"
Asher coughed, looking away, while Valeris answered proudly, "We dragons are powerful in all aspects."
Veyra nearly choked on her drink, her cheeks flushed. "I… I see. Now, I wonder how much I'd be able to handle you, Asher."
Asher smirked. "You'll be fine."
Valeris just sipped her tea with elegance, though her ears were still pink.
"Well, after that," Asher continued, "we eventually left that world too. We traveled to another cultivation realm—our goal was to ascend, to reach perfection. We trained, we fought… and we conquered."
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"And then?" Veyra asked.
"And then we left that one too," Asher said with a shrug. "And now, we're here."
Veyra nodded slowly. "So… once everything's done here, you two will leave again?"
"Of course," Asher said without hesitation. "And you'll be coming with us. Don't forget—you belong to me now."
Veyra's eyes widened a little, but then she smiled softly and whispered, "Yes. I'm yours."