"A draconian tear, eh?" Grimm leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and legs as he judged the dragon with his eyes. After a big dinner, the three of them rested around the table, with Erin lying on the floor rubbing her gut on one end and Myddrin curled up on the other, his head resting on his paws.
"The great Myddrin, devourer of storms, the one who kept silent for 3 years after screaming and cursing his children just for the crime ... of wanting to live with his human friends like the rest of the dragons?"
Erin turned her guilt aside, stopped rubbing her stomach to sit up and suffer through her line to look at the angry dragon. "That's not the story you've told me, Midi!"
The dragon looked away, feigning bewilderment. "I dont remember having shouted at my children... but maybe the silence it's something I should have commented"
"You screamed at your children! You threw me off a cliff when I brought them the tears! You may have softened over the years, seeing how your children married and were happy in their new bodies... but my friend, the facts dont lie" Grimm was more right than a saint, and Myddrin knew it perfectly.
"That's why I am very surprised that you want a tear for you now"
The dragon said nothing, looking alternately at Erin and at the stone roof of the makeshift shelter. "Grimm" Erin said trying to soften the mood. "Midi may have said some things before-"
"No Erin, I appreciate the gesture... but this is something I have to do myself" Myddrin stood up, going around the table until he was face to face with Grimm. "I know very well the scene that I provoked at that time, Grimm. And I know very well that I am a hypocrite for now want a tear... But I think this situation is the result of my decisions and I cant leave it alone ...
If I look back, all I've ever done has been to protect the 'Bastion of storms' and the fools who thought that being a territory created by Amun would be easy to conquer... While my wife fought with the gods, I watched the Bastion.
While my children were born, I watched the Bastion. When my wife left my children and me... after I buried her, I went back to protect the Bastion.
I have told myself a thousand and one times that I was doing the right thing... that it was my duty to fulfill the sacred mission of Amun... and when I blinked, my children were already adults.
Adults with their own lives, adults who like so many dragons began to wish to live more normal lives, to live in the world that humanity inherited... to be part of it. When you, the dwarf and Grand brought the stones... when the dwarf asked me for Emmile's hand in holy matrimony... I didnt know what to do. I realized... that I didnt know that my children wanted, that I wasnt the father that I should be for them.
I went into anger thinking that they were fleeing from their destinies as guardians, without understanding that they were following their destiny ... and their hearts... "
"And what has changed, if I can known?" And although Grimm already knew the answer, it was more important to check if Myddrin also knew it.
"Emmile's pregnancy. I'm going ... I'm going to be a grandfather ... and my children want me to be part of their new lives ... even though I fail them. I wasnt there to see them grow ... and even so ... they ... "Myddrin raised his head, unable to stop crying. "They have forgiven me ... they want me to be part of the life of my grandchildren ... and I dont know how to do it! Everything I've always done ... has been to protect the bastion ... and now Amun wants me to find a new place ... my children want it to be a part of their lives ... aand I do not even know who I am beyond the guard of the Bastion of the storms.
All I know ... is that I want to be able to hug my granddaughter. I want her to smile when she sees her grandfather ... and for that I must stop being the monster that I am and join the rest of my people ... join the rest of humanity"
Any other time; Myddrin would have been beaten unconscious for committing an act like crying in public.Those times were too far away already.
Grimm decided to let Myddrin wallow a little more in his misery, approaching Erin so he could whisper properly. "What do you think, apprentice? Should we look for a tear for old Myddrin?"
"What kind of question is that, master?! Everyone deserves to have a place to belong! To abandon Midi right now would be to deny him that right! I didnt know him when he did everything you said ... but the man ... dragon that I see before me is one who has reflected and intends to find his new place in the world!" Erin is a complete idealist, thought Grimm as he went back to his chair.
And that wasnt bad, the world deserves from time to time to have people like her to improve. "Old Myddrin... I'll get you the Draconian Tear-" Myddrin raised his head quickly to say thank you, but Grimm stepped forward. "But it will not be easy! We work against the clock, because your granddaughter is already showing up!"
"I will do everything necessary-"
"That doesnt depend on you, old friend..." Grimm whispered laughing. Myddrin remained silent as the teacher turned to his apprentice. "Erin, getting the desired gem will be something that depends entirely on you... because to create it we must make an alchemical recipe.
I advise you to start reading the introduction to the alchemy of my book and the recipe for Draconian Tears... from page 247 to 250"
Erin nodded quickly, jumping up to run to her corner of the lair. "I have it, teacher! Tears... are quite some ingredients... Do we have time to get them all?"
"The great majority already have them, because the young man who swore to love the first-born of Myddrin... and who was almost devoured by our friend is an alchemist in the castle of Iiion. The problem will be finding the base of the tear, a moon crystal... our best chance is to enter one of the unknowns territories of Iiion: Mine of the armory of Iiion!"
Erin nodded, getting up and picking up her raincoat. "I'm ready, master!"
"Erin ..." Myddrin said softly, guilt killing inside. "What kind of adult would it be if I let a young girl like you risk her life-"
The giantess paid her no attention, getting dressed and keeping Grimm's book in the inside pocket of her trenchcoat. "Myddrin" The dragon remained silent, without finding the words while the giantess tied her hair in a ponytail. "Save your words for when your tears come, okay?"
The determination of the giantess was overwhelming, eliciting a smile from the two old men as she left the lair in the direction of the pillar. "Your apprentice ..."
"Dont say it, friend. I know"
"Are all the youth like that? Because if so... Paradiso will be small for them"
"You know what they say" Grimm got up from the table, making all dirty plates and cutlery disappear. "The new generations are going strong... they are ambitious and determined. Even so, my apprentice is a superstar among them! Although you will never see say it to her"
"Tell a child who is the best and the child stagnates without realizing its potential-
"Tell a man that he is a loser and will fight to change it. You were the one who taught me that phrase...
"I'll guard your lair until you get back, friend" Grimm nodded with a last smile at his friend, running to the pillar to catch Erin. "May Amun take care of you... my friends..."
Toc toc toc... TOC TOC TOC TOC TOC TOC TOC!
"Yggggg... I'm coming!" Ehrwald shouted as he put on his robe, running downstairs. Emmile looked from the top of the staircase, still in her pajamas and with her own robe gown under her arm. Two in the morning and already playing so loud? The two would be lucky if the neighbors didnt end up complaining.
"Be careful, darling... pick up a broom or something if where are dealing with a thief," Emmile whispered from the floor above, slowly descending as she tried to tie her robe around her stomach.
"Honey, you're a dragon! If a thief tried to steal, they would find a beautiful 2-meter pregnant woman with muscles capable of bursting a watermelon with her bare hands!" But nothing said prevented Ehrwald from approaching the edge of the room, picking up the broom as a weapon.
Emmile said nothing, lowering her head and sighing deeply. Ehrwald may have grown up alone in the mountains, but that didnt give him permission to make such convoluted and long metaphors. (And I'm sure he didnt give permission to continue without understanding how to make a metaphor)
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, nodding and standing on either side of the door. "We dont want problems, okay?!" Emmile shouted as she opened her hand, turning it into a scaly claw capable of tearing flesh, stone and metal alike.
"Pair of idiots! Stop stupid things and open the door!" Grimm shouted quickly, knocking the door even more.
Emmile and Ehrwald sighed in relief, Ehrwald moving to open the door. "Uncle Gri-"
"There is no time to talk! The situation is important!" Grimm slammed the door, knocking Ehrwald down. Without waiting to be invited, Grimm stepped in error on the leg of poor Eral. "Dwarf! It is not time to rest! Come on Erin, your turn"
Grimm moved aside, dragging Ehrwald and Emmile. With great difficulty, the giantess lay on the floor, sliding sideways through the door too small. In a fit of flexibility worthy of the circus, Erin managed to enter the house, sitting on the floor of the house similar to a huge children playhouse for her perspective. "Idiot... the WorldDiver is for these things!" Grimm chided his apprentice as he dragged chairs to the lobby, the only place where the giantess could sit.
"Well... you are right" said the giantess feeling extremely embarrassed, looking out the windows in search of anyone who could have seen such a ridiculous scene... although the giantess was hidden her identity, her honor and her real pride kept coming up.
"Let's not waste time, Erin, these are my nephews Emmile and dwarf-"
"Uncle Grimm! Enough! "Ehrwald stepped forward, offering his hand to the giantess. "Ehrwald-"
Emmile leap forward, pushing her husband and taking the hand of the giantess. "You must be Erin! You cant imagine how much I wanted to meet you since Uncle Grimm told me about you this morning! I am so excited to meet you so soon, you must have learned super fast to use the WorldDiver! Grimm has spent all the food boasting about you!
My name is Emmile Gughinr and this is my husband Ehrwald, and to take this opportunity I want to welcome you to the family! I just hope that Grimm has behaved well with you all your way here!" The giantess was speechless, overwhelmed by the seemingly inexhaustible energy that the pregnant beauty gave off.
"Emmile, sweety... I doubt that so much excitement is good for a pregnant woman as close to delivery as you" Grimm said sitting in a chair next to Erin. "We will have more time to talk once we solve this"
"What's the matter, uncle Grimm? You seem really attacked" Ehrwald asked, already seated and recovered. Erin could not help but be surprised by how quickly the little man had recovered... and the truth is that Ehrwald was used to Emmile and Grimm handle it at ease ... a test of love as he called it.
Sighing, Grimm inclined his head towards the giantess, as if to blame her. "Myddrin has appeared in our camp-" The marriage was silent, with the mouths half open. "He wants a draconian tear"
"Are you... are you sure it was dad, Uncle Grimm?" Emmile asked, her mind still cloudy. Grimm nodded silently, letting the dragon begin to wonder if all this was just a dream.
"And why he wants a tear now?" Ehrwald seemed calmer than his wife, but no less relieved and happy, Erin thought. "Precisely he was the one who told us that a dragon must die dragon and all that!"
"Erin" Grimm said without moving his head, simply closing his eyes. "You are the one who has spent more time with today... explain it- No! Even better! Erin, you must make a trial for Myddrin right now.
You have spent the whole morning with him, you have been able to listen to him and then you have seen how he has lied to you ... sorry, as he has hidden part of the truth from you. It's your turn to decide what we should do with Myddrin and if his words were sincere"
"Why me? That's not fair, Grimm! You know him much better than me!-"
"Bingo"
Grimm stood back in his chair, still looking at the giantess. A serious and deep look, one of a real teacher. "We are impartial because we know him... You, on the other hand, only have the information acquired today. You are a princess and future queen once we take care of Gurian, so this serves as double training for your future work:
Find the truth in the words of Myddrin, storm-eater... and decide if he deserves the draconian tear"
The giantess didnt say anything ... or rather, she didnt know what to say. It was evident that the three of them expected to hear a specific answer... but what Midi had shared with her was different from how Grimm, Emmile and Ehrwald expected it... Was Myddrin lying to earn her trust? Or the dragon was sincerely sorry for his actions and wanted to change to be with his family again?
The minutes passed, the trio more and more worried about the silence of the giantess. The thoughts of the giantess ended up constantly reaching her grandfather... how much she hated him for having sided with Gurian... how betrayed she felt to see how he put the honor of the kingdom before his own granddaughter.
Or at least, she wanted to hate him...
And what would happen if Myddrin hurt her granddaughter as much as Gaspar did to her? If now she defended him and Myddrin turned out not to have changed... it would only end up causing more pain...
"Myddrin..." If the dragon was only pretending, then the final blame would fall on her. And still, Erin knew what she had to say. Myddrin has found himself alone in the world ... and he knows very well that it is his fault for having driven his family away.
I dont know what he's done or said to you, Emmile, and I dont even know if he's sweetened his version of the story to make him look better... But I think he's really realized that he can not continue giving in to his pride.
And although I just met you I'm sure you deserve the opportunity to ask him why he wants to change now... because now she wants to return to your lives" The giantess could not find hatred in her heart for her grandfather ... What she wanted most was for her grandfather to explain why he had made that decision...
And if Myddrin really has changed and wants to be a good grandfather to his grandchildren, then the old dragon will have to answer the same question of his children... and Erin would make sure that he did it, personally as well.
"He..." Emmile hshe intertwining her hands, turned into claws. Her eyes were wet, with an unconscious smile decorating her reddened face. "I know why he wants to change... I know he wants to be by his granddaughter and his family!
I always knew... that in the end, Dad would remember how happy he was with Mom and with us ... and that he would want to experience it again with his granddaughter!" The dragon burst into tears, embraced from behind by her husband.
Grimm sighed in relief, rising from his chair and placing his hand on the knee of the giantess. "It's time for Myddrin to pay for being a bighead... and for that, we should bring him to a more manageable size. Dwarf, can you create the ritual?"
"I must ask Hector for permission to use the laboratory for a private matter, but I am sure he will understand the situation! and if not, I'll take the ingredients myself and I'll do it here at home!" Ehrwald squeezed his wife's shoulder, which raised her eyes covered with tears and snot. "When I asked for her daughter's hand, I swore she would make her smile every day of my life and that I would honor our last name! I dont plan to back out now on my oath!"
"You're so cool, my love!" Emmile shouted, burying her face in her husband's robe. "I love you so much!"
"Damn you, Dwarf ... you've been so cool for a few seconds" Grimm looked away, turning towards the giantess. "See, apprentice? That's not the kind of adult you should be. You always have to be cool always, not just once in a while"
The giantess laughed softly, trying to contain herself. "How strange is it to hear you say something like Cool, teacher..."
"What? Brazen apprentice! I practically invented the term Cool! Maybe Amun made it popular... but I was there when the expression was used for the first time! Anyway... Doing the ritual here or in the castle would take too much time" Grimm looked at Emmile for a second, keeping a smile for later. ""We will do the ritual ourselves in the mines themselves, so we must make our way fastet than ever, Erin. We have to ask for permission for the Unknown Territory and also we must collect the ingredients ... and both will be provided by the same person!
Yes! This is gonna be great! Dancing Glory will make its triumphant return with its youngest member!"
"Wait, Uncle Grimm..." Ehrwald asked as he took off his snotty dressing gown and left it to his wife, who continued to use it as a handkerchief. "Are you going tonight?"
Grimm nodded as he opened the front door. "Do you have a problem with it, dwarf?"
Ehrwald was silent for a moment, turning to his wife. Erin watched as neither of them said a single word, somehow reaching an agreement to which Emmile nodded, getting up and running upstairs. "Allow me to accompany you, Uncle Grimm"
"Ehhhh, I have to take care of you-"
"You dont have to take care of me! I am an experienced alchemist and not the 16 year old child of the last time! I'm also part of Dancing Glory, remember? Who better than me to do the ritual? It will take a thousand times less than if we depend on you! We have a lot to talk about with Myddrin before my daughter is born, every minute we win is gold!"
Grimm was still not too convinced, looking quickly at Emmile, who gave him a quick confirmation.
Before the silence of his teacher, Erin decided to take a step (metaphorical, stand up would be a mess too big for the rush that the situation demanded) forward, offering her hand to Ehrwald "Before they havent let us introduce ourselves properly, Assistant to the real alchemist Ehrwald Gughinr. My name is Erin, and although I dont know what Dancing Glory is, it would be an honor to accompany us"
"A thousand thanks, Erin!" Grabbing the giantess hand (or letting the giantess cover him completely) Ehrwald shook his head completely excited for, for once, be presented directly. "I dont know how you can be such a good girl following a dickhead like Grimm!" Ehrwald shouted as he climbed to the top floor, stopping at the top step. "And by the way, the family calls me Eral, you included!"
Grimm shrugged, going out the door and turning to see his apprentice implement the WorldDiver to get out easily. "Since when does an apprentice invite people without their teacher's permission?"
"You were going to let him come anyway! I just saved us a couple of minutes! Also, you heard both! Now I am part of the family... and the family supports each other!"
Grimm smiled as he listened to Eral run down the stairs. "You became part of my family the moment I got your contract, my dear... and dont think that means something good. I've managed to build relationships with terrible people, as you will see once I explain who we are Dancing Glory!"
Ehrwald appeared through the doorway dressed in an open black robe with his alchemist's uniform underneath, his alchemy bag dangling from his right arm. "Look at you... and think that in the end you have managed to become an alchemist capable of working directly for the real alchemical master..."
"I'm not that dwarf anymore Uncle Grimm! I think it's about time you stopped laughing at my height!" Ehrwald smiled as he turned around to kiss his wife.
"You still measure one meter sixty, Dwarf, dwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarf" Grimm scoffed, beginning to walk toward the shrine without waiting for him, followed closely by Erin and Ehrwald, starting to run as soon as they were on the corner of the street.
Emmile continued apathetic until they disappeared from her sight, making her way back home quietly.
With the door tightly closed behind him, Emmile endured a laugh, dropping to the ground meanwhile. Thankfully, only Grimm had noticed the puddle under her chair was too big to be tears, which gave the dragon plenty of time to prepare.
"I know you feel like going out..." Emmile hugged her stomach, noticing the second contraction. "But I need you to hold on a bit more... let your grandfather be present... please!" The dragon whispered, rising and going up to the second floor to get both the bag for the hospital and the Guiltycomm. Crystal to be able to warn her brothers.
Emmile needed to have someone to shout until her husband, uncle, new addition to the family and father came back.