Morning arrived quietly.
Smoke still drifted above the eastern village.
The fires had finally been extinguished.
Now came the harder task.
Rebuilding.
---
Elsa carried broken beams as if they weighed nothing.
She repaired collapsed roofs.
Lifted wagons trapped beneath stone.
Cleared roads buried by rubble.
No one asked her to.
She simply worked.
---
At first, the villagers watched from a distance.
Some smiled.
Some still looked uneasy.
Children accepted her long before adults did.
Adults needed reasons.
Children only needed kindness.
---
The little girl who had given Elsa the flower crown ran toward her again.
"Big sister!"
She held up a small wooden hammer.
"My daddy says this is for building houses."
---
Elsa accepted it with both hands.
It was cheap.
Its handle was cracked.
To Elsa, it felt more valuable than gold.
---
"Thank you."
---
The girl puffed out her chest proudly.
"We're rebuilding together."
---
Elsa smiled.
"Together."
---
Across the square, Jack watched quietly.
He hadn't seen Elsa laugh this much since Edward died.
Perhaps...
He had never seen her laugh this much at all.
---
Rowan walked beside him.
"You know what Edward would do now?"
---
Jack smiled faintly.
"He'd accidentally hit his own thumb with a hammer."
---
"...Then tell everyone it was part of the plan."
---
Both men laughed.
For the first time in years...
The laughter didn't hurt.
---
Far away, however, the story being told was very different.
---
In the capital, newspapers appeared before sunrise.
The headlines read:
> **THE DRAGON-BLOOD DESTROYS EASTERN VILLAGES**
Another:
> **ROYAL ARMY SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES FIGHTING THE CALAMITY**
Another:
> **SURVIVORS REPORT UNCONTROLLABLE DRAGON FIRE**
---
None mentioned the beast horde.
None mentioned the people she saved.
None mentioned the soldiers who stood beside her.
---
Only fear sold papers.
---
Inside taverns...
People argued.
---
"My cousin serves in the army."
"He says she massacred everyone."
---
"No, I heard she protected children."
---
"That's impossible."
---
"My brother was there."
"He swears she cried after a young knight died."
---
Rumors spread faster than truth.
Always had.
---
Meanwhile...
Inside the royal palace...
The king listened as reports arrived one after another.
---
"Your Majesty..."
"The eastern survivors are refusing to testify against the Dragon-Blood."
---
Another official stepped forward.
---
"Several soldiers have resigned."
---
Another.
---
"Villages are questioning the council's version of events."
---
The king closed his eyes.
Not from anger.
From exhaustion.
---
The kingdom wasn't breaking because of Elsa.
It was breaking because people had begun asking questions.
---
And questions are dangerous to governments built on certainty.
---
He looked toward the window.
The sun was rising.
---
"...Edward."
He whispered.
"I executed you as a traitor."
A long silence.
"...And yet your kindness survives."
---
For a brief moment...
He wondered something he had refused to ask for fifteen years.
---
**What if I was wrong?**
---
The thought lasted only a heartbeat.
Then another report arrived.
---
"Your Majesty."
"The northern border has also reported unusual beast movements."
---
The king frowned.
---
"Another horde?"
---
"It appears... something is driving them."
---
Silence filled the room.
---
Whatever was happening...
It was larger than Elsa.
Larger than the kingdom.
Perhaps...
Larger than the world itself.
---
Far beyond the kingdom's borders...
Deep within mountains no map recorded...
A pair of ancient crimson eyes slowly opened.
---
The creature before them knelt.
Its body trembled.
---
"The Dragon Princess lives."
---
The ancient being spoke only four words.
Its voice echoed like an earthquake through the cavern.
---
"...Find my granddaughter."
---
Across the cave...
Hundreds of dragons lowered their heads.
Not in fear.
In respect.
---
For the first time in sixteen years...
The Dragon Realm had begun to move.