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A hairline fracture spreads like ice breaking on a pond. Both parents crane their necks forward.

The wait is unbearable. I hold my breath, anticipation sending a rush of restless energy through my body.

A small but perfect claw pushes through. Yellow with the faintest hint of orange. That’s followed by a red snout glistening with moisture.

Dame croons a welcome, her entire body vibrating with maternal pride. She lowers her massive head, delicately helping the hatchling free itself from the remnants of its shell. With infinite gentleness, she lifts the baby from the water, purring as she sets the newborn creature on the warm stones beside the pool.

Chirean grinds his claws into the stone, turning rocks into powder as Dame licks their firstborn clean.

There’s a tightness in my throat and a pressure behind my eyes. Tears leak out unbidden before streaming down my face. Rose reaches out, giving my hand a quick, gentle squeeze.

This…this is goodness. This is purity. This cuts through every scarred, calloused layer I’ve built around my heart.

Moments later, the second egg cracks, throwing ripples across the water.

The pool fills with mirk as the other hatchling breaks free of the shell and swims to the surface unaided. Dame plucks the brilliant silvery baby up and settles her onto the powdered rock their father continues to create. Her brother waddles over, tiny claws sliding over her soft scales as he tries to climb her.

The air fills with tiny chirps and the sound of Dame’s contented rumbling.

I inch closer, barely breathing, projecting tentative thoughts toward Dame and asking for permission through the tiniest opening in my dampening.

A flutter of agreement brushes my mind, followed by a second, then a third and a fourth. The whole family. Golden baby eyes blink up at me, confusion and amazement wafting up from them at this strange being, this human who can communicate with them.

The first one is already dry and exploring his surroundings on wobbly legs. His scales are a perfect blend of Dame’s and Chirean’s coloring, with hints of gold along his spine. The female is still wet. She’s a brilliant shimmering silver, unlike any dragon I’ve ever laid eyes on before.

Except for Cailleach. The ancient dragon in the Hidden Valley. The only dragon ever to converse with me in full sentences.

Rose meets my gaze, eyes brimming with childlike wonder. “They’re perfect.”

Unable to form words, all I can do is smile.

Another round of tears hit my lips, and the salt mixes with the mineral tang of the cave air. My heart feels too large for my chest, swollen with a fierce, almost painful love. It’s mine. And Dame’s. And Chirean’s. All of our shared emotions, building upon the others.

These tiny creatures, so exquisite, so vulnerable.

How can the world be worthy of them? How can I?

The second hatchling, dried now by Dame’s careful attention, stumbles toward me. Her spear-shaped tail drags after her sheep-sized body. The silver dragon chirps, bumping her head against my outstretched hand. Her shiny scales are warm and soft, not yet hardened by time and elements.

Something inside me cracks open like those eggs. All my carefully constructed barriers, my queenly composure. They crumble away, leaving only raw truth.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” I stroke the hatchling’s head with a single finger. “How will reading books and attending meetings save anyone? How is being the perfect queen going to protect them?”

The hatchling chirps again, pressing against my palm with surprising strength.

“The world needs protection.” My voice hitches. “Books and diplomatic niceties matter, but I feel wasted on them. What good are they when everything is breaking open?”

No one answers.

Rose is once again caught up in her song. The dragons are enraptured by their children. The hatchlings are too busy trying to figure out their legs and wings.

I sigh, knowing I will do anything to safeguard these precious lives.

Dame moves closer, her massive body curving around her babies and, by extension, around me. There’s comfort in her posture, but something else too. A readiness. A coiled tension.

She understands protection. She understands that sometimes love means fighting.

Chirean joins us, adding his warmth to our circle. The dragons chuff and flutter, and the hatchlings tumble about, exploring their new world with boundless curiosity.