The empress said fairwell to them both and exited the fairy castle. The dragon sat up, ready to go.

"Lily doin' okay?" He asked. 

"Yeah, nervous parent, that's all." 

"I can imagine, let's go." He responded.

The empress nodded, climbing onto his back and waited.  He took off into the skies zooming far above the cloud banks. After they had flown out of faerie territory, he slowed down a little. He liked to have a slowed quiet flight but the chance didn't present itself often. Most of the time there were critters in peril, life or death situations. 

"How's the little fairy?" He shouted back to her.

"She's doing great." She hollared back to him.

"Good, good." He shot back, then had to swoop down quickly to avoid crashing into a couple of vultures that  didn't see the huge dragon flying at them. 

Over the next forty-seven minutes they flew in silence. The dragon would speed up a bit every twenty miles or so. The empress used the peace and quiet to meditate. 

Once the meditation had been complete, she looked down. They weren't that far from home. Good, she thought, glad to get back home. The dragon had started to land a few yards from her home.

She thanked him with a small hug, then went straight into the castle.  Opening the door slowly, hearing  voices- one was her apprentice. One she didn't recognize. 

"Dear goddess what now?" She spoke to the empty entryway. She walked quickly to the back of the castle, the stranger's voice was coming from the court-yard.