She hasn't been like this for a long time.
It's been a long time since I gave myself up so freely and without any reservation.
Tomorrow Redd will leave, going to the broken land shrouded in volcanic ash and curse.
He doesn't know when he will come back, maybe a month, maybe half a year, maybe more.
And she had no way to follow him. She had to stay at Dragonstone to guard the island for him, guard the government affairs that had been arranged, and guard the pair of children who were growing up.
So tonight is the last delivery she can make.
Leave all the temperature, all the strength, and all the things that can be conveyed through the body in this room, in his touch and memory, so that he will not find any strangeness in this body next time, no matter how far he flies, no matter what he faces in that cursed land,
They will never forget that in a certain room of this castle, there is a person who is using a force that is neither hasty nor slow, but will never let go, leaving a thread for him, waiting for him to come back and pull it, so that it will not break.
At a certain point in the night, the sea outside the window was completely invisible.
A few fishing fires were scattered in the distance, moving slowly in the darkness, like fireflies floating on the water.
The rhythmic sound in the house finally began to slow down and become lighter, like a tide that began to slowly recede after rising to its highest point. There were still some residual waves lapping at the rocks on the shore, but the force was getting weaker and softer.
Mesalia's body completely relaxed at that moment, like a water rope that had been twisted to the limit and finally released, changing from straight lines to a soft, frameless fabric.
Her breathing was rapid and scattered, and her chest heaved violently. It took a long time for her to gradually return to normal. Her face was leaning on the window sill, her eyes half-closed, and her gaze was scattered and unfocused. Her whole body seemed to have been completely drained of all strength, and she was unwilling to move even a finger.
There was still a slight arc left at the corner of her mouth, like a ship that after the rain stopped, still remembered the feeling of the rain that had just hit it when it brushed the sails, but no longer had the strength to describe it.
Redd picked up her body and placed her on the large soft couch inside the window sill.
The moment her body came into contact with the mattress, she sank completely, like a loose weight that was finally caught. She didn't even have the strength to stretch out her arms and legs.
He sat on the edge of the couch, looked down at her for a while, reached out to brush away the hair that was stuck with sweat from her forehead, and then pulled the thin blanket up to cover her shoulders.
Her breathing gradually calmed down, and the frequency gradually slowed down from the rapid and rapid before, and finally turned into an even and deep sleep rhythm.
When the sun shone into the room the next morning, Mesalia was still sleeping.
Redd has already put on his coat, arranged his belt, and folded the scattered clothes on the windowsill and placed them beside the couch.
He stood in front of the couch for a moment, glanced at her peaceful sleeping posture, and made sure that her breathing was steady and her complexion was normal. Then he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.
The corridor is very quiet.
He followed the stone steps and passages that he had walked countless times, passed through the vestibule and the outer stone bridge of Dragonstone Castle, and arrived at the open platform on the east side of the castle.
Ehm is already waiting there.
The dark black Titan Demon Dragon was lying in the center of the platform, its wings folded at its sides, and its scales glowed with a deep luster in the morning light, like a rock that had been soaked in sea water overnight.
It heard his footsteps, raised its head, and a pair of dark amber eyes lit up in the morning light. Then it slowly stood up, shook the dew on its wings, and made several low sounds as the scales rubbed against each other.
Redd walked up to it and reached out to stroke the bridge of its nose.
The scales were cool but not ice-cold, as if they had just emerged from deep water and had not had time to be dried by the wind.
There were soft footsteps coming from the direction of the side door of the castle.
Jaehaerys and Visenya stood side by side by the door frame, two short shadows drawn out by the morning light, leaning against the door frame.
Jaehaerys was holding a half-eaten piece of bread in his hand before he could put it down; Visenya was wearing a coat and his hair was a little raised, as if someone had just woken him up from bed and brought him here.
The two little guys stood there, neither rushing to hug his legs nor shouting at him to stay away.
They just looked at him quietly, as if they already understood that this was something that had to happen, and no additional words were needed to add weight to it or reduce its distance.
Redd knelt down and waved to them.
Signaling the two little ones to come over.
Jaehaerys came forward first, was hugged gently by Redd, and then took half a step back.
When Visenya stepped forward, his steps were not as steady as Jaehaerys. Redd hugged her and added a soft kiss on the top of her head.
She reached out and tugged on his cuff, as if to keep something, but finally let go.
"Father." She shouted without adding any suffixes or asking questions. There was a small tail sound in her voice that had not yet fully awakened.
Redd patted her head. "Stay well and listen to Mesalia. You can ride the dragon as you like, but don't fly too far." Then he straightened up, turned around and walked towards Ehm.
He turned over on the dragon's back, found the groove between the scales on the neck, clamped his feet on the iron ring on the side of the saddle, and held the reins tightly with both hands.
Ehm felt his weight and instructions, spread its wings, and set off a burst of air carrying dust and gravel on the ground. Then it exerted force on all four legs and its entire body left the ground.
The platform quickly shrunk below them, and the castle's outline became a dark silhouette in their field of vision, and then an even smaller mass.
The wind blew from both sides, and Ehm's flight speed gradually stabilized.
Redd glanced back - the outline of Dragonstone Castle had shrunk into a dark protrusion in the morning mist. The two small figures standing on the edge of the platform were gradually shrinking into two almost unrecognizable points.
He didn't look much and returned his gaze to the sea ahead.
Ehm turned his head slightly after flying stably, looked at him, and let out a low growl in his throat that sounded like both inquiry and confirmation.
It has been a long time since he was allowed to ride alone. Over the years, he has been riding on the back of King Ghidorah most of the time, and Ehm seems to have retreated to a more rear position, only appearing in his sight when needed.
Now King Ghidorah is flying to Volantis with the Demon Dragon legion. Ehm's back carries his weight again. It seems to feel some kind of excitement about being reactivated, and the frequency of its wings beating is slightly faster than usual.