Chapter 32

Claire yelled at her father with tears running down her cheeks. "If you ask me... You can have your power and glory, your kingdom! All your dreams left me alone and broken!" She was still coming to terms with her sealed powers. "What good is power if it gets taken away? What good is power when there is someone always stronger than you? It's not even a battle! It's just a desperate grab for pride!"

Ferdinand looked disapprovingly at his daughter, "if you aren't going to heal me, then leave..." He started heading towards the door where the other group just entered.

Claire wiped tears with her sleeve.

Ferdinand approached arthur, "you! Healer! Patch me up!"

Declan stood proudly before Ferdinand, "your reign of terror ends here Ferdinand. Your family shall no longer hold influence in this land." He held the broken blade out towards Ferdinand.

Ferdinand growled, "insolent fool! You speak to the king! Kneel before me!" He held his wound in pain.

Declan didn't back down, "the rightful heir to the throne is none other than Terra Lothbrig , Tristan's daughter." He held his hand out to introduce the silver dragonkind who stood next to him.

Terra squawked sheepishly.

Ferdinand laughed, "hahahaha you call that royalty?! That's nothing but a little dragonkind! What does she know about ruling a kingdom?"

Claire walked back to Ferdinand and hit him on the head. He fell down in pain. Then she pulled out her dragon stone "Here..." She handed a blue and silver dragon stone to Terra.

Thena approached Claire, "you do realize she might not be able to transform back because of what you did!" She grabbed Claire by the collar of her shirt.

Byron saw the rune on Claire's chest, "so they sealed your powers? Thena... She's already been punished..." Byron looked serious. As usual.

Thena looked at Byron, "what do you mean? This is unforgivable."

Claire glared at her. "Terra may still have a chance. She might be able to transform, unlike me..." She ripped Thena's hands off her shirt. "Take it, it may change you back."

Terra cautiously took the stone.

Thena looked in awe at Claire, "unlike me? You mean you're a dragonkind?" But before Claire could answer, Terra's form shimmered and changed into a young girl, nearly 12 years old.

Declan hugged her immediately. She hugged him back.

Byron looked away so no one would see him cry a tear.

Thena sighed in relief.

Torin saw his sister and father hug. This whole time he believed that either of them could be dead. He went up and hugged them too.

Ferdinand was arrested by Declan, then healed by Arthur, after he healed himself of course. Arthur sustained minor injuries but he stabilized well from his magic.

Claire was arrested as well. Her eyes widened as she stared at the chains binding her body. They twitched and her mouth curled as she tried to pull the chains apart. "Gone.... They're really gone..." She muttered to herself.

Agnir sat there with her father in her arms. He laid motionless now. She had mourned him before when she learned that he was defeated, but it was different now. She was older. She appreciated him more and what he did for her. She knew she couldn't heal the wound he carried, and she didn't stop the fight even though she probably could have. She knew that her father wouldn't have wanted that.

She held him as tears dripped down her face.

She remembered the nursery rhyme they would sing for terra when she was just born.

Follow the river
For light you'll find soon
My sweet little child
My heart given to you.
My walls, my castle stand true
My sweet little child
Don't miss me when gone
You'll have me always
My sweet little child.

Agnir put her hand over her heart. Her heart, made from the soul of a man and a dragon, beating on its own now.

"Goodnight dad, I love you."