FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

My name is Rodwir. I write now as a warrior, not a scholar, so bear with the way I put ink to paper. In our time now we are mostly at peace, with skirmishes of little note and worry, so I need not show my fangs nor dull my blade; therefore, I feel useless, so I'm finding ways to cure my unending boredom.

I do not wish to elaborate on my upbringing, so I will summarize shortly. I was raised in a small village to the northeast of the Fyrof Mountains, which was far as well to the east near the Edge of the Sky and a month's journey on foot to Cuirtsaelie, the capital city, in the west. I don't remember what the village was named, though some time after my leaving it became a part of Fyrnes, which was to the north a few days' march of Fyrofskin.

I am a drake, as are about half of those who call the Sky Realm home; and we are descended from the dragons of ages past. Of what my father told me, my blood is of an ancient clan named Díus, and my line of Rathnar the Red. So, I am Rodwir Erh Denluaitbholcanac, Rathnar's Heir of Clan Díus. My father– who I shall shorten to Bholca, as our village liked to call him– was well known as a strong warrior himself, though not a very good father. I did not know my mother, and Bholca never told me; nor did I ask, for he was short-tempered. Though, as I think on it now, I did not really wish to know, as she had not been a part of my life.

Bholca raised me as a warrior, and his tendency for violence was savage enough for those around us to turn their gaze, though they remained blind and deaf when the courage to speak left their hearts. I hated them. I hated him. I learned through pain what others might learn from careful practice, and those lessons will never be forgotten, as all I have to do is look at myself to remember. There were times I forgot, just as opium leaves numb pain and brewed ale cures melancholy; and there were times where the pangs were at their strongest. Now, I shall recant them here.

I'm unsure exactly where to start, so perhaps I will begin with where my life really began to grow interesting enough for a tale. During a time of warring between the two races who coinhabit the Sky Realm we call Dractalemh, I was but a simple warrior who had made his own tribe. There was a band of elves who grew to be an entire army; they broke off from their kin and their homeland of Teles in the Lower Realm for their own greed and gain. I'm unsure exactly how it started; though I heard there were disputes between the Four Stars, the four lands of Teles, and the East Star and the South Star broke off from the others. At the time they were led by Lord Kerendil of the South and Lord Augrim of the East. We found they had snuck into Dractalemh by a portal we did not find for a long while, and they had conquered most of the eastern land; from the Fyrofskin Mountains to the Eastern Strands, which is an Edge of Dractalemh.

My self-proclaimed tribe at the time consisted of myself, Kraghen, Drecc, and Florre. Drecc was my closest friend and the one to find me first when I left my village. He was a sapphire-scaled drake who, in skinform, had medium-length black hair and green eyes with yellow specks. Kraghen was red-scaled, with yellow hair and hazel eyes. He has yet to learn how to conjure fire, as the youngest of us. Florre had long and curly auburn hair; she had beautiful and piercing blue eyes that rested over light freckles on her cheeks. One of her ears was clipped from a fight when she was younger which, to elves, made them outcasts; but we drakes do not care for such things, and she was forever at home with us.

To start, I will write about the day we battled on Swenherd Hill. We under the crown had two-hundred and sixty warriors, where the red-bannered elves had two-hundred and twenty. Their shields bore the insignia of Teles– four arrows on top of each other, pointing up, down, left, and right– though was painted red instead of blue; a sign that they turned away from their homeland. My tribe was commanded directly by Lord Lumient, who was accompanied by three other nobles named Branverd, Hestal, and Caen. All four sat on horses behind the lines and, during one of my actions to look for a signal, I could have sworn I saw Hestal yawn. I could not afford to think of that at the time. I needed to be ready and aware of my surroundings. The elves who stared back at us looked stern, yet I could see some of them trembling– and no wonder; they were facing dragonfolk.

"Úlamh!" I heard Lumient shout in Red Sky. It was our language, though named after an ancestral clan from which the majority of living drakes descend. We drakes readied our weapons for we needed no shields, while the allied elves readied both. I remember thinking this was going to be a slaughter, as this was the first real battle these elves had ever had against us. Since this all started, we had been quelling some raids on elven territories while ignoring others, depending on either the severity of the raid or the importance of the location or peoples. We knew these rebels had nothing that could really harm us, so we were overly confident; in fact, our primal instincts kicked in. All of these formalities were just decoration to hide the truth: we were predators, and they were prey.

"Gloízhe!" We heard the command, and we marched. Drecc shoved me playfully from behind, while Kraghan shot me an excited look from my right. I knew Florre stayed behind with her bow, which made me feel content. If anyone was in any real danger, it was her.

"Kinda feel bad about this," I heard the drake from my left say. She sounded concerned, which made Drecc laugh from behind her.

"What, are you an elf?" Kraghan shouted over the sound of the march. "Free eating is always a good thing!"

He was jesting, of course. We did not eat the flesh of sentient beings; not since the dragons of old dived over The Strands for food. She growled next to me as we continued forward.

"All I mean is," the drake said, "we were friends and family. I don't really understand why it has come to this." I chuckled.

"It's not our job to understand, or even to think," I replied, "it is to do what we are told as warriors."

"Damn right," said Drecc.

The female fell into silence as we moved on. Lumient shouted for us to pick up pace and, once we did, we saw the enemy start to run towards us with their shields. Sprawled laughter filled the air over us and I laughed as well. I'm sure a few of us thought the enemy had just caved to pressure, or else wished to quicken their deaths. We were so close now; two walls about to crash together with an awesome force, euphoria started to kick in and I started to raise my sword arm, but then I felt something.

It felt like a chill– like a warning. Something caused me to stop in my tracks, and Drecc crashed into me as I did. He fell on top of me with a grunt, and we tumbled into the grass, wet with morning dew. He shouted a curse and tried to lift himself off me but he got a buckle stuck in my chest plate. We took a quick moment to unfasten it and he pushed off me, then picked himself up and brushed himself off. A hand shot out next to my right ear and I turned to see that the female drake had fallen behind to help. I let her pull me up.

"What the hell, Rodwir?" Drecc growled at me as I patted myself down. I turned to him, but remained silent. I spun in place, watching the drakes run around us, and realized Kraghan was still in the front lines.

"Drecc," I said under my breath, but then I spoke louder, "something doesn't feel right."

Drecc was about to respond but we began to hear the screams. The fight had begun, and we were standing around doing nothing. I took one last look at him, then at our companion, and we all rushed off to the front.

The screams were getting louder and the way forward was getting harder. We tried to force our way through the other drakes but kept getting snagged one way or another. We shouted to let us through but nobody could hear us. I shouted for Kraghan and received no response, though I was sure he could not hear me anyway over all the noise. We could hear the clanging of various weapons, so we knew we must be close. When I looked over the crowd, I could see the polearms being used, so I threw my arm back to hit Drecc in his chestplate, then pointed with my sword over to where I saw the fight.

We inched closer and closer, but then the sensation I felt before came over me again. I froze in stride, trying to fight off the feeling, but my legs wouldn't move. I risked closing my eyes for a second to breathe and to think; I couldn't understand why this was happening. I didn't know what was going on, nor why now of all times, but the question remained; why did I feel so... frightened?

I didn't know how quiet it became when reality kicked in again. I was shoved to the ground from my left. I skirted the soil, ate a bit of grass, spat it out, then looked up at who shoved me. It was the female, standing defensive with an elven blade over her head, the only thing stopping it from coming down being the flat of her blade. She was wincing under her helmet but I could see her mouth moving, though I couldn't hear what she was saying. I shook my head, picked myself off the ground, then lunged my blade forward and into the stomach of her foe. His weight faltered when he grunted in pain and she let his blade slide off to her left. Then, she stepped out of the way and chopped down, slicing his head off with one barbaric swing. Panting, she checked on me and I nodded my thanks to her.

Drecc was somewhere in front of us now, and we still could not find Kraghan. I shouted both their names to no avail, then we moved forward. We didn't have much time to think, nor were we here to think. We were here to fight, and what we now saw in front of us made us realize we were also here to die.

Bodies. Dead, bleeding, and maimed dragonfolk. I had a few seconds to stare in shock, but that was all. A new foe raised his sword against me, and charged. His battlecry was cut short by both speed and frustration, both weighing into the sword I used to swiftly cut his head off. Two more came; the first shot his sword forward and I parried to the left. My female comrade stabbed at him but he dodged, spinning with the blade's momentum gracefully and thrusting his sword forward at me. I let it go by my head while the second elf swung his axe at my waist. In the position I was in, there was no avoiding the blow and, though I thought I would only lose some scales, I instead found myself in pain, the axe coming off me stained in red.

I retreated a few steps, felt my abdomen, then looked at the blood on my hand. The female was quick in her efforts to try to fend the elves off while I stood dumbfounded, but I needed to get my head right and get back into the fight. I tore a sleeve off my tunic and stuffed the wound with it, wincing in pain as it reminded me of my childhood, then pulled my sword out from my armpit and charged forward to help.

She blocked the next jab to her right, so I darted forward and stabbed the elf in his gut. He let out a breath, then I pulled up and twisted so the blade would turn to the left and come out under his shoulder. His friend did not let his comrade's death slow him, and he tried to hack at my arms while my blade was coming out of my foe's stomach. The female was quicker, and she blocked his strike while pulling out a shorter sword from a scabbard on her belt and she stabbed him in the neck. Blood sprayed up and outward onto her face and chest. His sword fell out of his hands and his body fell limp to the ground.

We weren't done. The opposing archers let loose, so I pulled the female down next to me and lifted my shield. Instinctively, she dropped her short sword and picked up a shield from the bloodied grass to create a bigger wall of protection. While the arrows hit the shields, I noticed she stared at my open wound as if she'd never seen such a thing before, but I called out to her.

"Hey!"

She looked up at me, fear and excitement both laying fresh in her emerald eyes.

"Tá rúdagin glaesh nád síghíad!" I shouted over the noise. At first she looked confused, but then she began to laugh. I did too.

The volley ended in an eerie silence, but we felt another volley would come soon, so we dropped the shields and looked for new ones. In that time, she had found Drecc, and I had found Kraghan. Drecc was roughed up a bit with a cut on his cheek and an arrow in his foot, but I had to pry the shield away from Kraghan's dead fingers. I stared at him, not knowing what to say or how to feel at that moment. I felt a ball of smoke fill my throat and I expelled it before sniffing, wiping the mixture of blood and dirt from my face, and closing the hazel eyes of a young drake who stared at nothing. Before the next volley of arrows could be loosed, a horn sounded for us to retreat. We listened to the cheers of the enemy, and felt embarrassed. They began to charge at us with new vigor in the cloud of dirt that kicked up from the rain of arrows hitting the terrain beneath our feet.

I was too angry to retreat.

I would see the world burn for Kraghan's death.

I would punish those responsible for taking something from me.

"Tígh!" I roared suddenly, standing up from the fresh corpse below me, "laíg àz dho d'aegàr! Sás an ar loaed'nhe! Laesh iag! Laesh iag gu luítré! Scael daíb còn na naemhádh'n akka!"

My rally cry stopped some in their tracks, and others began to line up with me. The female drake looked stunned for a moment, but shook it off just as quickly and came to my side, and Drecc followed soon after. I could feel the anger swelling up inside me. It was needed now; I wanted everyone just as angry as I was.

"Úlamh! Úlamh!" I called, lifting my sword arm. The enemy charge was closer now; close enough for their weapons to be seen through the dust clouds. When they came close enough I called another order, then those of us who could breathed in, and let loose a wall of flame that covered the field in a red and orange river of heat. Some of the enemy were able to stand behind their shields but their legs took heavy burns. Others weren't so lucky, and the flames engulfed them, spreading under and into their armors and burning their skin alive. I shouted over the cries to kill them. I shouted back at the archers to shoot. I screamed for a slaughter meant to cover the field in blood and flames.

Those enemies who could fight back did so. They left their dying comrades to push forward, raising their shields and jabbing their swords at us while we fought back. I received a short sword to the chest; it bent through my plate and between my scales. It allowed more anger to spill out of me, causing me to bite down forcefully into his neck and twist, tearing his flesh with my sharp fangs. The polearm warrior behind him moved forward quickly but hesitated, the fear emanating off his body palpable as he stared at the gore between my teeth. He jabbed the stick forward but I knocked it out of the way, then slashed his nose off his face and kicked him in the stomach. I yelled; we pushed forward and gained ground, but then I heard a faint command and the noise of many bowstrings being loosed. We could not fend from that attack; if we in the front line raised our shields, the onslaught before us would kill us anyway. So, we had to push. The arrows came down and I was lucky to have been missed. Drecc took another arrow in the shoulder, so I yelled for him to be pushed back and out of the line. I wasn't sure if I was going to survive anymore as the hole in front of me filled up with more elves.

It seemed endless, but then I heard another horn; this time, it was not ours. The rebels were retreating. Many of us took joy in killing a few more due to the rage I helped build in our ranks. Others, like me, stood there and soaked in our stale victory.

"Atarh..." I wheezed tiredly, "...nac eí... thu mútael ázamh?"

And that was all I could remember of the day, for after those words were spoken my world turned to black.

~~•~~

I awoke in a bed made of straw. Starting with a coughing fit, I jolted with a groan as my stomach pained me. Instinctively, I cradled it with my arm, then surprised myself to feel clean bandages wrapped around me, and I took note of being in skinform. I felt my chest where the sword had punctured, and that too was covered. With no sense of what had happened, I began to get up, but a hand placed itself on my shoulder and I turned to look at a young-looking woman who, at first, I thought was Florre– but once my vision became less blurry I noticed it was someone else entirely. This woman had goldenrod hair in two braids that started to cross from her hairline and, though her eyes were green, they were a lighter and more brighter shade, like that of an ash tree's leaf. It was easy to mistake her for Florre because she too had pale skin and freckles, but this woman was lighter in comparison, and her nose was small and so were her pink lips. She wore a forest green tunic with a hood and standard black trousers.

"Easy now," she said soothingly, "you'd been out for a while." I ran a hand through my long, red hair with a groan as she came around the bed to help me sit up. She sat down in a chair in the corner nearest to me, and I stared at the wall behind her, trying to process the last moments I remembered.

"How long is a while?" I breathed the question, and she shifted uneasily in her stance.

"Three weeks?" She answered, and I looked at her with my mouth agape. It took me a moment more to process what she said, like riddles being whispered in my ear to play over and over again in my head.

"Three fucking weeks?" I drew out, and she nodded. "Why the hell so long?"

She massaged her shoulder in a comforting manner. "You needed the rest."

I found I had nothing to say to that, so I looked at the wood floor. I traced the patterns in the planks with my eyes, trying to remember all that transpired before I blacked out. She let me sit quietly, knowing I needed to process everything first before she could say anything more. I appreciated that, and when I was ready I took a deep breath, then exhaled to expel my anxieties. I looked at her again.

"So who are you? And where is Drecc?"

She blinked at me in surprise. "You don't recognize me?" I shook my head, then she surprised me back by standing up and scaleforming. Goldenrod scales slid out of her skin while her face gently contorted into a muzzle, and spikes began protruding from the back of her head. Her neck and chest bore emerald green scales tipped in gold and her eyes shone the leaf green color of her skinform; she was beautiful, and I both recognized her and became infatuated with her on the spot.

"I see," I chuckled, "So, what do I call you, warrior?" She smiled warmly, though didn't answer me right away. Ultimately she decided to change back to her skinform, then bowed her blonde head courteously, her braids falling over her shoulders as she did so.

"....Nuinat."

I nodded my greeting. "I am Rodwir. Though, I am certain you knew that already. We– Drecc, Florre and I– serve the lord Lumient."

"And I served under Lord Hestal," she replied softly, "though he is... well..."

She trailed off for a moment, staring at the floorboards, unsure of what to say next.

"He's dead, isn't he?" I asked. She looked at me, then nodded quietly.

"Yes," she said after a heartbeat. It seemed the excited, battle-hardened maiden I saw during battle had become a shy and nervous young female. I did not wish to pry, but I did have a question burning to be asked.

"So why are you here?" I asked her bluntly.

She blinked, apparently taken aback by my question.

"My apologies," she replied, shaking her head, "but I don't understand."

"I mean," I growled, the pain making me irritable, "why are you here with me? Why not be with Hestal's warriors?"

She hesitated, I saw, for a heartbeat. Then, she tried to play it off by curling a finger under her chin in contemplation. She brushed a braid behind her pointed ear.

"Well," she said, " perhaps it is because we fought side-by-side. I didn't almost die with the others. I almost died with you, so... I suppose I wanted to be sure you were okay."

I studied her for a moment; the room smelled of her, which was a dead giveaway she had been in this shack for the entire three weeks I was out. She was hiding something, and I was about to call her out on it; but before I could reply, the door kicked open. The night cold came in and, as it did, Nuinat spun around quickly, her right hand grabbing something blunt on the counter. Whoever kicked open the door was obviously not invited, but he came in anyway. I sighed, putting a hand on Nuinat's left arm softly. She eased from her tension, dropping what I then saw was a candlestick back where it came from.

"Hello, Tegrit," I growled.

He bowed dutifully, though reluctantly. He lifted his head, then brushed a hand over his combed-back black hair that he laced behind his head. His gray tunic was pristine, even here, as he prided himself on looking high-born; though he was just a servant– a stray cur caught by Lord Lumient and whipped into doting obedience.

"My... Lord... Rodwir," he breathed with barely-hidden disdain. I blinked, unsure why he was calling me a lord, but decided to ignore it for now.

"What is it you want, Tegrit?" I asked him. He cleared his throat.

"You have been summoned by The Eastern War Council," he told me, "my master tasked me to see if you had awakened from your..." he hesitated on purpose, "...affliction."

"I am awake," I said, "though I do not think I can move very well..."

"Nonsense," he scoffed, "you've had plenty of rest. Now, you must come with me at once. The Lord Lumient requires your presence."

My fingers dug into my open wound. Nuinat, sensing my frustration, was quick to intervene.

"I can help him to walk," she offered, and the servant looked at her with a raised brow, as if he had not noticed she was here.

"And... you are–"

"–none of your business, servant," I growled. Tegrit shot me a glare. He didn't say anything to that; but though he was a servant, he despised being called one, and I disliked him, so it gave me a sense of pleasure to challenge his gaze with my own. He huffed, relenting, then turned and left the shack to wait outside. Nuinat raised an eyebrow at me.

"What was that about?" She asked. I shook my head.

"A long-standing and shared hatred for one another," I answered, "he resents that Lumient favors me. Being called to council and having to deliver a message to me directly probably stung him worse than..." I looked down at my wounds. "... well, anyway. I would appreciate your accompaniment."

She smiled and, as I tried my best to get up from the bed myself, hurried over to offer me her hand. I took it, using her as leverage to get up, then she had me throw my arm over her shoulders. I looked down at her as we stumbled to the door, for she was a foot shorter than I was, and, though she wasn't looking at me, I could see her face start to redden.

Tegrit led the way, and as we passed by those starting campfires in the waxing moon, I found Drecc and Florre. They perked up to see me, trying to start a long conversation, but Tegrit cleared his throat to cut them off and looked irritated. I smiled at them, glad to see they were fine. Drecc's arrow wounds had begun to heal, at least from what he started to tell me, though he would have to wait to tell me more. I bade them farewell for the time being, then we continued to follow Tegrit for a few moments longer before we reached a large tent with two guards stationed at the entrance. Tegrit waved them off and they stepped aside. Then, he turned to me and checked me for weapons, which was customary. Nuinat allowed him to search her as well; she didn't appear to have any qualms about it herself– though I begrudged the action quietly– and once the search was completed, we went inside.

The tent was lit up by six pillars of candles. There were thirteen chairs in a circle in the middle of the tent: five ornamented chairs that were separated only by two plain wooden chairs each. Lining the walls of the tent were wood desks filled with documents, likely orders, plans, maps and notes. There were ten bodies in the tent, three of which had circlets of valuable stones and metals on their heads. Most in the tent were drakes, but there were a handful of elves, and some of the drakes had even been in their scaleforms; more than likely because they were more comfortable with that form or weren't born with the power to skinchange. One of those with a circlet was in scaleform, while the other two nobles were in skin. It took a moment for anyone to notice us, but the noble with the copper circlet– cut with waves with a sapphire jewel hammered into the front– finally did. He smiled and walked up to us in greeting.

"Welcome, Rodwir," he said warmly, and I bowed.

"Thank you, Lord Lumient," I replied, "it is... nice to be alive." He laughed at that.

"I'm sure," he said, "I wanted to applaud you for your courage and initiative on the battlefield weeks ago. If not for you, I doubt we would have had the victory." I waved him off.

"Please, lord," I said, wincing at the movement, "I only did what anyone would do."

"No," he stated flatly, "you took charge. No one else had that in mind. They ran, though that isn't to say I blame them... We thought we were done for, and that we would have to recoup and strategize for another battle to win back Swenherd. Something we didn't think would ever happen."

He was right about that. Before, most weapons and arrows would just glide off our scales, so it was easy to win fights just by brute force; but this time was different. I started to believe the enemy wouldn't have met us on the field that day if they did not have a secret stowed away, and our arrogance drove us right into a trap; and though we won that battle, I was sure we all felt as though we lost.

"Might I speak, lord?" Nuinat spoke up, and the noble nodded his approval. "Have we ascertained why their weapons were able to so easily cut through our scales?"

"No. I'm afraid we are still in the dark as to how that happened. We have researchers working to find that answer, though no theories have been presented. It is quite peculiar."

He walked over to the nearest desk, plucked something from the counter, then came back and placed it into my hand. It was an arrowhead, forcibly removed from the body of a drake who, Lumient told me, ended up surviving. I could still see the blood– dried and brown– on the edges, which caused me to flinch; it made me think of Drecc, from whom it could have been pulled.

"Ive... never seen this material before," I said. He nodded.

"Nor I. In any case, there are more important matters. Why don't you keep it and we can discuss it another time."

I bowed shortly to show my gratitude. When I raised my head, the lord was staring past me. At first I thought he was thinking, but then I heard a low growl behind my head. Nuinat pulled her hood over her head, and I turned mine. The drake who stood behind me had white quartz scales, smooth as stone, and stared at me with his blazing orange eyes. His circlet was a bronze gold with a black diamond embedded in the front. At his entrance, the tent became quiet and tension seemed to fill the air. This noble was not like the others.

"Welcome," Lumient said behind me, "and now, I believe, we can begin." He turned around and calmed the whispers and low voices by asking everyone to be seated. All began to move to the center of the room except for myself and Nuinat; we stepped out of the way for the white drake, who said nothing in return, and he chose to sit at the most valuable ornamented chair. All others waited for him to be seated before beginning to do so themselves, with one ornamented chair remaining vacant.

"Ah, Rodwir," Lumient was about to sit before he called my name. He muttered his apologies and called for Tegrit, who came quickly. The noble ordered him something I couldn't hear, but then Tegrit left and came back in just under a minute, bringing with him a stool. He placed it just behind the vacant chair, then stood at attention with his hands behind his back. I blinked at Lumient, who raised a hand at the chair.

"Please." He said. I hesitated. It was a noble's chair– Lord Hestal's chair– and I was being asked to sit in it. I looked at Nuinat for help, but she only started forward, bringing me with her. I tried my best to fight her on it but any attempt I made hurt, so I failed. She helped me down into the chair, then sat down silently in the stool behind me. Lumient had been waiting patiently, so once I was comfortable enough to sit right, he began.

"Thank you all for coming," he announced, standing, "I wish to personally congratulate you all on the victory three weeks ago in Swenherd. I trust your warriors are well-rested and well-fed."

He looked around the room. No one said anything, so then he looked at me once more. I felt embarrassed; I was being shown off, I thought, as a champion of the battle– or as a prized possession in Lumient's service. I did not feel as though I deserved it, for I was broken and recovering from death; and all I wanted at that moment was to be near the fire with Drecc and Florre, drinking in remembrance to Kraghan.

"This is Sir Rodwir," he said, "when all would turn and run in retreat, he stayed to rally the warriors and brought the fight back to its glory. He led the troops after we had given up. And we owe him our gratitude."

"My lord please–" I started, but then was interrupted by another noble.

"Rodwir, eh?" he exclaimed. It was the noble who was in his scaleform. He had dark green scales with blue tips and a long graying beard on his chin. One eye was yellow while the other was hazy like milk. His circlet was blue and made of stone– though of what stone it was I couldn't decipher at the time, but I was later informed it was seastone from the Lower Realm. It had small orange garnet crystals around the rim and looked fragile to the touch.

The noble pondered for a second longer. "You wouldn't happen to be related to a warrior named Bholca?" That surprised me, but I responded regardless.

"I am, lord," I replied with a slight and unintended hint of ire at the mention of his name," he was my father." He chuckled.

"I am Caen, of the Red Sky," he told me. I gave him a polite nod of the head as a sign of respect for his title. There were only a handful of living Red Sky clan members during our age, as all of them had been ancient; their noble offspring and their offspring were now sworn to the king of Dractalemh, Azmondius the Great, and the title remained only with those who were alive during either the First Fall or the Homecoming. It is now only used otherwise as a name for our spoken tongue, as most drakes alive now had descended from Red Sky members.

"An honor, lord," I replied.

"Your father served under me for a time," he told me, "I was saddened to hear of his passing. It is of no surprise to me that his offspring would become a warrior of renown as he was." My mouth twitched, but I remained subordinate.

"Yes well," I said, "I thank you for your kind words."

"The reason you were brought here, Sir Rodwir," Lumient said, trying to get us back on topic," is because the Lord Hestal is dead. We mourned his passing during your absence, but given the amount of respect and renown you gained through the victory of Swenherd, there was little other option but to choose you to replace him."

I was, admittedly, stunned for a moment. When I took too long to speak, Nuinat nudged my chair, so I cleared my throat and tried to sit straighter.

"I am... sorry," I said, "but I do not believe I deserve the title. Maybe there is someone else. His son, perhaps?"

"His son is, presumably, dead as well," Lumient said, "we could not find him in the aftermath. As a matter of fact, neither of them could be found. But then, there were many bodies on the field. In any case, with how you took charge and directed the warriors, you are the only clear choice. And that being said..."

He looked over to the white drake, who stood. The noble raised his arm, signaling me to stand as well; and though I still did not know who he was, I knew for certain he was nobly born, and I still needed to show my respect by doing as I was told. So, with a quiet grunt and some time, I picked myself off the chair and stood as straight as I could. I stumbled once but caught myself, and I noticed Nuinat flinch out of the corner of my eye, but I instinctively flexed my hand to let her know I was fine.

"Do you know who I am?" The drake asked me. I did not answer, so he told me. "I am Prince Tsu'caro."

I hesitated, then bowed as low as I could while stifling the pain. "My apologies, lord prince. I am a simple warrior from a small village."

The corner of his muzzle actually curled into a short smile. He brushed off my apology as no big worry, then walked forward to meet me face-to-face. He put his claws on my right shoulder gently.

"You are no longer just a simple warrior. The lords in attendance have agreed to grant you the title of nobility that was the Lord Hestal's. This comes with his land, warriors, tenants, crops, and wealth."

I found myself unable to speak; I just stared at him, mouth agape and arm wrapped around my stomach. He waited a few heartbeats for me to process what was going on, then raised his right arm with a gesture. Still just as confused, I raised my left arm off my stomach and let him grab my forearm. He pressed into the ball under my wrist, forcing the dark orange with black-tipped jasper scales to protrude from the pores of my skin. He brought his left arm from behind his back and dug a claw into my arm, then plucked out a scale, and let go. I bowed, not knowing what else to do, then watched as he returned to rest at his seat.

"You may now sit as a lord." I could've sworn I heard a trilling noise under his deep voice. Still baffled, I returned to the ornamented chair behind me– the next couple of hours drowning out of my mind.

~~•~~

"What are your thoughts, Lord Rodwir?"

My thoughts had been interrupted at the mention of my name. It was Lumient who said it, and I looked around the room at all the faces who stared at me. The one I was most concerned about was Prince Tsu'caro, whose piercing orange eyes bore into my skull, as if he'd been staring at me the whole time and judging my character throughout the entirety of the council session.

"My thoughts?" I replied. Lumient's smile twitched, but he remained poised.

"About what to do next. We yet still have one fight left before the frost has us retire our blades. As we've taken Swenherd, we must push forth and take Gotregot. I wondered what you would have us do."

Lumient waved his hand, beckoning me to speak to the council. The prince continued to stare. This was the moment he would judge, if nothing else. I cleared my throat.

"I believe," I choked the first two words, parched from nerves, "we should... split our forces. If we feign an attack from the front with one army, they will remain distracted. There is a forest north of Gotregot. We send the second half in there and have them come out from behind the town to its east. The only problem is that it would take half a day to traverse to an exit point the enemy would not notice immediately, so those who attack from the front would have to hold out. With a split force, it would be difficult, especially considering the tools the enemy now has to defeat us. Perhaps we can... stall the enemy before the fight begins. Negotiate or... a'Lacabras...?"

That started murmurs. a'Lacabras was a challenge to the death. Caen looked thrilled at the idea, while Lumient seemed to ponder it to himself. The third noble, Branverd, was whispering something to one of the two companions he brought with him. Each lord had two companions, hence the two wooden chairs in between each ornamented one– so, naturally, Hestal's two companions were here as well, sitting on either side of me. The one on my left leaned in to speak with me privately.

"It is a good reception in your first hours, Lord Rodwir," he spoke quietly. He had long, black, unkempt hair that fell over one of his brown eyes when he leaned. In his posture I noticed he had elven tattoos covering the entirety of his right arm all the way up to his fingers, of which he was missing one. Rather than wearing a tunic, he wore a brown vest with pockets and a hood. I leaned to my left to speak with him.

"I appreciate the compliment," I replied, matching his tone," what do I call you?"

He bowed his head shortly in introduction, "I am Sealc. I am the lead hunter in Fisclund. To your right is Vlog. He is the silent type, but if you ask him questions, he will answer."

I looked at Vlog. He was scaleformed, each scale a yellow topaz with a white base. His amber eyes shifted to me and he blinked slowly; I took it as a sort of quiet greeting, for the way he rested his head on his left hand made it awkward to bow. I nodded at him, then returned to my conversation with Sealc.

"What is Vlog to the late Hestal?" I asked him. He shifted, seemingly uncomfortable in the wooden chair he sat in.

"His right hand," he replied, "his son was his left hand– may the young drake rest in Dúleardi's Garden. Though that is not to say Vlog isn't as competent. In fact, he is more so."

"More so?"

"Indeed. Helare, the young lord was called, had his flaws. While he knew how to follow and give orders, he was also arrogant and flaunted his nobility. Not the kindest drake either, mind you."

Nuinat put a hand on my shoulder from behind us, letting us know that the council was about to start up again. Lumient looked at Caen, then Branford, who both nodded. Lastly, he turned his head to Tsu'caro, who had remained quiet the entire time. The prince nodded as well, then closed his eyes to, I assume, think to himself.

"Lord Rodwir, your plan is sound," he said, "we only need to figure out the smaller details, of course. Distracting the enemy may work, especially given what commanders may attend the battle."

"Do we know who?" I asked, and he nodded.

"We do know of the lords Clíomteas, Ursé, Spíernehoic and Laensolas. Regrettably, Ursé and Spíernehoic are fellow drakes, which complicates things."

"In what way?" I asked, and he blinked, surprised.

"I'm sorry?"

"In what way does it complicate things?" I asked again, "They renounced the crown. They are enemies and deserve to be killed for their betrayal."

Lumient seemed to not know how to respond. His servant, Tegrit, looked furious that I would question his master. Lord Caen looked pleased, and Lord Branverd stared at the floorboards, seemingly disinterested. Tsu'caro made the same trilling noise as before, but this time it was much louder. He stood, gaining everyone's attention.

"I believe that should be the stopper of this meeting for now," he said," we can reconvene in a couple of days, see if the plan holds. We should send scouts to confirm Lord Rodwir's claims of the forest and where we could breach the earliest without being seen. Does that satisfy you for now, Lord Lumient?"

The lord hesitated, but bowed in agreement. Tsu'caro announced the end of the council, then everyone got up to mingle or leave the tent. Sealc informed me he and Vlog would take a count on the warriors we had, and I told him to include Drecc, Florre and, of course, Nuinat to the roster. He bowed, then he and Vlog left the tent.

I tried to get up myself, but failed. Nuinat, still hooded, started towards me to rescue me from my embarrassment; but before she could, the prince got to me first. She hesitated and fell back, allowing Tsu'caro a moment alone with me.

"Lord Prince," I greeted.

"Would you like to take a piss?" He asked. I was surprised at the question, but my bladder was full, so I nodded. He turned to place himself at my right and allowed me to throw an arm over his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around my waist for leverage, then led me out of the tent. I'm sure his accompanying me did not go unnoticed, and some would think the prince favored me. Perhaps he did, but that wasn't of concern to me. I was still reeling from becoming a ruling lord.

We continued to limp silently until we reached a tree by the nearby river. I looked around; we were alone. He let go of me, then turned away. He pulled down his trousers and began to piss, so I did the same.

"So, Rodwir," he said," let us drop the formalities for now." That surprised me.

"What do you... ugh... w-wish... mmm... to speak to m-me... a-about?" I stuttered, closing my eyes to the euphoric feeling of relieving myself after three weeks asleep. He chuckled.

"I wanted to dig into your thoughts," he told me, "what do you think about the others?"

"Others?" I asked. He waited a moment to respond as he pulled his trousers back up and laced them. I just about finished myself, so I did the same.

"Lumient. Caen. Branverd," he said, "tell me what you can from the three hours we just spent with them. Spare nothing."

"Are you testing me?" I asked him. He smiled shortly. I huffed. "Fine."

I told him my thoughts. I admitted to not really paying much attention, though in my absent-mindedness my other senses kicked in. Branverd smelled of sage and rosemary, so he must've been spiritual in nature. His lack of care for the conversation had me think he believed things would work themselves out no matter what, as if the gods played a large part in how warfare was handled. Caen of the Red Sky was battle-hardened, yet battle-weary at the same time. Though he liked or agreed with my ideas, I could hear from his throat and see from his mannerisms that he was exhausted. Lumient, the lord I used to serve under, seemed to me to be someone who thought highly of himself and acted as such. Though Lumient had good intentions, he was also selfish; someone who abused the power nobility gave, and wished to be viewed with good lighting by others through his actions and deeds. He probably took out his anger on Tegrit in private; or rather, as we rank warriors theorized, Tegrit enjoyed releasing Lumient's pent up frustrations in bed. Leaving the last part out, I told all of this to Tsu'caro, who remained silent until I finished speaking, then smiled.

"Good," he said, "you have keen senses, Rodwir. It seems we chose correctly."

He put his hand on my shoulder for a few heartbeats. I felt, in that moment, he was acknowledging me as a lord and, I admit, I felt a sense of pride, though it was overwhelmed by the physical pain I was experiencing. He turned his head to witness Nuinat, a distance away, waiting for us to finish our private conversation, then bid his farewell to me. He told me to rest well as the next council wouldn't, in fact, be held for a couple weeks, regardless of what he said to the others. I believed he wanted to give me more time to adjust, and I quietly thanked him for it. He left soon after, and Nuinat came to me, removing her hood when he was gone.

"So why the secrecy?" I asked her. She looked puzzled.

"The hood?" She asked me back, then shook her head. "I am a commoner, lord. I was only trying to stay out of focus."

I couldn't shake the feeling she was hiding something, but the pain in my stomach would not cease, so I asked Nuinat to take me to Drecc and Florre. She wrapped her right arm around me, throwing my left arm over her shoulders. She was warm. I sensed my pain disappearing as she held onto me, and was curious as to why that was, but I shook the thought off quickly, then we went to find my comrades.

After rejoining Drecc and Florre, we took the time to catch up on everything. I stayed up for as long as I could that night. My comrades and I drank to Kraghan's memory, and shared our past experiences with him. We found a stone and carved his name in draconic runes, then threw the stone into the river to be received by Dúleardi, the Goddess of Nature. She would find the stone with his name on it, then find his body and pull out his waiting soul. If we did not do something, he would have been stuck inside his own body for eternity. Afterwards we continued to drink until well after we got drunk, then I couldn't remember anything more.

I woke up groggy and hungover the next morning, laying in dirt. I felt a heavy weight in my arms, so I lifted the free one and, to my surprise, found I had fallen asleep with Nuinat. I hesitated, not really knowing what to do, then found myself staring at her instead. Her sleeping, freckled face was at peace, breathing calmly with her lips slightly agape. Her soft hands rested against my chest. She was warm. I needed to get up, so I slowly and gently lifted her off my numbing arm and took off my tunic, then placed it under her head as a pillow.

I limped over to the riverbed, then unlaced my trousers and took a piss. Drecc came up and joined me, smiling wryly.

"Morning, lord," he sang. I growled.

"Say nothing."

"Yes, lord," he chirped, "anything you say, lord."

I noted he did not need to pee.

~~•~~

If Nuinat knew we had fallen asleep together, she did not mention it; she thanked me for my tunic, then returned it. The two weeks after had passed without incident and I was in much less pain. The council reconvened, but this time, the Lord Branverd and his men did not attend. I believed Tsu'caro must have sent him to scout the forest I mentioned, but he has yet to return. That didn't bode very well, for we had moved to camp about two days out from Gotregot.

Lord Caen was restless. He insisted we just fought the bastards, but Lumient and I urged him to wait for news. The council henceforth was not as well-mannered as the last one, so we took a break to get some air and cool our heads. It was during that period of time that we got a messenger; it was an elf riding a brown horse, though his insignia was that of the rebels and not Branverd's crest. My heart sank. Everything was going wrong.

"It's not your fault, lord," Drecc told me. We were watching the reception, and I was growling at Lumient helping the elf down from his mare. "Bad moments happen. We just have to do our best to fix it."

"He's right," Nuinat agreed, "though there is nothing we can do right now. All we can do is wait." I grunted at that.

"I should go see what that elf has to say," I said, furious about the situation, "Lord Branverd must've gotten too much smoke in his head, I'll bet. Got lost in the woods or something. Damn him. And now the enemy wants to talk."

"Maybe it's a good sign?" Florre asked, trying to be positive.

"More likely an insult, I'll wager," I replied, "I shall let you all know soon. For now, go prepare yourselves. It's possible we'll have to start our march soon."

They all bowed, then left to prepare. I watched for a moment as Lumient led the rebel elf to the council's tent, then went after them. After reaching the entrance, I threw open the flap to find Tsu'caro already waiting there. He surprised me; before I had thought he left the tent, though now I realized he had remained alone to go over the orders and maps.

"Something troubling you?" he asked me. I growled, unintentionally.

"What does the elf want?" He waved open his arm in an inviting manner, so I went forward to find Lumient, with Tsu'caro close behind me. The rebel was speaking in his own language to Tegrit, who was there to translate, as Lumient wasn't well versed in the language. My father drilled it into me however, so when I heard the words 'scaellach drach' spoken untranslated, I became furious, then stormed forward, scaleforming. Once I reached the messenger I put my claws around his throat and lifted him high; he scratched at my wrists, choking for air with his legs kicking with futility at my chest.

"Lord Rodwir!" I heard my name being shouted by Lumient, but I ignored him.

"Caen scoi a lamhfáth tú scann a másle!" I roared in elven-speak at the fragile thing. He continued to scrape at me, but to no avail, then I felt an arm wrap around my neck and pull me back, forcing me to drop the elf, who fell hard to the ground. I choked a hissing noise through my closing airpipes, and the hold around my neck grew stronger.

"När cón, Lord Rodwir," I heard the words being whispered into my ears. I kicked at the floorboards for a few heartbeats longer, but then began to calm. Tsu'caro pressed a claw into a pressure point in my neck, forcing my scales to retract back under my skin. I gasped for air as he loosened his grip, then patted his arm with my hands. He let go entirely, asked me if I was better, and I nodded reluctantly. The messenger rubbed his neck, then wheezed something furiously, though blood was still pumping in my ears. Tegrit and Lumient helped the elf up and gave him a glass of water. I knew I would be chided for that later, but I wasn't about to let the insult slide either. Tsu'caro helped me off the ground, then I looked at Tegrit.

"Why did you not say anything?!" I growled at him. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"There are politics to speaking, Lord Rodwir," he challenged me back, "those ill-words were not necessary to translate. I suggest you study on how to be a decent military leader rather than let your emotions get the better of you."

"How dare you–" I started, but Lumient raised a hand.

"Enough, Lord Rodwir," he hissed at me, "Tegrit is right. You are in the wrong, now apologize to our guest!" I blinked at him, utterly dumbfounded he would let the insult slide.

"Are you serious?" I asked him, and he faced me with a full, authoritative stance.

"Yes. Unless you wish to be punished for your insolence." he said coldly. I looked at Tsu'caro, who said nothing. I growled again, spat at the ground, then stared at the messenger.

"...My apologies."

He knew how prideful drakes can be, so knew that was enough. He did not, however, let my assault of him go fully, as once he had finished giving his message, he told Tsu'caro to administer a punishment, which the prince said he would, and then the elf left.

He told us that the rebel lords wished to parlay, which meant we needed to meet them halfway from Gotregot alone. As Branverd was still missing, and Caen did not wish to ride a horse right now, Lumient begrudgingly asked me to accompany him and Tsu'caro to the meeting; though not before he asked for my arm. Scaleforming, I gave my right arm to him; he grabbed my wrist with one hand and extended a claw with the other, then dragged the claw vertically down with force. I lost three scales that day due to my hubris, and they were never supposed to grow back. They were like teeth, or fangs; the baby scales would fall out, then permanent ones would replace them. It was extremely rare for a drake to shed their scales more than once. So rare, in fact, that only a handful have been recorded to have done so, and it was a sign that a drake could shape into a full-fledged dragon or serpent at will. It has not happened in centuries, as the last to have been able to do so was Obsidian, also known as The Dragon in the Dark, Lord of Whispers in the Night, and High King of the Black Pyre. He was able to turn into a black dragon, large enough to challenge mountains for size. Before him I knew of one other, whose name was Caraghan the White Snake, Commander of the Red Sky. He had no other names, but was famous for transforming into a large white basilisk. Both Ieghos and Caraghan were legendary; though the former was rarely talked about, as if his name were a curse. He was the elder brother of King Azmondius, after all.

Tsu'caro, Lumient, Tegrit and I took horses to parlay with the enemy. A day passed and we rode into a field outside Gotregot, where four figures sat on horseback waiting for us. We approached them slowly, giving me time to take in the descriptions of each as we did. Furthest to our left was an elf, who had his brown hair shaved on the sides and braided from the top-down. He had marks, permanently etched into his scalp, of rebel insignias and runes, though there were many and I could not read them all. His golden eyes watched us, as if he, too, was taking in what we looked like. Next to him was another elf; this one had full blonde hair with random braidings, black feathers tied to their ends. His eyes were blue.

A few hoofbeats more and I looked at the next, who had been scaleformed. Each scale was a gray base with orange tips, though not as dark as my own, and he had been missing quite a few. His sky-blue eyes were shifty, as if he expected treachery at any moment. I presumed whoever he served before did not take kindly to his antics, but shook the thought off as I looked at his companion. This drake, too, had been in his scales; they were a dark green with blue undertones, and he was missing one of his hazel eyes. The hole in his head was uncovered, the pink muscle with dried mucus evident. He did not seem to care enough to wash it out or lubricate it, which meant he was probably stubborn.

"Greetings, Lord Prince," announced the orange drake. He looked at each one of us, then added 'and friends' after a pause.

"Greetings to you, Lord Spíernehoic," the prince returned the warmth," a fine day, is it not?" The orange drake nodded.

"Warm, for a winter's day, yet with a short wind," he replied, "I regret we have to meet on such an occasion."

"As do I," Tsu'caro said, "though it would be less regrettable if you surrendered. Azmondius would ease your punishment if you did so willingly."

The green drake with the missing eye spat towards him, the spittle landing at his horses feet. "Fuck him, and fuck you. Traitor."

Traitor? I thought. I did not understand what he meant by that, but when I looked at Tsu'caro I noticed he remained calm. I would soon have my answer.

"The Red Sky has sworn their oaths of loyalty to the king," he said, "a long while ago, young Ursé. Even the Lord Caen, who is as stubborn as I, managed to release himself from Azarül's lies."

"Lord Azarül is the true heir!" He barked back, "This land is ours, by right. The False King would never understand. You were there, weren't you? When Azarül laid his claim to Caertydin. And then he was betrayed! Red Sky murdered in their sleep by the Cailles! Your own father even–"

"–That," Tsu'caro interrupted, "is wildly out of proportion. The truth is, Azarül murdered my father to instigate the civil war. Regrettably, I did not see it for the longest time. But, Azmondius took me to Khar Llochtainn. I saw the documents. Proof that it was Azarül."

I shot him a glance. Documents could be falsified, so he must have been hiding a secret. Indeed, I believed him up to that point, but I would ask him later of the truth, and it was far more believable– at least to me– than what he told Ursé; but, that comes later in this story.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Ursé growled. "Let me fight him, Spíernehoic. I will make this traitor beg for our mercy!"

Spíernehoic raised a hand, staring at Tsu'caro intently. He must've been weighing his thoughts, curious if Tsu'caro's words had some small truth to it, but his loyalty proved greater than the doubts, so he only smiled at him.

"I do agree with Ursé, it is hard to believe Azarül would lie so greatly. However, this is not the time," he waved his hand to his right to introduce his elven companions, "to my right here is Lord Clíomteas, and at the end there is the Lord Laensolas."

They bowed in greeting, respectable though they were rebelling against two regimes. Ursé seemed to be the odd one out, but it wasn't as though his anger was unjustified. He truly believed Tsu'caro was a traitor, and If Lord Caen was here, I didn't doubt he would be challenged as well. So, it became a good thing Caen did not come, as his pride would undoubtedly cause a problem here.

"Baenna'midth sebhi, a'Tairna," Tegrit spoke for us, he bowed in respect, as did Lumient. Tsu'caro and I remained still.

"Agas dhoibé, a'dhoíne uhaise," Clíomteas replied. Tegrit translated the words for his master. Tsu'caro and I remained silent.

"Now, let us get to the matter at hand," Lumient spoke next. I saw that Spíernehoic translated for Clíomteas, "you have summoned us to parlay. What is it you wish to speak of? Would you negotiate?"

"Negotiate would be the right word," Clíomteas spoke in elven, "we would like all battles to cease until the winter ends. Both sides cannot afford to lose warriors to the cold."

Though drakes could adapt to the winter cold, the elves could not; and in the Sky Realm, the cold was particularly nasty, as we were above most of the clouds the beings below could see. Dúleardi shaped our world so peculiarly, but nobody really questioned it. I often wondered if there were other worlds the goddess created; perhaps some that did not have lands in the sky, and all were on equal footing.

"I agree," I spoke aloud for the first time, though I spoke in Red Sky as not to reveal I knew the language of the elves, "our elven brothers and sisters would be at risk. But, we know you have taken over Gotregot. You are safe in warm homes, whereas we are in tents and build fires. Why should we not just attack you and take the warmth for ourselves?" Ursé smirked nastily at that.

"Because we know you do not have the forces you need," the drake said.

I stared at him. We all stared. Clíomteas and Spíernehoic looked bothered, as if Ursé revealed the news too soon. It was too late now, but I tried to help recover our advantage.

"I don't know what you mean," I lied. He scoffed.

"Come now, Lord Rodwir," he said playfully, widening his arms, "you thought we wouldn't notice a band of warriors trekking through the forest?"

I growled at him. He laughed at me. Tsu'caro placed a hand on my horse's reins in a calming gesture. We had not told them our names yet; and though they may have known Tsu'caro and Lumient, they did not know me. The fear of being unable to know what would happen next was filling my heart, which made me angry, and that fed Ursé's ego like a trough of slop fed a pig.

Spíernehoic reached into a pouch on his saddle, then threw a small item at our feet. It was a pin– Branverd's insignia, a bear paw with two swords crossing behind it. They must've picked it off one of his warriors which, at the sight of it, made me wince, and Lumient and Tegrit both hesitated. Tsu'caro narrowed his eyes, staring at it in silence.

"That all being said," Spíernehoic sighed, "we are willing to make a peace, for now." The prince and I exchanged glances.

"What do you want?" Tsu'caro demanded, then Lord Laensolas spoke for the first time, using his kin's language.

"Lord Rodwir's head," he said, "If we receive that, we will not come to slaughter you all. That is our demand." I blinked, mouth agape, then growled once the request finished running through my brain.

"Why me?" I asked, "I just met you all today."

"Ah," he tutted, then smirked, "but you did threaten one of my men. The elf we sent came back barely able to speak, as his throat was nearly crushed. What kind of savage would do that to an unarmed messenger?"

"That must be a lie," I challenged him in elvish, surprising the four of them, "I barely used any force. Besides, he insulted me." I fabricated the last part just a little, yet Tsu'caro, Lumient, and Tegrit all stayed silent, allowing me to defend myself. Clíomteas and Laensolas looked at each other, then the latter spoke again.

"Your head," he said, "or you will all die."

"Perhaps," Tsu'caro said," we can come to a... slightly different agreement." Laensolas looked at him inquisitively.

"And what might that be?"

Tsu'caro turned his head to look at me, and I understood. A fight to the death, here and now. It was time I proved myself as a lord, and perhaps even won back some respect for the way I handled things back in that tent. I nodded, then looked back to Laensolas with a challenging gaze.

"a'Lacabras," I announced.

His smirk went away, replaced with a frown; he didn't know what to do at that moment. He had just been looking satisfied, but now tormented at the thought of having to do battle himself. If I had challenged one of the drakes, they would have done so willingly, but elves are different; and they were built differently by the gods. So fragile, yet they make up for that by being quick and nimble.

"Where is your honor, lord drake?" He said in elvish, "if you die now, your comrades will remain safe for the winter. It is simple. Why tarnish that chance for the sake of your pride?"

"Pride is a funny thing," I replied, "yes, I can be full of it. Yes, it has caused problems for me and for others. But without it, I would be weak-willed. I would be a coward."

He did not respond, not right away. To be called a coward was to be invited to do battle, and now his honor was on the line. He had already sneakily declined my first challenge, and now he hesitated on the second. The drakes on his side began to stir in their saddles, chuckling to one another. I was winning them over with my arrogance. Just because they were my enemies did not mean we could not like one another's spirit, and it showed heavily on their faces. They were drakes, after all.

"What say you, Laensolas?" Spíernehoic chirped. That seemed to startle the elf, who looked at him with dismay apparent on his face. He wanted to say something, but then didn't, so he remained silent.

"I suppose we shall see you on the battlefield then," I growled. He did not look at me. Tsu'caro made his trilling noise, indicating his content. Lumient didn't know what to do, so just followed our lead by looking stern. I whipped my reins and turned, and the rest followed suit.

"Are we certain provoking them was the smart thing to do?" Lumient asked. I shrugged.

"Better than letting them kill me, personally speaking," I said, "I doubt they will attack us after telling us so. Why give away your plans so easily?"

"I believe Lord Rodwir is correct," Tsu'caro said, " once they had taken his head, they could have just as quickly started their attack. We should not trust the enemy's word, especially after they showed us Branverd's medal. We cannot possibly know now what would have happened, but we do know we have to be ready for anything. We should prepare in the meantime and set up a night watch."

Lumient nodded his understanding, then murmured something to Tegrit. I assumed it was an order, for soon after he was done, Tegrit kicked his feet to his horse and took off with haste. Now the camp would be ready before we arrived; but then I had an idea.

"Lord prince," I said aloud, "what if we stayed here?" He looked at me with surprise for the first time.

"Here?"

"Do you think they would suspect us to enter the forest after Branverd had been caught?" I asked him. He thought about it for a moment.

"It is a possibility, however small," he mused, then turned his horse, "why don't we find out together?"

I smiled. I smiled because I liked him. He was quiet because he listened, and he questioned because he wanted to learn; and to learn, he preferred to take action. So we did. It took us half the day to reach the forested area above Gotregot. Lumient wanted to start a fire but I told him not to, as the light could attract unwanted attention. He wasn't cold, but he liked the warmth. I did too, but there were more Important things to be done now and we couldn't waste time. We left the horses at the entrance to the forest by tying them to trees, then we went in by foot. We were a couple miles in before I started to notice tracks. I gave Tsu'caro a silent gesture and he came to me, then knelt and felt the dirt.

"Fresh," he said quietly, "as if... just an hour, perhaps?"

"Do you think Branverd is still alive?" I breathed, "maybe they just found a pin left behind by a warrior. An easy mistake."

"I suppose we will find out," he replied, "come. The tracks lead this way."

Lumient and I followed. I noticed the noble lord was feeling off, then chalked it up to him being unused to dirty work. I was sure he had Tegrit do everything for him; in fact, I was beginning to believe he never even blooded his claws. I growled to myself with the thought lingering in my head, but then was stopped by the prince's arm reaching out to block me. He nodded his head, gesturing to our front view, and I heightened my senses. I dilated my pupils like my father taught me, seeing three beings not far away setting up a camp of sorts. We found a bush and hid in it, listening within earshot of the conversation they were having.

"Damn those archers for this mess," one of them said, stepping on a twig, "damned good shots, mind you."

"Aye," said another, "and now we've extra mouths to feed. Prisoners are eating up our stock while we're out here looking for stragglers."

"Enough, you two," said the third. Her voice sounded... familiar to me, though I couldn't place it. She dropped logs down, then told one of her comrades to breathe flames onto them. "You're lucky I'm here instead of my father." Tsu'caro and I exchanged glances but remained silent.

"Our apologies, young lord," said the one who breathed fire onto the logs, "we're only tired of waiting."

"Yeah," said the other, "I want to start killing. God, I'm aching for a fight. You ask me, I would have just started throwing fireballs. Don't see the need for all of this... propriety."

The young lord sighed. They rambled on about their work, and we figured it was time to give them what they wanted. I scaleformed, then Tsu'caro and I came out of the bush we were hiding in, swords drawn. Lumient stayed behind, deciding not to take advantage of a good thing.

They spotted us, then unsheathed their own blades. Tsu'caro and I waited as the two warriors charged us while the young lord stood back. It wasn't much of a fight; There was one for each of us, but it was... unsatisfying. Tsu'caro's enemy tried to bring his sword-arm down, but the prince just swiped his weapon upward, cutting the warrior's arm off with one swing. My enemy tried to thrust, but I turned left and dodged right, spinning around his blade and using the momentum to slice at the back of his neck, severing his head from his body.

The body kept running forward for a few heartbeats before dropping to the ground. Tsu'caro's enemy began to scream but Tsu'caro jumped on top of him, bringing him down to the dirt, then shoved the sword down his throat. He made a gurgling noise, spasmed for a moment, then went limp.

Tsu'caro hissed in disappointment while I stared at the young lord. We stood with blood on our swords, waiting to see what she would do in this situation, but then she surprised us by unsheathing her sword and offering it to us, both hands on the flat of her blade.

"I surrender, of course," she sighed, "I don't feel like dying today." My eyes adjusted to see her more clearly and I blinked. My expression changed from feral anger to curiosity.

"Is that..." I began to ask, "... is that Leaf?"

She blinked in surprise. Then, when she did recognize me, the sword fell out of her hands. She ran forward and Tsu'caro tensed, but then she threw her arms around my neck and I laughed, picking her up and spinning her around with joy.

"I thought you were dead!" She told me once I let her down.

"Leaf-on-the-Wind," I uttered her full name in disbelief, "It has been hundreds of years. I never thought I'd see you again!"

She brushed her braided black hair over her left ear. I noticed she had a scar cut onto her right cheek and, though it was close, it did not reach her beautiful, bright, goldenrod eyes shining with the flame's dance. She had brown and black leather clothing with a moss-green overcoat. I sniffed, trying to get her scent, though she smelled different from before.

"Lord Prince," I chuckled warmly, introducing her, "this is a childhood friend of mine. Her name is Leaf-on-the-Wind. We were... we used to... uh..."

"Fuck?" She grinned at me, and I laughed nervously. Tsu'caro relaxed, sheathed his blade, then smiled at her. He started to bow but she beat him to it.

"Prince Tsu'caro, where are my manners..." she said, "I am so grateful to have met you. Though... I had hoped in better circumstances..."

I frowned at her. "Why is that? You used to want to be a king's guard or... a ranger. Why are you fighting with the enemy?" She rubbed her arm nervously, shifting uncomfortably in her stance.

"Well... because of my father, I suppose."

"Your father?" I asked, and she nodded.

""The Lord Laensolas is my father," She told us. I stared at her in disbelief. Tsu'caro made a noise under his breath, but said nothing. Lumient came out from hiding, then asked why she was not bound by rope and taken hostage. I told him she was a friend of mine, but he reminded me Tsu'caro had mentioned something about feelings towards enemies, to which neither the prince or I could argue. I apologized to my old friend, who insisted we did not have to bind her as she would not attack. Lumient allowed it as I promised him she would not.

"It is... still great to see you," I told her. She smiled at that.

"The same to you," she replied, "my father came back from a truce meeting, furious. I suppose that was your doing?" She looked at me wryly. I scratched my cheek.

"He insulted me," I growled, "he would not weigh his strength against mine. Did he not tell you?"

I was sure he did not, and it showed on her face. She kicked a pebble at her feet, staying quiet for a moment. She knew how important it was to a drake to challenge or be challenged; our honor demanded it, and so she brushed back her hair and let out an irritated breath.

"He still treats me like a child," Leaf huffed, "I cannot fault him for that. He had to raise me alone, you know. Still, he coddles me too much. I am a warrior, not a porcelain doll."

"It shows," the prince said, complimenting her. That made her blush, but before she could reply, Lumient spoke up first.

"My apologies," he interrupted, "but now that we have a hostage, should we not take her back to camp?"

I snapped my head at him, hissing under my breath; he held up his hands defensively, telling me he knew she was an old friend but there were still procedures and standards to be held. Leaf put a hand on my shoulder and told me that he was right. I relented, but only because I had to. Then, we headed back towards camp, where she would remain free to wander as she pleased because I vouched for her, risking my honor and name.

~~•~~

Leaf and I talked every day, and the enemy did not attack us, as we expected; I was sure at this point they would have found the two bodies and known we had taken Laensolas' offspring hostage, and he would not dare risk her dying, so a hostage exchange was orchestrated and we met again in the same field. They brought Branverd and two of his men, and we brought Leaf. She was unbound on horseback, and Branverd was as well; as both sides knew the importance of their titles and would not risk treating their prisoners harshly– though, they did not know Leaf and I had been friends in the past.

"I want you to know," she told me before being exchanged, "I do not agree with my father's beliefs. But I am his daughter, and I cannot leave him."

"And I want you to know," I said, begrudgingly, "that if it comes to me or your father, I will do what I must. So I hope there are no hard feelings."

She smiled at me, then paced her horse forward. Her and Branverd did not look at one another as they passed, and the exchange was halfway complete. Branverd would have to buy his warriors back; but before he could, Laensolas got down from his horse and pulled out a knife. Then, to our anger and his daughter's dismay, he kicked behind the first hostage's leg and cut his throat. He did the same to the next.

"An eye for an eye," he shouted across the field, "I'm sure you don't mind!"

I would kill him, I was sure of that. Branverd, I noticed, did nothing; but then, what could he do? Perhaps he was more tempered than we were, or maybe the herbs made a permanent mark in his head. For whatever the reason, he just let his horse take him away. He did not even look behind at the deaths of those in his service.

If I took any solace from those days, I was glad to know an old friend was alive and well. She would come back into my life later, but for now, we were enemies; and we did not even see each other on the battlefield two days later.

I was told to stay behind the lines. We had called for reinforcements after Sealc and Vlog told me our numbers many days ago, which was very little; but now, we had a small strength again. Those that fought this day under the crown numbered one hundred and nine, while those that chose to fight against us were at one hundred and thirty-six. On our side we had myself, Branverd, Lumient, Caen, and Tsu'caro. The enemies had Spíernehoic, Laensolas, Ursé, and Clíomteas. One other figure stood across and behind their lines, but we could not make them out, nor did anyone recognize him.

Branverd did not have time to call for his reinforcements. His warriors died in that forest to the north, and we had to fight without them. No one blamed him for his failure; it was a good plan, and we were just unlucky. That is how things are. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.

"Úlamh!" I shouted. I heard the clattering of weapons being prepared. Then, we heard it; the sound of many bows being released at once. I could hear them whistling in the air, as my ears were well-tuned to even the smallest noise around me.

"Scíadan àrth! Ana'ii!" They raised their shields, but some were too late. The arrows came crashing down and all I could do was watch as some were hit in heads, chests, arms or legs. One elf near to the back of the lines had been hit thrice, and I stared as he fell hard backwards, buckling his knees from the force of the impact. I started forward in an effort to help, but was stopped by Lumient's sword, its smooth side hitting me in the chest.

"You must stay here," he ordered me, "what do we do next?"

I didn't know why, but Lumient decided to take the battle and turn it into a learning experience for me. I shot a look at Tsu'caro but he gave me no respite; then I bridled in my horse's saddle for a moment, contemplating in silence what to do next. I just had to think about what I would do myself, and it hit me.

"Sealc! balé'dûn ar khruta'scíadan!" I shouted. I heard Sealc shouting, then listened as the order passed through the ranks. Three rows of shields began to form just as the enemy started to charge.

Just as the last few had joined the wall, the enemy hit the front ranks. They chopped and stabbed at one another; I could hear the splintering of shields and the clashing of blades, as well as the screaming of the dying and insults being thrown into the wind. I wondered if Laensolas had sent Leaf out into the fight, then remembered Drecc and Florre, and then Nuinat. I spurred my horse forward without saying anything, hearing the lords behind me screaming my name, but I did not care. As soon as I reached the back of the army I dismounted, then charged into the fray while scaleforming.

As I'd done so, I shouted to kill the enemy. I shouted for their blood and their heads on a pike. I screamed for there to be no mercy, and to push on hard. Sealc, too, was shouting to rally the warriors, and above all the noise I heard friendly arrows being sent into the air from behind. I pushed forward, unsheathing my blade before hitting the front line and, as soon as I did, I kicked a foot forward onto a rebel elf's chest, making him fly backwards into his allies and letting me break into the enemy's ranks.

After he fell, another warrior tried to replace him. He jabbed his sword at me and I parried, then sliced at him, but he dodged to my left. He jabbed again and I kicked his sword with my boot, then jammed my blade into his neck and slammed him into the ground. A ball of fire began to rise in my throat as I pulled out. The next enemy, a drake, brought his axe down to hit my right shoulder, but I moved to the left and his axe got stuck into the ground. I grabbed his neck with my left hand and pulled him close, releasing the ball of flame onto his face, burning it instantly. He cried in pain and I threw him away like vermin, as I knew my sword would not damage him. He writhed in pain as another elf came at me; he thrust his sword forward and I parried it to the right, then used his momentum against him and stuck him right between the lungs. I lifted and he gurgled, then pulled the sword out and stomped on his head when he hit the ground.

Suddenly there were too many, and I needed to retreat. Another warrior came at me and I readied myself for his attack, but then two hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me backwards into the safety of the shield wall. I looked back to see who saved me and found it was Drecc and, to my surprise, Prince Tsu'caro.

"Lord Prince," I yelled at him, "you should not be here!"

"Neither should you," he hissed at me, "but here we are."

He stuck his blade into the face of an elf that had, apparently, tried to bring an axe down on me while I wasn't paying attention. I turned back around and ordered the shield wall to be fixed, then picked up a shield from the ground and connected it with the ones on either side of me. Tsu'caro was behind me now, sword jabbing over my head as I tried to poke between their shields. Another few heartbeats passed and I realized we were moving backwards. We were losing ground, stepping over dead and dying allies. I shouted to push forward and to give it everything, but we could not. Then, I tripped on a body below me; Tsu'caro stepped in my place to allow me time to get up. Drecc shouted at me but I couldn't hear him anymore. I looked at the blood on my hands and the faces on the ground. That was when I noticed Florre, eyes open and an arrow to the neck. I started to panic, but then anger took over. I roared, breathing fire into the sky. Those around me stopped; Tsu'caro and Drecc looked back at me.

I flew into a blind rage; I remember hitting the warriors near me, then rushing forward to thrust my claws into the jugular of an unfortunate rebel elf. I squeezed, squishing his larynx, then pulled part of it out of the wound and bit into his face, then ripped his nose clean off. I spat it out, then slashed my sword at the next opponent, who blocked it– but just barely– and he stepped back and I tackled him, dropping my sword. I smashed my fist into his face, pushing his nose into his brain, but I did not stop. I continued to punch him until his skull caved in. An enemy came to help by raising his sword against me, but I was quicker, and I bit into his neck and ripped a chunk out, then watched as he fell to the ground.

I was about to rush in further but Tsu'caro tackled me. I hissed at him and clawed into the dirt, trying to free myself, but though my rage gave me strength, he was stronger. And he wrapped an arm under my neck and pulled hard, choking me back with a whine.

"Enough! Rodwir!" I heard him shout, but I was gone. I whipped my head back into his jaw and he released me. I fell into the dirt, looking up and only seeing red. My eyes darted until I saw who I was looking for. It was Laensolas. My claws clenched the soil below and I pounced, running on all fours towards the elf at a surprising speed. He stared at me, awestruck and stunned, and I spat a ball of fire at him. He ducked, barely dodging it, but I had planned that, and so I sprung into the air and landed on him, pinning his arms to the ground with my claws. I hissed down at him, then retracted my head and...

...and then nothing.

I had blacked out. I do not remember what transpired for the rest of that battle. I shut down, then came to, and I was in bed, like before. This time, however, my wrists and ankles were chained by silver to the posts. Nuinat once more stared at me, but this time she looked drained. Her cheeks bore dried tears and her eyelids bagged with dark rings, as if she'd been awake the entire time I was out. She brightened when I groaned, then threw her arms around my neck. I could feel her heart beating hard in her chest, and the stifled crying of relief.

"What happened this time?" I croaked. She released me, then wiped her face.

"You went mad," she said softly, "Drecc said you tripped and... and you saw Florre, lying there dead and... and then you changed. He said he'd never seen you like that... the prince tried to stop you at first but you fought him back, then you lunged at Laensolas and..."

I was quiet until she stopped. As she told me what happened, I began to remember, but she couldn't bring herself to say more. I needed to know, as my memory had failed me from that moment onward; so I pressed her, and she choked back a sob to continue.

"Drecc said... Prince Tsu'caro had to use force," she told me, "before you could end Laensolas, he thrust his claws through your chest. He would have let you kill him but... but you would have kept going, he said. You wouldn't stop..."

I found myself unable to speak. All the information had come to me at once, and as Nuinat sat there crying again, I stewed in the haze. I was mad that Laensolas was not killed, but that was selfish of me. I had not known I was that far gone, and knew Drecc was probably right. I asked her if she had the keys to unlock my arms, and she nodded. She hesitated for a heartbeat, then asked me if it was safe. I smiled at her in reassurance, and she bent over to unlock the chains at my wrists. Once they were free, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her on top of me. She was surprised, at first, but then the feeling of relief took over again and she wrapped her arms around my neck once more. We stayed like that for a few moments and, though she put weight on the chest wound Tsu'caro gave me, in that moment, I did not want anything else.

She fell asleep nuzzled into my left arm after a while. I stared up at the ceiling with my other arm supporting my head, deep in thought. Then, Tsu'caro entered the shack. It was dark; I only had a lit flame on the counter next to me, and he pulled up a stool quietly and sat next to the bed. He looked me up and down, then noted Nuinat snoring softly with her hand on my chest. His eyes seemed to flicker as if a passing anger came and went, then he breathed out some smoke through his nostrils and was content again.

"Who is she?" He asked me. I turned my head to look at him.

"Her name is Nuinat," I told him, "during the first battle... we fought together, so I believe we've relied on each other for comfort." He hesitated for another heartbeat, but then nodded in understanding.

"And... how are you?" he asked me. I shuffled a bit in the bed, then turned my head to the ceiling again.

"I... I don't know," I replied, "I suppose I should be thanking you for putting an end to my terror. I don't know why it happened but... it did."

He stayed silent again, then stared at the candle's flame. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully, though I didn't understand why. I had known him to this point to be an honest drake, and if he needed to say something, I welcomed it. So I told him so, and he sighed.

"...Let me see your arm," he asked me, "...no, the other one. Let her rest... look here now... see anything?"

I did. In the time since he punished me, it seemed the three scales he took from me had grown back. I found I had no words, nor could I form any questions right away, and he only stared at me for answer. He let go of my arm and I used the hand Nuinat rested on my chest to soothe my anxiety, taking hold and stroking the back of her fingers with my thumb. Tsu'caro watched me, then decided to continue the conversation.

"We are done for the winter," he told me, "no more fighting. Laensolas shit his breeches and Clíomteas called for a halt. We figured we'd call that one a draw."

"So..." I replied, "what am I to do now?"

"Well," he said, "Fisclund is yours, now. You should retire. I am sure the farmers have pulled their crops and others pitched in for wood, so you shouldn't have to do much. Just take it easy. Learn how to be a lord of your lands, and I will find you again."

"Find me?" I asked. He bridled.

"There is something that interests me," he said. I looked down at my arm in response, and he nodded. "I need to do some research, but yes. It may be you need help with control. And I need to move the pieces first."

He stood, pushing the stool backwards. "I will come to you in a month's time." He took one last look at Nuinat, and I could have sworn I saw the shift in his eyes again, then bowed slightly in respect and left. I looked down at Nuinat, who nuzzled more comfortably in my arm.

It has been two weeks. Snow started to fall just as our band arrived in Fisclund, and we were greeted by the townsfolk. They asked about Hestal, and Sealc informed them of his and his son's demise. We held funerals for the dead, particularly for the lords they lost. Drecc and I held our own rituals for Florre and Kraghan. Nuinat joined us for company, though she barely knew either. Drecc did not show his tears, but I couldn't help myself. I knew he would find a quiet and private place to relieve himself of his burdens, and I would never ask. We all have our own ways of coping with grief, and we must be respectful to each other in those hard times of passing.

Nuinat and I sat under a tree in the light blanket of snow that funeral day. She was between my sprawled-out legs, warm in my arms. I cradled her on my chest and wrapped a blanket around her as she sang a drakenfolk dirge, making the tears fresh and putting me deep into my thoughts...

'...Remember, all the voices

They sing and beat their shields in the night

Remember, all the voices

Hush now all is silent

Remember, all the noises

They swell like fire burning ever bright

Remember, all the noises

Remaining now in the bleak of the night

Home calls

Home calls...'

One of the last remaining leaves from the tree fell into her lap, and Nuinat picked it up. She stared at it for a moment, then the wind picked up and carried it off. I fell asleep in the cold that day; she sang to me the entire time.

After the Funeral Days had finished, it was time to name new thanes. I needed to replace those who died in the battles; to the southeast of Fisclund was a small town on a hill called Cannok; then there was Swenherd, and that needed a new governor as well. I interviewed many candidates, but only a handful really stuck out to me. Sealc had already been running Yhaland, which was west of Cannok, and Vlog was the thane of Fisclund. So, I needed new allies for Cannok and Swenherd, and then there was Fyrnes to the north, which separated the Fyrof Mountains, and I desperately needed someone competent there to help pass messages through Tydis Valley, a key and empty region filled with relics of times passed to the northwest. On the other side of that valley was a small city called Clachanrigh, which lay a part of the King's Route– the quickest path found for messengers to ride– and not having someone in Fyrnes would complicate things. I did not want Drecc nor Nuinat to leave my side for very long, so I had to pick from those I did not know very well, which made me uneasy.

"I am Tirnic," the next one said. I was sitting at the dais in my hall, with Drecc standing to my right and Nuinat on a stool to my left.

"Tirnic," I acknowledged, "what can you give me that can prove you are trustworthy?"

I was being brutish, but mostly because I was at the tail-end of healing from Tsu'caro's wound and I was no closer to finishing my duties for the day. Nuinat sensed my ire and cleared her throat, making me switch what leg I was resting the other on. The elf in front of me looked indecisive, as if I'd given him an impossible task, then I shook my head.

"It's alright, Tirnic," I waved, then stood up. I approached him, then put a hand on his shoulder. "It is my fault. I am new to this, as you know. Please, come back later and we will try again, perhaps."

He nodded at me, then bowed respectfully before turning and leaving my hall. I had servants decorating; they'd already placed four long tables, two on each side of the room, and six wood stumps per table. There were candleholders placed on all the counters with lit and shining wax candles. Plates and silverware were carefully set as to match other tables per expectations, and wool and other animal hides placed in piles in different areas in case anyone got cold. I wanted to host a feast, to get to know everyone and for everyone to become familiar with me. Only thanes and warriors were invited, of course, as I could not have the entirety of my lands in one small building, and letters of invitation were passed out to each of my existing thanes for them to choose who gets to come. It was the only thing that made sense to me; some warriors had to stay behind to protect their settlements, or I would have no land at all. I was starting to believe I could actually be a decent lord– provided I followed the structure laid down before me, adding only minimal changes.

So I asked Vlog, who had closed the door after Tirnic left, about how Hestal handled things before and what kind of lord he was. Vlog stared at me, and I forgot he preferred not to speak much. I was about to tell him I'd ask someone else, but he began to tell me.

"Lord Hestal was a strong lord," Vlog said in a deep voice, "he took care of the bigger picture, while we thanes took care of everything else."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him, and it took him a moment to respond.

"He took care of the politics... He took care of trading... of warfare... council meetings..."

"I see," I said, then decided to restructure my question, "how was he... as an individual?" Vlog blinked at me in surprise, for the first time.

"Lord?"

"Did you like him?" I reiterated again, "was he well-liked by the townsfolk? The warriors? How did he fare with the power dynamic? Did he listen to others– take in their opinions– whether he applied them or not?"

He seemed to panic at my many questions, but I raised my hand to gesture him to calm down. He took a breath, then regained his composure. I was beginning to believe he wasn't very bright, and though his external image was that of a hardened and stoic warrior, he was actually rather nice.

"Lord," he said, "the Lord Hestal was... he was not the kindest, lord. But he got the job done. His son was worse... almost to the point where if anyone had gone missing, we had silently suspected the young noble to have played a hand in it. But, I should not speak ill of the dead, lord. In any case, Lord Hestal would really not take anyone's opinion, so no one ever spoke up, really. Sealc was the only one who could aside from the young noble..."

I never expected Vlog to pour out so much detail, so the look on my face was one of surprise rather than being contemplative. I looked at Drecc.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked him. He nodded. "Can you visit Sealc for me? Ask him the same questions?"

"Would you like me to leave now, lord?" Drecc asked me. I shifted in my seat. I took notice of Nuinat out of the corner of my eye and cleared my throat. Then, I told him it would probably be best since it was still morning and he could more than likely make it to Yhaland before it got dark. He bowed and left immediately, then I excused Vlog who did the same. I excused all the servants, claiming I needed time to myself, then tried to look busy as I waited for them to leave. I drank ale from a cup, then took a pipe from a countertop and an ember stick from the hearth and took a few puffs. Once they'd gone, I placed it down, then went back to sit with Nuinat.

She stood from her stool, then came to me. She spread her legs and sat down on my lap, throwing her arms around my neck. I stroked her hair, leaned in to kiss her, and she let me; we were in that chair for a couple hours.

It was the feeling in your chest when you thought about them; the one where you feel you must do something, or otherwise suffer. It was the memories and the bonds of battle and how she was always the first there when I awoke. I wanted her to be the last face I saw when I went to bed, as well; and the way Nuinat looked at me told me she felt the same pulling urge. I wondered if we had tethered spiritually, imprinting on one another the moment we met. I was told when I was younger that it sometimes happened; it felt as though my heart would shatter whenever we separated, and I did not feel this way with Leaf when we were intimate those many centuries ago.

I pulled her close, surprising her, and stared into her eyes with longing. She stared back at me with wide eyes and a red face. I kissed her forehead, then held her tight. I did not want to lose her. I would not ever lose her; and the gods help whoever tried to take her from me.

Time passed through that day and I wanted to hunt, so we dressed heavy and with bear fur coats. I was to bring my sword, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. Nuinat packed daggers and throwing knives. We had scaleformed for protection, and on our way out, we stopped to ask two elves to come with us, as it was safer to travel in a pack rather than by ourselves. The first had brown hair that shone red when the sun poked over the clouds. He had bright blue eyes. His name was Erowyn. The other was named Antaesig. He had long, blonde hair braided back into a tail with the sides shaved and also had blue eyes, though his were much darker than Erowyn's.

We set off on a trail leading west, making our way into a forested area and making sure not to step on branches or brush by any bushes. Erowyn and Nuinat both got rabbits to the dismay of myself and Antaesig. I knew I would get a buck, and I asked Antaesig what he wished to find.

"I know I'd been wanting some fox fur," he told me.

"Why?" I asked him, and he shrugged.

"I like the color. I think it would look nice patched into a coat or something."

We stopped a couple hours into the hunt when we found ourselves in a hollow. Erowyn had started a fire to cook one of the rabbits. It wasn't much, but it would get us by for the rest of our time here. We decided to go with the leaner one as Nuinat wanted to do something special with the fatter hare, so Erowyn stabbed it with an iron rod and turned it over the flames.

That was when we heard a twig snapping close by. We turned our heads, I motioned for everyone to remain silent and calm. We stayed that way for a few heartbeats, then heard it again, but behind me now. Whatever it was, it was quick, as it was to the west before and now to the east. Then I heard a bird flying just overhead and, thinking that was the noise, I went to aim my bow at it, but then I was tackled.

We tussled on the ground for a moment, then I kicked it off and it scurried into the brushes. I picked myself up, pulled out my sword, then waited again. Both the elves had bows out and Nuinat had her daggers ready. The being did not come for us at first, perhaps to catch us off-guard. We waited, silent and ready, but it knew where to strike. Suddenly, I had a knife to my throat, and he kicked behind my knee to get me to kneel on the snow. The dagger cut into my neck, and I knew it was of the material the rebels used to kill us drakes; so instinctively, I believed the attacker to be a rebel spy.

"Drop your weapons!" He whined in a high pitch noise. That made me curious, as I'd never heard a drake nor an elf with such a voice; nor did I ever hear of one whine like a mutt. I tried to take a look at him but all I could see was his green hood before he threatened me with the knife by pressing into my neck.

I nodded at my group, and the two elves dropped their bows. Nuinat hesitated, but I shot her a look and she conceded. She threw the knife in her right hand into the snow, then sneakily put the other on her waistband.

"Don't think I won't!" He whined again. I looked at the hand he placed on my shoulder. It was... made of bright orange fur and... instead of a hand, it was a paw; a paw with... thumbs?

"Easy now," Erowyn raised his hands. "Just tell us what you want."

The assailant seemed to be breathing heavily, as if excited, but as close as I was to him I could hear the slightest hesitation once Erowyn spoke. I doubted the attacker would actually kill me from that point on, and he was only scared.

"We aren't your enemy," I said calmly, dropping my sword and putting my hands in the air. "In fact, we could be friends. Just please, put down the knife."

Nuinat saw him hesitate, then threw the dagger past my face and into his right shoulder. The impact caused him to twist backward and he cut my neck slightly with the blade, then I turned and pulled out a skinning knife from its sheath on my leg and put it to his neck as we fell. His hood flipped back, he cried in pain, and I pinned him to the ground.

"I'm sorry!" He yelped. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

My eyes shifted from feral to calm. He whined in submission and, after a few heartbeats, I removed the knife from his neck. He tilted his head inquisitively, but his ears remained pinned back. He was a fox.

"Well, Antaesig," I sang to the elf, keeping my eye on my attacker, "looks like you might get that fox fur after all."

"Please don't kill me," the fox begged, grabbing his shoulder. The dagger remained lodged, as Nuinat had expertly thrown it with enough force.

"Tell me why we shouldn't," I asked him. "What caused you to attack us?"

"I was... ah... frightened," he said hurriedly, "I... the elders... mmm... ah..." he whined and hissed at the pain in his shoulder. I relented and called Nuinat over, who seemed to fly as she was so quick, and she bent down next to the animal. She told him she would count to three and the fox nodded, then she said one and pulled the knife out fast. He yelped and kicked his legs, but then relaxed. She ripped the bottom of her tunic off and stuffed the wound, then kept her hands on it, compressing the shoulder to stop the bleeding. The fox wouldn't stop whining, but he was a lot calmer now.

"Your elders?" I reminded him, and he took his gaze off her and stared at my legs, seemingly unable to meet my eyes.

"The elders asked, ah... asked me to visit the nearest settlement," he told us, "to speak with your.. ah... your lord."

"Well, you are speaking to him now," I said, and he looked surprised, "what do you need to speak to me about?"

"You are... ah... you are not the lord I was to speak with," he told me, wincing as Nuinat accidentally moved a bit, "I... I need to find... ah... mmm... I do not rightfully know his name..."

He must have been speaking of Hestal, and I told him so, then described the old lord. He seemed to brighten at that, which confirmed my thoughts. Then, I frowned.

"You have seen the lord... before?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Oh yes," he replied, "many times. To trade, you see. It was either him or... or the one who smelled of him... his offspring, I believe. Though, that one was not very kind... in fact, ah... he sort of... laughed at us... but we did not want to break the agreement."

"Agreement?" I pressed him. He finally looked up at me.

"We like to... ah... dig, you see. So... we dig for treasure and ah... he brings us goods," he explained, "mostly food, mind you... or herbs... sometimes fur pelts or... or building materials..."

I was stunned. Hestal had known about sentient beings who lived under our noses and didn't tell anyone. I knew Tsu'caro would want to hear of this, or even witness it himself. I told the elves to keep an eye on the fox and pulled Nuinat to speak discreetly. I asked her if she'd ever heard of anything like this, and she nodded.

"He is a fenny," she told me. I stared at her.

"How do you know?" I asked. She hesitated, trying to find the right words, then replied.

"My... parents would read me stories," she said, "before bed. These fennies are ancient, thought to be extinct. But they must have just stayed hidden, thriving without outside help. I wonder why they would ask for help now."

That was a good question. So after standing there thinking to myself, I went back to the fenny and asked him his name.

"My... name?" He asked. He tilted his head again. "Oh... ah... what you would call me. Well... I am... Siarad yh'Giflem... or... or in your tongue, I suppose, it is... Speaks Too Quick..? Or... rather... ah... Talks With Haste? But, the Lord Hestal as you call him, bestowed upon me a name... what was it... oh, yes. Brundhinlot."

He did, in fact, speak quickly. He seemed to be warming up to us just as fast. The name he said in his native tongue sounded like he was spitting, which is probably why Hestal decided to give him a different one.

Brundhinlot seemed to brighten more and more as time passed, and as we looked less likely to kill him; and I never intended to, but now I needed the fox. He mentioned trading with Hestal, and digging up treasures. So, I asked him what he had been trading, and he told me, to all of our sudden shock.

"He was quite interested in bones," Brundhinlot said.

I decided we would take him to Fisclund. We wrapped the fox in a spare pelt; Nuinat had the good sense to throw it over his head before we stepped into view, then quickly led him to my abode.

We entered the hall and took our pelts off. I told the elves they could stay and have a drink or two, and they bowed their thanks. I asked Brundhinlot what he liked to drink or eat, and his ears perked up at the words; he asked me if we had water and chicken, to which I nodded with a smile. His tail began to wag.

"Nuinat," I called. She was hanging up her coat, then came to see me. "Please ask the cook to start a fire. But, do not let the cook come in. Just tell him we have important guests, and bring the chicken yourself."

"Oh, ah," the fox started, "I hope it is not rude of me to ask but, if you could keep yourself from adding herbs to the chicken, that would be delightful. I am, regrettably, allergic to rosemary."

Nuinat smiled at him, then left the hall through one of the back doors. I was sure the fenny would even eat the chicken raw if he could; he looked slightly malnourished, as if his skulk had been waiting for Hestal to trade with them this whole time. They became dependent on him, and forgot to hunt for themselves before the winter hit.

"I am sorry to have to tell you this," I told him, "but the lord you knew is dead, as well as his son." He looked surprised just as Erowyn brought him a cup full of water. He grabbed it with both hands, then sniffed the liquid and tongued it, then took a sip. His tail began to wag again.

"That does sadden me," he breathed once he had finished drinking," how, may I ask, did they die?"

"In battle," I replied, "about two months ago."

"Oh," his head tilted, as if he was confused, "ah... well that doesn't seem right, does it? Though, who am I to correct a lord..."

"Speak, Brundhinlot," I felt weird ordering him, as if I was ordering around a dog. He whined excitedly with what he said next.

"Well you see," he said, then took a moment to finish the water in his cup and ask for more. I sighed, got up and went to find a pitcher. I came back and poured water into his cup, then started to put the pitcher down on the table next to us. He took another drink before continuing. "He was in our hovel not two weeks ago, just after the snow fell."

I dropped the pitcher. It hit the ground, water flying out and sprawling over the wood floor. My breathing quickened. Everything started to go white around my eyes and I put a hand on my chest, feeling my heart beat against it. I panicked and jumped out of my seat, startling the fox. I turned and dropped to the floor, breathing fast and hard, and my vision started to go. I thought I was about to die, but then Nuinat was there with her hand on my shoulder.

"Breathe!" I heard her say, but she was muffled. I tried to look at her but couldn't see anything. Panic started to kick in again and she grabbed my hand but I couldn't feel her. I heard her shout something but I didn't know what. Now she was holding me tight in a hug, whispering in my ear to calm me down but she still sounded far away. My eyes went feral and I started to wheeze. I thought I would pass out, but then Nuinat finally broke through the white noise.

"Rodwir, please!" she cried, "it's okay! Everything is okay! Everyone is okay. We are all safe!"

"The prince," I wheezed, starting to come to. I was exhausted all of a sudden, and my heartbeat finally started to slow down. "...invite... the prince..."

And then everything went white. The next thing I knew, my head was in Nuinat's lap. She was petting my hair and it felt soothing. I looked up at her but she had her eyes closed, tears again dry on her face. I reached up and palmed her cheek, which startled her. She leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Are you okay now?" She asked me. I shook my head.

"No," I told her, "everything is wrong, and I feel ill..." she hushed me.

"Rest, then," she said. She called over Erowyn, then told him to send the fastest messenger we had to fetch Tsu'caro in Cuirtsaelie. She pet my hair soothingly, telling me to breathe with her as the elf left. Brundhindlot whined, apologizing for the trouble, but Nuinat told him it wasn't his fault.

"Hestal... is alive," I told her. Her hand stopped, and she looked down at me.

"What?"

"The fenny said... he saw him... two weeks ago," I wheezed. "We must... find him... I feel as though he... he has sided with the rebels..." My stomach began to churn and I felt nauseous. Suddenly, I rolled off Nuinat and threw up into the wood-beam floor. The nerves got to me hard this time, causing me to shake, and I didn't know why. Perhaps it was the realization that we had been fools; since there was no body, there was no way to tell for certain if one was dead, and no one ever sifted through the bodies to find him. I growled angrily, then coughed and spat out whatever was left in my throat. Nuinat poured me some water and handed it to me, and I rinsed my mouth out. Still nauseous, I picked myself up with her help.

"We must gather what forces we have," I said aloud, pacing back and forth. My vision was still blurry from the excitement, and I put my right hand to my face to rub an eye to see if it would grow more clear, but it didn't. "We... damn it... we must be ready for whatever comes. Hestal might... might wish to gain his lands again. Antaesig, wh... where are you? Ah... do me a favor and find... Vlog. Tell him... I said to increase security around F-Fisclund. Send a messenger... to all the other nearby settlements to be on guard as well. We don't... we don't know if, when, or where he would strike."

"Should I ask Sealc to come to Fisclund?" Antaesig asked me, "You haven't chosen a roster for your household warriors or–"

"Ready everyone!" I shouted at him, swinging my arm blindly. I pushed some wares off the table next to me in my rage, shattering two plates and a glass cup. Antaesig recoiled at the noise, then bowed nervously at my furious gaze and left.

I tried again to rub my eyes, but the vision had not cleared yet. I growled, frustrated, and my heart began to race as I started to panic again. Nuinat, who I had forgotten about in my blind rage, put her soft hand on my cheek. I recoiled, almost swinging my arm at her, but had the good sense to stop before I hurt her. I was breathing heavily, near to tears at being unable to understand what was wrong with me. She put her other hand into mine slowly, and whispered softly to me while staring directly into my eyes; I only wished I could see her clearly.

"You're safe," she cooed, "we are all safe. Rodwir, you must calm yourself."

"I can't," I started to tear up, "I don't... I don't think I can do this..."

She said nothing to that. The hand that caressed my face slid behind my neck and she pulled me in for an embrace. The hand that held mine caressed my back and she rocked me as I choked back my tears.

"I am sorry," I apologized. She hushed me.

"Anyone would be angry," she replied. After a few moments of silence, my vision began to clear, and I could control my breathing again.

Tsu'caro came a week after that. When Antaesig and Erowyn returned, I assigned them as thanes. Antaesig was now to be in charge of Swenherd, and as Erowyn was quick to take the orders north, I gave him Fyrnes. A council with all the thanes would be meeting soon to speak about Hestal, but for now I needed to speak with the prince, and he wished to speak with me.

This time, Nuinat decided to stay with me. She had been dodging the prince's presence ever since I'd met her, but she seemed not to hesitate now. Perhaps she was just shy of meeting a noble; or perhaps it was nothing.

Prince Tsu'caro entered my hall to the bows of my servants. One of them took his bear fur coat– which he must have needed for the haste of the journey, as he wore no tunic, just as last time. I thought maybe he just disliked wearing clothes and yet was forced to wear trousers. I would ask him after a time, and he told me that wearing a shirt just felt odd to him. I suppose I couldn't fault him for that.

I stood from my chair on the dais, ordering the servants to leave, then walked down to greet him. I bowed first, as was customary, and he returned the respect. Then, his gaze shifted to Nuinat, who seemed to freeze where she stood. Before I could speak, he walked over to her; then, he gently lifted his arm, and wrapped his fingers under her chin. She hesitated for a moment, then eased as he turned her face side to side. I was puzzled, wondering why he took so much interest in her. He had done something similar a month ago while she slept, though this was much more aggressive.

"Tae únhe meor arre ah bliht amnh, Vysedda," he told her. She shifted her stance, then shot a look at me before responding nervously.

"Tae ági, oncaí..." she said softly.

I was at a loss for words. The prince stared at her sternly, but then relented, and embraced her with warmth. She was surprised for a heartbeat, then wrapped her arms around him as well. She closed her eyes, which I took to mean she was content, and after a few more moments they pulled away from each other.

"So," Tsu'caro said, "what is happening with Lord Rodwir?"

She told him what happened. He listened patiently, never taking his eyes off her. They acted as if I was not here; though at the mention of the fenny, Tsu'caro asked me to call him. I stared dumbfounded at him, then remembered I was honor-bound to do as he requested. So, begrudgingly, I went to the back and brought Brundhinlot out with his tail wagging.

"This is..." I introduced the fox, "...Hestal named him Brundhinlot. I do not know how to say his name. My apologies."

Tsu'caro blinked, but not in surprise. He walked over to the fenny, whose ears pinned back; but then the prince spoke, and Brundhinlot became excited again.

"font owad wydh te?" he spoke.

"Ah," Brundhinlot chirped, "con'ac ugwan, algwydd."

"I see," Tsu'caro smiled at him. Then, he looked at me.

"Lord Rodwir," he said, "you and I are going to journey to Cuirtsaelie. Only there will you gain the answers you seek." I blinked at him in surprise.

"Wait a moment," I laughed nervously, "but what about Hestal? He is alive! What if he tries to–" The prince put up a hand, interrupting me.

"We will deal with that beforehand," he said, "first, we should send scouts. Have Brundhinlot here take one to his hovel, just in case Hestal wants to show his face there again. Perhaps the scout can help explain what is going on to his skulk."

I started to calm again, and nodded. I was certain now by the way Tsu'caro was speaking that I was in some sort of trouble, though to what extent I did not know. Nuinat– Vysedda, as the prince called her– told him about the episode I had, so I was sure it was about that. Adding what happened a week ago to what happened in Gotregot, I was becoming more unstable as time passed. I was afraid of myself, and I was afraid to hurt anyone around me. The way Tsu'caro gazed at me made me feel he knew what he was doing, and that helped to soothe my nerves for the time being.

"It will be done, lord prince," I said with a hint of shame. He approached me, put a hand on my shoulder, then asked Brundhinlot to accompany him to a guest room. They left, leaving Nuinat and I alone. She rubbed her arm, looking at the floorboards. I growled at her. She had been lying to me the entire time I knew her.

"When were you going to tell me?" I snapped at her. She winced.

" ...I'm sorry–"

I scoffed at her, then turned around, showing my back to her for the first time. We stood like that for a long moment, then I sighed.

"So," I breathed, "Vysedda."

I said her true name with spite, and she started to shake. I felt terrible, but I was angry with her. She had kept a huge secret from me, and I didn't know how long it would take for me to heal from that. After all the nights of talking and all the times we soothed each other's pain, she had so many chances. She was selfish, hiding the truth for her own reasons, without much care to how others would feel, nor if they wished to feel with her.

Yet, through all of my anger and hurt, I couldn't help but love her. The tugging feeling was back again, and it pulled me towards Nuinat. I lifted her chin, then inhaled slowly. I kissed her forehead, then put her head on my chest.

"Your uncle, huh?" I spoke over her head. She nodded.

"Yes," she said under her breath.

"So that makes you..." I started, and she finished for me.

" ...The king's daughter..."

I held her for a while, wondering if Tsu'caro had left us alone to speak of the truth. Perhaps he was testing whether I would remain a part of her life; though I felt I could not deny her now. My love for her was apparent when I embraced her, accepting the truth for what it was and accepting any punishment for that action that would come my way.

" ...Are you mad at me?" She lifted her head and breathed onto my neck.

"...Yes." I replied. She nodded her acceptance of that. I told her I would be for a while, but that it wouldn't stop me from being around her. We would deal with it some other time, but for now, we had bigger issues.

She slept in my arms that night, which made me feel guilty for being angry. It was apparent she only wanted to be with me, now, and I knew there was nothing that would change that; however, I was concerned with meeting her parents, as I knew that would come eventually. For now, I let the problem go, and the next day Tsu'caro asked me to hunt with him, alone.

We grabbed our coats and went out to the forest where we found Brundhinlot. I assumed Tsu'caro wanted to see if he could find more interesting things, but then, an hour's trek into the woods, I remembered what the fenny told us.

"Lord prince," I called to him. He was a few steps away, and he turned to look at me. I put my hand in a pocket, felt around for a heartbeat, then pulled out the arrowhead Lumient gave me. I handed it to him, then asked what he thought about it. He stared at it, flipping it in his palm, then told me.

"Feels like bone," he answered. I hesitated, trying to connect patterns in my head.

"Brundhinlot said..." I started, taking a deep breath, " ...that Hestal was trading treasures the fennies found from digging. I wonder now... if part of those treasures were bones...? But what kind of bones..."

I looked at the prince for more answers, then saw his pupils dilate sharply. His hand balled up into a fist, then began to bleed as the arrowhead cut into his palm and fingers. When he finally released it, the arrowhead had splintered into shards.

"Dragon bones..." he said, after trying to collect himself. My jaw dropped.

"Dragon bones?" I asked him. "Are you saying dragon bones can harm us? Just like silver?"

He nodded. "That is what I am saying, yes. And, if Hestal is making the fennies dig for it in Dractalemh, there is no shortage, where silver has to be transported from the Lower Realm. We have many precious gems and stones here, Lord Rodwir, but silver is unwelcomed."

If his skin did not break from crushing the arrowhead, I would not have believed him. Tsu'caro looked at the wound in his hand, then apologized for the arrowhead, and I waved him off. I told him we should return to find him a healer, but he insisted he was fine, and would like to continue the hunt– which begged a question I'd been meaning to ask.

"Why did you bring me out here, lord prince?" I asked him. He was about to take a step, then paused. He stood with his back to me for a few heartbeats, then turned to face me.

"Can you not guess?" He retorted. I swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. I rubbed a spike on the back of my head to attempt to soothe those nerves, but it failed.

"Look," I told him, "I am sorry. I did not know she was–"

" –I know," he cut me off, waving his hand, "you did not know it was the Princess of Dractalemh. Which is why I said nothing that night she slept in your arm."

We stared at each other awkwardly. I held my bow loose in one hand while feeling the feathers on the shaft of an arrow in my other. Tsu'caro looked down at his hand, then began to pull shards out of the wounds.

"I only... wanted to say," he snarled, "just... take care of her..."

I blinked at him, finding nothing to say. I could see it in his eyes; he truly did not care about our being together. He was protective, of course, which was noticeable when he spoke with her back at my hall, but it seemed he did not mind giving her the space she wanted. My eyes softened, and so did his. Then, a ruffling sound came from a bush behind him, so I readied my bow, pulled back, and waited. The prince turned, pulling a dagger from his waistband, and narrowed his gaze in preparation. It was not necessary, because Brundhinlot tumbled out of the bush with a yelp, landing face-first into the snow at Tsu'caro's feet. We relaxed our guard, and Tsu'caro offered the fenny a hand.

"Good gracious," the fox spoke, shaking the snow off his ears. He blinked at the prince's hand, then grabbed it with his paw. Tsu'caro lifted him, and it appeared Brundhinlot was not prepared for so much force because he was lifted off the ground momentarily.

"What are you doing out here, Brund?" I asked him, shortening his name familiarly.

"Ah, thank you, lord price," he bowed nervously to the prince, then turned to me, "oh, ah... well you see... oh.. hmm..."

"Spit it out," Tsu'caro sighed. The fox whined, quite obviously upset.

"Well, it's the good elf you sent with me," he barked, "I was on my way back, you see, to your home... to tell you the elf has been captured by the Lord Hestal."

I dropped my bow. Tsu'caro only stared at him, processing what he said. Then, he grabbed the fenny by his shoulders and forced him to the snow with another yelp. An arrow flew over his head and hit the tree behind me, so I instinctively knelt low, picking my bow up to ready it. Tsu'caro pulled the fox with him behind a tree and I aimed, waiting for a sign. Then, the assailant spoke.

"Let us have the fox," the voice shouted, "and you can go home. We will even trade you! We hunted an elk just before! You can have it!"

I stayed silent for a moment. Tsu'caro shot me a look, and I nodded. He growled at Brund to stay down and stay still, and the fox nodded quickly. Then, the prince stood halfway, readying himself to run. I started to pull back on my bow.

"No chance at that, I'm afraid," I shouted back, "why don't you come out, friend, and we can talk. Perhaps we can find an alternative end to this."

I tuned my ears to the sound of three voices, laughing to themselves. They did not know who we were, but I knew they were Hestal's warriors. Brund more than likely escaped the hovel when things became serious; and though Brund was quick enough to evade, I doubted he knew he was being followed, or his message to us would have been different.

"Suit yourself," the voice said, "Lord Hestal wishes to reclaim his lands from the Lord Rodwir. If you give up now, you can be spared. He might even let you fight with him."

"But I am sworn to the Lord Rodwir," I responded, "and to the Crowned Ones. Tell me, where does one's loyalties lie, if one so easily breaks their oaths?"

After a heartbeat, an arrow went past my face. I barely dodged the head of the arrow as it cut into my cheek. I must have angered our attacker, which is what I meant to do. I tracked where the arrow came from and tuned my ears again, then looked at Tsu'caro. I nodded, letting him know I was ready, so he broke off from the tree, running straight to the next. Two arrows flew by, missing him easily.

I pulled back an arrow and released, hearing it whistle through the air. A couple heartbeats later I heard a cry of pain, then Tsu'caro moved east, while I went further into the forest. We pinned ourselves behind trees, then waited for more sounds. We weren't so far from Brundhinlot that we couldn't save him from trouble, but the assailants should have lost our positions. I slid my sword slowly out from its scabbard, waiting patiently as I began to hear footsteps and branches breaking.

"Come out now," a voice growled, "this is your final warning. You will remain unharmed so long as you do what we say."

The voice was close, almost behind my tree. So, I readied myself, inhaled, then breathed out. Then, I attacked. I turned around the tree, bringing my sword-arm down from up high. The drake defended himself, barely surprised to see me coming. Our swords clashed, then I tried to kick at his knee. He stepped back and swiped his sword through the air. It wasn't meant to cut me, but to separate us. That gave me some time to see Tsu'caro had come out to busy himself with the other assailant. I only saw the two, so the one I shot must have still been lying where he last stood.

"Oh," the drake before me exclaimed, "well if it isn't Lord Rodwir himself."

"What makes you think I am the Lord Rodwir?" I asked him. He chuckled.

"You will be dead soon so I suppose there's no harm in telling you," he said, "we have spies in Fisclund. Or rather, those loyal to Hestal."

That made sense. I didn't know why it hadn't occurred to me after I found out Hestal was alive, not that it would be so easy to weed them out. I didn't have time for it now, though I knew I would get to the bottom of it once we returned.

"Well then," I growled, "you know who I am. Tell me who you are."

"It does not matter," he replied, spinning his sword in his hand, "you won't live long enough to remember it."

He swung at me, and I parried. He stepped forward, changing his stance, and swung again. I ducked, turned, and slid my foot in the snow to trip him. He came down with a grunt, then I tried to slice at his neck but he rolled out of the way. As he did so, he threw a dagger towards me, hitting my left shoulder. It punctured and I knew then it was dragonbone, but I had no time to think. I pulled it out just as quickly as it entered and threw it back at him. He blocked it with his sword while he scrounged in the snow, but I was fast. Before he knew it I was on top of him. I pulled out my short sword and grabbed his sword-hand with my claws digging into his skin. He yelled in pain as I bent it, and he let the sword drop. I hissed at him then, furious at the pain in my shoulder and as I started to go blind with rage once more.

"If you do not have a name, you won't be remembered," I told him simply, then punched his nose with my fist. He bled, but I didn't stop. I punched him until the nose caved in. I hissed at him again as I bit into his neck. I was furious, and then my head started to throb. So, that made my anger rise and I grabbed the fallen warrior's sword and began stabbing him repeatedly. For a few more heartbeats I continued, but then I felt a tugging at my head and was thrown off the body into the snow.

I had no control of myself anymore, but my mind stayed this time. I saw Tsu'caro, sword in one hand and the other's palm facing towards me defensively. I hissed at him while crouched, then pounced like an animal. I went by him easily, and he smacked the back of my head with the flat side of his blade.

That only proved to rile me more, and so smoke began to fill my throat and then the spark, and I spat forward a river of flames towards the prince. I dreaded that I burned him, but when the flames dissipated, he was no longer standing where he was. I remember looking for him, but could not find him. Then, the tugging feeling came to my head again, and my chin hit the snow. I scratched at the fragile ice, hissing and whining while Tsu'caro sat on top of me. I tried to scratch at him but couldn't reach. I spat a ball of flame with futility. I tried everything to get him off me so I could kill him.

Then, just as quickly as the anger came, it began to dissipate. My head started to throb harder, and I squeezed my eyes in pain. I yelled, kicked my feet, then went motionless. Tsu'caro stayed on top of me for a few more heartbeats. Shakily, I tapped his leg, and he got off, then offered me a hand.

I took it, allowing him to pull me up, but I was dizzy, so I fell back. He sighed, then grabbed my arm and pulled me to the nearest tree. My head hit the trunk, but I did not care. I was exhausted again, and my head continued to throb.

"I am sorry," I apologized.

"It's getting worse," he said. When I looked at him, he pointed to his forehead. I lifted a hand, then felt a growth on my own head. I panicked, lifting my other arm and feeling with both hands.

I had grown horns.

"We need to get you to Cuirtsaelie," he said, "Irlaede will know what to do with you."

"But..." I started, still feeling the growths on my head, "but... Hestal..."

"Listen, Rodwir," he said my name informally, to my surprise, "you need to get this handled. What happens if you go mad again with Vysedda around? I can't rightfully let her stay with you in your condition."

I tried to argue, but he only pointed at the mess behind him. His assailant was dead, punctured between the ribs by Tsu'caro's claws. Mine was a mangled pile of blood and tissue. I sighed, relenting, while still tasting iron in my teeth.

"You're right," I said under my breath, "I don't want to hurt her."

He knelt down to me and put a hand on my shoulder, comfortingly. Then he shouted for Brund to come as it was now safe. He helped me up but I still didn't have control of my balance, so Tsu'caro threw my arm over his shoulder and grabbed my waist, then began to walk me back to Fisclund, with the fox in tow.

A day of rest was all I needed. It wasn't as severe as before, which is probably why the after-effects didn't last so long, either. The horns stayed, however, so I had to wear a hood over my head so as not to alert anyone of my abnormality. They shrunk, yes, but not enough to remain unnoticed.

Sealc was in my hall, with ten warriors accompanying him. Erowyn, too, brought fifteen with him from the north, while Antaesig decided it was best to stay in Swenherd if the rebels decided to attack again. Vlog had readied twenty one warriors here in Fisclund, so a small army was now at my doorstep. Erowyn, Sealc, and Vlog, each with two advisors, waited for me to sit on the dais before sitting themselves. Prince Tsu'caro sat on my left while Nuinat sat on my right. Drecc stood next to her, one hand on her shoulder and the other on his sword hilt. All the servants left, barring the hall entrance before funneling out the side doors.

"Thank you all for doing as I asked," I greeted them, once all was quiet. "I trust you left your lands well-guarded."

No one said anything, so I continued. "As you probably know, The Lord Hestal is alive. He has taken an allied settlement hostage, so we will be going to take it back."

"What settlement?" Erowyn asked. I waited a moment, then nodded to Nuinat, who stood and left to the back rooms. She came back a moment later with Brundhinlot in tow, and there were murmurs of surprise among my friends and allies. Drecc, too, was surprised, though he barely showed it. I believed at that point that Drecc was becoming devoid of emotion, increasing daily since Kraghan and Florre were killed. I did hope he would find something to take his mind off it soon.

"What is that?" an advisor asked.

"This is Brundhinlot," I answered, "he is a fenny. A talking fox who deals in treasures." I didn't know how else to describe it, but it was enough. There was a bit more murmuring before I asked for calm and quiet. Then, the prince stood.

"Now that you are all aware of the fenny's existence, we ask that you tell no one. Just as Hestal kept this secret, so shall you," Tsu'caro growled at everyone. "They are a peaceful folk who wish to live as such. Please advise your warriors the same. Anyone caught speaking of them will have to answer to me."

That was enough for anyone to stay silent. Though apparently I could not control my anger, I doubted it would match the prince's, and it was apparent everyone else believed the same. Once the prince sat again, I resumed the council.

"The hovel is around two hours west on foot into the nearby forest," I explained, then brought out the sword I used to kill my last enemy. "This is a rebel blade. I will pass it around. Please note it appears to be made of ivory. It is not."

"What else could it be?" Sealc asked, examining the blade. The prince and I exchanged glances, then I replied coldly.

"Dragonbone." Sealc dropped the blade in response. Excited murmurs filled the hall; everyone stared at the blade as though it was poisoned. I shot Drecc a glance and he shifted his feet, but said nothing. I noticed the grimace on his face, however, and knew it had bothered him to know what killed his friends.

"Just know," I said, looking over each warrior in the hall, "the enemy will be ready with these weapons. More than likely, Brundhinlot's skulk will be forced into slavery, digging in random places to find more ancient bones and other precious treasures. Hestal is a traitor, yes, but we are to put an end to him for the freedom of these fennies as well."

"Why not slaughter the fennies?" A warrior asked. I blinked in surprise, but it was a logical question. If the fennies never existed, the weapons would more than likely never have been made. I heard Brund whine silently next to me and put a hand on his wrist. His ears pinned back and I saw the sadness in his eyes.

" ...because that is not who we are," I said, "if any of our own blades are raised against the fennies, the owners of those blades will face the same fate as Hestal and his warriors."

I stood now, gaining everyone's attention. I looked around at the faces that stared back at me expectantly, giving the atmosphere a little time before speaking again.

"I know I am a new face to you all," I told them, "and your trust is something I need to earn. I will treat you with respect and honor so long as you treat me with the same courtesy."

I saw some of them nod their agreement, while others seemed to smirk or accept my words with their attention. I growled, irritated now– and only for the reason that my blood began to boil. I stepped down from the dais and gently pushed between Sealc and Vlog, who had been standing confused in front of me. Then, I unbarred the hall door and kicked it open.

I stared down at some of the confused faces of all those who gathered to fight for me. They were mingling and getting to know one another, it seemed, and I had interrupted that peace. The crowd went quiet when I raised a hand to greet them, then I gave the court a little more time to settle before I cleared my throat.

"I was told Hestal did not treat you as equals," I told them, "he treated you like doormats. Like skinned rugs. Like pets or toys he could play with. So if there's any amount of loyalty spared for him, I urge you speak now before honor binds you to my name; for those who break my trust will have broke the trust of the Crowned Ones, and all those who fight with and for you for the safety of our homes and our families."

I paused, hearing the murmurs spread across the crowd. They seemed to take spirit in my speech, and those who had been confused about their loyalties looked embarrassed, but said nothing. The thanes, Drecc, Nuinat, and Tsu'caro joined me. Brund had stayed behind, unsure if it was a good time to reveal himself. Nuinat put her hand in mine to help calm me as I spoke, and it was needed; though the view of our relationship was now shown to the public. I did not care.

"These rebels do not wish for the same as us. They wish for chaos and ruin, for a change of order that is unneeded," I continued, squeezing Nuinat's hand with a little force, but not enough to hurt her, "we of Dractalemh, of the Sky Realm, are content with what we have, for there is no greater sense of peace or tranquility than what we had. The only reason we fight now is because of them!"

I started to hear the murmurs of agreement. Some cheered while others smirked.

"My father beat a warrior into me," I growled, "but some of you were raised as farmers. As cattle-drivers. To raise families and prosper as one folk. But Hestal, and other disloyal lords, would take that from you! They would divide us and have us fight our brothers and sisters! For what? Power?"

The cheers grew louder and I raised a hand to silence them. "I speak now to my kin. The power we have as drakenfolk is not in our claws, or the flames we spew from our bellies. It is not in our teeth as we rip our enemies throats or the scales that cannot be ruined by most blades. The power we have is our bond for one another! Our power is for our respect and admiration for the elves and the binds Queen Nanthaliene and King Azmondius threaded together! And Hestal is one who seeks to take that power from you!"

The drakes cheered and beat their shields with their swords.

"And to the elvenfolk. For your brothers and sisters that rebel against you, I feel your hurt. They have forgotten the ancient love you have for your people, from before the South Star broke their allegiance to Teles. If we can, we will try to convince them of their folly! But we can only do that now through bloodshed! And it is not your fault, but theirs! They have ruined your peace with their treachery and they have ruined the peace of the queen you admire, so. There is nothing wrong with drakenfolk and elvenfolk living as one! That, is Dractalemh, now. This is our land, and I will fight with you to keep it as it should be! For Dractalemh! For Peace!"

The crowd roared. They chanted the phrase, 'For Dractalemh, For Peace.' We stood there, taking it in, and Tsu'caro put a hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, and he smiled approvingly. I turned my back to the crowd, then spoke to the thanes and their advisors.

"Ready your warriors," I told them. They all bowed, then made their way into the crowd. Tsu'caro, Nuinat, Drecc and myself went back into my hall, then closed the door. Brund stood there, waiting, with his tail tucked between his legs.

"I do not mean to be such a bother, lord," he said to me. I shook my head at him.

"You aren't, Brund," I told him, "I am just doing what I must. And even if it wasn't Hestal taking your kin hostage, I would still help you."

He brightened at that. He bowed, respectfully, then Drecc put his hand on the fenny's shoulder and took him to get ale. Tsu'caro turned to me, told me I did good, then bowed and excused himself to prepare.

Nuinat and I were alone. She looked at me, and I looked at her. We had been scaleformed the entire time, and her goldenrod visage shone in the flickering candlelight. Her glowing green eyes made my breath catch in my throat, and I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed her, then lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. We kissed passionately, then I took her to my room.

Once we had finished, I lay on top of her, sweating and wagging my tail frantically. She giggled, breathing hard, and pet my head as I stared at her. She was mine, now, and I was hers. There was nothing anyone could do about it, anymore, and I did not let the fear of meeting her parents get to me in that moment. I was in love with her, and she was in love with me.

We heard someone clear their throat in my doorframe. We looked fast, and saw Tsu'caro was standing there, staring at us, fastening his waistband. I found I had nothing to say, and neither did Nuinat. She half-chuckled, nervously, but then the prince sighed.

"You have ten minutes." He left us alone again, and we chuckled to each other. I breathed a sigh of relief, then plopped back down on her chest.

"I thought he would be more angry," I groaned into her chest, stretching my legs out. She began to pet my head again.

"What does he have to be mad about?" She asked, sarcastically. "He is in bed with the king's sister."

I laughed at that. Then, something came to mind, and my mood quickly soured. She took notice of the change, then lifted my head by my chin to look at me.

"What's the matter?" She asked me.

"I..." I didn't know how to ask her to stay behind, but she should have seen this coming. I did not want her to get hurt; and worse, Tsu'caro would kill me for it. So, I gulped down a breath of air and tried again, but she stopped me.

"The answer is no," she hissed, "just as my father could not control me. Just as my mother could not control me. Just as my uncle could not control me. I will not let you tell me what to do. I'm going to fight with you, end of story."

"But," I began to plead with her, "Nuinat, listen to me. I'm not trying to control you. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"And you think I want to see you get hurt?" she growled, "after all you put me through? Really?"

She pushed me off of her. I tried to get her to stay but she picked up her tunic and trousers, then went to get ready in her uncle's room. I guess I could not stop her from coming, even if she had pretended to listen to me. So, I got ready for the battle, then wandered out into the hall to greet Drecc, who smiled at me.

"Just as before," I cleared my throat, "say nothing."

"Never, lord," he chirped, then handed me an ale cup.

Nuinat rode on the opposite side of her uncle, and Tsu'caro rode next to me. She was still mad that I would ask her to stay behind after we'd just finished mating. Perhaps, I thought, we should have waited; but that natural urge could not be avoided any longer, and the march towards death was coming. There was a large chance we would never see each other again– as one, or both, of us could die, and that was why I wanted her to stay; so one of us could live. Tsu'caro himself didn't seem to mind much that his niece had decided to join in the fight, so I asked him about that in a low voice. He growled his answer at me.

"She would have come anyway," he pulled his horse closer to mine in an effort to hide our conversation, "I have known her since the queen gave birth to her. She came out fighting. That, Lord Rodwir, is who you are stuck with. You may as well hit your head on a wall repeatedly than argue with her. She's like her mother in that sense."

A few moments passed as we led our warriors through the snow-blanketed woods before Tsu'caro's ears pricked up and he gave us the signal to halt. He sniffed the air, seemed uncertain for a moment, then his eyes grew feral.

"Shields," he said under his breath, then louder," shields, Rodwir!"

"Scíadan!" I shouted in Red Sky, but the arrows flew in both directions. It was an ambush. My horse took three arrows to the leg as I rolled off right, using him as a barrier now. The prince jumped left off of his, though his mare had not taken fire. We stood there with the horses neighing, mine in pain and his in fear, but we tried to calm them. We were forced to sacrifice them for our survival now, and as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I looked around frantically for Nuinat. Tsu'caro had pulled her with him behind his horse, and I could have sworn my heart skipped a few beats as I gasped with relief.

"They have us pinned down," I growled, then began to yell, "Archers! Stay behind shields! Fire back! Now!"

The volleys separated from our line, though we couldn't see or hear anything opposing us. Then the return volley came, and I heard the line dying. I didn't know what to do; we couldn't see the enemy, so how was I supposed to direct an attack?

abhainn na lasair

"Abhan nui lozhe'," Tsu'caro said. I looked at him, then pondered it for a second. He was right. Regardless if the attack was successful, we would be well defended for a moment, allowing us to gain our senses back. That, and a good portion of the forest would be burned.

"Abhan nui lozhe!" I shouted. The order was passed down the line. Those drakes who could began to breathe in, then on my next shout, they would release their flames.

"Ana'ii!"

The river of flame was let loose, its glory surrounding us in a ball of flame designed to both protect and defend. Arrows would be shot through it, but the line of sight was gone. Tsu'caro's flame was enough for ten drakes, as well Nuinat's was around three, and she had Drecc to support her side. I would breathe mine once Tsu'caro was done, but I needed to keep shouting orders for now.

"Burn it down! Burn everything! Do not stop!"

Tau'caro ran out of breath and, just before he did, I readied myself. My river of flame was not nearly as powerful as his, but the anger started to swell up in me again and I felt the pain in my head. Then, I let loose, and my flame turned a vibrant blue. It was big enough for seven drakes to breathe, and it astonished everyone who saw it. My hood flipped off and my horns were visible, but I was lost in the heat of it all.

Then, an order was called from the woods. Tsu'caro called for the flames to halt, and the breathing ceased. The trees and bushes nearest to us were aflame or burned down, and we could start to see the enemy's line. It was terrifying to find out we'd been surrounded, and I was more afraid for my mate than I was for myself.

The two sides stared at one another in silence, then I heard rustling; and coming out into view was not Hestal. They smelled of burnt sage and rosemary, and I narrowed my brow at him.

"Good evening," the drake called to me.

"Lord Branverd," Tsu'caro nodded at him. I didn't know how he could keep his composure, for I was about to tackle him. Tsu'caro could sense it, and so showed me a hand secretly to calm me down. I spat in derision at the traitor.

"Your stench is putrid to my nose, lord," I growled at him, "I am glad to finally be able to tell you so."

Branverd chuckled. "You must have wondered why the opposing army was so large, yes? Well, I wanted to give you the opportunity to know. And, the opportunity to surrender."

"So generous," Drecc spat under his breath, then louder, "please lord, let me avenge Kraghan and Florre by ripping out this traitor's throat!"

Branverd laughed again. "If you do that, you all die, young drake. There are politics to war, mind you. Now, please be silent and let your masters speak for you."

He was trying to rile him, and it was effective. Two of Drecc's comrades had to hold him back from certain death, while the treacherous lord stared unamused at him.

"Tell me, Branverd," I said his name informally, "what is it you want from us? Why not kill us now?"

Branverd was quiet for a moment, then responded. "Some of you can be... useful. Some as warriors, of course, others..." he looked at Nuinat, who stood defiantly, with a gross pleasure. "...can be used for... entertainment."

Tsu'caro growled. I noticed he started to shake, and it was my turn to try to quell his anger. I put my hand on his shoulder and it seemed to work; I watched as he huffed out a bit of steam from his nostrils to vent out his frustration, then he replied.

"You have ten seconds to decide to kill us," Tsu'caro said calmly, "or tell us now what you really want."

Branverd pretended to think on it. He walked up and down the line shortly with a hand on his chin, feigning an inquisitive look. Then, a pretend idea came to his head.

"Lord Rodwir," he suggested," we want him. Once he is ours, the Lord Hestal can reclaim his lands. What happens to Lord Rodwir is not of your concern, but the rest of you can leave without losing your lives."

Tsu'caro hesitated while Nuinat became furious. He clutched her wrist with his claws to keep her still, and I looked down my lines. The warriors, those who were left, were ready for a fight, but we were so little in comparison to what surrounded us. I knew we would all die if I did not surrender, and so the best course of action began to unravel itself. Though, I would still end this on my terms.

"Agreed," I spoke. Nuinat turned sharply, staring at me with mouth agape. I looked at her in defeat, and as I stared at her, I continued to speak. "I will surrender. But, only to the Lord Hestal."

Tsu'caro held Nuinat back as she started to yell at me. Unflinching in my stance, I waited for Branverd to feign ignorance at first, but then relent. He waved an arm, then out from the smoke and ash falling from the trees and mixing with the snow, Hestal came. He was scaleformed, but had a cut running from the right side of his chest down to the left side of his pelvis. He smirked at me, as if he'd won a prize I wanted.

"You called for me?" He said. I hesitated at first, but then threw my shield to the ground. Then, I lifted my blade, with the flat side on my palms, over my head, indicating my surrender. Nuinat started to tear up as she continued to yell, but I drowned her out. I was at peace with myself. I had been suffering for the past two months and the weight built up in that moment, ready to be released into the wind. Tsu'caro kept Nuinat away from me as I passed him. We exchanged a glance, and he too seemed resigned with what I had to do.

Once I was a few footsteps away from the lords, I dropped to my knees and bowed my head, offering the sword to them. Hestal walked up cautiously, drawing his sword, then gently placed the tip to my neck.

"Say it," he ordered. I sighed in response, then closed my eyes.

"I, Lord Rodwir," I began, then cleared my throat, "Son of Denluaitbholcanac of the Red Sky and Lord Under the Fyrof Mountains, do hereby surrender to the Lord Hestal's whim, whatever that may be..."

He smiled, then knelt on one knee. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. The sharper sounds rung into my head, itching my brain.

"Take my lands, will you?" He growled at me. "You will see what happens to those who attempt to usurp me. You will not die right away, no. You will suffer for this."

He began to stand back up, beckoning me to finish my statement. I didn't. I was quick, and the blade had not hit the snow yet before my jaw locked into his neck. Drecc told me later that Hestal's face was one of pure shock which turned to anger, and then finally fear.

His blade cut my neck neatly as I passed it, but I didn't notice. After a few heartbeats, I grabbed the sword's blade with my hand and ripped it out of his grasp, then dropped it. Drecc told me what happened aside from myself and Hestal, for everything turned red and I was not paying attention anymore. I just wanted blood.

Tsu'caro did not hesitate; a ball of flame formed around his hand and he ran forward at Branverd. The prince shot the fireball at him, and the lord slipped from trying to dodge it. Drecc said he and Sealc shouted for a frontal attack, then everyone ran past me. The moment blurred, as if time quickened. Hestal tried to speak but he just choked on his blood instead. I turned my neck and it snapped his, and his legs buckled beneath him. I would not let go.

Drecc said the rebels that were behind us began to charge, while the frontal enemies began to run away. Branverd called for a retreat, as his own life was now in peril. Our line had to turn to fend off the enemy who attacked our rear, while Branverd's side began to run away. Tsu'caro let him, turning to focus his energy on stifling the battle.

He shouted for a halt, letting the enemies who remained know they would not be harmed. I was told he gave them two options, to run after Branverd, or stay and join us. Around half of them left, which meant we were a greater force now. Branverd and Hestal led by fear, while Tsu'caro was raised on honor.

I did not see any of it. I held the limp body of Hestal in my teeth, unwilling to let go. After time seemed to stretch on for an hour, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I hissed, muffled with flesh in my mouth, ready to defend my prey; but when I turned, I saw Nuinat. She must have seen a beast– a wild animal. While I only saw pure light in goldenrod fashion.

Then my headache came back, and the red began to dissipate. She hesitated, her hand shaking in front of her as she began to step away from me, but I grabbed her wrist hard. Then, I spat out what was in my mouth and pulled her to me, pressing her hard into my chest.

She cried with relief.

We had planned to take Hestal hostage. That was my doing, and I apologized profusely to the prince. He told me we needed to get to Cuirtsaelie as soon as possible, so we left Drecc and Vlog in charge of Fisclund while Tsu'caro, Nuinat, and I travelled in a carriage north first to Fyrnes, and then west across the planes to the other side of Fyrof Mountains. Brund came with us as well, for Tsu'caro wished him to meet the king. It took a few weeks to get to the capitol, and in that time I'd decided to read some papers I found about Rathnar erh Arkthana, and Caraghan, the White Snake. I, ashamedly, took a page with me, and I will put it here now. Perhaps the Agemirror Priestess will ask for it back; though I've waited centuries, and she has never once returned.

...Caraghan would find that his beloved nephew had indeed taken part in the massacre of the Cailles. When asked by the king, Caraghan insisted he took no part in the genocide, but would still not turn against his chieftain, Azarül, as his loyalty and honor were both at stake. Caertydin understood this, and let him go, as well giving him the medicinal herbs he needed.

A month later, Caraghan secretly brought his nephew to Caerduvies to face justice. This was hard for him to do, but he vowed to repay the favor Caertydin gave him, though no payment was requested. Eagaleir died cursing his uncle's name and praising the deaths of the sky mages, and his uncle would return to Azarül as a loyal member of the Red Sky. No one would ever know exactly why the Cailles were slaughtered to extinction.

Yet, it did not matter the reason. Azarül had committed an act that could be seen as an atrocity in any plane, and therefore was doomed to the fate he was given. This would be the prelude to the last struggle of the war in 2667 in an event called 'The Stars Weeping on Faladin Hill', where Clan Dius would climb the hill in a siege on Faladin Keep.

The battle was long, lasting about two weeks; for it was a last desperate attempt at seizing ground for the Red Sky, and the last push for Clan Dius to gain their victory. Many drakes had perished in this war, but this fight would see the near-destruction of both clans; the worst fight in the Sky Plane's existence.

The fight began on a field to the west of the hill. Caraghan the White Snake defended the advance with one hundred and two warriors, while Arncael Cheanathar took the offensive with roughly the same number. The struggle was long and bloody, sheeting the wet grass in entrails and blood, banners and weapons; and when Arncael would gain the upper hand, Caraghan had no option but to issue a challenge. Rathnar erh Arkthana, in his journal, wrote of the event.

…

2667

My friend is dead.

We fought hard against Caraghan, finally gaining the upper hand. We had but only one last push before we could ascend the hill. Setmet the Bronze of Clan Dius had just defeated and killed Ghaoniostapula of the Red Sky. During our skirmish on the right I could see, over the heads of my comrades, the approach of his warriors coming to aid. Caraghan could see it as well, and we locked eyes from across the dying. I saw the flicker of resignation cross his face, boding the inevitable.

He shouted. Arncael shouted. Everyone stopped; retreated. The two commanders stepped out of the shield lines into an ominous silence over the blood spattered field. The rain picked up again as they each crossed their swords over their respective chests, then began to fight.

I saw it; for the first time, and for the last. Caraghan, in the midst of his fighting with Arncael, began to shift, then it was all too difficult to stop him. He was huge, moon-white, and glistening in the rain.

The snake must have been ten drakes tall, yet with all the resemblances of our ancestors, he did not have wings. He flashed his tongue, hissed, boomed words over the heads of every warrior.

"Your end is come, Cheanathar," the loud hiss echoed.

"Indeed it has, White Snake," Arncael nodded. I tried to push through the lines to get to him, but to no avail. I yelled, but could not be heard.

Caraghan breathed out a long burst of flame, then dived downward onto Arncael, engulfing him in his entirety. The White Snake waited a moment, a slow hiss emanating from his throat. In my dismay, I could not shout orders. I could not move. We allowed their retreat, and Caraghan soon slithered after them.

My friend is dead, and our hopes began to shift.

…

The path ahead did not fare any better, it seems. After Arncael's death, Clan Dius took the field. It was a victory at a heavy cost. The next trial would be the climbing of the hill, and the strategy would have to change. They waited a few days for the rain to cease and the ground to harden, for an uphill climb on soft ground would prove disadvantageous.

Setmet the Bronze would take the brunt of it. Being the first to climb, he faced off against Yisdragga, the Water Dragon, famed for his unique skill of conjuring water from his stomach acid rather than fire from gas. With this water, he could use his venom glands to poison his foes, or regurgitate a potent acid from his stomach. The Red Sky commander was descended from a legendary dragon named Speirliochuis, also famed for the same abilities. I remember meeting the dragon once, but that is a tale for another time.

Setmet would reinforce his lines with the remnants that fought Caraghan. It says here that Rathnar refused to join, mourning the loss of his closest friend, yet Setmet would understand and allow him more time to grieve; though that time would not be long, as there was no luxury in war, and Rathnar would have to face the enemy whether he wanted to or not.

Setmet's initial attempt at climbing the field faltered, for though the ground was becoming dry, Yisdragga had used his abilities to cause mudslides. During these mudslides, outfits of warriors from his line would charge at the struggling drakes to keep them off-guard.

These bands of warriors were led by the Fiachialmar siblings, Tsu'caro and Berun. While Tsu'caro remained tactile, Berun was fierce and unyielding. At times, Berun would overstep his orders and go into blind rages, only to be sated by his own warriors. Seeing this, Setmet instructed his lieutenants, Izbios erh Faradur and Geth the Fair, to goad him into missteps, thus causing his attempts to falter and ground to be gained.

Rathnar joined the fight before the final confrontation on the hill and before the siege could begin, afterwards writing about his encounter with Tsu'caro erh Fiachialmar...

"Who wrote this?" I muttered aloud. I had shifted to a more favorable position in the carriage. Nuinat had her legs on my lap and Tsu'caro sat across from us, watching Brund as the fox looked out the curtain at the passing scenery.

"Someone," the prince replied, "you should not ever wish to meet." I dropped the papers, blinking at him.

"Why?" I asked.

"She is..." he seemed lost for words, but then found them again. " ...a meddler, I suppose."

I scoffed at him. He didn't have to tell me if he wished. Then, my attention shifted, and I asked him a different question.

"So, you knew my ancestor, Rathnar?"

He nodded at me. "I did. An honorable drake. He was accused of murdering my father, though the allegations were later proven false. My broth-... Berun... would blame him for years, challenging him almost every time they met. Caraghan would step between and Berun would shy away. We were enemies... but we respected one another."

I smiled at that. I wished we could have that same level of respect during these times, but it seemed to be a dying trait. I tried as best I could to respect my enemy, but then they insult me, or rather, insult someone close to me; that is hard to forgive, and it must have taken some strength in those days of old to remain civil with one another.

Nuinat broke me from my thoughts. "How is your head, my love?"

I felt the top of my head. The horns were still protruding, but I found they would go away when I skin-changed. It was certainly an oddity, and this time the horns were taking longer to go away. I wondered if that meant something, but I did not think hard on it at this moment in time. For now, I simply responded.

"Less of a headache," I replied. Then, I smirked, and dragged a claw lightly on the bottom of her foot. She reacted just as I thought she would; she giggled, and Tsu'caro chuckled, even, which was a surprise. Perhaps he was happy to be away from the fight and with his niece. She seemed to be his favorite, though I hoped her brother was just as kind and compassionate as she was.

"Do you have children, lord prince?" I asked. He sighed.

"I love my mate," he said, "and I do not need children. Vysedda and Tallam were already handfuls as little ones. I don't think I'd like to experience that again."

"What about your wife?" I asked him. "What does she think?"

Suddenly, he felt far away. His eyes drifted and his smile was soft, and I knew I had accidentally hit a nerve with that question. I apologized to him but he waved a hand to say it was nothing.

"My love does not want children," he said, "let us leave it at that."

I nodded, relieved I had not upset him too much. We made short conversation for the rest of the trip. Nuinat cuddled up to me in the night and Tsu'caro and I pissed together during breaks. I knew we would get back to the fight at some point, but for now, we seemed to be enjoying ourselves. I asked Brundhinlot a similar question to Tsu'caro.

"Do you have a mate?" I asked. Brund's tail wagged slowly, and he seemed to blush.

"Ah, no," he replied, "but there is a female I am interested in. Though, I am unsure if she reciprocates... and no, no offspring either. Sorry, I felt you would ask."

Some time passed and we reached Cuirtsaelie. The carriage did not actually take us in; rather, we were dropped off outside the fort. I threw a hood over the fenny's head, then Tsu'caro took us to the front gate– which opened as we arrived, to my surprise. Tsu'caro seemed on edge, and I knew it was a bad sign.

Two figures approached us from within. The first was a she-elf. She was beautiful, with blonde hair that fell down to her waist, yet was held out of her face by a bright, white crown, and emerald eyes. I hesitated, knowing it was Queen Nanthaliene. Her son, Tallam, the crowned prince, was standing next to her, also with golden hair and, too, bore emerald eyes. He smiled at his sister, though the queen's own soft smile was disingenuous at best.

We bowed our greetings. Nanthaliene stared at Tsu'caro, who shifted his stance. Then, she looked at me, and blinked. She narrowed her brow and darted her eyes at Nuinat, who suddenly found something interesting to look at on the ground. The queen didn't even notice Brund, but breathed in, closed her eyes, then exhaled to reset.

"Brother," she said in a chiding tone, "how long have you kept this from me?" He rubbed his neck, trying to avert his gaze from hers.

"I... only just found out," he said, unsure of what she was asking. I, too, wasn't sure; was she asking about my relationship with her daughter, or was she asking how long Tsu'caro knew she was missing? She would enlighten us.

"I mean," she clarified, "how long has she been gone, and how long have you known?"

"I only found out right before I returned to Cuirtsaelie the last time," he said, "but for how long she had been missing from the palace grounds, I am unsure."

"You are her guardian, are you not?" Nanthaliene asked him in a flat tone. He had nothing to say to that, so Nanthaliene decided to push the conversation in a different direction. She looked at me again.

"And who is this?" Nanthaliene inquired. Tsu'caro introduced me.

"This is the Lord Rodwir," he replied, "he is Hestal's replacement for the Fyrof territories. Both cunning, and brave. Yet, foolish. He has much to learn. However, there is something that intrigues me about him, and I need Irlaede's help."

The queen blinked. "Something for her to do, I suppose? Well, best to take you all to the main hall. There is a war council starting, and you, dear brother, may be required. The Lord Rodwir should listen in, as well."

"Is..." Nuinat started, " ...is father here?" Nanthaliene narrowed her gaze at her again.

"Yes. And you best pray he does not punish you too harshly," the queen told her. "Now, come along."

It seemed Vysedda and I were in the clear, for now. Tsu'caro remained silent about our relationship with one another, and I silently thanked him for that. Once we passed the east gate and entered the city, I became amazed at how populated and busy the city was. It was much different to some under-the-mountain village that is almost a month's journey away; and, the two peoples here mixed very well, it seemed. Racial divide proved nonexistent here, and it was a huge relief to see that it could work well.

I thought about the rebellion as we walked past fruit stands and trinkets. We knew the elves were using the drakes for their own benefit, but to what extent, we didn't know. They have the means now to rid themselves of their drakenfolk allies whenever they wished, as Hestal and Branverd made possible. I wondered if the Cuirtsaelie Council knew about the existence of dragonbone weaponry and, if they didn't, I was sure to be the messenger. It would change how the war was going; and though we saved Brund's skulk, we weren't sure if more were out there for the rebels to manipulate.

Tsu'caro stopped me. I'd been too lost in thought to realize we had arrived at the hall; it was massive, as if giants had built it. The foundation was made of stone, as well the pillars. On the left pillar were carved elven runes, and on the right, drakenfolk runes. The rest of the hall was made of a fine wood, though I did not know the tree. It was auburn red, as my scales, and some dark brown colored logs lining the roof. The door itself– made of the same dark brown wood– had an elf and a drake facing each other, grasping hands as if they'd made a deal. Whoever the craftsmen was that made this hall must've been paid very generously.

The queen led us inside, and the door creaked closed behind us. We were in an empty and small room with two doors facing us, and candles lit at every corner. Weapons were laid on counters, which meant no one who entered the hall would be armed. Nanthaliene beckoned us, and we each removed our blades. Nuinat pulled out eight throwing knives, much to the chagrin of her mother.

That was when the queen finally noticed Brund. She walked up to him, then flipped off his hood, and recoiled. She found nothing to say, but just stared at him. Tsu'caro, in an effort to diffuse the awkward silence, explained.

"This is part of the reason we are here, your majesty," he said in a low voice. She blinked at the fox, whose ears pinned back nervously, and then she collected herself and nodded.

"I see."

She smiled at him, then reached out. Brund flinched, but she laid her hands softly on his shoulders, then lifted his hood over his head again. He cocked his head at her, unable to speak due to his confusion. She put a finger to her lips, then backed up and went to one of the doors.

She opened it slowly and we filed in quietly. The room was rather dark, with candles only set in the middle of the room. There were quite a bit of bodies in the hall; I took note of eight circlets– meaning there were eight noble lords– below the dais. Everyone else in the room was either an advisor, a scribe, or a warrior.

After looking around the room, my gaze finally went to the dais. There sat the king, his head resting on his right fist. His scales reflected in the candlelight in a way I'd never seen before, then I remembered a tale I heard growing up in the small village that raised me. I was told the king was made of mithril, and that nothing– not even silver– could penetrate him.

So, this was King Azmondius Caertydin. Mithrilskin. The Reclaimer. The Lost Prince. All those many names I heard from tales, was sitting right there, staring back at me. His eyes were a bright hazel, and that too reflected in the flickering lights. His pupils were sharp, as if he was ready to hunt me down. A bead of sweat formed on my brow before Nuinat put her soft hand in mine. I flinched at first, but then relaxed. His eyes shifted to her, then back to me, in a heartbeat. Then he furrowed his brow and growled low. I felt as though I heard it from across the room– and so did everyone else. The council went silent at the noise, then the king lifted his head and sat up straight.

"Prince Tsu'caro," his voice boomed, "you are very much welcomed." Some heads turned to see the prince, who bowed next to me.

"My lord king," Tsu'caro greeted, "it has been far too long."

I was sure it was. Though Cuirtsaelie was the capitol, the royal family lived on the old palace grounds, far to the west. It used to be all rubble, due to The Fall– but it has since been rebuilt. I was told all this by a messenger once, who had been sent by the council here in Cuirtsaelie to one of our stationed camps between Swenherd and Fisclund. My tribe made him drink, and he spilled so many details. A fond memory, to be sure, though Kraghan and Florre are gone now, and I am in Cuirtsaelie; somewhere they would have loved to see.

"What brings you back from the warring to the east?" the king asked. Tsu'caro was silent for a few heartbeats, trying to find the right words. Then, he spoke in a language I never heard before.

"Ét hauf to frábaer hlutar tal adé suine tor," he responded. The king tapped a claw on the arm of his throne.

"Very well," he said. Then stood. The nobles stood after him, respectfully. He then dismissed everyone, stating the council would resume in an hour and for everyone to take a breather. They bowed to him, and filed out of the room with murmurs and questions.

Once the hall had been cleared, the king beckoned us forward. Tsu'caro, Brund, Nuinat and I stepped into the light. I bowed respectfully, as one should, with Brund following my example. The queen and her son moved to the dais, standing a distance away from the king. He sat down again, and the atmosphere seemed to shift darkly. My senses started going crazy, telling me to run from here and never look back, but I tried to stay calm.

"What have we here?" The king said. I thought he was talking to me at first, but then I noticed his attention was on Brund. The fox stepped forward and bowed again, removing his hood. The king blinked softly, though it was hard to tell if he was surprised.

"Lord king," Brund squeaked nervously. His ears pinned back and his tail stiffened.

"There is no need to feel anxious, young fenny," the king smiled at him. Brund hesitated, then started to relax.

"My apologies, lord king," the fox chittered nervously, "I am unused to larger settlements, you see. And I've met so many new faces in the past moon. Not to say they aren't hospitable, mind you. Save for that Lord Hestal... personally I am glad he is gone, but the loss of life should never be celebrated. Lord Rodwir and the prince have both taken such good care of me, however. And saving my skulk, no less. I am forever in their debt. Whatever treasures we find, we can bring to y–"

" –Talkative, is he not?" Tsu'caro interrupted. He glanced at the fox, who rubbed the back of his head and slightly bowed apologetically. The king seemed amused.

"It is quite alright," Azmondius said, "it has been such a long time since I've talked to a fenny. I know how energetic they can get."

Tsu'caro sighed in relief. "The fox is indeed correct, your majesty. The Lord Rodwir and I were able to free the burrows near Fisclund. They asked that Brund be present so they could establish some sort of peace agreement with us. If I may say, I think it would go a long way."

The king nodded. "That is not all you wanted to tell me on this matter, is it?"

I was amazed. The king seemed to know everything already. Truthfully, he was just very calm, and I was extremely anxious, so my perception of how these conversations were going was skewered; likely, I probably looked as if I was going to shit myself, while everyone else knew exactly how to act.

"The Lord Rodwir," Prince Tsu'caro said, "can tell you what we found. The Lord Lumient brought it to his attention and, through careful examination and thinking, he was able to come to a conclusion."

He put his arm on my back and gently pushed me forward. I tripped slightly, embarrassed to be speaking to the king who, I never forgot, was Nuinat's father. He was intimidating; his eyes bore into mine as if he knew what I was thinking. Those sharp pupils made my hands sweaty, and I clenched them to try to ease my nerves.

"L-lord king," I bowed slightly.

"Please," the king's voice had turned monotonous, "share with us what you have found."

I looked at Tsu'caro, and he offered me no help. Then I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing for a heartbeat. Once I was calm enough to forget about my fears for a few heartbeats, I was able to speak again.

"Lord Lumient showed me an arrowhead, in Swenherd," I said, making sure to be as clear as I could, "I do not have it with me, however. The Prince crushed it in his hand. I do have a blade in the other room made of the same material. It was the Lord Hestal's."

"You see," Tsu'caro added, finally pitching in to help, "Lord Hestal and Lord Branverd had been secretly helping the rebel cause by trading supplies with Brundhinlot's skulk. Once we were onto them, they turned around and took Brund's kin hostage, threatening to take them as slaves to find more of what they sought." I nodded, finally relaxing as it was easier to talk to the king with someone else in the middle.

"If I may," I asked, "could I have Brund here get the sword?" The king waited a moment before nodding, then I asked Brund to go fetch the blade. He left and came back just as quick, knowing what the blade looked like easily. He handed it to me and I thanked him, then offered the sword to the king. He grasped the handle and inspected the craftsmanship.

"Interesting," he said, "looks like ivory. Tusks of those beasts in Estre, to the west in the Lower Plane. I forgot what they were called..."

"My lord, it is not ivory," I corrected him gently, "but dragonbone."

He snapped his head towards me in surprise for the first time. Then, it was like the blade became heavy, and he dropped it suddenly. I saw the anger rise in him as he picked the blade up, put a sharp end to his palm, and slit the skin open. He growled; not in pain, but fury.

"Those damned fools," he said, "betraying their own kind like this. Our friend– Brundhinlot, was it?– said something about loss of life. I take it Hestal has been dealt with?"

"He has, lord," Tsu'caro said, "yet Branverd tucked his tail at the sight of his death and ran. We have scouts looking for any sign of him, but Hestal's death is the other reason I wished to speak to you. Or, rather, I wished to speak to Irlaede."

The king paused. He stared, judging the weight of Tsu'caro's request for a few moments. Then, he asked the queen and his son to leave the room. Tsu'caro shot a glance at Nuinat, who stepped back out of the candlelight, pulling Brundhinlot with her. Once the queen and young prince left through a back door, I heard the door shutting, and then the king stood.

He stared me down. I could not look away, but I was confused as to what was happening. Then, he tilted his head, cracking his neck, and nodded to Tsu'caro. The prince surprised me by grabbing my hood and pulling it back, revealing my horns. I started to turn to look at him, but his elbow met my jaw. I fell to the ground and had no time to recover before the prince grabbed my horns and pulled.

The anger and confusion started to fill me. The corners of my eyes went red, and I growled at him. I twisted my hip with enough force to roll him over to the ground. He let go and, as I scrambled to get on top of him, I reached my arm up to protract my claws. I brought the arm down with a roar but he moved his head and my hand went through the floorboards. He kicked me in my gut and I flipped upwards, landing hard on my back.

The force knocked the wind out of me, and only caused my anger to rise. Suddenly, my vision started to blur, and I wanted to rub my eyes but my hand was stuck in the floorboards. I pulled hard, then harder; and with enough force my arm came out, splintering the wood in the process. Then, I breathed in and spat a ball of fire at the prince. He dodged it, easily. He was quick, and I only blinked before he slid in front of me and punched me square in my nose.

I rubbed my eyes. I cracked my nose back into place. That's all I remember. I had blacked out, and when I came to, the prince was on top of me again, his hands firmly grasping my horns as I hissed at him. Blood dripped down his face and arms, then staining my tunic as I writhed. Chairs were broken and scattered around the room; some were charred black as well as some pieces of furniture lining the hall. I had apparently destroyed the entire room fighting Tsu'caro, but I have no knowledge of what happened.

The king walked up slowly. I didn't have any control over myself yet; I spat a small flame at him but he just hit it away with his hand. Then, he bent down to stare at me, placing a hand on his chin as if he was deep in thought.

"Very interesting," I heard him say. Being used as a puppet and not knowing what was going on drove me further into rage, so I bucked Tsu'caro off me and grabbed the king by his throat, slamming him to the ground. He winced as the floorboards cracked under his weight. I roared at him. I remember thinking only that he was my enemy, that he and Tsu'caro tried to hurt me; that I was about to die.

I was about to char his face with a breath of fire before Tsu'caro wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me off him. I hissed frantically, squeaking in between as his grip pinched my windpipe. He kicked behind my knees again, forcing me to kneel, but this time I would not calm down. Tsu'caro came to the same conclusion, and so had the good sense to contort my head towards where Nuinat stood with Brund.

I remember that face, still; those tears welling up in her emerald eyes. The fear in her expression as she held her hands to her mouth. The way her body shook in both fear and anguishing sadness. That was what calmed me down. I wished in that moment that I'd never met her; that she had met someone who did not have such a curse. That she was happy and content every moment of her life instead of worrying, or being in a state of fear, over me.

I tapped Tsu'caro's shoulder before I could faint. He let go, and I fell over, gasping for air as my vision remained blurry; yet, red had turned to white, and I knew it was over.

"Vysedda," Tsu'caro called. She ran over to me and knelt, wrapping her arm around my head and forcing it into her chest. I began to reach for her arm but hesitated, and dropped my hand back to the floor. I felt as though I shouldn't touch her after what she'd seen, and I was ashamed of myself. I could feel her tears hitting the spikes on my head as she whispered that everything was okay, but I knew that it wasn't.

The king was silent the whole time. Then, he offered me a hand, and I hesitated. I thought for a moment, but then decided to take it, and he lifted me up to meet his gaze. I didn't have the words at first, and it was hard to meet his eyes.

"My apologies, Lord King," I choked out, finally. His eyes turned soft, as if he felt sorrow for my affliction. He did not respond to me, but spoke to Tsu'caro instead.

"Yes," he said, "Irlaede will be needed. I haven't seen this since..."

" ...since Ieghos," Tsu'caro finished for him. The king nodded.

"Since Ieghos," he agreed, "and my sister will know what to do."

"Is... is she here?" Tsu'caro asked. The king smiled at him, then turned to one of the back doors. As if she had been waiting to be called, a female drake walked into the hall with a beautiful white dress that fell to her ankles, complimenting her golden-green scales. She had a crown of sapphires, which matched her eyes; and those eyes longed for one thing, and one thing only.

"My heart," she breathed lightly. Tsu'caro caught his breath, then walked to greet his mate. He held out his hand and she took it softly.

"My love," Tsu'caro replied, nuzzling her cheek with his muzzle.

"How long it has been," she said. He nodded slowly.

"And long will I remain, this time," he said, "we will have to wait out the rest of the winter here. Perhaps that gives us time to... walk."

She smiled at that. It was plain they were in a love no other being could understand. I wanted that for Nuinat, though I couldn't give it to her. The thought only proved to frustrate me and I growled. Irlaede took notice of this and hesitated.

"Horns?" She asked herself. " ...Ieghos..."

"My love, we need your help," Tsu'caro told her, "young Rodwir is desperate. He cannot control himself. We need you to teach him what you know. We need you to show how you were able to get Ieghos to control his anger. Only then can this young lord move on."

"And what happens after?" Irlaede responded. "Obsidian destroyed the palace. He wrought terror onto Dractalemh. He razed the Lower Plane near to destruction! This poor, young drake... you should end his suffering." Nuinat balled her hand into a fist.

"Pítu, please!" Nuinat shouted, "for me. Please help him!"

Irlaede blinked at her in surprise; not due to her outburst, but because of why. It was out in the open now. Nuinat had accidentally confessed her love for me, whether she meant to or not. I dared not look at anyone, and so stared at the broken pieces of floorboard that was my doing.

"Vysedda..." the king started, but Nuinat turned to him.

"Atarh, please!" She cried, wiping the tears off her face. "Please..."

"My lord king," I said, finally. He looked at me, and I knelt to him. Nuinat looked surprised, but lowered herself with me, keeping her arm around my waist for support. "I am sorry. If it is for the better, I will relinquish my life."

Nuinat caught her breath. The king hesitated for a few heartbeats with his mouth agape. Then he closed it, and put a hand on my shoulder. He stared into my eyes, judging my worth for a moment, then looked at Irlaede. She, too, started to read my face, found what she'd been looking for, then sighed.

"Very well," she said. "There are some methods I can teach him. That does not mean they will work, mind you, but... we will try." Nuinat breathed with relief.

Irlaede turned to face Tsu'caro and gently placed an open palm on his cheek. "We would like to retire. Is that okay, dear brother?"

The king nodded his consent, and we all remained silent as Tsu'caro waited long enough to be with his wife. He bowed his respects to Azmondius, then took Irlaede's hand and guided her out of the hall. Once he was gone, the king made a high-pitched and long whistle. An elf appeared a moment later; he had medium-length black hair, half shaven on one side and dark eyes. His skin was tan, which made me think he was outside most of his time.

"Stalize," the king asked softly. He'd been staring at Nuinat, who nestled her muzzle under my chin, wet with tears.

"Az." The elf greeted him. I found that surprising, as he did not call the king by a proper title, and shortened his name like they were old friends.

"Can you take Brundhinlot to a guest room, please?" The king asked him. The elf bowed.

"I will." He gestured at the fox, who looked nervously at me for permission. I nodded at him, finally putting an arm around Nuinat. She stiffened for a heartbeat and I knew that her fear was still with her; but then she calmed and put a hand on my chest.

Brund left with Stalize. Once they were gone, the king let out a long exhale. He leaned back as if falling, then landed on his tail and crossed his feet. He crossed an arm over a knee and put a hand to the floor for support. He blinked again, then stared at us.

"Politics," Azmondius said," get tiring after a while. If you had not intervened, I dare say we would be talking for hours."

"L-lord?" I choked out. He waved his hand.

"So how long has this been going on?" He changed the subject. I frowned at him, unsure what to say. Nuinat opened her eyes slightly, unable to look at her father while pinned to my chest.

"I met him on the battlefield in Swenherd," she told him, "and... and we just... he didn't know..."

The king let her nervousness ride. Then she fell silent, so I answered for her.

"Three months, give or take, lord king," I told him, "but it was... once I saw her and... once she saw me... we couldn't resist."

"I see," he said, calmly, "and did you know–"

"He didn't know who I was, atarh," Nuinat said dryly. She was getting angry, but to her it must have seemed as if he was going to reject me; as if he was going to take me away from her.

The king nodded, then asked the hardest question. He hesitated at first, unsure how to ask, but he needed to know, and I was afraid to answer.

"And... did you two..." he trailed off, staring at the floorboards. We stayed silent to that, confirming his suspicions. He breathed in sharply and closed his eyes.

"Nothing we can do about it, I suppose," he said, "fate has made it so you two would meet."

I blinked at him, mouth agape. "I thought... you'd be angry, lord."

"Furious," he admitted, "but there are things we can't control. Like imprinting. Some drakes are susceptible, others are not. I did not imprint on your mother, Vysedda, but Tsu'caro and Irlaede..."

That made sense. The way Tsu'caro was with the king's sister was undoubtedly the same tugging pressure that I experienced with Nuinat. The way she smiled at him, and the way he looked at her; as if nothing around them existed, and they could always find one another– no matter where they were– by an invisible string that guided them.

"I am happy," the king said suddenly, "that you are happy, Vysedda. That is all a father could ask for."

She teared up. He reached out the hand that rested on his knee, and she reached out for him. Once he had a hold of her, he tugged, and she tackled him accidentally, but he laughed while holding her, and she laughed through the tears on her face.

"It is so nice to see you," he said.

"It is nice to see you too, atarh," she chirped back. He kissed her forehead, then they sat upright again and he asked her about her adventure. She told him everything, and I was, admittedly, sad.

I was happy, yes, that she was reunited and cheerful with her father; but the nagging ache in my head and the knowledge of what could happen was getting to me, and I could feel the weight crushing down on me. I frowned, staring at nothing, and just let the fears run through my mind.

The white started to come back around the borders of my sight again and I whined a growl under my breath, lifting my hands to rub my eyes fiercely with agitation. The thoughts turned to voices and grew louder, drowning out all other noises. I rubbed harder, kicking my feet in frustration like a child, before I heard my name called. It sounded far away, but then I heard it again. And then again, much closer.

"Rodwir."

I blinked. The king had his hands on my shoulders. I'd had an episode again.

Two days later– Nuinat and I needed the rest– Tsu'caro and Irlaede took me out to a nearby forest. The king had told his sister that my dilemma couldn't wait any longer, and Tsu'caro decided the forest would be a good spot to hide me in case I blacked out again. The rangers, hunters, and wood-gatherers were called back as not to arouse suspicion.

I took those days as a therapeutic exercise. Irlaede would have me meditate in an open area, sitting cross-legged in the snow, and then Tsu'caro would attack me when I least expected it. There were many times I lost myself, though Tsu'caro was never beaten badly. Once, I was told I accidentally went after Irlaede, and from that day onward she would bring Stalize as protection. Then we had reached a new step, and my therapy was about to get much harder.

She led us deeper into the forest. We reached a place that was, to my mind, the most serene place I'd ever been to. It was a sort of spring; the water had thawed out by that time, and there was a small cavern with a just-as-small waterfall hiding the entrance. Around the water were winter flowers that had just bloomed, and I took note of the rocks placed in runic patterns at the bottom of the spring.

Little dragonflies flew past my face the first day we arrived. I felt... like I was home. I said so aloud, and Irlaede smiled at me.

"Many drakenfolk have been here," she told me, "to cleanse their spirits. The rune at the bottom of the water represents the soul."

I closed my eyes, listening to the waterfall. I felt I could stay forever, but knew otherwise. The winter was almost over and we would have to return to Fisclund, though it had just occurred to me I did not know if Nuinat would be allowed to return with me. I let the thought go for later, so tucked it into the back of my mind. Irlaede then told me what I would have to do.

"You must meditate, as before," she instructed me, "you are less prone now to agitation and interruptions to your peace. But now you must keep it under control for a longer period of time."

"What do you mean?" I asked her. She shifted her stance.

"You must stay here," she said, "until you can remain at peace for three whole days with no interruptions. So what you said before may be true. For however long it takes, this will be your home." I stared at her.

"What's the catch?"

She looked uneasy at first, but then explained.

"In the pool, you will see your reflection," she said, "you will notice there is no wind here. You must stare at your reflection, and if the water is disturbed at all, you must start your time over."

I crossed my arms. "What if someone other than me throws a rock into the pool?"

"It does not matter," she shook her head, "you will find that nobody will have thrown the rock. If you see the water move, you must start over. But, I warn you now..."

She took a few steps closer to me. She reached her hand out, and I, in a state of confusion, grabbed it gently. She put her other hand on mine, staring into my eyes with a hint of concern.

"... you may see or hear things," she said, "you have to ignore what they say or do. If you don't, things can go very wrong."

"Do not worry, young Rodwir," Tsu'caro asserted, "I will not, nor will anyone, impede on your training, here. Although, if you start to waver, I will put a stop to you before you can leave. We trust you can get through this on your own, otherwise. You will be fine."

I nodded, reluctantly. I wanted to be home, more than anything; but this was important. If I could not control this curse, I could never look at Nuinat again. In fact, I could never be with her again. I began to think about what I would do if I could not succeed here, but I sooner shook it off. If I started thinking that way, this would never be done. I had yet to start meditating and my mind was already playing tricks on me.

I walked forward towards the pool of water, then bent down to my knees. I stared at my reflection; the water was still, and I started to believe it would be easier than I initially thought. I breathed in, closing my eyes for a moment. I listened to the serene noises around me, then breathed out, and opened my eyes.

When I stared back at the water, my eyes widened. What stared back at me was not my reflection, but an auburn beast. Its growl trembled into my ear like a loud roar. I noted its horns; there were four of them, large and grand like power incarnate, jarring out of its skull. It had whitened fur around its collar and it bared its large teeth at me, saliva dripping as if it was hungry for devastation. Its wings expanded, massive and majestic.

It cocked its head and bellowed. I fell back, trembling, and the water rippled fiercely. All I could do was shake as its roar battled my eardrums. I tried to cover my ears but the noise had infiltrated already. My vision started to blur and my heart beat fast; I began to panic, breathing just as quick as my heart pounded.

That was an imperial dragon; fierce, grand and powerful. Dangerous, and destructive. I remembered its gaze, its golden eyes. They were mine.

"This," I barked, panting between words," this... is... madness..."

"This is necessary," Irlaede said flatly. Tsu'caro sighed next to her.

"You know of Caraghan," Tsu'caro said, "but do you know of Obsidian?"

I was staring at my trembling hand, but I nodded my head in response. All I could see at that moment was that terrifying face.

"You've heard us mention Ieghos," Irlaede said, "he was known as Obsidian. Also known as the Prince in Black. The Dragon in the Dark, Lord of Whispers in the Night, and High King of the Black Pyre. He is... was my brother."

I finally looked up at her. Her distraction caused me to stop shaking, as well.

"What?" I mumbled. She nodded.

"He had the same problem as you," she said, walking towards the water. She leaned down, picked up a rock, and then placed it in the water, causing ripples. Her action made me think, and I blurted out my thoughts.

"You believe..." I asked her, " ...you had something to do with his... turning?"

She smiled bitterly for answer. "I brought him here, thinking it would help. He saw what you saw. But instead of fear, he gained pride. A year later, he murdered my... our father... and our mother was killed right in front of me..."

"My love, you don't have to–" Tsu'caro tried to intervene but she put up a trembling hand.

"He spared me, left me alone. And I... I followed him to Az's room... he wanted to take him from me. I said nothing, but Azmond refused, calling out to his brother to stop. And then they fought and... Azmond was defeated. Thrown down into the Lower Plane. And Ieghos... his followers slaughtered everyone after that. He pitied me, a new wreck. Grown insane by the sight of her people slaughtered. So he caged me in a mountain in the Lower Plane as well. Checked in on me, only to find someone delirious. He was mad."

I was silent. I couldn't say anything to soften her pain. I thought I was suffering, but she showed me that there was a worse torture. And Nuinat? Would I let her go insane, caged like a bird while I sought power?

"You see," she said, "what you have seen is what you will become if you let go. If you give in to your rage. Through your rage you will find power, but at a price. And you have a soft heart, Young Rodwir, I can both see and feel it. You do not want this."

"I... don't," I replied. She wiped the tears from her face. Tsu'caro went and wrapped his arm around her. He turned to me.

"Caraghan," he said, "was able to control his emotions. He was worthy of the powers he was blessed with. You can still be powerful, young drake, but only if you learn control."

I nodded towards him. Then, I looked at my reflection. It smiled back at me.

I learned that the serene place we had visited was one of Dúleardi's Agemirrors; an area blessed by Dúleardi for use by the Eldengar. I've heard the name of this order before, but only in tales. Those tales said that the Eldengar were mystical beings who were created by Dúleardi, the Goddess of Nature, to ensure that natural order was kept balanced. I knew of three of them through these stories. There was Falkend, the Wise, who was a white lion with bright blue eyes. He was the leader of the Eldengar, who enforced Dúleardi's will. Then there was Ciluyue, Mistress of the Forest, and Dúleardi's Voice. She was an elk, and relayed her dreams and visions to the order as messages from the gods. The last I knew of was Lady Sereane, an arctic fenny. I wasn't entirely certain what her role was in the order, but I knew she was important.

It took longer than expected to pass that exercise. I could not get past the face, and the fear it sent me. But then I learned to ignore it, and my temper was controlled for three consecutive days. It took three weeks. Irlaede said she would visit Fisclund sometime to check in on me, and to keep up with my exercises.

Nuinat was allowed to come with me, to my joy. Her mother argued against it, but her father, King Azmondius, knew we were mates and should not be separated. He avoided telling the queen that, however, and I both thanked him silently for it and assumed he would tell her after we left. Tsu'caro was relieved to go, as he was a wartime veteran and wished to return to the action; but I could tell he wished Irlaede would come with.

"I have important things to do here," she told him before he left, "but once I am done, I will come to be with you, my heart."

We ventured off. Only Irlaede and Tallam came to wish us well. Brund chittered happily in my ear about his experiences in a new place as Tallam hugged his sister goodbye and Tsu'caro and Irlaede shared a kiss, holding hands as if it was the first time they'd ever fell in love with one another. I felt as though my love for Nuinat was the same. Every day I saw her was a new experience, and it seemed as though I would never get bored of seeing her.

Halfway through the journey home, the process in which I thought shifted. I was better at controlling my emotions, but the shadow of madness clung to me, and could awaken at any moment. I feared for Nuinat, as though her life was in danger just being near me, and anytime she wanted to hold me in that carriage, I would hesitate. I hated feeling this way.

The carriage dropped us off in Fyrnes. We got out, but I halted the driver. I urged Tsu'caro and Brund to get to an inn, and that we would follow. Tsu'caro eyed me suspiciously, then pulled Brund away by his arm. Nuinat looked at me with curiosity. I took her hand in mine.

"Nuinat," I told her, "this breaks my heart but... I need you to return to Cuirtsaelie."

She blinked at me, surprised. "No."

"Nui please," I told her and she pulled her hands away, "I know. I know you want to be with me. I want to be with you. You are my soul and my conscience. My everything. I can't–"

She struck me across the face. I was stunned, mouth agape, but not surprised. I knew she would be angry at me for what I was asking, but I felt like this was the only answer for now. She narrowed her eyes at me, fighting back tears.

"If I am all of those things, then why drive me away?" She told me. "If you are nothing without me, then what happens when I am gone?"

"I can't... I can't lose you," I said softly, "I don't want to hurt you–"

"–you already have," she said. I thought she meant she was hurt because of what I was saying, but then she lifted her tunic. There were three, large scars running from her right waist to her belly. I put my hands on it, dumbfounded.

"How–" I asked, "When did–"

"–During Hestal's ambush," she said, "after you'd killed him." She lowered her tunic, shooting daggers at me with her eyes.

"You thought I was crying because you had come to," she said sternly, "before you grabbed my arm. I was crying because I was in pain. Well... of course I was relieved you had come back but... You don't remember, of course. You see, I can put up with it. I'm not some weak bitch you can put aside whenever you want. I'm a warrior. And my uncle raised me as a warrior."

I found I had nothing to say, nor could I look at her. I stared at her feet, naked in the grass below. I rubbed my arm nervously.

"I keep apologizing," I said to her, "but I am not learning from my mistakes. I believe that makes me dangerous. And when I make these mistakes and you get hurt, what am I supposed to do? I can't keep apologizing. I am trying to work on it but I am not perfect. It will happen again... I don't want..."

" ...then we will deal with it together," she told me softly. I looked into her eyes. I began to tear up. She reached up and put both her hands on my cheeks.

"We will deal with it together," she said again. I put my hand on the back of her head and pulled her into my chest, then wrapped my arms around her. I hugged her, but did not respond. I loved her so much, but I just knew it wasn't that easy. She pulled back, looked me in my eyes, then kissed me.

"And," she said, "I have some... news." She waited for me to say something, but I didn't. She looked around, started to say something, but then backed out; then tried again, but faltered. She stewed in her thoughts for a minute, as if steam started rolling off the top of her head.

"What is it?" I asked her. She was beginning to worry me. She opened her mouth again, and then shut it. For a few heartbeats she thought to herself again, then finally found the right words.

"There was... something I didn't tell my father," she said, then winced, knowing it wasn't a good start. That made my stomach churn.

"What?" I asked flatly. She swung my arms, blushing, unsure again how to speak. I told her to just go on and say it and she did.

"I'm... uh..." she said, " ...I'm... pregnant."

So much for controlling my emotions. I was confused, happy, frightened, angry, speechless. Overall I was... I was overjoyed. After a few heartbeats to understand, I laughed, squeezed her in my arms, and spun her around. She laughed with me. Then, the fears set in, and I felt like I was going to puke.

So I did. I put her down quickly before I did, and after, I drank from a pouch of water I'd been carrying and spat out what remained. Nuinat looked nervous, knowing full well what I was thinking.

"We will get through it, my love," she said, and I nodded reluctantly.

After talking for a bit longer, we went to the inn. Brund and Tsu'caro were having a drink. I whispered to Nuinat, asking if her uncle knew, and she shook her head. I sighed. I supposed I would be the one to tell him, then ordered six drinks.

After an hour of drinking, I told him. He reacted better than I thought, honestly. He shattered the cup he was holding; squeezed it with his bare hand as soon as I broke the news to him. Tsu'caro jumped out of the seat, reaching out at me. I flinched, but then he sat down.

"Gods..." he breathed, "damn you Rodwir, you fool."

"Lord prince," I growled, "I just found out. How was I supposed to–"

"You should have kept it in your goddamn trousers!" He yelled, slamming his fists on the table.

The inn was silent. His orange eyes glowed with a fury, but then he sat down and closed his eyelids, crossing his arms after breathing out smoke from his nostrils.

"...Congratulations," he said, "but if you have a son, just know, he can contest the crown against Prince Tallam's heir. This is what happened with... with Caertydin and Azarül. Azarül was a cousin, and asserted his right to claim the throne. That was how the first civil war started. You may have made a mess of things."

I shook my head. "Vysedda said she feels it is a girl." Tsu'caro's eyes shifted at that. They seemed brighter, and he looked more content. Then, he shook his head slightly to play it off and went back to his stoic demeanor.

"Let us hope she is correct." Is all he said. He grabbed the next cup, and began to drink.

We made it back to Fisclund a few days later. After we settled, we caught up on everything that happened while we were gone. The scouts looked for Branverd, only finding trails and traces of where he had been, not where he could be. So we kept looking. Nothing happened in that springtime, and five months passed without incident. Nuinat had the child; She was right, out came a beautiful baby girl. Her scales were the most amazing I'd ever seen; bright amber scales alternating with darker garnet ones. When she cracked open her eyes, behind the milky white coating newborns had as natural defenses due to their sensitivity to light, were two crimson red irises.

My heart melted, and the fear came back to me again. What if she had the same curse as I did? Or even if she didn't, she still had a father who did, and that made it so I did not want to hold her when Nuinat offered her to me. She put the newborn on her chest and held it with one arm while reaching out for me with the other. I shakily grasped her hand, and she guided it to my daughter's face. I hesitated, then felt her soft cheek. I began to cry.

"What do you want to name her, my love?" Nuinat asked me. I picked up our daughter gently. I stared at her, rumbling low in my throat. The babe blinked at me, then cooed.

"Nienríghría," I said softly, "our little Nienrí."