Kieran watched the bigger dragon land in front of them, before seeing the princess slide down to the ground. Unconsciously, and despite his throbbing elbow, he moved so that his left hand rested on a dagger by his hip. Even though the other rider had her hands raised, he didn't buy the worried expression. He'd been taught that it wasn't exactly in a royal's nature to display worry in front a potential enemy. Although it did make him feel less tense, than if it had been the Crown Prince or the King now standing in front of him.

Vienna didn't mirror those feelings when loooking back and forth between Záffre and his rider. She had her head raised and chest puffed out to appear bigger and stronger. In mother nature's world - and the wild - as the more dominant individual. In the meantime, her eyes showed a dangerous calm. One that probably came from her protectiveness towards him. Something that they had both developed growing up.

The taller of the humans tilted his head at the princess' question, taken aback by the tone of her voice. He had expected a colder sound to it, one of a warrior and dragon rider at that. 'Vienna?' he checked in nonetheless. I'm fine. He spared the dragon behind him a glance before answering, "We're alright." Hesitantly, he looked the princess up and down for any type of weaponry that he would want to be aware of. We should leave, Vienna urged, tail twitching once or twice. He mentally huffed, 'Didn't exactly go that well the last time now, did it?' I will fly without you, she threatened at his sarcasm. Kieran's eyes widened briefly, 'Don't!' Under a different circumstance, the female dragon would've probably left him right then and there, and let him walk the rest of the way home.

For a second, Kieran found himself wondering if Vienna would actually consider leaving him here. Then, her voice rung in his mind once again, They're gonna wanna know about the book. This time, he raised a physical brow, 'I think they already have a pretty good idea as to why.' They weren't exactly a secret anymore. Another dragon rider had been reveal to the world. He had officially broken his mother's only rule. Oh well, may the Saints be with him.

The princess' voice caught his attention once again. Just as quick, it looked like she had decided to interrupt herself, but Kieran's eyes knowingly went to the dragon behind her, watching the smoke pour from his nostrills. He wondered if the smoke had something to do with the dragon's ability, curiosity evident in his green orbs. Vienna let a low snarl erupt from her throat, the reason unknown to Kieran though. His suspicions about the sudden interruption were confirmed, when the princess pointed a finger at the mythical beast. Amusement was clear on Kieran's face, witnessing the interaction between dragon and rider. It was odd to experience from the outside. He'd only ever tried that with his mother and Hiraeth, before the old dragon's passing. Aside from Záffre, Hiraeth was the oldest dragon Kieran had even gotten to know, almost reaching 92 years of age. It had been a while since he'd been able to find comfort in her silver and white embrace.

He shook away his smile before looking at the princess, "Look, all I wanted was the book. It's-, I needed it," he said. Vienna moved her tail again, as she positioned herself fully behind him, like Záffre had the princess. He sighed to cover up his mild distress. Vienna's eyes glowed. "I'm not here to pose a threat," he continued assuringly, yet his tone was kept confident. Then, silently and close to a whisper, he added, "You weren't even supposed to know of her."