"No."

The single syllable is enough to shock you into silence. Amidst the darkness of your mind, you hadn't ever considered that the dragon would argue to keep her alive.

You feel a sudden fire in your belly, and you know you need to fight for it. She wouldn't want to live this way.

"What do you mean, no!?" You rise to your feet, turning on Nightwing as you do. "Look at her! She's nothing but an empty shell - why the fuck would we keep her alive!?"

Nightwing narrows her eyes, and you can feel a sudden pressure from her, pushing down on you as she glares. "Watch your tongue, boy," she growls. You shrink away from her, your legs shaking a little as she stares at you. You expect some kind of admonishment from her. However, once again, your expectations are proven wrong.

Her expression softens. Tension leaves her shoulders. "I only ever said that there was nothing that I could do." She looks at your mother again. "But...there may be someone..."

The pressure in your heart alleviates. Your mouth hangs slightly open. You want to press for details, but you also don't want to anger her any further.

"Wh...who?"

Nightwing sighs heavily. "My brother."

You perk up at that. "R-really? Can we...can we go now?" Hope slowly bubbles up within you, and not like the hope you felt when you went to meet the dragon. No, this is a real hope - a tangible hope. A hope that has a definite form.

"I...have not been home in..." She pauses, clearing her throat before she continues. "I have not been home in quite some time. And it is...quite far from here." She refuses to look at you, instead turning her body entirely to face your mother.

"We will have to go there on foot. It will take quite a long time. I don't know how much time your mother has left, but since that is Elven life support, I would presume that she will last for quite a while."

"The doctors said it should keep her alive for another year or more," you clarify.

"That's more than enough time. In that case, we should depart in the morning, and take the night to prepare."

You don't know what to say, so you do the first thing that comes to mind.

You practically lunge towards her, and wrap your arms around her in a fierce hug, fresh tears forcing their way out of your eyes as you struggle to convey your gratitude.