Five Dragons: TLoP: Chapter 5: The Agony of Choice
Five Dragons: TLoP:
Chapter 5: The Agony of Choice
Five years
have passed since the night of his arrival in Parem. The day dawned with
a cloudless blue sky. The warm rays of the morning
sun cast its glow on the roof of the
house. The golden light fell
through the wide window into the room and woke the
tired man on the mattress.
Roland lay sleepily
in his bed and
rolled extensively under the
blanket. Drowsy he swung his head back and
forth and tried to hold the Daydreamed. The
cheerful chirping of the birds
came through the open window into the room and helped with the wake-up call of the
sun. In his mind he made an attempt to hide the bird singing what
seemed to him even to succeed. But a strong jolt turned
him aside, and he fell off the bed knew
to the ground. A muffled "Peng" filled the air in the room. Roland was lying, face on
the big carpet and felt the red fibers on
his cheek. With a
grimace he lazily opened his
eyes. Something he
laboriously straightened up and looked slightly annoyed at the mattress. Two deep blue eyes
sparkled at him, accompanied by a
slight turquoise glitter. An orange red female
dragon lying on the bed and looked at the young
man with a wet look. A soft cooing was heard
from the dragoness. "Is that the polite
way to wake me up?" he asked
plaintively easily. Kyndle nodded once with
closed eyes and answered
his question with an affirmative
"Churr". He smiled at her, shaking his head. Roland stood up and
walked closer to the open window.
A cool gust of wind came to meet him as
he inhaled the fresh
air deeply. With
relish, he stretched out on a long yawn. His gaze remained in
the large mirror
cabinet are to
his left. He walked a little
closer and looked at his
reflection in it. "All
grown nice." he said to the mirror image
and set its affirmative
thumbs up. Grinning, he looked in the mirrored glass.
Easy thoughtful attention
fell to his right lower leg. The leg slightly turned
to the side, he looked at the scar
on it. He once
breathed out heavily. "Five years now."
he murmured softly.He noticed how Kyndle
moved in the mirror. She climbed down from the mattress and also
began to stretch properly.
Roland turned to her.
"Unbelievable how quickly she's
grown up." he thought with arms folded in
front of him as he looked at her.The growth is also not passed idly at her. Her body size was now comparable to that
of a pony. The black horns had gained something at
length, as well as her dark wings.
The color scales
shimmered strong for
some time, particularly in the
transition to the gray areas on the chest and belly.
At the tail end
a bony tip had
been formed in recent
years. A sharp, pointed mandrel,
can also share
as a pair of scissors and a comb weakly pronounced retired
from her head down on her back, to the tail head. The female had turned
her back to Roland and continued
her morning stretching. Wings apart and head
forward. The tail as far up as she was able. Roland's gaze fell inevitably to the area between her hind legs, which she showed all too well in her
morning exercise on display. He grabbed a quick breath and lowered his face to
the side slightly embarrassed. Kyndle
then again took
a more relaxed attitude,
turned sideways to
him and looked at him with an awakened view. With a soft purr,
she sent a short turquoise sparkle to him. Shy
smiling, he looked at her. An odd smell rose to
his nose, but only weakly.The golden rays of the sun left the orange
red shed light
shimmer, like a warm aura that hovered around
her. Easy tense he looked at the elegant body of the female dragon. "Very
attractive." he thought to himself
spontaneously and felt his pulse was increased
slightly, followed by a brief shock.
"Why have I right
now such a thought!?" it
went through his skull. Unsure he shook his head again and touched
his forehead. Roland walked a
little confused back to the bed and
sat down thoughtfully at the edge. The young man
listened his thoughts. "Does she make that on purpose?"
he asked himself. Remembering the past talk with
Clara came back to him also in mind. He had asked for
advice as Kyndle daze something
strange toward him for the first time.
This was first noticed
him two years ago when she came into her first heat. But something in
her behavior was
different now, in spite of this
fact. Kyndle had seated herself on the ground before him. Held
her head slightly inclined watched him silently.His mind drifted back
to the conversation....... "I do not know what is
going on with her lately." he was complaining
of and pointed to Kyndle which had lain
down beside him on the ground.
The female looked at him a bit puzzled, which was accompanied by
a soft cooing. Clara
looked at the dragoness exactly, she breathed it
a few times through her nose and then turned back to him. "Oh Roland. Tell
merely you do not know that?" she asked with a wide grin on her face. Roland looked at Clara with a rather confused look. "Can`t you feel it?" she began obliquely down
the head. "It is
spring. The nature shows its beauty and
for many animals begins the mating season."
She giggled softly. "This
also applies to dragons." she added
with a smile. "With them we then speak of the
heat." she explained. "Mating season?" he hacked at something thoughtfully
and looked at her a little overwhelmed.
"Do not worry because of that, it`s
totally normal." she reassured him. "That`s
just a part of the rhythm of life."
She held out a hand
on his shoulder and looked
at him with her green eyes. "Think about it. Is with us humans as well." She winked at him once. "The
little desire for a partner, for warmth and affection." Roland dodged Clara's
gaze and looked to
Kyndle. The dragoness
looked at him from below with moist eyes and cooed softly. A small spark of turquoise could be seen. Barnabas assistant walked beside Roland and
crossed her arms, while also looking at the dragoness.
"But still, you should have a
little attention for
her." Thoughtfully, she lowered
her head slightly forward. "During
the heat phase many dragons create a more aggressive
behavior on the day." She raised
a hand-explanatory. "Mostly the male counterparts."
She winked at Roland
once. "But there are also spirited females." she added smiling.Roland saw Clara something
ignorant. "Do I have some expect now that an
entire herd of male recruiters are standing
outside the front door?" he
asked with a raised eyebrow and a very weak smile. She looked at him
for a moment in silence and
holding her head slightly inclined.
"In that fact I can reassure you." she began calmly. "When it comes to choosing a partner they are extremely picky." She took a quick breath. "Let's say: Every female
has as their own claims." Clara laughed
to herself at her
last words. Roland looked at her slightly puzzled.
"Do not panic. You'll certainly
never a find whole pack of male dragons at home." she said amused and
patted him once on
the shoulder." Dragons are a
faithful species. Should read:.
Once they have found a suitable partner, they remain usually together."
She smiled at him as she finished her sentence. "But interpret now not too much into it."
she began again, looking gravely at him. "Dragons
want sometimes just
a bit fun. So do not think
she had found
her partner for
life when you successfully catch
her with a male." "Aha." Roland was
nodding his head in response, an eyebrow skeptically pulled
up. "When she has
found her life
partner you will realize it."
Clara held her head
dreaming with closed eyes tilted
to the side. "The way she looks
at her chosen one, approaching him, looking
for his company." she added softly. "Picky, then?" chopped Roland grin after
and ended her brief
daydream. "Now do not be ridiculous." said Clara determinative
and hit him once with
her fist lightly in the shoulder. "You
understand me all right." she added with a serious look. She turned determining to Kyndle. "You'll see
it soon enough if she will reject the
first recruiter, or
approaching to another dragon."
Another laugh escaped
her mouth. "Approaching herself to another dragon?"
he repeated questioningly in thought as he watched
the dragoness. ...... Roland came from the reminders to
himself as he was
touched by Kyndles tongue on the hand. A
gentle cooing of her was in the air. He
looked into the widened blue eyes of the dragoness,
who had directed her
captivating look at him. "What is?" he
asked softly as he looked back
to the slight hint
of turquoise. Again invaded this weak
weird smell in
his nose. The female was getting a bit closer
to him. She snorted softly
in his face and
a soft purr escaped
her body. Roland looked
smiling at the blue sapphires, the touch of
turquoise is reflected
in his eyes. He felt her warm breath on his skin and approached her also.
He put a hand on
her shoulder and stroked her slowly
over the scales the
neck up. Kyndle
put in his
pleasant touch her head slightly to the side and began enjoy sending to
close her eyes, while she continued toward
him. Few millimeters parted her
lips still apart.Just at that moment there was a knock several times. Roland pulled his hand back slightly startled
when he turned to the source of the noise. Kyndle swung her head frantically
to the door.
She moved away a little of her companion, her face slightly downcast lowered
avoided her gaze to the floor. She huffed out strong
and a silent, rather plaintive "Chirp" accompanied her gesture. Head down, she left a
paw in a circular
motion glide over the carpet,
without paying Roland`s attention.This gave all his
attention to the knock on the
door. Surprised, he
went to the entrance and unlocked the lock. He
pulled the door open and a tired face looking up
at him. "Good morning Sasha." greeted him Roland. The older man
made a gesture stooped. "Likewise, my lord." he said. He looked
at the young man checking, with raised eyebrows, he looked at him. "Your presence is necessary in the study of Lady Catherine."
added the butler. Roland looked at him with wide eyes. "Why?" he asked curiously. "This morning a letter
from the king arrived, addressed
to you." Roland went up in surprise both
eyebrows. "But first I would advise you to adjust the
wardrobe a bit." added Sasha sober, pointing to the simple clothing of
Roland. He looked puzzled down at himself and noticed with a smile, that he
was only in
underwear in front of the Butler.
"All right. I'm done shortly." Roland said, and closed the door again. He
walked quickly approached the mirror cabinet and
opened one of the doors. "A letter from the king for me?" he asked himself in thought as he pulled
on a fresh shirt.Kyndle turned her head
to him and gave him a questioning "Meep" in front of the feet. Roland
looked slightly smirking.
"It's nothing. I can do that
alone." he told her as he slipped into a pair of pants. Then he walked up to
her. He put a hand on her forehead and placed a small kiss on her nose.
The dragoness closed
both eyes and purred
softly. "You can quietly nap a bit longer." he added me a wink.Kyndle let herself not to be asked twice and
was lying on the mattress before he arrived at
the door. Roland
looked back at her. Light a smile he
watched her as she curled up
and purred softly
to herself. Then he walked through the door. Sasha was still waiting in the hallway for him. He looked at the young man and took the outstretched hand making a gesture to the stairs. "This way,
please." he spoke calmly and proceeded
with held on his
back arms. Roland knew where the room was,
but does not wanted decrease Sasha his job and
followed him silently, inclined his head slowly forward. "What the
king probably wants from me?"
he asked himself. Arrived at the office the door, Sasha opened it for Roland. After he had entered the room, he closed it again without having to follow him. Roland looked around the
room. Daniel stood beside Catherine, who had sat
down on one of the large armchairs.
On the table before her lay a rolled-up letter,
the seal of the King on it. The woman did not say a word. Still, she took the
role in her hand and handed it to Roland. Somewhat
hesitantly, he reached for the paper. He looked at the
message briefly, but his gaze fall again asking
to Catherine. She
looked at him with a warm smile. "Go
ahead." she said calmly. Roland broke the
wax seal and unrolled the message. Curious, he began to read it. ...... Be greeted Roland.You will hereby officially
invited to a hearing in the castle.The king has granted your questions by his popularity
and looks to be
authorized to communicate it to you
personally. Your appearance will
therefore be required at court.Presented this writing to the guards at the gate and they will let you
pass freely. This invitation is especially for your dragon.......
Roland left reluctantly
lowered the letter from his field of vision. His eyes were wide with surprise behind
the paper to light. He took a deep breath. Catherine
and Daniel looked
at him tense. "I am invited
to the castle, and I should take Kyndle with me." he said slowly. Daniel widened
his eyes. "Is descripted why?" he asked determinative. Roland looked
again on the
document. "No." he
added. "Good." said
Catherine left and
clapped her hands together once. "Then
we will not have to wait the king."
she added, as she stood up and walked to the door. "You will go to Drakensang
same today. Daniel
will take you there." she added and walked
through the door. Daniel made a nodding movement
of the head and followed his mistress.
"Of course." he said. In passing he knocked Roland
once on the shoulder. "Pick together what
you need, I'll take care of the
transportation." he added. The
young man remained silent.
It remained for him to answer any opportunity, because everyone was already
gone before he could catch his breath. "Ok." he thought something unsafe
to himself and looked slightly perplexed in
the now empty office,
then he made
his way back to his room....... "What do you mean with that? She is no longer here!?" asked vigorously a well-armed woman the barman.
She wore a finely
tailored leather armor.
This was designed
not to hind her in
any movement or disturbing.
The hardened leather pieces were also seen
on the legs and
forearms. Her gloves were equipped with gray plates in the melee
certainly could feel
painful itself. Strapped
to her back she carried a massive war hammer with
her, who already had many battle scars. Her rather
petite stature effectively
hid the enormous strength, which would be necessary for carrying out such weapons.The gaze of her
red eyes pierced the bartender literally. The
also red tattoo
on her left cheek reinforced this
effect even further. She placed
both hands noisily
on the counter and even shook off her
shoulder-length red hair. The bartender looked
at the stranger
left. "As I said." he began. "Lizbeth
is no longer here.
She arrived in Parem
a few days ago.""Nice that I found out that so early." she
bleated with angry
voice. The bartender looked at the woman quizzically.
"Should I get a message to her?" The lady held
up a hand repellent. "No need." she started, looking at him while demanding.
"I'll tell her myself."
She turned away from the counter and walked to
the entrance. At the door she
stopped and turned back to the bartender to.
"And Johan?" she began, pointing with one hand on the keeper. This
looked at her with
raised eyebrows. "Yes Patricia?" he asked
calmly. "No word on that
I was here."
she added determinative. Johan nodded silently,
before she went out of the inn. ...... Before the entrance to the property
Ironwing, Roland and
his companion got ready to leave.Roland stood before his dragoness and pulled
her way around the selected
cloth. "And pull
here and ready." he said as he looked at
her with a smile. Kyndle looked at him with half-closed eyes and cooed softly. She nudged
her companion with the muzzle to the
nose, adding a cheerful short "Meep". Then she moved slightly to
his cape and tried
him to pull the hood
over the head, what she did not succeed so right. Roland smiled at the
dragoness and held it to her nose, looking into
her eyes. The light turquoise shimmer of
her pupils lights at him. The quiet purr of
her he could feel
in his hand. "We
are again playful
today?" he asked with a wink. Kyndle
something came closer to him and stroked Roland purring
lightly with her tongue down his cheek, then she
rubbed her head against his.
He felt her scales on his skin and heard
sympathetically the slight vibrations of her purr. He brushed a hand
over her head and placed it
on her cheek. She took eye contact and threw him against a bright
turquoise glitter. Roland looked up with a
warm smile in the blue gems. The dragoness approached her face, her head held
slightly inclined, she began to
purr with half-closed eyes.
Roland held the eye
contact maintained. This low odor, which he had in the nose in the morning
was now again
available. Kyndle now closed her eyes completely and snorted her
companion once gentle face. Roland felt
her warm breath on his skin. As if on cue returned his body her gesture. A
brief moment both still separated from
each other. Kyndles heart began
to pound nervously. But before it came
to the by her hoped for kiss,
drove a car around
the corner. The noisy sound of the two
horses pulled Roland
back from his little
dream. With a slight shake of his
head he came to himself and looked at an
orange-red female dragon, which gave
him a slightly sad look. He took a quick
breath to speak to her."Are
you two ready?" interrupted Daniel's question, which had
stopped the car
in front of them. Roland exhaled once strong and had to swallow his
words. Kyndle looked at him questioningly, but he kept his eyes closed. He moved again to
Kyndles scarf and
then turned to the driver. "Yes, we're ready." he said, and climbed into
the passenger seat. The dragoness took on the
rear seat area.
Lowered her head thoughtfully
and gave, over the fact that already have something came between them, a
sad, barely audible "Chirp"
of herself. Roland briefly turned
his head back. He looked at
his companion in her
dejected attitude. This sight let him
go through the body a slight discomfort. He
could never bear well to see
her in such an
attitude. He was not entirely clear why she
behaved so at the moment. Thoughtfully, he turned his face to the front again. "How long will my visit
to the castle takes about?"
he asked Daniel. The
driver looked at him briefly
a little skeptical. "I do not
know. An hour or two maybe." he replied as he
raised an eyebrow. "Why do
you ask?" he hacked at. "Can we yet go before
to Barnabas farm?" Roland asked. Daniel
took a one left.
"Yes, we can." he uttered. The driver
saw Roland slightly
suspicious. "Something I should know?" he said soberly. Roland kept
his gaze thoughtfully directed
forward. "No." he
replied hesitantly. "Nothing important at the moment."
he added as he
looked back to the
female.Daniel saw his passenger
briefly silent, then
he nodded once.
"All right." he began. "Let's visit before the meeting at court nor the farm of Barnabas."
he added, relied on
a slight smile. Roland nodded wordlessly as he
continued to regard Kyndle. The female noticed his gaze and turned her
moist eyes on him.
The blue color of the iris covered the otherwise clearly
identifiable turquoise shimmer.
She snorted once in
his direction and
then lowered, with
a soft cooing her head. With her eyes closed she pulled her face under one
of her dark wings. Roland felt that something was wrong with her, but still could not determine what that might be. Knowing that she would not react in the
moment to his words, he turned back to the street
in front of the car. "What
is going on with her?" he asked himself, tilted his head slowly forward."Don`t break your head because of her." Daniel started and looked at
him encouragingly. "All dragons behave
a little strange in heat." A slight
smile accompanied his last words.
Roland saw at the
driver with a skeptical face.
"A little strange? Yes." he said as his eyes wandered to the female.
"But this time
it's different." He added, turning back to Daniel. "Oh,
because of that you want to go first to Barnabas!" came easily amazed
by the driver. The passenger nodded once silent.
"Why don`t you say that straight away." lamented Daniel smile.
"I'll remember that for next time."
said Roland, and had
himself also a smile.......
A man in a gray robe
knelt in front of five big dragon statues. The
hands held together in prayer,
he meditated with sloping forehead before the stone dragon.
A second figure approached
him, also dressed in the same clothes. "The times are darkened increasingly, since the first companion
had revealed." said the first
into space. "Disturbing events occur." he
said. "The dead rise from their graves. An outbreak on Shared Mountain.
Parts of the floating city are plunged
into the crater." The second person walked
past the glowing emblems. "It was
not only the
first one." He began,
waving his hand to the other glowing symbols. "Not
only Kyleth, Arkas, Sorathis and also
Galvatros have chosen
a companion." In front of the last
stone figure he stopped. "Only Wyverex remains
pending." Silently looked the man in
the empty stone eyes
of the shown dragon. The meditating
priest turned his tired look on his
colleagues. "Trust in the
Five, brother. He
will reach when the time is right.""The prophecy will be fulfilled
before the impending
darkness engulfs this
world." ...... Daniel drove the car through
the stone gate and turned shortly thereafter on a
dirt road, which led to Barnabas farm. "Wait.
Stop Daniel! "Roland
said aloud. With a strong jolt the car stopped
and the driver threw his fellow passengers a
questioning look. The female on the rear pulled easily
frightened out her head under her
wing. "What's going
on?" Daniel asked, slightly nervous and raised both eyebrows. Roland shook
his head slowly. "Nothing serious." he began calmly.
"You can wait for us here. The rest we go
on foot." Daniel scratched his head. "Well,
if you mean so." he said, and nodded
at him once. Roland rose from
the front passenger seat and
waved once at the
driver. "See you later,
he said, and
turned to the female dragon on
the back place. Kyndle looked
at her companion a
little skeptical and looked at
him with her deep blue eyes. With a soft cooing
she moved her head in his direction.
Roland saw the
female with a warm smile. "Come on little one. The rest we go alone." he said to her and made with the hand a waving to him
gesture. In Kyndles
eyes briefly flashed
a light turquoise shimmer by his last
words. With a quick movement, the dragoness sat up and
jumped from the
car elegantly down. Joyfully she strutted a
few steps ahead and threw her companion then an
encouragingly "Meep" counter. Roland smiled
at her and went after
her. "So I know my Kyndle." he thought to himself. To see her happy
again took him a big load of the soul. Roland walked with
a leisurely pace on the dirt road, while he
let his gaze thoughtfully glide over the wide enclosure.
But he turned his attention a little surprised to Kyndle.
She was walking right
beside him and leaned her head softly purring
on his shoulder.
He drove with his arm under her jaw through
and kept his hand on her cheek. With slight pressure
he pressed her to him. The female closed her
eyes and purred happily excited on. Again
this strange smell
rose to his nostrils. He thought no more about
it. Together they crossed a long bridge that led
across a brown pen. After the transfer, the landscape changed to an open green area. Individual trees and shrubs found
its way into the wide enclosure. They walked along
the fence when suddenly a strange
dragon appeared behind
and stuck his head over the edge of the boundary.
Curious about, the animal sniffed the air and turned his attention to the orange-red female.Roland stand remained
with Kyndle and let her go easily
frightened when he saw the
brown scaly face.
Tense he looked into the emerald green eyes of
the head. The dragon had dark brown scales,
even to the nostrils
the color changed more of a matte black. Two single gray horns crowned the
forehead of the animal. The lighter breast shed
he turned to
acting skillfully as he stood in a proud attitude. Raised
his head, he spread his lowered
wings and gave a loud "Chirp" of himself. A subsequent deep
cooing was yet
to hear from him. At that moment, another dragon hissed between.
Roland turned frightened
to the new one. There
were hardly detect
differences between the two. He
therefore assumed that they belong to the same species. The second dragon had the
same appearance, he was only slightly larger than
his colleague and from his head lit
small rubies. The second dragon hissed at the first
again and demonstrated with a threatening growl his razor-sharp teeth.
The first is
the left not just
like and also
moved into an aggressive stance against the counterparty. Both dragon fought
bare an embittered
look duel, accompanied
by alternating growl and bared teeth. Roland
watched this tense
drama. After no one left
intimidated by both, they changed their strategy.
Both raised their heads and stood upright
in front of the fence down.
The wings slightly raised they unfolded
their bright brown
wing membranes, stretched the tail straight back.
A deep and booming
cooing was heard by
the two dragons, which looked encouragingly at Kyndle. The young man realized now
that both campaigned fiercely for the favor of his companion. He nudged
his dragoness slightly.
"Hey. I think they talk to you." he said
to her. But Kyndle gave no heed to their
efforts. She held her head with closed eyes curled on Roland and
purred softly to
herself. After some time, both males slowly lowered
their heads because
they got no attention
from the female. Roland saw the two skeptical
after as they
retreated, their faces downcast inclined.
"She has
granted them not even a quick look." he thought to himself as he looked at Kyndle. "What is
merely wrong with her?" he said to himself, as
he sat down again on the move.
The dragoness leaned
further against his
shoulder as they walked to the farm. Once on the large forecourt in front of the central building Kyndle
sparked something of her companion and
walked a little way ahead. "Hello Roland," cried Clara aloud from the entrance
of the main house, when she noticed
the two on the far
place. A broad smile adorn
her face. Kyndle lifted
her head and sent a welcoming treatment "Meep" back. Roland smiled
and waved to her. The female ran toward Clara
and stopped directly in front of her. Barnabas assistant
held an open hand against the dragoness for
greeting, accompanied by a warm smile. Kyndle leaned
her muzzle with a joyful snort short against the
offered hand and
added a cheerful "Chirp"
to. "Well if that is not my little friend?" Clara said to the female
and smiled at her. "How big you have almost grown?" she added in amusement. The dragoness saw
Clara with open eyes and gave a playful "Churr"
by herself, there she stuck the tip of her tongue out of the mouth.Roland had now caught up and stood next
to the two in front of the entrance.
Clara turned to him. "Master Barnabas is
not in the house." she began.
"If you want to talk to him,
you have to come back in three days."
she explained with obliquely down the head
and held out three
fingers outstretched. The young man held up a hand repellent. "It's
ok. I actually wanted to talk with you." he
said, tossing the assistant a questioning
look. Clara smiled at him,
holding her green eyes fixed on him.
"With me?" she asked, slightly hesitant. Roland nodded again,
smiling. ...... In a lonely and
dark cave, not far from the border to Parem, two figures
had gathered. Which sat around a small flickering
fire. One of them poked with a stick wildly in
the embers. "Only an order!" cursed the man to his
cronies. "ONE SHITTY ORDER! This were his
words!" he added with anger
and threw angry
the short wooden
stick into the fire. The flames
startled easily and
gave the dark cave a short
bright shimmer. The
shadow of darkness withdrew
briefly from the
faces of the men. "Calm
down, Torben." soothed him his colleague, directed
his weary pale eyes on him. Torben twitched angrily back
and forth. "Larzarus has
said. Only an order and we are finished!"
vigorously he held a finger over the flames, held out to his colleagues. "And where has that brought us?" he
added sarcastically, as he stood
up with outstretched arms slightly away of
the fire. "We're sitting here at the ass of the world!" Frantically
he turned and went
with his upscale fist to his cronies. "On
the run after nearly five years in captivity
by a sadistic fat
man!" With a menacing look he
saw him breathing
heavily deep into the pale eyes.
"AND I SHOULD CALM DOWN!?" he
asked with anger after. His colleague slowly raised
his head and looked at him
seriously. "Yes." he said calmly. Torben sat down again
by the fire, his head resting on his hand, breathing heavily. "He has not
made a single attempt." He lifted his face and
looked over the flames to his colleagues. "Not
one! Aaros."
he added, raising thereby a
forefinger.Aaros turned his gaze to
Torben. "That is because he is no
longer the Larzarus that he once was." With raised eyebrows he
looked at his colleague skeptically.
"What do you mean?" Aaros saw his cronies thoughtfully.
"Have you not noticed it?"
he asked. "What
noticed?" hacked Torben by. "Something about him was different than we
last saw him, somehow
strange." Tense he held his clenched
hand to his mouth. "I could not see it clearly, but it seemed like he was not himself. This Kargesh certainly
has something to do with it.""And what do
you think we should do now?" Torben asked
determinative. Aaros saw to his colleague with
a smile. "Well, my friend, it`s very simple. We will add us to the
course of destiny and ask for a king's forgiveness." he said calmly. Torben
left slightly shocked
noticed open his mouth. ...... "I
don`t get the point." Roland began a little
perplexed. "She had not even
considered this dragons
with her tail
end." He stopped and turned to Kyndle. "I
would have expected that she somehow
agreed with them, even if she rejects
them." Thoughtfully, he looked at the orange-red
female. Kyndle looked
at her companion with
an awakened glance and sent him a happy cooing,
accompanied by a slight turquoise
glitter. Clara closed thoughtful her eyes. After a short deliberation,
she turned to Roland. "The way you describe it, it could be that she still
has no interest in a partner." she began. "Or she have
already chosen one." she added thoughtfully and
kept thereby a finger to her chin. "The only
question is for whom?" she
added. "That would interest me
too." said Roland and turned to Clara. "Because
until now she has
not allow another dragon to herself."The young man walked up to his female dragon, holding a hand to her cheek, gazing deeply into her blue eyes
directed. A thin ring
of turquoise retired to the dilated pupils.
Kyndle began to
purr softly as she felt his hand on her head.
"And what do
you say?" Roland asked with
a broad smile. Kyndle looked at him with a wet look, her heart was
beating fast. But how paralyzed she could give him no answer. The nervousness
was just too big at
the moment. The female dragon
crouched on the floor, her head tilted to one side slightly embarrassed, but always keeping eye
contact with her companion.
Only their light purr
came from her throat. After a short time Roland pulled his hand back and
turned his gaze to Clara. "She probably
has no interest now."
he said, slightly disappointed at her. "Whatever."
he said as he turned and walked toward a
little on Clara. "We
should now slowly back to Daniel. An
appointment in the castle is
still on the list." he
added. "Thank you for your time.
We certainly see
you again soon." he said to
Barnabas assistant and shown a goodbye with a wave at her. "Come
Kyndle." He said to the female and began to go
ahead. Clara waved smiling
back at Roland, but then turned
to Kyndle. She had the dragoness closely
watched and began to smile
with closed eyes.Kyndle rose slightly
hesitant, lowered her head a little sad as she went behind Roland.
She paused a bit shocked when she suddenly noticed Clara's hand on her
shoulder. Interrogative she
looked into the green eyes of the blond person.
This smiled warmly
at the dragoness and stroked her
gently on the
head. "A good choice you made there." she
spoke softly to the female.
Kyndle briefly closed her eyes and cooed
softly, followed by a weak "Chirp". "Do not be discouraged now." she began confidently. "Your
time will come. Just have a little patience." she added with a wink and smiled
at the female. With a cheery "Meep" the dragoness turned
and stalked behind her companion. Clara looked
after her with crossed
arms and held her head while a slight angle. "Good
luck Kyndle." she spoke softly and waved
after them. After a short walk they arrived back at
Daniel. This easy
waited impatiently beside the car and had
his foot nervously rattle on the ground. He
sat up quickly when he noticed
the two. "There you are again." He climbed into the driver's seat and
gave the young man
a questioning look. "Did
you get your questions answered?"
he asked with a
slight smile on his face. Roland
nodded once in
agreement. "Yes, all right so
far." he replied and sat down beside him. Kyndle made it herself comfortable on the back. "Now then, on to the castle." Daniel said, and put the car in motion. ......Torben walked nervously
in the cave up and
down. "Of course! Just like
that through the gates to the throne!" he groused
to himself and waved
it with his hands. "Then a cheerful obeisance
before the crown.
And at the same time we say: Sorry for your dad!" he
added sarcastically and knelt with outstretched hands to the front, slightly
grimaced. He straightened
up again walked with a pointing
finger at his comrade. "And just so
on the edge." he began angrily. "We're
broken out of his prison, only just a few days
ago." he grumbled on. Aaros looked at him
puzzled, shaking his head with his hand held to his forehead. Torben turned his back
on him again and held one forefinger
stretched upward. "Oh, but we can apologize us for
that, too. He will cut us heads only once and
not twice." he
said angrily and stretched his colleagues against
two fingers. The man at the fire remained still shaking
his head, held his hand to his forehead.
"Come sit down and get some air.
In your current state of your mind
you make me just nervous." he said calmly and
looked into the flickering flames.
Somewhat hesitantly Torben took next to the
fire place again and exhaled heavily. Slowly
his breathing calmed and it came back
a little silence in
the cave. Some
moments both sat
silently at the fire. "Was actually a good train of you." Torben began.
"What?" replied Aaros surprised and looked
at him questioningly. "Well,
that with the cell
door and the guard. I did not expect that
you can do something like that, and then even without your
rod." he added praise
and grinned at
him through the flames. His
colleague shook his head with closed eyes. "That
was not my work." he explained.
"What do you mean?" hooked Torben curiously
after. "Did you forgotten it? The arkansulfate had
blocked my access. Inside the prison I
couldn`t act magic, even if I had had my staff."
he replied. "Who, or what was it then?" Torben asked again."Before our escape, I had a spiritual appearance in
my dreams." began Aaros. "The figure was wearing an orange-red robe and walked out of
a ring of flames to
me. He spoke of a companion
and that we should go to the king." Thoughtfully
he gazed into the flickering glow of the fire. "Companion?"
Torben interrupted him with a grin. "Do you
speak merely of this stupid prophecy?"
Aaros looked at him seriously. "This is not a silly fairy tale." he hissed over the
flames. "This stranger has
opened my eyes, and he was the one who allowed
us to escape." he added,
glancing at his comrades demanding. Torben held both hands
opened upward. "Ok let's go on the assumption that everything is true." he started skeptical. "If this
guy was talking about both of us,
why is he only appeared to you in
a dream?" he asked his
cronies. Aaros grinned
at him. "In your bulb is
probably going to
be little." he said, amused and laughed
softly to himself. Torben contorted his face sullenly
and silently looked into the flames. Aaros looked at his colleague confident. "Trust
me, my friend." he said. Torben hesitantly lifted
his gaze from the fire. "I trust you, but
of this prophecy box
I'm not convinced." he said uncertainly, looking Aaros here in the dull eyes. This
gave him a smile. "Will go right." he added encouragingly. "Oh! One more thing." came questioning by Torben. "How do
you intend to bring us actually
after Drakensang?" he hacked at. Aaros
raised his arm over the flames and showed his colleague a white chessman.
He saw the little tower in his hand and
looked at his companion. "Just like last time." he said with a wink, and
turned the figure on the fire. ...... Blue flags moving
in the wind playfully, which easily took
over the tower
spiers. A guard walked on the battlements along and noticed a lonely
car on the road. The
sighting of the bridge watch was quickly reported that
pulled a big lever
immediately. The metallic rattle of large gears
could be heard, while slowly lowered the heavy
drawbridge. With a thud the moat was now passable."We will already expected." Daniel said
to his co-driver, pointing forward to the up -rising portcullis.
Roland looked tense
up on the walls. Between
the battlements are curious faces showed. The
soldiers behind the entrance took
a close skeptical look on the
group. Daniel pulled the car over the small
courtyard to the main building.
He brought the vehicle
next to the fountain in the center of the square to stop. Roland rose
hesitant from the car and looked around in surprise. Kyndle did the same and
stood behind her companion. Both
were clearly uncomfortable, quite in the center of attention. "The entrance to the throne room
is over there." Daniel began, pointing with his outstretched index finger a lower stairs
up to a larger input. Roland looked up at the
gate, two guards were
posted before. He glanced at Daniel and
nodded silently. "I'll
wait here for you." added this
and smiled at him confidently. With small steps, the young man and his dragoness
went up the short
flight of stairs. He looked up at
the entrance and swallowed
hard again. The
two guards before talking allowed. Roland walked
up to them. One of the guards
had directed his
gaze to his colleagues. "And then I said
to her, baby! If
you want even
have it right ..."
He broke off as his buddy pointed with his head
to the young man. Both stood up straight
and looked at him in silence. They were armed with magnificent halberds. The dark matte armor
were provided with numerous battle scars. Blue coats
were hanging down from the shoulders. The closed visors of the horned
helmets let them look like statues.Once inhaled deeply,
he made a bold step approach to the open gate. Quick
as a flash, the sharp edges of
the halberds crossed in front of his face and
blocked his passage. Startled, he stepped back, Kyndle then took an
aggressive stance against the
guards and gave a menacing
growl. Without a
reaction to show the
soldiers kept their
weapons rod further
crossed. "What do you think where you going?" asked a guard determinative. Roland
looked nervous in
the shaded slits
of the helmet. Reluctantly, he took out the letter
of the king from his coat pocket and held it out to him.The unblinking eyes of the guard scrutinized the document carefully. He nodded his colleagues on it once
and at the same time they withdrew their weapons.
"You will already expected Roland." he
said then. The young man turned to his companion, this looked
the guards still very suspiciously. He held her
nose and looked deeply into her eyes. "Calm
down." he spoke as he had eye contact. The black slots
of the pupil resumed a rounded shape and
a small turquoise shimmer appeared. "Everything's
fine. They let us pass now." he whispered
to her and stroking her gently over the head.
The dragoness closed
cooing her eyes and let out a
small "Churr" of
herself. He turned to the entrance and walked
slowly round. His companion
followed him slightly hesitant. She looked both
guards still short
and snorted at
them before she went through the
door. One of the guards looked the dragoness after
a moment and then turned to his colleagues. "I used to have a dragon as a companion like him. Then one of these
beasts had bite me in the knee..."The sumptuous furnishings
of the entrance area left Roland breathe amazed.
A small marble fountain
decorated centers. On the walls of the room
hung round the
painted faces of the former kings. It seemed almost as followed
the gaze of painting the young man and his companion. Surprised, he swung
his head back and forth, his eyes always sliding
from one image to the next. Before
a work of art, he remained standing
thoughtfully. Kyndle also responded and
sniffed curiously at the portrait. Then an
elderly man was seen. He wore a crown on his
head drawn with
gray hair and looked proud with his yellow-green eyes out of
the wooden frame on the wall. Behind him was a white
dragon to see, the green eyes stood out literally
from the image. On the golden shield including curved letters were
engraved. "Hector the
Fourth and partner
Katara." was written. "Partner?" Roland repeated the words easily
confused in his mind. He glanced at Kyndle,
this also looked
at him and sent him purring softly a light turquoise
shimmer contrary. He raised his hand and
so approached her
head. The female slowly began to close her eyes
and purred softly
on. When he touched
her velvet shed she leaned slightly against his hand. She opened her
eyes dreamily and took with her
companion eye contact. Roland
saw the small turquoise
rings around her pupils flashed and slowly
approached her head. Kyndles
heart was pounding like crazy. The eyes happily closed
and face tilted slightly to the side, she also came up to him. A brief moment
stood still between
her lips. A loud hawking let
both wince slightly.
Startled Roland shook
his head again and looked again at the
painting in front of him, before
he turned to the new voice. Kyndle exhaled
hard and let her
throat while a
low, rather plaintive "Meep" escape. "Do the gentlemen have an appointment?" asked the person upright. His clothes quickly
revealed that he
belonged to the service personnel. The arms held
behind his back and
lifted his nose, he stood quietly, waiting for
a response. Roland took a moment
to organize his
thoughts back to. "Um, yes." he
began hesitantly, pulling the King's letter from his coat pocket.
"That should explain everything."
he said, holding out the paper roll. The butler nodded
once. "Good. This way please." he spoke and turned his arm
forward pointing to, without looking at the letter. Kyndle and Roland
followed his hasty steps and looked through
against each other once questioningly. The butler led both to a large door. With a
slight effort he braced himself
against the gate halves and pressed it on the
inside. A faint creaking could be heard as they
pushed to the side and freely
gave way to the
throne room. Before long carpet that led to the
base of the large marble chair stood a man in armor
flaked and a blue
cloak. With a faint smile he greeted the
young man and his female dragon with a long head nod.It was Mardon. He held
an open hand and glancing
at the butler. "It's
alright. I'll take it from here." he spoke calmly
to him and then
turned back to Roland and Kyndle. The staff
made a stooped gesture
with the upper body and withdrew
quietly. "Is long ago? What?" he greeted the
young man and smiled at him.
"Mardon? Is that you?" Roland
asked a little uncertain. The demand nodded
once in agreement. "Have just shot up
properly." added Mardon amusement. "What you
can claim your dragon
too." he said. Kyndle looked at him
with a sprightly look and gave a welcoming
treatment "Chirp" by herself,
followed by a contented cooing. Mardon kept inviting
one arm stretched
out and turned it around to the throne. "Come,
it is time." he said, and made
the first steps
forward. Roland went
down beside him. Kyndle closely followed him to
the side. Slightly nervous she
looked around in the
large and long
hall. "Why should I come?" asked the young man. "In the letter
I read some of my concerns,
but such I have not." he said confused. "Listen to me good now Roland." Mardon began
seriously as they continue approached the throne. "The letter
is from me. You should come here so that we determine
how to proceed." He paused,
holding out a hand on his shoulder. "King
Harkin knows about
you." he said calmly.
Roland's eyes widened slightly scared. "Three
other companions have been rise, so I informed him of it." he explained. "I hope you're not angry,
therefore to me." he added
and walked on again. Roland stopped shortly.
"Other companions?" he thought to himself. Kyndle
nudged him on the shoulder and turned her blue
eyes on him. He smiled warmly at the
dragoness. "It's all
right." he said softly to her and also went on
to the throne. The
female nodded with closed eyes
and followed him with
a satisfied coo. On the magnificent marble chair sat an elderly
man. The golden crown concealed most of his hair,
but individual already streaked with
gray crept out from under.
He wore a blue drapery,
with numerous ornaments.
The small embellishments
were incorporated with golden fibers into
clothing. Many of the patterns exhibited
draconic features. Around his neck he wore
a visibly thicker
silver chain on which there was a white dragon
claw.The king was talking with a
person in a gray frock. This stood with his back to them. As they grew walked closer to the base,
the two turned to the guests. The stranger pulled the hood back and looked at
Roland tired. A
faint smile graced the wrinkled face of the man. Roland looked at him slightly confused. "Take
it easy." said Mardon and patted him once
encouragingly on the shoulder, then he walked beside
the throne. The young man had to swallow once empty.
A little nervousness began to rise in
him. Kyndle stood
beside him and nudged him with her nose briefly to
the source. Slightly
surprised he looked at her.
With a soft cooing met him her eyes and
pulled his little panic back down. A warm
smile graced his face as he looked gratefully in the brilliant touch of turquoise in her eyes
and held a hand to
her cheek. "May I introduce." Mardon
began, his eyes fixed on the king. "Roland from
the house of Daventry and his
draconic companion Kyndle." He
gestured with his hand to the two
guests and threw a
quick smile to Roland. The young
man bowed saluting in front of the ruler. His
dragoness did the same and lowered her head also.
The king nodded affirmatively
to both. "Companion?" was given surprised by the person in the gray cowl. "Then a
imprinting took place?" he asked. "According to the
information from Barnabas? Yes." said Mardon. "And
where will this dwarf
know what it has
on an imprint?" continued the older
man in between. "In
my opinion, he is just a better doctor
than a magician." he added, looking at the female. The dragoness read
her slightly askance between the new people swing
back and forth. Kyndle briefly looked slightly nervous to Roland.
Encouragingly, he nods to the female
and smiled slightly. With a barely audible cooing
she sent him a short
turquoise shimmer before she turned back
to the strangers.The king was sitting quietly
in his marble
chair and watched
the dragoness exactly. Thoughtfully, he held the white dragon claw
around his neck between
forefinger and thumb
and turned it slowly in his hand. The man in the
gray cowl raised
his voice again. "Only the Sorati and the priests of the Five known the imprint
ritual." he spoke
loudly in the hall. He raised his hand towards Roland and Kyndle.
"Where do you want to know therefore whether
there is a relation between these two really?" he asked in the room."Without a doubt." said the
king, rising from his throne.
The plaintive words
of the cowl support silent on it. "Do
you believe them?" asked
the older man the ruler. Harkin accused
the priest to a tired look. "Can`t
you see it Janosh?" he asked, slightly
skeptical. "What should I see you highness?"
added Janosh somewhat at a loss. "Great Priest of the Five! This guy
knows just as much from imprinting as I from planting flowers!" Mardon thought to
himself as he once shook his head and
rolled his eyes. The king now turned
his attention to the female. "There
is this certain
spark." he began.
"Usually very difficult to detect.
Just when their
eyes meet."Roland was speechless at the moment. It was never
even occurred to him that this glitter in Kyndles eyes was
visible in his as well. But
at the moment he wondered more, where the king
had this knowledge. "What gives you the assurance that
it has to do with the imprint?" asked the priest again between.
"As we have already learned, is Roland
also susceptible to magic. The origin of
this glitter could also arise therefrom." Harkin
sat back down, closed his hand tightly around the white claw. "I
do not see this for the first time
Janosh." said the king. "This spark was
also shared by Hector and Katara." He opened
his hand and looked at the
claw as he
spoke the name of the dragoness. Mardon breathed
heavily.Roland and Kyndle
looked at each other confused. When he heard both names he saw again the image
from the hall in thought. The man in the
gray cowl was
curt, but then took
a step toward the king. "Your
father has done
with his binding on this dragon no favors, Harkin."
he spoke aloud and
pointed a finger outstretched toward him. A slight anger could be
heard in his voice. "We
have advised him against it, but he could not be
moved to senses." Abruptly
he turned his back to the ruler and
walked away a few paces from him. "After we
did not want to implement the
ritual he went to the Sorati, which granted
him his wish." The head thoughtfully lowered
he turned back to the throne. "And what
has become of it? When the hunters
killed Katara, also your father died. After
which this house has been called to battle against the Order.
Which in turn Daracoss plunged into a bloody war, which is why ... "."ENOUGHT! NOW!" Harkin cried loudly
as he abruptly rose from the marble chair.
The eyebrows contracted angry he looked at the man with clenched fists. Roland and
Kyndle jumped startled,
while the echo of
the King echoed in the main hall."A really bad time to poke around in
old wounds! Janosh!" Harkin said, with
a determining wording. Directed the gaze
to the priest, he breathed cumbersome out
and held his hand tightly around the white claw. Roland saw the ruler
of tense. Janosh fell silent in shock and saw his
king a moment in
silence. Shortly after, he
lowered submissively his forehead.
"Forgive me Harkin." he began calmly.
"It was not my intention ...". "All right." interrupted the king. Held
up a hand, he sat on the throne. "I thought it would be a good idea
today to have a
priest of the five there." Easy thoughtful
he saw the man in
the gray cowl
on. "This has
probably turned out more than a bad idea." "You can now remove Janosh." said the ruler and waved a
hand to the side. The priest made with
folded arms a forward-leaning
movement. "As you
wish." he said a little
disappointed at his gesture and turned
around then. On the way to the entrance he looked
at Roland quite
decisive. "We'll meet
again." he whispered and disappeared without
further words behind the gate.
The young man looked confused by Janosh, whose words
he repeated in his mind. "What he probably
wanted to suggest?" he asked himself."What do she mean to you?" echoed the voice of the
king again through the hall.
Roland turned his attention back to the front surprised. Harkin was sitting in
his marble chair,
lowered his head, he looked at the claw in
his hand. Slightly nervous he looked at his companion. This looked at him also
and closed half the
eyes, which was accompanied
by a short turquoise shimmer.
"What she means
to me?" he asked himself mentally
as he looked at the female. He put a hand on
her neck and immediately
felt a gentle vibration, which came from her
quiet purr. The king lifted his
gaze from the white claw high on the young man. "What
justifies your imprint?"
hacked by Harkin,
as he stood up and walked toward both. Roland
looked at the ruler slightly confused. Kyndle
waved her head to
her companion and gave with
closed eyes, a faint cooing from herself.Mardon out a hand to the king held. "Wait sir,
ye have misunderstood something." he began.
Harkin saw his fighter
suspiciously. "And what would that be?" he asked. "Roland
has not chosen an
imprint like your father did. This
connection exists since he
has found the
female." said Mardon.The ruler remained thoughtful a hand over
his mouth as he walked back to his throne. "Now."
he began quietly,
as he sat down again. "The fate has probably
something with you two before, as may be deemed an imprint as necessary."
he looked at the young man and his dragoness apologetically.
"Forgive me my little direct question earlier,
I thought you decided
so easily." "There is nothing to forgive
my lord." Roland began slowly and
saw the king while smiling at. "It was surprising for me too, when I heard about these imprint the first
time. As I realized, it was until now a
very unusual experience." he explained. "It brings such a binding with
it." drove Harkin at.
Thoughtfully, he turned his white claw between the
fingers. "It affects mainly to
share wanted things, but also just as often uncomfortable
with each other." Lost in deep thoughts, he closed his hand around the claw and looked slightly sad
at the ceiling. "However,
the effects are dependent on the
intensity of this binding.""Changing the subject." came from Mardon
between. "Now for the reason for your being here." he said to Roland and
looked at him while confident of. "Right."
the king said, nodding to his fighter once. "As
you may have already heard of Mardon, have with you already appeared four companions. And my
gut tells me that the last one not wait
long in coming." Harkin said, pointing briefly to Roland. "I therefore consider it appropriate to you a little prepare for the upcoming." Roland looked at
the king a little confused and
had his eyes briefly sliding to Mardon.
This nodded once
to mute. "Preparing?
On what?" he
asked. Harkin smiled
with closed eyes in front of him.
"For your trip.
What, so the
prophecy it will does not want be
quite safe." he explained. At this moment a servant entered the room and strode hastily approached the
king. He handed him a slip of paper, which was
viewed seriously by Harkin. The Emperor
closed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Good." He began seriously. "I'm
needed to go somewhere else."
he continued, looking at Roland. "Mardon will regulate everything else." he turned to the
messenger. "Let's go." he spoke, and together they left the
room. "Then we bring
you once in shape."
Mardon said aloud in front of him as he walked toward the entrance. Roland
saw his companion quizzically. This returned
her gaze with a faint cooing
and nudged him here
with closed eyes with the nose on. He smiled
at her and gestured with his head the fighters
afterwards, whereupon both followed suit. ......
On a wide street
was a lonely traveler
and looked seriously
at the city lying before her. "Finally!"
she cleared her throat loudly while
her gaze fell on the white
walls of the numerous build roofs .
"It's time to take some things
clear." she muttered to herself and walked toward the city. ...... With a powerful jolt Mardon
came across the door into the courtyard. "We do
not know much about the other companions."
He began. "My
research has promoted not really usable
information to days. Only that Arkas has apparently chosen
a dwarf." Roland drew his eyebrows questioningly together. "A dwarf?" he asked. "Yes.
He is hear on the
name Kumasch Gor and came from the Shared
Mountain. Number Three is an elven woman
that should be available on some wanted list near the top. A right name or a location we have not been able to
find out. And the fourth is only known that this is a
magician." "What a trip that will be
actually?" Roland asked impatiently. "The trip to Sorlacom, the
great cathedral of the Five."
said Mardon. "According
to the legend, the companions will meet
there after all have
received their consecration." In the yard, he stopped and turned around to
Roland and Kyndle.
"So now, to you." With
a sly grin, he looked
at both of them. The young man and his dragoness also stopped
and looked at each other briefly confused. ...... "Such
a damn shit!"
grumbled Torben panting in front of him, as he
completely exhausted leaning against a tree. "Do not stop!" called Aaros to him. "How the heck
did they find us?" Torben gasped as he caught up
to his comrade. "It
was just a matter of time." he
replied. Both ran on
through the dense forest. The
sounds of their pursuers far behind them.
In a clearing Aaros suddenly stopped. His colleague took a few steps past him and fell on his knees,
breathing deeply. He braced his hands on the ground and looked back. "Why
do you stop?" he asked. "Shhh!" hissed Aaros and
held out a hand. Held
his head slightly inclined, he listened to the trees.
A hiss here,
a crack there and
next steps behind them. "What is?" Torben asked impatiently. His companion looked at him with his dull eyes
seriously. "We're
surrounded." he spoke softly.
Dejected left of
the kneeling man lowered his face to the
front. "Then that's it
probably with our escape." came softly from Torben. Aaros
moved towards his colleagues and put a hand on his
shoulder. "Not quite my
friend." he said encouragingly
to him and glancing
at the little figure in his hand. "Then Go!" Torben spoke loudly and
closed both eyes and clenched his hands into
fists. Aaros nodded once. He pushed the figure
into his hand until it broke together. The
fragments then he threw on the ground. The
splitter turned into black smoke that completely
enveloped the two men. "Oh I hate that." muttered Torben angrily
to himself. His colleague smiled slightly. "Get
ready for a curtsy." he said, amused. The dark cloud began
to rotate around
both. This movement has been steadily faster until a bright light broke
through the mist and shot up into the sky."Here they are," cried a deep voice
from the thicket. Shortly thereafter
were six armored
men around the black
cloud. The blades pulled they waited for battle that
the veil lay down. The dark shadow broke up and remained but a few
footprints. "By the Five! Not again such a ruse!"
grumbled one of the soldiers. "Go
swarm out! No one goes home until these
bastards are found!" ordered
the leader. The group
Split up and disappeared
into the forest. ...... Mardon clapped his hands
and rubbed then
both palms together, accompanied by a weak grin.
"Then the King has offered his full support." he began with a smile.
"I have made some thoughts by myself on how we can implement this best."
Roland and his
dragoness looked at each other confused. "The legends are talking about a
threat." Mardon began and looked
at both with a
slight grin. "And I thought to myself, some
preparation for dangerous matters
could not hurt." He smirked slightly
and crossed his arms. "It is not supposed to be another similar scene as five years ago
in this alley. Or?"Roland lowered his forehead and those days
immediately called to mind. As a reflex, he grabbed his hand
to the left shoulder. "No." he murmured
softly, slightly turned his head to the side. The
next moment he looked at Kyndle. His eyes fell on her left foreleg. Her
wound was completely healed, only the lighter color
of the scales in the affected area
still remembered it.
The female saw her
companion questioningly, she
added with a soft cooing. Roland remembered reluctantly at this
moment she was gone. These thoughts also brought
back this empty and desolate feeling
which he felt at the time.
This oppressive fear
of losing her and never see her again. Scary he came to
himself. Slightly confused, he looked
around. He felt the nose of a
female dragon on
his hand, which was clutching
his left shoulder. Relieved, he let out a breath as he looked back into
the luminous flash of her blue eyes. He loosened
the grip on his shoulder and put his hand on her
cheek. A soft purr of her was the response
to his touch."Or?" Mardon ask
again. Slowly Roland
took his hand from her head and turned to the fighters. "Yes." he was
sober by himself
and took a strong
breath before looking at his
dragoness again. "Never
again." he muttered softly to himself. Mardon held both hands
apart opened. "Then it is my pleasure
to inform you that you will be taught here
in Drakensang immediately
by the best
armorer in Parem."
Roland looked at
him skeptically. Kyndle gave
also a questioning "Chirp" of herself.Mardon looked at the two confused. "Not a good proposal?" he asked as he scratched the back
of his head. "Do not be so skeptical.
He really knows
his way around, and has given me much..." He trailed off as
he thoughtfully looked
up in the sky. A quick black cloud withdrew swiftly
over the tiles and
fell in the
courtyard. In the center it
circled briefly before
build up itself. "Stay
where you are!" Mardon said determining and
cautiously approached the cloud. Shortly after joining a short flash of light in
the dark veil. Roland
followed the curious
gleam in his gaze.
The cloud began to
rotate again until
it expanded and eventually
disbanded. Leaving only two men in ragged clothes. This
looked just a
little dazed back and forth.Roland and Kyndle
crossed her eyes briefly.
"Who are these two fellows?" he asked himself in thought. The female once
snorted strong and gave finally a quick
"Chirp" of herself. Roland
could not resist his smile as he looked at
it himself. For
him it was still a little strange,
since they much paying
attention due to the imprint
out of his thoughts and memories. The fact that it worked in the opposite direction, he knew, but he could retrieve it never
aware of until now.Kyndle returned his questioning
gaze and gave an affirmative
"Meep" by herself, accompanied by a short turquoise shimmer of her deep blue eyes. Roland
came back from his thoughts and even shook it upside down. As two
men are finally
emerged from the black cloud. Mardon saw the figures
appeared suspiciously. All eyes on the stranger
he took a few steps toward her. One of them sank exhausted on his knees and coughed
clumsy to himself. He turned his face to
his colleague. "I
guess I'll never get used to it." he said with
a smile and began to sit up. With eyes
closed, he exhaled in relief. "Well at least we have
this guys finally.. Oh ..." He broke off as
he opened his eyes and looked at
Mardon. He had placed
his hand on the grip of his weapon and looked
ready, made to
take these also. "Who are you?" Mardon asked quite decisive, kept
his fingers tightly around the handle of his blade. The
first of the men looked a little perplexed his colleague,
who immediately lifted both hands. "You will not need your weapon." started this. He turned
his dim eyes on the fighter. "For this
time we do not count to your enemies." he
said with a faint smile on his
lips. Mardon looked at him
slightly skeptical and let his eyes
between the two back and forth restlessly. "Who are you? And what do you mean with this time?" he asked.Some more soldiers
joined the Confederation. Mardon signified with his arm sophisticated, to be ready at some
distance. The first of the stranger
looked frantically at the guards. "Great.
From the eaves in
the shit." he bleated silently. The
elder shook his head again
at the remark
of his companion and walked a few steps to
Mardon. He stopped
when he took a young man with an orange red
dragon on its side in inspection.Mardon withdrew his blade
slightly from the scabbard. "I only ask one more time! Who are you and what are you doing
here?" was determinative
of him, accompanied
by a penetrating look into the
clouded pupil of
the man. The stranger let out a
breath and looked calmly back into the
rigid green eyes of
the fighter. "My name is
Aaros." he began.
With one hand he pointed to his colleague, who still looked around wildly. "And my little nervous friend
here is Torben." he continued. Mardon looked
at the second man searchingly. He seemed distracted,
but mainly exhausted.
He widened his
eyes in astonishment as he looked
at his face more closely. A reddish scar pulled
across his right eye and the nose. At the base of the neck he noticed darker patches,
like a tattoo. Mardon drew his eyebrows
together seriously. "You are the two hunters that I have collected in
Stronos." he said aloud. "Then Korban
was right, and they
are actually fled
from his kingdom." he muttered to himself. Roland tore astonished
his eyes and glancing thoughtfully at the two men. Aaros noticed the look
of the young man and waved with his eyes
to him. "And this must be the companion?" Mardon quickly came back from
his thoughts when he heard him.
"How do you think to know that?"
he asked him determinative.
"I do not need to know."
he began easily
grin. "You have just confirmed my assumption." he pointed with a gesture on Roland's right hand back.
"And this charming emblem was also a little help." Roland held his
left hand in front of his rights and made a small step backwards.
Kyndle turned slightly
side to him and threw
Aaros a menacing look,
accompanied by a slightly audible growl. Somewhat
surprised Roland lifted his gaze to the older
man. This seemed unimpressed by the gesture of the dragoness and looked
behind him. "What
do you want from me?" the young man
asked hesitantly. Aaros took a breath
with closed eyes. "It's not about what I want, or Torben."
he began quietly.
He smiled at him weakly.
"Still what you
want." he pointed to the companion
and strode back to his colleague. Roland breathed
out confused and looked inquiringly at his
companion, who replied, surprised his view
also. Mardon took his hand from his weapon and glanced to Roland
and his dragoness
before turning on them again, the two men appeared.
"How do you mean that?"
he prompted demanding. "Just as I said."
answered Aaros quiet.
"We are here as we were told by.
The rest is up to the companion." He spoke and looked
at Roland."How can that be up to me?" Roland said.
He knew these two men not once, and they should be here because
of him. "That makes no sense."
he went on thinking. Kyndle gave a clearly
audible "Chirp" of
herself as she noticed the uncertainty of her companion. She went up to him and rested
her forehead on his. Roland felt the gentle
vibrations that emanated from her quiet purr and closed his eyes gratefully.His mind voice retreated
slowly until he could
only hear her heartbeat. ...... A calming silence settled
over the area. He heard only his breathing and this from his dragoness. Roland opened the eyes, and to his surprise, around him and Kyndle it was dark. The female
looked at him slightly confused and added a
faint "Meep" to it. He held out a hand to her forehead and
looked at her smiling. "Calm
down." He spoke softly and looked into her eyes
slightly anxious. A rather unpleasant, but him familiar
feeling rose in him. Which
was reinforced by a deep and slow breathing in
the dark distance.
A not it strange rumbling sound made
itself felt. Slowly this noise intensified.
Roland could feel
it in his body. The
air around him seemed to pulsate. The symbol on Roland's hand back
began to glow slightly. Kyndle gave a
surprised "Meep" of
herself as she noticed the bright blue glow of
her companion. This remained thoughtful his hand in front of his face. With eyes closed, he
lowered his forehead. "It's that time again." he thought
to himself. Then he jumped when suddenly a mighty
flame appeared in
the void and ordered in the shape of a
circle. The female snarled
scared of the
fire ring. Roland
held her confident
a hand on the back. "Take it easy Kyndle." he reassured her. "Your destiny! Your decision!" the
deep voice echoed through the shadows,
before a figure stepped
through the flames in an orange-red robe.
Again decorated with
the symbols as he had also Roland on the
back of the hand. The young man looked at the phenomenon skeptically. Something felt odd. He
had his final decisions always have to take alone. And now was his dragoness
with him here. The figure stepped
forward and Roland aimed his faceless shadow
on him, both hands retracted into
the other sleeve. "You
know what my appearance means?" said the apparition. Roland looked at him soberly.
"Because I have again to come for a decision?" he said slightly sarcastically. "No." replied the figure. "Because
YOU TWO have come to a decision."
"We?" hooked Roland after confused, while
his eyes wandered thoughtfully
to his companion."That's
why she is here too." he
thought to himself. Kyndle looked at him with an awakened
view, accompanied by a slight turquoise sparkle in
her eyes. A confident "Chirp"
she added with a nod. He held his hand on her
nose and crossed
her intense gaze. A warm smile graced his
face as he felt her breath slipped
through his fingers. "What is it
this time to decide?" he asked, turning to
the person in the orange-red robe on.The apparition looked at him silently. Then lifted
one arm to the side high, where at some
distance opened a crack in the void. In it, he recognized
the faces of Mardon and King Harkin,
who stood in the center of the courtyard. The figure
threw his gaze to
the other side and raised his arm
again. A second crack
was created in the dark and revealed two more faces.
Here Aaros and
Torben had been seen,
the two escaped hunters, which were suddenly
appeared in the yard. "One way to go. Which, however?" began the stranger, looking at Roland. "Is up to
you." said the shape and
lowered his gaze with his arms. Motionless he
stood between the cracks. Thoughtful wandered Roland`s look back and
forth. He was offered support,
but which way he should choose. Kyndle
stood there next to him and sat down on
the floor. At the same time she nestled her head closer
to her companion. Roland put an arm around her and looked into the sparkling blue of her sapphire eyes.
Her gentle purr was
the answer to his warm smile. "How
are we merely decide? And then what will await
us?" he asked her. A long-drawn "Chirp"
was her expression to it. Roland stroked
his dragoness by
hand between her black horns
through, while he
looked confident. The female
briefly closed her eyes, the little caress of
her companion alone enjoying she
purred softly. "A king promised his support." brought the deep voice
of the phenomenon both from her eye contact. "A
familiar face with influence and numerous
possibilities. But a person in endangered position with
many enemies."
The shadow in the hood gave way
to the second column. "Two refugees with
the certainty of death are not
always the target of all, but their support is even
more limited." Roland looked skeptically
at the portrait of
Aaros and Torben.
"The certainty of death?"
He began, turning to the stranger. "What
does that mean?" "A prisoner who is taken
in his escape gets rarely a pardon." The
faceless shadow in
robe turned his gaze on the young man. "Death is what he will get." With a dejected look he sat down next to Kyndle
on the ground. Roland's
eyes were open, as after a shock. "Can I?" he asked himself. "So easy to decide whether someone lives or not?"
Thoughtfully, he buried his face in his hands. He didn`t
knew the two men and now he is to judge over their death.
Kyndle came softly cooing to him. She
placed herself beside him and laid her head on his
approach. At the same time she put one of her
wings protectively around him.
Roland grabbed her head and held it with
light pressure. The female exhaled softly and
cooed slightly on.
He lifted his head and looked deeply into
her eyes. A bright turquoise shimmer moved
out of his wet look
in her, accompanied by a soft
"Thank you." The
dragoness closed purring
the eyes and tightened her embrace. A
single tear crept out of her closed eyelids."Now, companion!" said the apparition again.
"Choose!" Roland look stubborn on
the shape between
the cracks. "What if I do
not want to decide?" he
threw the stranger determining's feet as he stood up and walked towards him.