\n "Goodnight mother," Neth said at last, hopping into the nest with his siblings and curling up in the little space left for him, the three hatchlings sharing warmth.

\n "Good night, my dear little ones..." Ellora murmured, nosing soothingly at each of them in turn, curled protectively around the nest.  Hueroc lay against her side, his head next to hers, and when she lifted her snout away it was his turn to give their hatchlings little nudges of affection.

\n After the excitement of Emma's visit and the rambunctious playtime that had followed, it didn't take any of them long to fall asleep.  Their parents lingered, rumbling happily to them and each other, watching them drop off to sleep.  "Aren't they precious?" she cooed, nuzzling Hueroc's neck.

\n "Precious... and growing bigger and stronger and smarter every day," he said approvingly, straightening up a little in pride.  "Neth already has full sentences, Loria's magical ability is coming along so fast, and Taran is getting so large!  We'll need to make another new nest before long."

\n She chuckled and nipped at his neck.  "We?  I'm the one weaving them, and with my magic it only takes a moment."

\n He returned her nip, smirking, his tail bumping against hers, and the two went quiet for a little while, watching the hatchlings, occasionally looking sidelong at each other and purring loudly.  But then Hueroc sighed and brought his head in close to nuzzle her cheek, saying, "Ellora... there's something I need to ask you."

\n "There is...?" she drew her head back and tilted it to one side, curious and still smiling... though it faded a bit, at the sight of her mate's troubled expression.

\n "It's been brought up to me...  Both by Rhean and again by Emma, this morning...  They both mentioned something about Co-- about your old teacher, and I want to know what happened."

\n The way she flinched away when he began to say--and then clarified--that name made him regret it instantly, and he nuzzled her reassuringly.  "I'm sorry--  You don't have to speak about it, if you don't want to..."

\n She shook her head.  "No...  I can tell you, my sweet," she said, though it took a moment for her to master herself.  "And it is only natural for you to be curious about your mate's past..."

\n He dipped his snout unhappily and leaned in close.  "If it hurts to think about--"

\n "It does."  Ellora looked away.  "But I will still tell you...  Come," she rose slowly, careful not to disturb the little ones, and began to walk from the bed-chamber; he stood and followed her, a little hesitant, out to the entrance of the cave.

\n "Ellora..."  He leaned against her and murmured, not liking the distress that was so plain on her face, and that his curiosity had caused it.

\n She looked up at the crescent moon and sighed, taking a deep breath of the night air.  "My teacher... was a dragon named Cortuss.  An earth dragon; big and stocky, tough, stubborn, and powerful...  He was one of the clan's elders and magical tutors, and seeing promise in my abilities he began to tutor me in private, at his own cave.  He started when I was barely older than a hatchling."

\n Her tail twitched, and she glanced back inside.  "I liked the attention at first, and the lessons; I progressed very quickly, and even he seemed impressed by what I was capable of.  Everyone was proud of me... he said some of the other elders were already talking of making me Emma's successor as Matriarch, when the time came.  I enjoyed the praise, then... but looking back, that was just the first sign of everything going wrong."

\n Hueroc winced at the hollow regret in her tone, and drew her in closer, hugging her to him with one of his wings as she continued her tale.

\n "By then I had grown older... old enough to notice things.  How he would grow so angry if I didn't do exactly as he commanded me, without hesitation...  How he said that the elders and Emma especially were selfish, and not helpful to the clan, and not to be trusted...  The way he spoke with such energy about how he and I could change things, as soon as I was old enough and strong enough.  Eventually I realized: he wasn't only tutoring me in magic... he was trying to control me, and brainwash me into serving him, and planning to make me help him overthrow Emma and the other elders.  One night, perhaps ten years ago, I tried to sneak away... he stopped me."

\n She began to shudder now, gently at first, but it grew more violent as she recalled the events.  "Once he knew I'd figured out his plan, he stopped being gentle... or subtle.  At first he only chained me in his cave, and tried to use the obedience he'd been attempting to teach me to make me agree to serve him... but when I refused, he began to torture me.  He beat me... he forced a collar and shackles onto me that were ringed with spikes on the inside, so that every second of wearing them was torment.  He starved me... abused me... even cocooned me in rock with his magic, nearly suffocated me, and demanded that I swear to serve him while my lungs burned and my head swam--"

\n Ellora was shaking uncontrollably now, eyes shining with tears, and Hueroc just couldn't stand to see her like this anymore.  He turned and lifted his forepaws and hugged her around the base of the neck, holding her chest to his, his wings spreading around her as if to shield her from the pain of the memories, and he nuzzled her firmly, giving her wordless reassurance that all was safe now, that it was over, he would never let anything happen to her!

\n "Every time...  Every time he made his demands, I said no.  I knew he wouldn't have done it if he was telling the truth... knew I had to resist...  Wanted to escape, but he was so strong and he kept me so weak..."  She shuddered again, but though he felt it more while embracing her it seemed less worrisome, with him supporting her.  "Finally, one day, I had an idea, and used all the magical strength I had to plant a seed right inside his mouth.  As soon as he felt it he fled, burrowing away through the rock while I made it grow as fast as I could--  Eventually I felt the seed stop moving, and grow more rapidly, and I knew it was over.  The earth released its hold on my bonds... I managed to limp back to the surface, and finally the clan found me, freed me, and nursed me back to health."

\n She fell silent, and he had to ask: "was he ever found?"

\n "No..." she shook her head.  "But that deep in the earth, and without his magic--he was strong, but his powers had limits.  He is gone."

\n Hueroc sighed.  "It's..."  He growled, loudly.  "It sounds terrible!  And to think of you being captured-- tortured-- nearly killed!"  He flexed his claws, careful not to dig them into her scales.  "It hurts me to think of you in such a state... I can't imagine how awful it must have been."

\n "Well..." she shuddered one last time, then looked up at him and smiled faintly, a wet line on her cheek reflecting the faint light of the stars and moon.  "I did my best to torture you, when I chose to make you mine... though in a slightly different way."

\n He squirmed a little at the memories of how she'd treated him when they first met.  "In a much different way!"

\n "But you understand, now...  Why I did it?"  She nuzzled his neck gently.  "Afterwards...  I was afraid to grow close to another dragon, and isolated myself in this cave, not wanting to be betrayed again...  Then when I met you, and knew I had to have you... I also needed to be sure, when I did not know if I could trust you, that you could not harm me.  So I kept you bound... trained you--a bit differently!--to be obedient, and when I knew you could be trusted, I freed you."

\n "Completely differently," he snorted, still hugging her tightly.  "But..."  He paused, and touched a forepaw to her collar, the one with the red heart-shaped tag that said she was his mate.  "If you have such memories, of being tormented by such a terrible collar...  How could you stand to wear this?"

\n She nudged her forehead firmly up into his chin.  "Because... because all bad memories must be healed.  When I wear this collar, it is not those awful spikes I think of... it is you, my sweet.  This leather makes me think of you, and our love for each other, our hatchlings, how you taught me that I could trust again, how happy we are... how I know you can and will protect me, and our hatchlings, from any threat we may face."  Another tear streamed down each cheek, but not for the same reason as the first.  "Because when I think of you, I do not fear his memory anymore."

\n "Ellora--"  He leaned in close and squeezed her tight, purring loudly and nuzzling at her forehead again and again.  "I love you so much, my mate, I will protect you, I will never ever leave you."

\n "I know, my sweet, I know... and I love you too."

\n The two dragons shared a long, tender kiss in the moonlight, then walked slowly back inside to join their hatchlings in slumber.