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Description
MANY MOONS LATER...

Retirement. Ddraig thought with a shudder. The word even sounded wrong in her mind. Retirement was something that happened to other dragons, not her!
"What would I even do here?" she protested, as her children sat around her bed.
"Whatever you wanted." Eve said, patting her foreclaw. "You'd get to take things easily for a change."
"Well, I want to keep doing what I'm doing." Ddraig growled.
"I'm not done yet. I've still got plenty of energy in me."
"I know that, but-"
"And I didn't FALL down the stairs." she insisted, before they could use that against her. "I just lost my balance for a second. Happens to everybody."
"Yes, but not everybody can walk it off when they do fall." Elwynn said. "Mother, you're not a young dragoness anymore-"
"Don't be rude, Elwynn." she scowled. Sure, she was a bit grey in the scales, and perhaps not quite as fast as she used to be, but that didn't count!
"He's right, Mum." Alexandria gently said. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself-"
"I'm not 'pushing myself'." Ddraig sulked. "I like my work."
"You'll still be able to help us." Elwynn noted. "It just means you won't have to do everything yourself."
"Just like Dad." Selena added. "He's not done any real work for a year now."
"But he's not retired either." Ddraig quickly added, not wanting to admit defeat. "He's just...just..."
"He's just sticking around for you, Mum." Taelen unexpectedly said, having been quiet up until this point. Her youngest son's words perhaps cut deepest out of all of them, as he normally took her side whenever an argument broke out. Et tu, Taelen?
"You've done enough for Avalar already." Alexandria said, wrapping a wing around her little brother, who, to his credit, already looked remorseful. "Let us step up to the task."
"We're ready." Elwynn insisted, his tone confident, and in that moment, he looked so much like his father had at that age. He would be a great Emperor one day, Ddraig had no doubt of that, but was it really his time to take the throne? She knew she should let him, but she just couldn't bring herself to let go of the throne she'd held for so long.
"I can't." she eventually said. "I won't."
Selena rolled her eyes. "I told you she'd do this." she muttered.
"Well, we had to at least try." Alexandria said.
"Time for Plan B, then." Eve nodded, turning towards the door.
"What?" Ddraig frowned. "What are you doing?"
"You leave us no other choice." Elwynn said, adopting a needlessly dramatic tone. "We have to call upon those more powerful than we."
Ddraig's eyes went wide, as comprehension dawned. "You're bluffing."
"We're not." Alexandria grinned.
"You wouldn't." she hissed. "That's low, and you know it."
"We do." Selena said, while Eve opened the door.
"You can come in now." she called, and within seconds, the room was full of hatchlings, each staring up at Ddraig with huge, mournful eyes, some still wet with tears.
"Nana," one whimpered, making Ddraig's heart ache, "are you going to be all right?"
"It's okay, little one, don't cry." Ddraig said, reaching out to hold as many of the hatchlings as she could. She couldn't be cowed by her own children, but her grandchildren, on the other paw...
Inwardly fuming, she shot a dark look at her children, each of whom feigned innocence. All right, then. You win.

Description
MANY MOONS LATER...

Retirement. Ddraig thought with a shudder. The word even sounded wrong in her mind. Retirement was something that happened to other dragons, not her!
"What would I even do here?" she protested, as her children sat around her bed.
"Whatever you wanted." Eve said, patting her foreclaw. "You'd get to take things easily for a change."
"Well, I want to keep doing what I'm doing." Ddraig growled.
"I'm not done yet. I've still got plenty of energy in me."
"I know that, but-"
"And I didn't FALL down the stairs." she insisted, before they could use that against her. "I just lost my balance for a second. Happens to everybody."
"Yes, but not everybody can walk it off when they do fall." Elwynn said. "Mother, you're not a young dragoness anymore-"
"Don't be rude, Elwynn." she scowled. Sure, she was a bit grey in the scales, and perhaps not quite as fast as she used to be, but that didn't count!
"He's right, Mum." Alexandria gently said. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself-"
"I'm not 'pushing myself'." Ddraig sulked. "I like my work."
"You'll still be able to help us." Elwynn noted. "It just means you won't have to do everything yourself."
"Just like Dad." Selena added. "He's not done any real work for a year now."
"But he's not retired either." Ddraig quickly added, not wanting to admit defeat. "He's just...just..."
"He's just sticking around for you, Mum." Taelen unexpectedly said, having been quiet up until this point. Her youngest son's words perhaps cut deepest out of all of them, as he normally took her side whenever an argument broke out. Et tu, Taelen?
"You've done enough for Avalar already." Alexandria said, wrapping a wing around her little brother, who, to his credit, already looked remorseful. "Let us step up to the task."
"We're ready." Elwynn insisted, his tone confident, and in that moment, he looked so much like his father had at that age. He would be a great Emperor one day, Ddraig had no doubt of that, but was it really his time to take the throne? She knew she should let him, but she just couldn't bring herself to let go of the throne she'd held for so long.
"I can't." she eventually said. "I won't."
Selena rolled her eyes. "I told you she'd do this." she muttered.
"Well, we had to at least try." Alexandria said.
"Time for Plan B, then." Eve nodded, turning towards the door.
"What?" Ddraig frowned. "What are you doing?"
"You leave us no other choice." Elwynn said, adopting a needlessly dramatic tone. "We have to call upon those more powerful than we."
Ddraig's eyes went wide, as comprehension dawned. "You're bluffing."
"We're not." Alexandria grinned.
"You wouldn't." she hissed. "That's low, and you know it."
"We do." Selena said, while Eve opened the door.
"You can come in now." she called, and within seconds, the room was full of hatchlings, each staring up at Ddraig with huge, mournful eyes, some still wet with tears.
"Nana," one whimpered, making Ddraig's heart ache, "are you going to be all right?"
"It's okay, little one, don't cry." Ddraig said, reaching out to hold as many of the hatchlings as she could. She couldn't be cowed by her own children, but her grandchildren, on the other paw...
Inwardly fuming, she shot a dark look at her children, each of whom feigned innocence. All right, then. You win.