There was a time when she was alone, and those times were sad and long ago, and they were dark, and then it was bright because she found her clan, and they welcomed her, keeper of the hatchlings, hers and theirs and all of them together. They were all she needed. She was safe with them. She had four, they had two, and they were all love and warm and sometimes there was s̸o̷r͘r̨ow but she hid it well. The world was prettier then, and for just a little while she was bright and loved and there was happiness and j̕oy, but then everything was lost in the night in the bitter cold in the i̵c̕y͝ rain in the terrible w̛in͝͞d and


Once she was loved, once she loved in return, and the hatchlings tumbled over each other and she watched them laugh, and the world was bright and pretty. Once, she watched them smile. Once, she watched them dance. Once, the world was prettier, and she had her loves and her clan and her friends. But then e̡v̕ęr̢yt͢hin͏g ҉was ̨lost in the bitter wi͘nd in the ic̛y͏ cóld͏ ͜ in the te͟r̢r͟ìb͜le̴ r̀ain (the world grew bright, the world grew da̷͜͞rk͟)

There were friends when the world was prettier, laughing guardians and stern mirrors and small fae with blank eyes and bright smiles and too many screams. She had comforting claws to keep a small fae friend safe, (tiny ͘preciou͝s ̷sw͏e̵et̵ f͝riend) even when there was darkness tearing from her skin and blood, t̨͡oǫ̶ ̀͠҉mu̢͏̶c̵҉̴h ͢b̶͡l͢͟o͘od̢, so much blood, bloodandǵut̀s̨andfire


Her small friend was always her f̧r̢ieǹd, even after the nightmare stole the sparkle from the world, even when she woke up to find everything she loved torn away and there was too much blood, Odahviing choking on b̵̧̡ĺood͟͠ and hatchlings lost in b̶́͟͠l̴̛̕͡o͘͡o̕̕͝d̷̕͡ and ş̢͝ó̕ ̷̨͡m̷̡͟u͟͝c͢͝h̀͟ ̷̸͞͡b̴̵̴͘͡l҉o̡o̵̶d̴̵̨͡ and tears like ice and fires of pain and anguishh̛o͡r̴ŕo͠ŗdevastation.


She had t͟o ̡͜g̴̢͢o̢͠.̨

The friend asked her to stay when everything was lost but there was too much pain, tears burning bright in the c̵omi̢n̶g̴ d͘͟aŕk̶̛n̢͝͡e̴s͜s (she had to go) and she said goodbye. She left and the d̨ar̨kness̕ came, and then everything was lost, pearl and all, lost to the deep depths of the darkest oceans and dragged down the waves i̵̛͏n̵t̨͝o͞ ̧fí̛ŗ̶e̢͘͝ and it didn’t matter, ń̵̶͝ǫ͟ţ̶̢͜͝h̴̶̛i҉̕͟ń͢g̢̡̀͞ ͏̕ḿ̛̕a͝͞t̡͜͡͡͞t̡̧̨̕͠e̛͢r̸̴͝e͏ḑ͝. She was alone.


She was alone and time was dark. Cold. Icy, bitter winds. Waŕring cl͜a̸ns͘ and s͢av͡a͢g͢e mơns̵t͜er͞ś.


She screamed and n͠o҉ one͡ ̀çam͏e̡.


She c̀r̡i͠ed and n̛͟͝o̡͢ ̷̸ó͠҉n̢̛͢e̢͝ ̷̕c͘͡aḿ͟͝ę͠.


She h̀͞o̴w̷le̸d͘ and n̢͝o͜͏ ̴̵͢͟ǫ͡͝n̵̴̡͠͠e̴̢͘̕͜ ̛͘͏̀͠c̛͝a̵̢̨͟͡m͏̴̧͡e̷͢͢͡͝.͞͏͜͜


They were scattered and then they were together in front of her, the children h͞er̨ ͟c̸hil͟d͡ren̢ her̶̛ ̧lo̵v̛҉ès but they were older, and they didn’t recognize her. They wanted her to g͟o͘ àw̸ay. They wanted her to leave. They were going to leave her. They were going to make her be a̷lon͝e. She couldn’t let them go!! She couldn’t let them leave (it̴ ̡͢ẁ̨͞à͡ś͘ ͘d́ar̡̕͟k͝͠ȩ͜҉r̀) she couldn’t let them leave her behind (i̴t͢ ̢̛w̧͝ó͜ul̛͠d͢͝ ̡ó̶͞n͠͏l͡ỳ͝ ̨͡͠g͡͝e̕͘t͏̢ d̛͝á͘͟͢r̀k͠͞͞͝e͟͜͠͝͠r̶͠҉). She couldn’t let them leave. They tried to leave and she stopped them and then they were warm inside her (th̨e w͟orl̛d w͠a͘s͢ b̴̡͘r̵҉̕͞ì̧̕͜g͏͘͟͝h͏̨͝͞t̨̨ę̷̶͠r҉͝) and she could hear them sing to her, torturous l͏ov͘in҉g͢ s̷o̸ng̷s of agonized a͏d͝orati͘ǫn from within her throat and between her teeth and underneath her hide, in her belly. Inside her.

They could nev̛e̛r l̢eąv̀e̶.


Home didn’t recognize her when she found it (t̕heỳ ͝w͏a̕nted̶ ḩer t̡o bé a̸̵ĺo̕n҉̴͝e͜) and the friends were gone, everything was gone, but they were we̸ari̴ng th͟e͟ f̀a͢ces͝ of dragons she knew and she ļ͝҉o̧͡v̴̨e̛̛̕d. But these were not all her dragons. They were new. They̧ didn’̕t̴ l̕o̵ve̡ h̡e̴r͜.They’d eaten up the love and stopped loving her (i̴t̸ wàs͡ lost, i̡n t͡h̸e terrible cold i̶n̕ ̷ţhe̴ bitter rain įn the̶ icy wind) and they were going to leave her alone. She çóul͝d́n’̶t


She ̶͢͞c̵ou̧͝͞ld̨n̷͘’t͏̶͜--


Odahviing tried to stop her, Alduin tried to stop her (old names old faces she knew them once she knew them all sh̷e ͘l̡ov̴ed͏ t̛h́em àl͢l w͏̷͠h̕y̶̛͘ ̶͡d̀͝id̛͘͞n̶͝’̧t ͏̛t͜͢h̕e̷͠y̷̛҉ ҉l̵o̵͟ve͟͡ ̨h͢͢e̸͜r̛) but they went in all the same, and it burned where it touched her, d́ro͡wned̴ her, in the fiery wind in the searing rain in the scorching cold, drowned her in poisonagonyf̷̨̧̀í̵̷̧r̨̧̕͝͞ȩ́͜҉̴, and that is where she died and was reborn, d̴i̵e̸d̨ and was r̵e͡b͘o͞ŗn, long tearing shreds of teeth opening down her gullet (died and was ŗ̡͘̕e͜҉b̢̨̀͘͞ơ̸̕͡͝r͜͡͝n̸͘) (in the fiery c̡ol҉d in the agonized rain in the po̶iśo͠n҉ed wind) (in blood i͜n͏ ҉b̴l̢o͢od́ a͘l̶̕͟w̛̕a҉ỳ͟s ̢͝i͏n҉ ͡b̨͟l͝͞o͠͞o̷͡͡d͘)

When she was r̡͟e̵b̴͝o͞͏̨͞҉r҉̸҉̢n͢ she breathed on the edge of the Wyrmwound and her breath was noxious fumes and her exhalation was poisoned wind. They were gone but she would find them. There was time to rediscover who she is with new teeth and new smiles. There were bones to wear for her jewelry and skin for skirts, and for a long, long time she laid on the edge of the boiling pit and lau͏g͞h̴ed͝ and l̢͏a̵͠u̧͠g̶h͠ed̀͞ and l̨͠͠a̶̷͘͡ù̷̧͞ģ̴͟h́͢e̢̛͝͏d́--


Sonom only wants to love them. This is her h͏o͜ḿe͞ and they keep trying to chase her away and make her be a̡l͢o̧ǹe but it never works because t͡h̷is ͝is wher͡e̴ shè b҉eĺonģs. This is h͝o͠m͞e̛͜. This is s̛afe and ͢b̀r͡i̶g̨ht and p̛r̴e͘t́ty. Even the new Sonom, the strange replacement with too many things on her back, even she can’t chase her away, and sometimes new hatchlings come to her because they l̡o̴ve her and they don’t want her to be a҉lóne anymore. They sing her s͏wee̶t͞ ͘͟͞lù͏͘ll҉̡̡a̶͞b͟͝i̕e͏́s of blood and tears while they slip be̡t́we̶e͘n̵ her t͜ee̢t̸h and down into her gullet, to join the rest of her ĺ͜͠o̸̢v͏e̛̛ in the pit of her stomach, where they are sa̢͞f̸͢e̵҉ ̀͞and h͞e̸҉r̵̵s͝and she is never alone n̶̴ev͏e̕r͢ ҉̡͢a̧l̵̛̕o҉̛͘ņé n̵̡e̶̡̛͜v̶̢͢͟͡e̶͘͜͝͏r̶̀͢͝ ̵̛a̸̛͜͢͡g̷̡̧̕à̶͞ì͘̕͝ǹ͢, there will be no more w̛ín͠ḑ or rai̸n̢ or co҉ld or f҉i҉r͢e or aģo̸n҉y͜ or p͏o̶i̵s̡o͜n͠, never again n̴͝e҉v҉̕e̢r̢ ̢͘a̶g͞a̸͟i͘͠n̴̷̕


Some of the others whisper about her. They say s̸hę i̛̛s͢n̸͝'̶̷t̵ ṣ̮̾̾̌͂̉͌͑̚ä̟̬̱́̎͛n̗̟̬̜̻͖ͩ̽͒ͣ̃e̠͎̬͚͎̝͔̘ͯ̓̋ͣ̇̉ͯ.


Now why would they say something like that?