The static on the big television screen buzzed one last time. Then, like wiping a foggy mirror clean, the picture became crystal clear.

Roxy’s heart leaped directly into her throat. She actually forgot how to breathe. She squeezed her hands together so hard her knuckles turned white.

There they were. All of them.

They were sitting on the familiar, cozy couches inside the old Iron-Wood Manor. The fireplace was burning brightly behind them, making the large room look warm and safe against the cold night.

All nine of her beautiful children were staring right back at the camera. They looked completely shocked. Their eyes were wide, and their mouths were hanging open. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They were looking right into the human world, seeing the mother they thought they had lost forever.

Right in the front, sitting on the thick, furry rug, was little Fedor.

Fedor was still just a tiny toddler. His bright red fox ears were poking out of his messy, fiery red hair, and his fluffy little tails were curled nervously around his legs. He was holding a small wooden block, playing quietly. But when he looked up and saw the big screen, he dropped the block entirely. It hit the wooden floor with a soft thud.

Fedor’s big, innocent eyes filled up with shiny tears. His little fox ears twitched nervously on top of his head. He slowly raised a chubby, tiny finger and pointed right at the big TV screen. He took a deep, shaky breath, and then he screamed at the top of his little lungs.

"Mama!"

It wasn’t just a happy shout. It was a loud, desperate cry from a little boy who had missed his mother so, so much. And the most amazing part was that it was the very first time he had ever spoken a word.

He had never talked before today. His very first word in the whole wide world was her name.

The second the word left his mouth, Fedor burst into loud, heavy tears. He started crying so hard his little shoulders shook, reaching his chubby hands out toward the screen as if he could grab her right through the glass.

Roxy completely broke down.

The brave face she had practiced in the bathroom totally melted away. The wall holding back her sadness shattered into a million pieces. She slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle a loud, messy sob, but the tears poured down her cheeks like a river.

"My little Fedor..." Roxy sobbed, her voice cracking with pure heartbreak and overwhelming love.

Her knees suddenly felt like they were made of jelly. She stumbled backward, feeling like she was going to fall right onto the floor.

But Ren was right there.

He stepped up quickly behind her. He wrapped his strong, warm arms firmly around her waist, pulling her back against his chest to hold her up. He buried his face in her dark hair, holding her tight so she wouldn’t collapse. He was crying quietly too, sharing her pain.

On the screen, a loud, collective gasp echoed through the room.

Up until this very second, the children had only been looking at Roxy. They were so focused on her face that they hadn’t noticed the tall shadows standing behind her in the nice human living room.

Drax was sitting on the edge of the couch. For the past few months, he had been acting like a terrifying, unbreakable Dragon King. He was supposed to be the scary boss of the East, ruling an entire kingdom. But right now, his tough King mask slipped completely off his face.

Drax’s dark green eyes went wider than saucers. He stared at the silver-haired man holding his mother.

"Papa Ren?" Drax asked. His voice didn’t sound deep and scary at all. It sounded like a shocked, hopeful little boy who had just seen a ghost.

That single question made the rest of the children look closer at the screen.

Iris gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand, making sure she didn’t drop the tiny baby girl she was holding safely in her other arm. Axel stood up so fast he knocked over a small wooden table. Tanith gripped the arm of the couch, her green snake eyes totally unblinking. Onyx’s jaw dropped open.

They started noticing the other Kings crowding the screen.

They saw Zarek standing right beside Roxy. They saw Torian holding the special phone. They saw Syris, Caspian, and Kaelen standing tall and healthy.

The realization hit the kids like a giant wave. Their fathers were really alive. They weren’t dead. They hadn’t vanished into thin air to fix a magic door. They had given up their magic, but they had made it. They were standing right there in the human world, right next to their mother.

"Papa Kaelen!" Axel yelled, his wolf tail wagging happily behind him.

"Papa Torian!" little Tyara roared, jumping up and down on the couch cushions and showing her small tiger teeth.

The room on the screen erupted into loud, messy, happy chaos. The older kids were talking over each other, asking a million questions at once. Fedor was still crying for his mama. Tyara was trying to climb the walls in pure excitement. Everyone was shouting and waving.

But there was one child who wasn’t yelling or jumping.

Sitting quietly on the far side of the couch was little Zale.

The sweet merman boy was wearing a soft blue shirt. His little legs were swinging off the edge of the seat. He was staring at the screen, looking right at Caspian and Roxy. But Zale wasn’t making a single sound. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Instead, big, thick tears were streaming down his round cheeks. He was fidgeting nervously, twisting the hem of his shirt in his tiny hands. He looked so incredibly sad and so completely overwhelmed by all the loud noises and big feelings.

Zale wanted to scream. He wanted to call out for his mom and his father, Caspian. But the emotion was just too big for his little body. He was completely unable to speak. He just sat there, his little chest heaving up and down, silently crying because he missed them so much it actually hurt his tummy.

Seeing Zale cry silently like that broke Roxy’s heart into even smaller pieces. It was even worse than hearing Fedor scream.

She wanted to reach through the glass of the television. She wanted to grab that sweet little boy and hug him until he felt safe again. She wanted to tell Tyara to be careful jumping on the couch. She wanted to tell Drax how incredibly proud she was of him.

She had so much to say. She had a million words stuck in her throat.

Roxy opened her mouth to speak.

But nothing came out.

The giant lump in her throat was too thick. Her brain was spinning so fast that she couldn’t pick which word to say first. Should she say ’I love you’? Should she say ’I’m sorry’? Should she tell them not to cry? Every time she tried to make a sound, only a quiet squeak came out.

She just stood there, her mouth open, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks, feeling completely frozen in place. The pressure of this being her only chance to talk to them was making her freeze up.

Zarek saw her struggling.

The Dragon King stepped closer to her side. He didn’t take over the call or start talking for her. He knew she needed to do this herself. She was their mother. Instead, he placed his large, warm hand right in the middle of her back.

Zarek slowly traced a gentle, comforting circle on her back with his thumb. It was a soft, steady motion, a quiet reminder that she was not standing there alone. He leaned his head down, putting his lips right next to her ear so only she could hear him over the loud kids on the TV.

"Roxy, breathe," Zarek whispered softly, his deep voice wrapping around her like a warm blanket. "Just take it one step at a time."