Izuku forced a smile as the palace of queen Tsuyu came into view. The frog like woman had always been fond of his family and was sure to support him and hide him away from the Todoroki Empire for now. He glanced down at Eri, who fell asleep some time ago. The girl looked so peaceful like this, almost as if the last few days never happened... Hawks landed in front of them, giving the green head a bright smile.

"Well, we're here! I'll go let the Frog Queen know you've arrived and the guards can put your horse away for you" he spoke as he guided the animal inside the castle walls.
"Thank you Hawks" Izuku smiled, descending from the stolen horse, carefully carrying Eri so she wouldn't wake up. The knight gave it a small smile before spreading his wings and flying onto the balcony of the tea room, where he knew the queen would be.

"Ah, sir Hawks, you've returned" Tokoyami spoke as he opened up the window for the knight to pass.
"I have brought prince Izuku, as you requested my queen" the birdman spoke, kneeling down before her. Tsuyu put down her cup, so did Katsuki, who was talking to her until a few moments ago.
"Stand up and go rest. You've had a tiresome day" Asui stated.
"Thank you, my queen" Hawks answered, leaving just as fast as he came.

"Shall I tell the guards to bring him here?" Tokoyami asked.
"Yes" Bakugou hissed, but the black knight didn't budge until the frog woman signing him it was okay.
"No need to rush things Bakugou, he's not going anywhere" she croaked, looking at the angry blonde.
"You don't understand. If he really has one of my dragons, one of my hatchlings even..." he breathed, letting a hand go through his hair.

"You'll kill him, am I correct?" Tsu asked, making Katsuki sigh.
"I would have no other choice" the ash blonde spoke, staring down into his drink. Bakugou loved that freckled green haired boy. Yet he was still a Midoriya, and Midoriya's couldn't be trusted. Even if All Might was his biological father, he was raised by All For One. He killed Endeavor for crying out loud!

"Don't let anger cloud your judgement, Dragon King. Let's hear what he has to say first"
"Of course, that's why I came here, didn't I? To hear him out, to see what the hell he's been up to all this time..."
Meanwhile Izuku was brought to a separate room where he and Eri could freshen up before meeting with the queen. He woke up the small girl and gave her a quick bath before taking one himself.

When they'd cleaned themselves, Izuku helped Eri get dressed into some fancy clothes, fit for nobility. The dress suited her well, being sleeveless and have a layered skirt that ended at her ankles. It was a light colour, matching her hair. And the band at her waist was the same red tone her eyes had. It's like it was made for her! Izuku changed into something more befitting of a prince, but still keeping his green theme going. He neatly folded their other clothes and placed them in his bag.

The sword of One For All was kept at his side at all times. It's not that he didn't feel safe here, he just couldn't risk not having it with him. Not after all that happened... He just placed everything away when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in" he called out, smiling as he saw Tokoyami.
"The queen requests your presence" he spoke, also smiling at the green head.

That smile fell, however, as he noticed the small girl behind him.
"Oh, this is Eri! Eri, say hi to sir Tokoyami"
"H-hi" she said nervously, hiding behind Izuku's legs. Still not very fond of strangers... Guess the dark knight in front of her scared her too, that wasn't helping.
"Who is she?" the black bird asked confused, thinking back about how Bakugou told them the runaway prince might have kidnapped someone important to him.

Could this girl be..?

"She's with me, Tokoyami. She's not a threat" Izuku stated, taking her hand.
"Now, please show us the way to the Frog Queen. I don't want to keep her waiting"
"Of course" Tokoyami breathed, opening the door for them and escorting the two towards the tea room.
"But I must warn you, you're not the only guest she has right now"
"Oh? Who?" Izuku asked curiously.

Tokoyami didn't answer him, he just opened up the doors to the tearoom. His emerald eyes lit up as he saw the blonde.
"Kacchan!" he gasped, forgetting about Eri for a moment as he ran up to the ruby eyed king, hugging him. Bakugou froze up for a moment before hugging back.
"Hey nerd... I missed you too"

Eri didn't feel very safe to be apart from Izuku, so she immediately ran over to the two hugging boys, pulling at Izuku's leg. Katsuki's eyes widened as he saw her, pulling away from Izuku instantly.
"Deku, who is this?"
"Oh, this is Eri, she-"
But the green head couldn't finish explaining as the Dragon King interrupted him.
"Eri?" he repeated breathlessly. That was her name, wasn't it? The name they would give the hatchling...

Kirishima had happily explained the whole ritual to him, about how the name of a dragon is connected to their abilities and things like that. It was common a hatchling already knew their name from birth, since it was rooted so deeply into their being. Set in stone before they were even born... This girl... She is the missing dragon egg... Eri slowly walked over to the blonde, her eyes reflecting the ruby red of the human in front of her. He smelled like a dragon... He smelled safe, like Izuku. They smelled like the same alpha, her alpha...

"Are you a dragon?" she asked, taking his cloak and burying her face into it. It smelled like home...
"Eri, that's not very polite-" Izuku wanted to say, kneeling down to get the girl away from his childhood friend. He knew Kacchan hated children, certainly when they were clingy. But he was soon met with a sword in his face.
"Don't you dare lay another finger on her, understand?"
"King Katsuki-" Asui wanted to interrupt, but the blonde kept talking.

"How dare you? Begging me to fight for you after you took her away from me! What? Were you going to blame this on your father too?! Were you trying to fuel the fire even more? Not sure I would fight alongside you, is that it?!"
"K-Kacchan... I-I don't-" Izuku tried to say, only to be pushed back, now with his back on the ground, a blade against his neck.

"No! Stop!" Eri cried out, pushing Bakugou away and taking a protective stance in front of Izuku. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she fell down next to the green head, hugging him as he leaned up on his elbows.
"D-don't fight..."
The blonde hesitated for a bit, slowly putting his sword away again as he stared at the scene. Izuku was comforting her, telling her it was okay and the mad man wouldn't hurt them. Katsuki scowled at that, crossing his arms.

"Why did you attack me like that? You scared her!"
"Well why is she with you?!"
"Y-you... You know her?" Deku asked with wide eyes.
"Of fucking course I know her you damn idiot! She's mine!" Kacchan yelled, groaning as he let out a deep sigh as Izuku stared at him in confusion.
"Eri, can you tell me your species?"
"What? Kacchan, I don't think-"

"I'm a dragon!" she spoke, looking back up to the blonde as the green head gaped in shock and surprise.
"You won't attack Izuku again, do you mister?"
"You can call me Katsuki" he grinned, sitting down on the floor and signing her to come over. Izuku still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that little girl was a dragon... Well, he supposed he never asked her about it but what kind of person asks such a thing?!

Wait... Did that mean that she was..? Oh Gods... No wonder Bakugou attacked him! He thought Midoriya stole her! Meanwhile the king was checking Eri all over, looking for injuries or anomalies. Strange... He didn't see any traces of her dragon side, which should be pretty obvious. Then his eyes fell upon the dragon stone around Deku's neck and he knew everything he needed to know.

Dragon stones gave off the same aura as dragons themselves and supressed their not so human features. No wonder the nerd didn't realise...
"Where did you find her?" he asked, pulling Izuku out of his initial shock.
"U-uhm... S-she was alone a-and lost in the woods... The, uh, Todoroki Empire, I think it was"
"Hmm..." Katsuki hummed, standing back up and picking up the girl in the process.

"Hey Eri? Do you remember how you got to Izuku?"
She shook her head, pouting a little. Was she in trouble?
"Alright, that's okay, you don't have to worry" the king spoke with a kind smile. Izuku smiled, knowing Kacchan only showed his soft side when he was around him or his dragons. They were like family to him and he'd kill to keep them safe.

"Deku-"

The green head looked up to the blonde while getting back on his feet, dusting off his new clothes.
"-thank you, for keeping her safe... You don't know what this means to me"
"I think I do, Kacchan" Izuku smiled, walking up to them and taking a seat at the table.
"Oh! I totally forgot to greet you, queen Tsuyu! My apologies!"
"It's okay" she croaked, waving it off with a smile.

"Tea?"

"Y-yes, thank you" Izuku smiled as she poured in a cup for him. Meanwhile Katsuki got Eri all kind of biscuits, which she happily ate. The emerald eyed boy was happy Eri would soon be back where she belonged, but dreaded the conversation to come. He had to tell them what happened in the Todoroki Empire...
"So, uhm, I-I just returned f-from the empire..." Izuku started, seemingly getting more and more nervous with every word he spoke.

Katsuki instantly became serious, knowing what was about to come. He already informed the Frog Queen about the rumours, but both wanted to hear Midoriya's side of the story.
"Let's just say t-they won't support m-me in this war... I-I think they might side w-with the Dark Lands..."
"How come?" Asui asked, even though she knew perfectly well what happened. Deku killed Endeavor, it was as simple as that.

"Oh, uh, w-well, you see... T-the knights that followed me, back in Dragonia, r-remember them Kacchan? They, uh, they got there before I did..."
Bakugou's eyes widened. He didn't know those bastards were still tailing him, even tough the king send them on a different path.
"They convinced Endeavor that I'm a traitor... W-which I am, in all h-honesty... B-but that's not the point. There... There was a fight a-and he... He had Eri, I-I had no choice- I-"

Tears clouded his vision as he started crying. No, he did have a choice. He purposely activated One For All and directed a deadly attack, being sure it would take the emperor's life. He could've chosen not to activate the power of his sword, he could've dealt a non-lethal blow... But in the heat of the moment, his father's teachings was all he could think about. Kill without mercy.
"I-I didn't mean to... I... I-I didn't w-want to...to k-kill-"

"Hey, ssh, it's okay, we understand" Kacchan whispered, now hugging the younger prince, trying to give some comfort to his childhood friend. So it was true after all... He really did kill Endeavor...
"I'll talk to prince Shoto about the war and about what you told me. I'm sure he'll understand it was an accident. Maybe we can still turn things around" Katsuki spoke, pulling away and getting up.

"I'll have Kirishima come and take Eri back home"
As he said that, he looked back at the small gril, who was still stuffing her face with food. In the mean time, Tsuyu had moved from her seat and was now comforting Izuku, who was still sobbing.
"Eri... Could you help me with something?" the blonde asked, making the girl look up with her big red eyes. She glanced at Izuku, who gave her a weak smile and a nod, telling her it was okay.

After that Bakugou grabbed her hand and guided her to a separate room, motioning for her to sit down in front of him as he did the same. He reached out for her hands, taking a deep breath.
"Okay Eri, I want you to focus. Please repeat after me"
She nodded, closing her eyes as Katsuki did the same.

"We call thy, Alpha"

"We call thy, Alpha"

"Please hear our plee"

"Please hear our plee"

"Very good Eri, you did well" Bakugou spoke, smiling a bit as he felt her connection to Kirishima transcent to him. As a human, he couldn't use the alpha link to summon a connection with the red head, but he could link onto an open connection, one they just made.
"Oi, shitty hair, can you hear me?"
"Bakugou? But how..?" he heard the voice in his head, before gasping, having realised the truth.

"Yes, I found her. In fact, she's here with me now. You want to say something to your alpha Eri?" Katsuki asked as the girl was still wondering where the voice in her head came from.
"My alpha? Is he the voice?" she asked confused.
"Yes! Yes, that's me, I'm the voice!" Kirishima shouted in happines.
"Oh by the Gods, I-I'm so happy to know you're okay... Everyone has been so worried about you!"

"E-everyone?"

"Yes Eri, everyone. Your pack, your family, me and all the other dragons. We were all so scared when you went missing"
"Kirishima, as the Dragon King I demand a dragon will fly over to our location at once to retrieve Eri and bring her home" Bakugou stated.
"We won't be able to hold this connection much longer. Anything to report?"

"Oh, uhm, well, you remember that half-dragon? Yeah, apparently he's Mara's son" Eijirou spoke, making Katsuki's eyes widen. Mara... She was the previous alpha, wasn't she? He never knew she had a mate, let alone children!
"He and his friends demand their freedom if they partake in the war as our allies. To be honest, an extra dragon could never hurt and a dark magic user is pretty powerful so..."
"I'll consider it" the king grunted.
"Okido! I'll send someone over right away!"

With that the connection was broken, and their hands fell to the ground as they both panted a bit. Upholding a connection took a great effort and a lot of focus, certainly for a hatchling and a human.
"Okay... That's taken care of" Bakugou breathed, heaving himself off the floor, still somewhat out of breath.
"There is going to be someone here to take you back home very soon, okay Eri? You'll be back where you belong"

"A-and Izu?" she asked, tilting her head. So adorable, damnit.
"I'm afraid you won't see him for some time... You better go and say goodbye to him now"
She nodded, quickly getting on her feet and running back to the tearoom. Katsuki sighed, dragging a hand down over his face. Dear Gods, is he glad that the egg is finally returning to sanctum.

Meanwhile in Dragonia

Kirishima was happily squealing, not being able to utter out even one word. The dragons all gave it confused looks and Denki made sure his partners kept their distance from the suddenly overjoyed alpha. He was in his dragon form so who knows what he might do...
"Bakubro just communicated with me! He has found her!" he roared, making all the dragons roar loudly as well. Jirou covered her ears and Shinsou groaned, not liking all the damn noise.

Kaminari didn't seem to be affected by it, on the contrary, he seemed rather invested in what they were saying.
"What's the commotion about?" Kyoka groaned, seeking shelter between the two boys.
"They're...celebrating..." Denki muttered, watching as they lit the sky on fire.
"You can understand them, right? What are they saying?" Hitoshi asked.

"Well, it seems like the dragon egg has been found" Kaminari sighed.
"And it hatched already. It's a girl, apparently"
"Oh... Well, that's great, right? It means they don't have a reason to keep us locked up any longer!" Jirou smiled.
"It's not that simple. We broke into their sanctuary, I doubt they'll let us off that easy" Shinsou muttered as their boyfriend took a few steps ahead, growling at the other dragons.

They quieted down, leaving the pixie and human to wonder what the electric blonde just told them. The red fire dragon they knew to be the alpha roared in response, making Denki growl and grumble. This continued for a while, none of the other dragons interfering even once. In the end, the blonde bowed before the alpha, smiling as he turned around back to his friends.

"Guess who's going to the Animal Kingdom?"

"No fucking way..." Shinsou breathed, glancing back at the alpha as Kaminari walked over to them.
"How did you convince him to let us go?" Jirou asked wide eyed.
"It's nothing to worry about!" Denki grinned, making Hitoshi frown. There was definitely something up... What did the blonde say to these beasts to get them off their case all of the sudden? How did he convince the alpha to let them leave?

"We'll be travelling to the palace at top speed, returning the hatchling to sanctum" he explained. Ahn, so that was the catch... Still, it would be too simple.
"They did say we had to return the egg... So does this count as our redemption?" Jirou asked confused.
"I guess so" Kaminari shrugged, looking down at the dragon stone on his wrist.

"This thing is keeping me from transforming, it's supressing my dragon features and abilities to some extend. But if used in a different setting, it can also boost my power, thus making me able to transform into a full blown dragon and not just a halfling"
"Wait... When you said we'd be travelling at top speed-" Shinsou started, trailing off as Denki nodded.
"Yep! Better find something to hold onto!"