M: "Give it here," Evelyn said, when England handed the stick to her she snapped it onto her knee, a loud and pained roar sounded from where the dragon was, which fell down and slid to a halt at Johann's feet.

When the dust settled and the dragon lay unconscious in front of the child, a few of the Mandorians nearby started coming closer to the two, looking on in astonishment at this strange kid who was able to stop a rampaging dragon with only his voice, even some of the local kids came out of hiding and jumped around excitedly at the tiny hero.

———

"Lady Celtica," Rowen said in surprise, "how, you left so long ago, I don't understand."

He went up to the two to make sure the female was ok, he was satisfied that she only had a few bruises but his eyes widened when they disappeared when she came into contact with the falling water, causing him to look up in confusion.

Despite that, he shook off his shock and again focused on the two countries, "we should get you two back to the castle, it's still not safe here.

N: Saxon nodded and led the now healed Celtica to the horses; however, the Celt kept on mumbling angrily, "I leave the Kingdom, get caught by some Austrians, escape, and then bloody caught again by Prussian."

"You had a nice day," the entity said sarcastically but the lady snapped back at him.

"I lost Aerion along the way when we got caught by the Austrians. However, she's a smart mare and I'm sure she made her way back, but as for me, I still haven't reached BE, hence the tariffs are still in place."

———

Johann ignored the Mandorians around him as he walked up to the collapsed dragon, and wrapped his arms around his neck. Hugging the large beast, he stroked its fur as he rested his head on its head.

"It's going to be ok," he muttered, closing his eyes as he continued to stroke its fur, "you will be safe now."

M: The dragon grumbled in its throat, it opened its eyes and raised up its head wobbly, making the Mandorians back up in fear. The reptile shook its head to regain its bearings, its tongue was hanging out lazily like it woke up from anesthesia, and all-around looked kind of derpy.

When it did recover from the mind control, it looked down at Johann petting it, then started giving him dragon-sized affection licks.

———

"The tariffs can wait," Rowen said as they all mounted the horses, one of the knights giving his to Celtica, "we have a strong economy, we can last a few months if need be, right now all that matters is the safety of both of you. When we get back I will write to my good friend in the Ottoman Empire to ask if he can send a few of his men to help finally drive off these rogue countries, but until then it may be best for you to stay, at least until I can organize a proper escort to protect you when you leave."

N: "Thank you," Celtica nodded, and as they rode towards the castle, and then she realized, "I'm trapped in the British loop now, aren't I? Stuck in this Kingdom?"

"Welcome to the club," Saxon smirked as he rode next to her.

She stared daggers at him, then she noticed someone missing, "where's Anglo?"

The entity stared blankly ahead of him as he remembered what happened, and what could have happened. He looked down at his clothes, finally noticing that his white shirt was stained red and torn. Finally looking back at her, he recounted what happened, and her face slowly shifted to one of concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked, and after a moment, the entity nodded before riding ahead.

———

Johann laughed as he was completely drenched from the dragon licks. "Alright, alright, you don't have to drown me," he laughed, then he looked up to the dragon to receive a lick on the face.

"I can't keep on calling you drachen, can I?" He thought about what to call it, then he got an idea, "would you like Edel? It means noble, and since you were mistaken for the god Empyr, you deserve a title, no?"

M: The dragon seemed to like its new name, its tail pounding the ground as it wagged with glee.

"Looks like someone found a friend," Evelyn said as she and England walked up to them, the woman patted Johann's head as she walked by and helped Ivan usher the crowd away.

———

'"Anglo is fine," Rowen reassured Celtica, "I do not yet know the full circumstances but I believe that he suffered a life-threatening injury, but divine intervention saved his life."

He looked up to the sky, it still rained but it was no longer purple, now it was just normal water.

"I don't know how or why, but I believe the great weather god Empyr enchanted the rain to heal all it touches."

N: "That makes sense," Celtica commented, checking her arms for any bruises, "all my injuries are gone."

When she heard about the rain, she spoke, "Ah, well I would like to thank the god Empyr for healing me." She leaned forward and called out to Saxon, "can your god Freyr do that too?"

The entity rolled his eyes as he muttered as a joke, "Lord Freyr, forgive this woman for her insolence."

———

"Yeah, he's a nice buddy, aren't you Edel?" Johann said, scratching the dragon on the chin.

"I've got to say," England spoke as he looked down at the boy, "you are much braver than you look."

"And you look like you were about to in die Hosen geschissen (shit your pants), sir," Johann replied with a smirk, and the country was confused but quickly guessed what he meant from his look.

M: When Edel saw England he pounced, but this time with friendly intentions. He licked the countryhuman's face a few times then flipped him over on his stomach then sat on his back like a mother hen sitting on her eggs.

N: England landed with an "oof" and then he wheezed when Edel sat on him. It felt as if a whole building was sitting on his back, and he began to gasp for air. "Get. This. Dragon. Off. Me," he asked Johann as he futilely tried to free himself.

The boy only laughed, and he laughed so much that he was on his knees, and he wiped a tear as he answered between giggles, "Alright, Sir England, if you insist." When he had somewhat calmed himself down, he patted the dragon and asked him to let the country go.

M: Edel did stop sitting directly on him but he wouldn't let England leave, every time the country tried to he was pulled back under the dragon, Edel even snuggled his wings around England like a protective blanket and fluffed up his fur to keep the country warm.

"I guess the boy is not the only one who has a friend," Evelyn said as she and Ivan came back from dispersing the crowd, both of them were laughing, "aw, is the mama dragon protecting his baby, you are such a good parent, yes you are," she complimented as she scratched Edel's chin approvingly.

N: After trying to escape multiple times, England gave up and stopped struggling. When he rested his face on the dragon's fur, he relaxed and muttered, "this is actually quite cozy." He glanced over to Johann and said, "I'm just going to stay here and sleep."

"He's definitely acting like a parent to me," the country commented, slowly embracing the dragon, "I'm not a baby, but I'll accept the comfort."

M: "I am quite jealous," Ivan said through Evelyn, "that does like it would be very comfortable, perhaps we could swap so you can organize the rebuilding of the temple and I can sleep with the dragon."

"Oh, speaking of which, thank you so much for helping us uncover the cause of the fire," Evelyn thanked them, "now that Ed is in custody we can safely rebuild the temple, though most likely with a different statue."

Before anyone could respond, there was the sound of galloping, and Rowen soon appeared. He stopped in his tracks at the scene in front of him and looked like his head was going to explode from the confusion.

"Before I jump to conclusions, perhaps someone would like to explain," he said as he slid off Star Dust, who looked unsure about the large predator in front of her.

N: "We made a new friend," smiled Johann, "and I think Sir England has gained another parent." The country, snuggled with the dragon, nodded in agreement.

"Edel here came out of the statue of Empyr in the temple from a spell that the Mayor's cousin etched into its wing," the boy explained. "Then crazy Ed, who thought Edel was Empyr, had a stick which controlled the dragon and attacked Sir England, but we were able to stop him. Now Ed is in custody and this country here is in the care of the dragon."

The boy then proceeded to stroke the nuzzle of the dragon and said to the captain, "You can come to Edel and pet him, Sir Rowen. He's friendly."

M: "Edel huh," the captain said as he approached the dragon, he reached out his hand for the reptile to sniff it, "he is quite the impressive animal, a bit smaller than the true Empyr, who is told to be as big as five grizzly bears, I'd say this one is no bigger than one, maybe two."

Empyr purred as Rowen started scratching his chin, which seemed to be his favorite spot. The human then noticed England being squished into the mud by the dragon.

"Well isn't this a sight to see," he teased, "the almighty England has become a mother hen's roost, I wonder how your fathers will take to you being adopted by a fire-lizard?"

N: "It's nice to see you too, Sir Rowen," England replied sarcastically, "my fathers better accept it. This fire-lizard is way too good at being a parent, such as sitting on me on sight."

He looked up to the dragon and asked, "Edel, I know that you care about me, but can you please let me go?" He faced Johann and continued, "I already got one father who headlocks me and gives me a head rub, so I am sure that I've had a lifetime amount of a dragon sitting on me."

M: Rowen chuckled, then decided he would be nice and sacrifice his packed lunch to lure Edel off. When the dragon followed Rowen off of England the poor country was practically buried in the mud, Ivan and Evelyn both had to help dig him out and pull him to his feet.

"You look like you just waded through a swamp," Evelyn chuckled, "I would offer to lead you to the bathhouse before you depart but you might just get sat on again."

"Don't worry about that, we still have to cross the river to get back to the castle, we can just tie Sir England to his horse and have her drag him along in the water to rinse him off," Rowen joked.

N: "That's a good idea," laughed Johann, but England shook his head when he heard the suggestion.

"The bathhouse is fine," England replied quickly, and he chuckled nervously, "although it may be effective, I would rather not."

As he lifted up his arms he felt the mud weighing them down, so when he walked, it was more of a waddle as if he was a penguin. Wherever he went, he left a trail of mud and every step gave a satisfying 'squelch'.

M: "Make it quick England," Rowen called after him, "we still have to make it back to the castle before sunset and it's a two-hour trip."

He then walked up to Johann and picked him up, "as for you, you little stinker, you are also getting a bath when we get back as you're not exactly the cleanest one here either. And I am assuming that since you named Edel that you want to keep him, I'm fine with that but he's staying at the castle, my home may be big but it's not big enough for a dragon, deal?"

N: Johann pulled a face when he learned that Edel would have to stay in the castle, but he nodded, "Deal."

England hurried to the bathhouse and was relieved that he was able to get the mud and dragon slobber off him. His clothes were also muddy, so he washed the mud off yet they remained wet. Luckily, a new set of clothes were provided to him, and he left the bathhouse a new man.

He approached the group, the semi-wet clothes in his hand, and he made eye contact with Edel. Panicking, he started to back away and then broke into a sprint when the dragon came for him. "Control your dragon, Johann," he yelled as he ran past him, the dragon in pursuit, "I just got MUD-FREEEEE."

The country changed his direction, and then began to run towards the horses, where Sir Rowen and Johann were, and the boy's eyes widened when he saw Edel heading straight for them.

M: Before Edel could crash into the others, Star Dust came out of nowhere and stood in front of them, causing the dragon to slide to a halt. The mare started whining to Edel like she was scolding him, he tried to growl back but she wasn't having it and all-out acted like a stern parent that was telling off their kids after misbehaving.

Edel eventually lay down his head at her feet and whimpered to show submission, Star Dust responded by gently tapping his forehead a few times, then walked off to eat some grass.

"And now I think you have been adopted by my horse," Rowen sighed, "because if that wasn't two parents butting heads then I don't know what is."

N: "Oh great," England uttered between gasps, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up to Star Dust, "Thank you very much. You saved me from having to wash again, and you are probably my mother now." When his heart finally stopped racing, he stood up straight and sighed, "now we ride for two hours."

Johann walked over to Edel, who still had his head on the ground, and he patted him to comfort him. "I hope you're fine walking with us for two hours since you don't know where the castle is."

M: Edel was happy again to see Johann and gave him a tiny lick on the nose, then jumped up and ran around a bit while he waited for everyone to get saddled up.

"I wonder if he knows how to fly," Rowen said as they set off, Johann sitting with him this time, "probably not, that temple used to stand there for a very long time, I remember visiting it as a boy when my parents came to see friends, and I remember how the staff would dress up the statue for holiday events," the knight sighed contently as he remembered his past, "good times indeed."

As he thought about the holidays he asked Johann, "What holidays do you celebrate, it would be good to know this so we can celebrate them together with the royal family."

N: Johann thought about it and answered, "we have a lot of seasonal holidays in Saxony, and the largest festival, Eostara, is during the Spring Equinox, as a way to celebrate new life, and we have Yule in December. However, with the introduction of Christianity, the holidays kind of became Easter and Christmas, but the town that I lived in still kept the old religion alive."

"You also have Samhain during the Harvest, and Imbolc in February," England added, and Johann asked how he knew he answered, "Saxon is my father, remember, and my fathers celebrate the holidays every so often. Especially Fa, who would go to his hometown during Imbolc, since it's a celebration of motherhood."

Johann nodded, but he fell silent with the mention of motherhood, so he held onto Rowen and stayed silent for a while. "That's the ones I know," he piped up after a while, "and since it has connections to Christianity and the Germanic gods, I don't know if I could actually celebrate it here."

M: "Of course you can," Rowen reassured him, "in Mandoria we accept all religions since most of the people here are pilgrims looking for a better life. Believe it or not, but my ancestors were actually Egyptian and I am proud to hold onto the old beliefs."

He then reached into the neck opening of his armor and pulled out a gold necklace with an image of an eye hanging from it, he handed it to Johann so he could have a look, "this amulet has been in my family for generations, it is the Eye of Horus and it's supposed to protect whoever holds it. Who knows, maybe someday it will be yours."

N: Johann turned the amulet in his hands, handling it as if it was an artifact, and watched it as it sparkled in the sunlight. "This is beautiful," the boy said in awe, "we used to have runes to wear for protection, and I do believe that it's true." He handed back the necklace and spoke, "maybe it would."

After a couple of minutes of riding, England asked, "Earlier, you said that you needed to go and that something bad was going to happen. Is it sorted now?"

M: Rowen didn't know how to respond to that, what was he supposed to say, that the Prussians attacked Mandara and his parents, almost killed Anglo, and captured Celtica?"

"Um, technically yes, it is sorted, but-," he said, still trying to find the right words, "um ... I feel that I am not the right person to explain since I wasn't there, all I'll say is that Anglo, Saxon, and Mandara ran into some pretty serious trouble, they're all fine now but if you want details you'll have to ask them."

As he finished that they came up to the river, which with the newest rain had grown in size and in speed, making Rowen frown.

"I don't think it's safe enough to cross anymore," he deduced, "however it is getting late and if we make the detour to cross the nearest bridge it will become dark, and even without the rogue nations it is still never a good idea to be out at night with the wolves, bears, and wild cats."

N: England raised a brow when he heard the response, but nodded, "Alright, I will ask them instead."

The country and the boy nodded, "let's try not to be nature's next main course," advised England.

Johann turned around to where the dragon was, curled up and waiting for the group, and he suggested, "Could Edel help us across? I mean, he's large enough to carry us across, although it may be risky."

M: "But think of the horses," Rowen reminded Johann, "he might be big enough to carry us but I doubt he could carry them."

As the two legs talked, the horses were listening and also trying to think of a way across. One of them noticed a particularly large and dead tree nearby and had the perfect idea, then whinnied for Edel to come help them. Edel, who was trying to catch a fish, came over and also saw the tree, understanding immediately what was needed.

He walked up to the tree and reared up to place both paws on it, and with all the strength he had, he pushed until the root ball uprooted from the ground and the tree fell over, just barely reaching the other side.

"Huh," Rowen said in surprise, "well I guess that's one way to make a bridge."

N: "Nice," England commented, leading his horse towards the makeshift bridge. The moment the mare shifted her weight on the bridge, there was a small creak but the trunk stood firm, so she got the confidence to slowly make their way across the river.

As soon as he reached the other side, England called out, "it's safe, you can come across."

M: Rowen nodded and carefully steered Star Dust across the tree, Edel crossed in the water so if they fell he could catch him, which luckily was not needed. When they reached the other side Rowen let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. After receiving a free shower from Edel shaking himself off right next to them, the riders continued on to the castle.

When they arrived they received surprised stares and respectfully bows from the knights and stablehands when they saw Edel, obviously thinking that he was Empyr.

"This might be a strange guess but I think Edel will be warmly welcomed here, " Rowen joked.

N: The moment they arrived at the stables, Johann hopped off Star Dust and rushed over to Edel, and began to walk beside the dragon. "Looks like you're famous," he teased, "do you want to go somewhere to relax? The training grounds?"

England walked over to them afterward and gave them the side-eye, "as long as he doesn't end up sitting on me, I don't mind where Edel goes." He turned to Sir Rowen and said, "I'm going to head in and find my fathers," and with that, he strolled into the castle.