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"I´m telling you this might be your last chance." Said Henry, his voice loud enough to resound through the hallway.

"Not so loud." Cyrvanyx warned him trough grit teeth. "I don´t want the whole order to know."

"The whole order?" Henry frowned at him and looked around the hallway of the noble quarters. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well I don´t see anyone around expect you and me. The only ones that could possibly hear any of this are my wife and my son." He pointed at the closed door right behind himself. "And I doubt that they will tell anyone about your interest in Arylaryl."

Cyr snorted, looking away. "Whatever..." He murmured before he drifted off into his thoughts. Oh, how he hated it when Henry beat him with simple logic. Henry tried to convince him to take his chance as long as he still could. But Henry simply did not understand his fear. Not even he himself fully understood it.

For the time being he had accepted the fact that he had some kind of interest in her that was deeper than friendship. But he did not yet really understood what it was.

He did not remember when exactly he first began to develop an interest for her. He only knew that he and Arylaryl played together in their youth, in their hatchling years, but slowly parted ways as they both grew up. Once he grew older he began to have eyes for females, but oddly enough only for Arylaryl. Still, he never had the courage to talk to her.

That was before they had joined the order. Ary was chosen about five years before he was. In these five years he did everything to prove himself worthy of joining the order, not to serve the realm or his people, but to be with Arylaryl, to get a second chance. And what did he do in these ten years of serving the order to gain her favor? Nothing.

All his thoughts led him to the solution that Henry was right. These days may very well be his last, so why not take a risk for once.

"Do you need some advice maybe? I could help you if you want." Henry said with confidence in his voice and a smirk on his face.

Cyr narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. Sometimes he couldn't tell if he was serious or if he was just mocking him. "Help? From you? Not like you were the most adored when you were still living at your family's court."

"What are you saying? The girls couldn´t get enough of me."

"That´s not how your uncle put it." Cyr smirked as he saw the surprised look on Henry´s face.

"Well I... there were some...wait! when did my uncle..."

"When he once visited you here, about six month ago." His grin widened. "He told me about a girl whose name was Elenor..."

Judging by Henry´s look, Cyr got him right where he wanted him. He stared at him, his mouth hanging open. He quickly cleared his throat and blinked a few times. "So... yes I wasn´t very good with the ladies at court." Then his grin returned, pointing at Cyr. "But at least I tried."

Cyrvanyx glared away, unable to look the truth directly into the eyes. Once again, Henry was right. There was no way he could talk himself out of this situation. No matter how hard he tried to turn the conversation against Henry it all backfired on him. More and more he was starting to feel like a coward. A coward who was unable to talk to a female.

Just like before, he drifted off into his thoughts. So much even that he did not notice when his eyes began to tear up.

"Cyr? Are you alright?" There was concern in his normally cheerful voice.

Confused, Cyr looked at him and saw him in a blurry outline. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and let out a desperate sigh, staring at the ground. When he felt a warm touch on his nose he tensed up, all his frills standing up in a defending reflex. His gaze wandered upwards and met Henry´s eyes.

"Cyr, listen." He gently stroked his nose and the scales above it. "I may not be an expert but I can tell you this much." He leaned in a little closer and softened his voice. "Talk to her. Just talk. After the events of today... I think she will appreciate to have someone to talk to aside from Gareth."

"I..." Cyr retreated his head from Henry´s touch, curling his neck into an S shape. "I don´t think she wants to talk with me. She was... angry when she caught me staring at her."

"Why would she be so angry at you for simply looking at her? I don´t think she would..." He stopped talking in the middle of the sentence and began to grin at him. "Or... I guess it depends what you were looking at."

Cyr tilted his head, looking at him, confused.

Henry slowly nodded his head while scratching his chin."Huh... I guess that would explain that comment she gave you about controlling you lust." He looked up to meet Cyr´s gaze. "So tell me, were you looking at her-"

"No!" He shouted out as he finally understood what he was trying to say. "Who do you think I am? I just... watched her fight. And because I stood behind her she thought that I... well..."

"You know that you are probably the only dragon of your age who is uncomfortable talking about such things. Why don´t you just admit it?" Henry said with a chuckle as he folded his arms above his chest.

"I´m not-"

"Anyway." Henry seemed to just ignore him and moved on. "Back to topic." He cleared his throat. "Even if she was angry at you this morning I can guaranty you that she won't be angry anymore, not after what happened when Edwyn arrived." Cyr lowered his head to Henry´s eye level, listening to every word.

"Gareth had relatives in that village and I know that his relatives are often also her relatives. Most likely she will be on top of the keep, watching the stars. Go there and talk to her. I promise you, you won´t regret it."

"How do you know she will be up there?"

"Gareth told me today... after I told him about your interest in Ary."

Cyr´s eyes went wide and he almost chocked on his own breath. "You did what?"

"I only do what is best for you! And you can trust Gareth that he won´t tell her." Both their gazes locked for a moment. "I say this one last time now." Henry held up his index finger as if he was warning him. "Go to her and then talk to her."

"A- about what?"

"Do I really have to do everything for you?" He shook his head and chuckled as he opened the door to his room. "You are a dragon, Cyrvanyx. Be a dragon!" With those words he closed the door in front of Cyr´s face, leaving him alone in the hallway.

Silence surrounded him in all of a sudden. It was too quiet. The silence made him feel uncomfortable and uneasy. It felt unnatural in a way. Almost as if something was not right.

He put his worries aside and looked at the doors that let into the main hall from where he could go into the courtyard. Before he made his way outside he looked back at Henry´s room one last time. Many thoughts already rattled trough his mind before he even reached the door.

With one of his fore paws he opened the big wooden door. Although the doorway was built for men and dragons alike he still was careful not to scrape his sensitive wing membranes on the rough stone.

Once he was inside the main hall he stopped for a moment and looked around. To his surprise every suit of armor from the armory was presented on tables. The servants usually did that before training sessions to have easier access to every individual piece of armor when putting it on. But he was not in the armory, he was in the main hall. And the training was long since over.

It seemed like the grandmaster needed the armor at the ready, so the knights could be ready for battle as quickly as possible. But why? The battle was still a couple of days away if not weeks, if there even was a battle. At least they would not decide to starve them out. That would cost them way too much time. Or at least that was what he thought, and hoped.

He shook these thoughts out of his mind and faced the door that led into the courtyard. There were other things of higher importance to think about. At least those thoughts could distract him a little from his fear, but only a little.

The door that led into the courtyard was already halfway open. Just as he was about to go through a human walked past him and went outside. He seemed rather tense and his helmet looked like it was too big for his head. It almost appeared that he was trying to avoid eye contact. But again he soon forgot that suspicious man and pushed the rest of the door open with his fore paw.

The courtyard was bathed in gloomy light as the full moon shun above the castle. Only the battlements on the walls and the barracks to his left were lighted up by torches that were held by guards. He saw four men sitting on a table outside of the barracks, playing some kind of game, something with cards. Humans really found a lot of ways to keep themselves busy.

His eyes wondered all over the castle walls, the towers and the battlements, or least those he could see from his position. His view into the much bigger outer courtyard was blocked by the second wall. He never really understood why the humans had to built two big stone walls. Was not a cliff and one wall with two gates in one gatehouse to get through enough?

Why have a second wall when the important buildings were outside of the second wall? The smithy and the stables, for example. The only building inside the inner courtyard was of course the keep, which was were all the supplies were stored, and the barracks for the foot soldiers.

But he had to admit that human architecture was quite fascinating, in a way. Where humans lacked natural armor they made their own out of metal to protect themselves. Where they lacked claws to fight their enemies they built weapons out of steel. They also built huge buildings out of wood and stone. Although he never saw the capital with his own eyes he would love to see it one day. It would be no doubt a breath taking-

Wait... where had he gone with his thoughts? It almost seemed like he was so afraid to face her that his mind was trying to think about anything aside from her.

He sighed and turned around to look at the keep in its full glory. When he stood in front of it, it looked even bigger than it already was. It obviously had to be bigger than the keep of regular castles if dragons were supposed to walk the hallways, or at least most of them. From the outside it looked so much simpler than from the inside. The keep had a cube like form, with one tower for each corner.

He took a couple of steps back and spread his wings, taking one deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment before he leaped on top of the keep with the help of his wings.

Almost immediately after he landed he heard a voice call out from the corner of the keep, right next to one of the towers. "Who´s there?"

He tensed a little as he heard the slight anger in Arylaryl´s voice. She probably does not like it when someone just comes and interrupts her peace. Maybe he should leave. No. No he won´t get this chance again.

"It´s Cyrvanyx." He said, trying to hide his nervousness as best as he could. He slowly began to step towards her. He could see her green scales shining in the moonlight. Even when he could barely see her, she was beautiful.

"Ah, Cyrvanyx." He saw how she sat her raised head down on her fore paws after he said his name. "Have you come to stare at me again?" In her voice he could not hear if she was joking, or seriously angry wit him.

"I..." He swallowed and stopped in his way towards her. calm your nerves he said in his mind. "I am... sorry... but it wasn´t what it looked like. I was just... admiring you."

She glared at him with her shining blue eyes. "That´s just another word for staring, and you know that. And I do not care what part of me you were looking at. It was the way you were looking at me. I remember that stare well enough from other before you!" She continued to glare him down for a while. With every passing second Cyr felt smaller and smaller.

Then she finally ended her angry glare and broke the silence with a sigh. "I´m sorry."

Cyr opened his muzzle before she could finish her apologize. "No, if anyone should be sorry it is-"

"Cyrvanyx." She said, her voice louder than before. "I am sorry. I overreacted. I knew that you would never disrespect me." Her voice softened. "Even if we haven´t talked properly since... many years I think you are still the Cyrvanyx I once knew. The one I used to play with when we were still living with the clan." She smiled at him with a smile that looked half forced and half warm.

He couldn´t help and smile as well, a lot wider than he even realized at first. "And I´m sure you are still the Arylaryl I once knew which is why I would never disrespect you. Because I know that the consequences would be... severe."

The way she chuckled at his comment made him smile even wider than before. So much even that hi cheeks began to hurt slightly.

"Do you want to stand there all night?" She asked with a grin on her muzzle. "Or do you want to lay down and watch the stars with me?"

He swallowed as he considered her invitation. Of course he wanted to say yes, but a part of him was still slightly afraid even if he was slightly proud of himself for mastering this situation so well. But luckily for once he had confidence. "Yes of course." When he spoke he could hear in his own voice how obvious his nervousness but also his happiness must´ve been.

As he neared her his heart began to beat even faster than before. There was a weird feeling in his stomach. What was that?

He lowered himself to his belly right next to her, right on the edge of the keep from he could see the outer, much larger, courtyard very well, especially the gate. It almost looked like the gate was open, strange.

"You remember when we used to watch the stars together as hatchlings?" Ary asked as she looked at the night sky. Only a few clouds blocked the view over a few stars, but most of the sky was visible. Even though the night was brightened up by the full moon the stars were still visible, only barely, but still visible.

He turned his gaze away from the courtyard and looked her directly into her silver eyes. "How could I forget that, Ary?" He smiled at her with the warmest smile he had to offer. "If I remember correctly you were telling me the names of different star constellations."

Her eyes slightly widened, as did her smile. "You remember that, really?" Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she probably dwelled in old memories. "My father used to tell me about them. He told me dragons who do great things would become a star when they die." She giggled, smiling at Cyrvanyx. "Of course I didn´t believe it back then and still don´t do that today, but it makes a good up for a good story, doesn´t it."

"It sure does..." Once more his gaze wandered towards the gatehouse of the outer wall. This time he narrowed his eyes as he took a closer look. Was the drawbridge down? No it could not be, could it? Who would-

"We should´ve done this a lot earlier."

He turned his gaze away from the gate to look at her. "Do what?"

"Just talk." She looked him straight in the eyes. "I didn´t really think I needed anyone else who I could call a friend other than Gareth. He had been my only true friend in all the years if been here. And besides... I have had bad experiences with other dragons, dragon males I mean. But until today I´ve never really noticed how much I missed your friendship.

He almost melted inside with every word she said. After ten years of fear. After ten years filled with sometimes sleepless nights or weird dreams, he finally had the courage to face her. And she even called him her friend, which was something she did not say since they were still little. That moment a certain feeling began to spread trough him. He felt it a couple of times in the past but never this hard. there was a feeling of uneasiness in his stomach. His heart was beating so fast and hard that he could feel and hear his own heartbeat. Was that feeling was he thought it was?

Maybe Henry was right the day before...

He put his thoughts aside for later. "As did I, Ary. Henry is a good friend, I would even go so far to call him my brother, but he could never truly replace the friend you were for me. And now I´m not certain, but I... I feel-"

"Close the gate!" A loud voice of a yelling human broke the beautiful moment they both shared. For a moment he was angry but then he remembered what he saw. "Go wake up the grandmaster and the dragons, quickly!"

He quickly turned his head to look at the courtyard. His eyes widened.

"Cyr what is..." Arylaryl trailed off, her gaze focused on the courtyard.

The gates of the outer gatehouse were wide open. the drawbridge was down. He saw a couple men holding up shields, defending themselves from the arrows that the guards on top of the inner wall shot at them. Those men holding up their shields looked like men of the order, with the golden dragon with wide spread wings on their shields .

Were they traitors? Or maybe spies? Suddenly it made click in his mind.

The man from before, the one who left the main hall with the big helmet. He did not come out of the barracks nor out of the knightly quarters. He came out of the quarters that had been made for the refugees. Those men were refugees, or that was what they made everyone believe.

It all happened so fast, he could not even react yet. The guards quickly closed the gates of the second wall. So that´s why needed two of those.

Just as the gates were closed, men on horseback stormed the outer courtyard, followed by footmen, some of whom were carrying ladders. A couple of guards were still out there. They were all slaughtered in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile two men ran inside the keep to wake the others, a third into the barracks to wake the soldiers.

"Cyr, We have to warn-"

"Listen now, Ary!" All of his former nervousness was suddenly gone, replaced by a different kind of fear and the urge to fulfill his duty. "We have to help our men until the rest arrives. If we don´t help them our enemies will storm these walls like it was nothing!"

She looked at him, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging down. But then she swallowed and nodded. "Lead the way."

Cyr nodded as well, his smile was gone after their moment was ruined by the men of that lord whose name he could not remember. But that mattered little at the moment.

They both spread their wings before taking to the skies with a menacing roar.

Now was not the time to think.

Now was time to act.

*Authors note*

And so the battle of Dragonstone Castle begins, the battle that could decide the future of Albia. As always I would really appreciate your support and would also like to know your thoughts on this chapter.