Wrath of the Dragonkin

[Lady Jenn]

Vennar was a tall, raven-haired, middle-aged blacksmith who stood over an anvil, beating his newest sword into shape, occasionally looking over his shoulder towards the doorway to his forge. His friends had yet to arrive, and after what had happened to his brother he feared for them being out alone in the city.

He picked up the sword, giving it a few practice swings and smiling as he saw that it was perfect as usual. This one was intended for a special use however, one he had long expected to come but had still dreaded. He walked over to where a small painting of a beautiful young woman hung, kneeling down in front of it and closing his eyes for a moment, before looking up at the image.

"I am sorry Ainur," he said quietly. "I have failed you. I promised I would protect our daughter from the wars that scarred this world, but now I fear I have no choice in the matter. I don't wish to put her in danger but I see no other option anymore."

[Levi]

A little ways from the forge stood a ramshackle house, it was here that Vennar had brought up his only daughter Ebony. Her father's odd behavior lately had her worried. The young woman knew she could always talk to him, but of late he had been shutting himself in his forge day and night.

Ebony paced back and forth in front of the fireplace muttering to herself  its no good then out loud " I'm going to have to say something!" The decision made Ebony quickly marched from the house along the well trodden path to the forge.

As she approached she heard her father's voice, but was unable to make out what he was saying. She slowed her step, boots crunching lightly on the path as she approached the open doorway. Silence greeted her "Father?" She asked as she stepped into the doorway

[Lady Jenn]

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound, feeling relief that he turned around to discover his daughter stood there. He walked over to the where the hammer was hung, hanging his apron over the hook next to it before walking over and hugging her.

"Ebony, you shouldn't have come," he said, giving her a sad smile. "You know the streets aren't safe at night. I worry about you, esp-" his words were cut short by the sound of someone knocking at the door at the rear of the forge. "Wait here," he said, ignoring the cooling sword and taking down his hammer. As he opened the door he was prepared to use it, but lowered the weapon as he glimpsed the aged woman waiting beyond. "Ye gods Carolina, I could've taken your head off if you weren't careful."

"Not a nice way to welcome an old friend Vennar," Caroline said, chuckling as he stepped aside to allow her into the forge. "Ah Ebony," the white-haired woman said as she noticed Ebony. "You likely don't remember me, I haven't seen you since you were a small child. I am Carolina, the city historian." She turned to Vennar. "Tell me you've informed her what the plan is."

"I haven't even begun to ask her Carolina," Vennar said, sighing. "I cannot ask her to do this, this is no mere errand we're asking her to run."

[Levi]

Ebony frowned  as a hazy memory of the stranger went through her mind, she dismissed it concentrating on what her father had just said "Father? What's going on?" Ebony looked from one adult to another and crossed her arms, she didn't like that her father was keeping things from her

Vennar had always consulted with his daughter, he had encouraged her inquisitive mind from an early age. Whenever he was troubled, Ebony had helped find a solution. It was with this knowledge in her mind that she said hopefully " Whatever it is, you can trust me, perhaps we should go back to the house? I'll make some tea " what could her her father have to talk about that involved the city historian she thought.

She turned away from the pair at the rear of the forge, as she went to walk back towards the house,she ran her hand over he plait in a nervous gesture.

[Lady Jenn]

"Vennar, I am too old for this," Carolina said with a sigh. "And the days where you could charge north on an adventure are long gone. Even if she says no, at least give her the option choose for herself."

"Damnit," Vennar said under his breath. "Ebony, wait. I hadn't told you but...your uncle, your mother's younger brother...Myraz's men arrested him last night. We were planning on sending him with you but...well, now he clearly can't. Ebony, what do you know about the area north of the Forest of Shadows that borders this city?"

[Levi]

Ebony turned in surprise, she knew very little about either of these subjects "Uncle?!" She spluttered "Wait... Did you say younger brother?" Ebony had so many questions she didn't know where to begin.

She stood quietly gazing at her father while she tried to organise her chaotic thoughts.If I answer his question first, father might answer some of mine she thought.

" The Forest of Shadows? I think I saw it on a map once" she replied. Ebony had heard a few rumors when she had been out and about in town, but only things along the lines of it was somewhere you did not want to go, and sometime people had disappeared within its boundaries.

[Lady Jenn]

"There is more north of here than you can begin to imagine," Carolina replied. "The other side of the forest are a few smaller human settlements, then the Orc-riddled Badlands, Troll County, creatures no human has seen in centuries...but when you go far enough north you come to a fortress-like mountain range, within which is Dragonblight, the home of the dragons. It is Dragonblight you need to travel to, but that is no easy task."

"Shouldn't we at least tell her WHY she needs to travel there?" Vennar asked, raising an eyebrow. "Myraz has a dark secret, his long reign is no accident. He possesses a dragon relic which has extended his life unnaturally. If it could be taken from him he might be defeated, but its magic makes him almost impossible to harm. If we could persuade the lord of the dragons to aid us it may be possible to stop him, but that means going to Dragonblight to beg his aid."

[Levi]

"Dragons?!" Scoffed Ebony. "Really Carolina, I am no child...." She trailed off as she took in her father's stern face. Only then did Ebony really think about what she was being told.

She could follow her father's logic, if Myraz truly had this so called dragon relic then only a dragon could destroy it. Howeverone thought sped across her mind. "Me? Go to Dragonbligh?" She asked the two adults

[Lady Jenn]

"Your uncle was one of the few remaining in this city capable of the journey who we could trust," Carolina replied. "I would not even attempt to cross the forest at my advancing age and your father is past the point where traversing Orcs and Trolls, nevermind what awaits once you reach the foothills, would be a safe option."

"I would not ask if I believed there was another option," Vennar said, picking up the sword from the anvil "I even forged this blade especially. Carolina can at least get you past the guards and as far as the edge of the forest."

[Levi]

Ebony nodded her understanding, she gulped then said resolutely "I will go". She stepped forwards and took the sword from her father's hands.

It was surprisingly light and the design on the hilt gave it a slightly feminine feel. She studied it closely, laying the blade on her palm, Ebony knew it was one of the best pieces Vennar had made.

However... " Father, I don't know how to use a sword!" She exclaimed.

[Lady Jenn]

"It is easier to use than you think," Carolina replied as Vennar walked to the door. "Hopefully it will not be required anyway."

"You had better leave now," Vennar said as he walked back to them. "There are more guards in the street, they may find their way here eventually." He hugged Ebony, kissing the top of her head. "Good luck, I would come with you if it was an option."

"My cart is sat outside the back door," Carolina said to Ebony. "Get under the rug in the back, I will join you shortly, but your father and I must speak in private before we leave."

[Levi]

Ebony squeezed her father tightly. It could be sometime before I see him again she thought. "Love you" she whispered before quickly stepping back. The young woman quickly brushed past Vennar, as she did so she ducked her head so he would not see her tears.

She headed out of the back door and brushed away the stay tear drops with one hand. Beside the back door was the cart Carolina had mentioned. Ebony climbed in and pulled the rug over her, it was dark and itchy under there but she lay as still as possible clutching the sword to her chest. Her ears straining to hear Carolina's approach.

[Lady Jenn]

After a few moments Carolina clambered onto the front of the cart, encouraging the horses to move without turning to look at her passenger. "That rug has an invisibility charm over it," Carolina said quietly. "Stay under it and don't make a noise and you should remain undetected." Their progress was uninterrupted until they reached the gate, where two spear armed men obstructed their way.

"Who goes there?" the older man called out as he stepped towards the cart.

"Has it been so long Mirek?" Carolina asked with a smirk. "I was your favourite teacher as a child."

"M'lady, my apologies," Mirek said, blushing slightly. "The king's orders, we have to check everything entering and leaving the city. If you don't mind?"

"Of course," Carolina replied warmly. "I have nothing to hide." She held her breath as the younger man walked around the cart, pausing for a moment before returning to Mirek and shaking his head.

"Apologies Carolina," Mirek said as they moved aside. "We wouldn't want to make the local farmers wait longer than they have to. Safe travels."

"I'll try my best," Carolina said as she passed through the gate, travelling until were beyond the view of the walls and on the borders of the large, ominous forest, before coming to a stop. "We've arrived," she said to Ebony. "You can get out, I have to gifts and some advice to give to you before we part ways."

[Levi]

Through out the short ride Ebony thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest. Never had she done something so... So... Exciting!

As soon as Carolina told her it was safe she threw back the rug and jumped out of the cart. A massive grin across her face. She stretched her arms carefully above her head, and the turned to face Carolina

"Gifts?" Ebony asked, her curiosity peeked as she looked at the older lady "Any advice, will be greatly received". As she waited for Carolina to speak a cold, eirie wind blew across her skin and Ebony shivered.

[Lady Jenn]

"Here," Carolina said, reaching into the back of the cart and taking out a red gem on a necklace. "A Dragonblood Gem, these are so rare there are said to only be six in the world and no-one has a clue where most of them are. It serves two purposes: it glows when a dragon is nearby, and it enables both you to understand Dragon speech and them to understand you." She placed the gem around Ebony's neck before reaching into the cart again, pulling out an elaborately decorated scabbard. "This is something truly special," she said, pulling out the sword. It seemed to glow as if the moon was shining on it, in spite of the cloudy sky above. "The Dawnhammer Blade, forged by some of the greatest Elven smiths to have ever lived. Not only is this a remarkable fighting blade, it can help you in other ways. This used to represent a great alliance, I cannot promise you it will bring you allies, but they may be more willing to listen when they see it." She handed the sword over, letting out a sigh. "As for the advice: I would strongly advise you to stay on the path while you are in there, it says something that the wolves of the forest are the least dangerous thing you might find. Secondly, if you are lucky you may find your paths cross with that of the Elven Rangers sworn to protect this place. If you do, tell them Carolina sent you, one of them is an...old friend." She briefly embraced Ebony. "I'm going to have to leave you here, and I fear we may never see each other again. Good luck, we are all counting on you." With that she climbed back onto the cart, giving her a last smile before heading in the direction of the low buildings visible in the near distance.

[Levi]

Ebony stared after the cart in disbelief "is that it" she shouted after the retreating figure. What now? Ebony thought. She turned to look at the forest, dark and intimidating she could understand how it got its name, The Forest of Shadows.

Strapping the swords around her waist she resolutely walked into the first few trees. Almost immediately a darkness surrounded her, it was not think enough that Ebony could not see her way but the young woman could not see more then a few metres in any direction.

The advice from Carolina ringing in her mind, Ebony set of looking for the mentioned path. After a few moments of wandering she happened across something that resembled a path. The grass was trodden down as if many feet had passed along it, and branches had been cleared back. Was this the path she was supposed to find?

[Lady Jenn]

The figure watched her from behind one of the trees, wrapped in a long green cloak, its hood covering the figure's face. It was carrying a bow, a quiver full of green feathered arrows over its shoulder. Ebony's appearance in the forest made the watcher both curious and suspicious, but as she took an arrow from the quiver it was not the woman who had caught its attention. In the treeline beyond her the shadowy form of one of the Night Wolves who infested the forest was visible, preparing to pounce. Even as it jumped towards Ebony it let out a gurgle, hitting the floor with one of the arrows stuck in its neck, another arrow already knocked to the bow, this time aimed at Ebony.

"Who intrudes on the sacred forest of Erisel?" it called out. "Be careful how you answer, however fast you are my skill with this bow is quicker."

[Levi]

Ebony stumbled back from the body screaming. She spun in the general direction of the voice throwing her arms in the air.

"My name is Ebony" she stuttered " My father Vennar and his friend Carolina have sent me on a..." Ebony smacked her hand over her mouth. I shouldn't say any more she thought. Her other hand moved towards the hilt of the sword that Carolina had given her.

[Lady Jenn]

"Carolina?" the figure whispered, a smile crossing its face as it put the arrow back in its quiver and stepped out from the behind the tree and onto the path. "You should have said sooner, she and I are old friends," the figure said, pulling back its hood to reveal it as an extremely tall, nimble, and extraordinarily beautiful female elf, with ice blue eyes and silver hair that flowed down her back. Under her cloak was a plain brown tunic. "My name is Ariadne, I am one of the Elven rangers sworn to protect this place." She took Ebony's hand, kissing it lightly. "What is your name?"

[Levi]

A blush stole across Ebony's face. So lovely! she thought. It seemed to good to be true that within minutes of her entering the forest she had found an Elven Ranger, "Your the ranger, Carolina mentioned?" She asked slightly disbelievingly.

"My name is Ebony" she reiterated.

[Lady Jenn]

"A beautiful name for a beautiful-" her words were cut short by a loud howl which seemed to come from all around them. "If one wolf finds you, it is almost certain more will follow." She looked around, thinking for a moment, before kneeling in front of the dead wolf, saying a short prayer, and then retrieving the arrow. "It's not safe out here, but there is my camp not far from here." Another howl sounded from even closer. "Apologies for this Ebony," she said, sweeping Ebony into her arms before jumping off the path, moving nimbly through the trees as if Ebony was as light as a feather, only stopping when she reached a clearing which showed signs of being lived in, from a small fire surrounded by food to a hammock hanging between two trees, she let Ebony back onto her feet, before walking to the edge of the camp and beginning to cast a protective spell around them. "You are fortunate I found you," she said as she worked her way around the edge of the camp. "Night Wolves are faster creatures than most realise."

[Levi]

Ebony wobbled slightly after being put down, and watched Ariadne as she walked around the camp "Night wolves?" She asked wrapping her arms around herself as she heard the now far of howls. " Is that what that creature was back on the path? It was huge!"

Ebony moved closer to the fire, she was suddenly cold to the bone, the young woman stretched her arms out toward the flames, her eyes closed as she soaked in the heat "Are there"  Ebony gulped "Are there more creatures like that here?"

[Lady Jenn]

"It's said this forest is full of magic," Ariadne said once she finished the spell and came back to the fire. "Not all of which anyone is sure of the origins of, the impact it seems to have on the animals is partly why we Rangers were given the task of guarding this place."

Seeing Ebony was cold she dropped the quiver to the floor, sliding her cloak off her shoulders to reveal a pair of short knives at her belt and a large sword sheathed over her back. She came over to Ebony, draping the cloak over her shoulders, trying to hide that she now felt cold herself, her hand briefly lingering on Ebony's shoulder.

"What brings you to this place?" Ariadne asked as she sat opposite Ebony. "Carolina is no fool, she knows how dangerous it can be, she would not send such a pr..." she paused briefly, turning slightly red with embarrassment. "I mean, a fine young lady like you through here unless she had a good reason."

[Levi]

"Thank you" Ebony muttered pulling the cloak around her. Ebony sat facing the elf, studding her across the fire, her blue eyes locked on to Ariadne's ice blue eyes for a few moments then she ducked her head in embarrassment.

" I don't know about Carolina" Ebony began " However, my father Vennar has asked me to seek out the lord of dragons at Dragonblight" The young woman looked up from the ground that she had been diligently studying as she said this. The elf's hair caught her attention so similar to mine she thought.

Ebony pulled her own hair over her shoulder, and undid the plait, to comb her fingers through its locks, she glanced through her eyelashes at Ariadne. Unaware of the effect she had caused she asked " Can you show me the way? ".

[Lady Jenn]

"Dragonblight?" Ariadne asked, letting out a slight chuckle. "It is not easy task she asks of you, certainly not one I would've sent you on alone." She sat quietly for a moment, trying to avoid eye contact that would give away how shy she suddenly felt. "If you're going to make it out of this forest you will need a guide, and there is no guarantee you will meet another ranger before you leave this forest. I can do better than show you the way, I will take you there myself." She thought for a moment. "We can't travel at night, not if there is a wolf pack patrolling, we will travel in the morning. I know a woodsman north of here who has horses we could borrow to aid us."

She got up, about to head to the hammock before remembering she would need sleep too.

"You are not used to sleeping in a forest," she said to Ebony. "You can have the hammock I am all too used to sleeping on the ground." She walked over to one of the nearby trees, trying to hide the fact she was shivering even with the fire alight.

[Levi]

Ebony stood and turned towards the hammock " You've ..." She trailed off. For the first time Ebony took in her surroundings. The small fire... The single hammock.... The fact that Ariadne appeared to be wearing very light clothes.

"Ariadne?" She began, a blush slowly creeping across her cheeks "why don't we" Ebony coughed and managed to squeak out the word "share" the young woman could say no more, totally mortified by her own behaviour. She turned back away from the fire what am I doing she thought as she scuffed up the grass with the toe of her shoe.

[Lady Jenn]

"I can't ask that of you," Ariadne said. "There's barely any space in that hammock anyway, besides I haven't been...close...to anyone in a long time," she stared into the fire, trying to hide her emotions, torn between wanting to join Ebony and the fear of rejection. She was too stubborn to just admit how she felt.

[Levi]

Back still to the beautiful elf, Ebony pondered her next move. She knew that if either of them were going to sleep some sort of decision should be made and soon. The night was closing in making everything much darker then before.

Sounds of night animals waking up filled the awkward silence between the two young women. Ebony stood on the brink of making what now seemed to be a rather big decision.

Then suddenly she came to some sort of answer, she grabbed the cloak from her shoulders and threw it in Ariadne's face, blinding the elf for a few moments, Ebony bounced across the gap between them and grabbed Ariadne's hand. Tugging the reluctant elf behind her Ebony practically dashed to the hammock.

[Lady Jenn]

"You're more like your mother than I think you realize," Ariadne said with a chuckle as she pulled her into the hammock, pulling the cloak over both of them. "What would your boyfriend think if he knew you were snuggling under the stars with someone you just met?"

She could feel sleep beginning to catch up with her, despite her best efforts.

"We're safe here, the barrier will let us know if anyone tries to enter the camp," she said sleepily.

[Levi]

Snuggling in as much as she was able, Ebony smirked "What boyfriend?" Her eyes closed as she said ' surely if I had one, he would be here?". Then quite suddenly she picked up on Ariadne's first comment, sitting bolt upright she accidentally set the hammock into a wild swing which threw Ebony against the elf's body.

"Oomph..." Ebony's face was suddenly very close to Ariadne's "you knew my mother?" Ebony asked, the close proximity to the beauty before her not taking its full effect as the temptation of knowledge about her mother was to great.

[Lady Jenn]

"I knew Carolina first," Ariadne replied. "She, ironically, got lost in here and I was the one who rescued her. Your mother got so curious about the stories her teacher would tell her that Carolina eventually gave in and brought her with her. We...we connected immediately," she said, trying to choke back the emotion. "For a time we shared a bond elves rarely share with other races but...I realised I would live longer than her, I could not bear to watch her age when she could find someone she could devote her life to."

She brushed a tear away before she continued.

"For a while, before Myraz began to crack down, I used to sneak into the city to see her," she said with a sigh. "I even met your father, then one day, while you were at school, I discovered him alone in the forge...he believed illness had killed her, but I suspect strongly that Myraz was involved somehow. But I was one elf, I could do nothing but walk away, feeling powerless to help either of you."

[Levi]

Ebony reached over and tentatively hugged the elf. "Your doing something" she said " your taking me to Dragonblight" Ebony snuggled back in next to Ariadne. The hammock had calmed to a gentle swinging motion.

The young woman's eyes soon began to close, and within a few minutes Ebony was asleep. The next morning a delicious smell woke her, the spot beside Ebony was empty. She swung her legs over the edge of the hammock and spotted Ariadne crouched over the fire. "Good morning"

[Lady Jenn]

"Hmm" Ariadne mumbled from where she was studying the map she had spread out in front of herself. She had changed into what appeared to be a tighter tunic, showing of the curves of her body, but it was no less impressive a suit of armour than her other tunic. She turned to look at Ebony. "Good mor..." she stopped when she saw the word at Ebony's belt. "Ebony, that...that sword, it's not called the Dawnhammer Blade by any chance?"

[Levi]

Ebony stood "yes, I think that's what Carolina called it" she wandered over to were Ariadne was and glanced at the map she had laid out, thanks to the reading Ebony enjoyed at home she was able to recognize some of the obvious landmarks. She found Tarnegar with ease, but search as she could she didn't see anything labeled Dragonblight. Ebony crouched down next to Ariadne.

"So where we headed" she asked brightly but before the elf could respond a loud grumble came from Ebony's stomach. Ebony blushed how embarrassing she thought.

[Lady Jenn]

"This forest is so large it'll take us most of this day just to reach its northern border," Ariadne said, scratching her chin. The settlement of Marzai, which lies just north of the forest, would be a good place to stop, I know a man who runs an inn there. We can rest, plus he tends to know what is going on in the lands to the north."

As she got up to pack her things there was a brief glimpse of the sheath over her back, which carried a similar pattern to the sheath of the Dawnhammer Blade.

[Levi]

Ebony caught a glimpse of the blade Ariadne was carrying and frowned " you have one to?!" She exclaimed . What's going on? Ebony thought is this more then a coincidence? Ebony sat where the elf had left her and waited impatiently for Ariadne to tell her exactly what was going on.

[Lady Jenn]

"No, this sword is but a simple knife compared to what you carry," Ariadne said with a laugh as she turned around. "I didn't tell you my full name: Ariadne Dawnhammer, that blade was forged for my grandfather, the then leader of the Dawnhammer clan of elves. It was lost to my family when he was mortally wounded in the last great war the elves fought in, we thought it lost." She walked over, tempted to take the blade from Ebony, but stopped. "By rights I am one of only two elves who should wield it, but...it was forged for a soldier, the field of battle is not somewhere I feel comfortable." She hadn't realised she was still holding Ebony's hand, gazing into her eyes.

[Levi]

Ebony gazed deep into Ariadne's eyes, ever so carefully she pulled the elf towards her not wanting to startle her and placed the gentlest of kisses on her lips. Pulling back slightly she smiled shyly " I see, then by all means..." Ebony carefully undid the belt holding the sword to her waist and offered it one handed to the beautiful woman before her.

"Take it" Ebony urged, still holding Ariadne's hand in hers, she squeezed it reassuringly " I already have the blade my father gave me... And I've no skill with a sword..   And if it belonged to your grandfather" Ebony rambled on, quite unable to stop. She was not new to love but never had she felt the way she did since first meeting Ariadne.

[Lady Jenn]

"No," she said, handing it back. "Maybe one day the time will be right for me to wield it but for now you deserve it as much as me. Hopefully we won't need it for a battle, we can simply use it to recruit any allies who don't listen to our charms." She pulled her into a longer kiss, only stopping after a couple of minutes. "Come on, we have some horses to get, we don't want to hang around for too long. Do you have anything else to pick up before we leave?"

[Levi]

Ebony grinned, jumping to her feet she reattached the sword "no" she responded " I only really brought myself". Ebony chuckled and grabbed Ariadne's hand again " Lead the way!" Ebony stole another quick kiss before letting go of the elf's hand and following her from the campsite.

In the light of day with Ariadne by her side the forest looked almost magical and not at all frighting as the night before. "Why is it called The Forest of Shadows anyway? Didn't you call it something else when we met.... Erisel?" Ebony asked curiously.

[Lady Jenn]

"I am unsure where the name Erisel originates from," Ariadne replied as they walked. "I tried asking my father but he said it was called that as far back as Elvish memories go. As for the human name...at night this place can seem a little...intimidating," she said with a wry laugh. "There used to be a tale that the very shadows in this forest would come to life at night, but I've never seen it myself." Eventually they found themselves in a clearing far larger than Ariadne's camp, dominated by a one-storey hut. Although there was no immediate sign of horses a whinnying noise could be heard from somewhere close. "He is blind," Ariadne said. "Just be aware that his hearing is incredible, so be careful what you say around him." She stopped in the centre of the clearing. "Mika, are you there?" she called out, but no response was forthcoming. "Is this anyway to treat your favourite elf?"

"Hold on," came a voice from inside as a scraping noise sounded. Eventually the door opened, a tall man with wiry white hair and two milky white eyes, dressed in a long brown apron and dirty blue clothing, stepped out. "Princess Cath'ayal, is that really you?"

"I told you before," Ariadne said, stepping forward to hug the old man. "I left that name behind...a long time ago." She led him over to Ebony. "Mika, this is Ebony, Ebony, Mika here is one of the few people brave...or you might say crazy...enough to make a living in this forest."

"I wouldn't last a winter without the help of you rangers," Mika said with a laugh, bowing in the direction of Ebony. "I take it you want my horses?" he asked. "They're in the usual place." He lead them over to a small paddock where three horses were stood. While two were beautiful, if unremarkable, examples of their species the third stood out. It was a mountain of a horse, whose tail flicks seemed ominous. "Take one of the smaller horses," Mika said to Ebony as the black horse walked slowly towards Ariadne. "There is only one rider that beauty will allow to ride her, that horse is special."

"Silver old friend," Ariadne said, touching the horse's nose gently. "It has been too long since I sought you out."

[Levi]

" No arguments here" Ebony responded , she moved to the other two horses reaching out to stoke one of them she said " hey there,aren't you beautiful " she stated to the horses, the second horse came and bumped her arm looking for attention to. Ebony laughed and stroked the second horse.

After a few minutes , Ebony turned to where Mika was standing " Thank you very much for letting us borrow your horses, I hope we will not be in convincing you by taking a pair" Ebony said politely.

[Lady Jenn]

"I was never a good rider," Mika said with a laugh as he walked over to help her onto the horse. "Besides which fact, you're the only people likely to be asking for horses anytime soon, even the Rangers don't use them often."

"Probably because of Silver," Ariadne said as she climbed onto the dark horse. "Not even a fellow elf would be brave enough to try taming her. She's almost unique around here, one of the last descendants of the great Elvish steeds which used to roam here before most of my kin crossed the Great Sea to the south."

"I used to joke Silver was one of the few creatures she truly loved," Mika said to Ebony once he had placed the saddle on the horse she'd chosen. He leant closer so only Ebony would hear. "Be careful with her," he said. "She doesn't like to show it but she's more fragile than she may seem, although much like her horse she has a loyalty that few creatures could match."

[Levi]

Ebony blushed, and then chucked " Ariadne was right about you, don't worry I'll take good care of her... Well as much as she will let me anyway" declared Ebony. After saying this she mounted the patiently waiting horse. "I hope we meet again Mika"

Ebony took hold of the horse's reigns and encouraged it to trot forward. She turned in the saddle to look at Ariadne. "Ready?" She asked, eager to be underway and truly began this adventure. Ebony had no clue that day of what would befall the two women.

[Lady Jenn]

"I shall have to rein Silver in slightly," Ariadne said with a chuckle. "At full tilt no other horse would be able to keep pace with her." With that she said a word into Silver's ear and the horse set off, even before they reached the path again treating the undergrowth like it was flat ground. The ride north was uneventful, only the occasional glimpse of creatures in the tree line showing any other sign of life. By the time they emerged at the other end the light of the day had almost faded away, but in the near distance they could see a small settlement, smoke rising from chimneys within it's low stone walls. "Stay by me," she said to Ebony, stopping for a moment. "There is no real law enforcement this side of the forest, so I advise you trust no-one unless you have to." They entered the settlement, only stopping when they found themselves outside a tavern from which sounds of merriment emerged. Outside it was a young boy, barely 13, sleeping against a makeshift spear. Ariadne let out a slight laugh as she let herself down off her horse. "I was told the Wolf's Head was protected by Merrick the Mighty, I was obviously lied to."

"Who goes..." the boy started saying as he got up, before realising who he was looking at. "Aunt Ariadne, it has been too long," he said, running up and hugging her before she could respond. "Who's your friend?"

"Take our horses to the stable and behave yourself and I'll introduce you," she said, helping Ebony off her horse. "But first, I need you to tell your father we must speak to him as soon as possible." Merrick led the horses off eagerly, Ariadne letting out a sad sigh. "Marcus isn't his real father," she said to Ebony. "I don't know what happened for certain, but I found him as an infant in Erisel, his dead parents beside him. Marcus was the only human I trusted not ruled by Myraz so I brought him here." She took Ebony's hand, leading her through the door. Most of the occupants ignored their entry, the few who seemed curious being put off by the sight of the sword Ariadne wielded. "The advantage of being with me," she said, kissing Ebony lightly. "No-one with any sense picks a fight with a Ranger. Find us a table, I'll get us a drink."

[Levi]

Ebony took a quick look around the dingy interior before spotting a suitable table towards the back left corner of the tavern. By the time she sat down most if the patrons had gone back to their drinks. Ebony sighed with relief.

She then took a proper look around her taking in the rustic but well kept furnishings and the roaring fire. The young woman in her nosiness began to create little background stories for the locals as to why they were there that night. As her eyes roamed the tavern, they settled on Ariadne. She was talking with someone at the bar. Ebony smiled

[Lady Jenn]

Once she had ordered a drink from the man behind the bar Ariadne turned to find Ebony, only to catch a sight of the barbarian sat slightly down the bar from her who seemed to be watching her closely. She also spotted a young bar patron drawing a short knife as he approached him.

"I've killed braver men than you," she said, having put an arrow to her bow at frightening speed. "Do you want to test my bow arm?" The young man seemed to think better of the idea and backed off. She stepped closer to the warrior. "I don't suppose you're looking for a quest to set out on?"

[King Kull]

Grim was sitting at the bar with a large mug of mead. He had escorted a trader here in exchange for a rather modest reward and didn’t really know what to do next. Nothing much seemed to be going on here so he should probably move on. His dog lay at his feet, in public places like this he always stayed close to Grim. Then a beautiful woman walked up to the bar; it was obviously an elf. The old stories among the Hercynians always only had good to say about them so he was always intrigued the rare moments he saw one. He wondered how old she was, did her hair turn silver from age but not her face? Some said elfs where immortal others said the just lived very long.
As he looked at her she suddenly draw an arrow; startled Grim gripped the hilt of his sword and drew it. Sword in hand he realized that the elf didn’t aim at him but to the side of him and he saw a soft farmer boy backing away putting away a knife after she spoke to him. She was surely skilled with that bow, she could surely have shot him before he could have responded.

“Why do you come at me with a knife boy”; Grim said with a deep and stern voice. But as the elf-woman moved towards him and spoke to him he lost interest in the boy. “Do you read minds as well”; Grim said with a big grin. “I’m always looking for honour and gold. Thanks for watching my back. Do want a mug of mead?”.

[Lady Jenn]

"The only alcohol I drink in any quantity fled south with most of my kin," Ariadne replied with a laugh. "Although, when you hear what we want your help with you might need a stronger drink than that." Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Marcus, an older man picking up empty glasses while talking to one of the older patrons. "I'll be sat over there," she said, indicating where Ebony was sat. "Join us when you're ready."

[King Kull]

“I was born ready”, Grim replied with another of his grins showing of the white teeth you get from a lifetime of eating game meat and plants from the forest. He emptied his mug in one go and grabbed it with one hand and the half full pitcher he had ordered with the other. He wasn’t far behind the elf and just behind him was his dog. Grim looked at her shape from behind, she had a field outfit, like a ranger, but it was tight. She had the body of a young woman but Grim couldn’t get his age-speculations out of his mind. Forget about it Grim, elves are semi-gods of nature, better to stick to humans. Another woman where sitting at the table the elf where heading towards. She was young and pretty and had the same silver hair as the elf but she didn’t look like an elf. Even thou she was sitting he could see that she carried two swords. She definitely didn’t look like a fighter, actually she looked weak; a typical product of civilization. Grim’s eyes were drawn to the red gem around her neck. That looked precious indeed! Grim lowered his gaze a bit so it wouldn’t be too obvious what he was really looking at, and admired her well developed bosom instead. It didn’t occur to him that looking at a woman’s breasts might be ruder than evaluating her possessions among cultured peoples ((Grim doesn’t know about Ariadne’s and Ebony’s affection to each other)). Grim sat down at the table and spoke:

“My name is Grim, Grim Direwolf, nice to meet you ladies”.

[Levi]

Ebony stared at the large warrior walking back with Ariadne, who is that! the thought was quickly explained when the man introduced himself. Ebony shrank back slightly as he sat down, this man was like none she had met in Tarnegar! The hound that was following Grim caught her attention, ever an animal lover she offered her hand for the beast to sniff.

Ebony had also noticed Grim staring but she ignored it, and instead reached over to take hold of Ariadne's hand, hoping to send a little message that while neither she or the elf had spoken their effections outload. It did mean Ebony was NOT available.

" Nice to meet you Grim, my name is Ebony, daughter of Vennar the blacksmith. Perhaps you have heard of him" she responded politely , even if he was intimating, she could at least give the man a chance.

[King Kull]

Grim’s dog sniffed at Ebony’s outstretched hand and wagged its tail. He moved next to Ebony and placed his head in her lap, hoping to be scratched. Grim grinned.

“Wolfling likes you, take it as a compliment he is normally wary against foreigners. No I haven’t herd of your father, is he a sword-smith?” Grim glanced at her blades and poured some mead. “Care for some excellent mead? Well at least strong. What brings a girl like you out here, are you peddling your father’s swords?

Considering the blades these women carried and that red jewel this was promising, they where not poor. No he didn’t plan to rob them but they could probably reward him well for his services. Ebony took the elf’s hand, maybe she was her daughter, an half-elf? That would explain why they had the same hair colour. Or was she scared and sought comfort from the deadly archer?

[Lady Jenn]

"I am Ariadne Dawnhammer," Ariadne said, sure to keep one hand near the knives strapped across her chest as a precaution. "One of the last of the Dawnhammer elves in fact. We're here becau-" She stopped as she saw Marcus moving towards the door. "Don't get up," she said to the other two. "He's about to say he's closing but that's just so we can talk to him in private."

"Time to go home," Marcus said, ringing the bell. "It's well past the point you should've stopped drinking." There were a few grumbles from the other patrons. "I could call the city guard so you can argue about this with them." This seemed enough to dissuade the few tempted to kick up as a fuss, as the other patrons shuffled out the door. Once he had secured the door Marcus walked over, smiling as he saw Ariadne stand up. "Ariadne, it has been too long since you last graced this bar with your presence," he said, hugging her tightly. "Who are your companions?"

"Ebony, recently escaped from King Myraz," she said as Marcus bowed before Ebony. "And Grim, who I've only just met so I can't introduce him properly."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Marcus said as he pulled up a chair. "Merrick tells me you wanted a word with me, I'm guessing you want information?"

"We do," Ariadne replied, watching Grim closely to see his reaction to her next comment. "We're heading north, our destination is Dragonblight."

"Great Earthmother," Marcus said, spitting out his drink. "You're going to the dragons?" He looked at Ebony and then Grim. "Ariadne, these two have no idea what you're expecting of them do you? Even if the Orcs and the Trolls don't get you, there is far worse north of the Troll Hills." He sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Shall I get us stronger drinks? You'll need it when I tell you what I've heard."

[Levi]

Ebony grinned "Nothing stronger for me thanks but I'm interested to know more about what's between here and Dragonblight. I won't be scared off" she responded determined. Marcus walked back to the bar and bent behind it, after a few moments he returned with a dusty earthen bottle plonking it down he sat with the three companion's.

Ebony watched as Marcus poured some sort of drink for the other three, she was eager to know more, but knew she should wait till Marcus was ready to speak. As the least experienced at the table, she couldn't really contribute much to the conversation. Ariadne had said not to trust many here, so how much could Ebony say about what she needed to do and the magical help she carried with her. " I seek The Lord of Dragons aid" she began.

[King Kull]

“Well let me tell you about myself; I’m a Hercynian and I’m a hunter, a scout, a warrior and a pit-fighter: I have killed many things but never a Dragon. I don’t know anything about Dragonblight or why you want to go there but I hope there are not just Dragons there; I want to find some Honour and Gold as well.” 

[Lady Jenn]

"If you can help us kill Myraz there'll be as much gold as you like," Ariadne replied. "The dragons alone would probably give you a mountain full of gold."

"That's assuming the dragons will listen to you," Marcus said. "My dear Elvish friend, you have been out of the loop longer than you realise. A few days ago a group of adventurers who managed to reach as far as the Troll Hills came through this tavern. According to them the trolls are growing restless."

"Trolls are always restless," Ariadne said with a chuckle. "They barely sleep they're so filled with adrenaline."

"This is no joke Ariadne," Marcus said forcefully. "They are not being playful or fighting over the crown, word from the hills is that there is a Dragonstorm brewing."

"Oh great Gaia..." Ariadne said under her breath, before she realised the other two wouldn't know what Marcus meant. "When the lord of Dragonblight declares a Dragonstorm it comes in three stages: first they drive the trolls south, straight through the Badlands; then come the Thunderlizards, Dragonkin and other beasts of the slopes of Dragonblight; and if those two waves do not wipe out all life in their way, then come the dragons themselves, each one of them capable of devastating an army alone. If we are going to persuade the dragons we need to leave as soon as we can."

"I get the feeling your companions won't be dissuaded," Marcus said with a laugh. "If I was younger and I didn't have Merrick to worry about maybe I would go with you. Just be aware: the lord of Dragonblight these days has an especial hatred for humans, as far as he is concerned they are responsible for his father's death. Pick fights on the way if you must, but do NOT anger him, he will not hesitate to kill you if you give him enough reason."

All the while Marcus was speaking to the other two Ariadne's gaze was being drawn towards the ceiling. While she wasn't as magically skilled as some Elves, she could sense someone else in the building, giving off a magical aura she had never sensed before.

[Levi]

Ebony looked from one person to the the next. " Trolls, Thunderlizards and eventually dragons, well Grim, are you still with us? Now you know a little more about the task ahead?" She asked, and then turning to Ariadne she also asked the elf  "what's our next move, do we stay the night or do you want to leave right away"

[King Kull]

Grim looked at Ebony. "I like the Mountains of Gold Part. Well seriously it does sound very risky but I guess Ariadne has a plan. But what does Myraz has to do with the Dragons? If we are not going to fight the Dragon what are we supposed to do? Hire him to kill Myraz? How do we pay him; with a young, pretty, silver-haired girl maybe?" Grim said and blinked with one eye at Ebony with a smile. She seemed a bit stuck up so Grim liked to tease her.

[Lady Jenn]

"You offer him the one thing he wants," Marcus replied. "The one thing which is stopping you from just walking into Myraz's palace and killing him outright: the dragon relic the king's predecessor stole from Dragonblight and Myraz refused to return. Convince him you will give it back to him once Myraz is dead and I suspect you will have every dragon he can spare if you need it." He suddenly noticed Ariadne was distracted. "Ariadne, what is it?"

"Who else is here?" she asked.

"Other than you three, me and Merrick?" he asked. "Nobody, this inn is empty."

"Marcus, I love you like a brother," Ariadne said with a sigh. "But you are a terrible liar. I sense magic from upstairs, magic I've never felt before. Unless Merrick has developed a hidden talent since I last saw him, this is someone else. What are you hiding?"

"She made me promise to keep her hidden here," Marcus said with a sigh. "There is a reason you don't know her magic, she is one of a dying breed. Maybe I can convince her to see you, but I doubt you can speak to her and travel safely afterwards. You do this, you may have to wait till morning. Although, as she said to me, seeing a Sidhe is an even rarer experience than seeing a real-life dragon these days."

"Sidhe?" Ariadne said, feeling startled at the news. She turned to the other two. "I would not make you dally here longer than you want, if you both want to set off now I will come with you, but...this, this is an opportunity even my grandfather never had the opportunity to experience."

[Levi]

Ebony grinned to herself two can play at that game she thought, she mischievously winked back at the warrior. He could obviously tell she had found him a bit intimidating, but with his cheeky behaviour Ebony was getting used to him and starting to see him in a more favourable light.

Ebony had been listening with half an ear to the ongoing conversation between Ariadne and Marcus. "So its true then, what my father said about Myraz's unnaturally long life" she stated. Ebony turned to look at the elf, Ariadne looked flushed with excitement over Marcus's last statement. I can't take this away from her Ebony thought.

She then had a bit of an idea. "Ariadne, go see if this Sidhe will speak with you... In the meantime Grim. Can you teach me some basics?" She asked gesturing to the swords at the waist.

[King Kull]

"Ariadne I’m fine waiting till morning, I have something I ordered that I want to pick up at the village smith.” Grim said.

Oh? Ebony actually winked at him! Well maybe she isn’t that bad after all. She was really cute when she looked naughty.

“So you want to learn swordplay young maiden? You came to the right person I’m not just a great swordsman I’m great fencing instructor as well.” Grim said; modesty was one of many virtues he completely lacked. "Show me your blades and I will see what sword suits you height and strength the best."

Grim held up the sword that, unknown to him, was the Dawnhammer. “This is an excellent blade but it’s made for a man. You are tall enough; with skill and stronger arms you might learn to wield it to its full potential, but that will take a lot of training”. Grim switched to the other sword and wielded it. He looked Ebony up and down.

“This is also a good sword, about the same quality as my own. It’s light and balanced, a fencing sword. I think this will suit you perfectly. You would almost think it was custom made for a woman with your strength.” Grim gave the sword to Ebony.

“The first lesson is your pose, balance and movement.” Grim took the Dawnhammer. “Your starting position will be like this.” Grim said and showed her a basic one-hand fencing position. When she imitated him he placed himself behind her and moved her feet slightly with his own feet, grabbed both her arms from behind and moved them to the right positions. He was definitely closer to her than he needed to be with his long arms but it was not only to be close to her; he did show her the right way to do it.

((Grim has still not understood that Ebony and Ariadne has a romance going, he is a bit dumb regarding such matters, well actually dumd regarding many things, he’s barbarian after all))

[Lady Jenn]

A short time later Ariadne returned to the bar where Marcus was sat reading a book, a sombre look across her face.

"I think she knew her time was almost up," Marcus said, passing her a drink. "She even said to me she suspected she was staying alive long enough to pass her knowledge on to someone who needed it. Was her information useful?"

"She gave more than information," Ariadne said with a slight smile. "I'll tell the others once they're ready. How are they doing?"

"When are you going to tell him about you and Ebony?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow. He laughed at the look of surprise Ariadne gave him. "The amount of time I've know you you're surprised I managed to pick up on that? The poor guy can't decide which of you two he wants to flirt with more, you ought to tell him before you get the urge to stick one of your knives somewhere he regrets."

[Levi]

Ebony wasn't going to lie, she had enjoyed Grim's burly arms around her, teaching her how to handle a sword. "This is the one my father made" she told him conversationally. As she allowed Grim to move her into the right stance. " Now that you've seen his work, what do you think?" Ebony asked, the young woman was keen to get Grim's approval of her father's skill. She frowned. His opinion shouldn't matter already! Ebony thought, however she knew getting someone like Grim to approve of both her and her skills would mean more then simply following Ariadne to Dragonblight.

The sun was beginning to set on their first lesson and Ebony called a holt  to proceedings. I wonder where Ariadne got to she wanted to know what the Sidhe had said ...if anything. " We should call it a night, I'm eager for bed, thank you for this evening Grim, I look forward to more lessons along the way?" Ebony had to tilt her head back to be able to look Grim in the eyes.

[King Kull]

“Your father is a fine sword-smith and that is an honourable thing. Especially it takes skill to make a sword perfected to a specific individual. Most smiths will just do a few standard types. It was a pleasure training with you. You have a long way to go; you really where a beginner, but I can see that you are really trying hard to learn and you are less of a beginner now than you where this morning. Every night you go to bed with greater skills than when you woke up in the morning is a day well spent. Tomorrow we will do dodging and parrying” It’s wasn’t empty praise, he said what he meant. Grim met Ebony’s eyes and looked deep in to the.

“I will just go to the smith to make sure he finishes what I ordered so we don’t get delayed. Ariadne is too fast with her bow for me wanting to irritate her! Good night Ebony you have very beautiful eyes”. In her eyes Grim could see that she really was as innocent as she behaved. There was neither malice nor deceit in those eyes. Grim walked out of the tavern.

[Lady Jenn]

"Do you feel ready for what's ahead?" Ariadne asked Ebony as she walked over, kissing her lightly. "I'd train you myself but he's probably a better fighter."

"Do you two want a room?" Marcus asked with a laugh, narrowly avoiding the bar mat thrown at his head playfully.

"We have potentially useful information," Ariadne said to Ebony. "Plus an ally if we want it. She came here with a bodyguard, now she's passed away he's offered his help. I suggested he wait till morning to introduce himself."

[Levi]

Ebony returned the kiss with some passion before cuddling into Ariadne. " He complemented me already!" Ebony gushed in delight. " I really want to do well, and I asked him to show me for a reason, your already risking much by guiding us there and I thought..... I thought you might go easy on me" Ebony blushed. Was she being to presumptions. The young woman really cared for the beautiful elf, and wanted to deepen there relationship.

" what information you have should wait until Grim returns, perhaps in the morning when we meet this bodyguard?" Ebony suggested "Let's go to bed" she offered suggestively. " Marcus.... You mentioned a room" Ebony slid him a small thumbs up in gratitude. Ariadne was certainly playing hard to get but with an ally like Marcus what could possibly go wrong.

[King Kull]

Grim was up with the first dim rays of light. The smith had promised to work through the night to be ready in the morning. He packed his backpack and went down to try and find some breakfast. That boy was already up and gave him some smoked ham and rye bread. He finished his meal quickly and went to the smith and he got what he had ordered: Two new throwing axes. He had lost his axes in an encounter recently and he was glad he got the new ones before the trip north. In troll-country they would meet multiple enemies and then it was always good if you could take out a couple before they got within hand-to hand-combat range. Pleased with himself he went back to the tavern. He thought about how sweet Ebony had been last night and looked forward to training with her again. Her hair really smelled good when he came close to her. But he wouldn't let her become an distraction; he didn't go on this trip to seduce soft skinned city-girl; he was going for the Gold and Glory. And after a few days training with the sword at least her hands wouldn't be soft any more, Grim thought and smiled to himself.

[Lady Jenn]

There was a young man, dressed in light but fearsome looking armour sat outside the inn, watching Grimm as he went back and forth. In spite of the armour his only obvious weapon was a stave he had laid across his lap.

"Breakfast is ready if you want it," Ariadne called out to Grim. She turned to the young man. "Arva, you've not eaten since you came here, if you're genuinely considering travelling north with us you're going to want something to eat." She stepped back through the door, where a large table was set up with what appeared more like a minor feast than a typical breakfast, Ariadne sat at the top of the table, dressed in her more imposing look of Ranger armour compared to what she had worn the day before."

[King Kull]

Grim looked at the impressive breakfast table, It had both cheese and eggs and all sort of delicious food. "Well I did have breakfast but I guess I have room for a second breakfast. Who's birthday party is it?" He said with a grin and sat down closest to where most of the food was placed so that he would have it within easy reach. "Ariadne just so I have gotten this straight; our quest is to get past all the trolls and dragons to reach the Dragon Lord and then convince him to help us kill King Myraz?" Grim said and started to fill up his plate with food. He generously, with someone else's food, gave nice meets to Wolfling.

((Sorry for cutting in but not affect the general story))

[Levi]

 Ebony woke late to the wonderful smell rising form downstairs. She lept up, splashing her face with cold water, she quickly donned the tunic-like garb that she had now been wearing for several days. She made her way hastily down the stairs. Ebony easily spotted Grim at a table layden with food and quickly headed over to him.

Ebony then spotted Ariadne and took the seat to the right of the elf. Helping herself to some warm bread and cheese " you should have woke me" she whispered to Ariadne. The young woman turned to look down to where Grim sat with his platter of food. She chuckled " how many people are you eating for Grim" she teased before taking a bite of food. Munching away happily Ebony looked around,  Swallowing she asked " So where is this so called ally?"

[King Kull]

"I guess for about two grown men". Grim answered taking the question too literally. "You never know when there is food next time". He smiled. "Oh I didn't taste those sausages". Grim stretched after a thick pork sausage. His appetite didn't show on his waistline; he probably didn't eat this well on a daily basis.

[Lady Jenn]

"You need to make yourself more obvious Arva," Ariadne said with a laugh, stepping aside so the other two could see the young, armoured man, chewing away at a fairly basic meal. "This is Arva, he came here with the Sidhe and has offered us his talents should we want it."

"I may not be as impressive armed as the barbarian," Arva said. "But when you live with her kind long enough you realise you don't need weapons," he said, levitating a piece of meat to land it in front of Wolfling, "to be dangerous. "I have magic."

"And information," Ariadne said. "We have two options for where we go from here. If we want to travel quickly, there is the Basalian Road, but there is a higher chance we run into roving Orc clans out for a fight. If we want a more peaceful route there is an old watchtower on a hill near the border of the Badlands, deserted during the last Dragon War. Not only is there a quieter road north but its high enough that we can watch to see what lies ahead of us."

[Levi]

" I know which gets my vote" responded Ebony laughing. So, this Arva has magic, how awsome! she thought. " What are your thoughts? She asked her other three companion's. Whatever the outcome of this impromptus vote Ebony wouldn't argue with the outcome, although she of course would prefer the quieter route, she had a feeling the three warriors would choose the more risky path. She glanced from Grim, to Ariadne to Arva. At least there all strong she thought, Defiantly going to need a fast track on the sword fighting thought!

[King Kull]

"Off road is always better than on road, I vote for the tower". Grim said and finished his second breakfast with a belch. "Possible the best breakfast I ever had, I like the way you look after your men Ariadne". As a woods-man he always disliked roads, if anyone wanted to harm you they knew exactly where you would pass if you used a road. And if he himself wanted to rob someone where would he make an ambush? On the road of course! Actually Grim hadn’t seen a road until he was 15. In Hercynian lands there were no roads. He studied the pretty Ebony. She wasn’t an adventurer but he was sure Ariadne had very good reasons to bring her to the dragons; he wanted to find out her hidden talents, besides her obvious ability to charm men.

[Lady Jenn]

"Arva, I'm guessing you agree on going off-road too?" Ariadne asked, unsurprised when he nodded. "Well, assuming we've had our fill we should leave as soon as possible, I think we've hung around here long enough."

"We have to consider the problem of how we travel," Arva said. "I have my own horse but we still have to transport three people."

"If Grim wants one of our horses I have an idea," Ariadne said after a few moments. "Ebony, I'm sure I can persuade Silver to accept a second rider for once."

[Levi]

Ebony blushed with pleasure. " As long as Silver doesn't mind"she responded " I know I'm ready to get going" Ebony grabbed another roll from the table and stuffed it in her pocket. She then stood and led the way outside. Merreck had already brought the horses around to the fount of the tavern.

[King Kull]

Grim sat up on his borrowed horse, he wasn't a good rider he actually would have preferred to walk but the horse seemed clever enough to manage without his commands. In the Hercynian mountains and deep forest there where few horses. Eric managed to steer the horse to the horse Ariadne and Ebony where on. It looked nice with two beautiful women pressed together like that. "Ebony, tonight I want to train defence; parry and dodge, and tomorrow night we will combine the movements from last night with the defence. After that we will train attacks. Until we had tomorrow night training I want you to stay out of any combat even in a defensive position, just hide behind the rest of us." 

[Lady Jenn]

Arva's horse was a small but nimble looking beast, which the young man sprung onto as if his body was as light as a feather. "Let us avoid orcs then," he said with a wry laugh. "If we run into any it might be difficult to find a safe place."

"Let's not be pessimistic just yet," Ariadne said as she helped Ebony onto Silver's back, who showed no sign of alarm at her new rider. "We're going to have to ride without a break though, I don't suggest we risk leaving ourselves to unwanted attention." She wrapped her hands around Ebony. "Well, you clearly passed the Silver test at least," she whispered in Ebony's ear. "Lead the way Arva." The mage set off, at a decent enough pace the other horses only just managed to keep pace with him. They only stopped when they reached their destination: a large hill, on the top of which was a half collapsed wall surrounding a group of ruined buildings. The only way up was a path which wound up the slope. Arva only finally stopped when they'd passed through the whole in the wall, jumping off his horse. "Someone start a fire," Ariadne said as she helped Ebony down. Let's make ourselves comfortable while we're here."

There's the border," Arva said, walking to the edge and pointing north. In the near distance they could just see a line of posts topped by skulls. Somewhere in the distance smoke could be seen rising into the air. "Let's not spend time pondering the origin of that smoke."

[Levi]

Ebony stretched, thankful the rise had been uneventful she began gathering sticks for the fire. Every so often she glanced towards Ariadne, the ride had been full of hidden blushes from the other two, and whispered remarks which had made Ebony quite giddy. Had arms loaded with suitable looking wood. The young women then built a fairly simple fire, and managed to get it lit.

After a few moments of making sure the fire was indeed lit, she turned to Grim " ready for lesson two?"  She grinned, she walked a little way to the others, and pulled out her sword to begin.

[King Kull]

“I’m ready when you are”, Grim replied. “As I said today it’s dodging and parrying. It will take coordination of arm movements and body movements. It will also take physical strength to block, counter strike and deflect attacks.” Grim trained her pretty hard now that he knew she could take it. He showed her how to defend against different attacks, sometimes holding her arms and moving her body with his hands to correct her. Probably a bit more often than absolutely necessary just to be able to smell her scent and touch her soft body. But he was rough with her as well. When she was sloppy or didn’t pay attention he would strike the sword out of her hand violently or even make her fall hard on her back. She would probably get a few bruises and scratches from this evenings training. Whenever she would wine he would tell her brusquely things like:

“Train hard and fight easy”, or “It’s better with a broken bone while training than a split skull in combat”.

[Lady Jenn]

"Never tempted to learn to use a sword yourself Arva?" Ariadne asked as she sat down opposite him.

"Sidhe rarely use blades," Arva replied. "Besides, I found magic far more interesting."

"I can un..." Ariadne stopped suddenly noticing whining from the direction of the horses. "Keep an eye on the fire," she said to Arva, moving as quickly as she could to where Silver and the other horses were stood. Although she could hear Silver still whining there was no sign of anything untoward. "Calm yourself old friend," she said, resting a hand on Silver's snout, closing her eyes. "You're safe as long as I'm here." She suddenly opened her eyes, staring directly into Silver's. "You sense it too, don't you?" She moved away from Silver taking her bow from her shoulder and putting an arrow to it as she walked to the edge of the hill, her face turning white at what she discovered. "Arva, is there another way off this hill?"

"Not if you want to do it safely," Arva replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we have company," she answered, briefly considering loosing an arrow before realising there were far more enemies than she had arrows. "Goblins, a lot of them, climbing up the hill straight towards us." She hurried back to the fire, where she had left her sword. "It's like they knew we were going to be here." She turned to Grim. "You wanted a fight barbarian? You're about to get one." As the first goblin reached the top of the hill a blast from Arva's fingertips sent him out into clear air. "I should've know this quest seemed a bit too easy."

[Levi]

 Before Ebony had chance to get behind the others as Grim had suggested. The enemy was upon them! Ebony managed by sheer luck to stab one of them, she then slipped behind Grim as he took away the goblins attention, slaying a few in a couple of minutes.

Ebony stared fascinated by the quickness of the three warriors, Ariadne firing arrow after arrow, Arva blasting magic left and right and of course Grim. Ebony stood her sword out waiting. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a few goblins creeping towards her elf! Without even thinking Ebony leapt  forwards, she did well for a few minutes but the young woman had only done some basic one-on-one combat and there was three of these guys!

One managed to knock Ebony's sword from her hand. The three approached her laughing wickedly.

[King Kull]

Grim threw his two throwing axes in a rapid succession. Each axe got embedded in the face of two of the Goblin. He pulled out his long and heavy sword. I never remember saying I wanted a fight? I wanted Gold and Glory! He thought. These goblins wasn’t very good fighters; he cut them down right and left, but there was a risk that they would be overrun and attacked from the back. It already happened! Some Goblins where attacking Ariadne from behind! And Ebony attacked them! Grim finished of the three goblins he had in front of him and rushed to Ebony just as she lost her sword. He pulled her out of the way and behind him and attacked the three goblins with a series of well rehearsed cuts and thrusts. They where all down with guts spilling out and limbs missing. Grim literally tucked Ebony under his left arm and turned his back to Ariadne moving to position himself so that the three fighters would form a triangle and be covering each others backs, Then he put Ebony down in the middle of them. He tried to evaluate the situation; how many where they? Could they take them all out or did they have to try to escape?

[Lady Jenn]

"Arva, we need a plan," Ariadne said as she ran a goblin through by throwing one of her knives into its throat. "This isn't working."

"I know what you're thinking," Arva said, feeling the strain of the number of spells he was having to cast. "I will not cast that spell unless I have no other choice. They will see the light for miles around."

"What would you consider no choice?" Ariadne asked as she turned to him. It was a bad mistake, she felt the blade bury itself in her shoulder, letting out a gasp of pain. She turned, stopping the larger leader goblin aiming a second blade at her with her own blade. She pushed the goblin back towards the wall of one of the ruins, killing it as it turned to find an escape route. She felt herself stumble, her head becoming woozy. "Arva, do it NOW." she shouted.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Arva said, uttering a handful of strange words under his breath before slamming his staff into the ground. Light burst out of it, not effecting the group but instantly vapourising any goblin around. Arva lent on his staff. "They are gone." He turned to Ariadne and saw her slumped on the floor. "No, no, not now."

[Levi]

"Ariadne!" Ebony cried. Falling to her knees besides the stricken elf, she placed her hands on the wound. "Arva! Don't just stand there, heal her...NOW". As the mage sadly shook his head, Ebony's face turned white, she turned back to look at the elf. The whole world seemed to fall away until all she could see was Ariadne. " You can't go!" The young women declared. " We haven't even reached Dragonblight.. You p..p..p..promised" Ebony hiccuped, her shoulders shaking as she tried to reign in her emotions. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.Ebony stopped covering the elf's wound and took hold of her now chilled hands "Ariadne, I..I love you!"

[King Kull]

Grim wasn't a healer, he knew some basics to stop bleeding and clean wounds but he expected the others to be better at it. He checked that the horses where all right and looked for survivors among the goblins. I scouted for them not long before, how could so many of them have arrived so quickly? This meant they must always have sentries, even in daytime. When he couldn't find any more goblins he went back to the others to see how Ariadne was doing.

[Lady Jenn]

"Let me try something," Arva said, kneeling next to Ariadne and moving his hand towards her, only to see an arrow miss it by a matter of inches. "Where did that come from?"

"Step away from the elf," came a voice whose source was impossible to locate.

"Like hell I'll do that," Arva shouted out. "She's hurt, I'm trying to help her."

"As much as I understand what you WANT to do," the voice said. "You will only make it worse. That blade was poisoned, you cast your spell and you will only help it spread through her body. Stand aside and we will help." Arva stood up, backing away in time to see five figures, dressed in long black cloaks, three of them armed with spears, one with a bow and the fifth carrying a bag over its shoulder. The unarmed figure moved towards Ariadne, kneeling down and placing a hand to her body, beginning to speak in an unrecognisable language as its hand glowed blue. "You are fortunate the mage's spell alerted us to your presence here, we wouldn't have found you in time," the archer said.

"And who exactly ARE you?" Arva asked.

"We are members of the Kira'nai," the archer replied. "Scouts left to monitor the borders of the Badlands. What you just witnessed is more common than you realise, but we usually intercept them before they reach civilization." The healer stood up, nodding to the figure speaking. "Your friend will recover, but she will be weak for a time. If you wish we could stand watch over you for the rest of the evening, in case any goblins still linger here."

[Levi]

Ebony sagged with relief she's going to be okay, thank goodness "Thank you, thank you, I don't have much but I have a few coins" she said offering them to the healer. Unsure if these  Kira'nai were friend or for she said " WE need to consult the other member of our team" reluctant to leave Ariadne even for a moments she indicated to Arva to join her a few feet from where the strangers stood looking a bit to innocent in Ebony's opinion.

"Where is Grim?! Arva who are these people! Obviously the healer we can trust but the others?" She then heard Grim approaching and turned "Grim, there you are!" She exclaimed relived. " Have you ever heard of the Kira'nai?" She asked. Ebony had automatically differed to Grim as sort of stand in leader while Ariadne was unconscious.

[King Kull]

"No I haven't herd of them. A healer and some kind of priest and the others we don't know, well we just have to ask them. They don't look like scouts to me, strange clothing and weapons for a scout. We do need to have sentries all night since this magic Arva used will be seen for a long distance. We should accept their help and try to learn more about them; they might also know something about the road ahead. By the way Ebony, that goblin you stabbed died; this officially makes you are warrior now, but don't think you don't have to keep training because of that". Grim said and smiled, then he remembered Ariadne's condition and his smile faded. Grim stepped up to the healer.

"Greetings and thank you for your healing powers. I am Grim Direwolf and we would be happy to have your help guarding this night; but we like to know who you are first. Please join us by the fire and have some food with us." Eric lifted Ariadne carefully and carried her gently to the fire where he put her down on a blanket. Ariadne was heavier than Ebony but still not heavy considering how tall she was. It was pleasant holding her beautiful body, but he didn't feel any desire for her. He saw her more like his employer and a venerable Elf. He was also troubled by the fact that she could actually be very old and that she might be Ebony's mother! He didn't know who those scouts where but he knew as little about Arva; armoured like a warrior but a magician. He hadn't have time to speak to him either. Probably because he spent most of his time with Ebony.......

[Lady Jenn]

"We may give the impression we have left you," the figure who had spoken to them said as the others melted back into the darkness as quickly as they appeared. "We simply hold the belief that we are better sentries if we remain unseen until we are required."

"I've heard of the Kira'nai," Arva said, sitting down by the fire, feeling weak from all the magic he had used. "At least, I've heard of the group. It is said they choose their number from among many races, I have even heard tell that they have numbered Orcs among the order at times. If you believe the old legends it was founded by the last dragon to live outside Dragonblight, but if that is true that dates back to before the first Dragon War, so how anyone would have knowledge from that long ago is anyone's guess." He took a sip from the cask of water he had around his belt. "I am sorry I gave our position away, but Ariadne was correct. The goblins were about to overrun us, that spell was the only way to save us, although," he winced as he tried to sit more comfortably. "I paid a price casting it, there is a reason I would rather have avoided its use."

[Levi]

Ebony sat as close to the elf as she could, clutching onto the unconscious woman's hand. "Are you alright Arva?" She asked nervously. Having Ariadne down was one thing, but the mage hurt also made there situation very dire indeed. She looked at the fire contemplating what Grim had said earlier. She, Ebony had killed, and if the elf didn't get better fast, the young woman may be expected to do so sooner then she wanted. Steeling herself she looked up.

Her eyes were haunted but her expression was determine "what must I do to be a better warrior?" She demanded of Grim. Now was not the time for her to be a girl anymore!

[King Kull]

“Just train hard, there are no short cuts, but we can put even more effort in to it. I am not changing my training schedule just making it harder. Are you prepared for blistered hands, bruises and a sore body? Next time you’re caressing you boyfriend's chest it will not be with the soft feminine hands you used to have, but with the calloused hands of a fighter. Since you are fighting with a light one-handed sword, later on we could add a left hand dagger, that is a deadly and fast fighting style.” Grim said and hesitated. “But don’t forget to be a woman as well, you can be a warrior and still smile sometimes, well it’s even allowed to be a bit silly.” Grim didn’t want to lose the cute girl he had got to know. Actually they only met yesterday but it felt like a lot longer. Grim turned to the healer.

“Healer what can you tell us about the land ahead? How can we avoid the larger forces of goblins, orcs and trolls? We can’t fight an army every day.”

[Lady Jenn]

"I will be okay," Arva said, finally managing to make himself comfortable. "The one thing stories about magic don't tell you about it is the cost it takes on your body if you use too much of it without a break."

"Wh..Brother..." Ariadne mumbled in her sleep, moving slightly closer to Ebony but not seeming to wake up.

"Well, she seems to be recovering," Arva said, letting out a sigh of relief He turned to Grim. "I cannot be sure once we reach the troll hills, but if we keep off the roads in the Badlands we should manage relatively fine. Orcs spend more time fighting among themselves mostly, especially with the whispers of rebellion among their lands."

[Levi]

Ebony glanced down at Ariadne, and smiled slightly. The elf now just looked like she was resting. Whatever the healer had done, was obviously doing the trick. " we should leave at first light" Ebony decided " I don't want to be any more in dept with these strangers then we already are."

She got up " You two get some rest, I'll keep an eye on things for a while " There was no way Ebony was going to sleep that night, first of all she went to check on the horse. Squaring her shoulders determined she marched right up to Silver. " Ariadne injured, so tomorrow I'll be taking the reigns." She began "Alright?!" She said more timidly. As if the horse is going to answer she thought. However it did make the young woman feel slightly better.

Heading back towards the fire, she noted the two men still talking, Let them decide, the route she thought. As she had other things on her mind. Pulling her fathers blade from her belt, she ran through practice drill until she was sweating. She kept going over and over what Grim had taught her. The sun had set before she wandered back to the fire. Sitting back close to the elf, she stared of into the surrounding darkness.

It was strange how quite this place was not a sound to be heard, the only noise coming from the crackling fire. Ebony added a few more sticks to keep it ablaze, as the night wore on she periodically checked Ariadne for any changes. She continued to watch over her and did not raise the other two from there beds.

[King Kull]

Past midnight Grim woke when an owl hooted. The fire was almost out, just glowing a bit. Ebony was sitting staring out in to the dark, she hadn't woken someone to take the watch. Grim moved over to her.

"Go to bed now Ebony, I will take my turn. You need a few hours sleep as well or you will fall of the horse tomorrow, maybe you will have to hold on to Ariadne on the horse then she will fall as well if you fall." Ebony looked sad or concerned, Eric wanted to give her a hug but didn't know how she would react to it.

[Lady Jenn]

When Arva awoke the next morning he found himself momentarily startled to discover Ariadne was nowhere to be seen, until a quick scan of the campsite revealed her stood near one of the ruins, speaking to a figure who appeared to be wreathed in an eerie golden glow. Uncertain whether it was safe to interrupt he waited until the figure had vanished and she had walked back to the campsite.

"Is that what the Kira'nai really look like?" Arva asked. "I thought they were simply especially...talented members of certain races."

"I'm not sure we have time to discuss what they really are," Ariadne said as she set about retrieving her arrows from the corpses. "Considering they saved my life though I'm glad they lingered long enough for me to offer my own gratitude." She stopped by one goblin, killed by the only black flighted arrow in her quiver, pausing for a moment before pulling it out and walking back to the fire. She took a pouch from her belt, pouring something over the arrowhead and uttering a few words. The tip glowed green for a moment before it dissipated, and then Ariadne returned the arrow to her quiver.

"Does Ebony know what that arrow is for?" Arva asked. "Or, I should say, WHO it is for?"

"I hope it is not something I have to use it for," Ariadne replied. "I certainly didn't intend it for a mere goblin."

[Levi]

Ebony's eyes were slightly bloodshot from the restless night she had. Even though Grim had woken and told her to sleep, she hasn't slept much. Waking on and off all night, she had woken with the sun and seen Ariadne get up and talk with the group in the woods. As Arva spoke with the elf, Ebony decided she may as well rise for the day. She sat before the re-lit fire and glared over at the animated elf.

Didn't Ariadne realize how worried she had been about her. What if she didn't hear me, yesterday  Ebony thought disheartened. Still she would carefully watch over her today whether the elf liked it or not!. Ebony nodded to herself. She stood and stretched and walked away. She could get in some more practice before they left Ebony decided.

[King Kull]

Ebony looked tired Grim thought as he prepared his things and the horse for departure. He worried about her, but why didn't he worry about Ariadne that had been shot by an arrow?. Ebony's swordplay looked terrible, if she didn't sleep at night she would be a lousy student. Tonight he had to figure out a way to make her relax and get back to her old self. Maybe it was her fist combat experience but she couldn't get like this every time they had a fight or someone got wounded! But of course if Ariadne is her mother it's understandable that she gets so affected bye her injury. Ariadne looked quite fine now so what ever healing magic this mysterious creatures possessed it must be really good.

[Lady Jenn]

"We had better leave now," Ariadne said, bringing the horses over to them. "I don't know about you, but I feel like we've spent more than enough time here, and I don't fancy trying to get over that border at night."

"No arguments from me," Arva said. "If we're careful we can be most of the way through the Troll Hills before we have to stop again, I certainly wouldn't advise attempting anywhere beyond the hills without a good sleep, we'll wish goblins were all we had to worry about once we reach the slopes of Dragonblight proper."

"You can sleep against me," Ariadne said, offering Ebony her hand up onto Silver. "Silver could almost do this ride without me but I feel like the boys need an extra pair of eyes," she said, stifling a laugh at Arva rolling his eyes at her last comment.

[Levi]

Ebony shook her head " YOU will be the one resting" she insisted. Ebony took Ariadne's hand and climbed up onto the big horse, she then scooted back rebelliously. " Silver knows the arrangements, don't you boy?" The horse whinnied quietly almost as if he was answering Ebony.

"There" Ebony grinned " Your outvoted " she then offered her hand down to the elf like Ariadne had done for her. Worry shimmered in the young woman's eyes as she looked at the elf standing beside the horse.  Grabbing Ariadne's hand she pulled her in and leaned as close as she could from the towering horse. " Don't think you can get away with not telling me about that arrow either!" She then brazenly kissed Ariadne on the forehead before sitting back to see what the elf would do now.

[King Kull]

Eric constantly swept the surroundings with his eyes when they rode, he had his bow and an arrow ready even thou he didn't trust him self shooting from a moving horse, if he needed to shoot he would stop the horse first. he rode up to Arva.

"Hi Arva, I'm sorry if I seem nosy but I'm curios about you, where are you from? What is your background? You have the armour of a warrior but the staff and magic of a wizard." Grime said to Arva.   

[Lady Jenn]

"I'm not sure where I come from originally," Arva replied. "The Sidhe I grew up with found me alone outside their encampment, no clue as to where I came from. As for my choice of armament, while the fae race do not believe in weapons like your kin do, they are at least smart enough to ensure they are well protected. This is made from a metal even I haven't fully understood."

"There is an Elven tradition," Ariadne answered Ebony. "Any who are trained as archers are given one arrow with a different set of feathers, intended in case the Elf should seek vengeance. Usually they are tipped with poison too. Mine is intended for Myraz, if we cannot find an alternative way to deal with him."

[King Kull]

"We believe in weapons as the extension of our bodies but in the end it's our own bodies and minds that decides how good fighters we are; we don't believe in armour since it slows us, gives fatigue, hinder our movements and gives us a false sense of security." Obviously the Hercyninans where also quite poor and not very good smiths so they had to learn to fight without armour.

[Levi]

" So you had always planned on approaching Myraz one day' Ebony asked Ariadne. She felt strangely relieved, if there plan really didn't work then at last there was a plan b. She listened with interested to the two men bonding over talk of armour. Throughout the day Ebony's spirits began to rise again as she took in the changing scenery, and enjoying holding the woman she loved closely.

[King Kull]

Eric thought Ebony looked a bit happier now at least.

[Lady Jenn]

Having found their way through the Badlands without incident, Ariadne stopped them once they had got beyond the boundaries of the Troll Hills. The land seemed relatively barren around them, but Ariadne had chosen the spot due to the strange rock formations to one side of the road, pointing inwards to a large circular patch of ground.

"We are officially beyond regularly searched ground," Ariadne said as she climbed down from the horse, ignoring how unsteady she still felt to help Ebony down. "If you didn't know humans weren't coming to help us before, you do now."

"To lighten the mood slightly," Arva said as he climbed down himself. "If I remember the stories correctly this place is known as Archa'mae's Point. If you believe the legends these stones are said to be all that remains of the last group to challenge the lord of dragons." He walked up to one of the stones, brushing it slightly. "If there's any truth to the old stories let us all hope we catch Stormrider in a good mood."

[Levi]

As soon as the camp was set up, Ebony practically pushed Ariadne down beside the fire. "Rest" she ordered. Honestly, that elf! Ebony thought to herself a little frustrated. The young woman didn't think  the rest of the party would have objected if they have taken a break along the way.

" I remember reading some of the legends of the Archa'mae's Point. There are so many different ones about what happened and why, but they all seem to have one point in common about the group not being one and The Lord of Dragons deciding they were not worthy" Ebony began conversationally with Arva. It was nice to have someone to discuss things like this with. Of course Ariadne was properly well read, but the elf didn't look like she had seen a book in a long time.

[King Kull]

Grim watched Ebony speak to Arva, she looked much better now and studying her profile he had to admit she wasn't just pretty; she was actually really beautiful. He hoped she hadn't forgotten their training. Today they would combine stances, movement, parries and dodges that they had learned already; if they trained hard tonight Grim was convinced Ebony would be able to defend her self pretty well and that would make Grim feel a lot better. And then they had the foundation to teach her attacks. 

But Grim felt uneasy watching Ebony and Arva together, it was not that he distrusted Arva, he liked him, but something bothered him with them chatting together.

[Lady Jenn]

"Are you sure we're going to avoid any trolls?" Arva asked as he set up the fire. "I don't know about the rest of you but I could do with less unwanted distractions this evening."

"I'd say we're safe," Ariadne replied. "Trolls usually keep to themselves, and even if we did get their attention they're so big we'd see them coming a mile away." She sat down while she watched the fire forming. "I've not shown you guys my legendary cooking, Grim and Ebony could always do a bit of training while Arva finds some supplies and I get ready to make our meal."

[Levi]

Ebony nodded, she sighed the young woman seemed to be spending more time with the burly warrior then with the elf these last few days. Still her skills were improving and that ment that the other three wouldn't have to worry about defending her as much as when they started out.

She also enjoyed Grims company, in the small time they had known each other, they had bonded almost like brothers -in-arms. Ebony chuckled at the thought, she nodded to Grim and pulled out her sword.

[King Kull]

Ebony did well and after the training he believed she would be quite able to defend herself the next time they where attacked. He could tell she was stiff from the physical training thou, but her muscles would begin to harden and she would be stronger. He still took the opportunity to hold her close to show some movements now and then even it was not really necessary any more because she could imitate him without that. But she didn't seem to mind. He had mixed feeling for her; he was definitely attracted to her but he begun to see her as a younger sister as well, someone he was obliged to defend and look after, not just a colleague he was hired to work with. Actually he was pretty tired from the riding since he wasn't good at it and not used to it. His butt was sore from sitting in that saddle for two days. Wolfling seemed tired too, he was getting a bit old for walking all day long, tomorrow he would try to have him on the horse. Before he fell asleep he wondered if Ebony's little butt was as sore as his.......

[Lady Jenn]

Ariadne was the first one awake the next morning, walking to the edge of the circle and swinging her blade to test it. Although the poison may have left her body the effected arm still felt funny, causing her to wince slightly. She only stopped when she heard Arva's sharp cough from behind her.

"When are you going to tell them?" Arva asked. "And don't pretend you don't know what I mean, both of us suspect the dragon won't be enough, so why won't you discuss going south?"

"We're not going south," Ariadne said firmly. "We don't go to my brother unless we have no other choice. I...did not the city on good term. I'm going to scout around here, tell the other two we leave when I return."

"And I thought fairies were complicated," Arva muttered under his breath when she was out of hearing distance, before walking back to the stones and waiting for her return."

[Levi]

Ebony had awoken shortly after Ariadne, and upon her return was poking some life back into the fire, to reheat the remains of the meal from the previous night.  She felt stiff all over, the constant riding, and training and sleeping on the ground was not at all what she was used to. Ebony gazed down at her roughened palms.

This plan had better work! she thought. She was relieved now that her father had not gone, in his advanced age there was no way he could have slept rough like they were. Of course the young woman reflected this was only the beginning.

[King Kull]

Grim arranged his backpack that he had fastened behind the saddle in a way that Wolfling would be able to sit comfortable on top of it. He would be travelling more comfortable than grim today. Maybe women didn't suffer from riding because they had a lower body weight to press down on their butts? And they definitely had better padding on their behinds. That made sense; riding was a feminine mode of transport not really suited for men.

[Lady Jenn]

Arva couldn't help looking around, keeping an eye on their surroundings and feeling uncomfortable without Ariadne's archery skill nearby. He was about to air his concerns when the elf reappeared, seeming unfocused until he let out a cough.

"I've been having a look around," she said to the others. "Our path at least LOOKS clear as far as I can see, but the higher we get the more difficult it will become for our horses to traverse the rocky ground. At some point we'll have to let the horses go."

"I don't like the sound of that," Arva said. "Although if it keeps them safe then I'll accept that. Do either of you have any question about our next move?" he asked Grim and Ebony.

[Levi]

Ebony simply stared flabbergasted at the elf. "Leave the horses?" She said. "How far is it still to go?" Would she be able to manage? She thought I already let the group down not being able to fight. No doubt she would be a slow walker too! Ebony played with her hair she was worried now, more so then when she was learning to fight. More then when she had declared herself to the unconscious elf. 

[King Kull]

Eric was relieved about the horses part. "What will happen to the horses, wont they get killed by predators or trolls?" Eric said. he almost suggested it was better they slaughtered the horses themselves and brought the meat but he realised Ariadne cared for them like he cared for Wolfling. "I have many questions. How far is it to walk? What type of enemies could we encounter, trolls I guess? What is our strategy to convince the dragon? Does dragons breath fire? Are dragons sometimes in human forms?"

[Lady Jenn]

"Silver can lead the horses back south," Ariadne replied. "I sometimes suspect she has greater intelligence even than me, she can return to my friend in the forest."

"As for the rest," Arva said with a sigh. "No-one has been beyond the troll lands in some time, it could take us a day and a half to get there, it could take more. And trolls are the least of our worries, we're entering the land of the Thunder Lizards and the wights-"

"Don't scare them with legends," Ariadne said with a chuckle. "He's referring to the stories that say this area is so filled with magic that the dead walk the earth at times, but I have never seen a jot of proof such stories are true. As for the dragon? Our plan is that," she said, pointing to the Dawnhammer blade at Ebony's belt. "My grandfather used that blade to unite Stormrider's father with the other races during the last great Orcish uprising. Between that and the promise of vengeance on Myraz for his father's death there is more chance the dragon lord will listen. Fire...I don't know, by the time I was old enough to step off the Elven islands..."

"There is something she hasn't brought up," Arva said suddenly, wilting slightly under the glare the elf gave him. "No-one is sure how powerful the relic Myraz stole is, it is possible even a dragon may not be enough to defeat him. We may have to visit the elve-"

"I made this clear earlier," Ariadne growled. "We do not go south unless we have no other option." She turned away from them, brushing away a tear.

"I did not mean to upset you," Arva said, closing his eyes. "What could possibly have happened to keep you away from your own home?"

"That is between me and my brother," Ariadne said, walking to Silver. "Ghosts or no ghosts, we need to set off now."

[Levi]

Tell me more later, Ebony mouthed to the mage as Ariadne turned away. This was great, not only did she now have some more information on what they were doing, but she was finally learning more about her mysterious lover.

"How long can we safely use the horses?" She asked "If we must set them free, would here not be the best place?" Although Silver looked like she could manage any terrain Ebony guessed the other horses would struggle. "What about Wolfling? He tires already, Will he be alright" Ebony asked concerned.

[King Kull]

"I can kill anything that bleeds, but undead and magical creatures? Will sharp steel affect it? This sword is a artefact you will give to the dragon or just like a proof of good intentions?" Grim said and sat up on the horse. Grim turned to Ebony. "If we walk Wolfling will be fine, he only has problems keeping up with horses especially when they trot." It was nice that she cared for Wolfling. 

[Lady Jenn]

"A sign of good intentions," Ariadne replied. "That blade was forged at least in part to represent unity between the races." She climbed up onto Silver, wincing slightly as she did so. As she turned towards the road she realised that the cloud had cleared slightly ahead of them. It revealed a line of mountains more akin to the teeth of a giant mouth than a geographical feature. "The Drakhari Teeth, the entrance to Dragonblight itself. That's where we're headed for."

"I have to say that doesn't make me less worried about getting there," Arva said with a chuckle. "Ebony's gem will come in useful, you might think a dragon can't sneak up on you but you underestimate their species at your own peril."

[Levi]

Ebony held the stone in her hand for a few moments, feeling the weight of responsibility settle upon her shoulders at Arva's words. She walked over to Silver and for the first time that trip mounted the horse without help. Wow, the fighting lessons must be paying of! she thought. She shared a grin with Grim.

[King Kull]

Ebony looked really happy for something and that made Grim happy so he smiled back. Ebony's gem, the first thing he had noticed about her, he wouldn't let that gem out of his sight. Luckily the two most beautiful and valuable things in this company, Well besides Wolfling, was together so he could watch them both at the same time. Well besides Wolfling then

[Lady Jenn]

They rode north, the area seemingly deserted for miles around them, until they reached an area where the slopes were covered in rocks, even Arva feeling suddenly reluctant about the task ahead as they jumped off their horses.

"Find your way home Silver," Ariadne said, holding the horse's head. "I promise you I will find you again when this is done." She watched with sadness as Silver and the other horses headed down the slope, but her moment of contemplation was interrupted by a roar which seemed to ring all around them. She looked around, seeing a large rock sheltering a rare level patch of ground. "Get over there now," she yelled, noticing the gem was yet to glow, which almost worried her more.

"What was that?" Arva asked when they were under cover. "I've lived near big cats and NONE of them sounded like that." Suddenly the answer came: a shadow crept across the ground nearby, but it was a far larger shadow than any even Ariadne had seen. It was cast by an immense being, it's bottom half a lizard, its top half like a giant, armoured ogre, razor sharp claws at the end of each limb. "Great Gaia, that's a Thunder Lizard isn't it?" Ariadne nodded. "Tell me it hasn't seen us, I don't fancy trying to pick a fight with that," he said, nodding in the direction of the large axe the creature carried at its waist, a weapon which even at a glance appeared taller even than Ariadne.

[Levi]

Ebony crouched starring at the monstrous lizard. She dared not speak in case it heard them. She was panting lightly, her arm trembling slightly in fear as it rested on the pommel of her sword. The thunder lizard seemed to take forever to cross the path in front of where they were hiding. It suddenly stopped meer feet from the rock. Its fork like tongue hissed out like a snake tasting the air.

It knows we're here! Ebony thought terrified.

[King Kull]

"If we still had the horses we would not hve been able to hide", Grim thought. Wolfling was lying till and quiet between his legs; for him is was like when stalking at prey while hunting. He didn't need a command to be quiet. Grim leaned close to Ariadne that was hiding next to him and whispered in her oddly shaped ear:"Is it a natural creature that bleeds or is it magical?".

[Lady Jenn]

"They are a mix of both," Ariadne replied. "They bleed, but like all species linked to the dragons they have magical prowess of their own."

"What's happening?" Arva asked as they heard a deep growl emanating from the creature. He stopped himself from saying anything more as the creature bent down, resting one claw on the rock. Arva felt himself hold his breath as the head lowered towards them...but the creature paused, staring at them but not seeming to see them, using its tongue to taste the air. It finally turned away when another roar sounded in the distance, the creature sloping away, crunching rocks beneath it. "What was that?" Arva asked. "It was look..." he stopped when he turned to find Ariadne looking suddenly weak. "You haven't recovered from the poison yet," he said, helping her up. "You should not be casting spells."

"I had to," Ariadne replied. "I remembered a story my father used to tell me that he heard from his own father: Thunder Lizards only roar like that when they are looking for a mate." She turned to give Grim a weak smile. "Please do not take offence, but even your skills would pale against a male Thunder Lizard in heat, they are even more territorial than usual." She turned to reassure Ebony when something caught her eye, the colour draining from her face: the Dragonsblood Gem was glowing bright red. "There's a dragon nearby," she said, drawing her own sword. "Or at least, if we're lucky it's a dragon. But I don't see anything," she said as she looked around the rock, finding only the same rock-strewn landscape for miles around.

[Levi]

Ebony glanced around. She stared in fascination at a decidedly pointy rock not far from where she was crouched. The young woman turned her head toward the back of where they were hiding and noticed several other pointy rocks.

A horrid thought began to make itself know in Ebony's mind.Surely not, the others would have noticed she thought. However the other warriors had there attention fixed on the entrance. Suddenly the earth around them began to shake and pebbles began to skitter away.

"Ariadne" Ebony began, the elf waved her into silence "ARIADNE" she said a little more sharply, as the elf tuned toward her, the ground began to crack open.

"Run!" Ebony yelled leaping toward the rapidly closing entrance. " This is a dragon! " she yelled behind her to the others.

[King Kull]

Grim had herd that dragons had wings and could fly so he was looking upwards after this dragon Ariadne mentioned. Suddenly Ebony run off; Grim didn't know where she was going but he wouldn't let her be on her own so he run after her without hesitation. 'I still think I could kill that lizard, it's big but slow and clumsy,' Grim thought as he was just behind Ebony. 'And Ebony has a very nice behind.'

[Lady Jenn]

"Who dares intrude on the land of the lord of dragons?" came a voice from behind Grim, as a huge dragon head rose up. The creature's skin was the colour of the rocks around them, Ebony's distraction being the movement of its tail. "I am the Gatekeeper of Dragonblight, consider that if I wanted to kill you it would take me less effort than it would for you to swat a fly."

"We...we..." Ariadne considered her options before sheathing her sword. "We seek an audience with Stormrider, we wish to make him an offer we feel he will be interested in."

"And the rest of you?" the creature asked, it's fierce red eyes locking on Grim in particular, a fearsome grin revealing a set of serrated teeth lining each jaw.

"I would never seek to lie to one of the ancients of this world," Arva said, bowing in part to hide how much the creature's sudden appearance had shaken him.

[Levi]

Ebony had grabbed hold of Ariadne's arm when the dragon had begun to speak. The beast was awe inspiring and this wasn't even the one they sought! The dragon's green eyes seemed to pearce right through and be looking right into her heart.

Stepping away from the group she spoke for it was her who must convince The Lord of Dragons so she might as well practice with this one. " My companions speak true. We seek an audience with Stormrider, as proof I carry this" she indicated the Dawnhammer.

Ebony bravely withstood the dragons steely gaze, mentally she was trying to think of what they would do if this dragon did not allow them passage. " I was sent by my father, and these are the friends I have made along the journey "

[King Kull]

This was the largest living creature Grim had ever seen. And in this case Ariadne was right; it would be hard to kill this beast: it was frightening to know that he was at it's mercy but you should never show a wild animal that you are afraid. He was also a bit curious because there was so many myths and legends about dragons and now he met one that could speak. And the dragon had a point; if it just wanted to kill them it could have done so already.

"Are you looking at me?" Grim said trying to sound self confident. "I'm the body guard for this girl with the sword; if you just keep your hand off her you won't have any trouble with me," Grim grinned. "By the way can you fly and breath fire?". If you are going to die, do it with a smile. 

[Lady Jenn]

The dragon didn't respond, but seemed to look past them up toward the mountain, a low growl emitting from its mouth.

"Ariadne, what's he doing?" Arva asked. "This almost worries me more than when he was threatening us."

"I wouldn't pretend to understand dragons," Ariande replied. "We'll just have to wait."

"The Dragonlord will hear your plea," the dragon said, moving its tail away so that their path was clear. "Consider one thing however: Stormrider can smell lies, if any of you enter there with ill intentions he will be the last living creature you see."

"We will..." Ariadne trailed off as she realised the dragon had vanished again, only the glow of the gem showing he was nearby. "Let's get up the slope as quick as we can, I don't particularly like the thought we're being watched." She took Ebony's hand, leading them up along the closest thing to a road which lead up to towards the peaks. It became clear between two of the peaks stood a wall larger than many hills, atop which marched Thunder Lizards, who watched them closely. A gate was opened to allow them through, presenting them with a view which made Ariadne and Arva gasp: the valley in front of them was immense, filled with dragons ranging from small whelps to dragons easily the match of the one they had faced on the slope. But Ariadne's eyes were drawn to the centre of the valley: an immense roost on top of which sat a monster of a dragon, its tail the length of some entire dragons around it, a pair of orange eyes just visible among the jet black scales that made up it's vast bulk. "Great Gaia," Ariadne said under her breath. "My father told me the lords of Dragonblight were large but...never in my imagination did I think Stormrider would be that large."

[Levi]

Ebony did not pause to wonder at the quantity of dragons, she fixed her gaze on the roost at its centre. She stepped across the threshold of the gate, firmly placing her foot, the land beneath her feet seemed more alive then any other place, scents that reached the young woman's nose seemed sharper. The colours of the flowers and trees appeared brighter. The dragons themselves were shinning like jewels, each a different colour, all shapes and sizes and all watching the group closely.

[King Kull]

Grim walked up to the wall behind the women and was supersized to see this lizards sort of guarding it. He thought they where just animals but obviously they could be made to obey commands? Then this valley full of dragons? Grim didn't know if he should believe his eyes or not, he actually rubbed them with his knuckles and pinched his arm but the scene in front of him didn't change. He kept his sword sheeted. He didn't really know his part in this, he was here to protect the women but against this he was helpless; he could just die bravely. He just hoped the women knew what they where doing because he for sure didn't know what he was doing here. He didn't even see any gold.

[Lady Jenn]

Just as Ariadne was about to speak Stormrider launched himself off the roost, launching high into the air but by the time he landed no more than a hundred yards from them he had changed. He was no longer a dragon, now he took a human form at least seven feet tall, dressed in fearsome black armour and with a pair of intense orange eyes shining from beneath hair as black as his armour. He stepped towards them, forcing Ariadne to try and appear calm in front of the intimidating figure in front of her.

"It has been more years than I can remember since mortals were brave enough to walk the slopes of Dragonblight," Stormrider said, looking at each in turn. "I cannot believe an Elf would take on a quest such as this without good reason, what brings you here?"

"We seek the death of Myraz," Ariadne replied. "If we join our forces together you will be able to retrieve what was stolen from your hallowed halls and gain vengeance for what happened to your father."

"A human betrayed my kin before," Stormrider said, letting out a low hiss. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because of this," Ariadne said, taking the Dawnhammer from Ebony and holding it out towards him. "Dragons helped forge this, your father and my grandfather once united around it to oppose another great threat. I would be betraying the memory of my ancestors if I pledged we would help you and then turned on you."

"I must think on this," Stormrider said, staring at the blade, before turning to Grim. "The other three have items filled with dragon magic, whether or not they realise it. What would you say to me tasking my smiths to forge you a weapon of your own? You can choose whatever you wish."

[Levi]

Ebony felt suddenly deflated by the bazaar turn of events.
" If you don't trust humans why would you offer to make us weapons? " she asked rudely. She couldn't trust this dragon, something about the situation was just not adding up.
" How can we all be carrying items of dragon magic?" She asked suspiciously.

[King Kull]

Somewhat the dragon seemed more manageable now in the form of a man. Grim was pretty sure he hadn't anything magical at all and Ebony seemed a bit irritated. But if he could get a good sword like the Dawnhammer who cared?

"You want to give me a weapon? Well thanks Stormrider. I want a sword like the one I have; it is tailored for my height, length and reach. But I don't want it lighter I want the weight behind my cuts. So tell your smiths to put their effort on other characteristics like sharpness and strength." Erik told the dragon-man. "If you ask about magical abilities I don't know anything about how swords can be magical, this Dawnhammer is the first magical sword I have seen, I don't even know if it is magical. If you make it magical just make sure it isn't interfering with how I can use my own skill and strength: In the end it always come down to a man's mind and body not what weapon he wields".

An interesting thought; if Ebony or Ariadne ended up on different sides in this conflict who would he fight for? Probably Ebony even if Ariadne was the more powerful and the one that had hired him. Grim thought.   

[Lady Jenn]

"The gem," Ariadne said with a chuckle. "I knew Dawnhammer contained Elven runes, but I hadn't considered the legends about the Dragonsblood gems holding actually dragon blood might be true. Dragons are inherently magic Ebony, anything drawn from them would also be inherently magical."

"How does this sound?" Stormrider asked after a few moments of considering Grim's request. "There are certain...enchantments we could place on your weapon that far from limiting your strength, they would enhance it, only increasing your skills. There is little my smiths are not capable of, even the great Elven smiths could not hold a candle to the forges of Dragonblight."

[Levi]

"What would you want in return?" Ebony asked the dragon. Grim seemed hooked on the idea of a new item. Avra has yet to add anything to the current situation. Should I take him up on his offer. I really couldn't handle another weapon the young woman thought. Ebony took a look around. She noticed that the other dragons were only really paying them a small amount of attention now. " While we await your decision, would another dragon be willing to talk with me?" Ebony suddenly asked. She was curious to know more about this magical race and she wondered if she would be able to get some inside information on  Stormrider.

[King Kull]

These overgrown lizards where quite stuck up, he didn't think for a moment they where superior smiths to the noble elves. Anyway if their sword was overrated he could always go back to his own perfectly good sword. I'm not to happy with magic that tampers with my natural skills and abilities, they are already perfectly good, Grim thought. Yes modesty wasn't one of his virtues.

"I don't know what is possible with your magic but I have one weak point in fighting. I can kill anything that bleeds an lives like a natural being but some opponents are magic or supernatural where steel skill and muscle doesn't help," Eric answered Stormrider. "Can you make a sword that hurt any creature as if it was a natural being of flesh and blood no matter if it is magical, undead or otherwise supernatural?" Like a dragon. Grim thought. "Like Myraz", Grim added out loud.

The other dragon said Stormrider could smell lies, but could he smell thoughts? And how does a man control his own thoughts? I'm not too happy about Ebony mingling with this dragons on her own, what if they decided to keep her for some bestial perverted reasons? Ariadne had great respect for these creatures but all tales he had herd about them where them killing people

[Lady Jenn]

"An interesting request," Stormrider said, thinking for a moment, before turning to a dragon who had appeared so suddenly Ariadne and Arva nearly jumped out of their skins. "Be'shaen, do you think you could forge a magic sword for our guest?"

"I cannot create a sword which could kill literally anything," the dragon responded. "But there is not much that can withstand a blade enchanted with drake magic, Stormrider himself carries one," the dragon said, indicating a blade at the dragonlord's belt which seemed to glow within its sheath. "I won't require long."

"My mate I'm sure will speak to you," he said, indicating a large grey dragon who seemed to be surrounded by whelps. "I'm sure she'll happily tell you she is more...friendly than I am."

"Thank..." Ariadne started saying before realising Stormrider vanished. "Bloody hell, for creatures their size these dragons move with speed even Silver would envy." She turned to Arva. "Why didn't you ask for anything?"

"I have anything I could want already," Arva replied. "Even if the dragons were willing to teach me their magic I doubt I would be capable of safely wielding it."

"You're a strange man Arva," Ariadne said with a chuckle, before she led them over to the grey dragon, the whelps watching them curiously as the female dragon sat up. Her eyes were as grey as her scales, making it almost impossible to spot where she was looking. Thank you for welcoming us, lady..."

"Much like the dragonlord my true name would be unpronounceable in your tongue," the dragon said. "You may call me Skysilver however."

"It is an honour to meet you Skysilver," Ariadne said, bowing. "I...I don't mean to be rude, but Ebony is right, your husband asks us for nothing, what is he getting from this deal?"

"You do not know the story of what passed between his father and Myraz do you?" Skysilver asked, turning to look at the roost. "There was a king before Myraz who stole the relic first, Myraz came north to recruit the then Lord of Dragons. He believed the King would return the relic once the tyrant was overthrown, but..." she paused for a moment. "He was tricked into entering Myraz's throne room alone, no-one is sure quite what happened, but when Stormrider demanded entry he found his father dead at the foot of the throne, with Myraz promising if the dragons did not leave he would turn their own magic against them. Storm left that day promising that one day he would make Myraz beg him for mercy."

"So he wants revenge?" Arva asked.

"Not just revenge," Skysilver replied. "That relic was not stolen by chance: it contains a fragment of a dark magic which should've been forgotten by this world centuries ago. It was his father's job to ensure that evil never left Dragonblight, the longer that relic is outside the magical barrier that surrounds Dragonblight the more people it will corrupt."

"And the more allies Myraz has to face us with," Ariadne said with a sigh. "I hadn't stopped to wonder if there was more to it than simply long life."

[Levi]

Ebony crouched delighted between the whelps. The baby dragons were curious beings and were soon flocking around her sniffing at her hair and tugging at her clothes. She laughed, reaching out tentatively toward a little blue/grey whelp that was hidding mostly behind its mothers body, she quickly withdrew her hand when the baby sneezed up smoke.

She reached out again and the baby allowed her to rub its head. " I hope your mate decides to help us, I'm not sure what to do if he doesn't. It's a lovely home you've built here" Ebony said conversationally. I wonder how many can take on human form

[King Kull]

Grim reluctantly gave his sword to the dragon Be'shaen so that the smiths could copy it's physical properties. Ebony went to play with some dragon-babies. They where probably born dangerous and unreliable. Grim turned to Ariadne.

"Ariadne, if Myraz is more powerful than the dragons together what will be our weapon against him?" He asked.

[Lady Jenn]

"There is one other option," Skysilver said, keeping an intrigued eye on Ariadne. "That blade your love carries was forged by Elves, surely your people are the obvious ally to turn to?"

"I...I can't" Ariadne said, barely containing her tears as she clenched her fists. "I will not go back there unless I have no choice."

"You face a magic unlike anything humans have faced since the first Dragon Wars," Skysilver said. "If now is not the time for their help, when is." As she heard the sob that escaped from Ariadne Skysilver changed into a middle-aged woman, long grey hair and the same piercing grey eyes giving away her identity. "Oh Princess, what happened?" She put one hand on Ariadne's shoulder. "If she loves you as much as I sense she will only care about helping you. As for the other two," she said, casting an intense glare at both Grim and Arva. "If they have any sense they will at least listen before judging you."

"My brother and I weren't born here," Ariadne said. "Our parents had migrated south to our ancestral island home by the time we were born. At first it was a happy, if...unusual family. But...something happened, my mother fell gravely ill after a party entertaining locals from other islands. She was ordered to bed but did not last the night. I was certain foul play had had a hand in what happened to her but I was the youngest child of the greatest Elven clan in the world, no-one was going to listen to me when my father and brother didn't believe me. And then...then my father vanished."

"How does a king vanish?" Arva asked.

"We never discovered," Ariadne replied. "He went to settle a dispute between two fishing communities, two days later his ship was found listing off the shore of our city, the king and his crew vanished without a trace. My brother decided they had sailed into a storm, after all the boat was damaged. But I did not consider two 'accidents' suffered by Elven royalty likely to be a coincidence. My brother refused me permission to investigate, when I said I would anyway he told me he would make sure I did not leave the palace. I...said some horrible things to him, stormed out of the throne room, and that night joined the last group of Rangers heading north. I have not heard from my brother since then, I doubt he wishes to hear from me considering what passed between us."

"Even if that was true," Skysilver said, brushing a tear from Ariadne's face, "it is likely we will need all the help we can get to defeat Myraz. If he will not listen to you, your brother would be a fool to ignore Stormrider."

[Levi]

When Skysilver had transformed into the middle age woman, Ebony got a little curious, something must have sparked the dragons interest, Ebony edged close enough to be able to hear the Skysilver address Ariadne. Notchantly still playing with the whelps, she umbadhedly listened in to the conversation that occurred.

Ebony was shocked by what she heard. Her heart almost broke for the elf when she heard about what had happened to her family. She mulled over the knowledge of Ariadne's brother. Suspicious indeed she thought. Not usually one to take sides unless she knew the whole story. Ebony knew in this case she would more then happily take her lovers side. However she didn't want to cause offense so, perhaps she had better not say anything about this brother.

It was clear now what must be done. Step one convince dragon, step two convince elf. She glanced over to where Grim stood his faithful hound at his side. The warrior looked disappointed at the lack of gold so far on this journey. Perhaps I can ask for some Ebony thought.

[King Kull]

Those dragon-babies seemed to like Ebony; she will be a good mother but hopefully to human babies. Grim turned to Ariadne. "So you think your brother murdered your mother and father? Surely such man can not be trusted. Let's slay him and install you on the throne and you can lead the elves to war against Myraz." Grim said grimly. "If my new dragon-sword bites through eleven magic I will be happy to give you his severed head and you can take the crown of it and place it on your own head."

[Lady Jenn]

"I'm not saying my brother was responsible," Ariadne said, snapping at Grim more fiercely than she intended, her hand moving to the sword at her belt.

"I think I understand her point," Stormrider said, suddenly appearing between them. "Elves do not go to war lightly, they are the opposite of a race like Orcs. I suspect Ariadne and her brother were both grieving, and would not have reacted how they did had they allowed themselves time to mourn their parents." He reached beneath his cloak, producing a sheath which seemed to glow an eerie green light. "Deathbringer, for you Grim," he said, holding it out. "It does not carry the full magical might of a dragon, but if it did the blade would be as dangerous for you as it was for whoever it touched. I can at least promise there is little that can survive an attack with a blade such as this." He turned to Ariadne. "I understand your reluctance to return home, but we require all the magical help we can get, and if Myraz remains unchecked he will become a threat to the elves as well. If you will accept my aid I and one of my other dragons can fly you south. If Myraz has weapons which can kill a full-grown male dragon at maximum flying height then this would be beyond anyone's capability to stop."

"What do you say?" Ariadne asked, looking at the other three. "We get to ride a dragon AND you get to be the humans to set foot on the island of Bel'thani in...well, many lifetimes."

"I'm up for it if the other two are," Arva replied, unable to hide his delight at the suggestion.

[Levi]

Wow, Dragons are amazing Ebony concluded, not only had Stormrider decided to at least travel with them, but he was bringing another and he had convinced Ariadne to at least attempt communication with her brother. She stood.

"I'm ready, and I ride with Ariadne" she said bluntly, almost daring the elf to say otherwise.  Ebony said her goodbyes to the whelps and went to stand by Ariadne's side. " I'm guessing it won't take long via dragon? " she joked. She was actually really excited to be flying, she must try and stay respectful as Ebony could imagine it was not often that humans got offered such things.

[King Kull]

Grim obviously noticed how Ariadne reach for her sword, she was blinded by family ties from seeing her brothers obvious treason and murder. Suddenly Stormrider appeared out of nowhere . Grim didn't like how these "dragons" changed form from giant lizard to human at will and how the just appeared out of nowhere. He took the sword sheath and draw the sword. He tested it with a couple of thrusts and cuts and it had the same length, weight and balance as his old sword. He smiled like a baby; his very own dragon-sword.

"Thank you Stormrider, I owe you one for this!" Grim said sincerely. This will slay both Ariadne's brother and Myraz, grim thought.

Honestly Grim would have preferred walking, he didn't even like riding so how would he cope with riding a flying beast? And Ebony didn't seem to like him any more; forcing him share dragon with a man. "I will go with the dragons if you are," grim said reluctantly. But he did look forward to seeing the famous Bel'thani. In Hercynian legends it was portrayed like a paradise, a utopian place.   

[Lady Jenn]

"Sunrider," Stormrider called out, a smaller dragon with bright orange scales and green eyes walking over to them and stopping next to his king. "Arva and Grim, he will be your ride, I sense he will be more manageable for both of you." The orange dragon lowered one wing to the ground. "Wolfling can even ride him safely if you wish, I have yet to see a wolf whose claws can penetrate dragon hide."

"He's going to try something," Ariadne said quietly Stormrider just as he was about to change back to his dragon form. "If he kills my brother the elves will never help us."

"You are too easily worried," Stormrider replied as he took his dragon form, lowering his own wing for Ariadne and Ebony. "If the beserker believes he can get past me, you and a castle full of Elven elite guard he is welcome to try," he said, chuckling deeply as Ariadne helped Ebony up. "But our first worry should be getting there, make yourselves comfortable, Bel'thani is not a short trip from here." He turned to his mate. "Prepare the army, I will send word when it is time for the might of Dragonblight to march south."

[Levi]

Ebony clambered up behind Ariadne gleefully. She was like a babe in a toy shop, she was excited to be flying. "Wait till father, heard this he's not going to believe  me!" She said happily. Firmly wrapping her arms around the elf, she squeezed Ariadne tightly as she whispered " Don't worry, I'll hold on". The young women let out a small laugh as the dragons took of from the ground, it wasn't long before the ground was to small to make out.

[King Kull]

Grim climbed up on the dragon and sat down quite worried about this trip. He held Wolfling in front of him and wondered what he was supposed to hold on to. Did this dragons have large scales you could grab?

"Hi Sunrider I'm Grim," Grim introduced himself. "How do we hold on here? It's the first time I ride on a dragon and I'm not very good even at riding terrestrial animals. By the way don't worry about Wolfling he just a dog not a wolf."

[Lady Jenn]

"As Stormrider said, he'd struggle to tickle me," Sunrider said with a laugh as some of the scales on his back seemed to raise up. "Grab hold of these, if the worst happens my wings can stop you falling."

The two launched into the air easily, only stopping climbing once they were almost at the level of the high clouds, before beginning to head south. They passed over a massive Orc encampment, the vastness of the Forest of Shadows and over Ebony's home city, from which a series of fires could be seen.

"That doesn't look good," Ariadne said, looking down. "We can't afford to waste time when we get there."

"We won't if I have anything to do with it," Stormrider said, picking up speed as they approached the coast and headed out to sea. Ariadne had almost fallen asleep when a sudden cough escaped Stormrider's throat. "Ariadne, is that what I think it is?" nodding in the direction of the horizon.

"What do you..." the sentence died on her lips as the orange dots in the distance grew larger, now revealed as large bright red birds, each ridden by an elf. "Fire Hawks," she said. "We must have reached the outskirts of the island quicker than I thought we would." As the birds swooped towards them Ariadne did her best to avoid appearing hostile. "We seek an audience with the king," she called out to the nearest rider. "We mean you no harm."

"Northerners are not welcome here," the guard said, hefting a long spear threateningly. "I advise you turn back now."

"If you think that little...needle can harm me," Stormrider said, half jokingly, half threateningly, "you are more than welcome to try." Suddenly he heard the strangled cry from Arva, his reflexes quick enough to catch Ariadne's unconscious form on his wing. "Ariadne?" he asked, receiving no reply. He could feel the rage building within him as he turned back to the guard. "I am going to tell you something, I advise you pay close attention: my passenger, your own king's sister, is gravely ill. I cannot give her medical attention in the air. I WILL land on the island, you have the choice of making sure I land safely, or I can get to the island THROUGH you. Consider your options carefully, if you know anything of my kin you will realise battling an angry dragon is a good way to meet an early death."

[Levi]

"ARIADNE" Ebony screamed. Grabbing on to Stormriders's raised scales with one hand she reached out to grab the falling elf with her free hand. Her fingers missed by sheer inches, she cried "No.."
The relief she felt when the dragon caught the elf was swallowed up by a burning rage.

" You will let us pass" she stated, her voice sharp and clear, for the first time she drew Dawnhammer. " Do you recognize this blade?" She asked sarcastically. " I am is wielder, for now as well as Ariadne's lover, we came in peace, but if that can not be the case.... So be it!"

Ebony held her head up high, the light of the sun glittered of her blade and the jewel at her neck winked as if to say don't forget about me. Ebony did not need to ask the others if they would help if this confrontation went south. She knew that they would have her back.

[King Kull]

Grim drew his new sword Deathbringer, "Sunrider position yourself on the side of the elf with the spear so I can cut him down!" He ordered the dragon.

[Lady Jenn]

The elven riders seemed to consider their options for a moment, sizing up their odds against two full-grown dragons, nevermind their riders, before the guard that had threatened Stormrider lowered his spear.

"Follow me," the nearest Elf rider said, his mount swooping below them.

"Sunrider, do not land until I have become human again," Sunrider said as he angled his wing so Ebony could pull Ariadne towards her. "I doubt our landing spot is going to have enough space for both of us at full size." The smaller dragon nodded, before Stormrider set himself into a slow cruise downwards. As they dived below the lower clouds their destination was finally revealed: set out below them was a large Island, walls ringing its edge, surrounding a vast city, far larger than Ebony's home. At it's centre, fronted by a large square which the guards were indicating was the landing place, was a large palace which seemed almost shaped like a flying animal itself. Stormrider managed to land, scattering startled Elves as he did so, dropping a wing to allow Ebony to dismount, before turning to his human form as Sunrider landed behind him. He rushed to Ariadne side, placing a hand to her forehead. "She is burning up with fever," Stormrider said, looking at the Elf's companions. "What happened before you came to me? This didn't happen once you were within Dragonblight."

"She was stabbed by a goblin blade," Arva replied. "But she was cured of the poison, she shouldn't still be suffering from the effects."

"She isn't," the dragonlord said, grimacing. "I am unsure what the cause is but my healing skills are insufficient." He picked Ariadne up, who appeared like a child's toy against his immense frame, turning to one of the guards. "Take us to the sickbay, NOW." The guard made no attempt to argue with them, leading them into the palace, winding through Elves who seemed unsure how to respond to the strange newcomers, and to a room in a quiet part of the palace. Within was a bed which Stormrider laid Ariadne on. "Get your best healer," he said to the guard. "And tell your king the lord of dragons seeks an audience with him, assuming his sister's predicament is insufficient to attract his attention."

[Levi]

Ebony practically trotted at the dragons side, as he strode determined into the elves palace. As he laid Ariadne down she asked "what's wrong with her? Ebony reached down and caressed the elf's hot cheek. " Is it something to do with why Ariadne didn't want to return here?" Ebony mused outload, the question was addressed more to herself then Stromrider.

Ebony felt torn, of course she wanted to stay at Ariadne's side to wait for a healer, but she also wanted to be present for the meeting between the dragon and the elf king I wouldn't mind giving him a good trashing she thought irritated. Crossing her arms, she scowled as she thought over the best course of action. Ebony could hardly ask Grim or Arva to watch over Ariadne, they had as much right to a audience with the King as she.

[King Kull]

Grim could see Ebony hesitating and said: "I think someone better stay with her, I don't trust what her brother might do to her. She hired me so I better guard her, I will make a personal audience with the king later." The rest of you go ahead.

[Lady Jenn]

"You're on an island full of armed Elves," Arva said, raising an eyebrow. "You think any of the guards will let you into the same room as the king if they so much as SUSPECT you're going to try something."

"Stop it," Stormrider growled. "This...THIS helps no-one. There is every chance she has been ill for some time and none of you picked up on it." He felt his anger subside, letting out a sigh. "Sunrider, guard the door," he said to the other dragon. "I'd like to see anyone try fighting their way past you." Sunrider stepped out through the door, Stormrider turning to Grim, staring down at him. "I cannot stop you doing anything, but bear this in mind: the wizard is right, her brother will be surrounded by guards, if you fail to kill her I doubt they will show you mercy." He rubbed his eyes with one hand. "I'm beginning to understand why my father stayed out of the affairs of other races unless he had to."

"I'd hope you had more compassion than that," said a voice from the doorway, causing Arva and Stormrider to reach for their weapons, until they saw the source was an aging Elf, armed with nothing more than a medicine bag. "I'm sorry Storm, I should not have been eavesdropping." She winced as the dragon hugged her tightly. "Even as a human you have more strength than you realise, you should be more careful who you hug," she said, laughing as the dragon backed off slightly. She stepped towards the bed, letting out an anguished sob at the sight. "Oh, dear Ariadne, what has happened to you?"

"Who is this exactly?" Arva asked, still holding onto his staff.

"She is..." Stormrider paused, trying to think of the explanation.

"My name is Melia," the elf said. "I am this city's greatest healer, and I am Ariadne's second mother, since even before her mother..." she fell silent for a moment. "The king would be here himself, but while the wars of the north may not be here yet, that does not mean this place is without enemies." She opened her pack, placing a hand upon Ariadne's forehead and looking concerned. "Answer me this barbarian," she said, without turning to Grim. "Assuming you can get close enough to the king to kill him without his personal bodyguard sticking you with her sword first, what do you think you will achieve?"

[Levi]

Ebony grabbed hold of the warrior and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you" she said fervently. The woman turned to Melia. " I leave her in your care, please help her" Ebony asked, grasping the healers hands and trying to convey with a simple touch how much Ariadne meant to her.

Ebony took a step back, as what the healer said about a war flashed a little warning light in her mind "Does that mean the King is not here?, Did we come all this way for naught?" She asked dramatically. After a small delay she asked more normally "what war?"

[King Kull]

Grim looked at all the people siding with the king. Their one and only argument was how powerful everyone was, but even if they are all Gods the honourable thing is to at least try. Well he worked for Ariadne not for them. The dragons had their own agenda and he begun to feel doubts about Arva as well. He turned to the healer. "Then Ariadne will claim the throne and wage this righteous war instead of siding with orcs."

As Grim left the room he told Sunrider: "Also make sure Melia is not leaving until this is settled, she know more than she should." He had no illusions that the dragon would do as he said; after all he had refused him when he had the chance to kill the elf threatening Ariadne. But at least he would show his true colours when letting Melia run to the king and report. Right now he only trusted Ebony and Wolfling.   

[Lady Jenn]

"Let him go," Melia said as Stormrider moved towards the door, the dragon giving her a quizzical look. "If he wants to test the guards of this place I do not have the energy to oppose him."

"He will start a war," Stormrider said. "He thinks he's going to HELP us stop Myraz, this will make it worse."

"If he will not listen to you Storm, my words will be of little consequence," Melia said, slumping into a chair and sighing. "He and the king are more alike than he realises. We can only hope that HE realises it before he does something he can't take back." She got up and laid a damp cloth on Ariadne's forehead. "Wake up youngling, we need you desperately."


Elsewhere in the castle the king, an elf slightly shorter than Ariadne, in blue armour, with similar eye and hair colour, was poring over a map spread on the table. Although a pair of guards stood outside the door the only other occupant in the room was a female elf as tall as Ariadne, wearing bright red armour, a long fur cloak thrown over her shoulders, and a large sword close to her hand. Her skin was such a pale colour she appeared almost ethereal.

"Husband, your sister needs you," the female elf said, resting an arm on his shoulder. "Can the work of a king not wait a time?"

"You think I WANT to do this Maia?" he snapped, almost instantly regretting his response. "I do not know how my father did this," he said, sitting down in the chair next to the map and placing his head in his hands. "My sister needs me and I am stuck figuring how to stop what amounts for a peace accord from disintegrating around me."

"You will figure it out my love," she said, before moving her hand to her blade, subtly enough the king couldn't see it. She knew something was wrong, what though she wasn't sure of.

[Levi]

"Come Stromrider, it does no good for us to delay here" Ebony said, she nodded to the healer, and then she to left the room, no messager had yet to return from the dragons demand to see the king, so Ebony decided she might as well take a look round. She strode determinedly down corridor after corridor. Elves scuttled this way and that on there day to day business, but Ebony did not stop for directions. "If I were a King, where would I be, someplace private and yet guardable" the young woman decided logically

"There!" She said pointing to a doorway slightly ahead of them she turned to Stromrider, this honourable creature had carried them here, he had protected Ebony's loved one, and now he sought the attention of the King, yes he was powerful but could he convice this elf. " Let me speak first?" She asked of the dragon. "I haven't really contributed to any of this, I'm being towed along by Ariande's and Grim" she smiled. "I've a great liking for that warrior, it is for his sake that I ask. Let me speak with the king?"

[King Kull]

Grim scanned the place. He must have misunderstood the others because he thought they were going to see the King as well. Whatever, Grim followed the main Street to the centre of the Palace where he could see large closed gates with a few guards outside and what looked like a clerk sitting at a desk. It was an unarmed woman and what made her seem like a clerk was that she had vellum and ink on her desk. Grim walked up to her and the guards looked at him suspiciously and held their weapons ready.

"Good evening madam," Grim greeted, he didn't know what title tu use and it was hard to tell the age of elves. This woman looked young but so did Ariadne. Her hair was not white thou, more light blond. Was that an indication of age? "I am Grim Direwolf of the Hercynians, on behalf of Princess Ariadne I seek audience with her brother the King. Do you know where to turn? It's a large palace and I don't know it yet." The woman looked puzzled.

"It's not my duty Sir I'm responsible for deliveries of supplies but I could write a message and send him, how do you spell your name?" She answered. "Spell? Ehhh, you decide I'm sure it will be fine." Grim looked around and pointed to what looked like a tavern or mess hall. "I'm waiting in there". 

[Lady Jenn]

"Wait," Stormrider said to Ebony, seeing the messenger approach the table behind which the King was sat. "Something's happening." He let out a frustrated sigh, unable to tell what was passing between the three elves from where they hid. "If you wish to talk to him though, I will allow you to. At least I'll be by your side if anything goes wrong."


The king sent Maia to find Grim, picking her way through the palace and out towards the tavern. The guard inside the door immediately pointed Grim out, Maia striding over to him. Although she kept her weapon sheathed, as the King had told her to, she made sure the blade was highly visible.

"Grim?" the Elf asked, looking down at him. "I hear you want a word with the king, he is...well, as ready as he is likely to be at this moment in time." She was trying to hide her concern, aware as the King's closest confidante the population would grow suspicious if she showed too much worry.

[Levi]

" Wait!" Ebony practically hissed. " Wait?" She asked again her anger from there welcome had not diminished and she currently showed the full force of it in blazing eyes to Stromrider. Being a dragon this human anger was like crushing an ant under a human foot, but still rather impressive for the mild mannered Ebony."I'm done being polite" she announced, whirling away from her companion she began to walk down the room towards the table.

"Your highness" she called out, the elf properly knew they were there but she could still follow through with some manners.
"I am Ebony, I am here on behalf of those I love. We seek the aid of the elves" she began. She had no doubt that the King was properly fully aware of who she was but as she approach she noticed how run down the elven king appeared, and her anger simmered down slightly. I need to take this out on someone she thought.

[King Kull]

Another ageless elf, this woman was very pale but in armour as a warrior. Grim stood up and left a couple of coins on the table for the food and wine he had had. Besides his bow and arrows on his back he had his old sword as well, he wanted to try his new sword in combat before he left that sword behind. And would dragon magic work against dragons?

"Yes I am Grim, i must say I'm surprised he would see me so soon. Please show me the way miss, what is your name?" Grim answered. "By the way I'm curious about a thing about elves, how do you tell their age? For example how old are you?"

[Lady Jenn]

"My name is Maia," she replied, picking her way through the throng of elves as she passed through the square. "I am uncertain how you tell us apart, I have been told at times that a truly old elf can be spotted if you know what to look for however," She nodded to the guards as they let them pass. "I am younger than I may appear, the late king used to joke I was so pale that I couldn't be fully elf, few elves look like me." As she entered the room, she was about to announce Grim when she saw Ebony near his table, reaching for her sword.

"Maia my love," the king said, raising a hand. "While I appreciate your concern I am in no danger, yet anyway." Maia let go of her sword. "I take it you are this...Grim my secretary told me of?" he asked, looking the barbarian up and down. "You are the ones who brought my sister here I take it?" he asked, watching Stormrider closely. "There may not have been a dragon here in some time but I know enough of history to see one in human form when it is stood in front of me."

"What did you do to her?" Maia asked angrily.

"Maia, calm down," the king said. "Ariadne is being treated as we speak, you promised me you would not react."

"She means no less to me than you," she said, clenching her fist tightly before a soothing look from the king calmed her. "I'm sorry," she said, walking over to him. "My husband is right, I should not have responded like that."

"I hope you take no offence at this question your highness," Stormrider said. "But, you appear...unwell, what has happened?"

"The thing which may cause issues with aiding you," the king replied, getting unsteadily to his feet. "The thing if I had had more courage I would have told my sister about rather than allowing her to flee believing I ignored her beliefs about our parents."

"What if we offered our aid in dealing with whatever is happening?" Stormrider asked. "A trade, we aid you, and in return you join the alliance our grandfathers once saw as a debt of honour between our races." He turned to Grim and Ebony. "I would not assume to tell you what to do, nor to speak for Ariadne's wishes. Make your choice and Sunrider and I will respect it."

[Levi]

"So why didn't you?" Ebony lashed out, " For I don't know how long, Ariadne's has had to walk this world ALONE. Feeling betrayed by her only living FAMILY" Ebony's voice was rising with her anger. She was angry with Ariadne for shutting her out, she was angry at the elves for keeping them out, she was angry at Stromrider for speaking even though she had asked to speak for them. On top of all that anger was hurt and worry. Tears began to collect in her eyes as she stared at the King of elves and the Lord of Dragon's.

Without answering Stormriders question or waiting here whatever pathic excuse the king wanted to give for what he had done, she turned and left, it may have been childish, but she could not see past the pain in her heart. Storming down corridors, she scattered serving elves and guards alike. There was almost like an extra aura of emotion pushing out of Ebony's body, forcing elves out of the way. On some unknown instinct, she grabbed the handle on the nearest door, she opened it and stepped inside. Closing it firmly she rested her head against the cool door and wept bitterly. When the tears abated she turned to see where she was an found herself, in her own sanctuary, the library.

[King Kull]

Grim agreed with Ebony and understood her for being fed up with this stuck up elves and dragons; Ariadne seemed so much more genuine and reliable than these intriguing individuals. At least he still had her on his side. 

"King, if Ariadne doesn't regain her conscience and can have a say I will help you if you help her. But I can say this: It will not be good for the reputation of you and the elves if you don't help her against Myraz; it will be said you sided with the Orcs! And I will be the one informing the lands of the humans and dragons about it!"

Grim turned to Maia still trying to understand these mythical elves. "Maia what about the king's secretary I somehow got the impression that she is young; how old is she exactly?" He must seem unbalanced to the Elves; first threatening their king and then ask about trivial things without seeming to care. Even thou Grim seemed careless he was ready for I fight; he moved in a way that he was always in a balanced stance and he never had his right hand more that a few inches from the hilt of his sword. Likewise his left hand was never far from one of his throwing axes. He was sure he could take out the King and Maia before the guards interfered the problem would be Stormrider. 

[Lady Jenn]

"Maia, find Ebony," the king said, turning to her. "She is more likely to listen to you than she is to me. For Ariadne's sake you two need to talk to each other."

"He is threatening you," Maia said angrily. "Maybe not openly but I am not a fool, I will not leave you defenceless."

"I will be fine," the king said to her calmly. "Stormrider is no fool, besides, I may be ill but that does not make me incapable of defending myself." He rested his hand on hers. "I will not order you to go, but I am asking you to." The female elf eventually reluctantly walked out of the door. The king turned to Grim, giving him a deceptively friendly smile. "We are fellow warriors so I will offer you a warning if my wife is correct, you are acting with only partial knowledge of what happened to my father. If you wish to earn the enmity of every elf in this palace, your companion included, I will make no attempt to stop you, or you could allow me the chance to explain."


Maia eventually found Ebony, mostly with the help of one of the occupants of the library. She took pity on her, feeling the anger draining out of her as she sat opposite her. She took off one of the two rings she wore, an understated but still dazzling piece of jewellery, and place it between them.

"You are not the first who loved Ariadne," she said quietly. "I was the one who helped her escape, and gave up what hope I had that she would be with me. Not that I am bitter, I would choose you over me any day," she couldn't help letting out a soft laugh at her last comment.

[Levi]

" I would choose me to" Ebony replied bitchily setting down the book that she hadn't been reading as she had just grabbed one for appearances. She picked up the ring staring at it, her eyes were red from her earlier loss of control. "Why you give up on her, clearly you didn't love her!" Ebony's free hand was itching to draw her sword, she had just about had enough. "Tell you what, duel with me, if you win I'll listen, if I win you elves help us defeat Myrez, and look into the death of her parents"

Ebony flung the ring bitterly across the table, she stood and walked towards the library doors she didn't turn to see if the elf followed her or not. Ebony knew Maia would want a tussle to, after all she had seen Maia restraining herself several times already. She had no idea where would be a good place for a duel, she shrugged, she didn't really care where they went. So when she entered the corridor she simply drew her sword.

[King Kull]

"Well King, what do you want us yo help you with," Grim asked. "I think we are as ready as we will be to go ahead, I would just want to see how Ariadne is doing before we leave this palace. That is unless you need help here?"

[Lady Jenn]

"I will happily bring my army north once this is dealt with," the king said. "But I will not leave this island unprotected while there is still a threat hanging over it." He spread a map out on the table in front of him, the Elven fortress at its centre surrounded by chains of islands. "Ariadne was right, though to this day I have been unable to prove who was responsible. My father was betrayed during a journey to Aka'leith," as he spoke he pointed to a large island off the south coast of the fortress. "Now there are rumours someone there plots to attack me, I have grown ill attempting to maintain the peace of these island chains but if this situation deteriorates further then there will be no help I can offer you." He sat back, wincing slightly. "This is not your fight, I cannot make you help me, but...I choose to believe we started off on the wrong foot. I would be glad for your aid if you would give it willingly."


Maia strode out of the library, grabbing Ebony's wrist in a vicelike grip like she was a doll, her other hand resting on her sword.

"You have no idea what I had to do," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "I did what I thought was best." Suddenly it was as if she broke out of a trance, releasing Ebony and letting go of her blade. "I cannot do this, I will not hurt Ariadne again." She placed the ring on the table next to Ebony. "This ring is yours by right, it was given to me as a promise I failed to keep to her, I don't deserve it." With that she turned round and walked away, past a young female elf stood watching them in a doorway. The younger elf walked over to Ebony, offering her a glass of water.

"She told me what passed between them once," the elf said. "When they were young, unlike now, a regal elf like Ariadne and a...commoner like Maia were not supposed to be together. The only way they could be together would have been if Ariadne denounced her claim to the throne. The princess would have done so but..." she paused, looking at the ring sadly. "Maia wouldn't allow Ariadne to throw her life away for her. Ariadne even begged Maia to go north with her, and the fact she chose to refuse hurt Maia more than an elf as stubborn as her would ever admit. Her relationship with the king only started after months of her own heartbreak, a change of the law and her belief she would never see Ariadne again. Do not judge her for what she did, she has punished herself for it for many years."

[Levi]

Ebony huffed disappointed, she had been relying on the elf to give her a much needed fight, Ebony felt strung out with all her rolling emotions. Picking up the ring like it was a bit of muck she pocketed the item. She would return it to Ariadne when she was better. Turning away from the servant, Ebony wandered the halls of  the castle and after what seemed like an age found her way back to the room that held her sick lover.

Ebony out her back against the wall and slid down it to sit on the floor outside the door. she dared not go in side, she didn't want to see the condition of the elf and she also didn't want to explain her actions regarding her brother or  Maia. Ebony sighed,she took the ring out of her pocket and studied it sadly.

It really was rather beautiful, she wondered if they had met at a different time, weather Ariadne would have given her the ring "Of course not" Ebony scoffed to herself. Closing her fist over the ring she rested her head against her knees in a rather childish pose.

[King Kull]

"Of course I help you willingly King, no one could make me if I was unwilling", Grim replied. He turned to the dragon-man.

"Will you fly me, Ebony and Arva to Aka'leith?" he asked him. He assumed that Arva would come as well, even thou he doubted who he was really serving; he didn't seem to be as loyal to Ariadne as Grim and Ebony." Or I could borrow a boat". Grim turned back to the King.

"I will find whoever troubles you and whoever killed Ariadne's parents." he said. "I will just speak to Ariadne and Ebony first but we will be ready to go in the morning". Grim wanted to continue Ebony's fencing lessons as well so she wouldn't be as defenceless. Grim returned to the room where they had left Ariadne and found Ebony sitting on the floor outside the door. She was resting her head against her knees.

"What's the matter Ebony are you all right?" he asked her in a worried voice.

[Lady Jenn]

The nurse stepped out of the room just as Grim appeared outside, trying to give them both as reassuring a smile as she could.

"Ariadne was very sick," she said. "She is still not fully healed, but...she is resting, I suggest you do not stress her out, at least for the moment." She thought for a few moments. "I could see if I could find you some food and drink for now, I'm sure Ariadne would if she could but she's probably in as much need of food as both of you two are."

[Levi]

In the few moments before Grim had arrived Ebony had been guiltily enjoying some light sleep, she jerked awake and looked up. "Hmm?" She asked sleepily "oh I'm fine!" She replied clearly lying, she gazed at the warrior she wasn't ready to discuss what Maia had told her with anyone yet. Just then the door opened and the healer walked out of the sick bay. Saying that Ariadne was on the mend, lifted a weight from Ebony's heart. She shook her head "I'm not hungry, thank you" the young woman told the elf. Ebony wanted to see Ariadne but the comment about her still not being fully healed stopped her.

[King Kull]

"Food would be great, maybe you have some ale as well?" Grim replied to the nurse. He turned to Ebony.

"Are you all right Ebony, what's wrong? Come let's see her, we should tell her about the King wanting us to help him in another matter, actually I have already agreed to do it but only if Ariadne agrees as well. Ebony I have a personal question; considering how tender you are to Ariadne and that you have very similar hair to her, are you her daughter? I mean she is old enough for it and she knew your father. Are you an half-elf?" 

[Lady Jenn]

"I will see what I can do for ale," the woman replied. "I do not drink it myself but I am told the ale of this island can be bettered by none of your drinks of the northern lands." With that she vanished up the corridor. Meanwhile, in the room behind the door, Ariadne stirred slightly, feverishly murmuring "Ebony..." as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

[Levi]

Ebony looked at Grim "Related?" She spluttered."Don't talk crazy! I..we..I thought there was" Ebony trailed of, her emotions were completely out of control and she needed a distraction. "If you want to see Ariande, go ahead. I'll wait here" Ebony told him, she was reluctant to do much right at the moment, and it would properly take someone else making the decision for her to decided quite what she was doing. Ebony continued to sit withdrawn on the floor, she didn't like the way she was acting right now it was completely out of character, but she was young, and inexperienced. It was time to pick herself up out of this spiral of dout.  She stood. "Actually I'm going to go train for a bit, I would welcome your company once you have spoken with Ariande" she told Grim. Resolutely she turned from him and began to walk away.

[King Kull]

Ebony didn’t seem quite all right.

“I will join you, don’t go too far so I can find you,” Grim said. He walked in to the room where Ariadne seemed to show some signs of consciousness. Grim sat down next to her bed and but a hand on her hot forehead and stroked her hair.

“How are you feeling Ariadne?” Grim asked with a low voice.” Ebony went to train she seems a bit emotional right now. I spoke to the King and he will help us after he has sorted some problem on a neighbouring island. I said I would help him but only if you agree since I serve you. If you feel too weak to speak but can hear me you could just nod or shake your head.”

[Lady Jenn]

"Go," she said, managing a weak smile in Grim's direction. "I'm not sure I can help you, I fear I would collapse mid-battle if I tried to join you in this state." She tried to sit up, but felt so dizzy she lay back down almost instantly. "I am not surprised she is emotional, Elves do not get ill often, and when we do it can be a little...alarming to those not used to it. Although...the medic said this illness isn't like anything she has ever seen before."

[Levi]

Ebony wandered the halls, until she found an open courtyard that looked suitable, she glanced around. The young woman hoped no one was watching. Even with Grim's tutoring Ebony still felt very unsure about using a sword. She felt confident she could defend herself with the blade her father had made. It was time to learn to use the dawnhammer. Resolutely she drew the blade, and began warming her body up as the warrior had shown her. Taking a few experimental swings to try and gauge it's weight, and the difference between the two blades. Ebony began her training regime, she hoped Grim would arrive soon,it felt silly doing the routine by herself.

[King Kull]

"Ariadne just rest we will be fine alone, when you feel better we will return to the mainland," Grim told her reassuringly. "I will go and train Ebony". He left the room and and wondered about the food. He better find Ebony first. Grim asked elves around if they had seen a human girl and they could point out the way for him. He and Ebony where probably the only humans here so everyone had noticed her. Ebony was training with the heavier sword; fine let's try to make her as fast with that one.

"Good Ebony let's start training offensive; thrusts and cuts. Now you need to be aggressive and explosive in your movements, to get and keep the initiative in the fight. If you are going to use that sword we should do weight training as well. Let's build some muscles on your skinny arms!" grim said and smiled, in a friendly way not his usual grin from mirth. This place was full of beautiful elf women but Grim found Ebony more attractive than any of them. 

[Lady Jenn]

Maia was stood watching them, unable to hide how much the two impressed her, while trying to stay relatively out of sight of the two. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her however.

"Where did you learn skills like that?" she asked Grim. "I spent the first few years of my life having to train myself, and yet by the time I joined the guard I was better with the sword than some twice my age."

[King Kull]

Grim halted, panting. Ebony was working hard, she seemed motivated. The climate was also hotter here than where they had flown from.

“I am a Hercynian and all Hercynian men, and many women, are warriors. As soon as we learn to walk we begin combat training. And we get to use it in real combat because we are always attacked by orcs or neighbouring clans. Later as a mercenary I had the opportunity to fight different races and fighting styles. But the most I learned in the Gladiator Pits as a Price Fighter.” Grim replied, as Ebony probably had learned by now Grim was not the modest type.

“What about you? You are armed like a warrior but you are a Queen. Shouldn’t you play harp and weave dresses or something? And raise heirs to the king?” Grim said provocatively.

“Or are you a warrior in the Kings army?” He didn’t know why he spoke like that; he had always looked up to the elves but now when he was among them he was suddenly rude. The Hercynians had a saying: Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing. But Grim didn’t live by that proverb.

[Levi]

Ebony ignored the elf, still annoyed with  Maia for what she had spoken of not to long before. With quite determination she continued her practice. Ebony needed to be able to wield the dawnhammer and she she needed sword skills to do so. She barely noticed the passage of time, days went by with Ebony spending every waking moment training. Sometimes Grim joined her, sometimes Arva and sometimes she was alone.. although on the odd occasion she did feel as if someone was watching her...

[Lady Jenn]

"The king is smart enough to know if he attempted to take my blade he would not be speaking to me for some time," Maia said with a chuckle. "Besides, there are few more capable guards or leaders on this island than me, I feel more relaxed with him protected by me. As for children..." she trailed off, looking into the distance for the moment. "I have much to make up for with him...with both of them." She had to turn so they didn't see that she had become upset suddenly.

[King Kull]

During the following days while they where waiting for the right time for the King's quest, Ebony trained a lot and sometime Grim trained with her and sometimes she trained by herself. It was nice to watch her because she made great progress; you could tell that she had a natural aptitude for fencing that together with her hard work paid off. It was also nice to watch her get sweaty and the movement of her beautiful body. Combat moves where sexy when she did them. Grim tried to earn more about elves; to judge how old they where and how they behaved. They seemed somewhat aloof and thoughtful; they rarely laughed out spontaneously about something trivial or seemed to truly enjoy good good or wine. Was it their long lives that made them blasé? He tried to flirt with some women that he thought where younger to see if Elf-women could be attracted to human men but he couldn't tell their feelings.

[Levi]

Ebony flourished under Grim's proud and flirtatious gaze, and so it was a few days later when a more battle ready Ebony marched towards the sick bay. The young woman had not seen Arriande since she had been taken to bed, she knew from the others that the elf was healing. Knocking on the door to announce herself she opened the door an slipped inside. The elf lay prone on the bed, her body thinner, starker then before, but she had a more healthy glow to her cheeks now.

Ebony stepped forward was Ariande asleep? Was she pretending? Ebony couldn't blame the elf if the woman chose to ignore her, after all that what Ebony had practically been doing. She stopped at the edge of the bed and looked down at the ranger.she couldn't lie to herself.. Ariande had kept to many secrets for Ebony to completely trust her now. However she had made a promise and she intended to keep it. Pulling the ring that Maia had given her from her pocket she placed in carefully in Ariande's open hand. "I go with Grim to help your people, in the hopes they will in turn help us"  she told the sleeping woman. She turn and began to head back to the door.

[Lady Jenn]

"She lost her ability to have children because of me," Ariadne said weakly from the bed. "I took her on a mission neither of us should have been part of, she was taken prisoner...I freed her, but not before the man who captured her had used a magic I'd never heard of to torture her, it...scarred her permanently, in more ways than one." She tried to sit upright, shaking visibly. "She lied to my brother for me, for someone..." she fell backwards onto the bed, feeling tears in her eyes. "Elves do not fall in love easily Ebony, Maia did and then had to let me go...before you judge her, bear in mind the conflict in her heart."

[King Kull]

Grim had found a small sailing boat that he could rent; he had a plan that if they sailed to that neighbouring island it would be less conspicuous than if they arrived on dragons. The problem was he didn’t know how to sail; he was from the forests and mountains. Maybe Ebony could sail? Grim went to look for Ebony, she had improved her fencing and she was already a lot stronger so it was about time to leave. Ebony wasn’t at her usual training area so Grim went to tell Ariadne that they were leaving. Ariadne had regained consciousness but she was still quite weak. It seemed like Ebony had been avoiding Ariadne. Grim knocked on Ariadne's door.

[Levi]

The door opened inwards as if someone were opening it and indeed this was the case.There was a small "oof" as Ebony barrelled into Grim. Looking up she smiled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry about that!" She said stepping back and allowing the warrior entry to the room. She nodded sharply to Ariande indicating that she had at least heard what the elf had to say. Ebony stepped around her other companion and once more headed for the now open door.

[Lady Jenn]

Maia and the king were deep in conversation in the corridor when they heard Ebony approach, Maia evidently upset and walking away from her up the corridor, causing the king to sigh.

"They think I don't know but I knew they loved each other before I knew Maia's name," the king said, watching her vanish around the corner. "They are more alike than either will admit, and yet..." he sighed, closing his eyes. "My sister thinks I blame her for what happened to Maia, for the fact..." he paused. "I don't, I never blamed her for it, we have never spoken about it because we elves do not handle grief well." He turned to leave and then turned back. "If my sister lied, she did it to protect you, that illness she suffered, I've...I've come across it before. Elves live long lives because of the magic of this place, the longer they stay away the more our long lives are shortened. If she is willing to marry you, that means..." he paused again. "My sister would give up a long life to be with you, I know many of my own kin who would move heaven and earth to find someone who cared so much for them."