Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since Undauntable had officially joined Wren’s gang, and he was getting used to his new lifestyle. Ivy had actually WANTED to comb and wash his knotted hair (which was more than he could say for his former servants, who he’d have to actively bother in order for them to style his hair.) His new friends would tease his pickiness with the fruit he’d eat and Leaf still looked at him with mild disdain, but Undauntable knew Leaf didn’t necessarily HATE him.

It felt nice to belong somewhere. To things he’d only hear other kids doing, like having friends and just… fooling around.

It was experiencing these things that made him angry at his father for depriving him of this bliss.

…

“I’m telling you, Wren! I can totally uhhh, what's the word… STEER Sky!” Undauntable urged to Wren.

The gang of kids plus Sky needed to be on the move. This was in part because Ivy wanted to collect some plants for emergency medicine, and also due to the fact that it was now too dangerous to stay in the same place for too long. 

Wren looked at Undauntable with a mildly annoyed expression. “For the last time, Undauntable, Sky doesn’t need STEERING he knows what he’s doing ALMOST as much as we do–”

“Hey!” Sky cut in.

“Plus, I very much doubt you’re ready to sit in the front, why don’t you just cling on to me like you did before? You seem to be a natural at that,” Wren said, mumbling the last part.

What did she mean by that? Undauntable thought, flustered.

He was so wrapped up in Wren’s comment that he didn’t realize the hurt look Sky was giving him.

…

After five days of traveling, (purposely going the way of the smoothest areas of the mountain range for Ivy and Leaf, who were on horseback) Undauntable, Wren, and Sky made it to an area between the green foothills and the sandy desert. Undauntable slid off Sky and sat down on top of a small hill with his knees up, throwing a stone into a nearby stream, looking dejected. He looked up when a shape obscure the sun and left him in a shadow.

It was Sky.

“Do you mind if I sit with you? You look lonely,” the dragon said.

“Oh no, I don’t mind…” Undauntable mumbled, Sky sat down next to him. “While flying, my mind drifted off, I can’t help but cling to the way my father raised me. I never had any friends, he robbed me of being a kid.”

Sky looked at him sympathetically in that same strange human-like way that Midnight had. “Aww, I’m sorry… The only family I ever knew growing up was Wren, I don’t think she had that good of a family either,” he flicked his tail in the direction of Wren, who was sprawled out on a sleeping bag, snoring loudly.

Undauntable smiled and chuckled quietly, before returning to the angst filled thoughts he had before. “I was always taught that dragons are foul beasts that will stop at nothing to torment people, that they especially like eating naughty children. When I was little my dad would read me stories of children wandering too far from home, the children either died in the end or the dragons were slain RIGHT BEFORE they could devour the kids,” Undauntable expalined, with anger suddenly flaring up in him. “I HATE HIM!” he threw another rock, which startled a small bird upon impact with the ground. This made Undauntable feel even worse, he buried his face in his crossed arms.

Sky flinched away. “Please, calm down…” he turned to look at Undauntable. “I hope you know there is good in the world too, and that now you have us. Our little group has people who GET you, Undauntable. Ivy, Wren… I don’t know about Leaf but maybe there’s something we don’t know. If any bad guys try to take you away, we’ll scare them off, don’t worry, Undauntable.

Undauntable smiled sorrowfully. “Thank you, thank you so much… I’m- I’m sorry I treated you like a brainless beast.”

“It’s okay,” Sky said.

“It’s funny, you, Wren, Ivy, and maybe Leaf make me feel safe, old me would be so surprised if he saw where I am now. I wish I could make others feel that way,” Undauntable said before pausing for a few heartbeats. “If I ever become the next Invincible Lord of that blasted city I’ll make it a paradise. I won’t leave people to die, like my father does.”

“That sounds great! Maybe Wren can be your knight and wear a little knight hat,” The dragon giggled at the last part.

“You’re a strange one, Sky, but I’m glad I can call you a friend,” Undauntable said.

Chapter Text

Undauntable felt bad for flinching, but the sight of Wren coughing up blood made him VERY grossed out. Nobody really got sick back at the castle, well, except for that one time Undauntable caught the flu.

“Wren, are you okay? What’s happening, Ivy, what’s happening to Wren?!” He was panicking. 

Ivy smiled wearily. “Calm down, Undauntable. We’ll find out what’s going on.” Ivy helped Wren lay back down and felt her chest. “Wren’s breathing is weird… it could be an infection.” 

“I guess we can say goodbye to traveling for who knows how long, we should just invite the Invincible Lord over at this point,” Leaf said, side-eyeing Undauntable.

Ivy then started talking to Leaf, but it all sounded muffled to Undauntable. Poor Wren is sick, what can I say to help. What can I do to help? The Prince thought, his fists clenched.  

“SAFE HARBOR! They have the best medicine!” He suddenly blurted.

Leaf turned to him with an eyebrow raised. “Safe Harbor? Isn’t that PAST the rainforest we just left? Be realistic, no matter how good the medicine is, Wren is in no condition to travel.”

Wren sat up, looking annoyed. “It’s fine guys, it’s just a cough. Don’t worry about me–” she was interrupted by another bout of coughing.

Ivy put her hand on her chin. “Undauntable, how about you and Leaf ride on Sky over to Safe Harbor while I stay with Wren?”

Sky perked up. “NO! I can’t leave Wren!”

“Hear me out, Sky,” Ivy continued. “If Sky and Undauntable aren’t here, me and Wren would look like two kids camping or something. No offense Sky and Undauntable, but you two are dead giveaways.”

I guess this is the best thing we could do, she seems a bit unsure though.

Leaf looked at Undauntable with an unreadable expression, then turned to Ivy. “Fine.”

…

Undauntable noticed Leaf rolling up some of his weapons in a blanket, and then putting it in one of Sky’s bags.

“What are you doing?” Undauntable asked.

“I’m bringing stuff to trade for the medicine,” he said, as if it was obvious.

Undauntable chuckled. “They aren’t cavemen over there, they use coins over there.”

Leaf clenched his hands into fists. “Well sorryy your highness, do YOU have those coins you were talking about?”

“No, but–”

“Whatever, we’ll just have to pickpocket from someone. I’m not letting my sister waste away any longer,” Leaf decided. “I’m taking these weapons just in case, sorry Sky.”

…

Leaf hardly acknowledged Undauntable throughout their travels. He only woke him up early and occasionally glanced at him. Sky was the only one who struck up a conversation.

Fine, if Leaf wants to hate me for being a burden or my past with Wren, so be it. I’ll prove that I’m a valued member of our team and that I’m worthy of… No, I’m not worthy of anything, don’t think like that Undauntable.

…

They set up camp in a cave covered by lichen and, to Undauntable’s horror, bugs. 

“Let’s go Undauntable, while the day is still young,” Leaf said.

Undauntable cast a sympathetic look towards Sky. “Sorry, Sky, I wish we didn’t have to leave you behind. We just don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said.

“It’s okay! I just made some new cave bug friends!” Sky said, smiling.

The two boys made their way towards Safe Harbor. Judging from the outside, the city looked different from what Undauntable remembered, with fallen scaffolding strewn about. It still had its walls though, but unlike the Indestructible City, it was WAY better at letting people in. 

“State your business or whatever,” A rather bored looking guard said, eyeing Leaf’s blanket. 

Undauntable instantly switched personalities.“We are but poor traveling children looking to–”

“Whatever, I’ve heard it all before, welcome to Safe Harbor I guess,” the guard said, sniffling while opening the gates.

“That felt too easy huh, Leaf?” Undauntable said, looking around for a trading area. 

No response.

“Leaf?” Undauntable spun around.

Suddenly Leaf came running back with a bag of coins in his hand. “I got your coins, now let’s go get some medicine, this place is disorienting.”

…

After some searching and watching two seagulls fighting, Undauntable and Leaf found a person with medicine for sale. The shopkeeper was a sour looking woman with her wavy hair in a half ponytail.

“My sister has a very bad cough, you got something for it?” Leaf said, pouring out the coins. 

“Yeah, but I’m gonna need more than that, I’m not feeling nice.” She said, smirking.

“WHAT?!” Leaf boomed.

“Allow me, Leaf,” Undauntable said, budging in. “You want more than our sixteen silver coins but you’re not about to get that from us, how about nine silver coins?”

“You tryna say my medicine isn't good?”

“No, I’m just saying we CAN’T pay more than sixteen coins and DON’T want to pay sixteen coins,” Undauntable said coolly. “We can give you nine of our coins for the medicine, take it or leave it, that gives YOU another customer and US medicine for our… friend.”

“Fine, just take your medicine, kid and buzz off,” the lady fetched the awful smelling medicine and passed it to Undauntable with a scowl on her face.

“Thanks, Undauntable,” Leaf whispered as the two of them walked side by side. “Thanks for guiding me on this whole… the city thing works. And thanks for caring about my sister, I guess you’re not so bad after all. Can I do anything to repay you?”

Undauntable thought for a moment. “Well, we DO have a few extra coins, maybe I could get a weapon of my own…” He turned to Leaf. “I would like you to train me.”

Chapter Text

“OOF!” Undauntable grunted as he got knocked into THE SAME tree for like, the third time, by Leaf.

The ex-prince looked up and saw an expression of pity on Ivy’s face. 

“Try to come at me from a different angle, that might do something,” Leaf observed, helping Undauntable (who’s hair was littered with moss chunks) get up. 

Undauntable around Leaf (who was standing still in a battle stance) with one of his wooden training daggers he ended up getting from Safe Harbor. He tried as hard as he could to walk silently like Leaf had instructed him once before, but he was really failing at it. He could feel Ivy’s gaze burning into his back, it made him uncomfortable.

At least Wren isn’t here. He thought. Now THAT would be embarrassing.

After positioning himself behind the seemingly frozen-in-time Leaf, Undauntable raised his dagger and prepared to attack.

He charged straight to Leaf, swinging his dagger haphazardly, feeling the air get sliced before him. Surely he was doing something right? He lunged at Leaf preparing to tackle him but…

Leaf moved and redirected Undauntable’s arm and twisted his body around, he then grabbed the boy’s long hair. With that last move, Undauntable just sank to the ground, defeated. 

“OW! LEAF CUT IT OUT!” Undauntable complained, swatting at Leaf’s hand, flustered.

Leaf sighed, then let Undauntable’s hair go. The former-prince sat there caressing his scalp, groaning.

“Oh hey guys,” said Wren, who just waltzed right into the training area. “I’m thinking about going on a hunting trip, anyone wanna… Wait, what’s going on here?”

NO WREN WHY NOW NO PLEASE LEAVE SOMEONE HELP. Undauntable panicked.

“Oh, just some training,” Ivy explained casually. “Say, Leaf, how about you go with Wren and leave me to train with Undauntable?” 

Leaf thought about it for a moment with a frown on his face. “Undauntable wanted me to train him but… I guess I could help Wren. It’ll be nice to spend some time together.”

After the brother and sister left, Ivy turned and looked down at Undauntable, clasping her hands together. “Alright, let’s see if I can help you.”

Undauntable looked up at her dejectedly. “Maybe daggers aren’t for me,” he said, glaring at the wooden dagger beside him. 

“Could be. But to be fair, by the way you go about your practice-fighting, no weapon would be ‘for you’ per se,” said Ivy. 

Undauntable looked down. “I just don’t want to be a burden, I want to be like Wren…”

“Hmmm, well, you CAN be like Wren in a way, give me a second,” Ivy responded before running off, leaving Undauntable sitting alone.

The girl finally came running back, carrying a sword with her.

“Wren’s sword..?” Undauntable asked, confused.

“Yep! A longsword! Or… er, dragonpracticesword? I don’t know, Wren said it’s most likely a training sword or dagger for dragonets. But it's the perfect size for us people!”

Undauntable took the sword in his hands and was surprised at its weight. 

It’s not shocking that the sword Wren carries around is heavier than a NORMAL sword.

The boy swung the sword at a tree and nearly fell over.

“Okay, the next step now is to learn how to actually use a sword,” Ivy pointed out, gesturing to Undauntable to give it back. “Think of the sword as an extension of your arm. You wouldn’t go swinging your arm around haphazardly, would you? Right, so don’t view your sword as a separate entity, think of it as an extra long, sharp, arm.”

Undauntable got up. “Well, that’s good advice but I’m useless at charging head-on, and even not head on. You saw how Leaf took me down, I’m so easy to get thrown around,” he said.

Ivy put a finger to her chin and looked thoughtful, she then spoke. “You were very unbalanced on your feet, you didn’t have a plan, you just charged at him. Sure, you went at a different angle, but when you charged, you were all over the place. Form an attack strategy in your head. Now, consider what I just said, then drop your sword and charge at me, I’ll also have my eyes closed.”

Oh great. Ummm, maybe I can charge her… Diagonally? I just gotta be really fast, which is not my strong suit BUT IT'S OKAY UNDAUNTABLE! Then I’ll… Knock her down! Yeah, I don’t want to HURT her.

Applying what he just thought up, he ran in a curve at Ivy (who stood in a fighting stance). But before he could knock her off her feet, Ivy dropped down and kicked his feet from beneath him. Undauntable landed with a thud .

“Undauntable, consider your surroundings, I could hear where you were charging from because you were causing such a ruckus. Also, you keep using the same technique, try climbing trees and dropping down, that’s always a surprise,” Ivy said.

“I’m not LIKE you, Ivy. I don’t know how to climb trees!” Undauntable exclaimed.

Ivy put her hands on her hips. “Well… How about I teach you? I promise it’s essential for fighting. New skills are always great to learn.”

…

Ivy managed to convince Undauntable to let her teach him how to climb trees. After several demonstrations by Ivy, it was Undauntable’s turn. He had to reach a specific branch. Just as he was reluctantly about to climb the tree though, Ivy stopped him. 

“Wait! Undauntable, I should tie Wren’s sword to your back, so you know what it’s like to climb a tree with a sword on your back.”

So now, Undauntable had a sword on his back, a heavy sword. He scrambled and grabbed nearby branches, keeping his body close to the tree. A few times he fell, but finally he got a sturdy hold on the tree, and, boosting himself up, reached the targeted branch, and sat down on it.

I better not fall down, don’t let go, Undauntable . He told himself

He wiped sweat from his brow and smiled warily.

“This was kind of fun, I’m sad my father robbed me of having this in my childhood,” Undauntable said.

“I’m glad you think it’s fun, because we’re going to be practicing this until Wren and Leaf get back,” Ivy said with a thumbs up. “Well, after a short break,” she added after seeing Undauntable’s condition.

Undauntable nodded. Although the training looked ridiculous at first, he felt like he was on the path to being a different person.

Chapter Text

It was about time to leave the little area between the grassy foothills and the start of the desert. It had been eight days since they first started to camp there, Ivy got the resources she needed, and Undauntable started his training. He was quite proud of himself, and it felt good to show off his new-found skills to Wren (who was okay with him borrowing her sword for the time being.)

But, even though the small group had a newfound formidable warrior on their team, it was still dangerous to stay in one place too long. 

This was fine though, they had a new place to be: Jade mountain.

Undauntable had described that this mountain contains a school with different types of dragons, and it just so happened to be that Ivy and Leaf were trying to get started on their search for a certain weird looking little yellow dragon.

So that’s what the group’s gonna do. Undauntable was excited to see the dragons again. This time, thanks to Wren, he could now know what they’re saying! 

I’ll be able to thank Sour-Face for helping me find Wren! Even though he was quite a bad owner, he at least did SOMETHING great.

Ivy stretched and patted her horse’s shoulder. “I am NOT looking forward to the journey to the mountain, but it’ll SO be worth it! I still have so much to learn about the dragon world!”

Undauntable looked up at the sky. The day was coming to an end and the sun would completely sink into the horizon soon. “Hmmm, Wren, are you sure its safe to fly at this time of day? Shouldn’t we wait until morning?”

Wren shrugged. “Sky has flown at this time before, he’s completely and totally useless in the dark. What, are you scared he’ll CRASH us into Jade Mountain?”

Sky snorted with laughter.

“Besides, we’re just getting a head start on our way there,” Wren said. “Speaking of, we should probably get going now, guys. We got a couple of days worth of traveling ahead of us,” with that, Wren mounted Sky and reached out her hand to help Undauntable up to join her. The Prince had gotten used to the weight of the sword, something that Wren seemed to notice.

“You’re doing great with carrying around my sword, glad to see it isn’t too heavy for you,” she said with an intentionally smug smile.

Undauntable chuckled and scratched the back of his neck shyly. 

“Ivy and Leaf, if you two are far behind when me, Sky, and Undauntable get near Jade Mountain, look for a fire in a cave. I’m sure we’ll find plenty of caves to camp out in,” Wren said.

…

The was reaching its end as it had started, with a sunset. The air was getting cooler and Undauntable had goosebumps, but he couldn’t tell if he was shaking because he was cold, or because he was excited.

Ivy and Leaf did a pretty good job keeping pace with Undauntable, Wren, and Sky. But The Prince couldn’t see them on the ground.

I’m sure they’re down there somewhere. If not, they do know to check caves for us.

“I gotta say, Undauntable. I thought you were absolutely unbearable at first, and sometimes you still are, but I’m glad you’re a part of our team now,” Wren said, looking far away into the sunset.

“AWWWWWWWW WREN,” Sky said.

“JUST KEEP FLYING, SKY,” Wren retorted.

This meant A LOT to Undauntable, he tried hard to contain his happiness at this compliment and keep his cool.

“I mean it, though. You’re not that same kid who FOR SOME REASON proposed to me when we were like, what? 14? I don’t know that much about marriage, but I can guarantee you that’s not how you go about things,” Wren said.

Sky laughed.

Undauntable cringed and facepalmed. “Ah, yeah, THAT happened,” he mumbled.

The sunset was very pretty, sunrays beamed from the sinking sun. Jade Mountain was approaching. The serenity was interrupted, however, by the sounds of cliff faces breaking and falling and the ground rumbling. “UM, WREN?” Undauntable began, panicked.

Wren looked around, her face visibly confused. But, before anyone could say anything else, the LARGEST dragon Undauntable has ever seen burst forth from a nearby mountain, throwing rocks everywhere.

Sky stopped flying and hovered, silent. Undauntable’s heart was pounding and he felt frozen, his eyes locked on the terrifyingly large (yet unhealthily thin) night dragon. He watched as the dragon stretched his humongous wings.

“Sky, let's get to the ground, no where near the mountain, though,” Wren told Sky. 

Undauntable was trembling, and his blood felt like it ran cold.

Doing as Wren told him, Sky quickly flew to some flat land by a delta.

Chapter Text

Sky landed on the ground with an unusually ungraceful thud , Undauntable slid off of him and flumped to the ground, feeling dazed, choked with panic.

He was fine with dragons, he loved dragons. BUT THAT DRAGON WAS TERRIFYING.

Everything was turning out the way it did in the stories Father told him. Stories of kids who strayed too far, who didn’t listen, who lied, who disappointed their fathers, all of which got eaten.

He felt like his old self again, he wanted Dragon, he wanted Wren.

WHERE IS WREN.

Wren squatted in front of him and put her hands on Undauntable’s shoulders. “Undauntable, calm down. It’s gonna be okay. Breath,” she said in a half commanding and half comforting tone.

Undauntable’s hyperventilating stopped, his breath slowing down to an almost normal pace. 

Sky curled his body around the two teenagers, and rested his head by Undauntable’s side, a sympathetic smile on his friendly face.

Undauntable put his head in his hands, his heart still beating wildly. “How is any of this going to be okay? A HUGE TERRIFYING MONSTER OF A DRAGON CAME FROM THE GROUND! What about Ivy and Leaf? How are they going to find us? How are we going to find them? What if–”

“Undauntable, trust me when I say this, Ivy and Leaf are both perfectly capable of handling themselves, they’ll be okay,” Wren reassured, but judging by her face and demeanor, Undauntable suspected she was also trying to comfort herself with this. “Knowing Leaf, he probably won’t rest until he finds me again. We can wait until that happens, or, if you are up to it, we can try to find them ourselves.”

They heard the sound of boulders tumbling from the mountain and hitting the ground in the distance.

Wren looked up. “I can kind of hear him saying something, I just can’t make out what he’s saying. Huh.” She said, then looked back to Undauntable. “You know what Undauntable? I think we should stay here, let’s make a fire pit and Leaf and Ivy can locate us using that, just like the original plan. I don’t think we should be going out now, that big dragon had to have been talking to other dragons. Those dragons could attack us, double that with it now being dark out and TRIPLE that with Sky not being the fighting type, it’s just a recipe for disaster.” 

“What do you mean, Wren, I CAN be a TERRIFYING fighter! ROAR!” Sky interjected.

“Yeahhh, sure, Sky,” Wren said sarcastically. “Undauntable, how about you get some sleep? I know it's not late at all but you’ve got some serious eye bags. I’ll watch out for Ivy and Leaf or… literally anything else that might come our way.”

Even though there now was a gigantic dragon loose, knowing Wren was going to be keeping watch of things comforted Undauntable in a strange way. 

If anyone can take on a HUGE GIGANTIC NIGHTMARE DRAGON, it’s Wren. Undauntable thought, looking up at Wren. She’s the best.

Although part of the prince really didn’t want to go to bed, the thought of sleep seemingly reminded his body just how sore it was.

Undauntable nodded to Wren and got up shakily, looking up at the sky as if a dragon was preparing to dive bomb them. He took out his quilt and found a patch of grass to rest it on. He then bundled himself up and drifted off, the strong silhouette of Wren being the last thing he saw.

…

Undauntable woke to the sound of Wren, Ivy, and Leaf’s voices. Drowsily, he opened his eyes, noticing Sky laying down next to him, his belly partially exposed. The prince cracked a sleepy smile at the sight of the sky dragon’s content sleeping face.

He reminds me of Dragon in a way, she loves belly rubs. I wonder if she’s doing okay. I wonder if she still remembers me. I hope one of my servants is taking care of her.

Undauntable sat up, scratching his head.

Everyone looked at him, Ivy waved, Wren cracked a small close mouthed smile, and Leaf lazily lifted up his hand in greeting.

“I’m glad to see you guys found us,” Undauntable said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t awake whenever you came along, I’m sure I could have been of some use.”

“It’s quite alright, we managed,” Ivy said, flicking her wrist.

“You were knocked out hard, I didn’t have the heart to wake you up,” Wren said. 

…

“Okay guys,” Wren began, waiting for everyone to gather around her. “Here’s the plan, we lay low for as long as that huge dragon is about, the last thing we need is someone getting eaten. We’ll still be moving around from time to time. Although, I have a creeping feeling once the Invincible Lord’s scouts hear about what happened last night, I’m sure their search will slow down, if not stop completely. But that’s just a feeling. Undauntable, for as long as the “laying low plan” goes, you’ll be training with me,” Wren said, pointing at herself and grinning when saying the last part.

“Oh great!” Undauntable exclaimed. Then, noticing Leaf’s raised eyebrow he felt the need to ‘correct’ himself. “I mean, uh… Cool? I guess? Whatever.”

Sky chuckled beside Undauntable. “Smooth,” the dragon said, bumping the prince with his scaly shoulder.

Chapter Text

It’s been almost a week since the ‘ginormous-dragon-bursting-from-a-mountain incident.’

Undauntable began his training with Wren, and so far has learned two things.

One, being that maybe he was too quick to dismiss daggers. He just needed to know how to fight with them. And Two being that Wren is even more intimidating when fighting.

After a full afternoon of practice fighting with two wooden daggers, Wren and Undauntable decided it was time for a break. 

Dusk was approaching, the long shadows of the occasional tree were beginning to be drowned out by a veil of darkness. Wren gathered together the daggers (two real, two wooden,) and tied her sword to her back.

“I’m impressed, Undauntable, you managed to knock me off my feet, TWICE. Which is like, two more times than yesterday,” Wren said lightheartedly as they returned to the camp. “Jokes aside, you’re improving quicker than I anticipated. Don’t let your head get too big though.”

Undauntable smiled shyly. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be a fighting type of person, but I’m glad that I’m not completely helpless now…”

As the two entered the clearing, they were introduced to a strange scene. 

Leaf and Ivy must’ve just gotten back from a hunt a few minutes prior. Leaf was skinning a rabbit, preparing to cook it (which was a normal sight,) and Sky had his head dramatically turned away from Leaf with his eyes covered (also a normal sight, considering the context.) The strange thing was Ivy and Leaf’s grave faces. They were talking to each other, but when they heard Wren and Undauntable coming, they looked up.

“What’s with the faces, guys?” Wren asked.

Ivy sighed. “While Leaf and I were hunting, I saw a small group of burly looking people setting up camp not so far from here. Now, Leaf, here CLEARLY doesn’t want to take my concerns about it seriously.”

Leaf looked up from the partly skinned rabbit (of which thoroughly disgusted Undauntable.) “It’s not that I don’t take you seriously, I just didn’t want to make any rash decision before Undauntable and Wren got back. Also, we don’t even know if what you saw WAS the Invincible Lord’s scouts, they could just be people like us.”

Wren had a look on her face which was a combination of frustration and concern. “What did these ‘burly looking people’ look like, Ivy?”

“They must’ve been wearing armor, but it was too form-fitting to be metal, and there were these spikes coming out of it,” Ivy said, her eyebrows knit.

“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THEY WERE WEARING ARMOR, IVY,” Leaf exclaimed, horrified.

Undauntable felt anxiety bubble inside him. “That sounds like my father’s scouts,” he said. “We NEED to go.”

“Leaf and Ivy, you need to get on your horses and leave, try to find a cave, A NICE AND  DARK ONE. Undauntable and I will take Sky.”

Leaf and Ivy nodded, then, as they approached their horses, a Scout jumped out from behind the trees and grabbed both Ivy and Leaf by an arm.

Undauntable’s heart skipped a beat and he almost stumbled backwards. Wren, however, immediately charged at the soldier and socked him in the face, managing to not get her hand stabbed by the spikes on his helmet. The scout stumbled back and let Ivy and Leaf go. 

Four more scouts appeared, one of which had a scarlet cape, symbolizing a higher rank.

Leaf slashed his knife across a scout’s face, causing him to howl in pain. While Sky swatted at another Scout, accidentally threw him over, then apologized to him.

Undauntable, who felt like his feet were stuck to the ground, forced his body to move forward. Wren, who was facing off with the chief scout, glanced at Undauntable and indicated the bag lying on the ground near her. The boy quickly reached into the bag and pulled out a metal dagger, his body shaky.

“GO! I’VE GOT THIS GUY, GO FIGHT SOMEONE ELSE!” Wren told Undauntable.

Undauntable nodded and whipped around, preparing himself to stab at someone. 

Suddenly he felt a hand grab his wrist and yank him. Rendering his hand armed with a dagger incapacitated. The tall scout that grabbed Undauntable’s wrist squeezed it painfully tight.

Undauntable gritted his teeth and winced. Suddenly all those times that his father had grabbed him by the arm came rushing back. 

The painful sensation of his father’s nails digging into his skin, the venomous ridicule that followed, the marks that were left. Typically after that happened, Undauntable would usually find himself in his room, stroking Dragon, feeling numb.

“You thought you could run away, huh?” The scout said, shaking Undauntable. “If I were your pops, I’d rake you over the coals for the amount of stress you caused.”

Undauntable couldn’t tolerate hearing anymore, he suddenly kicked the scout in the knee. The scout’s grip on the runaway prince’s arm loosened. Undauntable took advantage of this brief window of opportunity and turned around quickly and slashed the guard across the chest with his dagger. The power and momentum in the swipe gashed both the scout’s armor and skin. The scout stepped back and covered the wound with his hand. 

Undauntable didn’t know if it was a good thing he felt proud of this, he didn’t want to have to fight, but the scout DID deserve it. Before Undauntable could bring himself to rough up the scout anymore, Sky swept in and did his scariest roar. The scout gasped and ran away.

Undauntable looked around him, he saw Ivy and Leaf fighting two scouts, one of which had his face bleeding, the rest of the scouts save the chief must’ve ran away. Undauntable ran over to his two friends and told Leaf to help Wren. Leaf looked hesitant at first to leave Ivy and Undauntable fighting the scouts, but he reluctantly nodded and ran to help Wren.

Ivy (who was bruised and had a gash on her cheek) managed to disarm the scout she was fighting against, while Undauntable was driving his scout back, swiping his dagger at him.

Eventually, the traveling group drove off their attackers.

After he was sure the enemy was gone, Undauntable ran to Wren, asking if she was okay. 

“I’m fine, Undauntable,” she said, out of breath. “Woo, that guy was a force to be trifled with, thanks for the help, Leaf.” 

Leaf noticed Ivy’s gash. “Ivy, you should clean that up, it looks like a nasty gash,” he said.

“I’ll do that, but I think you should take your own advice,” Ivy said, smiling wearily, pointing out Leaf’s torn and mildly bloody shirt.

The two teens then went to clean themselves up.

“Wow look at you, Undauntable, you don’t look that bad at all, compared to the rest of us,” said Wren. “Well, at least those of us who don’t have diamond-hard scales.”

“I guess my father wanted me to be returned to him in one piece, no doubt so he could rip me to shreds himself,” Undauntable pointed out, only half-joking.

Chapter Text

Curse it, curse it all.

It’s always one thing after another. First a behemoth rises from a mountain, causing the more cowardly of my scouts to hide. Now, just when a group DID find my heir, they find him living and fighting alongside delinquents.

The Invincible Lord clenched one of his boney hands in a fist. His long nails dug into the skin of his palm. He sat in his throne room, alone and tired. 

To make things worse, he heard his son, Undauntable, was FIGHTING along with these ruffians (one of which being the dragon tamer girl.)

My heir, MY SON, will return to me acting like a barbarian… Hopefully this violent little habit won’t be as hard to get rid of as his ‘act like my cat’ phase. That wasn’t as fun or as charming as his mother thought it was.

How did it get like this? Now that his heir decided to leave, who will become lord after him? The Invincible Lord didn’t see himself dying anytime soon, but he needed his successor with him in the event that he did. Even if said successor was grossly pathetic.

Remarrying and having another child wasn’t an option too, it was the last thing The Invincible Lord wanted, the thought disturbed him, even in his tired state. 

As the lord dozed off, he imagined a woman. A woman he was all too familiar with, who held a sickly, crying baby in her arms…

…

The Invincible Lord found himself in his throne room, except he was kneeling, facing an unfamiliar man, who sat upon the throne.

The man looked to be almost middle aged, wore a long white robe with silver embellishments, along with an emerald necklace. He had a cocky smile on his face as he looked at The Invincible Lord. 

This expression angered the lord. “Who are you?! And why are you on MY throne?!” he barked.

“That is certainly a… different way to greet the founder of your city, who also happens to be your long-since-passed father-in-law,” the man said smoothly.

The Invincible Lord stood up and pointed. “YOU? You’re the founder? How can I possibly be dreaming of you if I’ve never seen you in my life?” 

The man’s face changed from a confident smile to a mildly annoyed expression. “Yes, it seems I am this city’s founder. My name is, or rather, was , Lord Coyote. I’ve always dreamed of being an emperor but life got away from me all too quickly,” he answered. “Oh, and, about you dreaming of me: I’ve been a ghost for several millennia now, I’ve always been haunting this manor, and now, I’ve decided to haunt your dreams as well.”

The Invincible Lord hated how Coyote spoke. His tone seemed as though he was trying to pacify a child. “Why would you haunt my city? It isn’t yours anymore.”

Coyote rested his face in his hand, looking bored. “It’s more of my city than yours, considering I WAS the founder and well, you’re only royalty on a technicality.”

The Invincible Lord growled, he hated whenever he remembered that he wasn’t born into royalty. And it's all the more worse when he gets reminded by such a sarcastic scumbag. “Well? What’s the point?”

“In what?”

“In appearing in my dream! One that for some reason I haven’t woken up from yet,” The Invincible Lord said.

“Ah, yes, that,” Coyote said, looking at The Invincible Lord with an uncharacteristically grim expression on his face. “I fear you’ve been progressively becoming more and more like my brother, Cottonmouth.”

“Cottonmouth?” The lord repeated with an inquiring tone.

“Yes, Cottonmouth,” Coyote responded, his facial expression softened and looked more sad. “My brother was always the ambitious type, so was I, but he went through drastic means to claw his way to power. Going so far as to set up a whole operation to steal dragon eggs to tame the hatchlings to use as future weapons, regrettably I participated, regardless of my views of it. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? With you trying to find that girl as you see that she is the key to controlling dragons and subsequently the world. It won’t work, dragons aren’t the mindless, uncaring beasts my brother treated them as.”

The Invincible Lord scoffed. “I’m not stealing eggs. I’m trying to find that girl who has proven herself to actually know how to tame dragons,” he said, dismissively.

Coyote’s anger flared suddenly. “And how is that working out for you!? She HATES you! Your SON hates you! The dragons will hate you! Just as the dragons hated my brother. Interfering with dragons’ lives caused nothing but anguish for humanity! If you can’t face that reality… all else I can say is that I hope you're confident in your city’s defenses.”

Before The Invincible Lord could reply, he woke up. 

There he was again, alone, in his throne room, upon his throne.

With his lust for power remaining unstifled.

Chapter Text

~Wren’s POV~

After the expedition to save Pantala (which turned out to also involve saving the rest of the world) ended and the group disbanded, Wren, along with Sky, decided to stay in Sanctuary to rest. She wanted to get back to her group soon, she hadn’t been separated from them all for this long before. 

At least Sky’s here to keep me company.  

Wren sighed, as she trudged down the lamp-lit streets, looking for a hotel she could maybe stay the night in. As she did so, her mind began to wander.

I hope Undauntable is still sure about his plans to overthrow his dad. I know how scary that can be for him. At this thought, she shook her head. No, Undauntable wouldn’t give up on something like this, he knows how difficult it will be. He’s not the same Undauntable as before.

Wren smiled at this thought. Even though she still thought his name was dumb and that he had a tendency to be a bit prissy at times, the prince had grown into a person she genuinely could respect. 

Wren was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the dragon she was about to bump into, along with Sky’s warning about him.

The cold scales of this dragon jolted her back to reality. Wren looked up to the dragon and recognized his face. A face that seemed to naturally rest with a sour expression.

“Oh, hi. You are..?” Wren greeted.

The IceWing nodded in greeting. “It’s Winter. I’m sorry for approaching you like this but—” he paused, and looked at the ground in an unexpectedly shy manner. “I wanted to know what it was like on that other continent, I mean, what were the scave– humans like over there?” 

Wren rubbed her eyes. “I’d love to share my vast amount of knowledge with you but me and Sky are both very tired after everything. Traveling was terrible and the meetings were as well. Do you happen to know a place we could stay? I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, let’s meet up at midday right at this spot.” 

“Oh! Of course. Um, there’s a hotel over there,” Winter said as he pointed north-east, beyond a public garden they were next to.

“Thanks, Winter,” said Wren with a raise of her hand. As she and Sky started to trudge away, she suddenly remembered that she had no money on her, something that would be pretty useful when checking into a hotel. Wren turned herself around. “Aha, Winter, do you by any chance have any money on you?” 

Wren heard Sky chuckle a little beside her.

Winter cracked an awkward smile (it looked as though this was his first time smiling and he was still getting used to it) and untied a sack wrapped around his foreleg. He approached Wren and gave her the money

…

The hotel was nice, even though everything was much more fit for a dragon size-wise. And it was a bit awkward for Sky to ask a fellow customer to light a lantern from their room, but other than those two factors, the experience was nice. The receptionist was nice, although she did seem a little weirded out by a scavenger paying for a room. 

Heh, I guess she can’t be too picky on who her customers are, money is money.

…

“It's about midday. Sky, do you want to come along with me to talk to Winter?” Wren asked the SkyWing.

Sky perked up and smiled. “Yeah!! I’d love to be there and help you explain things, it’ll be fun to be almost like a teacher!!” 

With that the duo went out to meet up with Winter around the area they originally met up with. Sure enough, the sour-faced IceWing was sitting nearby, in the public garden, amongst blossoming flower bushes.

“Hey, Winter!” Sky greeted, running towards him.

“Oh, good afternoon, Wren and… SkyWing?” Winter greeted.

“My name’s Sky, but that was close enough,” Sky chuckled.

Wren approached Winter and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. “Sooo, what do you want to ask us about, again?”

Winter took out a small bottle of ink, a quill, and a few pages of parchment. “You may remember this from our first interactions but I'm really interested in humans. And, now that my hypothesis on you guys being intelligent was proven to be true, I’m even more fascinated by their societies. Would you mind if you tell me about the human societies in the other continent and how they can be compared or contrasted with the ones that are here in Pyrrhia?”

He’s a lot nerdier than I remember… Wren thought. I guess once his interests are brought up, a new side of him gets brought out. 

And so Wren (with the occasional input of Sky) explained the humans of Pantala, and how their way of life differed from Pyrrhia. Winter occasionally wrote down notes with his quill. After getting onto the subject of Pyrrhian humans and their civilizations, the Indestructible City was brought up, then the Invincible Lord, and then subsequently Undauntable.

It was quite annoying to talk about Undauntable, because Wren didn’t know how to translate his name into Dragon. After all, the boy’s name (as far as Wren knew) wasn’t even a real word in the Human language. So she had to settle for calling him what basically meant “Not-Able-To-Be-Daunted”. Winter didn’t take much notice to the apparent absurdity of the name, maybe he was used to longer names?

Wren found herself giving way more information on Undauntable than what was necessary, she didn’t know why, but her mouth just spewed all the interesting things about him.

His whole drama with his father, his experiences with being kidnapped by an Ice Dragon, being in a dragon school, him being found in the forest, and how he was trying to master the art of the sword and dagger.

Wren looked up at Winter after noticing how quiet he was being. And she was met with Winter’s shocked facial expression, his eyes like two dark moons.

“What?” Wren asked bluntly.

“Remember when I asked you if you knew my pet human, Bandit? I- I think your friend might be him,” Winter said, amazed.

“NO WAY, YOU MUST BE THE ICEWING HE TOLD US ALL ABOUT!” Sky exclaimed. “YOU MUST BE SOUR-FACE!”

“Sour-Face?” Winter asked, with a brow raised.

“Yeah! That was his name for you! You guys should totally meet up with each other!” 

Winter looked at Wren with a hopeful look on his face that just screamed ‘can we do that?’.

Wren shrugged. “Y’know, once we track down where the group is hiding out, I’m sure this can become a reality. I’m sure Not-Able-To-Be-Daunted would appreciate seeing you again.”

Chapter Text

Wren’s POV:

As expected, it was pretty difficult to track down exactly where the group was. Prior to Wren and Sky leaving for Pantala, the small group decided to create almost a ‘schedule’ of places to hide out. Unfortunately, it was pretty hard to time exactly how long Wren was going to be away, so they planned ahead about a month-and-a-half. 

Wren warned Winter (who had a naturally impatient attitude that he was clearly desperately trying to bury) that they would be going to loads of different locations. So here she was, on the back of Sky, going through a mental list of locations she needed to check, she had a feeling that one of the next few would be correct. 

Of course, she, Sky, and Winter sometimes stopped for rest, and Winter would take some of the time as an opportunity to ask more questions to Wren, mainly about her personal life.

Wren blankly watched the land pass by as Sky flew over it, lost in thought. The place they were going to next was nearby Talisman, ‘nearby’ meaning on the other side of a treacherous mountain range. She was glad they weren’t going that close to THAT place.

Wren gritted her teeth, she hoped Leaf and Ivy had trained Undauntable well and consistently. And that Undauntable and her brother were getting along (even though they’re friends, they still tended bicker over stupid things, usually when one of them happened to be in a bad mood.) Wren looked back at Winter, who looked… tired, with nothing behind his eyes.

Undauntable will be ecstatic, I’m looking forward to seeing that. 

Wren smirked. “Hey, Winter, you excited to reunite with your lost pet after all this time?”

Sky chuckled.

The icy dragon looked up. “Oh, definitely,” he responded, a small but genuinely happy smile awkwardly creeping along his face.

“Well, there’s some good news for you,” Wren began, looking down at the land below. “I see a certain three people and a couple of horses setting up a campfire below. You see them, Sky?”

Sky nodded. “Yep! My ‘ superior and awesome dragon eyes’ see these ‘certain people’. Blech, Leaf is preparing a dead animal for lunch. ”

…

Undauntable’s POV:

“Being part of the team means that you help pluck the feathers from our future lunch, UNDAUNTABLE. I’ve seen you fight, you can handle THIS,” said Leaf, who glanced over at the prince. He held a dead quail by the legs in one hand.

“No it doesn’t! I love being part of this team and fighting for it but plucking feathers is where I draw the line,” Undauntable retorted.

Leaf snorted, then turned to Ivy. “Tch, hey, Ivy? Do you think—”

Ivy (who was looking up at the sky) shushed Leaf before he could finish. “Look! That’s Wren and Sky! With… Um…” Ivy squinted.

Undauntable’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Wren approaching. He then cocked his head in confusion when his eyes were assaulted by the sight of an EXTREMELY SHINY blue dragon’s scales.
Is that..? No, it can’t be…

The three of them watched in confused silence as Wren, Sky, and the strange dragon landed.

“WE’RE BACK GUYS,” Wren boomed.

Undauntable ran up to Wren and Sky, who landed somewhat far apart from the strange dragon.

“Welcome back!! I’m glad guys are alright! I missed you Wren… and Sky!” Undauntable then straightened himself up, slicking back his hair. “Ahem, quick question though…” he began, but then paused once he saw the glittery dragon’s face. “SOUR-FACE?!”

Sour-Face perked up and then cocked his head, proceeding to grumble something to Wren, who promptly growled something back, nodding. Winter looked at Undauntable, amazement painted on his diamond colored face.

Wren turned to Undauntable. “Sour-Face- er, Winter said: “He’s Bandit? He looks a lot less exotic than I remembered”,” she translated.

Undauntable looked at Sour-Face, pointed at himself and then nodded. The prince then fully processed what was said and took issue with it. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN LESS EXOTIC!?”

Even though Sour-Face didn’t understand Undauntable, he laughed a little to himself, his dark eyes twinkling. Undauntable was taken off-guard by this seemingly out-of-character moment of Sour-Face. 

“Y’know, Undauntable, Winter, here is a prince like you,” Wren said. “And he’s just as interested in learning about human societies as you are about dragons’. Look at that, you guys share some things in common.”

Undauntable’s mouth gaped, which led to Sour-Face raising a brow at Wren. He grumbled something to her, looked at Undauntable, then growled another thing to her. The second sequence of noises seemed to make up multiple sentences (if Undauntable’s VERY POOR knowledge on Dragon was correct.)

Wren waited a few moments to process what was just said before telling it to Undauntable. “Winter wants to apologize for everything. He recognizes how… terrible his care of you was, and that he was wrong to dismiss your depressive behavior.”

Undauntable looked at Winter, whose head drooped. The human prince suddenly felt the desire to hug the dragon or maybe pat him on the head, a feeling he would NEVER have expected himself to have a handful of months ago. He walked up to Winter and patted him on the… Shoulder?

The Ice Dragon’s eyes grew to look like round, shiny moons. A, quite frankly, adorable smile appeared on his typically sour face. This simple gesture clearly meant a lot to Winter. 

Undauntable turned to Wren. “Is it fine by you if you translate for me when speaking with Sour-Face?” 

“Sure, Undauntable,” Wren said with her typical cool smile.

“Thanks, Wren!” Undauntable chirped. “You’re gonna have to warn him that I plan to continue using his nickname sometimes.”

The two princes, with Wren as their translator, talked for a while, catching up, asking each other questions, and just life in general. Ivy shrugged and just told herself that she would ask Wren about this whole situation later, she didn’t want to interrupt this emotional and heartwarming reunion. Meanwhile Leaf, who was both confused and mildly annoyed, as he and Ivy were now gonna have to prepare even more food for everyone. 

Chapter Text

Undauntable tossed and turned on the soft and cold, grassy ground. It’s been a month since Sour-Face first visited, and the group was getting more serious about how they were going to stop the Invincible Lord— Undauntable’s father.

The different personalities of the group had different ideas on how to carry about this, but they all had one common outcome.

Undauntable would have to take the throne of his city.

He should be happy, why wasn’t he happy? A few years ago, he was very enthusiastic about the idea of succeeding the throne. Granted, that was before he realized that his father would probably have to die first. 

Father wouldn’t willingly step down for me.

Undauntable sat up and gripped his quilt. He glanced around. 

Yup, everyone was asleep, he was alone in his thoughts. Anxiety bubbled inside him, his thoughts were like a thunderstorm in his brain. He clenched his hands feeling how sweaty his palms were.

WHY did the idea of confronting his dad and usurping the throne all of a sudden sound less appealing? He shouldn’t feel bad. He should want to rule The Indestructible City, subsequently improving it. He should want to hurt his father… right?

Undauntable felt his lip quiver. I shouldn’t care about whether my father will be angry at me or not, but why do I? He gripped the quilt harder. It feels like the old me is trying to take over, I hate it.

The Invincible Lord hurt him, as well as many others, this was all for the best.

Suddenly he felt a presence. Undauntable looked up and was startled seeing Wren standing over him, looking down. He barely managed to stop himself from letting out a surprised sound.

“Why are you awake?” He asked her, feeling a little concerned. Was she feeling alright?

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Wren responded, sitting herself down on the ground in front of Undauntable, her legs crossed. After Undauntable didn’t respond she tsked. “I woke up to take a leak, and when I returned I noticed you sitting up.”

If he was feeling normal, Undauntable would’ve chuckled at her crude honesty. He rested his arms and head on his upright knees. “I don’t feel good.”

Wren cocked her head, then, suddenly, she put a hand on Undauntable’s forehead. “It doesn’t feel like you have a fever, you’re actually kind of… Oh, wait, nevermind you’re heating up.”

Mortified, Undauntable pulled himself away, he was NOT ready to explain why his face heated up to Wren. “Not like that! I’m not sick! I’m just… Anxious, is all.”

“Ah,” Wren said, placing her elbow on her leg and resting her head on her hand. “Want to talk about it? It’s about your dad, isn’t it?”

Undauntable looked down at his hands, which now rested peacefully on his quilt. “Forgive me for saying this but, your parents weren’t good, right? I mean– they supported sacrificing you. Have you ever… felt sorry for hating them? Maybe even miss them?”

“Nope,” Wren shortly said. “I mean… Me? Personally? No,” she followed up after seeing the dejected look on the boy’s face. She knew she had to phrase things more gently, even if that wasn’t very natural to her. “Do you feel that?”

Undauntable furrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah. And I don’t know why. I feel so pathetic and confused.”

Wren looked away, trying to figure out what to say. “I never had the best relationship with my parents, so it makes sense that I never felt too much of an attachment to them. The attempted sacrificing thing didn’t help things much,” she turned to look at Undauntable. “Maybe you’re homesick, what about your mom? Maybe you miss her.”

Undauntable winced, he missed his mother whenever he thought of her. He wished he knew where she went. But no, this anxiety definitely wasn’t for her, or his former home.

Wren must’ve noticed Unduntable’s reaction. “I’m sorry. I probably brought up something I shouldn’t have. My bad.”

“It’s okay, Wren, I never talked about her to you guys. My mom hasn’t been in my life for a while now. It’s just been me and my father ever since I was nine,” Undauntable’s voice was beginning to crack. “It feels like my brain is telling me to miss him but I KNOW I DON’T. AUGHH, I HATE HOW MY BRAIN ALWAYS MAKES ME DOUBT EVERYTHING.”

The girl nodded her head sympathetically, raising her arm to pat Undauntable’s back. “Maybe you’re feeling this way not because you actually miss your dad, but rather you miss what you could’ve had? I don’t know much about families, but I’m pretty sure family shouldn’t hurt family.”

What my father and I could have had? The boy considered Wren’s words. Undauntable remembered secretly being jealous of the common children he’d see outside of the walls of his city. The way their parents held them, the way their parents comforted them. The way their parents would laugh along with them, ruffling the hair on their kids’ small heads.

Maybe a little bit of the old Undauntable was regrettably still alive inside of his psyche. The Undauntable that’d cherish any form of praise from his father, the child who’d listen to essentially everything his father demanded of him. All in the hopes to maybe receive some of his father’s ever-allusive affection he so desperately desired.

Come to think of it, however, he knew he made his decision all those months ago, when he decided to run away to find Wren. His relationship with his father would never be the same, regardless of what he did now. It definitely wouldn’t be better either.

My father isn’t even my father anymore, and he’s not my family either. Like what Wren said, family shouldn't hurt family. And a ruler shouldn’t run their city the way he does.

Undauntable turned to look at Wren, who was watching him with her dark brown eyes. He wiped away the tears that welled up at his eyes. “Thanks, Wren, I needed someone to talk to.”

Wren leaned over and ruffled the hair of Undauntable’s head. “No problem, anytime. Remember, me and the others are your family now, and know we’ll be here every step of the way. We’re rooting for you, Undauntable.”

Chapter Text

“I feel bad…” Sky said, glancing at the four knocked out soldiers that lay on the ground.

Two of the scouts, a man and a woman, lay there without their armor on, their plain, brown clothing exposed. 

“Don’t worry, Sky. They’re just unconscious,” Undauntable said, squatting down beside one soldier, with his wrist in his hand, checking his pulse. “Those were some nice tricks, Ivy.”

Ivy gave Undauntable a thumbs up, before putting on one of the scout’s ugly, spiked helmet.

“No… It’s not that. I just don’t feel right after attacking these people,” Sky continued. 

Undauntable dropped the soldier’s wrist, stood up, and brushed dust off him. “Bu-but you helped with taking these guys down, as well as that other time when that troop attacked us.”

Sky shook his head. “I only hung around here, the mere sight of a dragon made their morale drop… Also, that other time was for self defense… I don’t know, I just feel icky.”

“I understand, but please, don’t think this was all for nothing. We need these soldiers’ armor in order to make our way into the city,” Undauntable then put a finger to his chin and turned to look at Wren. She was kneeling, looking at the soldiers’ discarded weapons. The prince made his way over to her. “Hey… Can I talk to you for a second? Preferably away from prying ears,” he glanced in the direction of Sky.

“Sure,” she said, getting up and following Undauntable, away from Sky and the others.

Undauntable turned to her when they were far enough away. “I think we should leave Sky out of this mission. He kept bringing up before we ambushed these soldiers how he was going to ‘fly through my father’s castle windows’ and how much that would help but… Well, judging by his reaction to us merely knocking out these soldiers, I doubt he could stomach anything fighting related. ESPECIALLY when my city’s guard is VERY happy to fire long, sharp spears at any approaching dragon. I can’t bear the thought of Sky getting hurt, out of everyone in this group, he’s the least… y’know?”

Wren nodded understandingly. “I was thinking the same thing. I’ll go tell him now,” she began to walk away, before Undauntable grabbed her wrist.

“Wait,” he said.

Wren looked at the boy, her brown eyes questioning. 

“I need to tell you another thing,” Undauntable began, his heart beating slightly faster. “I admire you a lot, Wren. You gave me the courage to start this whole journey, to get away from my father, to stand up for what I believe is right. And here I am, fighting, with amazing friends beside me, one of which is a DRAGON, Wren! I never had real bonds ever since my mother vanished, save Dragon. And I feel indebted to you, Wren. You changed my life.”

“Wow, Undauntable, I–”

“But it goes beyond that, Wren,” the boy took a breath. “I love you, you’re everything the Indestructible City isn’t. And I hope that after everything calms down, we can continue to hang out and train, side by side, even if I become the next Invincible Lord.”

Wren stood there, bewildered, as if this was the deepest compliment she ever was given. “Undauntable, for once I don’t know what to say. I’m glad and, frankly, amazed, that I managed to inspire you to grow as much as you did,” Wren briefly turned around to check what the others were doing, then focused back on Undauntable. “I think you’re admirable as well, Undauntable. You’re definitely not that brat I ran into all those years ago.”

It’s been seven years since I met Wren…

Wren continued talking. “I’m not into mushy stuff but, I care about you, even though you take forever cleaning your hair in the morning. Seriously, what's up with that? And as for after this, we’ll see what the future brings. I’m sure the future Invincible Lord can do for a right-hand-man, of sorts,” she reached her hand over to Undauntable’s head and ruffled his hair.

“HEY! Do you want me to go through that hour-long morning hair procedure again?!” Joked Undauntable.

…

Sky had been alerted of the change of plans, and now the group all stand together, discussing the upcoming infiltration.

“Ivy and Leaf, as planned, you will act as guards. However, Wren… I think you should act as one as well. I KNOW I’ll be delivered right to my fathers throne room, but Wren… I just think we should pose this as me, the runaway prince, being captured and brought home.”

Wren opened her mouth, thought about what Undauntable said, concluded it made sense, then closed her mouth.

“Once we get into the throne room, it’ll be a piece of cake!” Ivy said, balling her hand up into a fist.

Undauntable sucked his teeth, making an unsure hissing sound. “I… Don’t think so, my father has sycophants— basically yes men— with him constantly. On top of that, he also has his royal guards— basically yes men, but stronger. However, they only hang around if suspicious activity is detected. So, if everything goes smoothly, we’ll just have to deal with the sycophants,” the prince furrowed his eyebrows. “My father can fight, as well. Before becoming lord of the city, he was a boy living on the streets in the poor neighborhoods, fighting others for food and shelter constantly.”

A fact that he thought he could hide from me. Sorry, father, but Mother broke your royal facade for me long ago.

Leaf looked down at his sharpened knife, positioning it to make it shimmer in the midday sun. “We’ll teach him a lesson, that for power hungry leaders, their power will slip through their clenched fingers like sand.”

Chapter Text

All Undauntable knew was that they were approaching the Indestructible City, however, judging by his comrades’ silence, this place held another meaning.

After looking behind his back probably a dozen times, Sky broke the silence. “I wonder how much Talisman has improved since we last were there.”

Ah, so that was it. They were near Talisman, Wren and Leaf’s birth village. The same village that tried to sacrifice a young Wren to a dragon.

They came across a river delta, which was going to be an absolute PAIN to wade across for Ivy and Leaf, who had their horses.

“Don’t slow down for us, find a place to camp out while we find a more shallow part of this river,” Ivy said.

…

Wren, Sky, and the prince reached the river bed that eventually broke off into a delta, Wren turned to look at Undauntable. “How’re you feeling?”

Undauntable turned his head and made eye contact with the girl he has admired for so long. The only familiar look about her now was her dark brown eyes and some of her thick curly hair that poked out from under the helmet, everything else was strange. After all, she was now donning the armor of the Indestructible City. Even her sword was different, being a scout’s stolen sword which was now sheathed in a scabbard at her hip.

“I’m a bit nervous, but… I’m excited at the same time,” the prince finally said, clenching his fists, a half-smile appearing on his face.

Wren grinned determinedly in response. “We’ll talk out our plan once we’re all back together, if we’re gonna do this thing, we’re gonna do it RIGHT.”

…

Wren and Undauntable crossed the river on Sky, who waded through the (thankfully) calm water.

“I’m worried for you guys… I know it’s best that I stay behind but, I don’t know, my ‘sixth sense’ tells me someone will get hurt,” the dragon said while pushing through the river.

“Well, Sky, your ‘sixth sense’ is right, the Invincible Lord will be HURT,” Wren laughed.

“I mean, if it’s necessary. We’re not bloodthirsty. We’re just going there to give him a push in the right direction… The right direction being OFF THE THRONE,” Undauntable interjected.

…

“Ivy, Leaf, and Wren, we have to stick together once we’re in the city and especially when we’re in my father’s throne room. Actually pretend like I’m your disgraced prince and you’re returning me to my rightful home,” Undauntable said.

“Don’t worry, Undauntable, you’re already our disgraced prince,” joked Wren.

“NO I MEAN YEAH BUT–,” Undauntable then paused and cleared his throat. “Don’t smile, my father’s soldiers never smile, don’t talk to any people unless spoken to. You guys shouldn’t HAVE to know any codes, considering once the guards see me, they’ll let us through.”

“WOW, why would anyone want to be a porcupine soldier? Not smiling or talking sounds TERRIBLE,” Sky said.

The prince shrugged. “Well, for a lot of the lower class people, being a soldier is the only way to make a good name for yourself or your family, also, the pay is good,” he paused then continued. “If all goes well, my father will be forced to step down, and I can take the throne annnnndddd… once that happens I’ll have a lot more responsibilities from then on, hooray!”

“Sounds like a plan, let’s hide our stuff and leave our horses here, we’ll go the rest of the way by foot. We should be mindful to only pack what's necessary,” Leaf said. 

Wren turned to Sky. “You should hide too, Sky.”

The pale dragon looked down. “I know…”

“Don’t worry about your ‘sixth sense’ it’s only been right what? Half of the time? I’m sure things will turn out well,” Wren patted Sky’s snout. “I’ll return back around this spot once this is all over, so you and I can attend the BIG party Undauntable will TOTALLY throw just for his friends.”

…

“This armor is oppressively hot, Undauntable,” Ivy complained.

Undauntable, who had his hands bound behind his back in a loose knot and was sandwiched between Ivy and Leaf, sighed. “I don’t like this situation that much either, Ivy. Just focus on how close we are,” he said, then pointed his nose in the direction of the approaching city.

…

As usual, the outside of the city was crowded with shops, tents, wagons, and people. Hungry people, with their hungry children. Undauntable kept his eyes focused on the ground, praying to whoever or whatever is up there that Ivy and Leaf weren’t currently looking around, with an expression of shock on their faces.  

ACT LIKE YOU’VE SEEN THIS PLACE BEFORE. ACT LIKE THIS IS A COMPLETELY NORMAL SIGHT.

The prince could FEEL the stares of the surrounding people, thus adding to the list of things he had to tune out. He, along with the others, kept trudging on, physically cringing when he heard Ivy gasp at the sight of the seemingly endless flight of stairs carved out of the cliff face. 

I feel your pain, Ivy, walking up these stairs is a new experience for me too…

Before they could begin their ascent, a guard armed with a spear walked up to them. “State your business, who is this you wish to bring into the continent’s greatest city?” he growled.

“Me and my team have come to bring back our beautiful city’s estranged prince, Undauntable,” Leaf responded, shaking the prince upon saying his name.

Taking this as some sort of cue, Undauntable looked up into the guard's dark eyes, putting on his most intense frown. He felt pleased when the man’s eyes widened.

Leaf, for some reason, took this as an opportunity to begin walking forward. Which promptly made the guard thrust his spear in front of the teens. 

“HALT!” The guard barked. “Your team appears to be short a few people. The smallest teams our lord sends out have five people.”

Undauntable’s heartbeat quickened. How did he not know that?

“Weeee had an encounter with the dragontamer’s dragon, who appeared to think Undauntable was a piece of treasure for him to hoard. Two of our teammates ran off as a diversion and the stupid wyrm followed them, allowing us to successfully capture Undauntable,” Leaf lied.

Undauntable wasn’t gonna lie to himself, it was weird to hear anyone talk about Sky that way.

The guard raised an eyebrow, paused to think, then bowed his head, “I’m glad our prince has found his way home.” He raised his spear, allowing the team access to the stairs.

Undauntable gulped, this was it.

He was going home.

Chapter Text

It didn’t come to Undauntable’s surprise that the Indestructible City seemed to be exactly as it was when he left. Somehow, he managed to abhor the sight even more, considering him and his friends’ ascent up the stairs. They were let through the main gates the moment the guards recognized Undauntable. No one gave even a second glance at the apparently teenage scouts.

The refugee entrance was large and imposing, and upon passing through, you’re greeted by the… less favorable parts of the city. 

The place where poor refugees go, the place where poor merchants live in their own stalls, the place where desperate parents try to make a new life for them and their family.

The place furthest away from his father.

The crime was never dealt with in this area, unless it was done to a higher up. And the lawlessness SHOWED. 

As the prince was dragged by his friends though the dulled stone walkway, he once again could feel the stares burning into his back. He heard chained dogs barking at him. He heard a little boy say: “Daddy! Mommy! Look! The scouts got someone!”

Undauntable felt sad for these people, whose needs were neglected. Why would his father forsake them like this? His father, the one who GREW UP in this section of the city. Who experienced crime himself. Out of all the lords of the city, shouldn’t he understand the refugees’ struggle the most?

…

They were close to his father’s castle now. And Undauntable was growing uneasy with the silence between his friends. Oh, how he wished to be joking around with them to alleviate his worries. How he wished he could go shopping with Wren, introduce her to the foreign foods the city had to offer. And buy her lots and lots of whatever she picked as her favorite. 

No, that will be for LATER. Get your head out of the clouds, Undauntable.

He wondered if any of the rich boys were in the crowd of gawking people, he wondered what they thought of him now.

No, it didn’t matter. Their opinions mean nothing to him.

“Your future citizens love you, Undauntable. I feel so cool for being friends with such a celebrity,” Wren whispered in his ear jokingly.

WREN PLEASE DON’T MESS WITH ME NOW I CAN’T CRACK A SMILE I NEED TO LOOK DEJECTED.

Involuntarily, Undauntable let out a squeak of acknowledgement.

UNDAUNTABLE WHY.

…

They reached the castle, a building he, over the course of the year, grew to despise. 

“HALT!” One of the four guards guarding the entrance said, stepping forth. The guard glowered at the teens. Undauntable felt like a frightened rabbit under his gaze. Unexpectedly, the guard cracked a small (slightly awkward) smile. “Welcome home, Undauntable,” he said. The guard then turned to look at Leaf, Ivy, and Wren. “It’d be best for you to deliver Prince Undauntable straight to the throne room. His majesty will be very pleased.”

Oh, I doubt that. Undauntable thought.

…

The castle wasn’t different from when he left, with the distant laughs of the Invincible Lord’s drunken friends being heard, and kitchen staff bustling. Undauntable wondered if that weird blond chef left yet, he had heard him whispering to himself about leaving the city to sail the sea, catching exotic fish. He wondered if one of the guards had her baby yet, and if he’d ever see her again. 

He wondered where Dragon was.

Leaf looked uncharacteristically amazed. “Wow… You had EVERYTHING, Undauntable,” he whispered absentmindedly.

“Not everything,” the prince corrected.

Upon Ivy’s request, Undauntable whispered to his friends the appropriate turns they should make and what stairs to ascend. The closer they got to the throne room, the stronger the anticipation buzzed inside Undauntable. 

Down the red carpeted hallway they went. The estranged prince could almost feel a phantom pain sensation on his wrist. How many times had his father dragged him by the wrist down these halls?

They stopped by two massive, gaudy doors. They arrived. There, two guards stared them down. 

“Undauntable…” One guard– a woman– hissed. “It seems the dragontamer made you just like her, a scoundrel,” she then looked up at Ivy, Wren, and Leaf. The woman eyed them for several heartbeats, then reluctantly nodded to the other guard, granting the teens access to the Throne Room.

The group of friends all collectively inhaled, before opening the doors and stepping in. There, they saw the Invincible Lord– Undauntable’s father.

He appeared skinnier than Undauntable remembered, but his royal mane of combed dark hair paired with his scarlet robes was the same. And, unsurprisingly, he had a pair of sycophants by both sides of his throne. However, The Invincible Lord swatted them away upon seeing his son and his friends.

The father and son locked eyes for several heartbeats— which, to Undauntable, felt like an eternity— before the lord of the city took a deep breath. “Welcome back, Undauntable,” he began, his voice just as predatory sounding as the prince remembered. “My life becomes infinitely easier with you back here. Now that you’re done with that little romp around with the Dragonspeaker. Speaking of her, where is she? Did she abandon you, child? Well, that can’t be. As I’ve heard that there was a dragon that plucked away two from the five person patrol. The DRAGONSPEAKER’S dragon, the one with those pale scales you once loved to flaunt.”

Undauntable grimaced. Leaf’s lie was totally seen through now! 

The Invincible Lord continued on. “Let me phrase this in a way you’ll understand, boy. You tell me exactly what the Dragonspeaker looks like, where she gets her supplies, and if she is associated with anyone relevant. If so, you will tell me everything I want to know about them as well. Or else… I will make it very clear how princes who refuse to listen to their fathers should be punished.”

Don’t be afraid, don’t look afraid. Undauntable’s throat felt dry. He felt Ivy lean in closer to him. She can feel how stiff I’ve gotten… AUGH, WHAT HAPPENED TO ‘DON’T LOOK AFRAID’, UNDAUNTABLE?!

Undauntable’s father rested his cheek on the back of his hand, his eyes boring into the prince. “Undauntable… You left everything that mattered to you here, how would you feel if something happened to Dragon because of your disobedience?”

Undauntable’s blood went cold. “You can’t! She was my first friend!” He felt so pathetic, but he couldn’t take the abuse in silence any longer.

“Friends don’t leave their friends, Undauntable,” The Invincible Lord retorted.

Before Undauntable could fight back, Wren stepped up and flung off her helmet. “And leaders don’t forsake their people the way you do,” she took a step forward. “FATHERS don’t treat their children like this.”

“Wren!” Undauntable and Leaf exclaimed in shocked unison.

The Invincible Lord raised an eyebrow. “Who might you be?”

Wren pointed to herself boldly. “I’m what you idiots apparently call the Dragonspeaker!” She then drew her sword and pointed it at the lord of the city. “But this isn’t about me! This is about taking a slithery worm like you off the throne!”

“Wren… wha-” Undauntable began, before getting interrupted.

“I couldn't bear hearing him talk to you like that, Undauntable,” Wren said to the prince, her eyes still fixed on the Invincible Lord.

“Undauntable… is this true? The lord asked, disbelief in his tone.

Undauntable took a deep breath and looked his father dead in the eyes, standing up straight. “Yes, it is. But this is my battle to fight,” he took a deep breath. “Father, I challenge you to a duel.”

Chapter Text

“Undauntable,” Wren said, bewildered, wearing an uncharacteristic expression of shock on her face. 

Undauntable gulped, turning his gaze to his father’s cold, challenging eyes. The prince knew that if he stared at Wren’s face for too long, he’d probably revert back to the old, jelly-boned, Undauntable.

“Undauntable! You shouldn’t do this alone! I can’t let you!” Wren ranted. “You’re not ready! We were– we were supposed to do this together! Otherwise I’d have given you more time to train!” Undauntable’s teacher sounded panicked, creating cracks in the prince's heart.

Ivy and Leaf remained painfully silent, their faces grim. 

“Wren,” Undauntable began, his voice low, deciding to turn to face her after all. “Don’t waste your energy worrying about me. I can tell my father is– well, he’s slipping. Something’s off about him.”

Wren looked at Undauntable gravely, but nodded despite her apparent reluctant feelings. She then passed Undauntable her large sword. “Best of luck,” she said.

“We respect your wishes, Undauntable,” Ivy said, with Leaf nodding in agreement. “We believe in you.”

The prince flashed a smile, turned back to glare at his father once again, then took a step forward. The Invincible Lord was definitely slipping away, his demeanor was less… put together, straying from what Undauntable was used to seeing of him.

“So what? A duel for the city?” The Invincible Lord asked cockily, slipping his hand behind the outermost robe he was wearing, it was a deep red color and was held to his body by a matching color cincture. Undauntable gritted his teeth as he watched his father, rather gracefully, pull out a long blade.

“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Undauntable said, lowering his sword, making it point to the ground at an angle. “You can step down peacefully. We don’t have to duel.”

“Sounds like the words a coward would say!” The Invincible Lord yelled, charging towards Undauntable. 

The Prince jumped backwards and raised his blade, the two swords clashing. The Lord of the city was putting weight on his sword, causing Undauntable great strain.

“Guys! Back away!” Undauntable yelled to his friends behind him.

“WE’RE ON IT,” Leaf’s voice said.

Once he heard departing footsteps, Undauntable strenuously pushed back against his father. He then kneed his father in the crotch.

The Invincible Lord hissed through his teeth and jumped back. “That was low, Undauntable,” he said, hunched over and grimacing. The lord then menacingly straightened himself up, panting. However, before he could continue further with any attack he intended to do, he began to cough. Loudly. Undauntable clenched his teeth, watching his father violently heave and cough, spittle flying.

He’s sick… NO, don’t let your guard down, Undauntable.

But… Is it really that noble to beat up a sick man? WHAT AM I THINKING?! It doesn’t matter what the details are, I need to win. Besides, father looked very confident about him winning. He’s still very much a threat.

While his father was still hunched over, Undauntable approached him and, with his sword, smacked his father’s blade out of his hand, sending it skidding across the floor.

Suddenly, The (now disarmed) Invincible Lord punched his son in the stomach, and as the boy recoiled, punched him again in the face.

The pain was dizzying, and Undauntable felt like he was going to throw up as he fell to the ground. He heard Ivy gasp in the background.

Don’t worry Ivy, I got thi–

The prince’s thoughts were interrupted by his father looming over him, poised to punch Undauntable again. 

Before that could happen, the prince punched his father’s jaw. While the older man was stunned, Undauntable switched their positions, so that The Invincible Lord was under him, back on the ground. 

The prince, with knitted eyebrows and a bloody nose, pointed his sword downwards, with the tip of the blade prodding his father’s chest. “I said it doesn’t have to be this way! Give up now, father! You’re ill! You can’t win! You shouldn’t rule any longer!

The Invincible Lord’s sunken eyes glimmered. “Look at you. How barbaric. With a bruised and bloody visage, Prince Undauntable has taken his father down,” the sickly man mocked. “How can I give you the city? It’s my ticket to the power I’ve always yearned to acquire! Brat, you have NO IDEA what you’re asking for! You don’t know ANYTHING about ruling a city!”

“Neither do you,” Undauntable whispered.

Anger flashed on the Invincible Lord’s face, and, suddenly, searing pain scored through Undauntable’s face.

The teen screamed in pain, only able to see through one eye. He felt the blood flood out of his face. Undauntable staggered back, one hand clutching the throbbing side of his face, his hand warmed by blood. 

“Undauntable!” Leaf exclaimed.

Undauntable saw (through his progressively more blurred vision) his friends rushing towards him; with Leaf even taking it the extra mile to stomp on his father’s chest to knock the wind out of him and knock him down.

The prince felt arms wrapped around him. He heard his friends’ voices, yet didn’t understand them. He saw the way blood painted his hand and clothing dark red.

Undauntable’s vision went to black.

…

Undauntable blinked open his eyes, surprised to find himself in an all too familiar room. 

His room. 

The room with a personalized door with his name (courtesy of his past self’s desire to claim EVERYTHING and ANYTHING as his own.) The room with a tall window (with afternoon sun shining through) beside a heavenly bed. And, of course, the room that acted as his own personal safe room.

The prince turned his head to the side facing away from the window, discovering Wren sitting beside his bed. Behind her, Ivy and Leaf stood as well.

“Undauntable!” Wren said with an open smile. 

“Wren..? Ivy? Leaf..? Did I… Is…?” Undauntable began to ask.

“Is your dad in the dungeon? Yes,” Leaf said.

“Did it take MAJOR COERCION and A WHOLE LOT OF THREATENING to get him to hand over the city to you? Absolutely,” Ivy added. 

“Was your dad insane? Totally. But, not to sound like a slimeball, that worked to our advantage to get him to give up,” stated Wren with a sly smile. 

“He… kind of doesn’t want to see you anymore though,” Ivy said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“He doesn’t want to… Oh,” Undauntable mumbled, still groggy. He placed his fingers on the numb side of his face– the injured side– discovering some fabric that was wrapped around it. “Ah.”

“Sorry! I was not about to summon any castle staff so I ran off and pulled down a random textile I found! I’m no medic but… Let’s just say, you’re looking better now,” Ivy explained.

“What..?” Undauntable murmured.

“Your dad slashed out your eye. Me and Leaf dealt with him, while Ivy tended to you,” Wren said, answering Undauntable’s question. The dragonspeaker had a vague sympathetic look on her face. She leaned her head in and pecked Undauntable on the cheek. 

GAABAHHADNECNKS WHAT. Needless to say, Undauntable’s brain exploded.

“AHE AHEMM,” Leaf interrupted. “Undauntable, we need to discuss where we should go from here, and how to spread the word of your city’s new ruler.”

“That’s LORD Undauntable to you, LEAF,” Ivy teased.

Wren barked a laugh. “Tch, yeah! I guess Undauntable’s no longer our ׳disgraced prince!’’ 

Undauntable breathed out a sigh. “THAT’S a RELIEF,” he said, eliciting laughter from his friends.

Chapter Text

Exuberance was a happy girl. However she had to MAJOR gripes about her life. One, her name. What was with these dorky names every adult seemed to give their child? UGH she knew if she were to have any children, she’d name them something COOL and NORMAL. 

As for the second complaint… Exuberance always felt guilty about it but… well…

She HATED being the princess. HATED HATED HATED IT.

It was always: “Exuberance, no! What did I tell you about going there?!” or, “you killed our city’s Lady, make our lives easier and BEHAVE.”

Exuberance wrinkled her nose at this thought. It’s been sixteen years since her birth and yet they STILL can’t get over her mother’s deadly delivery of her. 

Hmph. Maybe she wasn’t so happy after all.

It’s not MY fault! I was hardly even alive! And yet they treat me like a demon! The princess thought bitterly. Granted, the people who ostracized her were part of the older crowd, but it still hurt! Especially since they influence the youth to carry on this sentiment! 

NOTHING IS FUN ABOUT BEING A PRINCESS EVERYONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD HATES! She didn’t care if she acted mental! It was everyone else’s fault she was like this! 

It was around midnight, and the princess stood at the door of the royal manor, weighing the decision of going outside at this hour. It was between guard shifts, and another guard might be on their way to take over. The previous guard’s tiredness must’ve fogged their judgment, and Exuberance was here to take advantage of that.

Dad’s sick, and things aren’t looking so good for him soooo…… I might as well get used to seeing my city at its WORST— at night! She thought.

Her father, The Fortuitous Lord, was the only person who actually cared where Exuberance went, buutttttttttttt, he was gravely sick so what was he supposed to do now?

And if a hoodlum kills me, maybe that’ll be a plus. Exuberance thought heatedly, letting out a snort.

Before another guard came to take on their shift, the princess creaked open the tall and imposing door and went outside to the cold.

…

It’s been about a month and a half since Undauntable became Lord of the Indestructible City. 

Not THAT much has changed yet, however Undauntable definitely had ideas, he just hasn’t quite gotten used to being lord of the city yet. 

Already the morale of the city seemed to be boosted, most likely after word spread about Undauntable’s plans for the future. Banners with imprints of Undauntable’s likeness were flown outside of trading stalls. While the lord felt a tad bit uncomfortable with this (last thing he wanted was a cult-like following) he appreciated the thought behind the gesture. 

There was a percentage of the population, however, that REALLY didn’t appreciate Undauntable taking charge. He couldn’t blame them too harshly, a teenager ruling a city did look a little silly.

Undauntable sat in his throne, running his fingers through his clean, dark hair. Wren and the others agreed to visit him two times a week, due to diplomatic relations they are establishing with the dragon tribes. That was one of the reasons, after all, why the city was so fortified.

Because of dragon attacks.

And if humans and dragons established friendly relations all across the map, maybe there wouldn’t be so much of a refugee crisis. According to Undauntable’s friends, some dragons were already very much on board with this idea. He knew Sour-Face definitely was.

Ivy and Leaf looked pretty excited (more so Ivy) to reunite with that little golden dragon they talked about before. And Wren said she might just get a job at the dragon school that Undauntable was IMPRISONED in oh so long ago.

Today was one of those days where Wren and the others would visit him, and he was giddy. Lately he’s had A LOT on his mind, and he really just had to TALK. Some days he just felt like he was going to explode.

The main niggling thing floating around in his mind lately was, where was his mother? What happened to her? 

Undauntable pursed his lips. He should take initiative and ask the person most likely to know: his father.

…

The castle dungeon wasn’t like what people normally think a dungeon should be. It was clean, it wasn’t infested, it was well lit, and all its inhabitants were taken care of.

Undauntable had been hesitant to visit his father in the jail again after the first time he did. Not out of fear but out of— well, what would they talk about? IF his father was even willing to speak to him (which last time he wasn’t).

But now— maybe the subject of Undauntable’s mother would compel his own father to speak to him again.

The new Lord of the city nodded to the guards with a smile and walked down the hallway, passing by several cells, before stopping in front of a slightly larger main cell. It was more long than it was wide, and it held the former ruler of the Indestructible City.

In the gloom of the cell, the former lord, now only referred to as “Invincible” (as that is his given birth name) sat, with his back against the wall. Upon Undauntable approaching the ex-ruler, he perked up.

The Undauntable Lord sat down in front of his jailed father, trying to find the correct words to say. “Hello… Father,” he opted to say.

Invincible just glared at him through the bars.

“I… hope the staff have been treating you and the other prisoners well.”

Once again, no response.

Undauntable frowned. “I wish our family didn’t have to turn out like this.”

Silence.

“I guess our family was never meant for normalcy, was it?” Undauntable continued. “Which leads me to ask…”

Invincible turned his head to make direct eye contact with his son, looking ever so slightly more interested.

“...Where is my mother?”

Chapter Text

The night air was cold, sending a chill through Exuberance. The cobblestone roads were ugly, and nobody was out. There were stalls set up yet nobody stood at them.

Obviously.

It’s dangerous at night. 

But Exuberance didn’t quite know that. She always had a curfew but assumed it was just another way for adults to oppress her. The princess huffed, and continued walking. Surely SOMEONE interesting would come her way. Preferably a handsome, tall, roguish boy to sweep her off her feet. 

More silence. This was really depressing

“It’s almost as if everyone worthwhile is asleep,” Exuberance whispered to herself. She’d have to go on a morning stroll later. BUT WHERE’S THE FUN IN THAT?! No adventure, no handsome delinquent guys, NOTHING! What was she to do?!
Suddenly, Exuberance’s thoughts are interrupted by a faint mrrrow . She looked to the right and saw two cats headbutting each other affectionately.

“EEEEE!” The princess squealed, her moody thoughts instantly dissipating. She then approached the cats. 

Or, at least tried to, as the felines bolted off, down the dark cobblestone road. Exuberance frowned, then ran after the cats, not caring how loud her shoes clicked or how her nightgown flapped. 

Before she knew it, she lost the cats, but found three people. All seemed to be about her age, two boys and one girl. The girl who was visibly anxious in the dim light, was behind the tallest boy, who was fighting with a smaller young man. Exuberance just stood there and watched the drama unfold, frozen in fear. 

Hoodlums! She thought to herself. Suddenly, the castle actually seemed like a better place to be.

“Did you steal my necklace?!” The smaller youth yelled to the taller.

“As if!”

“Then why is SHE wearing it?!” The challenger pointed at the girl.

The Taller boy sputtered, then got down into a defensive stance. “Why are you so fixated on jewelry anyway, huh, Invincible? Did it belong to you mama? Aww are you gonna–”

The smaller boy, who turned out to be named Invincible, flung himself at the taller lad, pushing him down. Exuberance gasped and backed up, putting her thin arms up and grimacing.

The taller boy looked up at the princess and quickly pushed Invincible off. He then got up off the damp, cold ground and stared at Exuberance. “No way, it’s the princess,” he said.

But Exuberance knew this fascination wasn’t pure, as the young man was eyeing her clothes and jewelry. 

Suddenly, the blade of a knife glinted in the moonlight, as the taller teen drew a dagger. But before he could make a move at the princess, he got yanked back by the hair by Invincible. 

The taller boy swore loudly, but Invincible was louder as he screamed: “RUN PRINCESS!”

Exuberance nodded and frantically ran as fast as her weak, so-used-to-sitting, legs could carry her.

Her heart was racing, as well as her mind. Invincible looked fascinating, and he tried to save her. This was like a fairytale!
FOCUS EXUBERANCE. She screamed to herself as she hauled herself toward the castle doors.

…

“How should I know?” Undauntable’s father responded cooly. “She left years ago.”

Lord Undauntable leaned forward and grabbed the bars of the cell. “WHY? Why would she leave?!” 

Without me? The teen questioned himself.

Invincible looked his son in the eyes, his expression stiff. “She didn’t want to live in a city that ran by rules I put in place. Your mother was a fickle woman, and she never felt loyal to this city despite being the ‘proper heiress’ to its throne,” he paused, scratching his beard stubble. “Women like your mother are exactly the reason I’m glad you were born a boy. A woman leading successfully is nothing more than a chimera of human imagination.”

Undauntable sharply breathed in, anger flaring. “You’re not telling me everything! I know you aren’t! WHY?!”

Invincible scoffed. “Why what ?”

The City Lord’s voice lowered. “Why… why would she leave me behind..?”

Before Undauntable’s father could even answer, a guard’s low voice sounded from behind the younger of the two. “Lord Undauntable, Lady Wren has arrived,” the guard said.

With that, Undauntable huffed and got up, his usual feeling of “YAY WREN!” dulled by the conversation he just had. The teen looked back at his imprisoned father, frowning. “This isn’t over,” he said.

“It never is,” Undauntable’s father responded.

…

Upon entering the throne room, Undauntable saw Wren laying across his throne and chuckled. He walked up to the throne and leaned on one of the arms of the chair. “Greetings, Lady Wren, how are you faring?”

Wren grinned. “Quit it, Undauntable, you sound like a dork.”

Undauntable laughed softly. “Is this your idea of usurping the throne? By just laying down on it and not budging?”

“Yup,” Wren responded, keeping a mischievous smile on her tanned face. “And there’s NOTHING you can do about it.”

The City Lord sat on the chair arm, smiling warmly down at the girl. “Oh, I missed you, Wren… how’s that dragon school doing? How are your students?”

Wren sat up, allowing Undauntable to squeeze next to her on the throne. She sighed, exasperated, “BY THE MOONS, UNDAUNTABLE, I DON’T THINK I’M CUT OUT FOR BEING A TEACHER. The dragonets aren’t quite used to the idea of a tiny human teaching them, and they keep trying to pet me! It’s like… TEACHING A GROUP OF SKYS! Or, at least, when it comes to the RainWings.”

Undauntable laughed, he loved Wren and her humor. “Don’t say that! You taught me loads of stuff and here I am! The Lord of the Indestructible City!”

Wren smirked at Undauntable and nudged him. “You’re a special case, Undauntable.”

I definitely am… Undauntable thought before frowning. 

His girlfriend noticed this and continued speaking. “What? I didn’t mean it in a BAD way!”

Undauntable shrugged it off and smiled again at Wren. “It’s not that, don’t worry! It’s just…”

The girl cocked her head.

“It’s just…” Undauntable continued, trying to find the right words. “Well, I have a lot on my mind right now. Everything’s fine but—”

“Undauntable, I know everything is not fine. I can see right through you,” Wren said, a sympathetic look on her face. 

Undauntable flinched and nodded. “My father won’t tell me anything about my mother, I don’t know where she is, and why she left me behind. I wish… I wish she took me wherever she decided to go, I wouldn’t have— my father—” his body stiffened.

Wren sighed. “Your father is a real camel turd. GIve me five minutes in that cell of his and I’ll beat the info out of him,” she said, cracking her knuckles.

The young man shook his head, laughing. “Wren! We’re civilized here!” he said, before looking away. “He’s never been straight with me, I suppose even when it comes to the whereabouts of my own mother…” 

Wren pursed her lips, looking thoughtful, remaining silent for several seconds before speaking again. “I know this isn’t satisfying by any means but– they say everyone makes their way to the Indestructible City in one way or another. Your city is HUGE, and was seen as the beacon of hope for human survival for years. A city like that surely will have news spread about a new prince who takes over… maybe, just maybe… Your mother will appear then?”

Undauntable thought about it for a moment then nodded. “I suppose that’s true…” He then paused, before speaking once more. “Wren, you said once that there are dragons who can see the future… Do you think they can see into my future and see if my mother will find her way to me?”

Wren laughed awkwardly. “Ah, well, yes! However, from what I hear it’s only a select few… know one jade mountain student who is the only capable future seer I know but… Well, she has a lot to learn and I don’t think her power is on command.”

Undauntable sighed. “It was worth asking. I suppose it's gonna have to be a waiting game from now on…”

Chapter Text

Exuberance had a guilty pleasure. A NEW one, at least. It was sneaking out late at night—or, early in the morning? MIDNIGHT. She’s been sneaking out every midnight for the past month to see Invincible.

Invincible, Invincible, Invincible. He was like a breath of fresh air after breathing in nothing but sickness and dusty tapestries. She was surprised she hadn’t been caught yet, but then again, which guard would dare to stop her? Exuberance was quite explosive, always has been, always will be. Besides, she was fairly convinced the castle staff hated her.

The night was chilly, as usual, but by this time the princess donned a fur coat, so all was right in the world.

Almost.

Her father was dying, a mysterious disease has been eating away at him for a long while now, making every day a potential inauguration. Exuberance was very, very much aware of this fact, as the idea of her dad dying AND her ruling and actually taking responsibility scared her.

I’m not a crusty old person yet, I shouldn’t rule on my own! She thought as she walked. The princess eventually made her way to her and Invincible’s meetup spot, the outside of the dilapidated hostEl he stays at. The residence was allegedly supposed to be funded by the government but— well, the money was either stolen, being abused, or non-existent. Exuberance frowned, and hugged herself, trying to trap the warmth of her coat as much as possible as she waited for Invincible. 

Finally, the boy walked out, and Exuberance gave him a small smile, which was all that she could muster up. The princess leaned back on the wall of the hostel and let out a shaky sigh.

“Hmm?” Invincible hummed, raising a dark eyebrow and turning to face the girl in the dim light of the street lanterns. “Is something the matter? You look like you're thinking.”

Exuberance raised an eyebrow at the boy’s phrasing but shrugged it off and shook her head. “It’s my father, he’s sick.”

“I knew that,” Invincible said shortly. “What is he…”

“No, no he’s not,” the princess responded, raising her tan hands to her face. “But I know his time is running out, and I just realized how much I need him.”

Don’t cry, don’t cry! Exuberance thought frantically, feeling tears well up in her eyes. 

Invincible hummed and rubbed her back. “It’ll be alright–”

“No! It won’t!” The princess wailed. “Father is the only one in this entire city who doesn’t hate me! How am I supposed to rule?! I’m too young, this is too soon, it’s all happening too fast!” She slumped to the ground.

Invincible crouched beside her. “Make sure to keep it down, I don’t want the other inside to wake up,” he warned.

“Like I care!”

“Exuberance…”

The girl looked back at the boy, with watery eyes and clenched her teeth. “I- I’m sorry. It’s too much, everything is too much… I can’t rule alone…”

Invincible looked like he was calculating something, his expression cool. Finally, he spoke. “Who says you’ll have to rule alone?”

Exuberance perked up. “As in..?”

The boy turned to her slowly, his eyes sharp. “As in, I can help you, can’t I? I’ll be the Lord and you be the Lady.”

The princess looked down at her hands and sniffled, her face heating up a little. “I don’t know… I’ve only known you for a month and– I don’t think… I don’t think anyone would approve of us being… like that.”

Invincible shook his head. “Nonsense. Why would you think that? Is it because I’m too common for you?”

Exuberance grumbled and shook her head. “N-no! I like you a whole lot but, well yeah… I doubt anyone would like me marrying… you.”

“Instead of what? A prince? Don’t be silly, Princess. It’s not like it's a rule for you to only marry into noble families, if anything, it’s something to be avoided,” a small smile appeared on the boy’s face. “Remember, you’re one of the few on the very top of the hierarchy, nobody can tell you what to do.”

The princess nodded. “I guess… But we’re both only fifteen–”

“Royalty marries early all the time.”

Exuberance fidgeted. “Yeah… I read about that…”

Invincible smirked. “Good,” he responded. “The Invincible Lord and his Exuberant Lady will bring this city to glory…”

…

Turns out, to Undauntable’s great surprise, playing the waiting game was… hard, to say the least. It has been two months since his yearning for his mother to return to him was once again awakened. Over that time, The Lord of the city increasingly became aware that the hope of his mother turning up was very, very, optimistic.

“Your mother was a fickle woman, and she never felt loyal to this city despite being the ‘proper heiress’ to its throne…” Undauntable recalled his father saying. 

I’m such an idiot. 

“Uh, okay, so your mother hasn’t turned up yet,” Wren said, interrupting Undauntable’s thoughts. “But don’t let that get you down, I’m sure if we–”

“It’s okay, Wren, I know she’s not coming back,” Undauntable said sadly, resting his cheek on his hand.

The girl looked at him with concern in her dark brown eyes. “Undauntable…”

The city Lord smiled softly. “You are the only family I need, Wren. You, and Leaf, and Ivy, and Sky…”

Wren patted Undauntable on the head awkwardly, providing physical comfort wasn’t her strong suit. She then stopped petting him and then gripped his hair.

“Hey!” Undauntable said, not out of harm, but rather out of being slightly startled. Wren let go and the boy rubbed his head. “What was that for?”

“Don’t give up on this!”

The Lord raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Wren leaned back on the back of the throne, still sitting on the arm. “I have an idea, and it might work…”

…

It was getting around the time of week for Wren to visit Undauntable after she taught at Jade Mountain Academy. The Lord’s stomach was in knots, as he knew who his lover was bringing back could make or break whether he could reunite with his mother or not.

Moonwatcher. 

A young NightWing dragonet who had the amazing gift of prophecy. She apparently has been honing her future sight for a little while now.

After having a long meeting about expanding the city, and after petting Dragon, Undauntable finally was given word of Wren and Moonwatcher’s arrival.

Undauntable saw his lover enter the throne room, tailed by a familiar NightWing. The dragon seemed to be larger than he remembered, yet fit nicely through the (now made wider) throne room door.

Undauntable pushed aside his nerves and got up, outstretching his arms. “Good evening, Wren, good evening, Moonwatcher!” He approached the two, hugged Wren, then looked up at the NighWing and instantly recognized her eyes.

Midnight!
“Good evening,” Moonwatcher greeted, catching Undauntable off guard. 

Wren grinned at this and growled something to Moonwatcher that caused her eyes to brighten. The Lord saw the dragon look at him with sympathetic eyes, and Undauntable went up to her and put his hands together, conjuring up all his knowledge of the dragon language. “You…find mother?” He managed to grunt these words out

Moonwatcher nodded, and began to rub her temples, looking like she was going through great mental strain.

Undauntable watched, fascinated. The dragon opened her eyes and moved her gaze slowly from side to side, as though she was physically searching. Wren and Undauntable sat down, and Moonwatcher followed suit. The two humans were making sure to keep any noise and movement to a minimum.

After thirty or so minutes, Moonwatcher gasped and looked up, turning to Wren, grumbling something. 

Undauntable recognized a few key words, them being: “waiting”, “mother”, “city”, and “water”. The Lord turned to his girlfriend and, after the dragonet was finished talking, asked her about what the NightWing had seen.

Wren patted Moonwatcher’s shoulder and turned to look at Undauntable, her gaze bright. “She saw a reality where your mom DID come to you, and, according to Moon here, you two were talking A LOT. Moon listened in and heard your mother mention the sea, and occasionally trading at Safe Harbor,” the girl’s eyes softened. “According to Moon, your mother seemed to speak fondly of being alone, being a hermit… She also apparently had a SeaWing tooth on her necklace. Don’t you see what this could mean? We can use these clues to track her down. She most likely lives by Safe Harbor, along the sea in which the SeaWings live.”

Undauntable’s eyes widened.

Me and Leaf were so close to her then… He thought, wanting to slap himself.

The Lord looked up at the NightWing, rose, and hugged her neck. “Thank you,” he grumbled in Dragon.

Chapter Text

The wedding wasn’t what Exuberance had in mind when she was a child–or, rather, when she was an even younger child. No, sixteen isn’t still a child… Right?

For starters, her father wasn’t with her to walk her down the aisle. Secondly, she was marrying a peasant… just a dashing and mysterious and tortured one! Even though he tended to be a little possessive over the kingdom that wasn’t even his yet, and even if he sometimes wore her jewelry without her permission (before losing it), they loved each other! That’s all that mattered.

Exuberance knew how unsightly it was for the Exuberant Lady to be marrying a peasant… BUT THIS WAS HER KINGDOM NOW!

Maybe? 

She’ll work that out with Invincible.

Anyway, this day was going to be perfect! 

…

The baby cried in Exhuberance’s arms, the exhausted young mother cradling him. This… wasn’t where she was expecting to be within a year. Alone in the birthing room, the midwives have left to fetch food for her and Invincible never shows up.

He’s busy. She said to herself. He’d probably faint while watching anyway! Exuberance laughed at this thought, she’d have to tease Invincible about that some time.

After her son finally fell asleep, and after finally getting food, Invincible finally came in, taking to crouching by the bed. Exuberance smiled at the baby and then at her husband… the two looked so much alike. Their son has inherited Invincible’s darker skin, dark hair, and dark eyes.

“He looks a lot like you, yeah?” The Lady chuckled. “Minus the scowl and the eyebags!”

Invincible looked at her, his eyes flickering with very mild amusement.

Grouch.

Exuberance passed the baby to her husband, who awkwardly cradled him. “Our prince…” He said.

“What should we name him,” the Exuberant lady asked tiredly, her body was slowly shutting down, her energy wasn’t infinite, after all.

“Something noble… hmm,” Invincible looked up thoughtfully. “Undauntable.”

Exuberance cracked up. “Is that a real word?!”

“Oh, please, it doesn’t have to be a real word, it’s a name,” Invincible said, unclear if he was being playful or not. 

Exuberance laid back into the bed, her muscles relaxing. “Whatever you say, my liege,” she said with a smirk before dozing off…

Moonwatcher stood there, ready to guide Undauntable to his mother. After a small back and forth before, Wren finally convinced Undauntable to be the one to retrieve his mother with the Night Dragon.

“I’m telling you, I can take care of the city for a day!” Wren said, grinning. “Along with your royal kissups!”

“I’m sure you can, it's just— wait what did you call them? You do realize you’re technically one of those yourself!” Undauntable teased.

“Oh shut up!” Wren laughed.

Moon waited, looking ready for anything… After all, compared to the journeys she’s been on– this is like going to the market. Once Wren notified Jade Mountain Academy’s staff about this mission, Moon got pardoned from school for several days– plenty of time– so all was well. 

Undauntable tied his hair back and strode to Moon, due to his Dragon still not being so good, Ivy tagged along. 

Every action had a consequence, everything that happened created a new future, and Moon’s powers exploited that fact. They were headed to Safe Harbor, or, rather, the outskirts of it.

Undauntable gave Wren a hug, “I’ll be back soon don’t worry, you won’t be stuck running this place for long,” he said.

They separated, and Undauntable climbed onto Moon, behind Ivy. 

“I’ll be FINE,” Wren said with a dismissive hand gesture. “Good luck guys, Pyrriah’s a messy place to travel around.”

And family troubles are even messier… The City Lord added to himself grimly.

…

Safe Harbor wasn’t THAT far away… In the grand scheme of things at least. But Undauntable’s tied stomach made every minute feel like an eternity.

Ivy would relay directions to Moon upon the dragon’s request, and the young City Lord felt proud of himself for understanding what the NightWing was asking. The three flew over a large, large, LARGE muddy expanse, which Ivy explained to be “MudWing territory”. She proceeded to dump MudWing facts on Undauntable, which the City Lord didn’t mind at all.

…

After taking several breaks (Moonwatcher over exerted herself just a tad bit by carrying two humans for a long trip), the trio made it to Safe Harbor. They stopped in view of the city, a chilly breeze swept through and clouds were gray and thick, not a single ray of sunshine to be seen. Undauntable chose to not see this as a bad omen. 

The City Lord turned to look at Moon, who, judging by her strained look, was sifting through futures, looking for commonalities in terms of Undauntable’s mother’s location. Ivy, who sat on the nape of the NightWing’s neck, rubbed her head reassuringly. 

After a few minutes, Moon perked up and growled something that Undauntable recognized as a “follow me” of sorts. 

As the small group walked, Undauntable fidgeted. So long… It’s been so long since he’s seen his mother…

Did she change? Will she be proud of him? Should he leave out the fact that he and his friends beat his father into submission? 

Ivy looked back at him. “Soooo, Undauntable, you excited?”

“Oh um,” the Lord perked up. “Yeah, but also nervous.”

The girl's expression softened. “I’m sure everything will be fine, besides, it’s not like you never met her before. And at least she didn’t try to sacrifice you to dragons, like SOME parents we both know.”

“I suppose.”

Ivy pulled her hair out of her ponytail and turned to look ahead. “Point is, you have the right to be nervous, but don’t let that dampen your excitement. I’m happy for you, Undauntable.”

…

The trio continued to trek on through the moistened terrain, reaching a dark forest of fir trees. The sun had set and, since it grew increasingly difficult to follow Moon, Undauntable took to riding on her behind Ivy. The girl was grumbling a conversation to the shy Night Dragon.

The City Lord felt itchy and tired, letting out a yawn.

“Don’t fall asleep on me Undauntable,” Ivy chuckled. “I can’t guarantee how good of a first impression that’d be.”

Eventually, near a shore, light was spotted. Not just any light though, lanterns! Lanterns that belonged to several small cottages. 

Undauntable felt Moon’s muscles tense, she must be wondering if these humans would be scared of her… Old habits die hard after all, and some people really get set in their ways. Undauntable listened to the waves lapping at the rocky shore, and felt his nerves cool down.

Until a scream was heard.

An old lady, holding her… regular sized cat… spotted the three (particularly Moon) from her circular window.

In a neighboring cottage, one that was in worse condition than the old woman's, a younger woman slammed open her door. “Hey! Tuna! Can you quit it with your nightly shriek—” the woman interrupted herself upon seeing Moon, her eyes widened. 

The warm light of the lanterns was just enough for Undauntable to recognize the woman. 

It was her, it was his mother, Exuberance.

The City Lord quickly dismounted Moon and ran to his mother, emotion welling up in his belly. 

“Hey! Who are you?!” The woman yelled as Undauntable hugged her.

He realized with a burst of affection that he’s grown taller than her. 

Exuberance pushed Undauntable away, creating a separation. However, before she could tell him off, she recognized his face. 

“Oh, it’s you, Undauntable! Don’t scare me like that!” She said… almost too casually.

The City Lord smiled. “Mother! I missed you so much!” He went in for another hug. 

“Er, I missed you too. By the way, is that your dragon?”

Undauntable turned. “No, that’s my friend, Moonwatcher!"

The woman blinked. “Oh wow, my son, friends with dragons, huh? You sound like that girl I heard about…” She trailed off, the gears in her empty head turning. “The Dragonslayer? No, no, that’s someone else… The Dragonspe– The Dragonspeaker! Yeah, her.”

Undauntable looked back, and saw Ivy (who still sat on the amused Moonwatcher) give him a thumbs up.

“Mother, she’s my girlfriend,” the boy informed her lovingly.

“Who? Her?” Exuberance pointed at Ivy.

“No! The Dragonspeaker!”

Undauntable’s Mother smirked and shook her head. “I have a lot of things to catch up on, huh?”

“Yes!” Undauntable answered eagerly. “And I have so much to tell you!”

“Alright then Undauntable, you and your friends can come inside. Although,” Exuberance glanced at her cottage’s door. “I don’t know how the dragon will fit.”

Chapter Text

The cottage was small, clearly only meant for one person and not a family. As Undauntable and Ivy opened the door, they were greeted by cats mewling. 

Cat lovers run in the family, I guess, Undauntable thought with a smile, bending down to pet a large tom.

Exuberance stepped in and more cats appeared, some pawing her. “Yeah, yeah…” She said to them, walking towards a little kitchen area, where half of a skinned fish lay on a wooden board. “I need to feed my brats first,” she grunted, before looking at her son and Ivy. “Make yourselves comfortable!”

Undauntable smiled and sat down by a cluttered table, Ivy sat down next to him on the same bench. Strewn about the table was evidence of his mother’s hobbies… A scaling knife, ground up leaves– catnip for sure–, and sewing and crocheting supplies. A fire crackled in the fireplace and it felt like… a home. Not regal, by any means. No one could’ve guessed she was a princess at one point if they just met her.

Exuberance poked her head out of a large circle window. “OI! You!” she screamed out of it, then looked back at her son. “Can the dragon understand me?”

Undauntable made an “ish-ish” hand gesture, to which prompted Exuberance to thrust her arm out the window and make a beckoning gesture to Moon.  

Ivy chuckled, then fidgeted with a scaler, Undauntable watched his mother get back to cutting up the leftover fish and dishing it to her cats on the floor. Soon, Moon poked her head through the window, to which Ivy greeted her.

The former princess brought the two teens cups of tea and soon sat down with a bitter smelling drink. “Would your friend there like some food?”

“Let me ask,” Ivy said, before growling something to Moon, who nodded her head shyly.

“Well I’ll be…” Exuberance said with a smile, before getting up, looking for something. “I think Pickles hunted for me a muskrat a few days ago, she can have that…”

“MOTHER!” Undauntable said, embarrassed. A stranger could DEFINITELY never guess his mother was royalty.        

“She likes fruit,” Ivy informed, sipping her tea.

“I’ll toss her an apple…” Exuberance muttered, before doing just that. She then sat down and drank her bitter drink. 

“Mother I…” Undauntable began. “Mother, I’m the lord of the city now. And everything’s been great I just- I just wish–”

“Hold it,” Exuberance interrupted, her arm on the table, pointing. “You mean to say.. Invincible is DEAD?!”

Undauntable looked at her and blinked, before shaking his head. “No, no, he’s not. He got… He’s been terrible the past few years, mother. Me and my friends locked him up…” He uttered the last part slower, searching his mother’s expression for any distress.

But nothing was to be found.

“Huh. He had it coming, acting as if he was ruling the roost like that. Good job,” Exuberance remarked casually.

The Lord of the City was hit by a pang of confusion. Was she really so unaffected? There was not a hint of even nostalgia to be seen. He should be relieved, but Undauntable was more confused than anything.

Ivy sipped her tea, her gaze going from Undauntable, to the now empty window, to Exuberance, and back to Undauntable. 

“Mother…” Undauntable’s grip on his cup tightened.

“Hmmm?” The ex-princess grunted.

“Mother, why did you have to go? It should be you ruling, not me,” the boy finished.

“Undauntable, no,” his mother mumbled before shaking her head. “I left for a reason, I shouldn’t be ruling.”

“Then why?!” he said, buried emotions bubbling up. 

“Why, what?” 

“WHY did you go?” Undauntable asked, sounding more firm and pushy than intended.

Exuberance blinked, then leaned on her hand. “There sometimes comes a certain point when you realize you and another person just aren’t meant to be,” she began. “Like me and your father. Invincible tended to treat our relationship like a transaction. He gave me love, and I gave him a son and a city. Thank the moons it only took the first try to get you.”

She sipped her drink.

Undauntable squirmed, Ivy put her hand on his shoulder, as if trying to prepare him for what might be coming.

“Later down the line, when you were more big, I thought to myself ‘I’m not happy’, and I kept getting reminded of it whenever I laid next to your father at night,” she paused, her gaze softer than before. 

“You didn’t have to be stuck with him, though, mother…” Undauntable reminded her softly, sadness spreading through his veins. “You are… you’re the true heir to the throne anyway.”

Exuberance shook her head. “It wasn't just the marriage, Undauntable… It was everything.”

Ivy’s hand tightened.

“Truth be told, I didn’t want to be Lady anymore. Too many expectations, why should I have to hear about other’s problems when I’m my own person? Yeah, I took the backseat in ruling, but I still had to deal with political drama, and I couldn’t stand being harassed every time I went outside. The people of the city never liked me,” she said, sipping her drink.

Undauntable frowned. “Why did you leave me, mother..?”

“I didn’t leave you. I left the city.”
“You DID leave me! I was nine, mother! You could’ve taken me with you!” Undauntable exclaimed, putting his cup down.

“And become a fugitive because I stole your father’s heir? Fat chance,” she said, far, far too dismissively.

The boy frowned. “He can have other children! You aren’t his only option!” As much as he did not like to think about his father and mother’s… relations, he knew it was true.

“I’ll go check on Moon and leave you guys alone… heheh…… yeah,” Ivy said before ducking out.

Exuberance leaned her face on her hand. “You’re his firstborn son, of course Invincible would ideally want you, and only you to be the Lord of the city.”

“But Mother!”

“NO BUTS! I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS AWFUL! BUT IF YOU WERE ME YOU WOULD’VE DONE THE SAME!” Undauntable’s mother calmed down. “You’d want to run away too! And by the sounds of it, you have! You made all these amazing friends, one of which is a DRAGON apparently. Just like I made an amazing life by the seashore by running off.”

Undauntable looked down and nodded. “A fishmonger who lives with a bunch of old people is your ideal life, huh..?”

Exuberance laughed. “Oi! Don’t put it like that!”

The City Lord chuckled sadly. “So you won’t even pay a visit..?”

Exuberance searched his expression and her drunken gaze softened. “Fine,” she relented. “But mainly because I want to make sure your girlfriend is treating you right!”

“MOM!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Not really,” she said. “But stay the night, will you? We can leave tomorrow.”

Undauntable thought about it for a brief moment. “Sure. We won’t be riding on Moon, though, she could barely handle two people.”

“Oh thank the moons,” Exuberance sighed. “Well, call your human friend in, I can clear some space for you two to sleep. Unless you want to sleep outside with the dragon!”

Chapter Text

It was one of those nights. Exuberance woke up next to Invincible. She looked at her husband’s form under the blankets, his long hair splayed out on the cushions. She sighed, she couldn’t sleep.

She wasn’t happy.

Exuberance slipped out of bed and put a nightgown on, and walked out of the room. Undauntable would be sleeping in another room, and she wanted to see how her pride and joy was sleeping. 

He’s a heavy sleeper. She thought with a small smile. Like his father.

The Lady of the city traversed down the hallway with her bare feet, feeling the cool floor. Finally, Exuberance reached her son’s room, and peeked inside.

The boy was sleeping in his large bed, his cat (who he named ‘Dragon’) curled next to him. The mother smiled and sat on the corner of the bed, brushing Undauntable’s hair out of his face. 

He was the only reason why she’d think of staying.

But then again… He doesn’t need me… does he? She thought. Neither does Invincible, he can get a nicer, more beautiful wife whenever, and she can satisfy him… She looked at Undauntable, her mind a hurricane. No. he needs a mother, there’s no way I’d leave.

…

“If you’re so unhappy, then LEAVE!” Invincible roared, standing up, raising a hand threateningly. “I won’t have a lady in my household that is miserable, especially when she does nothing at all! I love you continuously and you owe me for it! It’s not easy to put up with a woman who’s miserable all the time, the least you could do is be good for me!”

Exuberance grimaced. Undauntable was asleep, she was pretty sure, at least.

“You’re willing to… banish me?! This is my city!” She exclaimed.

“Not anymore! The moment we married you gave over the right of owning this city to me!”

Exuberance stood there, stiff. “But what about Undauntable?! A child– a growing boy– deserves a mother and father!”

Invincible approached her. “A lord doesn’t need a mother, a future lady does. A lord needs to learn from his father. I don’t need you!”

Her heart felt like it stopped beating for a moment. Exuberance’s notions were correct… And that hurt. She clenched her hands and looked away. She should fight, fight for her right to stay in her city. Exuberance could call the guards, tell them to keep Invincible from hurting her.

But… truth be told… part of her wanted to leave, and maybe it was for the best, after all.

…

Undauntable and Ivy slept the night in a cluttered corner of his mother’s home. The pile of cushions and blankets were… less than ideal for Undauntable to sleep on, as well as Ivy, who only got to sleep after shifting a while.

As Undauntable began to doze, one of his mom’s cats sat on his chest with its rear in his face. He loved cats, but damn.

He sighed, resigning himself to his fate of not getting a good night's sleep. He’d be seeing Wren and the gang soon, anyway, he was looking forward to that. 

The home was warm, and the City Lord perked his head up, trying to see what his mother was up to now. 

Sleeping. She was sleeping in her hammock. 

Undauntable laid back. Welp. He laid there, he laid there for a while, listening to the faint sounds outside and smelling the lingering aroma of previously cooked meals.

At long last, Undauntable drifted off to sleep, nuzzling into a warm, furry blanket, thinking about his mother, and how the following days would ensue.

“Undauntable, Undauntable wake up…”

The lad blinked open his deep brown eyes, groggy. Crouched over him was his mother, dressed in a white sleeveless dress with patterns embroidered in silver. The clothing choice seemed very… fancy, and unfit for traveling. 

Undauntable propped himself up, coming to. “Good morning, mom…”

Invincible smiled and stood up. “I made breakfast, come and eat with me and Ivy and your dragon friend.”

The City Lord nodded and sat up fully. Ivy wasn’t in the house, and he heard growling outside… Were they having breakfast outside to include Moon? That was… very sweet actually. Unfauntable smiled, appreciating that his mom liked his friends so far, although her neighbors probably didn’t like the night dragon all that much.

He stood up, feeling gross about not bathing for a short while, that was something he’d do right away in the city. The morning was still very young. Undauntable padded up to Exuberance, who was cutting up some large fruit, her brown wavy hair tied back.

“I don’t get guests all that often,” she muttered, half to Undauntable, half to herself. “Let alone a dragon. I hope the portions aren’t too small,” she said to her son. “Would a whole chicken do? Would… uhm.. Moonlight like that?” 

“I doubt she’d appreciate a whole raw chicken,” Undauntable said, chuckling a little. “Me or Ivy can ask her if she wants more, but maybe bring out what you have now.”

Exuberance nodded and searched through a cupboard, pulling out a dark, steel pan, placing it on the wooden counter. She then looked at Undauntable. “The dragon can breathe fire right? I heard some can’t.”

“Yeah, she can,” replied her son.

“Great! I’ll be cooking these eggs outside with the fire pit!” She collected some brown eggs and put them in a small wicker basket around her elbow, then took the metal pan. Exuberance glanced at her son and pinched his cheek, then slapped it gently. “My beautiful boy,” she said randomly, then walked to the door, exiting her home. “Can you bring out the fruit?” Undauntable’s mother called after her.

Undauntable cracked a smile, took the oval plate of cut fruit, and followed her out. 

Moonwatcher sat next to Ivy, watching Exuberance and Undauntable. “Good morning,” Moon said sweetly, her draconic voice deeper.

Exuberance jumped a little, then laughed. “I’m gonna have to get used to that,” she sat down on the now-dried-from-dew grass and looked around. “Y’know, in times like this, I’m actually glad to live around old people who get up so damn late. I don’t know how they’d react to a dragon being right up by their houses!”

…

Exuberance ended up bringing out a bigger portion of cut fruit to Moon, and Undauntable and Ivy scarfed down the cooked eggs.

“We’re traveling today, y’know, so eat up,” Undauntable’s mother said, finishing off her omelet. Undauntable perked up, looking at his mom. “Oh, speaking of which, would you like to stick with your horse, or ride on Moonwatcher?”

“EHHHH?! Who said anything about a horse?” Exuberance said brashly.

Ivy and Undauntable looked at her.

“You… don’t have a horse..?” Ivy asked, she shook her head. “Poor Moon can’t carry three people yet!”

“Well, let me finish! I borrow horses all the time from one of my neighbors! He doesn’t seem to mind,” Undauntable’s mother said this with an air of smugness.

Are you sure you actually borrowed them? The prince thought with an internal sigh. 

Ivy growled something to Moon that was something of the effect of, “did you eat enough?”. The night dragon smiled and growled back a “yes”.

“W-with that being kinda settled, would you like to ride on Moon with me or Ivy?” The City Lord asked hopefully.

“PFFFBFHFHH, no! I love that dragon and all, she’s a sweetheart, but I— I don’t know,” Exuberance said, trailing off.

Undauntable pouted a little playfully. “That’s what I thought, but Wren showed me that it's not THAT bad!”

Exuberance chuckled nervously. “Y-yeah? Is that so?”

Ivy nodded. “Yup! I can take the horse, you and Undauntable will be safe on Moon, trust me! She’s a smooth flier, too. But if heights are the problem, it's fine!”

The former Lady of the Indestructible City fidgeted, then made up her mind. “Fine! I’ll do it! But if I bring up anything, I’m blaming you kids!”

…

The house was locked, the cats were given to one of the neighbors (the one Exuberance seems to actually get along with) to babysit, and Exuberance brought out her suspiciously acquired horse. 

Ivy sat on the horse, riding it around in some circles and giving it the occasional pat. It flicked its tail in response. Undauntable and his mother, however, weren’t doing as good, or, at least, Exuberance wasn’t doing as good. 

Undauntable’s mother felt anxious, but excited too. She looked at Undauntable on Moon, feeling… well, very much daunted.

“Just hold on, mother,” the City Lord said with a smile, shifting to make room behind him for his mother. “The back spines are not as sharp as they look.”

Exuberance looked at him, then at Moonwatcher, then back at Undauntable, and nodded. “Okay…”

Once settled, the Nightwing began to beat her wings, flattening the grass around her. Within a few strong flaps, the mother and son were in the air. Exuberance clenched her hands on Undauntable’s shoulders, letting out a startled yell.

She’s just like how I was. He thought with a reassuring smile, then growled a basic direction to Moon. The night dragon seemed to already have a route in mind–by using the simple method of following the way they came. 

…

They flew until the sun set, then stopped for the night (Ivy couldn’t possibly follow Moon and the others in the dark.) And got up in the morning to finish their journey, traveling a comparably short distance until reaching the Indestructible City. Exuberance seemed to mellow out, being a lot more talkative, not that Undauntable minded, of course. He hadn’t seen his mother in a long time, after all.

Ivy, along with everyone else, was ready for the journey to end.

Moon circled outside the city and descended, landing outside the (less imposing) walls. 

“Did you tell them to not fire at dragons? I’m surprised they’re listening.”

Undauntable shrugged. “The knowledge of dragons being just like us has spread like wildfire, you knew, after all. The occasional visit from Sky only helped solidify this.”

Exuberance slipped off the dragon, cursing as one of Moon’s back spined snagged her dress. “And there’s no camps outside! Did you find a home for every single refugee?!”

“Well…” Undauntable chewed his lip. “We are beginning programs for adoption, shelters, and promoting renting to the civilians.”

Ivy rode up. “Ready to go in?” She asked.

Exuberance looked hesitant for a moment, then steeled herself, squaring her shoulders and tying her hair. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Undauntable turned to Moonwatcher and hugged her neck, trying to grumble a “thank you for everything,” but it might’ve been more of a “I am grateful for all”. Regardless, it seemed to get the point across, and Moon nuzzled him and smiled. 

Exuberance and Ivy said their thank yous too, and the trio of humans waved Moonwatcher goodbye, watching her take off.

The prince was excited. His mother had agreed to stay for a couple of days, maximum four, before she’d sadly have to leave for her cottage and rescue her neighbor from her cats. Undauntable took his mother’s hand and walked beside Ivy, who was still riding the horse.

…

The guards gave a warm welcome to Undauntable and dazed looks to Exuberance. 

They both probably only know her as a deserter… He thought with a frown, but he pushed on, waving. Some guards of the gate walked with them.

As they passed through town with dozens of eyes staring and some folks cheering, Exuberance kept her head down, her son noticed this and spoke up. “I’m sorry, mother, should we have used an alternate route? There’s that basket I used to go in that goes straight to the upper-class section…”

The woman looked at him with her deep brown eyes. “It’s alright. I deserve it, I allowed myself to be scared off. I didn’t even have to leave the city.”

Undauntable’s eyes widened. Forced? That wasn’t a detail he’s been told. “Mother, no. You… It’s… it’s not your fault,” He stopped walking the cobblestone street, clenching his fists, hatred for his father bubbling in his chest. “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

Exuberance’s gaze softened, and she shook her head, chuckling, before taking Undauntable’s hand. “We can hold a pity party for me later, I wanna meet this Wren girl, and see how much the manor has changed.”

…

Finally, the trio entered the manor, with the guards allowing them in with a greeting, Exuberance looking around. Ivy was told where to put the horse, and left the mother and son with themselves. The former Lady of the city walked quickly through the halls, as if she didn’t want to accidentally catch any of the servants’ eyes, Undauntable trailed after her.

Exuberance looked tense, as she approached the throne room, as if she was anticipating meeting Invincible there. 

But no, rather she was met with a girl about her son’s age on the throne, and she was untensed. Undauntable followed after Exuberance and saw that Wren’s head was perked up. 

She got up from the throne and sauntered over to the City Lord. “It’s about time, I was getting tired of pretending as if I’m actually doing something,” Wren then smiled and hugged Undauntable.

Exuberance watched them, not knowing what to do. Undauntable pulled away, his heart feeling a little fuller, and looked to his mother. “Mother, this is Wren. Wren, this is my mother.”

“Oh uh, hi?” Wren said, trying to read the other woman.

“Hmmm…” Exuberance hummed, then smiled, cocking her head. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Wren.”

Undauntable watched as his mother went up to Wren and patted her back. “I can see why, you’re awesome,” her gaze darkened a little, and her voice lowered. “But if you hurt him–”

“MOM!” Undauntable exclaimed. This visit was going GREAT, just great! Two minutes in and his mom was already threatening his girlfriend?!

“Joking! Joking!” Exuberance chuckled. “But seriously though.”

Wren looked unsure of what to do.

“Let’s… let’s go set up a room for you, okay, mother?” Undauntable interjected.

His mother nodded and walked to him, a close lipped smile on her face. “Sounds good, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

With Exuberance settled in a guest room (heartbreakingly, she didn’t want to sleep in her former room), Undauntable made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

Undauntable was thinking of a nice lunch. Nothing too fancy (from what he’s picked up, his mother doesn’t appreciate “hoity-toity”, which is peculiar as she was born a princess). A nice… Family lunch. Just minus the father and plus a potential future daughter-in-law (as Undauntable hoped, at least), but still!

The young city lord had a little pep in his step as he padded to the kitchen down the stairs and down the hallway. As he did so, he smelled the loaves of bread the staff usually make that Undauntable enjoys for lunch. He should give them a little extra in their pay– the trading has been relatively more fruitful.

The long haired boy rounded the corner, going into the large, warm room, and greeted the Head Chef, a man named Calico. The present head chef was a stand in for his father, who had fallen ill. Calico was a bit more of a worrier, eager to please. Clearly, he had taken any lessons his father might’ve given him on pleasing royalty a little too neurotically.

“Lord Undauntable,” Calico uttered, dipping his blonde head a little. “I’ve heard of your mother’s homecoming, we are glad to have her back.”

Somehow, Undauntable doubted that very generalized statement. Calico himself may not have had any gripes with his former Lady, but…

“Would it be possible to prepare a nice lunch for me, the Lady, and my mother?” Undauntable asked, leaning against one of the long counters. “I’m thinking of a fish meal. My mother has been working as a fishmongeress, after all. I’d assume she likes seafood.”

Calico combed through his hair with his fingers. “Oh… Apologies, my lord, we don’t have any fish that are fit to eat at the moment. We can place a request to–”

Undauntable raised a placating hand, he felt bad, honestly, for making Calico so jittery. “That… won’t be necessary right now. I appreciate it, Calico. I… should just ask my mother what her favorite foods are. I’ll keep you updated, okay?”

Calico scratched the back of his head. “Y-yeah, sounds good.”

…

Chicken pot pie.

Exuberance’s favorite food was chicken pot pie.

The former lady of the city sat with Dragon weighing her down, Exuberance’s nimble fingers scritched and scratched at the large cat’s ears. 

“Even though your father introduced me to pot pies, I still love them dearly,” she said, sounding sentimental, looking down at Dragon fondly. “Speaking of him, I went down to talk to him.”

Undauntable looked up. “Mother… you shouldn’t, you’ll just get hurt.”

The Lord’s mother looked up, a small, humorless smile on her face. “You sound like your grandfather.”

Exuberance’s son opened his mouth to speak but before he could his mother arose. “I’ll wait in the dining room. Go on and tell the chefs what to cook and gather your friends,” she ruffled her son’s hair, she then chuckled. “You got any male friends? Or are you a lady’s ma–”

“MOM!” Undauntable interrupted. “Gross! I have a girlfriend! And Ivy has a boyfriend!”

The former City Lady waved a hand. “Yes, yes, I’m aware. I’m joking with you! But seriously, Wren seems a bit rough, Ivy seems like a nice girl.”

“MOTHER,” Undauntable groaned. Was there seriously going to be bad blood between his girlfriend and his mother?!
…

“Oh this smells wonderful, whatever your name is!” Exuberance exclaimed, clasping her hands together. 

“It’s Calico,” the blonde chef corrected. “And give my team love too, my Lady.”

Leaf’s deep brown eyes raked over the food that was placed down on the table. Exuberance watched Calico a little too close for Undauntable’s comfort. Wren came in and sat perpendicular to Undauntable, who sat at the head of the table (a seating placement that still made him feel a drop strange.) 

The head chef tinked a spoon on a cup. “Allow me to present to you your lunch,” Calico called. “Here we have a little basket of plain rolls, here is the pitcher of water, here is the pitcher of…”

Undauntable spaced out when he turned to look at Wren, and spaced back in when she reached to grab a bun.

“So, Wren,” Exuberance began, tearing a bit off the warm bun. “I’ve heard of your pet dragon, very impressive I must say!”

Wren had her cheek rested on her hand, a small smile on her full lips. “Yeah, Sky’s great, huh? He’s more of a brother than a pet, though.”

Leaf let out a quiet huff of a chuckle. “Never would I have expected to have a fireless, vegetarian, dragon for a younger brother,” he scooped some of the warm chicken and vegetable pot pie onto his plate. “I’m happy for him. Sky would be a great teacher or counselor with the right training. It’s nice how he’s getting at least a little more independent.”

Exuberance looked at Wren. “Vegetarian, huh? Isn’t that…” In that little pause Undauntable’s heart paused. “Animal cruelty?”

The table went silent, Leaf giving Exuberance a look. Everyone knew that Sky (among others) was more than any animal, and that Wren loved him greatly, and that she took good care of him when rearing the dragonet up.

Wren didn’t seem that phased, she just raised a dark eyebrow. “No, it’s not, Sky made the decision to be vegetarian.”

“Mhmm…” Exuberance hummed before taking a bite of her food. 

Undauntable was uncomfortable. “Mother… What?” He asked, and saw out of the corner of his eye Ivy sipping a cup of water, eyeballing the mother and son. 

The former princess waved her hand. “Don’t worry, darling, don’t worry! Let’s continue this lovely lunch that Calico and his cohort made!” 

Wren and Undauntable looked at eachother, the girl then shrugged her shoulders with a small sigh and went to scoop up some more of the pot pie.

“So… Exuberance,” Wren began, chewing on some of the hot pot pie. “Have you settled in well?”

“Mhm, very well, the city has changed so much,” Exuberance remarked. “I’m guessing you have gotten comfortable in the manor as well, dragon girl?”

Leaf scoffed and muttered something to Ivy.

Undauntable was uncomfortable.

“No, actually, I live elsewhere, I make sure to visit Undauntable,” Wren responded, that subtle note of fondness in her voice.

“Can you pass the water, Leaf?” Undauntable requests.

“How often do you visit?” Exuberance drilled.

Undauntable poured some water. “UHM, ANYWAY. Leaf how are YOU doing,” he said, in a tragic attempt to divert the conversation. WHY was his mom interrogating his girlfriend?!

Leaf perked up, not knowing how to deal with being put on the spot. “Good, I guess. Keeping Wren company made me appreciate how I’m not in charge of the city, it’s too big.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a large hand.

Undauntable’s mother chuckled. “Oh, I for sure understand that.”

…

“Wren, I feel like my mom doesn’t like you,” Undauntable said, looking out the tallest window in the throne room, one that overlooked the city. The night was still young, the lights of the Indestructible City looking like fireflies from up there.

“Yeah, well…” Wren muttered, standing beside Undauntable, bumping shoulders.

“I feel like… She has a lot of regrets in regards to her relationship with my father,” Undauntable continued, half to himself.

“Mhm…” The city lady hummed. “I remember it being a trope of some kind in the books I read of mothers being protective of their sons…”

The corners of Undauntable’s lips turned down a little upon hearing the slight… Bitterness in Wren’s voice. It occurred to him that Wren never, in fact, had any adult figure in her young life who cared for her. Undauntable leaned closer, rubbing her back.
“I’m grateful for my mother, and I’m grateful for getting to see her again. However, I hope she knows that I know what I’m doing,” the city lord paused. “And that you don’t try to eat my fingers or whatever she’s worried about,” Undauntable chuckled, leaning his head to Wren’s. Wren was shorter than him, not by a tremendous degree, but enough for Undauntable to rest his chin on the top of her curly head.

Wren let out a small exhale that was akin to a small chuckle. 

Undauntable was happy at the small chuckle. “She’ll come around, I’m sure of it. It doesn’t even seem like she HATES you, per se. Just mild caution.”

The girl snorted, a smirk on her lips. “Yeah, mild caution that her son might get fire breathed in his face.”

“Exactly,” Undauntable teased, carding his fingers through Wren’s curly hair. 

Wren huffed and shook her head. “We’re so cheesy. You’re so weird,” she smiled, her voice getting quieter. “I love you.”

A/N:

Rough ahh sketch of Calico

Chapter Text

Dragons like board games. 

A thought that Undauntable from two years ago would’ve snorted at.

Here he was, though, sitting across from a creature more than six times his body mass, playing a regular game. 

“Priority is to take the king…” Winter, formerly known as Sour-face to Undauntable, grumbled. 

The Lord of the Indestructible City was improving on his Dragon speech skills every day. Casual conversations and other exchanges in Dragon speak helped quite a bit, Undauntable noticed. Now, he was sitting on the floor of the throne room, getting taught game rules entirely in the language, which he understood almost entirely. 

Wren and Sky weren’t at the academy that day, nor were they helping build human villages, they were helping prepare for a wedding. A wedding that’s set to take place in two days.

“I’m sort of familiar with the bride and groom,” Wren had said. “I have no idea how to prepare for these types of things, but I trust Sky will tell me what to do. The bride is his sister, after all. So there is some form of responsibility there, too.”

Peril. Undauntable has heard of her. She was the opposite of Sky, a force to be reckoned with, scary (depending on who you are), and volatile (again, depending on who you are). Born with too much fire (the excess being taken by a fetal Sky), Peril sounded like a natural wonder to Undauntable. And now she will be getting married. There truly was a person for everyone, even ex-killing machines.

Undauntable couldn’t help but wonder how his wedding will look…

“Hello? Your turn.”

The Indestructible City’s lord jolted out of his thoughts at the dragon’s voice, he shook his head and moved one of the hexagonal game pieces; a rook. Winter, in turn, moved another rook.

…

Defeat. For the third time.

“You’re bad,” Winter said, a small, teasing smile on his long face. It took months, but Winter finally was no longer the same prickly dragon that had kidnapped Undauntable all those moons ago.

“Oh, be quiet. You caught me at a bad time,” Undauntable retorted, not unkindly. “Doesn’t help that the game pieces are dragon sized, too.”

Winter thumped his icy, quilled tail on the floor. “You show me your ugly city, I show you my games.”

“We still have…” Undauntable realized he didn’t know how to say “ballista” in Dragon. “Spear thrower.”

Winter seemed to catch the drift and snorted. “IceWings value logic, so this game is…” The ice dragon then said a phrase Undauntable can only assume means “classic”. 

The human lord watched the Ice Prince scoop the pieces into a case. Once done, the IceWing sat up. 

“I need air, come on,” Winter growled, then got up. Undauntable happily followed along towards a balcony that was installed a few months ago. Sky’s been growing, and Undauntable loves balconies… ergo the existence of the dragon friendly deck. 

Undauntable watched as Winter’s icy scales began to glimmer like a thousand stars. He couldn’t help but cringe when he realized that, had this been a few years ago, Undauntable would be fantasizing about wearing the scales around his neck.

Winter breathed in the air. A fresh, mountainous, breeze. 

The human looked down from the balcony, seeing people moving here and there. “I doubt I’ll see humankind completely getting rid of their fear of dragons in my lifetime.” He said absentmindedly.

Winter looked at him, then back out at the sky. “It’s a natural truth that small creatures are scared of larger ones. Don’t insult yourself and your friends like that, though, what you are doing is revolutionary.” The IceWing paused, then closed his eyes, a wry smile cracking along his snout. “Neither me, Moon, or Sky have been shot at. Not one rebel has tried to slay us. I think you should put more faith in your people.”

Undauntable was taken aback, but then nodded. After a long, thoughtful pause, Undauntable decided to break the silence. 

“So, are you going to the wedding?”

Chapter Text

After suffering the biggest burnout Undauntable has ever experienced, Wren and the others recommended he take a small break. Which the lord found frankly ridiculous. He was a grown man! Undauntable knew what he was signing up for when he replaced his father! Sure, he was seventeen at the time, but still.

Then again, his mother thought she was ready for marriage at sixteen. Undauntable shook that thought away. It unnerved him. He was different, he will be different, him and Wren will be different.

However, Undauntable’s friends kept pressing. 

Despite the fight he put up, the Undauntable lord ended up losing.

“It’s not like this is the first time you left for a day, remember when…”

That was Ivy.

“Come on, Undauntable, you look half dead. You aren’t abandoning your responsibilities. Me and your cabinet will run everything during the what— two days you'll be gone?”

That was Wren, the wind in his wings. 

They’ve been together for three years now. Wren turned twenty-one several months ago. It was quite funny, because when the discussion of birthdays came up within the first few months into their relationship, Undauntable discovered Wren to be four months older than him. A fact that didn’t matter to either of them, but one Wren would nevertheless bring up from time to time. This was despite the fact that Wren, due to her nomadic nature, hardly cared for keeping track of the calendar (one of the few social structures that was cross-cultural). 

Oh, Wren.

Wren had to grow used to using a calendar. Those are very important for relationships, after all. Not that Undauntable knew from experience. It seems that way, though. After all, without a calendar, how else would you celebrate birthdays, plan dates (or even a wedding), and remember anniversaries?

Wren understood this, so she got back into things for Undauntable’s sake. That was the type of person the Lord was, wanting order. Undauntable always felt a smile coming on whenever he thought of these minute ways of Wren’s that shows she cares. Her being the biggest supporter of Undauntable taking a brief respite was another example.

Anyway, it’s not like Undauntable had zero say in the “taking a break” matter, he said to Wren that he didn’t want to go too far from the castle.

So she recommended staying by Leaf and Ivy’s settlement (that being the temporary working name, as it was only in its infant stage, truthfully.) Sky dropped Undauntable off by the settlement, which sat near the sky dragon’s route to Jade Mountain. It was a small settlement, hardly a village, with several wooden houses and tents, animal pens and a terrace farm. Upon entering the grounds, Undauntable felt his spirits lifting. Sunlight dappled the green grass and dirt paths, and chickens wandered around. Soon, Leaf emerged from a large, intricate tent, surprised to see the Undauntable Lord in his settlement.

“Undauntable,” Leaf said, walking towards the younger man. “It’s been a while, what brings you here?” 

Was it weird that the first time he’s seen Leaf in months was because Undauntable was pressured by both his and the other man’s girlfriend pressured him to take a break?

“I uh… Ivy didn’t tell you?” Dang. all these years and confrontation wasn’t his strong suit (at least when his knight wasn’t present).

Leaf cocked his head, his gaze going from Undauntable to Sky (who stood tall and large behind the Undauntable Lord). “Ivy told me when she came back about you refusing to take a break. But apparently someone convinced you.”

“Wren invited me to your camp.”

Leaf barked a few laughs. “Hah! Of course! And you don’t have to explain yourself, my friend, you’re welcome anytime. Be sure not to overstay, your city does still need you,” the man turned around and started for his tent, before looking over his broad shoulder. “Let me get a few things.”

Undauntable nodded, seeing some people around Leaf’s age carry in a dead stag, which Sky was one-hundred percent grimacing at behind him. The lord turned to the SkyWing. “Go on, you can go to Sunny.” he growled, brushing Sky’s scales.

“Do you want me to take you back home, too?” The pale dragon asked, dipping his head to make eye contact with Undauntable, his eyes not in the slightest but reptilian.

“If it’s possible,” Undauntable responded, shooing a fly away and pulling his long silky hair back in a dark ponytail. “You’re teaching two days from now, too, correct? If you’re able, can you fly me back to the castle? I know you’re scouting out new homes, so feel free to say no.”

Please don’t say no, though!

Sky nodded with a smile. “It doesn't matter, Undauntable, I’m glad I can help. Now, go on.” He nudged Undauntable with his snout, an action that gets more effective the bigger Sky got.

Leaf returned and Sky flew off with a quick goodbye. That was okay. He had a job to do.

Undauntable looked to the older man, who now was holding a woven basket, along with wearing a double sword sheath on his back. The lord eyeballed the equipment suspiciously as he followed Leaf, beginning their trek.

“My village used to fearfully revere dragons, you know, almost like malevolent gods.” Leaf began, going down a path of beaten down grass, approaching the foot of a tall, rocky, hill.

Undauntable looked at the hilly landscape that they were about to climb, and suddenly felt his name become meaningless.

Leaf continued to speak. “You know how Wren’s story goes. After all of that, I grew to hate my village, my culture, and dragons as a whole. Fear and anger go hand in hand. I was scared of dragons, but I hated them.” The larger man looked at the sky, and then the stony peaks that cut through them. “Never would I have thought that me and my friends would start a settlement bordering the Sky Kingdom. No fear, no anger.”

Undauntable was sweating buckets. He nodded and listened to the best of his ability. He hadn’t had a workout in a while. His calves were aching already.

After about an hour, the duo scaled the small mountain, and finally stopped. Undauntable breathed in the air and felt the breeze on his skin, closing his eyes.

“Feels nice, no?” Leaf uttered, placing his basket on the rocks. The mountain was flat in the right places, almost creating a pathway for travellers amongst the jagged rocks. 

Undauntable nodded, looking at the tops of the trees. They weren’t that high up, but high enough to experience cool winds unbroken by obstacles. 

Leaf slipped the sheaths off as well. “There are hot springs not far from here. Not the kind that boils you alive, but good for relaxing your muscles.”

Undauntable opened his robe a bit, tightening the waist band so it doesn’t fall completely open.

“However, Undauntable, we didn’t find this settlement to turn it into a resort!” Leaf took off his shirt, taking a training sword from the sheath, before tossing the equipment to the other man. “We haven’t dueled in a long while, so what do you say?”

Undauntable stood there, sheath in hand. This was going so fast. The younger man tightened his ponytail and steeled himself, feigning confidence. “So be it.”

…

Turns out, Undauntable’s skills have dulled in comparison to his old mentor. He felt like a fool. Granted, he didn’t flounder, but he lost two of the three rounds to the most basic techniques. 

He untied his ponytail, his heartbeat slowing down to normal, and dipped his toe in the hot water, where Leaf was sitting already, in the buff.

Undauntable slowly took his robe and garments off, before quickly sliding into the pool of hot water.  His skin felt like it was screaming at him for suddenly dipping in, but he suppressed a noise. 

Growing up in the palace, it was normal for servants to help you bathe. But this felt different because Undauntable knew the other person. So he kept his distance, pressing his back against the bumpy wall.

Leaf was unbothered, Undauntable thinks he’s never seen Leaf so at peace. His eyes landed on a tattoo of a sword resting on Leaf’s upper arm. Wanting to start up small talk, Undauntable pointed it out.

“Is that tattoo new?” Undauntable asked. Although his question was fundamentally flawed as he can’t remember seeing Leaf shirtless to begin with.

“This? It is,” the man responded. “It’s uh… a cultural thing. The only thing about my culture that I find honorable. It’s a tattoo engaged men get, representing his dedication to protecting his partner.”

“Wait, engaged? You and Ivy…” 

“Yes, I proposed to Ivy when she returned from her visit to your city.” Leaf explained. “We haven’t decided when or where we want the ceremony to take place.”

That got Undauntable thinking. Engaged, huh? That was definitely a leap. A scary one. He loved Wren, that was for sure. But marriage as a concept scared him, he wasn’t even sure how Wren felt about it, too. He looked at the bubbling water, kicking his legs a little. Undauntable definitely wanted to stay by Wren’s side, so what was he scared of? 

Undauntable shook the spiralling thoughts away. This was supposed to be HIS relaxation day. Wren wouldn’t want him to worry. He can just imagine her calling him an idiot worrywart. He lifted his head and smiled at Leaf. “I’m happy for you two, that’s beautiful.”

Undauntable dipped a towel into the hot water and placed it on his head, melting further into the pool. He perked up when Leaf began to speak again. 

“Undauntable, would you want to be my best man?” The man asked, rolling a shoulder. 

The Undauntable Lord thought about it for a moment. “It’s a matter of practicality, but I’d love to. Me and Wren can be there for the ceremony at least.”

We’ll just have to see how the politics are. He added to himself.

Leaf seemed happy with that, and Undauntable was happy for him. But now a brand new thing entered the young Lord’s mind.

Just how serious were him and Wren?

Chapter Text

The wedding was beautiful. Undauntable couldn’t make it, something he felt very sorry about. But Wren sat in her own corner of the clearing, drinking juice made from fruits imported from the rainforest. As of right now, no one was talking to her— understandable, it wasn’t like it was her birthday or anything— so she watched everything unfold. She, Sky, Rowan, Grove, and a few others, decorated the whole clearing that rested alongside the settlement. Wren didn’t know anything about aesthetics but she thought she did a bang up job.

She finished her juice.

Then there was the bride and groom, Ivy and Leaf. Ivy dressed with the same floral colors, but with more layers and a hell of a lot more jewelry. Something about symbolism; apparently one of her hair ornaments was from her charlatan of a father. Wren smiled softly watching Ivy, she was so… happy. Oh, and Leaf, Wren hadn’t seen him smile that warmly in a while. Maybe him growing out a beard wasn’t such a bad look after all.

Wren chuckled to herself. Her smile dissipated a little at Rowan taking a seat across from her.

“It really all happens in the blink of an eye, no?” Her older sister asked wistfully. 

Wren never felt as close to Rowan as she did Leaf, but being cold was unnecessary. “It truly does.”

Rowan looked nostalgic, sadness seeming to shine in her dark eyes as she watched Bluebell and Camellia, who were flowergirls, try to get Leaf and Ivy to dance. “I’m happy for them.”

“Yeahhhh.” Wren drawled. 

The two women were silent for a few heartbeats, then Rowan piped up again. 

“Leaf’s awfully brave, no? With how Mom and Dad were like…”

Why was she like this? Wren didn’t want to think about their parents, even if their dad was somewhere in the modest sized crowd. “That’s a weird thing to say, Rowan.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Rowan said, waving a hand before resting her cheek on her palm. “I didn’t mean to bring my fears into this.”

Wren grunted in acknowledgment as she ringed a finger over the top of her cup. Truth be told, Wren was scared, too. Before being “sacrificed”, Wren explicitly remembers telling herself she’d never get married. And she didn’t blame her younger self. When a fourteen year old bride’s miserable expression was etched into her psyche so young, how could she ever allow that to happen to her? Granted, come to think of it, marriages at that age weren’t common even back in Talisman; but she just knew at her present age the pressure would be on.

And she hated that. But everyone in her life was moving on, how can she be sstagnant?

She saw marriage as a binding, just like the ropes that bound her to the dragon alter. It was a woman's burden and a man’s luxury, just like the subsequent pregnancy. 

Wren scratched her head, her curly locks warm in the sun. “Leaf and Ivy will never be like Mom and Dad.”

Rowan nodded. “I know. Lately I’ve just become a worry wart, it’s unhealthy.” Wren’s sister turned to look at her. “How’s Undauntable?”

Wren perked up. “He’s great. Sad that he couldn’t make it, but he asked me to give a gift to Leaf and Ivy.”

“That’s sweet.”

Wren felt a smile quirk up at the corners of her lips. “Yeah.”

She thought about all the growing up she and Undauntable did over the years. From hating that boy with an obnoxiously large cat, to dating him. Who knew? Wren frankly didn’t want to see any more of him after that marriage proposal incident. Why was a friendless fifteen year old even thinking about marriage, anyway? 

That got Wren wondering. If Undauntable proposed the same question now, how would she feel? This wasn’t a scenario she typically thought of, and before she could dwell any further, she was roped into a dance with her siblings.

…

Wren rode on Sky’s back returning to the Indestructible City, a detour from Sky’s destination that the dragon was fully willing to take.

Her dragon brother’s wings have grown a lot, fitting for an apex predator who ironically eats only fruits and vegetables.

Wren watched the mountains and hills below, her mind back to churning.

“What are you thinking about?” Sky asked after a long, long silence.

“The wedding, it was nice.” Wren said, continuing to absentmindedly watch the land below.

“Yeah,” Sky agreed in that sunny voice of his, a smile on his long face. 

More silence.

“Ivy and Leaf were so happy,” Wren then murmured, half to herself.

“I’d hope so, it’s their wedding, after all!” Sky remarked, beating his wings after gliding awhile. “That’s two weddings I’ve gone to this spring, it’s so nice!” 

The SkyWing’s joy was infectious, causing Wren to smile, too.

“Are you sure that’s all you were thinking about? Sorry to pry, you don’t have to answer.” Sky prodded as he glided. “I just saw you by yourself after the ceremony, that's all.”

Wren felt her face heat up a little. “You know me so well, Sky.” She dipped her head down for a few heartbeats, before looking up again. “Fine, but you can’t tell anyone, that includes Undauntable.”

“Oh?”

Wren playfully swatted Sky’s neck, not harshly by any means. How was she going to phrase this? Wren dragged her hand down her cheek pulling on her face. “I was just thinking about marriage and stuff. I never liked the idea, but Leaf and Ivy looked so happy. And then there was Peril and Clay… Lately my view on it all has been shifting, but I still see it as a burden. I guess that’s the right word.”

Sky hummed attentively.

“But then I thought, would I mind it if Undauntable and I became more than lovers? It hardly matters to me in the grand scheme of things. I’m not religious, so it doesn’t have any spiritual implications. But it’s a commitment, and in the eyes of the City… Tch. What am I saying, Sky?”

“I understand. And it’s your call to make,” Sky began. “Everyone’s different and has their own pace, you know? And having eyes on your relationship does sound anxiety inducing. By the way, though, this type of thing doesn't have to be just for the religious, you know. It’s a symbol of intimacy. However, it is still your and Undauntable’s happiness.” The dragon laughed at himself. “How generic. I’m sorry, I’m not a fountain of original wisdom, haha.”

“It’s fine, you’re good to talk to regardless,” Wren said before patting Sky’s neck. “Undauntable isn’t like any of the men back at Talisman. Maybe it’s the commitment that scares me, but I do want to spend the rest of my life with him, so that doesn’t make sense either.”

“I think you should think it over and discuss it with Undauntable. You guys know your relationship the best.”
Wren nodded, then smirked. “You’re right, you aren’t a fountain of original wisdom, but that’s fine. Sometimes I just need to hear common sense to internalize it. Thanks, Sky.”

…

As Wren waved goodbye to Sky and approached the doors of the manor, she felt less perturbed. Talking with her winged brother made her realize that even if she and Undauntable were glued together, she wouldn’t consider it a life destroying burden, per se. 

She was greeted by guards and let in. 

Wren squared her shoulders and walked through the hallway. That was enough ruminating for today. No matter what, she will be better than the people she was born to.

After climbing all the stairs, she beelined to her and Undauntable’s shared bedroom. After the events of the day, the travelling, and the intense climb, Wren was tired. She padded over once she placed her shoes outside and flopped on the bed, causing the lump already laying there to stir.

“Mmmuh?” Undauntable groaned, his groggy expression highlighted by the lantern. The City Lord’s hair was every which way.

Wren hugged the man laying next to her, accidentally putting him in a chokehold. 

“AGH– WREN!” Undauntable protested when Wren rubbed her nose to his cheek rigorously. Only after she moved her arms to not accidentally choke him.