Hello. You may be wondering why there is no exclamation marks, pop-culture, or incredibly bad grammar so far. The reason is thus: I done fucked up m8. The story was getting too dank for me. Just kidding. Seriously though? I just wanted to say sorry about the four day hiatus and the lack of updates. My job has been pretty shit as of late along with plenty of other things. So while you guys sat there and stewed I was not thinking about this story at all. That being said, there will be a chapter per night for the next three days to make up for it and get me back on schedule. Heya there pal! Do you like to art? Do you like to art about Bran? Send it to me at [email protected] Top three get to input a name into the story! So I see this story now has five reviews! What's that about guys? I'm honestly surprised that five of you gave it a good rating like 4/5! Thank you guys so much! It really does mean the world to me. Now to get onto a big point for me... I have a patreon, however imam wait and see until im at least 1/4 of the way through the story to post it k? but when I do I want something to be clear THIS STORY IS FREE. I AM NOT NOR WILL I EVER THREATEN TO LOWER CHAPTER NUMBERS OR QUALITY FOR MONEY. That is all you may now enjoy the story.

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[Astarte's POV]

I woke up quite cold. Around me I could see that the rubble from my rage had been cleared. I looked towards Bran's cage expecting to see him sitting there and drinking tea with a smirk on his face as he would always say: "Man dragons sure do sleep a lot! How do you even know that people are coming? Hell, I could walk over and take anything. I bet you wouldn't even notice!" My eyes started to tear up a bit. It had been a week since he had been stolen. I wanted to search for him but he had already left the floor. Besides, I had already made my decision. I glanced down at the over-sized cushion. She was there. I knew she would be angry when she heard what had happened when she was gone but I was the adult, I knew what was best. I knew that what I did, staying and guarding the treasures, was correct. But why did I feel uneasy thinking back to it...

I thought of her. She was my angel. She was always laughing, even when she cried she would hiccup and laugh. It was so odd to me, how she could turn anything into a joke. I remembered the times as a youngling she would hang from my nostrils and swing. She would giggle and throw her hands around my neck after, apologizing as she tried to hug me. "I'm sorry for hurting your nose mom!" Her voice was always so clear and angelic...

When I had first met her she had snuck away from her home. She was petrified! Never before had a beast as beautiful or divine as me appeared before her! At least that's what I had thought. She stood there looking at me and said two words excitedly: "Golden Horsie!" I was severely dumbfounded. Did this hatchling think me a breed of horse? While I certainly was noble and awe-inspiring, I was no mere animal! I had glared at her with vengeance in my eyes and prepared to swallow her in one go. This young one would hardly make a meal but I was willing to see just how tender hatchlings were. It had taken one moment for me to re-evaluate. Upon seeing my glare she had returned it! Towards me! A mighty dragoness! She had then puffed up her cheeks and turned around.

I had sat there in shock for awhile. My mind reeling at her actions. Then a curious thing had happened, a strange half gurgle, half growl. I didn't understand what was happening. My breath had started to come in great heaves. My maw displaying it's sharp wares as I had to let out my joy at the absurdity of this situation. At that point the young one turned around. She looked even more mad! The gurgling got worse as I looked upon her face.

"The others say that laughing at people is wrong!" She yelled at me, clearly in distress.

"The others aren't here right now are they little one?" I could feel the satisfaction as she comprehended that her "golden horsie" could talk.

That was perhaps one of the only moments I would hear her quiet ever again. She was speechless. She had fallen on the ground staring at me. This was it! The awe! The fear! This was how a dragoness such as myself was treated! She had then screamed, loud and high-pitched it hurt more than a banshee's wail. I took that moment to flee. Leaving her in that forest clearing.

She had grabbed my curiosity and was the only thing I found of interest. I would circle above her, watching as she gathered her meals. Occaisionally I would leave small things for her. a deer here, a boar there. If she was to keep my interests she must be healthy after all! Sometimes she would look towards the sky, almost as if she knew I was there and wave at me. Of course she thought it was a bird, I was only a speck from where she could see.

The years passed like this and the others in her village seemed to worship her. It was only right after all. She was the one who had caught my interest. Being worshipped should be natural for someone so talented. The others brought her gifts and built her a shrine, little statues evident on the path leading towards it. The statues did not interest me though, the little one had grown. She was almost an adult, and soon I would reap my harvest.

I took her in the winter. When the food was scarce and she seemed to be nervous, or afraid. I remember being confused. Why was she nervous? Did she not know that I took the others that were tied to the post before her? It had been common in the years I had been watching the little one that she knew when the others had gathered and taken someone to be left at the post I took them with me.

She had cried out to the others when they had left her there. The tears had streamed down her face, as if she were but a hatchling again. I was curious. Why? Why did this little one still sob so? Did she not know I had been taking care of her all these years?

I had landed in front of her then. I reached out with one talon, towards her porcelain skin and nicked the rope holding her. The rope broke apart and left her there. She was obviously distressed. So distressed in fact she had urinated all over herself. It was quite the human thing to do.

Ah yes. My daughter. One of the only humans worth living in this world. I remember the way she had looked at me after. Her blotchy, tear-stained face. Her dark brown hair. The way she had laughed when I asked what was wrong. I hadn't understood what she had said back then. I hadn't learned the common tongue. She was quite the spectacle though. In her long sun colored dress, a dragon sewn onto the front. She looked as if she met a vengeful god. As I later found out, she thought she had.

It was at that moment. The moment when I was most proud of my careful cultivation of this interesting little one, when it happened.

A man's scream filled the air. He shouted as he fell back, scrabbling to get up and run away from me. To run away from the forest clearing and us. His torch went unnoticed as he shouted and ran towards the village. The torch slowly moved towards the bushes and combusted them into a brilliant flame. I looked back at the little human. She was on her knees crying. Voices shouted from where he had disappeared and the girl's sobbing got louder. The flames crackled and spread around the clearing. They bathed the area in the firelight, glinting off of my scales.

The others came from the path. It was clear of debris and provided a safe path from the fire. The man from before led them. They seemed mad, I had thought it was the fire back then. She had told me it was her later on. She told me that when the man, a suitor from the village had come to say his last goodbyes he had been shocked by the sight. The false god that had brought them profit for the sacrifices had refused her. It had meant she was "impure" or unworthy. He had gone back to the village to grab the others. They had to kill her, make her "pure" for me or the harvest wouldn't be bountiful. The reason she had cried was because she had just watched her best friend, and what was going to be her husband state he was going to kill her.

As we stood there, humans, dragon, and priestess we all knew one thing: this would not be pretty.