Chapter Text
The chains were pulled so tightly that they could not clink, only scrape and squeak against each other. She was held against massive metal plates, sitting upright. All up and down her torso were chains; her legs were much the same. Even her pelvis was bound by heavy chain, taking away any possible leverage.
A needle was in the artery in her neck, dumping something into her blood. She felt it slog through her, dragging its way through her heart even as it was slowed nearly to stillness. She could not do so much as flex her left arm to try to dislodge the needle there that drained any strength remaining in her. Breathing took all her focus for hours at a time, but everything blurred together no matter how she tried to think.
The fact that every part of her itched niggled at the edge of her consciousness. She felt the filth of her clothes, starting to molder with stillness and bloodstains. Grime was on her; her hair had grown past her jawline. Her lips were cracked without water. She did not know how long it had been since she had eaten last.
When she heard a lock turn back and a door open slowly, she opened her bleary eyes. A man came through the door wearing a soldier’s green and blue uniform and carrying several empty glass bottles and a lantern he set down out of reach. She saw chevrons on his coat sleeves as her eyes focused with the firelight. Tilting her head was easier than holding it upright as she thought.
“A general?” she asked.
“Colonel,” he muttered.
“I see.”
He did not reply, coming close enough to check her chains and the needle in her arm. He swapped out the empty bottles for full ones, the glass clinking faintly on the metal plate. She saw him bring one bottle into the light and examine its contents. The thickness and deep crimson color told her precisely what it was.
“You just never run out, do you,” he said, voice light and idle.
“So it seems.”
“Only four bottles this time, though.” He sighed as he rearranged what was attached to the needle in her neck. “Looks like they made your medicine too strong last month.”
She kept silent as he reached out. He set two fingers against her neck, cautious near the needle, and felt her heartbeat. She could see him counting in his head with how his eyes lost focus. She breathed slowly and concentrated. The dancing fire in the lantern cut through the fog in her skull.
“You said a colonel?” she asked.
“Barely five beats a minute,” he muttered. “Idiots.”
“You said a colonel?” she asked again.
“Yes, you piece of—”
She turned her head fast enough to catch his hand in her teeth. Before he could raise his other hand, she bit down hard and wrenched her head to one side. She came away with a massive chunk of his flesh to strip him to the bone, laughing through her teeth and the blood. He shrieked with pain as he rushed back and away. Taking satisfaction from the horror in his eyes, she ate his flesh with great care.
“A pity that the only meal I get is from a lowly colonel,” she chuckled. “But you’ll do for now.”
“‘For now,’” he spat. “Six months and that’s all you’ve fucking managed! Not so high and mighty sitting there, are you?”
She hummed laughter and licked the blood from her chin. Strength flared in her, letting her sit up properly as her eyes opened. She saw him cower at the sight of her eyes and smiled with her lips together. The flame in the lantern swelled and licked the glass around it.
“That depends,” she murmured. “Have you actually found them after six months? Did you have another reason to visit today?” Because he said nothing, she chuckled again and smiled to show her two sets of razor sharp incisors. “Oh dear. You haven’t found them. Well…I did warn you.”
The man said nothing, instead spitting on her as he stood up. He grabbed the lantern and the bottles and left the room, slamming the heavy door behind him. She settled, closing her eyes to concentrate on the meat in her stomach.
It was not enough with the lantern gone. The needle in her neck still numbed her; the needle in her arm still drained her. It grew tiresome to open her mouth and hold up her head. As she fell out of consciousness, a thought began to repeat in her mind:
“Get to the north…please be safe.”
————
There was one specific doorframe in the castle at Utgard that the pack used to track the trio’s heights as they grew. Matvey and Ginko were tallest for years, perpetually tied a few inches over Adhara. When their seventh birthday arrived, she had almost caught up to them. When her seventh birthday came along, however, she was officially taller than both of them.
Ginko was indignant for months, demanding to be remeasured against Adhara and Matvey alike every few days. She only stopped grumbling when Mikasa turned her around after one measurement at the start of autumn to show her that she was taller than Matvey.
“Itty bitty Matvey,” she sang at him for the rest of the day. By the time dinner arrived, the rest of the pack had heard every variation of the song. Ginko sat giggling into her hands until Annie sighed and raised a brow.
“That’s enough for today, Ginko,” Annie said. “You don’t like it when we tease you.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re so prickly about being short,” Ymir said. She smirked as she dodged the roll thrown at her head. “See?”
“Mama, I don’t mind,” Matvey said with a smile. “I don’t need to be tall. You and Aunt Christa are awesome and you’re not tall.”
“Good thing you got all your mom’s cuteness and not her shortness, kiddo,” Ymir said, rubbing Adhara’s head. Adhara grinned, even as Christa shook her head and giggled.
Adhara’s cheer carried into the next day, and she gladly led all of the fetching games for the smallest pups in Utgard. Ginko went out on a hunt with Annie while Matvey helped Bertholdt and Armin on a survey of the mountain. Hanji’s library housed Christa, Ymir, Eren, and Reiner, the first two reviewing letters from Prime Minister Langnar while the latter read over information sent by Generals Erwin and Pyxis. Mikasa headed out early on a long run across the plains, and the rest of Utgard was busy on its own terms with the scent of the forge in the air and bakers and tanners out with their wares.
Shortly before the warmth of midday settled in, Matvey was allowed to head down the mountain on his own. He went to where Adhara and the pups were on the edge of the plains, managing to sneak up on her while the pups were jockeying for the ball. She yelped from surprise when he barked loudly behind her, and she blushed as red as her hair when he laughed. Changing to her bipedal form let her tackle him before he could stop laughing and run. Though he did his best to squirm away, she held fast. Giggling, she rose up on her toes before falling forward and dropping down on top of him. He let out a startled bark when they hit the ground, whining as he thumped his tail.
Okay, I give.
“And?”
I’m sorry for scaring you.
“Okay.” She rolled to one side and sat up, changing to her human form. He sat up as well, pouting when he changed to his human form in turn.
“That’s not fair when you’re bigger than me,” he said.
“You told Aunt Annie that you don’t need to be tall!” she protested. When she saw him smile before sticking his tongue out, she stuck her tongue out while giggling. Their giggling stopped abruptly when the pups ran to them, all whimpering and trying to hide behind them.
“What’s wrong?” Matvey asked, voice high with concern. He caught the scent of their fear, the hair on the back of his neck rising. He thought to howl, but stopped short at the sound of Adhara rumbling low and deep in her chest. Turning, he saw Adhara on her feet, fangs bared and fingers capped by claws. Turning further, he saw two people of eastern descent standing nearby.
One was a young woman, human and reeking of exhaustion and hunger. She looked barely able to stand, trembling and almost unconscious where she stood. Her long brown hair was loose and tangled; her clothing was peppered with tears and holes. Despite her exhaustion, her green eyes were sharp with clarity brought by desperation.
Beside her was a small boy, several inches shorter than Matvey. For just a moment, Matvey thought him a wolf for his gold eyes, black hair, and pointed ears. He caught the boy’s scent then, something that seemed familiar in the worst way. Fear took him, but he stood up and went to Adhara’s side. They both rumbled as the pups whimpered behind them.
“We need,” the woman coughed, “to talk to your queens.”
Adhara changed to her wolf form, snarling aloud as her fur stood on end. The boy’s eyes widened and he held the woman’s hand with both of his. The woman squared her shoulders and swallowed hard.
“Please!” the woman said. “We need to talk to your queens! It’s—”
Leave! said Adhara’s voice.
The woman grit her teeth, but coughed again when she opened her mouth. “It’s important! Please, I’m begging you to let us see your queens!”
No! He doesn’t go near them!
“He can’t change yet!” the woman said, voice breaking. “We’re not here to hurt anyone!”
Matvey changed to his wolf form and barked with his fangs on display. No! Leave!
The woman opened her mouth to argue, but paled because Adhara and Matvey began to advance on her and the boy. Adhara barked as loud as she could, fangs bright and forward. The woman stumbled on the uneven ground, falling because her weary legs gave out. The boy did not fall, instead seeing the fear in the woman’s eyes. He let go of her hand and rushed to stand before her with his brows low and his eyes wide.
He opened his mouth on his inhale, revealing his two sets of razor sharp incisors. His exhale was full of fire and flames grew in his palms as he held them up. Adhara and Matvey froze as the pups started to cry and howl weakly. The woman panicked and scrambled to grab the boy from behind. Gasping, he closed his hands and his mouth to extinguish the flames. She pulled him back into her lap, eyes going wide and blood leaving her face.
“He can’t change yet!” she said, shaking even more. “Please—we’ve been trying to get here for months! We need to talk to your queens! I swear we’re not here to hurt anyone! We need help!”
Adhara and Matvey looked at each other. She lowered her tail first and sent her voice only to him.
She doesn’t smell like she’s lying. She glowered at the woman over the boy’s shoulder. I don’t like this.
Matvey shook his head slowly, tail beating the air. He doesn’t smell right.
Like the demon monster?
Not like him. But he’s not a human or a wolf.
She watched them for a while longer before snarling to make the woman flinch. Because the boy bared his fangs in retaliation, she lowered her hackles with a snort.
Howl for the pack, she said. My mama or Aunt Annie will know what he is.
He rumbled, but howled loud and clear. The first reply came from Bertholdt on the mountain, followed by Mikasa close by to the west. Armin passed the message along over the mountain to Annie and Ginko, and a few moments later Ymir howled from the castle for herself, Christa, Eren, and Reiner. Satisfied, Adhara and Matvey moved back to sit before the pups as a guard.
The pups continued to whimper, huddling close. Adhara licked their heads while Matvey spoke gently to them. The woman sat with her head bowed, shaking visibly. The boy sat still in her arms, but watched Adhara and Matvey closely. The sound of running paws coming from the west made the woman look up. Mikasa came in at an easy run, changing to her human form a few yards away.
Mom! Matvey said, standing up. Mom, come here! Hurry!
“I’m here, sweetheart, I’m here,” Mikasa said. She rubbed his head when she arrived and sank down on one knee. “What’s wrong? Why do you all smell so scared?”
That kid smells weird, he whispered to her. He nuzzled against her hands, tail low. And he did fire magic without saying anything.
She stared at him. She turned on her knee to look at the woman and the boy. The stench of fear was too thick in the air for her to smell either of them for a time. The boy stared at her, holding the woman’s hands tightly. Mikasa’s brows dropped as she leaned toward them and inhaled deeply.
All at once, she caught the boy’s scent. It was every scent of fire she knew, from stone that had shattered from wildfire heat to the ash that would remain. For an instant, she saw, smelled, and heard the streets of Utgard ablaze. Every instinct in her screamed to run, but she beat them all back to spin about, sit on the ground, and spread her arms out before Adhara and Matvey. A cold sweat rose on her neck.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “What is he?”
The woman did not answer. Her eyes were looking past Mikasa, past the pups, because she saw Ymir and Christa coming up the street. Ymir’s eyes went wide on seeing the boy, mouth falling open. Christa went straight to Adhara, kneeling down to hold her close.
“You two,” Ymir said, walking past Mikasa quickly and crouching down. “What’re your names? Where’re you from?”
“We need to talk to your queens,” the woman said.
“You’re talkin’ to one of them, so tell me your names and where you’re from.”
The woman hesitated, tried to swallow with a dry mouth and throat, and coughed. She said, “We’re from the east. My name—my name is Hova—Sirvat.”
“Nah, that ain’t the surname you’re used to,” Ymir said. “What’s your real surname?”
“‘Sirvat’ is my real surname, your majesty,” she said. Her voice dropped to little more than a whisper when she said, “My married surname is Arav. And he’s my son, Sohan.”
Ymir stopped blinking. She sat down. “Arav.”
“Yes,” Hova said quietly.
Ymir looked at Sohan. He looked back, brows low, and held Hova’s hands tighter. Ymir looked back to Hova and asked, “Where’s the other one?”
Though she met Ymir’s eyes steadily, Hova began to cry as she said, “We don’t know.” She bit her lip to breathe, shaking her head once. “We haven’t seen her for six months. She had gone to speak to parliament again, but then the soldiers working for her came back and told us to run. All I could think of was to come to the north to get help.”
She closed her eyes tightly, shoulders hitching. “Please. We can’t go back to the east to find her without help. He can’t change—they’ll take him!”
Mama? Adhara said cautiously.
Ymir glanced over her shoulder, holding up a hand. It kept Reiner and Eren, bristling and steaming because they had caught Sohan’s scent, from coming forward. Bertholdt and Armin held them steady, even as they stared at Sohan in confusion.
“Ymir?” said Christa. “What’s going on?”
Ymir sighed and looked at Mikasa. “You heard about the Arav house when you were a kid in the east, right?”
Mikasa went pale, knees and shoulders rising. She turned to Matvey and said, “For the love of our lady, please tell me you didn’t try to hurt them.”
His ears drooped. I promise we didn’t.
“Oh good,” Mikasa said, voice cracking. “Please don’t attack them.”
Why?
“Y’know those stories from the east she told you guys when you were little?” Ymir said. “About how the goddess of the east created something really powerful to protect her people for forever? Remember what she made?”
Adhara and Matvey looked at each other as they hesitated. Eventually, Adhara admitted, No.
“She made dragons,” Mikasa whispered.
Every wolf tensed up, save Ymir. She sighed again, scratching the back of her neck, and looked at Hova.
“I learned about the Arav house a long time ago,” she said, “but you don’t smell anything like him. Are you completely human?”
“I am, your majesty.”
“Did you carry him?” she asked, nodding at Sohan.
“I did.”
“But he’s totally a dragon?”
“Yes, but—he can’t change yet.” She swallowed hard and ran her fingers through Sohan’s hair. “I can’t teach him that. Kailas was going to…when she got home.”
“Mom?” Sohan said, turning to look at her. “Are you okay?”
“Not really, sweetie,” Hova whispered.
His eyes widened, brows rising. He turned to Ymir and began to speak quickly. “Mom hasn’t been sleeping or eating right because she’s trying to get us somewhere safe and also find help for my mom who’s missing and I really, really promise that I won’t be bad so please help my moms.” When Ymir said nothing, he added, “Pretty please?”
“Bertholdt?” Christa said. “How are our relations with the east?”
“Decent for what I know,” he replied. “We export some steel, mainly just horses raised on our plains. But…we haven’t heard much from the prime minister or the parliament in a few years. Annie may know more than me at the moment.”
Christa’s brows lowered, but she kept her voice gentle when she looked at Sohan and asked, “How old are you?”
“Five,” he said, holding up a hand with his fingers outstretched.
“Who’s going to take him away in the east?” Christa asked.
“One of the members of parliament,” Hova said. “She wants a dragon under military control—Kailas has been arguing with her for years. But she knows there’s no way she’d ever get Kailas, so—” She coughed, shook her her head, and held Sohan tighter. “Please.”
The scent of her distress grew overwhelming as she began to cry again. Even the nervous pups grew quiet, ears, noses, and tails drooping. Annie and Ginko arrived then, Annie grabbing the back of Ginko’s shirt to keep her from running on ahead. Annie looked closely at Hova and Sohan. Her eyes narrowed at Sohan’s scent; her ears twitched at the sound of Hova crying.
“When were you last in the east?” Annie asked.
Hova looked up. “A-about a month and a half ago. We started running five months ago.”
A low rumble rose in Annie’s chest. “One of my spies went into the east five months ago.”
She went pale. “No—we didn’t do anything to anyone!”
“I don’t think you did,” Annie replied. She looked at Ymir and said, “Whoever and whatever they are, bring them inside. I need their info.”
“That’s the plan,” Ymir said. She stood up and gestured to the other wolves. “All you little ones, head home to your parents. Tell ‘em the truth, but don’t tell anyone else who comes around who’s here, okay? We need to keep our guests safe.”
The pups yipped to agree before heading off. Christa kissed Adhara’s head before standing up and walking to Hova and Sohan. She offered a hand.
“Come inside,” she said gently. “We’ll have something made for lunch and find you two a room.”
Hova stared. Sohan stared as well, but he said, “Really?”
“Really,” Christa said with a smile. “It’s okay.”
Sohan gasped and hurried out of Hova’s lap. Taking Hova’s hands, he said, “Mom, you get to sleep in a bed again!”
She looked at him and his hands, but had no words. She blinked when Christa again offered a hand.
“It’s all right,” Christa said. “We’ll help you and your son. And your wife.”
For a few moments longer, Hova was silent. Then, she said, “I don’t think I can stand up right now.”
“You smell exhausted, that’s for sure,” Ymir said, coming closer. “All right, come on.” She changed to her bipedal form and helped Hova to her feet before picking her up. She carried Hova on her bent arm, letting her hold onto the loose fur of her scruff. Christa picked Sohan up and went to walk on Ymir’s other side, keeping Sohan in Hova’s sight. They all went inside and into the dining hall, Armin sending servants away with orders for a meal. Ymir set Hova on one of the benches at the largest table, and Christa set Sohan beside her.
“So,” Annie said, sitting down heavily on the other side of the table. She drummed her fingers as hard and as loudly as she could, staring at Hova with a raised brow. Hova met her gaze evenly despite her shivering. Sohan frowned at her stare, holding tight to Hova’s sleeve.
“My best spy,” said Annie, “came back from the east eight months ago saying there was a very strange bit of contention between a few members of parliament and one specific noble house. I sent another spy out five months ago to get into the army and try to find out more about what’s going on. Looks like I have a report ahead of schedule.”
“Annie, we have to let them eat first,” Christa said, frowning at her. “You can ask questions in a bit.”
Annie sighed through her nose. Ginko and Matvey hurried to sit next to her, peering at Sohan with suspicion. He frowned at them as well and tightened his hold on Hova’s sleeve. He yelped when Adhara sniffed his hair and darted under the table. She reappeared on the other side and squirmed between Ginko and Matvey to whisper to them.
“Adhara,” Ymir said, brow raised.
Adhara’s cheeks flushed when she said, “But he smells weird!”
“That’s ‘cause none of us are used to how dragons smell,” Ymir replied. “But no more of that, okay? Him and his mom are guests and we’re going to treat them that way.”
“I’m not gonna be bad,” Sohan said, frowning at the table.
Adhara frowned as well, but sat down between Ginko and Matvey without arguing further. Nothing more was said, even when a meal of venison stew and warm bread was delivered. Sohan waited the longest to start eating, watching Hova eat for a long time before relaxing at all. Though the food helped stop her shaking, it did not energize her. Once she was done, she played with Sohan’s hair to stay awake.
“Up to explaining now?” Annie asked.
“Up until the point where I pass out,” Hova said, eyes already half-closed.
“The main details are fine for now. You’re part of the noble house that’s fighting with parliament, right?”
“The house of Arav. I married into it.” She sighed hard enough to curl her spine. “But the woman in parliament who’s been fighting us is from my birth house. Her name is Neha—she’s my grand-niece.”
Annie opened her mouth, but went still. She closed her mouth and sniffed. She looked at Hova, and then looked at Christa and Mikasa. They looked back, and by all accounts they appeared older than Hova by a few years.
“What do you mean by ‘grand-niece’?” Mikasa asked.
“I’m one hundred and thirty-seven years old,” Hova said quietly. “I met Kailas one hundred and twenty years ago.”
“But—you’re human,” Armin said. “How can you be that old and still look so young?”
“Kailas doesn’t know of a way to turn me into a dragon,” she said. “But she knows how to share her life with me, so…we’ve been together for over a hundred years.” She smiled and toyed with Sohan’s hair, ruffling and scratching in a way that made him relax and smile slightly.
“And we decided to have him five years ago,” she said. “Up until we had him, there hadn’t been a new dragon in almost two hundred and eighty years…Kailas was the only dragon in the east for over a hundred years after her mother passed. Neha wants to take control of Sohan before he can change.”
“Why?” Christa asked.
“Because even wolves fear dragons,” Annie said, glancing at Sohan. She looked down, tapping her chin as she thought. “And because the south has been relying heavily on the east to recover after the war. If they get a hold of a dragon…and use him to make a military incursion on the south…they’re expecting that we’d never move to help the south.”
Eren scowled. “Are they saying wolves are cowards?”
“They’re relying on us not knowing much about dragons outside of old stories from the east,” Bertholdt replied. “Besides that, we’ve never wanted to fight dragons. They’re as much blessed by their goddess as we are by Lady Mond—it’d be a slap in the face between our people.”
“None of the southern generals have sent any strange reports in the last few months,” Reiner said, eyes unfocused as he looked at the ceiling. “Dok is closest to the east relative to everyone else, but he’d be the first to say something about a dragon. He’d be the first to panic, since dragons are supposed to be massive.”
Hova shook her head. “She wouldn’t be in her dragon form. They know they can’t control her as a human, and if they let her change, she’d escape. I just…have no idea where they’re keeping her.”
“And you think they’re keeping her alive?” Bertholdt asked.
“She has to be,” she whispered. “It’s supposed to be incredibly hard to kill dragons. They can’t just—they can’t.”
“Mom’s alive,” Sohan said, quiet but without a tremor. “She is.”
“The east can’t give up their guardian as simply as that,” Mikasa said. “It’d be inviting a disaster.” She sighed. “This is already pushing it. The Lady of the Sky isn’t going to let this continue.”
“Not if she’s anything like our Lady Mond,” Ymir said. She smirked. “And we’re gonna help get the dragon back.”
Everyone turned to stare at her. Annie asked, “We will?”
“Yep,” said Ymir. “And we’ll get more info once the half-dead human gets some sleep.” Without looking twice at the baffled looks aimed at her, she stood, changed to her bipedal form, and picked Hova up again. Christa hurried to follow her after picking up Sohan, and Adhara ran after them.
“I don’t understand,” Hova said. “Why are you agreeing to help so quickly?”
“You’ve got something I want,” Ymir replied. She brought them all up to the third floor of the castle and to an empty furnished room. She set Hova down on the bed and changed to her human form. Christa put Sohan on his feet when he squirmed, and Adhara held her hand while Sohan climbed onto the bed.
“You said the dragon shared her life with you,” Ymir said. “So she would’ve had all those extra years to herself if she hadn’t passed ‘em to you?”
“Well,” Hova said, “yes.”
“But she doesn’t know how to turn you into a dragon?”
“No, but…what does that matter?”
“Because I know how to turn humans into wolves,” Ymir said, “but I don’t know how to give away all the extra time I have.” She crouched down to meet their eyes better, smiling because Sohan hurried to sit in Hova’s lap and crossed his arms.
“I want a trade,” Ymir said, “and that means helping you two find her alive and well.”
Hova stared at her before looking at Christa. “You were human once.”
“I was,” Christa said. “Half of our pack was.” She swallowed slowly and asked, “Does she really know how to give away time like that?”
“She does,” Hova said. “Is—do you think it’s possible to…turn me into a dragon?”
“I think we’d be able to figure it out,” Ymir said. “As long as we find her. So you two get some rest. We’ll start working out what to do once you stop looking like you’re gonna starve.”
Slowly, very slowly, Hova relaxed. She smiled and murmured, “Thank you,” as Sohan pulled her arms around himself. Ymir grinned, rubbing Adhara’s head when she came over to hug her around the waist. Christa smiled and led Ymir and Adhara out of the room to let Hova and Sohan rest.