Spirits of the Earth

Daverro stood tall against the new recruits, his scales reflecting the burning daylight as he shouted with a stern voice:
"I want 500 pushups, 600 situps, and 1000 crunches done before the end of the hour! If not, everyone in your barrack will be forced to clean my personal toilet for the next week!"
An entire army's worth of recruits about 500 strong stared at their commander with the same emotionless expression of obedience.
"SIR, YES SIR!"
Daverro took a steady walk back to his hut, stretching his wings on the way back to his hut. He took off his obsidian chest piece, and checked for any possible dents he might need to fix. A common routine for his masterworks since he wanted to keep them as ready as he could. As he was inspecting his arm guard he saw the reflection of the necklace that held the ring of his mother he had never met. He played with it for a bit before returning to his inspection.
Soon after a messenger on horseback came in along with the captain of the duchy.
He looked at Daverro with a an expression as if Daverro had killed his mother. The messenger spoke:
"Daverro, as a request from the Duke, he asks that you make attempt to make peace with an Adelan army coming just south from here. Adelans will gladly support the mages for the war thus we need all  the manpower we can attain. We will be sending a cavalry of reinforcements in the night just in case. Be wary, a spy sent by the mordecai, gave them false information as to your training establishment, they are led to believe you are training elite mordecai forces for the war. Please refrain from battle as best as possible, but if the Adelans are not ones for peace do not hesitate to use force to set them straight. Captain Guinasos here, will assist you in command if need be, he will also take over your role should you perish in bat-"
Guinasos interrupted:
"You better not die, you lazy bag of shite, I do NOT want to be stuck in your shitty forge for the rest of my life."
Daverros ignored the captain and turned towards the messenger-
"Relay this message to the duke:
I thank him for the information for if not we might've been overrun without notice, I will do my absolute best to make peace before any falsehoods distract from the truth. Thank you,"
The messenger galloped on his white horse back to the duke, Daverro turned to the captain-
"I appreciate your services good man, " Daverro stood tall and his voice became stern, "but if you are to question my lifestyle based off of what you see, you are no more of a man than these recruits here, you are NOT a captain on my training grounds, everyone is equal on these grounds no exceptions, but no one questions my orders otherwise they get burnt alive."
Guinasos gritted his teeth,
"Yes, Sir."
"Now, go tell the recruits to stop the exercise and prepare for battle, make sure to not get them to panic. We set for the mountains by sunrise, and you will be sleeping outside next to your horse, do I make myself clear?"
Gritting his teeth again:
"Yes, Sir."
The captain set to prepare the troops, Daverro finished his inspection and prepared for the night, patiently awaiting for the battle, it had been so long. But something felt odd about this one... 

Celegwen marched alongside an Elf foot soldier captain. The captain walked slightly behind her, as her rank as a Dragonrider greatly exceeded his own. "We received a notice earlier today that..."

"When earlier?" She asked, quickly stopping with her heels together. Her hands were behind her back, and she wore a stern expression.

The Elf captain stuttered slightly. "Well, it was just about an hour-"

"Why wasn't I notified immediately?" She looked at the letter and frowned. "The seal hasn't been broken, so why was I not immediately notified? Answer me, Captain. Were you taking a shit, or disobeying my rank?"

"I apologize, ma'am," he said, obviously nervous. "Won't happen again."

She took the letter and nodded. "I know."

Celegwen walked into her tent and saw Aithusa sitting on a chair with his feet on the wooden table. "You were a little harsh, love," he said.

She smirked, taking off her cape and tossing it on the back of the chair. "They only listen when they're shitting their pants."

As Celegwen broke the letter's seal, Aithusa blew onto a little candle and it immediately lit on fire. "What's it say?"

"Basically, there's an elite squad of soldiers being trained in the valley," she said, frowning. "We should get on that. Make use of these pathetic excuses for soldiers."

"Be nice to them. They're trying."

Celegwen huffed, shaking her head. "Nice doesn't make good soldiers! When was I ever 'nice' to you?"

Aithusa smiled sarcastically. "Well..."

"Oh, shut up," she said, smirking and putting her cape back on. She refastened her armguards and put her sword in its sheath. There was a protocol to how a Dragonrider was supposed to present herself to other soldiers, and she made sure to always live up to the expectations.

Aithusa walked out of the back of the tent and shifted into his dragon form, the rising moon reflecting off of his wings. Celegwen walked out and whistled loudly. Another captain galloped up to her on his horse, dismounting immediately. "Captain," he said, bowing his head.

She bowed her head and gestured to the camp. "We need to gather everyone. I have an-" Aithusa let out a piercing cry and spat a blast of fire into the air. Every soldier in the camp snapped to attention, and Celegwen grinned. "You know what? I think we're good." She stepped forward and clapped her hands twice. "Listen up! Now is your chance to prove your worth in this shitfest of a war! In the valley, there's a squad of men being trained by what I can only assume is a master. We are foreigners in their land, so no one is to shoot first. Is that understood?"

"Yes, captain!"

"Is that understood?

"YES, CAPTAIN!

Celegwen gave a three-note whistle drew her sword. "Into formation!" The officers all mounted and went to the front of their individual units. Celegwen climbed onto Aithusa's saddle and cracked her whip in the air. "Move out!"

The units started marching, and Aithusa took to the air with a roar that echoed off the surrounding mountains.

Daverro awoke to the sound of an army approaching in the night. He got up and grabbed the ring on his necklace to test if it was a dream or not, unfortunately it wasn't.
Whelp, there goes another good night's sleep.
Daverro rushed to get his armor on. He quickly walked over to the captain sleeping on his horse and lifted him by the forearm.
"Wake up you filthy piece of shite, we have an army coming through the mountains, ready the recruits within ten minutes or I will rip your head off your pretty shoulders!"
Guinasos forcibly released himself from Daverro's grasp, he headed for the barracks, while gritting his teeth:
"Yes, Sir."
Daverro soared upward to get an aerial view of the situation.
They're coming in from the south, I hear a dragon as well, if they're from Adela it must have a rider along with it.
Daverro nosedived to the ground, landing with a loud THUD to wake anyone up who might still be getting a secret nap in.
The army was set in formation in 9 minutes and 45 seconds.
The cavalry arrived just as the messenger said they would, but instead of reporting to Daverro as they should've the cavalry leader handed Guinasos a letter.
He looked up at Daverro with possibly the most vile grin he had ever seen.
"CAVALRY MEN, FORMATION!"
Guinasos stomped over to Daverro, handing him the letter.
"No.. NO.."
"Yes."
The captain punched Daverro square in the jaw causing him to bleed a little.
"You answer to me now, you mage loving shitface."
He spat at the dragon, getting him right in the eye, how disgusting.
"Now I want you to go to the back of the formation like the shitty soldier you are and wait for orders."
Daverro, as much as he wanted to absolutely burn this man alive in the worst way possible, went to the back of formation fully armored and sword sheathed on his back, the plume from his helmet made him look very out of place... along with his height.
"ALRIGHT MEN, YOUR NEW COMMANDER IS HERE, AND THAT IS ME, AND MY ORDERS ARE THAT WE MARCH UP THE MOUNTAIN, AND KILL THESE MAGE-LOVING BASTARDS! WHOS WITH ME?"
"SIR, YES, SIR."
"MAAAAARCH!"
The army of cavalry and recruits proceeded up the mountains with more dedication than ever before seen, their first battle excited everyone. Daverro marched in formation emotionless, trying to avoid letting his emotions cloud his thinking. The army reached trail just under the peak of the mountain waiting for the Adelans to face their unknown peril.
The captain noticed the giant white dragon in the distance.
Oooh, Dragon meat, sounds tasty. This will be exciting.

From the aerial view, Celegwen was able to get a decent read on the size of the opposing army. The orders she gave were to not fire first, so the soldiers halted a little ways below the mountain top. Celegwen and Aithusa flew high, getting a look at what they were up against.

These particular mage soldiers were powerful, especially masters, but not even the first mage ever was powerful enough to bring down a dragon. Dragons were made of the magic of the land itself. They are magic. Even if these were elite soldiers, Aithusa would be at almost no risk.

They circled around once and returned. Aithusa hovered just above the ground and Celegwen made a few hand signals to the officers. They put their right fists to their chests, bowing their heads. Aithusa took to the air again and flew to the west, landing among a few close mountain spikes.

The Adelan army raced to the top of the hill, ready to meet the adversary.

Captain Guinasos turned to his army.
"ALRIGHT MEN, ITS TIME TO KILL SOME PIECE OF SHITE MAGES, CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGEEE!"
The army rushed down the hill, unknowingly to their own doom. The captain looked up at the white dragon with an evil grin.
This'll be a good kill.
Guinasos might've been the cockiest and most arrogant asshole in the world. But he knew how to throw a spear, hard. Implanting itself into an old gash into the dragon's thigh.
Daverro soared into the sky, unfortunately he was loyal to his duke, he soar over the Adelan army, and with one slice of his obsidian broadsword, he cleared a decent chunk from the army.
He landed on a nearby rock and propelled himself back into the air to face the dragon. It was enormous, but nothing Daverro couldn't handle, he soared to where the spear had implanted itself, and with a mid-air barrel roll kick, he sent the spear further into the wound. He circled the dragon at a ridiculous speed, his necklace and the ring flapping in the wind.

Aithusa let out an ear-piercing screech, creating a powerful wind with his wings.

The Adelan army was able to hold its own against the soldiers without the dragon man to deal with, but Celegwen knew that he had to be taken care of for them to have a chance. Celegwen slid off of Aithusa's back and ripped the spear from his leg. He winced, but it was no more than a splinter once it was gone.

Aithusa took to the air without Celegwen on his back. The speed of the dragon man's flight could almost match Aithusa's own speed, so he closed his eyes and remembered an old friend's teachings. He listened for the attacker instead of trying to follow him with sight.

With an incredibly accurate swipe of his large hand, the white dragon smacked the dragon man out of the sky and onto the ground. It wasn't enough to cause any severe injury, but it was definitely enough to knock the wind out of him. Celegwen jumped up, drawing her sword and swinging at him. They both were incredibly skilled, neither one able to land a single hit.

Aithusa flew over the battlefield, massive clouds of fire and smoke erupting from his mouth onto the enemy army. The dragon man took to the air, and Celegwen sheathed her sword, running toward the battle. She heard a small chink! under her foot and stopped.

What the hell?

Celegwen knelt down and picked up the tarnished silver chain necklace. Her eyes widened and her eyes teared when she saw the weather ring with the cracked red jewel. "Aithusa!" She cried.

The screaming and sounds of war drowned her voice. Her heart was racing as she saw Aithusa readying his fire again. She whipped an arrow out of her quiver and aimed at her husband. It wouldn't be enough to cause too much harm, but it would definitely get his attention. She let it fly and hit him in the shoulder.

He knocked the dragon man out of the way and flew toward Celegwen, landing in front of her. "Don't hurt-"

The dragon man landed right near them with his blade drawn. Celegwen stepped forward and drew her sword. The man had an interesting mixture of rage and frustration in his eyes. She dropped her sword on the ground, lowered to her knees, and held up her hands, the ring on the necklace clearly visible in her left hand.

Daverro removed his helmet, he stared into the woman's mismatching eye's for a moment. Her gesture was nothing of any Adelan Daverro had ever faced. He was beyond confused as to why she would order a gigantic white dragon to not hurt him as well as the fact this woman randomly ceased her combat to show Daverro his own ring.
Why would this Adelan stop fighting, unless... No, it's impossible.
"I don't know what kind of an Adelan you are to cease your fighting, but I demand you draw your sword and face me like a true soldier!"
Daverro readied his broadsword, dropping his helmet onto the ground.
"COME ON, FIGHT ME."

Celegwen dropped all of her weapons, except her whip which was used more for giving directions and commands. She dropped her cape on the ground and stood, stepping on the Dragonrider crest. "Aithusa," she said, snapping her fingers.

He shifted into his human form and stood where he was behind her. Once again, she lowered to her knees with her hands raised, and he cautiously and puzzledly did the same. "Gwen..." he whispered warningly.

She removed all of her armor, dropping it to the ground and holding the ring out to him. "I won't fight you," she whispered. "This is going against everyone of training I ever received, but I'm not going to fight you."

No, No, no, no, NO. I WAS TOLD THEY WERE KILLED THE DAY I WAS BORN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE.
"FIGHT ME YOU COWARDS, I MAY NOT SUPPORT CALENT IN THE SLIGHTEST BUT ILL BE DAMNED IF I KILL A DRAGONRIDER OF ALL THINGS DISHONORABLY, STAND AND FIG-"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Captain Guinasos charging with his sword in the air.
"MY FIRST DRAGONRIDER KILL, THEY'LL MARK MY NAME IN HISTORY!"
Just as Guinasos was about to slice the shapeshifting dragon's head off, in a speed that was only comparable to Ravathos of Yoreiq, Daverros had completely split Guinasos and his horse in half.
"Cunt."
"I'll ask one more time before I send your head back to Adela where it belongs. Why, the hell won't you fight!"
Daverro was ready to complete cut the pair in half without hesitation.

Celegwen's heart was racing, but Aithusa couldn't for the life of him figure out what was going on. The Elf stood, motioning for Aithusa to do the same.

"My name is Captain Celegwen Perkhimote," she said officially. "This is my dragon partner and husband, Aithusa."

"Gwen, what the hell are-"

Celegwen snapped her head around, silencing Aithusa immediately. She looked at the dragon man and held out the cracked ring once again. "I'm going to ask you one question. If it's not the answer I'm looking for, I promise I will not hesitate in taking you prisoner. I won't kill you, but it will be much worse." She took a breath and swallowed nervously, preparing herself for any possible answer. "Where did you get this ring?"

It's impossible...
Daverro looked at the ring, he frantically scrambled at his neck, just now noticing that the chain was completely gone.
"I doubt you would be able to take me prisoner first and foremost without receiving some fatal wounds. Second, I've had that on my neck ever since I was born here in Connloath it belonged to my mother but she and my father were killed as soon as I was born, I was told that no matter what, no one could ever make me let go of that necklace without getting completely roasted alive. I've never taken it off, and the fact that you have it only makes me want to slice your head right off your soldiers."
Daverro was getting extremely impatient, especially with all the fighting still going on down below.

"I have a proposition for you," Celegwen said, glancing back at Aithusa, who had an obviously frustrated expression.

She glared at him, silently telling him to trust her.

"You just killed the man I assume was in charge of your army. You call off your army, and I'll call off of mine. I think we need to have a talk."

She started walking over to Aithusa, but stopped short. "As a token of good faith... She handed the ring to him. "Trust me," she said. Aithusa shifted into his dragon form, and Celegwen situated herself on the saddle. He took to the air, immediately landing in the middle of the fighting.

At her command, all of Celegwen's officers and remaining soldiers laid down their weapons and stopped fighting.

What is with this woman...
Daverro grabbed the head of his captain, or at least what he could, and lifted it into the sky.
"SOLDIERS OF CONNLAOTH, YOUR UNFAITHFUL CAPTAIN WAS SLAIN BY ME, THIS IS AN ACT OF TREASON BY CONNLAOTHIAN LAW, BUT I CAN SAFELY ASSUME NO WILL SPEAK OF HIS DEATH, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!"
"I ORDER ALL CAVALRY MEN AND WOMEN, AND RECRUITS, TO BURRY THE BODIES OF THE FALLEN ALONGSIDE WITH YOUR ENEMIES, AND RETURN TO YOUR BARRACKS UNTIL I ARRIVE IN THE MORNING FOR EXERCISES, TAKE A LOOK BACK ON THIS DAY, AND SWEAR TO NEVER DEFEND THAT BASTARD CALENT EVER AGAIN, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!"
The army began what they were ordered to, Daverro still frustrated at this woman, almost missed sheathing his blade.
"Well, that would've a bad scar to have. I need to calm down." he said to himself.
Daverro sheathed his sword properly this time around, and headed for a tent the dragon was standing outside of, he entered and saw the woman sitting on a pristine leather couch, from the look of the tent she looked to be a long time leader in the riders.
Daverro placed his helmet on the table, the white plume falling down to where his feet were.
"What is this "talk" about? Calent? I want to murder the bastard if that's what you wondering."

Celegwen smiled, shaking her head. "If that was what this was about, we're without a doubt on the same side."

She gestured to the chairs or the other side of the couch. "This actually has absolutely nothing to do with the war. Have a seat wherever you'd feel most comfortable."

Tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears, she took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. "Actually, I wanted to speak with you on a more personal topic. That ring... It's unmistakable. Last time I saw it was over twenty years ago. Tell me a little bit more about it? What do you know of your parents?"

Daverro sat up in his chair, the white dragon shifted into his human form and walked inside standing next to the woman.
Its not true...
"Look m'am, I already told you, I've had that ring since I was a child, I've always had it on a silver chain necklace. I never took it off, until now apparently. As far as my parents goes, I've already told you, they died when I was born. I'm an orphan raised in the prestigious city of Connlaoth serving as a blade to the duke before the bastard Calent came into play. That's everything I know."
Daverro was getting flustered.

Aithusa felt Celegwen's extreme energy and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently stroking her arm. Celegwen blinked away the tears threatening her eyes.

"I, um... My father created that ring with his own hands," she said. "He cracked it during a fight with my brother. He gave it to me on his deathbed, and I... Well, I gave it to my infant son."

This... can't... be... they... should... be... dead.
Daverro was at a loss for words.
"I-I-I, No, this can't be true, my parents were killed the day I was born. They had birthed the abomination that I am, they were the reason why everyone hated me. Because I was different, they were killed because they had birthed something that couldn't fit anywhere into society. You must be mistaking this ring with something else. I'm sorry, but a random woman coming up to me in the middle of battle claiming to be my mother, when I've known she and my father had been for years, good sob story. Now tell me the truth of why you're here and the real reason you wanted to talk to me, or I'm slicing you in half."
Daverro stood ready to slaughter everything within a 10 mile radius with his rage.

"Take a breath, kid," Aithusa said, standing up with his arm out defensively. "No one needs to get hurt. We put down our weapons and protocol calls for you to do the same."

Celegwen stood, placing her hand on Aithusa's arm. "No," she said. "I'm not making anyone do anything, nor would I expected you to believe me immediately. That aspect you got from him."

"Gwen, maybe the ring isn't-"

"My father gave that ring to me with his last breaths!" Celegwen snapped. "I'm not mistaken! Everyone, just please relax. We're civilized!"

Aithusa leaned against one of the poles and Celegwen sat down. "I'm so sorry about how you grew up. If you believe anything that I say, believe that was never what I wanted for you."

Daverro looked at the two in disgust.
"What the hell are you talking about, I don't know if this has gotten through to your head, respectfully m'am, but my parents are dead. What I wanted for you? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Look, all I know is a cracked red jewel on a ring that you claim is yours, is not going to convince me in the slightest im sorry. I'm pretty sure you have the wrong person."
Daverro stormed out the tent, leaving his helmet behind. He soared through the night sky trying to take it everything had just happened, he cleared the mountaintops and returned to his hut where he was able to take off all of his armor finally and get some rest.
It's impossible, I don't even look like either of them, and yet they come in just to attempt to convince me that two random strangers are my dead parents. My ass.

After losing her son twenty-five years ago, watching him walk out of his own choice wasn't something she was prepared for. Aithusa was still skeptical about the solidity of Celegwen's case, but he knew the ring was definitely hers. Whether or not he was actually their child was another issue.

"You don't believe me," she said.

"Hey," he said, combing through her hair, "I will always believe you. You just can't go up to a young man and claim to be his dead mother with nothing to base it on but a ring."

She scoffed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Well, what do you suggest then? Take him out to dinner and a play?"

"Yes!"

"I was being sarcastic!"

Aithusa chuckled. "I wasn't! Look, Gwen, he's confused and angry and probably doesn't want to believe it. How did you feel when your father died? If one day someone showed up claiming to be your father, I think that would open some issues you worked hard to resolve! He's a lost kid. Honestly, don't push it. Just spend time with him."

She frowned, picking up the feather that had fallen from his helmet and running it through her fingers. "Can you track him?"

"You aren't coming with me," he said, picking up the helmet.

As the sun rose in the morning, Aithusa tracked Daverro's scent from his helmet to a hut in the mountains. He knocked twice at the door and smirked when Daverro opened it. "You left this."

Daverro almost blinded himself from the reflection of the sun off the man.
"Thank you, I can't believe I hadn't noticed it was gone. You're welcome to come in if you like."
Aithusa strolled inside and sat on a nearby by chair that looked like an anvil.
Daverro placed two pints of hot sugar water onto the table between them.
He spoke to Aithusa:
"Look, I don't know what you're here for, but I doubt it was just to return my helmet, and my guess is since that you were the one standing next to that woman last night, I can only assume you're claiming to be my father now? Let me just tell you there's no way you can prove it to me, sorry, my parents are dead and that's a fact."
Daverro leaned back in his chair sipping his sugar water.

Aithusa put his right ankle on his left knee and leaned forward. "I'm going to be blunt because I think we both can see right through bullshit," he said, cracking his knuckles. "I haven't come here to try and convince you that you're my son. I don't even know if you are. I lost my boy twenty-five years ago. When he was taken from me, I quite literally fought tooth and nail to stop it. Still, I failed. And you have to know I feel just as guilty every single day, because I see Gwen go to touch her absent ring and a piece of her breaks."

The dragon sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He shook his head and stood up, walking over and leaning against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankles. "Look, kid. I'm not here to ask you to believe her because I don't even know if I agree. You don't even look like either one of us, but I sure as hell know my son looked like you. I know it's crazy and you probably don't even want to give it another thought. I never my father, and I some man walked up to me claiming to be him, is burn that guy to a crisp faster than he could finish the sentence.

"All I can say is I know that ring. I know my wife. Her mind is clearer than the sea on a sunny day. I'm not asking you to believe me or her because that's way too much. All I'm asking is you give her a chance to talk to you, really talk to you."

Daverro looked hesitant, and Aithusa really couldn't blame him. It was an incredible thing to ask someone, and even harder to ask of a boy who was thrown into the world without so much as a thought from anyone.

"I'll tell you all about my son if you'd like," Aithusa said, sticking out his hand. "What do you say?"

Daverro looked hesitant for a moment, he looked down and heaved a sigh of slight acceptance.
"I think that's fair enough. But if either of you try to trick me I will NOT, hesitate in the slightest to murder the both of you."
Daverro took Aithusa's hand outside, Daverro looked off to the side noticing the soldiers were awaiting orders for the day. Daverro released his hand gently, and soared into the sky, his voice booming like thunder:
"RECRUITS! I MUST TAKE A LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR THE DAY, PRACTICE YOUR SPARRING FOR THE MORNING AND YOU ARE FREE TO DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE UNTIL NEXT SUNRISE! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!"
The army booming with excitemnt:
"SIIIR, YES, SIR!"
The recruits began to cheer:
"DAVERRO, DAVERRO, DAVERRO!"
Daverro flew back to Aithusa.
"Sorry, they'll stand outside all day if I don't give them orders."

Aithusa smirked, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "Gwen and I are in command as well. Believe me, I get it." He shifted into his dragon form and took to the air with Daverro flying beside him. The dragon watched the young man in flight. He definitely had Celegwen's discipline, but Aithusa saw a bit of a carefree side to him that Daverro probably wasn't too open about.

The dragon glanced into the distance and saw a black shadow flying in the sunlight. He smirked. Xanu, you just might have a new friend. I'll introduce you later.

Aithusa landed outside of the tent and shifted back into his human form. "Just wait out here," he said, walking into the tent. "Hey, Gwen."

She stood from the wooden chair with a smile. "You're a goddamn miracle worker!"

"Of course I am," he said, pretending to be insulted. "Just take it easy on him. He isn't exactly excited to be here." Aithusa stuck his head out of the tent and Daverro came inside with him.

Celegwen smiled, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't think we've been really introduced. I'm Gwen, and he's Aithusa. What did they call you?"

"My name is Daverro, I wasn't given a last name because of my dragon origins. I was the blade of this land before the cunt Calent took over, thankfully my duke was able to convince Calent to let me live as the Commander of the recruits just outside of the duchy. If need be you can call me Verro for short."
Daverro stood tall in his obsidian armor, his voice was stern and awaited for further questions.

Celegwen detached her cape and removed the black tunic with the Dragonriders crest on it. "Daverro, you have my word we did not bring you here with hostile intent. My word is oak."

"You have her word that her work is oak," Aithusa said, sitting on the couch.

Celegwen glared at him. "Really? Now?" She sat on the arm of the couch, gesturing for Daverro to have a seat. "Please try... Do you remember anything-"

Aithusa put his hand on her arm. "Gwen, I promised him we'd tell him about our son," he said, leaning forward. "Verro, it's absurd to ask someone to remember his infancy.

"We named our son Kiron. He was a tiny little thing because he was born about a month too early. Had wings and a little smushed dragon's snout. Part of me was hoping he'd get my white color, but his scales were just like yours. Looked like a sunset when he flew, rather tried to fly. Gwen gave him her father's ring on a necklace."

Celegwen squeezed Aithusa's hand. "He was really stubborn!" She said, smiling. "Refused to walk anywhere. His wings weren't strong enough yet to support him, so Aithusa would run around with him over his head as Kiron flapped his wings.

"We kept him hidden for almost six months. I'd sing him to sleep, which was the only thing that would get him to settle down. Almost six months. People didn't take kindly to a being who was half Elf and half dragon. They said someone with that kind of potential power has no place in the world."

"Once the news of his birth spread, hundreds of people from all over tried to take him. Eventually, one succeeded. I don't know what happened to him after because I was never able to find him. This was twenty-five years ago."

Daverro looked at them, a little astonished, he didn't know whether he could believe them or not. But then he remembered.
I'll show them.
"What a convenient coincidence that I'm 25 years of age, and your son, that supposedly looks like me went missing in the same time frame, totally believable. I'll show you proof that this is isn't your ring. Follow me."
He motioned them to follow him. He soared into the sky, with Aithusa and Gwen following him. It took about half a days time to reach the spot in Connlaoth, the moon was hanging overhead as Daverro dived to the ground waiting for the pair to catch up.
He had landed in the front gate of a cemetery.
"Over here."
Daverro pointed to two gravestones, with names that were barely recognizable.
"These are my parents, these are their graves, case and point."
The graves seemed a little on the odd side, they just didn't look normal. But these were the graves that Daverro believed held his parents.

The dragon and Elf frowned, exchanging doubtful glances. Through their thirty-five years in the Dragonriders, they both had seen their fair share of makeshift graves, marked and unmarked. These gravestones were barely over twenty years old, which meant they couldn't have belonged to Daverro's parents if they died twenty-five years ago.

Celegwen crouched between the graves and held her hands out flat above the dirt with her eyes closed. "She's feeling for the souls of the people buried," Aithusa whispered. "I found it's better not to question."

She stood and rejoined the two men. "There's no one buried here," she said. Before anyone could say anything, she held up her hand and locked onto Daverro's crimson eyes. "I know you've grown up believing something and you've made your peace with it by now, but I'm asking you to cast it aside. As revolting as it may seem, I want you to give us permission to open the graves. If I was wrong and there are the remains of a man and a woman, we are at your mercy and you may do with us both as you will. If I'm right and these are false graves, you open your mind to a new possibility. Do we have a deal?"

Daverro on the brink of completely losing his mind spoke:
"I-I think that would be fair."
He started to tear up in his right eye in the slightest bit.
No, my parents are dead, this necklace is the only thing that remains of them. Theres no way they would just abandon me for 25 years, this cannot be happening.
A tiny spark ignited in himself.

Celegwen stood back, and Aithusa shifted into his dragon form. He easily moved the dry dirt away in large clumps, only needing to do it four times before the tops of the caskets appeared. He shifted into his human form and jumped into the whole. Celegwen and Daverro stood near it.

The dragon looked up at them nervously, and Celegwen swallowed. If there were bodies in the caskets, that meant they had just desecrated two graves and were eternally damned. Still, for the possibility of finding their son, it wasn't a question.

Aithusa ripped open both lids and gave an unnoticeable sigh of relief. He flung them both open and stepped to the side. Celegwen almost fell to her knees. "Empty," Aithusa said, climbing out of the grave.

Kiron stepped back about 10 or so paces.
"No, no, no, no NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Kiron became enraged, flustered, confused, he grabbed his face that was practically a river of tears and he began throwing himself side to side.
"WHY, WHY WOULD YOU SPEND 25 YEARS OF MY LIFE NOT EVEN ATTEMPTING TO FIND ME, IF YOU TWO ARE SUCH A GREAT PAIR, WHY THE HELL DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR YOU TO FIND ME?"
A blue flame with a white base sprouted just behind his horns, it snaked over his entire body going underneath his scales. His wings were covered in this flame, he unsheathed Zerros and slammed it into the ground, igniting the holes where the graves were. He left his sword in the ground while he soared into the sky. His voice booming, but clearly broken.
"WHY WOULD YOU SUBJECT ME TO THIS TORTURE FOR 25 YEARS? WHY DID YOU TAKE YOUR SWEET OL' TIME TO FINALLY MEET WITH ME AND TELL ME THE TRUTH."
You could see the tear drops being instantly vaporized from his flames.
"I WI-WISH I HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!"
After a short spark, a gigantic beam of blue and white fire was headed straight for Celegwen and Aithusa.
Jeez, you two really need to step up your parenting game.
A voice that sounded like Zu's echoed in Aithusa's mind.
After the smoke had cleared, Celegwen and Aithusa were standing in the center of a giant crater of obsidian.
Out of nowhere, a celestial arrow hit Kiron out of the sky, he plummeted a good 100 ft before landing into the earth with a loud THUD.
Kiron was unconscious.

It's good to hear your voice, Aithusa thought, looking at the sky.

Celegwen ran over to Kiron, putting her hand over his armored chest. "He's just out cold," she said. "Come on. Get him back to the tent."

Aithusa shifted into his dragon form and lifted Kiron's limp body, cradling him in his large hand. Celegwen took hold of Kiron's sword and climbed onto Aithusa's saddle. They flew back to the Adelan camp, earning a few strange glances from random soldiers.

It took a few people to lift Kiron onto the couch in Celegwen's tent, since his thick armor added so much weight. Still, from a soldier's point of view, stripping a man of his armor can be perceived as a threat. Celegwen laid his sword on the table and sat next to him, putting a damp rag on his forehead. She softly sang the lullaby she used to sing to him to get him to go to sleep, the same one Aithusa's mother sang and the same one Aithusa sang for Celegwen under the tree twenty-seven years ago.

Aithusa blew three small flares into the air, then shifted into his human form. Three officers came running up to him and put their fists to their chests. "Captain," they said in unison.

"Captain Perkhimote is not to be disturbed," he said. "All official matters are to be run through me until further notice, and I expect you three are responsible enough to handle any petty matters that come up. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they said.

Aithusa nodded. "Dismissed." The officers walked back to their tents, and Aithusa walked outside. He knew there was nothing he could do for Kiron until the man woke up and he knew Celegwen would be better off alone. She wasn't exactly in a conversational mood. Instead, Aithusa strolled around and let out a long whistle.

The large shadow above him started growing and Xanuthos landed in front of Aithusa. Hey, Xanu. Does Zukiro ever still talk to you?

Xanuthos soared through the sky as soon Aithusa had called him. His black scales shimmering through the night, he descended in front of Aithusa and replied:
Only. In. Dream. What. Happened.
Inside the tent, Kiron began to stir, he spoke a little, still unconscious:
"My mother is de... my father is de... who are you? Why are you doin..."
His words were broken, he spoke as if he was finally broken of some kind of control.
Then, Kiron started to open his eye's after a while, he saw his mother's mismatching eyes and spoke softly:
"M-m-mother? Is that y.."
He was fading in and out of consciousness.
Celegwen caressed her son as if he was still a toddler.

Aithusa folded his arms across his chest and kicked a rock, shaking his head. "Earlier today, before we got back, Gwen and I were fighting with..." He shook his head. "It's complicated. Bottom line is that I heard Zukiro. It was definitely his voice. Some arrow came seemingly out of a void in the sky and disappeared when it hit. Zu decided to be sarcastic and mock my parenting!"

The dragon smiled and chuckled breathily. "Nothing changes with that wolf, does it?"

In the tent, Celegwen tried to keep her heart hidden when someone was relying on her, but seeing her son in that state was breaking her heart. "Shhh," she whispered. "Your mom and dad are fine. And we're not going anywhere." She loosened his armor a little bit, allowing for some breathing room. "Not going anywhere."

Xanuthos layed down next to the tent.
Zu. Always. With. Me. His. Spirit. Guide. Me. But. I. Only. See. In. Dream.
Xanuthos looked up to the night sky and send a giant blue flame upwards.
He. Trying. To. Prank. Me.

In the tent Celegwen was tending to Kiron.
A couple of hours later, he started to finally wake, just as infant is born into the world and the first thing they see is there mother's eyes, this was about the same experience.
Kiron began to tear up, he sat up and gave his mother possibly the most tight hug in existence. He began to cry on her shoulder.
"What happened mother? Why did this happen? Who did this? Im sorry for what I did, im sorry for not believing you, please forgive me."
His armor had fallen off once he got up, his straps were very finicky, he was the only one who knew how to properly set them. His bare chest was revealed, quite muscular, but covered with his scales.

After hearing Kiron's voice, Aithusa jogged into the tent and smiled softly, leaning against a post. He had waited over two decades for his family to be complete, and though the circumstances weren't ideal, his family was in fact whole.

Celegwen couldn't help it as her cheeks were stained by the trails of rolling tears. She missed out on her son's entire childhood, but at that moment, it didn't matter. "It doesn't matter," she whispered in a breathy whisper, looking at Aithusa. "What's important is we found each other now. I'm so sorry. We should've protected you more."

Aithusa walked over and stood next to Celegwen, stroking her hair and squeezing Kiron's shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he said, swallowing his tears back to be strong for his family. "Forgive us."

Kiron sat up, with tears rolling down his cheeks:
"No, it should be me apologizing, Im sorry mother for not believing you when you offered the ring, I should've known no random Adelan would cease their fighting for any reason other than family. Im sorry for disrespecting you with my outbreak. I-I thought I had killed you. When I learned about flare-flame I was never taught how to properly use it. It only happens when extreme emotions take over. Im am beyond happy that I didn't kill you two. If I had I wouldnt know what to do with myself.
He wiped away a tear from his cheek and looked to Aithusa
"Dad, I'm sorry for kicking that spear into your thigh. But I do have to admit, no one has ever been able to just swat me out of the sky. How'd you do it? And who did you learn that from? Cause it was really cool."
Kiron for the first time in a long time, had smiled.

Aithusa laughed, shaking his head. "I've had worse injuries, believe me. I learned that trick from a long gone friend. Actually...uh, learned it from your grandfather."

Celegwen smiled, wiping underneath her eyes.

The dragon cocked his left eyebrow and glanced upward. "I can teach you to control yourself better, if you'd like. Control that flare-flame, the spiral kick, and how to focus to the point you can do what I did. Just hope that you aren't as stubborn as your mom."

She hit him in the gut. "Wrong parent!"

Kiron for the first time in a long time laughed. The miracle that was finding his parents was a gift itself, and he cherished every possible moment.
"I would love for you to teach me fa- Dad. But i do want to add, I've never ever done that kick before, its almost as if I had known how to do it ever since I've started training, that and flare-flame, felt natural. Although the flames only seem to come alive when I'm in extreme emotion. Also, I have this weird feeling where I should be very witty. Is that normal? Also who was my grandfather and when can I meet him? Cause it sounds like he kicked your ass."
Kiron laughed as he pondered the questions to his parents.

"Those things should come naturally to you, kiddo," Aithusa said, pulling a chair over. He sat on it with his legs on either side of the back and his arms rested atop it. "Your mom and I are natural warriors! Sorry again about our rocky meeting. I just meant that I can help teach you to control yourself. I used to be a lot like you are, controlled and clouded by my emotions, but your grandfather helped to teach me to take control and use my emotions to my advantage."

Celegwen smiled and tucked stray hair behind her ears. "And you're right! He absolutely kicked your dad's ass. We actually named you in honor of him. His name was Zukiro...and he passed away before you were born."

"We do have someone else we want you to meet, though." Aithusa and Celegwen stood, leading Kiron out of the tent. The black dragon stood proudly under the stars. "Kiron, this is Xanuthos. He was your grandfather's best friend...his brother."

"Xanu, this is our son."

Xanuthos scanned the half-breed for a bit before looking into Kiron's eyes.
You. Have. Promise. But. First. You. Must. Be. Tested.
With a swift whip of his tail, Xanuthos sent Kiron flying into the air.
Just before he was able to steady himself in the air, Xanuthos landed yet another blow.
Jeez, he's fast.
I. Know. Learn. To. Catch. Up.
Xanuthos performed his signature barrel-roll tail whip, thankfully Kiron braced the attack at the last possible moment.
Kiron closed his eyes for a moment, just as Xanuthos was about to land another heavy blow, Kiron spun and counterattacked Xanuthos with a heavy kick to the head, causing Xanuthos to lose his balance in the air for a moment. Xanuthos stared at his grandnephew in a slight awe and pride.
You. Just. Like. Grandfather.
A voice echoed in Aithusa's mind:
Hell yeah he is, and seriously work on your parenting skills, Amelia is practically dying from laughing too hard.
Xanuthos focused on Kiron and closed his eyes.
Observe. Child.
Oh, this is gonna be good. Zu's voice echoed again.
Xanuthos soared high into the air, he began to corkscrew, each rotation was faster than the last until he appeared as a star tornado in the night sky. He then let out a breath of blue flame that engulfed his entire body.
It was a beauty that no mortal, not even Zu had ever had the pleasure of laying eyes upon. Xanuthos became a shimmering black, blue, and white spiraling comet soaring through the night sky.
He stopped for a moment, but that was all that was needed. He sprouted his shimmering wings and the flames exploded off his body. He spouted blue fire into the air as the rest of the flame covered his entire body, making him just as large as Aithusa in his dragon form, if not bigger.
THIS. IS. TRUE. FORM. I. TEACH. YOU. HOW. TO. WIELD. If. You. Are. Willing. To. Learn.
Kiron stood there in awe his jaw wide open with a giant smile.
"That is... beautiful, teach me everything please."
Xanuthos banished the fire into the sky, and guided Kiron back down to the ground with his parents.
Xanuthos looked at Aithusa
I. Can. Teach. You. As. Well. But. Not. As. Powerful. Your. Son.
Has. More. Potential.

I'm good, ol' buddy, Aithusa thought. I've still got some tricks up my sleeves.

"Xanu, that was incredible!" Celegwen said.

Aithusa looked upward at the eternal sky, Zukiro's image almost seeming to be formed from the stars. He knew it was just his mind, but the wolf's voice haunting his mind started to let Aithusa make connections to him everywhere.

Celegwen rubbed her son's arm. "Welcome to Xanuthos, Kiron," she said. "You'll get used to him showing off."

"Showing off?" Aithusa said almost breathlessly. "Gwen, you're a goddamn captain in the Dragonriders and you have two dragons! And you say Xanu is a showoff?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "You might be my husband, but I can still kick your ass."

Aithusa grinned and walked over to Xanu, patting him on the leg. Work with him all you want, but don't kill him! He made his way to Celegwen and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. It's guy time."

She smiled and squeezed his hand, before walking into the tent.

Aithusa smirked and glanced at the sky again. It's a little late in the game to give him a timeout, Zu. Aithusa watched Kiron and Xanuthos get acquainted and smiled softly. He's a fine young man.

Aithusa took a few steps backward, then sprinted at full speed toward Kiron and Xanu. "Heads up, boys!" He shouted, leaping into the air and shifting into his dragon form. He just missed Xanuthos with the razor ends of his wings, lifting himself higher into the air and beckoning them both to join him.

Xanuthos with a swift sprint lunged himself into the air, Kiron followed. Kiron passed Xanuthos and kept up with his father, circling the encampment with blazing speeds.
If you could teach me how to use that without my emotions I would greatly appreciate that.
Time. For. Fun. Teach. Later.
"Dad! I'll race you to Ketra and back! First one back has to be the other a gallon of ale! Deal?" Kiron shouted as he flew next to his father's ear, or at least what Kiron thought was the ear.
If. I. Win. I. Get. Two. Barrel.
Kiron flew next to his father waiting for him to accept this daring challenge.

Avoid arrogance, kid! Aithusa sneered, lunging forward at his natural speed. Kiron at the very least kept up with his father, but it was obvious there was an intense effort as he began to pull ahead. Xanu stayed back, and Aithusa knew he was just saving his energy for the return.

Aithusa and Kiron raced neck and neck, taking turns pulling ahead. Aithusa was making sure not to overpower his son, as he knew little tricks for faster flights, but he didn't completely slack.

Reaching Ketra, Kiron had a slight advantage in maneuverability because of his size. He whipped around, while the two full size dragons flipped in the air like swimmers and started back. Xanuthos started to reveal his true speed against the two of them, and Aithusa knew there was no hope for him or Kiron in beating the black dragon...without a little help.

Kiron, wings out, head down, eyes closed, he thought with a smirk.

Aithusa fell back slightly, positioning himself directly behind his son. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and opened them with a toothy grin. His blue eyes flowed as though blue lightning was shooting inside of them. The blue lightning suddenly spread across Aithusa's entire body, the electrical blue bolts popping beautifully against his pure white form.

He took a long breath and thrust all of the electrical energy into a great, blue fireball that shot ahead of Kiron. As soon as Kiron flew into the ball, he became supercharged. His crimson eyes turned blue, and his speed was magnified more than ever before. Aithusa smiled at Xanu's surprised expression with the same arrogance he warned Kiron to avoid.

What. What is this father? I feel as if I can soar across the entire world in less than a second! This isn't flare-flame is it?
Kiron looked as if he was teleporting in the air, he was moving so fast everything else looked as if it had slowed down.
He stopped just before the hut again, practically making a small crater from his landing, his father just barely came before him.
"OK NOW THAT WAS AWESOME, I DONT CARE WHO WON THE BET BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT WAS."
Kiron was ecstatic beyond belief, he had never flown that fast ever in his life, and to do it with his entire armor set on, made it that more exciting to learn.
Xanuthos did you see that!
Yes. I. Saw. I. Not. Know. Aithusa. Could. Do. That.
Xanuthos perched himself gracefully atop a nearby spire. He focused on Aithusa but made sure to tell Kiron as well.
Kiron. Has. Great. Potential. I. Can. Teach. How. To. Control. Flare.
Flame. But. Father. Will. Teach. You. How. To. Master.
Kiron was grinning ear to ear he couldn't hold back his excitement, so much so he bear hugged his father.

Still in his dragon form, Aithusa's large hand was enough to return the hug. He glanced at Xanuthos, then shifted into his human form. After smoothing out his silver hair, Aithusa shook his head.

"That had nothing to do with flare-flame," he said, quite literally rolling up his sleeves. "That, my boy, was something I like to call 'the charge.' Came up with it myself. Now, not really I can teach you, but I can help you to teach yourself. It taps into the energy of your soul."

He winked at Xanu, smirking like an asshole. You haven't seen anything yet, old friend.

Aithusa clapped his hands, then rubbed them together. "So! What kind of ale might we be sucking down tonight?"

Kiron chuckled at his father's bland naming system for abilities.
"Really? 'THE CHARGE' OOOOOOOH SOOOO scaaaryy!"
Aithusa didn't appreciate Kiron's mocking of the ability considering how powerful it felt. But Kiron couldn't help it, it was a very 'uncool' name.
"Father, lets get some drinks in me and maybe I can think up a better name for that ability of yours. With all due respect it seems very powerful, and thus I feel it needs to have a better name than just 'THE CHARGE'. Personally I would like to try some of mother's favorite drinks if possible?"
Xanuthos felt a little out of place, he was completely used to the feeling when it came to dealing with Zukiro's accomplishes but this was more so on the lines of family.
I. be. Back. Drink. Without. Me.
Xanuthos took to the sky with a sonic boom in his wake. He needed to be somewhere else for the time being.

"You might be my son, but I'll still kick your ass," Aithusa said, smirking at Kiron. "It might not sound scary, but there's a method to that. If your enemies here you have a secret weapon with a really powerful name, they'll prepare with a really powerful defense. If you have a really powerful weapon with a bland name, I guarantee your enemies will be quite underprepared."

The white dragon gave his son a genuine smile. Kiron was a smart soldier, but Aithusa had years of experience that the young man just didn't. And considering the circumstances, he was more than happy to share his wisdom with Kiron.

When Xanuthos took off, the sonic boom barely affected Aithusa and Kiron. Kiron had the natural potential for the same ability, while Aithusa was simply able to resist the power. Xanu's sudden disappearance struck a chord with Aithusa. The dragons had known each other long enough to be able to understand each other without words. He could tell Xanu was having troubles, but decided not to follow.

Aithusa shook himself out of his thoughts and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Your mother's a weak drinker. Smart woman, but has a taste for weak ale. Let's see just how alike you two really are." He laughed and they started back to town on foot that time.

The two made their way back to Celegwen who was patiently awaiting her family's return once more.
Kiron entered the tent and spoke:
"Mother, father says you have a taste for weak ale is this true? I never pictured a soldier like you liking something so dull. Well that explains why you and father are together." Kiron started uncontrollably laughing at his joke. But something was odd about Kiron's breath, it was practically spring but everytime he exhaled it was like a small wind of winter poured out of his mouth. Seeing the cloud of winter smoke Kiron felt his breath: "What the? Do I have ice breath now or-"
Kiron completely passed out his body grew cold, very cold.

Past Ketra, past Serendipity, past Connlaoth, Xanuthos made his way back into the northern tundra known as Hyoite looking for something, someone.
He found himself at the spire where he once lost something in exchange for his great nephew.
After a few hours she appeared above him, her white skin reflecting the rays of the true aurora borealis.
Hello. Sister.

"That's not ice breath," Aithusa said. He practically ripped Celegwen's cloak off and covered Kiron with it. The cloak wasn't very warm, but it was better then nothing. Even so, what was plaguing Kiron wasn't anything that could be fought from the outside, but rather it was attacking from the inside. And from the progression, it had been for quite some time.

Celegwen looked at Aithusa's suspiciously knowing expression. "How do you know that? Aithusa, what the hell is going on?"

"Xanuthos left just a minute ago," he said. "No way this is a coincidence. Dress warmly. We're going after him."

The Elf's eyes widened. "You don't think-"

"No, of course not. I just think he knows more than he's saying. Get ready! Warm clothes!"

"I'm warm! Let's go!"

Aithusa took a breath. "No, furs. Now. Hurry up. We're going north." He shifted into his dragon form and took Kiron in his hands. The dragon's magical heat might not be about to stop whatever was happening, but it could slow the progression. Celegwen ran over with his furs on and her sword at her side. She leapt onto Aithusa's saddle, and he took to the sky with a single flap of his wings.

Aithusa flew with Xanuthos' scent guiding his way. He reached Hyoite in less than four hours.

Xanuthos! Aithusa shouted into the snowy horizon, as he used the frigid currents to fly smoothly.

Sathurra's borelian cloak flowed ever so elegantly as she summoned another ice spire to perch herself on. She was slightly bigger than her brother but due to Xanuthos's times with Zukiro, he has learned much more than Sathurra thinks.
"Hello, brother finally come back to stay in Hyoite instead of your petty vacations? Of course not, I know that look in your eye and it confirms to me exactly whats going on."
Her laugh was nothing short of maniacal and evil.
HELP. KIRON. NOW. WE. MADE. PROMISE.
Sathurra continued her laughter.
"You honestly think I was just going to let your nephew just live in the ENTIRE REGION YOU TERRAFORMED FOR HIS CRAP RECRUITS HA! AS IF! Every year I visited that land, and made it worse and worse each and everytime. I made sure to-"
I. AM. AWARE. YOU. BITCH.
Xanuthos left the spire so fast it shattered completely. With a swift roll-whip with his tail, Sathurra was sent flying into the snowy ground leaving a line of rubble a half mile long. After attempting to get up Sathurra was pounded further into the frozen ground. Xanuthos had stomped her face into the ground and kept doing so until Sathurra blasted him out of the hole he made.
DIE.
Readjusting himself he unleashed his ultimate form of flare-flame, a pure white silhoutte of flame that was twice the size of Sathurra mixed with black lightning. He kicked Sathurra up into the air, he released the silhouette which flew through Sathurra with sonic booms. All the while Xanuthos was flying at light speed landing blow after blow with his tail and claws. He was able to do consecutive front flip balls into Sathurra's face, stomach, and anywhere that would and could severly damage her. The lightning made his practically invisible.
Within the beatings Sathurra grinned.
"Fool."
Sathurra sprouted a borelian shield from her cloak that blocked one of Xanuthos attacks, which gave her enough time to freeze the silhoutte of flame out of existence.
"Your circus tricks wont work on me and you know it.
He has gotten stronger, by a significant margin.
Sathurra began to circle mid-air forming a frozen storm of ice and crystals. They implanted themselves into Xanuthos. He burned the majority of them away due to his natural heat.
Xanuthos!
Xanuthos heard Aithusa's voice calling across the frozen horizon.
"Ooh is that your friends and OH KIRON, HE HAS ALREADY STARTED TO FALL TO FROZEN HEART FEVER, HAHA! I think I'll pay them a visit."
Sathurra darted herself across the tundra, she saw Aithusa and prepared to freeze him completely.
I. TOLD. YOU. TO. DIE.
Xanuthos's scales turned a brilliant white-gold, he appeared to be a second sun with his radiating heat.
"DO. NOT. TOUCH. MY. FAMILY."
Xanuthos's voice reverberrated across the tundra.
"I. AM. THE. BROTHER. OF. THE. LIGHT. LEAVE. MY. FAMILY. ALONE. YOU. ICE. WHORE."
Xanuthos grew to double Aithusa's size and developed two arms and hands to work with. He pushed his arms forward and in a small instant, a ball the size of Aithusa made of pure sun-energy was hurled at Sathurra.
"Well... fuck."
Sathurra, began summoning everything she could to protect herself from the blast. The only thing that seemed to work was spouting as much crystal breath at the ball as she could.
Xanuthos turned to Aithusa:
"What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing. Here."
If Sathurra moved an inch she would be completely obliterated.

Aithusa stayed in flight, not really looking forward to getting in the middle of the fight between Xanu and his sister. Clearly there were deep family issues that didn't need to involve a third party.

Help him, Aithusa said to Xanu. The only other case of frozen heart fever I heard of was my father. He didn't make it. He looked at Sathurra fighting off the blast with a decent amount of fear in her eyes. Xanu, he's my son.

Meanwhile, a girl born of ice heard the battle of dragons. She saw the borelian cloak that could only have belonged to the white dragon. The guardian of the tundra, as far as Taiga could tell. She whipped her sled around, and Calconirr started running toward the battle, pulling her behind him.

There was more going on than she had thought. A white-gold dragon conversion with a white dragon that had a rider. Must be Dragonriders, she thought. What the hell are they doing so far north?

Taiga urged Calconirr faster. She leapt off the back of the sled and gripped her staff tightly. Her silver eyes started radiating electric energy, as she held her staff high above her head. Sathurra and the blast were directly above Taiga, and the energy from the fighting was causing surges that felt similar to minor earthquakes.

She shot ice particles into the blast, but it barely seemed to make a difference. Looking at her staff, Taiga sighed. She treasured her staff, as it had been with her since childhood, but she couldn't just abandon Sathurra. Ever since she remembered, Taiga loved the dragon. They had never personally met, but she loved watching the borealis in the sky or the shimmering form as the flew.

With a strong fling, Taiga hurled her ice staff into the center of the blast. It caused a massive explosion, blowing the three dragons out of the air and Taiga into a decent crater, which she was able to climb out of when the shock passed.

Aithusa protected Celegwen and Kiron from any real damage, but they all definitely had some serious bruises. Taiga smiled at Sathurra with a sparkle in her eye and fixed her icy-blonde hair.

After recovering from the blast Sathurra glanced over at the ice-born child and made a mental note of what she looked like. She flew over to her and spoke:
"Thank yo-"
Xanuthos came flying by with a holy dragon punch straight into Sathurra's jaw sending her flying.
He looked down at the girl and grabbed her, with a stern yet non-threatening voice he told the girl:
"This. Is. Not. Your. Fight. Stay. Out. Of. This. Please."
He flew her back towards Kiron and the others for safety. How they handled her was not of Xanuthos's concern at that moment.
Sathurra arose from her crater.
"Your nephew is going to die! HAHAHA, that'll show you what it means to be apart of this land!"
Sathurra transformed into a form of herself that was on par with Xanuthos. Her scaleless skin was covered with ice crystals.
She darted across the tundra landing blow after blow to her brother, freezing him every opportunity he could. She froze his arm and dismembered it entirely.
After the blast Xanuthos had used a lot of his energy, maybe too much.
Kiron opened his eye to see his uncle being completely annihilated, limbs being frozen and blown completely off, no attempt at retaliation.
Xanuthos fell to the ground with no wings, an arm, a leg, and his head. He crawled his way over to Kiron.
Kiron even though he had a severe pain in his heart, released himself from his mother's grasp and hugged his uncle's giant head.
"I'm. Sorry." Kiron spoke with tears rolling down his cheeks.
No. I. Was. Weak. You. Are. More. Powerful. Than. I. Ever. Thought. It. Is. Time.
With a giant ice and borelian spear, Sathurra plunged it deep into Xanutho's heart. Xanuthos began to fade into stardust.
"No! No! Don't leave! Please!" Kiron was coughing blood.
I. Will. Not. Leave. For. I. Am. Forever. With. You. You. Are. Family. Take. Zerros. And. Stab. My. Heart. Before. I. Fade. I. Have. One. More. Thing. For. You. Please.
Kiron grasping for air, unsheathed his blade and walked over to the hole where the spear punctured Xanuthos.
Sathurra laughed:
"Child! What are you doing? He's already dead! And soon you will be too! HA HA HAA!"
Ignoring her devilish voice, Kiron with a stream of tears, plunged his sword into the fading dragon's heart.
A burst of glowing white light emerged from the wound, enveloping Kiron. He felt warm again, so warm that the leather holds for his armor melted off, which left him practically naked within the frozen tundra, but this warmth accommodated for that.
I. Will. Always. Be. With. You. Xanuthos's voice faded as the rest of his body turned to stardust.
A glowing white half halo in the shape of dragon horns appeared in front of Kiron.
Take. It. Xanuthos's voice echoed.
He placed the halo above his head, a giant blue flame silhouette of Xanuthos appeared behind Kiron. It dove itself into his heart causing all of his scales to line with a golden-white glow around them. His eyes spewed white flames as they glowed brilliantly.   
"Wow, nice color change child, but that won-"
Kiron landed a HARD blow to her stomach causing Sathurra to cough up major amounts of stardust.
"That was for Nessos, the one that died due to hypothermia." Kiron's voice boomed.
"What are you talk-" Another blow into the jaw.
"That was for Tara, she died of starvation after fleeing."
What is thi-
A swift flaming roundhouse to the face sent Sathurra flying, even though she was practically 20 times the size of this dragon man!
"That was for ME, for MY PAIN."
"CHILD STOP I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THI-"
Sathurra lost sight of Kiron...
until she looked up.
Kiron's voice was low, but everyone could hear it.
"This is for Xanuthos, who did everything he could to take you down, you ice whore.
Holy Dralforian punch."
Kiron's fist glowed a bright white with flames enveloping his entire arm, a punch that can only rival a god's power. It landed dead center in Sathurra's chest, a giant white mushroom cloud appeared above the pit that was made from this god-like punch. Aithusa attempted to protect Celegwen from the blast but it was no use. The three were launched far away, even Aithusa in his dragon form was knocked back a SIGNIFICANT distance.
Sathurra wasn't dead unfortunately, but she was severely damaged, she had lost an arm and leg. She was motionless in the pit.
The halo disappeared, and Kiron flew back to his family making sure that his mother was alright.
He found her face first in the snow, he cradled his mother in his arms. His natural heat keeping her warm.
"Mother are you alright?" 

Celegwen shook the snow and ice from her face and hair, then hugged Kiron tightly. "I thought I lost you again," she said, smiling.

Aithusa ignored the cold, as it barely bothered him. He glanced over to make sure Gwen and Kiron were okay and saw Taiga leap onto the sled and start in the direction of Sathurra. He could've easily stopped her, but it wasn't important. He walked slowly over to the large print that clearly defined Xanuthos' silhouette, his wings hanging slightly. He ran his clawed hand around the deeply imprinted snow with an indescribable pain burning through him.

He was family, Aithusa said into the air, knowing Sathurra could hear him. I will make you-

"Aithusa!" Celegwen called, standing with her hand resting on her sword. The white dragon turned his head to look at his wife and son. She simply shook her head. "We loved him, too. Don't abandon one family to avenge another."

Aithusa breathed heavily, blowing a small bit of ash out of his nostrils. He took a step back and spread his wings fully, lowering his head. He released a blue flame, cold fire, over the print in the snow. When the flame stopped, it was a glassy image of the end of Xanuthos' final battle.

He shifted into his human form and hugged Kiron and Celegwen. "It wasn't supposed to end like this," he whispered, fighting tears.

Celegwen smiled and gently separated from him. "Every end is a beginning. You should know that by now. Look."

The three of them looked into the sky. This time, Aithusa knew he wasn't imagining it because he had seen it before, only too briefly. Xanuthos soared through the night, his figure made of stars with Zukiro on his back. Aithusa laughed, patting Kiron on the shoulder and hugging Celegwen to his side.

You sons of bitches, he said to the stars. Aithusa looked at his family smiling up at the sky, then looked back to the starry night. Don't be strangers.

"Goodness gracious you must be blind if you think that's us up there! And XANUTHOS WHY THE HELL DIDNT YOU EVER TELL ME YOU COULD DO THAT YOU CRAZY BASTARD."
"Sorry."

Zukiro appeared behind his family, his cosmic skin flowing with galaxies, Xanuthos's astral form laid next to Zukiro.

The three looked behind them, their faces filled with joy beyond belief. Celegwen and Aithusa came to hug the astral werewolf, whilst Kiron sat next to Xanuthos.

"First and foremost there's no way in hell or in oblivion I'd ever be a stranger, mainly since I'm everywhere and everything at the same time all the time. Plus, you two need to learn to control this child because he almost killed my only hot sister ok?"

Amelia came riding in with her astral unicorn, she promptly greeted her family before turning to Zukiro with a smile and backhanding his astral face. "I hope you are aware I can send you back and make you immortal so you can never see me again." Zukiro responded with a well practiced and groaned "Yes, deeeaaaaar." Amelia rolled her mismatching astral eyes and glanced over at Celegwen. "Ohhh, so you're the lovely lady that Zu captured a while ago. Hold on I have something for you." Amelia turned to Zukiro again and with a smile, she kicked him in his astral nuts. "She barely even looks like me you idiot." Zukiro responded with pain clearly breaking his voice, "Y-y-yes honey, I-I-I'm sorry."

After giving her husband the punishment he deserved, Amelia made his way over to Xanuthos who was peacefully laying next to Kiron, even in the frozen tundra, it looked they could've fell asleep right then and there.

"Kiron? Is that my sweet and mighty grandson? Come here and give grandma a kiss on her astral cheek!" Kiron stood and embraced his grandmother, she may have practically been a ghost, but meeting her and his grandfather were the most important things in his life right now.

"Oh, your so skinny my dear! We need to fatten you up! If I was alive I would make you a feast that any king would dream to have!" Zukiro stepped towards his grandson. "Kiron remember this phrase, it is the most important thing to ever remember: 'GRANDFATHER YOU ARE AMAZING!' If you chant that every night, guaranteed that girls will come to you every day for the rest of your life." Kiron chuckled.

"Alright, lets get out of this tundra before everybody freezes, sweetey send Fluffernutter home, you're riding with me on Xanuthos." "yOu ArE rIdInG wItH mE oN xAnUtHoS." She mocked.

"Fluffernutter," Aithusa said, chuckling and nudging Celegwen with his elbow. "That's what I call Aby when she's in her rabbit form."

"Yes, and I mock you for it," she said with a smirk.

Aithusa gave a defeated sigh through a smile and walked over to Amelia and Kiron. "Amelia, it's an honor to finally meet you." He bowed to her and kissed her hand politely. He lowered his voice, glancing over at Gwen and Zukiro. "She doesn't even remember what happened when he took her, so that little punishment..." He lifted his pant leg to reveal the extremely visible scars that covered his calf. "...was definitely more pleasurable for me to watch."

Gwen whistled, and Aithusa looked back. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her. She looped her arm around his. "Told you that works," she said to Zu.

"My name works just as well," he said. He tipped a nonexistent hat to Zukiro with a bow of his head, then shifted into his dragon form.

Gwen hugged Zukiro one more time and turned to Kiron. "You're riding home with me," she said. At his slightest protest, she held up her finger. "Listen to your mother! It's been a crazy day!"

Kiron wasn't going to fight his mother's orders, what she said goes. He chuckled and groaned: "Yeeees, Mother."

"He may be riding with you but you guys will be following me!" Zu shouted. He stepped onto Xanuthos astral back, they shot into the air. Zukiro was surfing on Xanuthos just like the good ol days. Zukiro whispered to Xanuthos: "you know we don't have that much power to keep these forms right?" Xanuthos looked back at his partner and smiled. "Kiron. Take. Care. Of. Us. Until. Then."

When Kiron had taken the halo from Xanuthos's body, a massive amount of energy was released from him. So much so that it could make Zu, Amelia, and Xanu's astral bodies tangible. But not for long, at best they had until the end of the day.

The group flew down from the north, back to Kiron's hut. Although he had not necessarily prepared for visitors, his accommodated for practically any situation.

The group landed around the forge, Zukiro admiring the work his grandson had made.
"This is absolutely amazing, it's practically unbreakable!", Kiron responded: "That's the motto gramps, now lets drink up for this occasion!"

Kiron slithered into the back of his forge and grabbed three large barrels of golden ale. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE, I NEVER SAW YOU GET THEM. BEST. GRANDSON. EVER." Zu swiftly lifted Kiron onto his astral shoulders dancing, drinking, and just having a wonderful time.

Celegwen admired the structure of the forge from a military captain's view. She smirked, an impressed sparkle in her green eye. He really is my boy, she thought to herself, looking over at Kiron and Zukiro swinging each other around.

The decades in the military had taken its toll on her festive side. When last she saw Zukiro, he had been behind her getting together with the love of her life. It was a joyous and exciting occasion, but it was different now. She didn't jump up and dance with her family. Instead, she walked around the perimeter, examining it for any minor defaults.

Meanwhile, Aithusa stayed close to Zukiro, Xanuthos, and Kiron while they drank and danced and celebrated. He watched Gwen keep a distance from the celebration, but knew that she wasn't really a festive girl anymore. Hell, the last time she sang just to sing was when Kiron was taken from them. He looked at her with slight sadness in his eyes, but focused on his son and the closest man he had to a father.

The dragon sat with his foot tapping and an almost empty pint in his hand. "Alright," he said when the boys stopped to grab another drink. "Forgive me for cutting this short, but I have somewhere to be. My troops are stationed not far, and I never told them their commanders were leaving." He smirked and shrugged his shoulders, placing the pint on the table. "I'll be back in a few hours. In the meantime, Zu, can ya keep an eye on my wife? I think my boy can handle himself." He winked with a smile, shifting into his dragon form and taking to the air with a flap of his wings.

Gwen watched the white dragon soar into the sky and shook her head. "Can you sit still for one minute?" She shouted after him, not expecting an answer. She walked over to Kiron and smiled. "Promise me, when you marry the love of your life, you'll do a better job of communicating than your father does!"

Kiron slightly drunk, embraced his mother and whispered into her ear: "Don't worry, I won't." He pulled away laughing hysterically. "It's a joke mother! But considering our recent events I might want to focus on that a little more." Kiron chuckled slightly. "Speaking of troops actually..."

Kiron stepped outside, thankfully he had trained the troops well, they were already in formation waiting for orders. Kiron's commander's voice boomed once again: "I THANK YOU ALL FOR EXCUSING MY LEAVE OF ABSENCE. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN TRAINING IS ANYWHERE NEAR OVER! IN ONE MONTH'S TIME WE LEAVE FOR HYOITE. I SUGGEST YOU ALL START PACKING SOON. A CARRIAGE WILL ARRIVE ONCE A WEEK TO SEND ALL SUPPLIES UP NORTH! IT IS UP TO YOU TO PREPARE, ALSO EACH SOLDIER CAN SEND UP AS MANY SUPPLIES AS THEY CAN FIT ON THE CARRIAGE! BE WISE WITH YOUR DECISIONS! ALSO YOU ALL SHALL NOW REFER TO ME AS KIRON! DISMISSED!"

The army of recruits replied with a hardy: "SIR YES SIR!" Followed by a chant: "KIRON! KIRON! KIRON! KIRON!"
Half these soldiers won't return from Hyoite. Damn shame.

Kiron walked back into the hut and began drinking with his grandfather again. Amelia had pulled Celegwen off to the side. "Is everything all right? I know you aren't a dancing woman anymore, but something is on your mind! You can trust me! Im basically a mother anyways." She chuckled.

Celegwen smiled, shaking her head and leaning against the wall. She didn't enter the hut to be with Zu or Kiron, but rather stayed outside to watch the troops. "He's grown up into such an amazing young man," she said, looking toward the hut where laughter was emanating from. "There was nothing more I wanted for over twenty years than to be reunited with my son. I just can't forget that I was never there as a mother."

Consciously, Gwen knew there was nothing that could have been done to change what happened. Kiron was taken as an infant, and there was nothing that could have been done to stop it from happening. Still, through the eyes of a mother, she was at fault and no amount of rationale could change that guilt.

"Yes, I used to love festivities and celebrations, but -" She shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck. "The last time I celebrated was when Aithusa and I got married. The last time I sang just to sing was when I could hold Kiron in my arms." Her arms almost automatically made the shape as if she were holding a baby.

"All of those times were in celebration of family, of one unit. If I celebrate now, I'd be doing so with the knowledge that you, Xanu, and Zukiro are not going to be here forever, that my son is leaving for Hyoite, and that my jackass of a husband has basically stopped talking to me when he makes a strategic decision of any kind. It's just not a family celebration anymore."

Amelia placed an astral hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Don't say that! Gwen, I will ALWAYS be with you. Quite literally and metaphorically. I'm going to practically invade your dreams every chance I get! Zu and Xanu will do so as well. Plus being astral beings we can be wherever whenever we want! I understand we may not PHYSICALLY be here. But we will always be within your hearts and dreams." She leaned over covering the left side of her face to protect from others hearing. "Kiron also surprisingly has many lewd dreams. Surprising since he hasn't met many women in his lifetime." She chuckled a bit. "Even though you weren't there for his... albeit not so pleasant childhood. Finding you two was the best thing that couldve ever happened to him. Also here's a tip, if you're not going to see family for a while then it'd be best to spend your "last" moments with them in your best mood. It makes it easier for everyone."

Amelia hugged Gwen: "I'm also pretty sure you might want to celebrate your son's future wedding." She winked and walked back to her husband.

Kiron and Zu were in an intense drinking contest. Even though Zu was basically a star, he still retained his mortal drinking habits and limitations. The two lined up an absurd amount of pint's on the table. The first one to drink them all would be crowned winner, and the loser would have to punished.

"Drinkers take your marks!" Amelia shouted, "Get set!... ... GO!"

The two chugged like no other being in the world. Pint after pint just gone. The two were equally matched. But Zu managed to finish with half a pint to spare.

"As for your punishment... " Zu nodded to Xanuthos. Xanuthos grabbed Kiron and tied up his wings arms and legs. They flew high up into the sky, with a signal from Zu, Xanuthos dropped Kiron. "TAAAAAARGEEEEET PRAAAACTIIIIIIICE!" Zu readied an astral bow, he nocked the arrow, and drew the string, and about 500 more arrows appeared in the air. "LOOSE!" The arrows soared through the air nailing Kiron in the buttocks an uncountable number of times.
Kiron landed on the ground with a loud THUD, with his tongue sticking out his mouth. Xanuthos retrieved the dralf and set him in front of Zu. "Never mess with the best." Zu booped Kiron's nose.

The Elf girl shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "They're going to end up killing him," she groaned to herself with a smirk. She walked over to the drunken fools and untied her son. She took a target arrow from her quiver and ran her fingers along the fletching with a smirk.

Gwen smiled, glancing at Zukiro. "Catchy phrase," she said to the wolf. "But it could be improved by mentioning the best is no match for the mother." She grabbed her bow and drew the arrow within a second. She winked at Zu with a smirk. "Want some real target practice, old man?"

Meanwhile, Aithusa landed back at his camp. He shifted to his human form and combed back his silver hair. "Commander," one of the officers said, riding over on a horse and dismounting. "Welcome back."

Aithusa nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Sergeant Dolgoff," Aithusa said, walking besides the human officer. "You have my apologies for Captain Perkhimote's and my own sudden departure. There was an emergency that required immediate attention."

"No apologies necessary, Commander," Sergeant Dolgoff said, shaking his head. Aithusa's long legs made it difficult for his human subordinates to keep pace with him, so the sergeant had to walk quickly to keep up with him. "We've gotten reports from all stations; no immediate threats. There was a slight disturbance in the Oracle's vision, but nothing we couldn't handle."

Aithusa stopped suddenly. "What kind of disturbance?"

"Sir, that's not -"

"Tell me what the oracle said, Sergeant!" Aithusa's voice was dripping with authority. When Celegwen was around, he let her take control of the situation because she thrived when in a position of power. When she wasn't around, the white dragon's true level of command came out.

The officer explained that the oracle spoke of an intense power. He told Aithusa that she spoke of a dangerous journey and a man with the wings of a dragon and a serpent larger than a ship. Aithusa nodded, knowing that the oracle was talking about Kiron.

He entered her tent and saw the oracle lying beside the fuming pot on the ground. Her amber hair having sticks and leaves all stuck through it. Her ragged clothing barely holding together. Her moonstone amulet around her neck, resting on the ground with several cracks through it. She opened her silver-white eyes, sensing the dragon's presence. "You told my sergeant some interesting stories," he said.

The oracle inhaled the fumes from the pot and laughed madly. "I tell many people many thingsss. You'll have to be m-more specific!"

Aithusa quickly slid over to her, grabbing his dagger from his boot and pressing it to her cheek. "You know what you have to do," he said. "Just tell us what we need to know, and we can let you go."

She held up her arms to show the iron shackles that were against her raw wrists. "A caged bird never sings."

"What did you say about my son?" Aithusa demanded.

Another laugh. She flopped to the ground, shaking violently for a few seconds. The oracle shot back up, inhaling the fumes once more.

"In a time not too far,
On a great wooden ship,
Hearing a message from a star,
The dragon boy will slip.

Into the sea,
Far from the land.
The boy will not flea,
Instead fight hand to hand.

A foolish mistake,
For he does not know well,
The sword he will take
Holds the fires of Hell.

The ending to spoil,
Is one thing I dread.
But when the seas start to boil,
The boy will be dead."

The oracle's eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed on the ground next to the pot. Aithusa's heart sped up rapidly, thinking about some mission Kiron probably didn't even know of yet. He couldn't even tell them what he knew. That's the first rule of knowing the future. If he speaks of what he knows, he just may be the cause of it. Once he bid the troops another temporary goodbye, Aithusa soared back to the forge with a troubled heart.

"Oh please," Zukiro groaned "I could beat you with my feet and blind. Oooh, care to take up that challenge sweetey?" Zu smiled with a big grin across his face.

As they walked outside, Zu, Amelia, and Xanuthos began to phase out. "Darn looks like we won't have enough time. Shoot. Xanuthos's power from when he was killed seems to start subsiding now unfortunately." Aithusa had landed off to the side of the family, attempting to hide something that was troubling him. Zu walked over and placed an arm over his shoulder: "Alright cough it up, what did the oracle say to you?"

Aithusa looked at Zu shocked that he had known about the oracle. "Son, I'm an astral wolf that can be anywhere at any time. Now if you don't tell me anything I'm disowning you. I'm here on my"final" moments as a father, you can tell me anything."

"Kiron's in trouble," Aithusa said uncomfortably.

He looked over and saw his family smiling and laughing together. "I don't know when and I don't know where and I don't how, but she told me he's going to die."

Aithusa pursed his lips, walking behind the hut and out of his family's line of sight so only Zukiro could see him. "Fucking bitch!" He said in a loud whisper. Aithusa slammed his fist into the wall, making a large dent with his adrenaline induced strength. It was clear Zukiro wasn't expecting the reaction, but the wolf kept his cool.

The dragon gripped his silver hair, scuffing the dirt with his boot. "What the fuck am I supposed to do, Zukiro?" He asked, smoothing his hair down. "He's my son! I just got him back after twenty-four years! I'm not going to lose him again!"

Zu began to phase again, this time clearly more noticeable than the last. He placed a hand on Aithusa's shoulder. "Look Son, I'm going to tell you two things, one: Kiron is a VERY powerful young man thanks to his parents. As far as I know the only thing that could kill him... I actually I don't know anything that could kill him. He has Xanuthos's Light Dragon halo within him. That will definitely keep him alive no matter what. And two: You didn't stay around long enough for the oracle to tell you the full prophecy." Zu winked as he walked back to the rest of the family.

"I think is up here unfortunately, a little short-lived happiness does go a long ways though." The family hugged each other, afterwards Zu hopped onto Xanuthos, Amelia mounted onto Fluffernutters. "Don't worry you guys won't be able to get rid of us!" They flew back into the sky, the galaxies of stars swirling, then Poof they were gone.

He's right, Aithusa said, biting the inside of his cheek. When he had left the oracle, she never said she was finished. He had assumed she was because she collapsed. Aithusa never thought that he was leaving prematurely.

Celegwen walked over to Aithusa with a smile. "Your son is drunk!" She said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"My son?" Aithusa said, chuckling.

"Well, he didn't get his love of drink from me!" She frowned suddenly, looking at Aithusa, who was looking seriously at Kiron. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He snapped out of it. "Hmm? No, nothing. Long day."

Celegwen scoffed, look at Kiron and back at Aithusa. "You've never been able to lie to me."

"Nothing to hide. I'm just tired." He kissed her hand with a gentle smile. "Promise. Come on. Let's relax for a bit before we head back." Aithusa walked over to his son and patted him on the shoulder. "You have your mother's leadership," he said, looking at Kiron's troops. "I'm more impressed that you got my alcohol tolerance." The white dragon lightly punched Kiron on the shoulder and walked into the hut.

The Elf rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You sober up," she said to Kiron with a light chuckle. "If your father starts drinking, I'm not dealing with two drunk dragon men!"

On a distant hillside covered in trees, a young troubadour with a sparkle in his eye sat against a tree, his legs crossed at the ankle with a simple, yet beautiful lute in his hands. He strummed the instrument, suddenly filling the forest with an enchanting melody.

"Once a young oracle
Sang a song so divine.
Her words spat poison,
So now listen to mine.

The son of a dragon,
When the sea starts to boil,
May cheat his harsh end.
Her foresight he'll foil.

To falsify her views,
For him to stay alive,
The boy must be part of
A small group of five.

First will be a girl,
Her name yet to be seen.
She will keep the boy safe,
Be the girl of his dreams.

Next comes a being,
Who knows what he'll bring?
He'll be rather powerful,
For sure when he sings.

Then will be a young girl,
Split from her brother.
She'll bring a new power
Unlike any other.

The girl born of ice;
Her twin's born of fire.
His power to be used
Only when it's most dire.

To sail with those people,
To claim his own treasure,
This once simple boy
Now a man of great measure.

If you don't believe me,
I don't give a hoot.
Go follow the lad.
I'll stay here with my lute."