Understanding

"Um, sis... Is there a problem?" Veldora asked nervously looking down at his sister in her human form.

"What do you mean, Veldora?" Velzard asked slightly annoyed as she looked up at him.

"It's just.. uh. Normally, whenever you come over its to kil-" Veldoara stopped halfway through his sentence as Velzard glared at him. "You don't tend to hang out with me much, especially without your husband around," Veldora laughed nervously while trying to divert attention away from his own blunder.

Unfortunately, he didn't realize it, but the fact he mentioned Alaster's name caused her to be even more upset. "Yeah, well! Who needs him!?!" Velzard yelled in anguish.

Veldora flinched and shook for a moment in response to her raising her voice but stopped once he actually processed what she said. He turned back towards her, lowering his head to be roughly eye level with her, taking a close look at her face. It was odd to say the least. Her eyes were slightly red and her face a bit puffy. Veldora tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Umm... big sis. Is everything alright?" He asked with slightly more care in his voice than normal.

"Of course it is! I just wanted to see my little brother is all!" Velzard pouted angrily before sitting down on a nearby moss-covered stone, head looking down. The moss slowly shriveled up and iced over as she did so.

"I guess, but it just seems like you're sad about something," Veldora said.

Velzard's face raised to look at her little brother with a small frown. Veldora flinched slightly but didn't back away as he seemed to be genuinely worried for her. Velzard's frown slowly faded into a small smile. She wasn't dense, she knew that Veldora was terrified of her because she always disciplined him for his actions as opposed to her big brother who spoiled him, and Velgrynd who'd only beat him up and forcefully try to change his attitude rather than kill him and hope his next reincarnation was more mild-mannered.

Still, despite all the fear he had for her, he still seemed to be at least slightly worried for her, which made her happy, knowing that he did actually love her despite that.

"I just- I had a fight with Alaster and felt like I needed to blow off some steam." She admitted to him.

"Alaster, huh? He's a difficult opponent indeed." Veldora nodded his had in understanding and folded his arms as if thinking. "I suggest you beat him with a full-power breath attack!" He declared.

"Not THAT kind of fight!" Velzard chuckled as she watched her goofball brother. /1\

"Eh??? Is that so?" Veldora replied slightly embarrassed, but it was mistaken by Velzard as a legitimate attempt to keep up her mood.

"He and I got into a spat about our future together as a couple. He was worried about what would happen to me if I became too weak." She commented.

"I see. I guess I can understand that." Veldora stated, not really getting it at all. "But there is something that's bothering me about that though." Veldora stated, trying to change the subject in hopes it may make his sister leave faster.

"Doesn't Alaster like... REALLY love you though? I mean, he killed me that one time I got a lucky hit-off in our fight and I hurt your eye." Veldora claimed, fuzzily remembering how he had been sliced in half by the angry demigod while trying to defend himself from one of Velzard's 'discipline' attempts. /2\

Velzard smiled, remembering the same event. "Yeah. He worries too much about my safety! I mean, I'm a True Dragon damnit! I can handle myself!" Velzard cried out.

"I get it! I get it! Please calm down! You'll freeze over the forest!" Veldora cried out in plea as several meters around them became covered in a thick layer of ice.

Velzard took a deep breath and exhaled, melting all of the ice around her. "Sorry." She said, slightly embarrassed herself.

She always tried to keep her calm and not have outbursts in front of Veldora, as it'd make her a hypocrite to want him to become calmer and more collected while she was setting a bad example. Velzard ran a hand through her silky white hair and began to rub the back of her neck, slightly stressed.

Veldora saw that whatever situation was going on between his sister and Alaster was quite serious but since he didn't really understand it, all he could do was try to appease his sister. "Um, sis. I don't know much about you and Alaster's..." he paused trying to find the right words. "relationship (?), but from what I could see is that he adores you. If the two of you are having problems and are fighting, then maybe its because of a misunderstanding or something. You should talk to him again." Veldora said, accidentally giving half-decent advice.

Velzard looked up at her younger brother in confusion. "When did you become so knowledgeable on these kinds of things." She asked.

Veldora laughed awkwardly. "Well, I may or may not have gotten into a few misunderstandings before," Veldora replied, recalling the first time he went out to have a rampage for fun and accidentally destroyed a few villages in the countryside. When he tried to explain to the armies that the country sent out to slay him that it was an accident from him playing around too hard, they didn't listen and caused a war. Thankfully he's a changed dragon! He'd no longer be the same dragon he was 5 days ago when that happened, now he will be wise and kind, to show the world that he's not some mindless beast like they'd made him out to be.

Velzard narrowed her eyes at him when he mentioned being 'misunderstood'. Velzard wasn't dense and she saw how there were quite a few villages nearby the Jura Woodland that looked to have been recently burned down and the sight of one major battlefield nearby.

"Veldora... did you attack the people on the border to the Jura Woodland?" She asked him in a scary voice.

Veldora flinched and mechanically turned to look away from his sister. "Umm... well, uh... Not o purpose...?" He said with great hesitation.

Velzard looked at him with half-closed eyes before letting out a disappointing sigh. "Veldora, I think you know what I have to do now, right?"

Veldora paled.

"Didn't you mention something about a Breath attack earlier? Maybe I should try it on you!" Velzard declared with an evil glint in her eye. She'd secretly enjoy this punishment a bit more than usual, as she'd blow off some steam by reincarnating him once more. Considering just how good he turned out this time, she was hopeful that the next one would make him into a respectable Dragon.

Veldora turned to flee, but didn't make it very far. Legends would have it, that Winter came early to the Jura Woodland that year. /3\

...

Teleporting was easy, fast, and more efficient in the long run than flying, but flying was easily the best form of transportation. In addition to always being fun and never getting old, it also granted a person time to think and introspect. That's probably why unless it's an emergency or other time-sensitive matter, I'll always use magic to fly to where I'm going, rather than teleport.

That's why, at the moment, I was flying towards the Amarita. I sensed that Velzard, after killing off Veldora again, for some reason, had teleported back there. It was somewhat understandable why. It was the current headquarters of the Adventurers Guild and therefore where Velzard and I built our home. Lilith's house was also there, but what was the most shocking thing was that Velzard wasn't at either location. She was actually visiting the still-under construction Castletown.

Even from a distance, the castle itself was a sight to behold, looking like something straight out of the background concept art of a video game trailer. As I approached, I slowed down and descended on the outside of the walls stealthily, giving a small scare to one of the gate guards as I landed next to him.

"What the!?! Oh, Lord Alaster, it's you!" One of the guards, a male elf, commented, trying to calm his suddenly beating heart.

I chuckled a bit. "Sorry about that. Is my wife here?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes sir. I was informed Lady Velzard arrived only a few minutes ago. Should I call for her?" He nervously asked.

"It's fine, I'll do it myself. Do you mind if I go inside?" I asked, more out of politeness than respect for his ability to stop me.

"Of course not, sir! You're the Hero of the country and a personal friend of the crown princess! None of us guards would dare get in your way!" He spoke matter-of-factly.

I smirked at that and gave him a pat on the shoulder as I walked past him. "Thanks, see you around," I said as I walked away, leaving a very confused gate guard behind me.

I made my way through the various magic construction workers who were hard at work sculpting the brilliant castle out of white stone, earning respectful nods from many of the elven craftsmen inside. The maids gave a respectful bow as I walked through the halls and some of the guards even saluted me or by putting their fists on their chests as a show of respect.

It was nice to be acknowledged by everyone, but at the same time, it was a bit tedious that I had to constantly raise my hand or greet them as I passed. Eventually, the tiresome event was over and I made my way to the destination I was looking for. A small meeting room where I sensed Velzard's presence from.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, mentally preparing myself to face my wife again. Hopefully, for the last time while we were quarreling. I exhaled once more and opened my eyes, bringing my hand up to knock on the door.

"Just get inside already, Alaster!" I heard Evelyn calling out from behind the doorway.

A small awkward smile appeared on my face as I opened the door and made my way inside. There I saw Evelyn sitting behind a large desk, a happy smile on her face. Velzard was seated on a couch nearby, looking just as uncomfortable as I was. I raised my hand to wave a getting to her, but no words came from my mouth. Velzard too, gave an awkward smile to acknowledge it. Evelyn looked on at both of us with studying eyes, and seeing our awkward meeting, sighed loudly and heavily, getting both of our attention.

"You two are WAY too awkward with one another!" She said.

Velzard and I looked at each other with knowing eyes. I chuckled while she giggled before I turned back to Evelyn. "Sorry, sorry. We've just never been in a fight before, so it's hard for us to make up. I don't know how to start, I guess."

Evelyn's eye twitched. "What are you two, virgins on your first night? I shouldn't have to tel you what you need to say, right?" She said with an urging tone in her voice.

I smiled at her in apporval, which cause her to stop what she was doing and blush slightly. Seeing this I chuckled a bit before turning to Velzard who was sighing slightly.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, Vel." I said to her sincerely.

Velzard straightened up when she heard this and stood up. She walked towards me and into my arms. "I'm sorry too." She said as she snuggled up into my embrace.

I quietly began to pat her head as we held each other close. "I hurt you badly. I know you wanted a child but I wasn't ready for it. I was scared. Scared of the past and scared of losing you." I explained my actions.

"I know. I knew that. I knew that the stuff from your past was keeping you reserved when it came to this topic and yet I carelessly asked to put you into a nightmare situation and lashed out at you when I got an answer I didn't like." Velzard explained.

"No. That was in the past. I shouldn't allow what happened to my parents and friends to control my life any further. It's time that I stepped out of my comfort zone and trusted myself and trusted you. I want to have a child with you." I replied.

Velzard smiled softly and nuzzled into my chest even moreso than before. Her breathing hitched and I knew she was crying. "I love you so much." She whispered to me.

I felt my eyes become moist. "I love you too," I responded, as we continued to hug each other tightly into the afternoon.

.~.~.~.

/1\:

Veldora isn't actually worried about his sister, he is actually worried about her taking it out on him. When he gave the advice to attack him with her breath, he was being serious, but Velzard misinterpreted it as an attempt to cheer her up.

/2\:

Veldora's memories of the event were fuzzy because he lost some of his memories from that time, but he remember the very unique feeling of being in two separated halves for a moment before everything went black.

/3\:

All of the progress Veldora towards being a better Dragon was erased when Velzard killed him on this occasion. He went back to being irresponsible and unable to self-reflect on the mistakes he's made in the past. This is a trait that he'd never again acquire during any other of his reincarnations, as it didn't help him the one time he had it.

.~.~.~.

A/N: I've also decided that I can't wait anymore. I'm going to be starting writing on my next series a bit early, but since this one ios so close to the end, I'll briefly be doing both with this one having the priority.