Author's notes: Well this is a story made in response to Capty Fanfic's challenge.The dragon prince does not belong to me but the characters of Iris and Gregar do.please leave a review(constructive criticism is appreciated) and fav and follow the story if you like it.

"Checkmate."

Callum looked at the board and then glanced back at his opponent. His eyes moving back and forth from the black and white board to the girl sitting directly opposite to him. He looked over the board again still not believing it.

"How did you?" Callum muttered looking back at the board. He had successfully eliminated most of the major threats to his king. He had taken her queen and her rooks and one bishop, and yet he still loss. His opponent merely giggled at his surprised face before pointing to the pawn she had moved to the back of his side.

"You ignored the little guy who waited till the end." She told him. Callum face palmed when he saw it earning more laughter from his opponent. Of course it had to be the one little piece that he hadn't accounted for.

"Relax I'm sure you'll get better eventually." His opponent told him.

"Beating Soren doesn't count, he still thinks the king can move anywhere he wants." Callum replied dryly. His opponent was about to respond before a loud cat like screech interrupted them. Callum watched as small tanned boy ran into the garden carrying a handful of pastries and large yellow toads with blue spots following behind him. The boy didn't stop running, darting pass Callum and his friend knocking the chess board into the air.

Not to long after an older man in an apron, the royal Baker came from the same direction as the boy. The man stopped looking at the scattered chess pieces and then at the two players.

"Prince Callum, Iris, have you two seen prince Ezra anywhere?" The man asked them. Iris and Callum pretended to not know where the prince was but the man was not convinced. He picked up one of the chess pieces scattered across the floor before commenting how it seem like someone had been running through here.

"Actually, his highness here just got his royal butt handed to him a few minutes ago." Iris responded, she then leaned in closer, "between you and me, he's a really saw loser." Iris whispered to him, shifting her eyes to the chess pieces and then to Callum.

The Baker was still not convinced but he relented. No point in chasing after the prince when he had more pastries to make. After the Baker left, Callum and Iris began to pick up the scattered pieces. After they had packed up everything a nearby bush in the garden rustled.

"Psst. Is he gone yet?" The bush asked.

"Yes, Ez he's gone." Callum told the bush. The little tanned boy popped his head out of the bush, glancing around just to make sure before he came out, holding a few of the pastries he swiped earlier, behind him the same yellow toad from earlier followed.

"Thanks guys I thought he was going to catch me for sure this time." Ezra spoke as he ate another pastry and then offered one to the toad. The yellow amphibian stuck out its tongue and latched the pastry before reeling it back in.

"Keep stealing his pastries and I am sure he'll figure out how to do it eventually." Iris said as she ruffled Ezra's rather frizzy hair.

"Hey I needed to stock up for the road. When we go to the winter lodge, I won't have any if these jelly tarts." Ezra muttered in bliss as he took another bite into the pastry. Looking back at the two older teens in front him giving him a rather blank look he turned back to toad.

"You understand, right Bait." Ezra told the toad, Bait.

Bait merely croaked in response before trying to take another pastry from Ezra. The boy gladly tossed another pastry to the toad.

"Relax Ez. I'm sure we'll get to try plenty of other food and sweet good at the lodge." Callum told him, "Why don't you go make sure you packed everything, we're leaving today and I'm sure you wouldn't want go and then realize you left home your pants." Callum teased.

"I already told you, raccoons did steal my undies." Ezra responded.

"Ehem." Iris coughed earning the attention of the boys. Ezra's face immediately reddened as he realized he just brought up his underwear in front a girl. Callum couldn't resist the urge to laugh at his younger half brother taking this moment as pay back from what happened earlier with Claudia.

"Alright, alright come on Ez, go and check your bags. I'll join you in a while." Callum told his brother in between breaths. Ezra decided it might have been best to leave before he said something else he'd regret. Besides he still needed to get more jelly tarts for Bait.

"It could just be me, but I hope he's still as fun and adorable like that when he becomes king." Iris said teasingly.

"Can you see it now, next decade or two a fully grown Ezra on the throne still getting afraid of being caught sneaking jelly tarts." Iris elbowed Callum.

"Yeah next decade or two." Callum responded somberly. Iris had noticed the shift in his voice and immediately turned her attention to him.

"What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be happy getting away from all the princely training, no horseback riding, no sword fighting, no Soren teasing you." Iris spoke.

"Its nothing really." Callum answered, fixing back the table where the chess board was on. Iris still wasn't buying it.

"Oh I get it, you're upset about leaving Claudia alone with Gregar. Aren't you? Well don't worry. Gregar has other things to worry about than getting your 'future' girlfriend." Iris said making air quotes at the word future. Callum for one was not looking any better. Iris finally decided to be serious with him.

"Look, I know that going to the winter lodge in summer could only mean one thing, that the king might you know." Iris told him, resting her hand on his shoulder to comfort the young prince. "But you shouldn't worry about that." Iris told him.

"How can I not worry about it?" Callum said in slightly louder tone. He didn't exactly like the idea that one of his friends was telling him not to worry about his step dad getting killed.

"Because you can't do anything to help if you worry too much." Iris responded looking at him sternly. "Your job as it stands is to not worry about about the king or any if us here. It's to look after Ezra. King Harrow is sending you to the lodge with the hope that the two of you will he safe there." She told the young prince.

"His highness wouldn't be able to think properly if he knew you two were at risk." She finished. Hoping that the words got into Callum's thick skull.

Callum merely stood there silently processing all Iris told him. She was right, Ezra was being left under his care and his aunt's, and his father wouldn't function if they were in danger. As much as he wanted to stay and help he knew he might have been more of hindrance than a help.

"You're right." He told her.

"Good now go pack, I still have to finish tending the garden and then I'll check you guys before you leave." Iris told him as she shoved him out the garden.

"Okay okay, I'm going." Callum responded.

"And relax, Soren and the other knights will take care of this. When you get back I'm sure you'll have to listen to them going on and on about how they save the King." Iris told him as he left.

Meanwhile in the courtyard two swordsmen were preparing themselves to strike. On one end was a young blond man by the name of Soren and his opponent was a slightly younger soldier Gregar. The two had been sparing for an hour now having helped Prince Callum somewhat in sword training. Now that they didn't need to focus on teaching they could finally get some practice of their own. The two charged each other once more slashing their swords against each other. Soren was the first to go swinging his sword down at Gregar. The younger soldier had blocked the strike but could feel the force behind Soren's attack push him back. Gregar backed away and baited Soren to come towards him. The older knight followed and attempted to strike, this time Gregar managed to block and counter attack. The two went like this for a while one minute the advantage was in Soren then Gregar then Soren. They were both evenly matched however they couldn't fight or dodge forever.

"Wow either I've gotten better, or you've gotten worse. I'd say its both." Gregar taunted.

"Hehe, well maybe that because I haven't gotten a good challenge since you left." Soren responded as they clashed swore.

After being pushed apart once more, Gregar and Soren readied themselves to charge once more. The two rushed with great determination and their swords clashed once more. This time they were put in a stalement, one continuously trying to push back against the other. While Soren's raw power would have naturally been enough to beat Gregar, Gregar's stance and technique was more efficient and allowed him to match Soren. Unknown to the two swordsmen as they kept pressing their blades against each other, the point where the blades where connected had began to heat up. As they continued to press further the pressure and heat being applied to one of the swords finally became too great. With one final push, Gregar shattered Soren's sword against his own pushing the older soldier back. However his victory was short lived as a shard from Soren's sword spun around and struck him in the shoulder.

"Gregar are you okay?" Soren asked his colleague. Gregar being Gregar had tried to play off, though Soren wasn't convinced. Gregar had been involved in one of his father's creative solutions to making better soldiers and while most other soldiers had not made it, Gregar had passed most of its tests. Needless to say the King was not pleased with this whole idea and the solution was shut down. Gregar was offered an extremely early retirement to compensate and but the young soldier was way too determined to be put down. He rested and took physical therapy in the garden and now Gregar was ready to rejoin the army. If anything, defeating Soren in a duel proved just how ready he was...and just how much Soren had underestimated him.

"I'm fine: just a scrape." Gregar said as he walked over to the benches. Gregar planted his sword in the ground as he took a seat. The sword's edge was still heated from the match but the blade cooled as he released his grip on it. Within minutes the boys had heard the voice of a young lady calling out to them.

"Oh great." Soren mused, noticing his sister approaching them. However when he turned his attention back to Gregar he noticed the younger warrior had disappeared.

"Hey...Soren." Claudia said her voice dipping when she only saw her brother there. She looked around the area noticing Soren's broken sword but no hint of the one who broke it.

"Did Gregar do that?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah he's actually gotten even better since we last spared." Soren responded but he noticed the down looked in his sister's eyes.

"Do you think he's still mad at me?" Claudia asked. Soren looked over his sister's expression. He honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Gregar had put a lot of faith in Claudia and Viren, and that had left him in a near death state several times over. It was a miracle he was standing even now but even after his recovery he and Claudia hadn't spoken.

"I'm sure you two will make up eventually. Although if push comes to shove I bet Callum will convince him to forgive you if you asked." Soren suggested, remembering how the younger prince had been fawning over Claudia earlier.

"Yeah sure." Claudia said. "I'm going to go catch up on some reading. I'll see you around." The young mage told her brother as she left.

"Okay.

"Your highness I beg of you to please reconsider. Go with the Princes to the lodge, hide in the village, do something." The royal high mage, Viren pleaded with the king. General Amaya had sent a message stating that moonshadow elves had been spotted crossing the border and moonshadow elves were some of Xadia's best assassins. It would have been hopeful to assume they were here for another reason, but Katolis was the closest kingdom to Xadia and was also the kingdom responsible for the death of Xadia's protector, the Dragon King.

"No Viren." King Harrow spoke solemnly. The ruler of Katolis had accepted the consequence of his actions, he had to die for the dead he had committed if it meant that his people and his family could live in peace. The elves wouldn't stop coming if they missed their target, as a matter of fact they might become more aggressive if they missed. No, he was hoping he could by time for his sons. He trusted his family and friends in Katolis to protect and raise his children in his absence. His wife's sister, Amaya was perhaps on of the greatest generals in history, despite her handicapped abilities, so the king felt at ease knowing his sons could be safe.

He had ordered for the Princes to be escorted to the winter lodge, for their own protection. He couldn't keep them in the castle and run the risk of the assassins finding them as well, he'd never be able to face his wife in the after life if he knew his sons died because of him.

"That's it. You're just going to give up, just like that." Viren yelled. The man couldn't believe his king would resort to this. "I thought you were person who claimed that we could write our own destiny. That we could make our own fate. Are you to blinded by your pride and honour to refuse any help." The mage screamed.

"Yes Viren I have." Harrow silenced the mage. "I have accepted my death because it means that my sons can have a chance of peace. I have accepted because I trust that they will be able to do what I couldn't. So if dying is the price to pay for them to live, then so be it." Harrow declared. "Now unless you have anything else to say I suggest you leave."

Viren had obeyed the king and was about to leave the throne room when he stopped at the door. "Gregar has recovered and returned to rejoin the army. I would have recommended that he should be apart of your guard seeing as full moon is only two nights away but if you're so hell bent on dying then send him to protect the princes." Viren said as he walked out. Leaving the king in the empty throne room.

The king walked over to a portrait that was taken of his family on the day of his coronation. It had him and his two sons when they were younger, as well as his late wife. On another portrait nearby was him and Viren. It was his royal portrait and though it should have had him alone, had insisted on his best friend posing alongside him.

'Don't make me regret this Viren.' Harrow thought as he walked out of the throne room.

"Wait so the king wants you to look after the Princes?" Iris asked as soaked a rag and pressed it against Gregar's wound. The young knight had run into the king shortly after leaving the courtyard. Much to Gregar's surprise the king had ordered him to go with the Princes to their winter lodge.

"Yeah it's alright I guess." Gregar responded as twirled around his sword in his free hand. He planted it in the ground, twisting the handle ever so gently. The blade hummed everytime he twisted it. Iris was watching him carefully not liking what he did.

"You better stop revving that before I give you a matching cut." She threatened. Gregar huffed and let the blade go.

"Viren did something it. Everytime I swing the blade I can feel something." Gregar stated, watching the engravings on the side of it.

"Well to be fair, it was originally going to be a sun fire blade right, it was just never threated with the sun magic when you're dad got it right?" Aliyah asked.

"Yeah. Are you saying the old coot tried to make it a sun fire blade." Gregar remarked.

"I sincerely doubt he would imbue Vaatu with the Sun Magic. Maybe he tried it with dark magic. Lord knows how much of that stuff you absorbed during his little experiments." Iris snarled.

"Don't even start with me." Gregar responded. He winced as Iris began tying a bandage around the wound. He had been out of commission for a while because of that crazed sorcer's ideas, he wasn't looking forward to a second one or even seeing the mad man in general.

After she finished wrapping the bandage, Iris moved to take a seat next to Gregar. The two of them just relaxed in the garden taking in the silence for a while.

"Did you forgive, Claudia yet?" The girl asked. Gregar raised an eyebrow as he leaned back against a tree.

"I haven't really gotten around to it. Everytime I hear her voice or see her, I feel like my whole body wants to run and hide before I get another dose of dark magic." Gregar shuddered as memories of being chained to a table while Viren was doing who knows what.

"Still can't believe, Viren got away with that." Iris hissed.

"To be fair, I did agree to it."

"Doesn't change the fact you had to go through all that. I remember seeing the remains of some of the other participants. I couldn't sleep for months."

"Same."

"You were in a coma, you were doing nothing but sleeping." Iris jeered.

"You're mean." Gregar teased, "I think I'll go and pack my things, later mean lady."

"Wow, real mature wolf boy, real mature." Iris countered as she watched Gregar leave.

That was chapter one, i want to keep it as close to the canon as possible while adding my own twist. What were your thoughts, like and dislikes. I kid you not those things matter to creators since it helps us make wonderful stories.