Author's note: This is a new fanfiction I am starting. All things connected to the Throne of Glass series belong to Sarah Maas. You may see elements of the Hobbit books and movies in here. All of it belongs to Tolkien and Peter Jackson. I got the idea about the dragon from a fanfiction called Pure Heart by blackdragon157.

Chapter one

Giza didn't like that place. Not Omega, the mountain the witches were permanently living in, but the one at the other side of the The Hollow. Those strange roars and smells coming from there were of something that was not quite right, something changed. The only thing she knew about being there were the Wyverns the king of Adarlan was making…somehow. But the others-she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

-Lady Silverstorm?

Ah, that human again. Normally Giza had nothing against humans, unlike other witches, but particularly those here were starting to get annoying. With their weird smell and greasy smiles. She has been travelling with them for the past few weeks and really needed to get away before she killed someone. The only reason for her to stay with them was the alliance offered from the king of Adarlan. He wanted the help of the witches for war and they were all gathering together into the Ferrian hollow. The only reason for them to accept the alliance was that when the war was over he had promised to give them back the West Desolation, their long lost home. Giza went there not only because of that, but because she had no other choice. When the war started, every witch was going to be hunted, captured and killed. Giza was a good fighter, but a thirteen year old girl was not much against a few hundred angry people. She had nothing and no one else of her kind though-she was the last of the once great clan of the Silverstorms. She had been alone for the most of her life and now could be a part of something bigger. She wasn't going to miss that chance. The problem-those guys had to escort her to the hollow.

-What?-she turned her dark eyes speckled with gold to the human. Normally only Blackbeaks had those eyes, but Giza guessed that probably Silverstorms had also had them before they disappeared.

-The meeting stars in ten minutes.-The meeting. She had to go and present herself to the three clans and their matrons. Present. Most likely to prove that she really was a Silverstorm. Her clan was more like a legend than reality, and many witches tried to present themselves as Silverstorms. They were easily caught though, because the Silverstorms had one specific feature-a silver lock in their always dark hair. It couldn't be imitated-no dye could give you that molten silver colour.

They were walking through endless stone corridors, deeper and deeper in Omega, until they finally reached the main hall. Giza took a deep breath and opened the wooden doors.

Suddenly a hundred pairs of eyes stared at her. On a high stone platform were standing the Three matrons-a Blueblood, a Yellowleg and a Blackbeak. Around them were standing a few groups of witches now starring at her. Giza bowed in a sign of respect, then looked back up.

-Giza Silverstorm.- Said the Blackbeak matron, who Giza recognized because of her appearance-she was the middle aged witch, Blackbeaks always chose middle aged because of the traditions-Prove that you are the one you are presenting yourself as.

Giza pulled the hood of her dark purple cloak back and revealed her hair-the silver lock shone bright in the light of the torches.

-I am who I am presenting myself for and I came here to fight together with my sisters and help earn back our home. But I would like to make one thing clear-I serve nobody except myself and I won't be fine with someone disrespecting me because of my age.

The three matrons remained quiet, a sign that they accepted. Giza bowed again, then turned around and left the room. It was time to go see her ride.

Manon POV

Manon Blackbeak was ready to attack if something went wrong, and so were the rest of the Thirteen. When the Silverstorm witch came into the room, Manon wandered if there hasn't been some kind of a mistake, even though she saw the silver lock. The girl was a child.

Not that she behaved like one. She stood in front of the three matrons and didn't show a single sign of fear. It was an impressive thing, and then she told them that she was taking orders from no one. Her grandmother had punished witches for a smaller thing, but she did nothing against the girl. And then Manon got it. No that she didn't, she couldn't. Young witches were sacred and it was a crime to hurt one. The girl knew that perfectly and had used it.

After the meeting, Manon sent her shadows, Eda and Briar, after the little witch. She wanted to know where she was going and what was she doing. Not taking orders, with no clan to think about, the Silverstorm could easily betray them.

The shadows came back half an hour later.

-Report.-She told them

-We can't exactly explain it. You have to see it on your own.-Briar said. Manon followed them with Asterin, the second in her command, always by her side, through the corridors, to one she hadn't been into and to a small stone door.

-Inside-Eda pointed. Asterin drawled her sword and Manon opened the door.

She had expected a lot of things. A dragon wasn't one of them.

The moment she opened the door the giant creature's head snapped in her direction and the scales on his stomach glowed in blue.

-Aradace, no!-A voice shouted and the glow faded. From behind the dragon came out the Silverstorm and looked at them with half surprised half angry look.

-So-she said-may I know what are you doing here?

-I could ask you the same.-Manon answered with cool tune.

-No clear answers, huh? Well, alright then. I will answer first. I came here, in my private hall, to see my ride.

-Your ride?

-Yes, my ride. You didn't think you were the only ones who get to fly, did you?

-This is not a Wyvern.

-No, it is not. Aradace is a dragon and he wasn't created by the king of Adarlan. I have a permission to keep him here and we were just going for a flight.

Now Manon could take a better look at the dragon. Its white scales were like pearls, shining in different colours in the light coming from the open balcony on the other side of the hall. Its eyes were icy blue, now focused on her. It was massive, only its head was longer than Manon was high. Its teeth, showing from time to time, were white and the size of daggers, probably just as sharp. There were four long claws coming from each of its four paws. Its wings were now folded next to his body, and there was a saddle on its neck.

-So if you excuse us…-Aradace lowered his neck so the girl could climb on the saddle-we will go now.

The dragon turned around, walked to the edge of the balcony…and jumped off. Just to rise back up seconds later. The four witches went to the balcony and watched as it got higher and higher in the sky, then made a sharp dive and got back up after. Manon was almost sure that she could hear the little witch laughing.

-Let's get out of here-Asterin said. They turned and walked out of the hall, silently agreeing to tell no one about this.

Giza POV

Giza didn't know how they have found her, but she also didn't care. Her dragon wasn't a secret and she wasn't hiding like some thief. Right now, the only thing she was focused on was the flight. The amazing view, the wind singing around her-that was what she was born to do, born to be. Wild and free.

Aradace had been with her for five years. From the moment she had found him as a hatchling in a cave high in a mountain, abandoned by his mother. At that time she was all alone in the wild. She didn't remember who had left her there or why. She only remembered that she had been around three then. Everything else was clouded.

Giza got the little dragon, no bigger than a dog then and took care of him. She had never had a friend and it had been nice to know that she wasn't alone. Dragons grew amazingly fast. For two years he was already bigger than a bear, and for five he had reached the size of a full grown dragon.

Giza came out of her memories and saw that it was starting to get dark. They had been in the air for more than three hours. Giza patted Aradace's neck and he turned the direction, landing on the big balcony in Omega. As a member of a legendary clan, she had some privileges. She had her own private chambers and the special hall for Aradace. The actual reason to ask for one was that if Aradace was placed with the Wyverns, there was going to be a bloodbath. His name meant "Mighty" for a reason.

They landed and she jumped off his neck, then took the saddle off. She placed it on a special hook and then closed the giant wooden doors that led to the balcony. It became very windy in the nights and even dragons got cold. Because of that there was a giant fireplace on the other wall. It was easy to ignite it when you had a giant fire breathing lizard next to you.

-Are you going to ignite it up or not?-She asked her dragon, who sent her an annoyed look and breathed a jet of blue flames in the fireplace. The hall immediately started warming up.

-Good night, Aradace.- Giza said and then left from the small door that led to her chambers. There she took a warm bath, put on a pair of black trousers, a white shirt, her black boots and dark purple cloak, then left for dinner, not forgetting to hide a dagger in her boot. After all, iron claws didn't ever work the best way and you never knew what you were going to encounter in a mountain full of Ironteeth witches.

She easily found the dining hall and got a bow of she preferred not to know what, then quietly ate it on a distant table. After she finished, Giza decided that she was going to start hunting her food. She was ready to leave when she heard a voice behind her.

-So what have we got here? The little Silverstorm.-Giza turned to the sight of the witch she had seen standing next to the Yellowleg matron. Probably her heiress- What is your name, girl?

-Who is asking?-Giza answered with the icy tune she used when she didn't like someone.

-Pick your words carefully, girl. It's Iskra Yellowleg you are talking to.-the witch hissed.

-And it's Giza Silverstorm the Black Demon you are asking. I am not exactly the one you want to have problems with.

Iskra laughed.

-It sounds funny to you? Why don't you go ask the demons of the Midnight cavern if I am right? Oh wait, you can't. Only the chosen can enter and get out alive.

-You can't prove that!

-Oh, can't I?-Giza pulled the necklace she always wore off her neck and held it in front of her. Hanging on it there was a purple crystal. A Demon crystal that could be found only into the Midnight cave, a sacred cave dedicated to the Three Faced goddess. If you went in, you had to pass through demons and horrors. If you got a piece of the crystal that grew in the heart of that cave, it was a proof that you were chosen and protected by the Three Faced goddess. It was a dangerous thing to do, but Giza had done it anyway. Not without a few new scars thought.

She enjoyed Iskra's face expression for a second, then turned around and walked out of the room.