At the auction, Wren carefully keeps her cloak hood up as she takes a seat in the back of the auction room. The room is filled with nobles, merchants, and even higher ranked nobles who sit in private boxes. Wren patiently waits and refuses the offered food and drink. Frankly, she didn’t trust what could be possibly served to her without her knowing and most especially here.

Finally, a bunny-eared beast woman wearing a revealing outfit emerges and says, “Welcome to the Enchanted Pavilion, where we do our best to fulfill your every need!”

The guests let out claps and shouts of agreement. “Now, we all know what you are here for, but we always save the best for last. So, let us start with our first slave of the night,” the bunny-eared woman said.

A group of men rolled out an enchanted water tank to reveal a cream-colored beauty with a fish like tail within. “We have found a rare mermaid and kept her alive. Due to this lovely mermaid maiden’s rarity, the bidding will start at 100 gold pieces,” the bunny woman called out.

Instantly the bidding goes up as Wren only closes her eyes until the bidding is done. This continues for many hours until finally the last item is finally bought up for sale. “Our final item of the night cost us an arm and a leg but behold a legendary dragon!” The bunny woman cried out.

In a golden cage sits a man with ruby red hair to his feet in a violet robe style clothing. His skin is a tad sun-kissed with fine features and pointed black horns that curl up of his head. On his forehead are to black dots signifying something to dragon kind, but unknown to the rest of the world. But what took one’s breath away are his truly beautiful gorgeous sea colored eyes that glow like the sea itself with slit pupils much like Wren’s.

Wren sadly laments the destroyed perfect beauty at seeing scars on the left side of his face. One scar crosses his eyelid, while the another starts from the side of his cheek crosses all the way down with another smaller one next to it crossing half-length of his cheek. Wren wasn’t the only one as sighs of disappointment can be heard throughout the room.

The bunny-eared girl must have caught the change in atmosphere and says, “We naturally will start the bidding at 5,000 gold coins.”

Strangely enough, no one dared to bid causing the bunny woman to bite her lip in vexation. It wasn’t that anyone didn’t want to bid, but rather no one dared too. The reason is simple, dragons had an uncanny way of finding their offspring. Sooner or later, the parents would come and then the nightmares of stories past would come alive. Frankly speaking, no one wanted to be the protagonists of that tragic fairytale.

Wren to her own surprise and horror saw her hand rise on its own. “7,000 gold coins to be instantly bought out,” Wren in appalled shock heard herself say.

The bunny woman eagerly says, “Sold to the bidder in the back.” Wren and everyone gaped because frankly speaking, that must have been the cheapest item of the night. But even more ironic, the dragon valued in millions had been bought for a measly 7,000 gold coins.

Wren was still in shock when she paid for the dragon and was given the high-level slave contract. To be perfectly honest, Wren did not even have a memory of making it back to the slave stable with the dragon. By the time, Wren came to it was dawn and the slaves were all loaded on purchased mounts.

With dawn over the horizon, Wren hastily left the capital lest anyone from last night change their minds and come after her. The flying griffins swiftly carried them away causing Wren to almost weep at the loss of money once she realized the griffin’s cost. The only bright side to the situation, at least the griffins were edible purchases if need be.

The several week's long journeys only took one week on the back of the Griffins. And would have been less except Wren would often backtrack to cover their tracks as she was taking the dwarven hidden paths. Finally, on the 15th day, the village could be spotted in the air as Wren carefully led the griffins down below to land.

Caldor instantly sweeps Wren off her griffin and gives her a bone-crushing hug. The elders eagerly smile with relief at the Matriarch’s return, while the village children gaze up at the griffins with hunger in their eyes. To a hungry Ogre, just about anything is edible.

The griffins must have sensed the hungry gazes as their wings flutter nervously behind them. Wren suddenly remembers the people behind her and hurriedly aids the goblin elder to the ground. “This is my Frost Clan,” Wren said in common tongue. “Frost Clan, there are my new vassals the Tower Tribe.”

Caldor and the elders bow graciously to the elderly goblin who bows back and says, “This lowly one is Garlick.”

“We received your message and have prepared places for you,” Caldor politely said.

Garlick eyes gleam with moisture and says, “Thank you.”

Wren takes out the woman’s slave contracts and destroys them. The goblins had long since been destroyed, but Wren hadn’t wanted to worry about the women getting hurt in an attempt to escape and had kept them. Wren finally turns to the enslaved woman and says, “My apologies but as you can see this is my home village. If you would like you may stay and reside here with us, but if not, I will send you with a pouch of money and a griffin on your way.”

The women stare at each other with disbelief and uncertainty until a brave female steps forth and says, “Some of us were sold by our parents and families while of others of us are the survivors of bandit raids. Most of us no longer have homes to return to and those that do have no wish to return. If we stay, will your Og-, your men force themselves upon us?”

The men of the village grunt with disgust as the women snort in disdain. Wren wryly answers, “Our village was originally a matriarch village and the women in the village always have the final say when choosing a husband. So, unless you wish for it, not a single man will lay a finger on you.”

A young woman about 12 years old and already almost as tall as a man steps out and says, “And if they did, we the women of the village would crush them.” The teenage girl violently cracks her knuckles in emphasis as the women behind her grunt in agreement. The previously enslaved women are quickly taken away by the ogre women to wash and bathe. By the end of their baths, the formerly enslaved women were already friends with the village women.

Wren sighs in relief at seeing the women go until Brody says, “Nice. We were worried about finding a proper spouse for you, Matriarch as no one in the village is strong enough to match you. But it looks like we don’t have to worry about that anymore since you brought back a strong fellow.”

Wren suddenly pales as she recalls the dragon whose name she still did not know. Wren hastily protests to the comment, “No, I just bought him on a whim. Sorry, what I mean to say is that I was meaning to free him all this time, but I was in such a hurry to return that and I forgot.” However, the village elders all have smiles on their faces as if unconvinced by her words.

Wren hastily pulls out the magic contract and destroys it, before the dragon. Wren apologetically bows and says, “I apologize for my lapse in judgment I had meant to explain myself, but I wasn’t sure if you would believe my words. Either way, I apologize for my lapse in manners.” Wren lifts her head and points to the horizon. “You are free to leave whenever you desire,” Wren truthfully said. “And you don’t owe me or anyone in the village anything else.”

The dragon is quite startled and carefully eyes Wren before getting off the griffin. “You have my thanks,” the dragon politely replied.

Wren was surprised at the gentle voice as Caldor gruffly mutters under his breath, “My Wren doesn’t need a husband yet, she’s much too young for that sort of thing.”

Wren bows once more in an apology to the dragon and turns to move away, when Wren feels a tug on her shoulder. Wren turns back in surprise to see the dragon hold out a strange rainbow-colored pearl in his hand. “Here to show my sincerity,” the dragon steadfastly said.

“No, I already believed your sincere words the first time,” Wren firmly retorted as she wraps his hand around the rainbow-colored pearl. Wren may not have known what the pearl was, but it must be very precious as the dragon was offering it in thanks. Either way, Wren hadn’t done it to gain a reward as it really was just on a whim and for that, she should not be rewarded.

The dragon carefully takes back the pearl in thought as he carefully further studies Wren. A skin tingle lightly felt causes Wren to become wary at feeling the warning sign. The dragon suddenly smiles causing Wren to become breathless momentarily. “My name is Cloud,” the dragon said before gracefully leaping into the sky with a strong gust of wind.

Wren gapes in wonder as do the villagers as they see a gorgeous red dragon flying off into the distance. “Huh, almost worth it all,” Wren muttered to herself as she saw the figure rapidly fading away into the distance.

Agnes chuckles quietly to herself, “Ah, it looks like the Matriarch has already gained herself a suitor.” Had anyone else heard her, they probably would have laughed it off with the exception of Caldor. Caldor would have surely threatened murder upon the dragon should he return. But who knows maybe the wise old woman would be right in the end only time would tell.