New Realities (Angel)

First, it was just emptiness. Black emptiness. Selenanth felt weightless, like she was floating in nowhere. However, she could also tell that she and her guardian, Drakon, were moving through the darkness. How she knew they were traveling, the dragon didn’t know but could somehow feel it. And there wasn’t much she could do but keep her arm wrapped around the younger dragon’s as the invisible current carried them somewhere they never knew of.

Suddenly, they stopped and she almost fell over as bright light filled her eyes. “Are you okay, milady?” Drakon asked, grabbing and supporting her.

“Y... yes...” the female said quietly as her eyes tried to adjust to the bright light. A young, yellow sun shined upon them as fluffy, white clouds drifted lazily across a bright blue sky. It slightly reminded her of Trason except that sun had been older with more of an orange glow and the sky was a darker shade of blue. Thinking of her home world caused a single tear to escape from her right eye. It was gone... her home. The humans had attacked and won, killing her family and driving her away. Will I... will I ever be able to go back? Selenanth asked herself. Thinking of that caused more tears to escape until the dragon couldn’t hide that she was crying.

“Princess Selenanth...” her guardian replied, knowing why she was so sad.

“Dra, Drakon. What are we going to do now?” she asked, “We don’t know where we are or if anyone will help us. We don’t even know what kind of creatures rules this world. If they are humans, I doubt we will be able to survive and be killed anyway.”

“Princess,” he stated sternly, “None on this planet knows that we are dragons. Unless we show it, they will probably think we are humans unless they have some way of detecting us. Even if they find out we are dragons, they may not be bothered by it and still offer us help.”

“No!” she said, a little more loudly than either would have liked, “I will not accept help from some lowly human! They are the reason we are here and Trason is lost. I would rather die than be helped by one.”

Drakon looked a little awkward, “But, milady, we might have to. If humans are the only beings on this planet, we would have no choice. Please, you must understand.”

“I do but...” she stopped and looked away. If this planet was ruled by humans, she would have to give and be helped or they probably wouldn’t make it. And Selenanth would not be the reason they died. She had been holding her head down and closely to her guardians arm during the conversation and now finally looked up to see where they had landed. A verdant green field stretched in all directions before their eyes and a light breeze tilted the grass ever so gently. “Not a drop of water in sight,” she stated as the water dragon took in her surroundings, completely amazed. She had seen grass in the gardens of the palace but never in such quantity. While the lack of water did worry her she couldn’t help muttering, “It’s beautiful.”

The younger dragon nodded, “We should probably find some kind of settlement and figure out exactly what we must do. Don’t worry, Princess, we will return to Trason. But when is something we must decide for ourselves.”

“To make sure that humans aren’t like the ones back on Trason, I suggest we keep to human form, Princess.” Drakon muttered, slowly leading Selenanth to one of the edges of the field. Although he was at hand helping, the dragon’s thoughts were pre-occupied with recent events. Fresh in his memory was the image of his own mother impaled on Drakon’s claws, and the fainter memory of Arrow, his own mentor, dying on them as well.

Is it going to be that everyone I love will die at my hands? the dragon thought, turning to look at Selenanth. She was looking at the world around her, amazed by the many things she saw. A dark look crossing his face as he realized she might die in this world, Drakon shook the thought from his mind.

If she was to die, then I will fail as a guardian, and I will not let that happen…

“Milady, we must hurry, the sun seems to be moving rather fast.” The dragon said, tugging playfully on her hand. Laughing, she sped past, using her limber form to race ahead. But before she could gain any real distance, the older dragon tripped and fell, making Drakon laugh until his sides started to hurt.

“That was not funny Drakon, now come and help me up.” The royal dragon mumbled, her face coloring a slight red. Still laughing, the guardian slowly walked over and extended a hand. But instead of climbing to her feet, Selenanth took the hand and pulled, sending Drakon tumbling to the floor. Laughing herself, she jumped up and raced away. Glad to see that the business from the last few hours had been forgotten for the moment, the dragon gave chase.

~

After an exhausting chase through several fields, the two arrived on the outskirts of a small town, which was perched directly next to a small lake. Several boats bobbed on the surface, nets cast over the sides to catch fish. The sight of the boats made Drakon’s stomach growl.

“First thing’s first, before we do anything, I suggest we eat.” Selenanth said, patting the younger dragon’s stomach playfully.

“Milady, we don’t have anything to buy food with, and I doubt seriously that taking food would be the smart thing to do.” The guardian said strictly, knowing what the other dragon would like to do.

“I will not exchange anything with humans for something I can get myself.” Selenanth said darkly, and began walking towards the lake. Wishing he could command as much respect over the older dragon like other guardians, Drakon followed.

Stopping at the water’s edge, Selenanth stopped for a moment to look for any humans. Finding that Drakon was the only person within quite a range, she began to walk into the water.

“Princess, I advise strongly against what you’re about to do! If we get caught-” the guardian started.

“Getting caught is part of the fun, and I hardly think someone will catch us!” the other dragon shouted back. Once all but her head was submerged, Selenanth resumed her dragon form, and disappeared into the lake. Grumbling, Drakon checked that no-one had seen, and followed her, changing into his dragon form as he entered the water. It took him only a few seconds to locate the royal dragon, for the lake wasn’t very large. She was swimming down near the bottom, devouring a few live fish. Flapping his wings, the dragon sped like a torpedo towards her.

“The fish could have been poisonous milady, you should have let me try it first.” Drakon shouted, his words distorted as they traveled through the water.

OoC: Sorry about the wait. :embrsd:

BiC:

“Come now, you mustn’t worry so much,” the female dragon rebuked. She finished devouring the fish. They weren’t as tasty as her own world’s but would do for now. “This much worrying is going to turn you into an old man very fast. Now have some fish with me. They aren’t terribly good but it’s something.” She watched as Drakon easily downed a couple of fish of his own, even swallowing one whole.

The lake water was beautiful, though not quite as clear as pools the princess once played in. Schools of fish were quietly swimming around, keeping clear of the hungry dragons. Several other aquatic animals roamed around such as frogs and toads and even an underwater spider. The thin yet tall plants that grew in the water slowly swayed back and forth under the calm currents of water. “It’s so peaceful, I wish I could stay,” Selenanth voiced outloud. She settled on the muddy bottom, curled into a ball, and sighed.

“It is nice. One could forget all their troubles down here,” the guardian replied. He was staring off into the distance, his eyes seeing something else than where he was. She agreed completely. However, a small shadow passed over them, making the two dragons look up to see what had caused it. One of the boats was now floating over them and a figure was looking down in the water.

Sele immediately tensed up, “You think they can see us?”

“I don’t know,” Drakon replied, “But it would be best for us to keep still and not stir anything up.” The figure retracted after only a few minutes, or what seemed hours to the dragons, and the little boat hurried back to shore.

“If they were fisherman, then they’re going back too soon,” she said with concern. The older dragon uncurled and started moving around slowly but anxiously.

“Someone might have seen us enter the lake and the boat was out here to check it out. Regardless, we should probably leave this lake,” Drakon stated. Knowing to trust her guardian, she followed him back to the surface of the lake and reverted back into their human forms.

The female sighed regretfully, “I was so comfortable in that lake. We should find another one that doesn’t have so many humans near it.” Pesky creatures, she said to herself, They manage to ruin everything. They don’t even deserve to be slaves. At that moment, a figure started running towards them.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” he shouted, the voice could only belong to a man. Drakon stepped in front of the princess with the intent of protecting her if he were to attack. “The lake is dangerous,” the man stated as he neared the couple. He was nearly out of breath. “Two of the fishers said that sea serpents have taking residence up in the lake.”

How rude, Selenanth thought, We are not serpents but dragons. They should really learn the difference. She sighed again, it would probably be better if they didn’t learn.

“That, my kind sir, is complete and utter rubbish. I advise that you keep your superstitious prattling to yourself.” Drakon said impatiently. Not waiting for the man to reply, the dragon walked past, Selenanth close behind. As soon as they were out of hearing range, the female dragon burst out laughing.

“That was a very cruel comment Drakon, I almost felt pity for the human. Almost.” the older dragon chuckled.

“If we are to be stuck here for a while, I will not take any nonsense from these humans. Even though they are not from Trason, these humans will learn respect for us before we leave.” Drakon replied simply. Nodding in agreement, Selenanth watched as her guardian directed them slowly to the town near the lake. As they reached the outskirts, the two stopped, both their faces grim.

“I know what you want to say milady, and I wholeheartedly agree with you. But for tonight, we must find a place to stay in one of these human dwellings.” The guardian muttered. The female dragon didn’t reply, but just nodded her head. The two slowly made their way out of the grassy plains, and into the town.

“This place stinks of fish, it’s disgusting!” Selenanth grunted, pinching her nostrils together in a vain attempt to stop the smell.

“At least it can’t get any worse.” Drakon replied smoothly, his fingers in the same position as the other dragons. As if some cruel god had been listening in, a giant dead fish, half of its body missing, came flying out of a nearby window, aimed straight for Selenanth. On instinct, the younger dragon flung his body back, crashing into the female dragon. Moments later, the fish collided with the side of Drakon’s head, making a squelchy slapping sound. Grabbing the dead animal, the dragon tossed it over the building, and wiped the side of his face.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing with my fish!” a voice shouted. A woman’s head poked out of the window where the fish had come from, a look of anger on her face. Grunting, Drakon wiped the last of the foul smelling liquid from his face, and helped Sele to her feet.

“It would be wise to watch what your doing next time.” the dragon muttered, trying to resist the urge to slash the woman’s face open.

“How was it my fault? If you hadn’t been day-dreaming-” the woman started, but was stopped as she saw the dark look on the female dragons face.

“It would be wise to listen to him, or something very unfortunate might happen to this wreck you call a dwelling.” The princess said silently. Without another word, the woman reclined back into her house, shutting the window as well.

“Making threats in the very first village we come to doesn’t seem like a very good idea.” Drakon sighed. Pushing his hat further down onto his head to cover his eyes, the dragon stalked off.

Two hours later, night has fallen…

“Well this is the best room in the house.” The man said, showing the two dragons around the room. The place was incredibly cramped, and as with everything else, it stunk of fish.

“It will do… for now.” Drakon muttered. Turning to leave, the man suddenly stopped.

“I forgot, there’s the issue of your payment.”

“Twenty coins of gold, enough to make you rich as promised. You will receive them in the morning.” The dragon rebuked. At first the man looked like he was going to reply asking for them now, but after sizing up Drakon, he thought better of it and left.

“Wow, one piece of furniture in the whole room and it’s a bed.” Sele said sarcastically. The mention of one bed made the younger dragon wheel round.

“Hold it, who gets the bed then?” Drakon muttered, slightly blushing.

“Yes, I suppose we need to decide that,” the older dragon agreed, trying to maintain her posture better than Drakon though she still felt her cheeks turn slightly pink. Walking up to the bed, Selenanth noticed that the blanket, which was a dark blue color, had several stains on it of various colors. She did not want to know what they were. The covering also seemed to be worn ragged as it was thin and stiff. The mattress was no longer white but had a filthy yellow tint to it. A horrible smell, a combination of fish and natural body odor, emanated from it. The pillow was also sickly yellow and almost completely flat. The wooden headboard, a rounded arch of plain-looking wood, had several holes, probably caused by termites. The dragon sighed, “I think we would both be safer sleeping on the floor. This thing looks like it is ridden with disease.” She turned her head away in a disgusted manner.

“Unfortunately,” the guardian reminded, “The human that owns this... place said this was the best room. If this is the best, think of what the worst would be.”

The princess’ stomach churned, “I would rather not. Goodness, the human slaves were even cleaner than this. It just goes to show these beings can’t take care of themselves.”

“Agreed,” Drakon replied with a stern look and then observed the room, “I think it would be best if you took the bed, even if you don’t like it. It would be easier to protect you incase some human decided to sneak in here.”

“Mmm, thank you for your concern,” she answered sarcastically. Though she was grateful for the guardian, the prospect of sleeping on this bed did not enthuse her. I don’t even have any clean clothes to change into for tomorrow, the dragon thought depressingly. Making sure that the blanket was completely between her and the mattress, she laid down lightly on it. The dragon sank into it slightly, the mattress worn soft from so many years of use. Her head didn’t touch the pillow, either. The guardian walked over to the lamp and closed the shutters just enough so a thin wisp of light shone from it. After that, he calmly sat on the floor in front of the bed, his legs and arms crossed. The princess laid on the bed for a few minutes, trying to let sleep take her away. Her mind, however, was to rambunctious to allow sleep to come. Everything that had happened: the lose of Feroth, escape from Trason, and interaction with humans. A depressed sigh escaped her mouth, “Drakon, will we ever be able to go back?”

“I believe I have answered this questioned before,” he replied. Then he turned his head and gave her a reassuring smile, “Yes, I believe we will return and you will be restored to your rightful place.”

The older one smiled back and whispered, “Thank you.” It was nice to be around Drakon. He always seemed sure of himself and what would happen. His resolve was enough to give anyone courage. Her mind at ease, Selenanth finally drifted into the bliss of sleep.

Waiting till he heard Selenanth’s breathing soften as she fell asleep, the dragon became instantly alert. Drakon would rarely sleep at times like these, instead using it to concentrate on improving his water skills. Breathing in, the guardian expelled white air from his mouth, which he directed at his hands. His hands twitching slightly as ice formed a casing over them, Drakon kept this process up until they were fully covered, and the claws were near perfectly sharp.

Now, let’s see what money I can earn before the sun rises…

Not wanting to wake the princess, Drakon opened the shutters and the window, disappearing out into the cold night. It was pitch black outside, there were no lights whatsoever except those from the faint stars in the sky. Luckily for Drakon, he could see in the dark.

Where to go first, so many dwellings, yet I bet there’s so little money in each of them… the dragon thought, scanning each house. His eyes came to rest on a familiar place, the house where the woman who had chucked the fish lived. Chuckling, the guardian quickly let his dragon wings sprout from his back, and took off. Using his razor sharp ice claws, Drakon cut a hole in the woman’s roof, and swooped in, landing without making a sound.

Wow, this place stinks even worse than our room. the dragon thought, gasping as the smell filled his nostrils. Looking around, he found that there pieces of fish everywhere, from bones to heads, and the table set in the middle of the room had what looked like a butchers knife stuck in the middle of it. Shaking his head, the dragon looked around for any sign of the woman, and saw a door slightly ajar. Peeking in, Drakon found the woman laying on a moldy old bed, fast asleep and snoring. Laughing, he started his hunt for any money.

Where would a human like her hide her life savings?

Hunting round, the guardians foot accidentally brushed the table, and the sound of coins hitting each other filled the air, making Drakon wince. Checking to make sure that the woman was still asleep, the dragon went back to the table, and looked under it. Directly underneath where the large knife was of the other side, was a brown purse, barely bigger than Drakon’s fist. Using his ice covered hands, the dragon slashed open the bag, watching as several silver and gold coins fell out.

Thirty-seven coins in one house. It’s not bad for the first one… Drakon thought, scooping up the money. Leaving as silently as he had come, the dragon scoped out another house.

~

Several hours and many houses later, Drakon was heaving a bag the size of his arm back to the room. Pulling the bag further up his back, the dragon laughed as the coins clinked against each other. Putting up a hand to stop the morning sun from shining in his eyes, Drakon jumped back through the open window, closing the shutters behind him.

“Had a busy night, did we?”

Drakon’s face had a twinge of surprise on it, which it should since Selenanth had never been so angry with him. Her light blue eyes were narrowed and her lips turned into a frown. “What is that?” she demanded, glancing at the sack he had over his shoulder.

“It is human money. We may have taken some with us when we left but it will not last long,” he answered logically.

The princess took a step forward, furious, “So, you stole money from humans?! That is something human criminals do! You’ve lowered yourself to a position humans find degrading and you’re a dragon.” She then turned away, seething.

“I am sorry, milady, but it is for our welfare,” he stated and bowed.

When the older dragon turned and saw him bowing, it instantly calmed her down. “Ohh,” she sighed, “what’s done is done.” She walked over and but her hand on his shoulder and commented reassuringly, “But we do not need to rely on stealing to get us through. If worse comes to worse, we can make money through work. Please, don’t do it again.”

“I understand,” he replied, stood up, and smiled at her. His smiles were always able to warm her heart. “But work?” he asked unbelievably, “That isn’t something for a princess.”

“Yes, well, currently I’m not a princess,” she said sourly, the images of Feroth’s attack making her angry all over again. And now we have to live amongst the creatures, she knew, the thought still disgusting her.

The guardian looked to the window then traveled to the door, “We had best leave before the humans find out their money has mysterious vanished. Come on... Sele.” He had a playful grin as he spoke the nickname.

The female turned to him with eyes wide open, not sure if she was hearing correctly, “What did you call me?”

His smile became a little wider, “Even though no one here has probably heard of Trason, you still hold a high position. It would be better if you didn’t go by your full name.”

She folded her arms and gave him a suspicious look, “You wouldn’t be saying just to get on my nerves now, would you?”

He quickly turned away, “Of course not,” and walked down the stairs.

The older dragon sighed and stated quietly, “I don’t believe you.” Even though his antics could get on here nerves once in awhile, it was still nice to see him poking some fun at her. It makes things feel a little more like home... even though home isn’t that any longer. The thought sobered her up and, even though she knew thinking about it would only further her depression, Selenanth couldn’t help but to wonder if anything could’ve been done. Perhaps their escape had been premature and the humans defeated. Or, if she had stayed, the dragons would have rallied together and could have managed to fight the attackers off. So many ifs, she decided, Too many to think about. The dragon woke up and hurried out the door to be with her guardian.

Walking up to the door next to the exit, Drakon rapped his knuckles on the cheap wood, almost putting his fist through. The sound of someone grumbling could be heard behind the door, which opened moments later to reveal the man from the day before, dressed in nothing but a pair of yellowing boxers. Reeling backwards in disgust as the smell of dead fish filled his nostrils, the guardian put a hand into his bag and fished out a fistful of coins.

“Here’s the payment for the room, and then some. Try and fix your home up so it doesn’t stink so much,” Drakon muttered, and walked out the door. Striding into the middle of the road, the dragon put a hand to his face to stop the morning rays from blinding him. Looking around, he saw that everything was painted gold by the morning light, making it look beautiful.

“They don’t have sunrises like this on Trason.” Selenanth sighed from behind him.

“This planet varies in quite a few ways from Trason milady, I doubt there is anything here that we have.”

Sighing again, Drakon felt the princess grab his hand in comfort. Squeezing it to reassure her, the two set off, walking down the dusty path side by side.

Would this be the best time to show how I feel? There’s no reason why I shouldn’t, Trason is on the other side of the galaxy, and she might even return the same feelings... No, I am a guardian first, and that’s all I can ever be, whatever my heart wants. Drakon thought, surveying the dragon next to him. It was one of the rules of royalty, the royal family could not marry anyone except of the same heritage. If it hadn’t been for the incident at Trason, Selenanth would have married Kiras Mehoin, and would have had to move to Niroth to be with him.

Well, at least a tiny spark of good came out of this. the guardian thought, thinking back to the pompous dragon she would have married.

“I was thinking, what ever happened to you and the Kiras person?” Drakon asked casually. At the sound of his name, the older dragon shivered, more in digust than cold.

“Don’t mention that name to me Drakon, that dragon was an overeager, egotistical windbag, and I did not like him one bit.”

“He looked quite handsome though, I would have thought you would have liked him.”

“Looks aren’t everything.”

“Did you have anyone else in mind?”

“No. There was no-one else that took my fancy, they were all too old, or too young.”

Grinning, Drakon shook his head at the princesses excuses, and gave silent thanks to whatever god watched over them. But before the dragon could ask another question, the sound of people yelling filled the air behind them. Wheeling round, Drakon saw what looked like a hundred people following them, all carrying a torch and some sort of weapon.

“There they are, the thieves!” one of the people shouted.

Despite the obvious fact that they were outnumbered terribly, the princess couldn’t help but playfully smile. She glanced at her guardian, “Would this be a bad time to say ‘I told you so’?”

Drakon slightly sighed at her comment, “I believe now is not the time.”

The humans came to a stop only a few feet away from them. One human, the innkeeper to be precise, walked forward with a torch in hand. “We let you trustingly into the village. I even let you sleep in my inn. And you repay with theft!” he shouted at the two dragons.

“An inn? Is that what you call that disgusting little building?” Selenanth sneered. She was no mood to play innocent with these people. In fact, I believe they’d make good practice on how well my innate abilities really are, she smiled at the thought. “Drakon, may I play with these humans? Please?” she asked with mock childlikeness. The villagers all simultaneously took a step back, worried looks plastered and each of their faces.

The male, however, was taking the situation a bit more seriously, “We should try to keep as low profile as possible. The mass death of a village might be a little more attention then we need.”

Another human, most likely a blacksmith from his great muscles and apron, came forward, “I don’t know what you thieves have planned but you’re not getting away. Even returning the money wouldn’t get you out of it now.” Though he tried to appear as though the situation was under their control, beads of sweat trickled down his brows.

The older dragon smiled menacingly at them, “You see, they won’t let us go peacefully. We have no choice but self-defense.” With that statement, Selenanth fluidly shifted to her dragon form. Before the transformation was complete, some of the villagers had already turned and fled. The few that stayed were met with a breath of supercooled air, freezing them down to the very bone. With a sweep of her tail, the princess shattered the human statues. She laughed, “That was far too easy. I knew humans were cowards but this is ridiculous. Come, Drakon, shall we go hunting?” Turning to her companion, the female saw that he had also shifted to his true form.

“We can’t have them telling anyone else about us,” he said with rationality but then added with a grin, “And I do need to test to see if our innate abilities work properly on this planet.”

Selenath returned his grin and, with a powerful thrust from their wings, the two dragons set off to the village in pursuit of the terrified humans. They should know better than to test their luck against strangers, the dragon decided.

Keeping to his human form, Drakon spawned only his wings and took flight, sailing through the air next to Selenanth. Both laughed as they saw the remaining humans run back into the town, hiding in their houses.

“I’ll force them out, you just be waiting.” The guardian shouted over the lull of the wind. Furling his wings, the dragon dropped like a stone, landing in the center of the town, creating a giant crater.

Where to start?

A smile crossed Drakon’s lips, seeing the woman from the day before watching him from her house. Slowly walking towards her, the guardian heard a scream, followed seconds later by the sound of furniture being moved.

“You won’t get in here monster! Go and get the others!” the woman screamed, pushing every piece of movable furniture in front of the door. Checking through the slot in the door, she couldn’t see the man anymore. Sighing in relief, she turned round, bumping straight into the dragon.

“I came in through the hole in the roof, I hope you don’t mind.” Drakon snarled, changing into a dragon once more. The woman was petrified, unable to move or say anything. A blob of drool fell from the dragons mouth, completely covering the woman and soaking her to the bone.

“I’ll give you a head-start of thirty seconds, from now.” The guardian muttered. As soon as he said that, the woman shot forward, jumping out of a window.

“Hah! You’ll never catch–” the woman started, running for the cover of the church, but stopped as she felt something enter her stomach. Looking round, she saw the other dragon towering over her, a clawed hand stuck in front. Blood started pouring freely from her mouth, and she began to twitch. Moments later, Drakon was next to the woman. In one bite, the dragon separated her head from her body, spitting it out, spraying Selenanth with her blood.

“Just peachy.” The princess muttered, dropping the headless body to the floor. Shaking herself vigorously, the older dragon looked around at the other occupied houses, filled with terrified people.

“So many humans, yet also so much time.” The guardian muttered, taking flight once more.

~

An hour later, and nearly all the humans were dead. Blood covered a vast majority of the ground, and bodies were sprawled everywhere, some covered in ice, others missing pieces. Both dragons were advancing on the last two, the innkeeper and the blacksmith. The blacksmith was swinging a hammer about, trying in vain to keep the creatures at bay, while the innkeeper was just cowering behind him.

“What do you say Drakon, frozen or eaten?” the princess asked.

“I don’t really care,” the younger dragon muttered, lingering back. Although he had enjoyed killing, Drakon still remembered what had happened to his father, the attack, and how ruthless the dragons had been to the humans. Like they were being now.

“Let them go.” Drakon said suddenly, knowing that he no longer wished to be a murderer like those who had destroyed his life.

Selenanth blinked a few times at Drakon’s request. “L-let them go?” she questioned, completely confused, “But you said it would be best if we killed them all so word of us didn’t spread. Come on, there’s only two left.” She turned took in a deep breath, meaning to freeze the humans.

“Let them go!” the younger dragon roared, scaring both the older dragon and remaining two alike. He turned away, “I’m going to wash off,” and flew towards the lake. The princess remained, frozen by the outburst of her guardian. Eventually, the ice that she was going to breeze out of her mouth came out of her nose as she gaspingly exhaled, almost forgetting to breath in surprise. She gave the humans a glance, not knowing exactly what to do.

I guess... I should obey Drakon’s demand, she decided. Actually, it should’ve been the other way around. Guardians never gave a member of the royal family a command, it could be met with a severe punishment. Yet, Sele did not want to punish him at all for his outburst. It wasn’t only because she loved him. No, it was the look he had given her. He appeared wild, like some animal driven by instinct instead of intelligence. It scared her. Still, she had to be with him. He was the only of her kind here, not to mention she couldn’t leave him in such a distressed state. Spreading her wings, the princess launched up into the air and headed in the direction of the lake. In the light, the older dragon perceived his distorted form near the bottom of the lake. She hovered above the water and then slowly entered, not wanting to disturb the lake anymore than need be. Swimming down to the bottom, she saw Drakon floating, curled into a protective ball. Fish swam around him, apparently accustom to his presence now. Her worries about him only increased, she had never seen him so distressed. Wait... she suddenly realized and retracted that thought. There was one other time. Right before he received the emblem of the royal family, he had a haunted look in his eyes. Yes, that was it, a haunted look. The same as he had now. I wonder if it has anything to do with his time captured by the humans? she thought. Gracefully, she glided up to the younger dragon. “Drakon,” she said timidly, “Please, tell me what’s bothering you.”

Landing with a thud next to the lake, Drakon looked at his reflection in the water. His eyes were no longer their usually sky blue, and were colored red. Grunting like an animal, the guardian slapped the water, sending ripples through the lake. But the lake settled again, and his face was still visible. Roaring, the dragon let a gust of air fly from his mouth, freezing the water. But in doing that, he just created a reflective solid surface. Roaring even louder, Drakon jumped into the lake, determined to hide himself. Swimming down to near the bottom of the lake, the guardian took his rage out on the rock, tearing out chunks with his teeth and claws. Eventually, he tired himself out, and the dragon curled up into a ball, letting the mammal chromosomes in his blood disperse.

Anger lets the rage take over my body, if I had carried on, I would have killed… Drakon thought, thinking about his actions towards Selenanth only a few minutes ago. In the end, he would have to kill if his urges overcame him, to sate it and let him return to normal. After a while, his iris became blue again, and a sense of peace filled the dragon. Not wanting to leave, the guardian kept in a ball, watching as fish swam past him, not fazed by his presence. A sudden change in the water alerted Drakon to something, but he didn’t care. If it was the princess, he wouldn’t move, if it was a human trying to kill him, he wouldn’t move. The dragon had lost the will to live.

“Drakon, please tell me what’s bothering you.” Selenanth asked from the side of him. Sighing, the dragon watched as a faint stream of bubbles left his mouth, slowly floating towards the surface.

“Dead memories that won’t leave me be.” The guardian muttered, slowly unfurling his body again. Deciding not to question the dragons answer, Sele floated down next to him.

“What happened down here?” the princess muttered, indicating to the amount of rubble covering the lake bottom. Shrugging, Drakon slowly rose to the surface, his body breaking the water with a graceful flap of is wings. Slowly landing on the bank, the guardian took on his human form once more, waiting for Selenanth to follow and do the same. Looking back, Drakon watched as she followed his example, except with a bit more speed. Landing squarely next to him, the older dragon took on her human form again.

“I think we should go that way, I don’t want to walk through that town again.” The younger dragon mumbled, pointing to a path that led away from the empty town. Simply nodding in reply, Selenanth walked with Drakon, silence reigning over the environment, except for the sounds of the local wildlife.

“What do we do if humans hunt us for our crimes at that town? It will be like being hunted on Trason.” The princess said suddenly.

“Then we scare them away, because the royalty of Feroth are no common killers.” Drakon chuckled.

In the growing twilight, the steps of the two dragons kicked up a little dirt as they walked down the road. The songs of a few birds broke the silence that pervaded between Selenanth and Drakon. The older dragon couldn’t think of anything to say to her guardian. The death of the villager’s must have brought back awful memories for him. Death? Hmph, we slaughtered them, the princess corrected herself, though whether she should be proud or ashamed eluded her. But why would the death of humans disturb him. Isn’t he a dragon? We shouldn’t be bothered by the death of our enemies. Perhaps it was the way he was found. Maybe he had spent so much time with the humans that he had come to... care for them? No, no, that doesn’t sound right. If anything, it would only make him hate them more. I knew something was different about him when we first met. That’s how I fell in love with him. But exactly how different is he? Sele pondered this question for a moment. Well, even if he is merciful to humans, it doesn’t change the fact that he is my guardian. He protected me on Trason and he’s been protecting me here. “Drakon?” she suddenly asked, knocking down the silence between them.

“Hmm?” he responded, obviously lost in his own thoughts.

“I will always trust you, you know that,” she stated. The sentence felt somewhat forced, probably because she could say a great deal more than that she simply trusted him.

The younger dragon’s gaze became solemn, “I will protect you no matter what, Selenanth.” He then looked at the dwindling sunlight, “I suppose we should stop for the night. We will have to sleep outdoors.” He gave a glance at the princess.

She let out a small laugh, “Don’t worry, sleeping in nature cannot be too bad. It will probably be better than that inn in the village.” Drakon’s eyes turned to the ground. Oh, that was the wrong thing to say, the dragon scolded herself in bringing up bad memories. The guardian said nothing more and walked over to a lone tree on the side of the road.

“Here, this will be perfect for firewood. You won’t shrivel up on me if I build a fire, will you?” he asked with a smile.

“Smart aleck,” Sele replied, with a smile, of course. The male broke off a few branches and piled them. Taking one other stick, he rubbed it against the others until a small stream of smoke appeared. “How did you learn to make a fire?” she asked, curious. The princess had never been that, though none suspected that she would be on a different planet, either.

“Something I learned a small time ago,” came the reply and soon an orange glow came from the pile of branches. The cackling of burning wood could be heard.

For an element that was the completely opposite of ice, the fire felt quiet nice on the dragon’s skin. It’s amazing that he knew how to do this. Then she sighed, I really would be dead without him. Not only did he save me from the attacking humans but he’s provided me with everything I need here. Her stomach suddenly gave a growl. Well, maybe not everything, she decided as her face turned a light shade of red.

Drakon gave her an amused look, “Hungry? It’s no surprise, we haven’t eaten since those fish in the lake. Here, I’ll get us something.” He stood up and started taking a few steps before he froze, the shuffling of feet could be heard from the direction they had come from. Both dragon’s gave the noise a wary glance. “Just act like we’re travelers, they have no reason to be suspicious,” the guardian advised. The pit-pat of feet continued, louder, as the travelers came into sight. There appeared to be four of them, three men and a woman. They wore the usual clothing of human, tunics, pants, boots, gloves. The only odd thing was that two of the men and the woman carried swords on them. The third man seemed to only be carrying a book. They stop as soon as they laid eyes on the two dragons.

“Well, Elisud, what do you think? Is it them?” the first male asked. He seemed to be the leader and was also carrying the only long sword of the group. Elisud, the one of with the book, opened it up and flipped through the pages. Landing on one, he nodded his head. The leader smiled and walked towards the pair with the other two behind him.

“What do you want?” Drakon asked curtly.

The first male smiled, “It seems you two are responsible for the murder of Telith.”

“Telith?” Sele questioned, “Who is that?”

“It’s the name of the village!” the woman shouted, angered by the dragon’s lack of knowledge.

The leader put a hand in front of her to keep her back, “A pretty penny has been put up for your capture. Dead or alive, of course. The law is interested in how two dragons suddenly popped up in the middle of nowhere.”

“If you don’t want to die, I suggest you mind your own business,” the guardian stated coldly and put himself between the princess and the bounty hunters.

The leader smiled, “Heh, I’d be more worried about your own lives.” He backed up to reveal the Elisud in the middle of spellcasting.

The dragons’ eyes went wide as he completed his drawing of a magic circle in the air. Elisud pointed at the couple and calmly said, “Seal.” Another magic circle appeared around the couple and Selenanth was prepared for some kind of magic to launch itself at them, killing them. However, a killing blow never came. Or any kind of harm, for that matter. “That should do it,” the mage called back to the group.

“Do what? Nothing happened,” the princess sneered.

The leader sneered back, “Don’t think we’re stupid enough to fight two dragons head on. You know, this could’ve been avoided if you didn’t even have the ability to change into humans. Elisud’s spell made it so you can’t change back into your big, bad, dragon forms for awhile. Welcome to fighting, human style.” With that, all three of the humans unsheathed their swords, ready to fight the two dragons.

OoC: Okay, this should provide some entertainment. Just don't kill all of them yet, especially not Elisud.

Ooc: Hehe, that gave me an idea, let science and magic collide once more!

Bic:

Drakon watched as the man drew a circle in mid air, mild amusement dancing on his face. As Elisud finished, a word escaped his lips.

“Seal.”

As soon as the dragon heard the word, his guts churned, as though some invisible creature was trying to wrench them out. Falling to his knees, Drakon felt his vision distort, and his hearing went as well. Unable to hold it in, the guardian vomited, splattering a wall of yellow and white liquid across the ground in front of him.

What…is happening?

In his head, the dormant traces of the formula were reacting with the present magic, trying to overcome it and become a dragon. His two minds, one his primal human side, the other his reptilian dragon side, were fighting for control, and in the process ripping Drakon apart from the inside. Retching again, he keeled over, not being able to control his body. His wings sprouted from his back and disappeared within milliseconds, and kept coming and going. His dragon features appeared and disappeared, his weight and height stretching to the limits.

“What’s wrong with that one, I thought the magic was supposed to seal his dragon form away.” The woman muttered. A faint sound of pages being flipped entered Drakon’s hazy consciousness.

“He’s got something to fight the seal, and it’s an even fight. He’ll probably die of it anyway, the way he keeps changing.”

Vomiting again, the dragon looked and saw that his latest pool was nothing but blood. His eyes rolling to the back of his head, the guardian passed out.

~

You should have stuck with being me, Matthias.

Don’t listen to him Drakon, your better off as a dragon than a pathetic human.

Who started off in this body?

Who gave strength to this body?

Who gave this body knowledge on how to be peaceful?

Who gave this body the powers to kill?

HUMAN!

DRAGON!

~

Waking with a start, Drakon snapped his eyes open. He was still where he had fallen, the stench of vomit clogged his nose passages. The only difference was that the fire was no longer burning, and the sky had become pitch black, except for the faint light of the stars.

How long have I been gone, minutes, hours, days?

Climbing to his feet, the guardian looked around. There was no sign of Selenanth anywhere, or the people who had attacked. Taking a step back, the dragon felt his foot touch something cold before he fell over. Grunting in pain as he saw stars in his vision, Drakon pulled out what he had fallen over from beneath him. It was the remains of a sword, made purely out of ice, a red stain covering the edge. From its partially melted state, he could tell that it had been left only for at least an hour, and if it was here, it meant that the Princess had probably gone with the attackers, or more likely forced.

Clambering upright again, Drakon looked at the set of tracks that had been left. Fortunately for the dragon, one of the people had been wounded, and every so often, there were small drops of blood along the road, heading to the direction of the now deserted town of Telith. Checking to make sure that he could transform, Drakon took flight, his iris once again steadily changing blood red as the rage built inside of him.

While the magic did nothing other than keep Sele from changing into her dragon form, it did something to Drakon. The princess watched, horrified, as the guardian’s body twisted between a dragon and human. “He’s got something to fight the seal, and it’s an even fight. He’ll probably die of it anyway, the way he keeps changing,” she registered the mage, Elisud, saying. Finally, the younger dragon vomited blood and fell into the pool of bodily fluids. Not knowing whether he had simply fallen unconscious or actually died, the female whirled on the mercenaries with an icy rapier in her hand. She didn’t remember creating it but knew she had to use it.

“What did you do to him?!” she demanded, holding the sword at the group. “If he is dead, you will all wish you had never come.” It was a threat she intended to keep once her dragon form was regained. Damn humans! The only thing they bring is misery.

The leader of the mercenaries walked towards her and readied his long sword. “It’s a shame your friend had a bad reaction to the magic but it’s not our problem. Even just one live dragon will be enough to fetch a huge reward.”

“Money. Is that the only thing your interested in? I’m not surprised, humans don’t care about anyone but themselves,” the princess spat.

The man’s eyes narrowed, “I’d be careful what I say, missy.” With that statement, he launched forward with is long sword. The older dragon knew her rapier wouldn’t stand a chance, even if it was metal instead of ice, and dodged to the side. The leader was no slouch at swordfighting and instantly turned on the evader, chopping at midlevel. Ducking under the blow, Sele made a clumsy stab forward, hoping to catch him off-guard. However, a hand came around and grasped the cold blade, halting it in mid-air. “It seems your ice weapons just don’t cut it for a real battle,” he stated. Furious, the dragon pushed all of her strength forward. The slick rapier slid through his grasp and at his side. The weapon didn’t go in deep or near anything vital but was enough to cause blood to start dribbling out. The leader, now angry, used the side of his long sword to knock Sele’s arm away and caused her to stumble. Using his other hand, he delivered a swift punch to her stomach. “That’ll teach you, dragon,” he hissed as the princess fell unconscious.

~

The first input of senses that Selenanth experienced was a strong, fishy smell, oddly familiar. The next was warmth and something soft under her. Stirring, she opened her eyes halfway and tried to remember what she was doing and where she was. Drakon had been sick and I was fighting... those mercenaries! She instantly sat up and was confused. The dragon was in a room, sitting on a used but fairly well-kept bed. A fire was burning brightly in a hearth and only one of the mercenaries was in the same room. It was the mage, Elisud, sitting on the floor. His long, maroon robes draped over his form so she couldn’t tell exactly how big or little he was. His red hair fell flat against his head and he seemed to be interested the book of spell he had been carrying.

“You’ve finally woken up,” he stated and then looked at her.

“Where am I?” she growled threatening, her eyes turning the yellowish-green of her dragon form.

“Such a look is not befitting of a lady, even if you are a dragon,” he simply replied.

The princess calmed slightly, “I will not go peacefully. I would rather die than be traded for money by humans.” She started to get up but Elisud held out his hand, lightning magic crackling in it.


“I would remain still if I were you,” was the calm demand. Knowing that lightning magic would cause her a great deal of harm, more if she was in her dragon form, the woman sat back down. “I have no interest in turning you into the authorities. Or over to the other mercenaries, for that matter.”

Now she was simply confused, “Aren’t they your allies?”

For once, he smiled, “Allies? No, of course not. They are a band that just happened to need a spell-caster and I needed money. Nothing more than that. I don’t intend to let them capture you.” Listening to his reasoning, the dragon noticed something moving on his back. They were wings. Small, black, and hardly noticeable but there nonetheless.

“What are you?” she asked, suspicious of his intentions.

Elisud chuckled, “I am not human but of no threat to you. I care little for the homo sapiens and wish not for something like a dragon to become an attraction for them.” He suddenly rose and held out his hand, “Come, I will take you somewhere safe.”

Selenanth only drew back, “But Drakon, he will come for me. I cannot leave him.”

The mage’s look became grave, “I don’t know what happened to your friend. I didn’t foresee that my spell would have such an effect on him. It is a question if he is even still alive. But even if he is, the others will be returning soon. If he is not here now then there is no time we have to wait. Please, come with me now. I promise, after we are away from the humans, I will release you and allow you to look for Drakon. But now we must leave.”

She hesitated, Should I ignore his warning and wait for you, Drakon. I do not want to be a prisoner for the humans but I don’t want to leave you. They were only the dragons from Trason here, on this planet. And they were hunted as well because of the village. The older dragon stood up, “Okay, take me with you.”

He grabbed her hand and opened his book, “Thank you. I have a have a spell than will transport a distance from this village.” He uttered some words in a silent whisper and a magic circle appeared under them. It glowed for an instant and then, they were gone.

The three mercenaries laughed between each other as they searched through the deserted town, ransacking the houses with torches to illuminate their way. If the dragons had killed everyone, then doubtlessly the town’s wealth, however small, would still be there. But after searching for an hour, the three were no richer than when they had started, with only a few small coins jangling in their pockets.

“I think we should be getting back, if the dragon has woken-” the woman started.

“Elisud is more than a match for her, even if she could transform. That man hold arcane powers in his little book.” the leader cut in, rummaging through a drawer. Huffing, she took a seat next to the sink, watching as the small drops of water slowly collected in the bottom. At first, the pool was only rippled as the tap dropped water into it, but soon, it was rippling on its own. Intrigued, she watched as the ripples increased. Suddenly, the sound of roaring filled her ears. Falling to the floor, the woman slapped her hands to her head, the men doing the same. But as soon as the roaring had started, it stopped. Clambering to their feet, the leader made sure that his sword was still in its sheath.

“She’s got loose in the town. Looks like we have a kill to make.” he shouted confidently. Walking out of the door with their swords out, the three instantly saw what had caused the roaring sound. Nearly twenty meters away, the houses were erupting into the air, the wood raining down as the next house shot up.

“She’s looking for us in the houses.” the other man muttered.

“I thought you said that Elisud would be able to control her.” the woman grumbled. Cursing the mage under his breath, the lead male started walking towards the line of erupting houses. As they neared, the noise stopped, as if the creature making it was tired of the destruction.

“What’s it doing?” one man mumbled. Feeling sweat starting to roll down his face, the leader cautiously looked round the corner of the building, seeing the amount of wood and stone sprawled over the ground. But the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s gone.”

Sticking her sword into the ground in front of her, the woman drew out a small charm, something that she thought brought her luck. Pushing it to her bosom, she closed her eyes. But before she could complete asking for luck, the woman felt something splat her on the head. Cracking one eye open, she saw a drop of thick slimy liquid fall from her hair.

“What kind of rain is this, its like drool.” She muttered, looking up for any sign of clouds. But instead of any clouds, the woman saw a giant white shape lingering above her. Before she could get the scream out of her mouth, a thick black claw came down, embedding itself in her face, passing straight through the bone like butter. Roaring again, Drakon pulled his claw free, watching as the men ran for their lives.

Kill them Drakon, they deserve to die for daring to try and stop you.

The dragon, driven solely by rage, dropped from atop the house roof, moving faster than any eye could have followed. Before a second had passed, he was in front of the two men. The leader swerved as he saw him, falling flat on his face before picking himself up and running away. The other man had not been so lucky, for he had been looking behind him. Foolishly, he ran straight into the dragon, his brain had little time to process what had happened before Drakon breathed in, and expelled a cloud of white air at the man, freezing him instantly. Breaking the human statue with a flick of his wing, the guardian watched as the last human pelted into a nearby building, slamming the door shut behind him.

Rip the house to pieces to get to him, he deserves death more than the others, and the most gruesome one of all.

Obeying the voice, Drakon let his claws extend until they were seven feet long, almost too heavy for the dragon to keep aloft. Flapping his wings to give him speed, he slashed the house open, cutting through the beams of wood like they were paper. Revealing the inside, Drakon found the man hidden under the kitchen table, crouched in a ball and crying. Roaring again, he flicked the table over like it was a matchstick. Looking up, the man screamed, slowly crawling backwards until his back hit a wall. Crying even worse, the man watched as Drakon advanced. Moving his claws with deadly accuracy, the dragon sliced off both the mans arms and legs, watching as the blood gushed out. Not letting the man die in peace, Drakon leaned forward and open his mouth, revealing the rows of deadly incisors. Ripping off the mans head with one quick snap, the dragon swallowed it in one gulp with chewing.

Good, now, you know who to find next, you know who to kill. Find her, and make her pay for her crimes!

Nodding, the mindless creature extended his wings, taking flight with one jump. He would find the other dragon, and kill her on the command of the voice.

The dragon and mage reappeared near a rocky outcropping. The sensation of the teleport spell left Selenanth reeling and her stomach churning. “Where-where are we?” she managed to ask, hoping the next opening of her mouth wasn’t to puke.

“About 30 miles from Telith. It’s about a half-hour walk to where my haven is. We had best move quickly, no telling what else lurks around here,” Elisud stated and started walking into the rocky plains. The princess, having really no other choice but to trust him, followed the spell-caster.

“This haven you speak of, what kind of a place is it?” she asked after a couple minutes.

“Oh, nothing special. It’s simply a smooth cave I found and I added some comforts of home to it,” he replied, a little proud of his finding. Not only was the cave a suitable replacement of a home but few would know where to find it even if they were told of the location. The natural earth had hid its entrance well.

However, the older dragon’s mind wasn’t even near where she actually was. Oh, Drakon. I hope you’re alright, she lamented. Being parted from him, and now having to rely solely on someone she had no idea about, was more and unnerving.

The mage turned and saw the distressed look on her face. “You need not worry, milady,” he stated reassuringly, “I simply must hide you until my comrades leave this area. I have told no one of this cave so they will not be able to find us.”

Selenanth temper rose slightly, “I can’t believe I’m actually hiding from humans. They should be the ones hiding!” After her anger flare was over, she sighed, “Besides, it’s not them I’m worried about.”

Elisud took the hint, “Ah, the other dragon. As I have said, I did not foresee that extreme reaction to my sealing spell. Something was fighting with the dragon part of him, that’s all I can say. Tell me, what would this other side be?”

The princess looked up in curiosity and some alarm, “Other side? Drakon doesn’t have any other...” Her voice stopped as she remembered the look her guardian had in his eyes after he asked for the release of the last two humans. It was terrifying, like some wild animal. The memory sent shivers down her spine. Was completely trusting him... a good thing? “All I know is that Drakon was held captive by humans. Other than that, he is a normal dragon.”

“Humans. It is a possibility that they did something to him. They love fiddling with things that shouldn’t be touched in the first place,” he commented, still guiding the princess around the rocks.

Sele smiled slightly at his obvious distaste for humans, “You still haven’t told me, what are you?”

“I didn’t tell you, now, did I? Well, most of my people and records of us have been lost to time but I am what is called a Nelomak. A race born from the elements themselves. That’s why we have such great skill with magic.”

“Nelomak,” the dragon cocked her head, “I have never heard of such people. I suppose, those, I haven’t been here very long.”

“That raises a question of my own. Where exactly are you from?” he raised an eyebrow. But before the lady could respond, a deafening roar could be heard behind them.

“Drakon!” Selenanth cried happily. Turning around, there he was, his dragon form hanging in the air. He’s still alive and okay, she thought, overjoyed by his returned. However, he advanced on them with speed, his head shaking side to side. The older dragon knew that this was the beginning of an attack of his and mistook his intention. “No, Drakon. It is alright, Elisud is an ally. He helped me escape from those despicable humans,” she stated, thinking he was going after the mage. But as he flew closer, still shaking his head for the attack, the princess got a good look at his eyes. They were colored a bloody red, filled with rage and hatred. “Oh god,” she muttered understanding that he had no intention of stopping his attack. And it wasn’t aimed at the spell-caster. Sele could do little but simply stand there, too horrified to move as the possessed dragon let out a surge of high pressure water at her. Thankfully, the water hit something invisible before her. Turning, she saw Elisud had his book open and was holding his hand out.

“Please, milady,” he pleaded, “You must get away from here. It seems this dragon doesn’t want any of us alive.”

“But...” she started but was too lost to make any argument. Her eyes filled with tears, “No! I will not leave! He is my guardian and will understand this madness!”

The mage sighed but nodded, “I understand. I will try to protect you as much as possible.”

Kill, must… kill. Kill…

The thought echoed and repeated through Drakon’s mind, controlling all of the dragon’s senses. Bloodlust filled the guardians mind, and it couldn’t be controlled. Roaring as his attack collided with the invisible wall, he flapped his wings to back away, intent on another course of action. Building up the water in his mouth, Drakon once again let it turn to water, and sprayed it out across the invisible barrier. As soon as the last drop was out, the dragon took a deep breath and roared, sending a giant cloud of condensed white air at the barrier. The affect was instantaneous, and the water still on the circular barrier froze solid. Keeping this tactic up for a few minutes, the guardian covered every part of the barrier with a layer of thick ice, effectively sealing the two inside. There was only a tiny square left, only slightly higher than Drakon, and incredibly thin. Spraying it with water, the guardian prepared to freeze it when a figure appeared behind the barrier. It was Selenanth.

“Drakon, what’s wrong! Why are you attacking us?” the older dragon shouted helplessly, banging her fists on the barrier. Letting the icy air in his mouth disperse, Drakon walked slowly up to the princess. Looking at her face, the dragon’s true consciousness appeared for a moment, and his eyes started to change back.

“Sele, I-”

NO! Kill her, remember what she did to you! The feelings you had for her that she never returned, and never will! KILL HER!

Roaring in pain as the primal side took over, the dragon looked at Selenanth again, the fury apparent on his face. Before she could back away, Drakon charged into the barrier, causing the princess to fall backwards. Freezing the remaining part with an icy blast, the guardian took flight, hovering in the air above what now looked like a crystal dome.

They have to come out, the mage will die of the cold, and then the barrier can be broken. Then, we kill her…

He didn’t have to wait long. Soon enough, a sound like thunder resonated in the dome, as if something had collapsed. Roaring, the dragon shot from the sky like an arrow, aiming his horned head for the dome. In less than a moment, Drakon connected, and the entire ice dome exploded, sending shards everywhere. Breathing heavily, the guardian pulled a shard from his wing, looking around for any sign of the two. They were nowhere to be found. Roaring again, Drakon suddenly noticed something. Sweeping a pile of leaves aside, he uncovered a small hole. Using his enhanced hearing, the bloodlust craving beast listened intently, his head to the hole. The sounds of moving were echoing through it, meaning that someone was down there.

I can’t follow them through…

Use your head idiot, flood the hole and kill them before they can leave the tunnel!

Breathing in as much as he could, the dragon expelled burst after burst of water into the hole, until he could hardly breathe. Satisfied, Drakon followed the direction of the tunnel, heading in the direction of a small rocky cluster.

Even as she ran through the dark and dirty tunnel, tears followed freely from Selenanth’s eyes. Drakon... she sobbed, not sure if simply in her head or out loud. Why had he come for her simply to kill her? What had happened to him? She followed the small light ahead of her, oblivious to the world other than her and the guardian.

Ahead of her, Elisud had a small fireball floating above his palm, lighting the way for the two escapees. He could hear the small sobs coming from the woman behind him, which worried the mage. If she can’t concentrated, I don’t know if I can protect her, he decided. The sudden treachery of the other dragon puzzled him. Perhaps he thinks she has gone off with me. Hmm, I wonder if the two dragons are in love. The notion crossed his mind when the lady expressed more concern for the guardian than most woman would be it a regular guardian. No, his outrage is far more than simple relationship problems... His mind turned to the seal spell, Yes, I’ll bet it’s whatever was fighting against my magic that caused this. A gushing of water could suddenly be heard down the tunnel. “Great,” the spell-caster muttered an instantly turned around.

The saddened dragon stopped and turned to the source of the noise. “Why?” she quietly asked. A rumbled was heard and the older dragon looked at Elisud. His hands glowed with a faint, yellow light. The rumbled increased and small parts of the tunnel roof in front of him dropped loose. Then the whole ceiling came crashing down, startling a yelp out of Sele.

“That would hold the water back for awhile,” the mage stated, “No doubt he’s waiting for us at the very end.” The princess’ form drooped at the thought. Elisud’s eyes narrowed, “You can’t run from this. Whatever has happened to him, he won’t stop until your dead.”

“What do you know!?” the dragon snapped, “I never asked for your help!” She then sniffed in protest and started walking away from the mage, to the exit.

“What do you intend to do?” Elisud called back to her.

The water dragon stopped for a second, “I’m going to... There’s still something left of the real Drakon in that beast. I know, I saw it. He’s just not strong enough to break free so I’m going to help him.”

The being walked up to her, “I will protect you while you try.”

She gave him a curious glare, “I didn’t ask for your help.”

He chuckled, “I know. I’m offering free of charge.”

Sele turned from his face and stared at the floor. What if he can’t break free. Will I have... to kill him? I couldn’t do that. But... if I wouldn’t, he would. Oh, Drakon... “Thank you for your help, Elisud.”

Sniffing the stone door in front of him with a skeptical look, Drakon paused only once to draw breath, and expelled a hug cloud of white air, which immediately stuck to the door. Using his full weight, the dragon slammed into the door, crushing it upon the third try and sending it crashing to the floor with a deafening bang.

As soon as the door was gone, the cave was revealed. It looked like it had been hollowed from the inside of a giant rock, for every wall, the floor and the ceiling were made of stone. There were a few touches to show that someone had made it their home, jars of luminous liquid were placed every few feet around the corners of the cave. In one corner there were piles upon piles of books, each one identical in shape and color. Apart from a few bones littering the floor, there was nothing else except the stone platform at one end of the cave, with a circular hole in the middle, the end of the passage Drakon had flooded.

Now, we wait. If they survived the water, then we kill them here, and we kill the mage first, before he can cast another spell…

Knowing that he had to do something about the gap where the door had been, the dragon sealed it with a few bursts of water and ice, until a thick ice glacier blocked the exit. Taking a seat next to the hole, the guardian began to wait. But instead of just sitting there quiet, the dragon became restless, as slowly but surely, his draconic consciousness started to surface, trying in vain to push the primal side of Drakon out.

Why do you plague Drakon’s mind like this, he long since abandoned you for my ways.

The only thing you were good for dragon, is the body, Matthias has the birthright of a human, and it is this that gives him the power he needs.

You forget, you only enhance the power, he already possesses it. All you do is corrupt his mind, and give him a bloodlust.

Enough of this! If you wish to take back his body Drakon, then by all means, do so.

I do not have the power to take control, but she does. She can change his mind, and give me the power I need. Like when we held eye contact with her, and even in that second, she broke your power.

Do you think I will give her the chance to do that again? That is the very reason she must die, with her out of the way, I am free to preside as the dominant mind of this body, and you will become what I once was, a memory.

Swatting his head, Drakon shook it wildly, an itching sensation filling his mind as the two personas’s argued.