M:   "He has a point," Rowen admitted, "there is no way we would be able to keep up with such an appetite.

"Hey Rowen, how exactly does your leg work," Mandara asked, "we were thinking of making a new tail fin for Edel but we're not sure how to do it."

Rowen didn't answer immediately, he actually looked rather uncomfortable with the request, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um ... well, I don't normally like showing it to people, which is why I wear such tall boots ... but I suppose if it's to help Edel then I can make an exception."

Rowen walked over to a chair and sat down, he wordlessly unstrapped his boot and slipped it off his prosthetic leg. It was simple in its design, the wooden limb was shaped like a flesh and bone leg and had a floral pattern painted on it, the leg attached to a metal brace strapped to Rowen's nub so it could come off with a simple twist. The ankle joint appeared to be a ball and socket joint with gears on the  outside, allowing it to move.

Rowen didn't say anything, he wouldn't even look at anyone, he had always been self-conscious about it so he didn't want to see the other's reactions.

N:   Johann walked up to Rowen and sat down at his feet legs crossed as he tried to study the prosthetic. "It looks really cool," he muttered as he outlined the pattern with his finger, "and the flowers are beautiful."

He looked back at Edel's fin and he tried to imagine how it would move, using his hand as a sort of model. "So it would need to fan out," he said, stretching out his hand, "and fold in," his fingers came together, "and it would have to go up and down." He waved his hand up and down as he returned his attention to the mechanism in Rowen's leg.

"I think that ball thing there helps you move your ankle, right?" Johann asked, "and it allows you to move it easily, so why can't we make one for Edel? One gear so he could open and close his fin, and another to move it up and down."

"There is a lot that goes behind making joint," England said, "so it might not be as simple as that. Also, try not to overanalyze Rowen."

Johann raised a brow and looked up to the captain's face, and seeing his discomfort he lowered his head, "Tut mir leid," he said quietly.

M:   "It's alright," Rowen murmured, "I'm just not used to people seeing it, that's all."

"Why not," Mandara asked, "it's cool and the flowers are pretty."

"Mandara, you shouldn't ask such personal questions," Derogan scolded.

"No, it's ok, I might as well get it off my chest," Rowen sighed, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs, letting out a long sigh before explaining, "so that night it happened, my wife Sara and I were sleeping and my dog Titan was at the foot of the bed, I woke up to the sound of him barking and saw that the whole bedroom was filled with smoke. I was disoriented from sleep and the smoke so in a panic I led Sara out the door and into the blaze, the biggest mistake of my life. We didn't get very far before the house started to collapse, knocking me down and trapping my leg, all I could think to do was tell Sara to run, to leave me and save herself."

Tears started running down Rowen's face as he remembered, but kept telling the story, "She ran, I didn't see what happened next as a large brick hit me in the head and knocked me out, when I came to it was three days later in the infirmary. Mandoria was there but my wife wasn't, confused, I asked him where she was. He said that she didn't make it, that the front door was barricaded by debris so she was trapped, suffocating to death while fruitlessly trying to push the door open."

Rowen stopped to bury his head in his hands, softly crying, "it was all my fault, I could have led us out the bedroom window, and instead, I led her and our unborn child to their deaths, and that's why I don't like showing people my leg, because it shows them I'm a murderer."

N:   "You are not a murderer," Johann said firmly, "the only person in this room who should be considered one is Saxon, not you." The entity lowered his head when he was mentioned, not sure how to respond to the comment.

The boy rested his head on Rowen's knee, "You said it yourself, you were disoriented from your sleep and the smoke, you couldn't have thought straight even if you tried. Your first thought was to get your wife to safety, to escape from the fire, and that is not the thought of a murderer. A murderer would purposely keep her in the room, while you were selfless and told her to flee and forget about you."

Johann tapped the prosthetic leg and continued, "this doesn't show that you are a murderer, like you said before, it only shows that you have been through a traumatic event, and yet you haven't let it slow you down. You can think about all the ways you could have prevented what occurred, but one day you have to accept what happened and not focus on the past, and look towards the future."

M:   Rowen uncovered his eyes to look at Johann, tears still leaking out of them, "but I could have saved her, I dragged her into the fire and it cost her and our baby their lives, it should have been me who died in that blaze, i-it should have been m-me."

"No, don't say that," Mandara shouted, hugging Rowen tightly, "no one should have died, you especially, you're our family Rowen, nothing would be right if you died."

N:   Johann stood up and hugged Rowen too, "I agree, no one deserves to die." The human boy rested his chin on the other's shoulder, "We cannot bargain with death, trust me, I know."

Anglo walked forward and crouched next to the captain, "We care for you, Rowen. Fire is a terrible thing, and its effects are long-lasting. Look around you, you have a family, people who rely on you and love you, and if you died things would have been drastically different."

M:   Rowen was silent, taking in what everyone said and calming himself down. Derogan also joined in the hug and that made the human feel better with all the support.

After a few minutes of calming down, Rowen patted Johann's back and said, "thank you guys, I need that."

"We're here for you Rowen," Derogan reassured him, "if you need to talk about anything we'll listen, no matter what."

Rowen smiled and hugged back, "and I'm thankful for that, I guess that I just needed to hear it, thank you, all of you."

N:   "No worries," Anglo smiled, "we can be your personal therapists if you wish. Send a letter to us and we could provide some sound English advice."

"In what universe has there been sound English advice," Saxon smirked, getting an eye roll from England and Anglo.

"Alright," the winged country said, "Anglish advice it is," getting a small 'hey' from England in the background. The younger Englishman turned around to Edel, walked up to the dragon, and sat next to him, pouting as if saying that Edel is the only loyal friend left.

M:   Rowen and the brothers chuckled at England acting like a child, Edel turned to the country with a fishtail sticking out of his mouth like he was confused at being interrupted, making the Mandorians laugh harder.

Sensing that his child had been offended, Edel turned to England and gave him a few tiny licks on the cheek like a dog would, but unlike a dog, he started retching and gaging until he brought up the other half of the fish right into the country's lap. He purred and rubbed his head affectionately against England, then went back to eating, causing the three Mandorians to look sick to their stomachs.

N:   "So,"  England grumbled, his face full of disgust but he tried to hide it in front of Edel, "dragons are like birds after all."

Saxon winced when he saw the fish, "So, son," he asked with a weak grin, "are you going to eat that then? Don't birds feed their young like that?"

"Hmm, yes I will quickly roast it and eat it with a cuppa tea," the country stared at the entity grumbly, "Faeder, who do you exactly take me for? A bloody idiot! Of course, I am not going it eat it." He patted the dragon behind him, "Hey, why don't you take back your fish? I am not hungry and you seem you would like it more than me."

M:   Edel looked back over to England and slightly frowned that he wouldn't eat, he took the fish half but didn't eat it, he instead breathed fire on it to cook it. Once it was nice and toasty, Edel put it back in England's lap, backed up onto his back legs, and sat, staring at England with expectations.

N:   "You got to be serious," England muttered to himself as he looked down at the freshly cooked fish. Poking at it, he looked up at Edel, pleading in his eyes as he tried to get away with not eating it, but he could tell he was not getting off the hook, so instead, he glanced over to his fathers.

Anglo shook his head, smiling a little, "You're on your own there, fauntkin."

"And would you like a cuppa tea with that, too," teased Saxon, getting an annoyed grumble from the country.

Looking back down at the fish, England gulped as he took it in his hands, "Well, here goes. Can't be that bad."

He sunk his teeth into the fish and took a bit, internally reeling from eating the food. See, England was fine eating fish, since the Kingdom is an island so it is common for the people to have it. However,  the very thought that it used to be inside a dragon and was barfed out for him was putting him off so much that the bite he took was the only one he is going to do.

He regretted taking a large bite from the fish, so now it filled up his mouth and puffed out his cheeks like a chipmunk. Closing his eyes, he counted down and swallowed the whole thing, and he instantly recoiled from the taste as it went down his throat.

M:   Mandara and Derogan applauded at England's achievement and Rowen chuckled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Well that looked like quite a mouthful," Mandoria said from the doorway. Edel jumped over to him and licked his face a few times, earning a chuckle and a head pat. The king walked over to England and flashed him an amused smile, "guess I missed lunch, huh."

N:   "Haha funny," England mumbled as he stood up. He looked at the fish in his hands, "I don't think I will be able to recover from that," he spoke, still having the aftertaste in his mouth.

"Oh don't be overdramatic about it," Saxon smiled as he walked over, patting England's back, "it's just a fish and you haven't died from eating it."

"So would you care for a bite," the country said, holding up the fish to the entity's face, causing him to take a couple of steps back, shaking his head. "Thought so," he smirked, and he looked over to Edel, "you sure you don't want the rest?"

M:   Edel grumbled in his throat at England's pickiness, but perked up when Mandoria took it and took a bite out of it.

"Eww," the kids grimaced in unison, then Derogan added, "Edel threw that up.

"I've eaten worse things for the first half of my life," the king responded, "besides, it's not half bad, just needs a little seasoning, you're a pretty good cook Edel."

Edel wagged his tail and gave Mandoria another lick, then went back to finish his breakfast.

"I don't know how I feel about kissing that mouth yesterday," Rowen cringed, earning laughter from Mandoria.

"Relax, I brush my teeth twice a day."

N:   "If you like it then fine by you," England said as he made his way out, "but it's just not my cup of tea. I'm now going to quickly wash it out of my mouth, sorry Edel," and with that, the country left.

"If it is that good," Anglo spoke, "then your chefs better watch out. Someone is coming for their job."

"And their food supplies," Saxon chuckled, getting another wing slap from Anglo. By this point, he began to wonder how many wing slaps he had been getting.

M:   "I wonder how many times he's been hit in the head," Mandoria voiced Saxon's thoughts, "I think at this point it's knocking brains out of him rather than sense into him."

The king set the fish head on the table for later and noticed that Rowen had his prosthetic showing, he raised a brow and smiled, "were you showing them your art?"

Rowen ruefully chuckled at that, "no, the kids want to make a tail for Edel and I showed them my leg so they could get some ideas."

"Well, that's sweet," Mandoria said, "you are a good Hezyka."

Rowen smiled awkwardly and a small blush crept across his face, though the mood was switched when Mandoria changed the topic, "anyway, the provisions have been packed and the horses are all saddled up, so when England comes back you can all leave if you wish."

Mandara and Derogan's faces turned down and they looked to Saxon and Anglo, Mandara ran over to Saxon and gave him a big wing-wrapped hug, "I'm going to miss you all so much."

N:   Saxon smiled as he returned the embrace, "I'm going to miss you too," he glanced back at Anglo, "we're going to miss you all."

"Hey," Anglo called out, stretching out his arms, "someone feeling lonely out here." Johann shook his head in amusement as he went over to the country and gave him a hug. "I'm going to miss you, little one," the country spoke, "now, you make sure that you don't give Rowen a hard time."

"No promises," the boy smirked, "and you make sure that Sir Saxon stays out of trouble."

"No promises," Anglo replied, giving the boy one last squeeze before letting go.

Right then, England came in, finally getting the taste out of his mouth, and looked around confused, "Wait, why are people hugging?"

M:   Derogan walked up to England and hugged him, "because we're going to miss you all."

Mandoria smiled and pulled Rowen up from the chair, wrapping his wing around him as they watched the others. "I agree, you'll all be greatly missed and are always welcome whenever you want," the king agreed.

Rowen nodded, "though next time, please don't bring so many friends, I don't think they will be as welcomed as you all.

N:   Anglo chuckled, "Don't worry, don't overestimate the number of friends England has," getting a small 'seriously' from England in the background, "but we will definitely visit."

England hugged Derogan back, "I will definitely miss this and you all. I'm sure if Wales were to come here, he would definitely bond with Edel." He patted the prince's head before letting go, and he walked up to Mandoria and bowed, "I thank thee for thy hospitality and I fare thee well." Saxon and Anglo also bowed in respect, the winged country lowering his wings, and repeated what their son said.

M:   Mandoria bowed back, "and we thank thee for thou's adventures thee has brought us."

Mandara, Derogan, and Rowen bowed too, and when the English gathered their quilts and other things they were gifted, Mandoria led them all to the stables where the escort team and horses were waiting,

"Well, goodbye then friends," he said, "may you have a safe journey and the great spirits watch over you always."

Edel whined and softly headbutt England, wanting a goodbye as well.

N:   "Aww, come here," England grinned, giving the dragon the largest hug he could, burying his face in his fur, "I'm going to miss you the most."

"Goodbye and thank you," Anglo replied as both he and Saxon mounted their horses, "England, you will have to eventually let go."

The country unglued himself from Edel, giving him a final pat in the snout before mounting Amethyst. "Hello again," he said petting her mane, "I'm going to take you to a safe home, where you can meet other horses and relax." The mare nickered in response so the country held onto the reins and led them out and joined the rest of the group.

Before they began to move, Saxon put on his eyepatch, covering his entity eye, and breathed out a sigh as he returned to his comfort zone, and he turned back to the English knights, "no slacking behind, you hear me." All of them nodded, and followed after the three countryhumans as they rode away.

"Bye," Johann called out, waving at the English as the Mandorians joined in, waving until the train of horses disappeared into the distance, marking the beginning of the Englishmen's journey home.

The End

(And another great adventure has come to an end, thank you all for reading and thank you Nova for RPing with me, it was nice to give Mandoria more time in the spotlight, as well as bring new characters to life.  See you all in the next one.)