Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021
BloodyKitsune1997: First chapter that's all my own idea.
Chapter 2
Lyra woke up and was out of her bed along with Taylin moments after a knock sounded on the door. Lyra quickly pushed open the not quite shut door to her bedroom and rushed towards the entrance to her rooms. Taylin followed while grabbing their weapons, "What time is it?"
"I have no clue," Lyra grabbed the door handle and pulled it open revealing a teenage fey that looked only a few years younger than her, "Yes?"
The teenager was wearing the pristine sky blue doublet bearing the crest of the Wyldfyr clan. He bowed lightly, "Sergeant Silver and Corporal Wyldfyr, I apologize for interrupting your day off, but I have a message for you."
"It's alright, but do you happen to have the time?" Lyra asked earning a surprised look from the young fey, "We have just woken as we usually sleep in on days such as today,"
"Of course," The fey straightened and pulled out a silver pocket watch, "It is half-past seven o'clock,"
Lyra nodded with a slight smile, "Thank you and what is the message?"
The messenger pulled out a scroll and opened it, "To Sergeant Silver and Corporal Wyldfyr, the king and queen requests that you join them for breakfast this morning at half-past eight. The king also wishes to inform you that your presence is required for a meeting this afternoon after lunch. Further information will be given at lunch."
"I see," Lyra glanced at Taylin before saying, "Thank you for bring us that message and if it isn't too much trouble, please inform them that we will be there,"
"It is no trouble," The messenger bowed lightly.
Lyra reached over to the pouch she kept for such occasions and pulled a silver coin loose, "A silver pegasus for your troubles."
She handed the coin to the messenger earning a slight grin before he bowed again, "Thank you and may the gods bless you."
"May the gods bless you," Taylin and Lyra parroted.
The messenger headed off and Lyra closed the door behind her with a low sigh. Running a hand through her hair, she said, "Ya know, I kind of expected this to happen, but waking up so early on our first day off in weeks..."
Taylin chuckled softly, "I agreed, but it's best that we get up now. We still need to look over what we'll be bringing with us to the orphanage and see what we need to buy aside from those pastries."
"Right," Lyra yawned softly, "Can you make us some coffee while I go dunk my head in the cold bath?"
Taylin nodded as Lyra headed towards her bathroom, "No problem. Are we still taking Karth and Ausca for a run?"
"If we time it correctly, we can go after breakfast with your parents though we'll have to give Evan money to buy the pastries and anything we're missing," Lyra ducked into her bathroom and headed into the bath area that sat behind a screen.
Due to the fact this was a training facility, the only people to get any modern convenience beside a toilet and working sink were the staff members. The only way to get hot water was the bath house and shower facilities off of the arena. She didn't mind it though being able to take a warm bath without having to share it with any of the other female trainees would be nice. She walked over to the pool of ice cold water that sat on the other side of the bathroom from the toilet. Carefully settling on the edge, she held her breath and dunked her head into the water. Pulling back, she shook her head like a dog and got back up shivering slightly from the coldness of the water. Grabbing one of the four fluffy towels she kept in her bathroom, she began drying her hair off with one hand while walking out of the bathroom. She sat down on the couch just as Taylin brought their coffee to the table. He smiled lightly, "Feeling awake now?"
"Just a bit," Lyra let go of the towel to grab her flame printed mug, "So let's get that list written and figure out how much we have to give Evan,"
Chris ran a hand through his shaggy hair as he walked into the living room of their hotel room. Hermione was looking through a book that had the rearing dragon of the Mounted Guardians printed on it. He walked over to her, "What's with the book?"
"I wanted to look into the Mounted Guardians more thoroughly," Hermione explained looking up from her book, "After seeing that your sister was one, I got curious and wanted to look into them,"
"What's a Mounted Guardian?" Warren, his eleven year old brother, asked curiously as he walked out of the room they were currently sharing.
"You mean that you don't know?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Mom and Dad never told us anything about them save for the fact they live in the fey realms," Lilac, his nine almost ten year old little sister, told them.
Hermione looked at him and Chris explained, "Mom thinks they were too young to learn about them while Dad doesn't really like the fey, ya know."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned to his younger siblings, "Do you want me to tell you?"
"Yes please," The two settled down near Hermione.
Hermione cleared her throat while turning back to the first page, "The Mounted Guardians are those special few that have a unique bond with special dragons. They are the elite guardians of the country of Delllea which is currently divided into five kingdoms ruled by the fey. We're currently in the kingdom of Sven which is the southern most fey kingdom and ruled by the Wyldfyr family. Only a tenth of every species in the world save for the fey have the ability to bond with the dragons that the Mounted Riders are partnered with. Of the species, the fey have the highest percentage of those that can possibly bond with the dragons at 75 percent of them though it's divided among the various fey clans."
"What's so special about the dragons? Aren't they dumb like every other kind of dragon?" Warren asked with a confused look on his face.
"No, they're apparently as intelligent as a human just without the ability to speak," Hermione said looking through the book, "As for what's so special about them, they are able to use their innate energy in ways that other dragons cannot. Other than their increased intelligence, they are stronger, faster, and have their own special abilities. No dragon will have the same ability though those of the same specific elemental family and bloodline will have similar ones. They can come in all shapes and sizes. Among them, dragons with wings are uncommon due to the fact they don't often bond with anyone. The dragons the Mounted Guardians use are referred to as the Vesca though the various elementals have their own names,"
"What kind of dragon is big sister bound to, Chris?" Lilac asked him curiously.
Chris frowned slightly, "We didn't get close enough to see them. I do know it has to be a reddish gold color because of the crest on her tunic."
"Do you think she'll come live with us once Mom and Dad explain everything?" Lilac's eyes were wide, "And do you think she'll bring her dragon with her? I really want to meet it,"
"It isn't a pet, Lilac," Chris told his younger sister earning a frown, "And no, she won't be coming to live with us. After all, she is supposedly betrothed to the youngest fey prince not to mention she's a Mounted Guardian. I don't think she'll give up everything she's worked for just for us. After all, we are strangers to her,"
Lilac's eyes filled with tears and Chris pulled her into a hug. Just like his younger siblings, he wanted to meet his big sister and become a family.
At ten minutes before it was time to meet with the king and queen, a knock sounded on the door. Taylin answered it as Lyra finished filling the money pouch they were giving Evan, "Yes."
"Prince Taylin," Lyra looked towards the door where a servant was standing, "I have come to show you to where the king and queen are waiting for you,"
"One moment," Taylin walked over to her and held out a hand.
Lyra took it and let him help her up. Taylin grabbed the money bag and list as she asked, "Do you think that's enough?"
"If it isn't, Evan knows we'll reimburse him for anything on the list he has to pay for," Taylin said as they headed towards the door.
The servant backed up while eyeing Lyra in surprise and suspicion. She ignored it with ease as she said, "It'll be nice to see everyone. I definitely can't wait to see the look on Carter's face when he sees what the gift I got for him on that last trip to Vulmer's Hammer."
Taylin chuckled as they exited her room and headed across the hall to where he shared a room with the other members of their unit. Knocking on the door, they barely had to wait five seconds before it was wrenched open. Cain looked pissed for a few moments before his face relaxed, "Oh, it's you two."
"Were you expecting someone else?" Lyra asked with a raised eyebrow.
Cain flushed lightly and glared at her before looking at Taylin, "What's going on?"
"Where's Evan?" Taylin asked with a slight chuckle.
"H-" Cain was pushed out of the way.
"Yes?" The werepanther looked fairly relaxed.
Taylin held out the list and money pouch, "Lyra and I won't have time to go shopping for our part of the stuff we're bringing to the orphanage. We wrote down a list and put what should be enough money for everything in the pouch. Would you please get everything for us?"
"Of course," Evan took the objects Taylin was holding, "If there isn't enough, I'll pay for it. Just make sure you pay me back ever last Claw, Feather, and Pegasus."
"We will, I promise," Lyra told him earning a slight smile.
"Where are you two going dressed like that?" Cain asked them.
Lyra was wearing another dress only this time it was a light lavender maxi dress with sleeves. She wore a pair of similarly colored flats. The only accessories she wore were a pair of silver studs, a silver bracelet with her name on it that her mentor had given her a few months after taking her from the orphanage, and a silver ring with phoenixes and flames etched into the metal. Taylin was wearing a nice looking white tunic, black pants, and black boots. On his shoulder, he carried his clan's symbol in sky blue. On his ring finger, he wore a silver ring with his clan's symbol etched into the metal with the number eight beside it telling the world that he was the eighth prince of the Wyldfyr family. Taylin took Lyra's arm, "My parents have requested that we have breakfast with them. Lyra and I will be leaving the orphanage a little bit after lunch for a meeting, but we should be back an hour after we leave. We'll send a message if we can't come back."
"Right, we'll let the others know," Evan promised while glancing towards where the servant was waiting for them, "You should get going,"
"Thanks again, Evan," Lyra told the werepanther earning a nod.
The king and queen were dressed in a far more relaxed fashion then they had been the night before. It was still easy to see tell that they weren't your average Sven fey, but not so much that you'd guess they were more than a pair of laid back nobles. Lyra and Taylin bowed to them after entering the room as was protocol that even on their days off they had to follow. King Vallian smiled warmly at the pair, "Please rise and join us at the table, I must apologize for the surprise request, but interesting news has surfaced."
"It is quite fine, Sire," Lyra told him as they both stood and walked towards the table.
The table was filled with foods and drinks that neither of them had eaten since joining the Mounted Guardians. Lyra had never eaten some of those things even before then. Taylin greeted his mother with a hug which Queen Saya returned quickly, "How are you, my son?"
"It's been fairly rough in the last couple of weeks what with our training coming to an end," Taylin replied as Queen Saya pulled Lyra into a hug.
Lyra wasn't even surprised by how the female fey ensured that she didn't squeeze the human's left side. Considering how many spies the Queen had among the various healers within the kingdom and even beyond, she had little doubt that the female fey knew of her injury. King Vallian inclined his head, "The last few weeks are some of the most difficult for the trainees, but it is so worth it. I trust that the injuries to your dragon and yourself didn't pose too much of a problem, Miss Silver."
"Portions of it were difficult especially since the healers wish for me to avoid using resonance until my injuries healed, but we managed especially since Taylin has been keeping a careful eye on us," Lyra offered her fey prince a smirk as Taylin flushed a little earning a laugh from Queen Saya, "I am not sure how we did other than the fact we all passed,"
"That you did," King Vallian inclined his head as they took their seats, "Even with your injuries and how much conflict your squad has had due to it's fairly mixed species', you all managed to earn fairly high scores. As it currently stands, you all will be staying as a squad both to see how you progress as full blown Mounted Guardians, but also to see just how such a mixed group can work together,"
Lyra felt relief rush through her mixed with happiness. They had all feared that their group would be separated especially Malcom and Taylin. It was no secret that the aerial corps. and the scouts had been looking at Malcom fairly closely. The healers and the scholars wanted Taylin. Knowing that they wouldn't be separated was a relief, they'd become a family after the seven exciting years they'd been in a squad together. Lyra grinned brightly, "Thank you, Sire. We feared that we would be separated upon graduating. To know that our pack isn't going to be torn apart, I cannot express my relief or happiness with words."
"So it's true that your squad is the wolf pack among the trainees," King Vallian asked making Lyra flush as she realized what had slipped past her lips, "Am I correct in guessing you're their alpha?"
"I'm Alpha female whereas Taylin is our Alpha male. Evan, our werepanther, is our Beta while the others tend to shift between the other positions in our pack," Lyra explained earning a small smile from the King, "Of course, Tsuki didn't make it easy on me until after the incident which caused my injuries,"
King Vallian frowned deeply, "I must thank you again for saving my youngest son though it is disturbing to know that the creature you encountered was even in our lands."
"Father," Taylin's voice was soft, "Did they ever discover what exactly it was?"
"No, but Research is looking into it," King Vallian promised before shaking his head, "Come let us eat, I am sure you haven't had a meal like this since either of you joined the Mounted Guardians. Are they still keeping the trainees on that strict diet?"
"Yes, but they've made it tastier in the last few years," Lyra said while attempting to force back her snickers.
Taylin made no such attempt as he chuckled, "Especially after those new batches of trainees kept getting sick because they wouldn't eat."
They all shared a laugh and shook their heads at the idiocy of the newer trainees. There were always arrogant idiots that thought just because they were bonded with a dragon that training wasn't going to be hard or that they wouldn't get everything they wanted handed to them on a silver platter. Taylin hadn't been one of them though Lyra was sure it was due to his mother's influence more than anything else. Queen Saya spoke after they had all eaten a bit more, "So tell me, what do you have planned for the wedding so far?"
"Well, we haven't really gone over too many details yet due to the fact we were sure how father would react," Taylin admitted before looking towards Lyra, "But we do know that we want an early spring wedding. Preferably when winter is just starting to give way to spring,"
"I assume there is special symbolism attached to that time of year?" King Vallian asked earning a nod from the two.
"It was just as spring was about to began that Taylin finally accepted me as a friend four years ago and began courting me two years ago," Lyra answered while reaching out to Taylin.
He took her hand and squeezed it lightly before lifting it up to press a kiss to the knuckles, "It was also three months ago that I proposed to Lyra and she accepted."
Queen Saya held out her hand and Lyra placed her right hand on it. The Queen ran her finger over the silver ring, "Absolutely breathtaking, I can feel both your magics within it. I assume you normally wear it on a necklace?"
"Yes, My Lady," Lyra answered with a slightly smile, "I like keeping it close as I consider it my good luck charm,"
"Good," Queen Saya released Lyra's hand before asking, "And the ceremony?"
"After much talk, we decided to do not only a fey ceremony, but also a more personal shifter one," Taylin answered as Lyra drank some juice, "The fey ceremony is for the public as we're aware that many will not tolerate Lyra becoming my wife. By doing two, we can use the first to pacify and ensure it is a well-known fact we're married. The second can be more personal not to mention allow our whole squad to assist us in our binding. Not to mention, we would prefer privacy,"
"Well, I cannot say that I like the idea of you doing two ceremonies, but I understand why," King Vallian said earning a slight grin from Taylin and a grateful smile from Lyra, "I only ask that we be allowed to attend both,"
"Of course, we were always planning on asking you to attend, Father," Taylin told him, "I just don't want my siblings there. Diana would no doubt ruin it and the others do not approve,"
"I will ensure they understand they're not welcome at the second ceremony and will be keeping an eye on Diana to ensure she doesn't mess up either one," Queen Saya promised.
The rest of breakfast continued in a similar fashion until the end. Lyra thanked the King and Queen for the meal before asking, "What exactly is the meeting you wish for us to attend?"
"As you are no doubt aware of the situation in England," Taylin and Lyra shared a grimace at that as the English magical enclave was seen as nothing more than a cesspit among the Mounted Guardians, "At the current moment, a group of English magicals led by Albus Dumbledore are in the city and have requested a meeting with me," King Vallian didn't sound happy and no one could blame him since it was a well known fact Dumbledore didn't like the Mounted Guardians due to how violent they were, "To my surprise, he has asked for Miss Silver to be there,"
"Why Lyra?" Taylin burst out with a frown.
"Dumbledore only said that he has information that she needs to learn and that he would like to hire her squad for something," King Vallian shook his head, "I agreed though told him that under no circumstances would you be alone with any of them. While humans like Miss Silver are trustworthy, I do not trust English Magicals as far as I can throw them," Taylin tightened his grip on Lyra's hand telling her without words just how bothered he was by this, "I want you with me not as a Mounted Guardian, but as a Prince of the Sven kingdom,"
Both Mounted Guardians stared at the king in shock, Taylin hadn't acted like a prince since he bonded with Ausca. Mounted Guardians had no titles beside what they earned after bonding with their dragons. While Taylin would always be a prince and a king if the unthinkable happened, he wasn't treated as anything other than one of them. To be told he would have to act like a prince once more, it was a hard thing to even image let alone think it was true. Taylin shook his head, "Father, I'm a Mounted Guardian. I am no prince."
"But you are and you must act like such for this meeting," King Vallian reached out and set a hand on his son's shoulder, "My son, I am proud to see that you're taking your duties as a Mounted Guardian so seriously, but for this meeting, you must take up your duties as a prince of this kingdom once more,"
Taylin was silent and Lyra knew he was having an inner battle. On one hand, he wanted to do as his father asked. On the other, he wanted to stick by the rules they had followed since they became Mounted Riders. Taylin took a deep breath, "Father, I will try, but I am a Mounted Guardian first and foremost."
"I understand, My son," King Vallian removed his hand, "Now I am sure you have quite a bit of things to do, so I won't keep you any longer,"
Lyra checked over Karth's prostheses carefully, "Does it hurt?" Karth shook himself and barked at her, "I know, but you know that the healers want me to check every single time I see you. It looks good, so I'll go grab your saddle."
Putting the saddle on him, Lyra tightened everything before getting on his back. For a simple run and visit to the orphanage, she would only be taking her short swords and a single blaster with a dagger in her boot. While the streets of the city were safe, crime did occur and no Mounted Guardian was allowed to go anywhere without two weapons. Guiding him from the stall, she found Taylin waiting with Ausca. Taylin reached out to pat Karth's nose when the dragon raised his head towards the fey prince, "Everything alright?"
"Yup, Karth's prostheses are working and in no danger of causing any harm to him," Lyra smiled as Ausca raised her head and nudged her right side, "Nice to see you to, Miss Ausca. Ready for a run?"
Both dragons roared earning laughs from their riders, they headed down the corridor that would take them to the outer gates of the arena. The ride only took five minutes even at the leisurely pace the dragons walked. When they reached the gate, the two riders held out their identification bracelets and left arms which were tattooed with the Mounted Rider symbol. The guards checked the bracelets before scanning the tattoos with a looking glass coated with runes before moving away. One of them, a female water nymph, said, "I see you two are ready for a run. Going to visit the orphanage?"
"Yup," Lyra smiled at her while patting the saddle bag she'd packed for today, "Been busy today, Lor?"
"Been fairly boring, I finally got to start that book on Irish poetry you gave me for my birthday. Thank you again," Lor replied as the gates were opened.
"No problem, I just hope you'll be willing to discuss it with me," Lyra shrugged lightly, "Why can't more people like poetry?"
Taylin laughed as he said, "It's not that we don't like poetry. It's just that we don't love it as much as you do, Ly."
Rolling her eyes as the gates opened, Lyra said, "Let's get running."
"Right," Taylin replied.
Together they nudged their dragons and were off. The city of Nessium was one of the largest within the Sven kingdom and the most diverse when it came to species. The buildings were mostly white with shades of blue to keep the worst of the heat away during the day, but there were colors all over the place. Most districts had a specific color other than blue and white. Shades of brown and red to show the housing districts. Yellow for the banking, law, and loan distract. Green for the religious district. Pink and orange for the potions/healing district. Multi-colored for the market district though each seller had a banner with various crests on it to denote either where they're from or what noble house they serve. Purple with multi-colored streaks for the restaurant/entertainment district. The one thing that made the city stand out from most was the wide open areas and how there were three levels to the city. The levels surrounded the arena/training facility of the Mounted Guardians. Of all the districts that Lyra loved to go to, it was artist district which was settled on near the edge of the city. If it hadn't been for the wall surrounding the city, you wouldn't be able to tell it was even a part of Nessium.
Taylin spoke as they rode towards slow incline leading towards the second level, "What do you think is going to happen at the meeting?"
"Dunno, but if they have the money, we might end up going to England to end the war," Lyra grimaced at the thought, "I don't really want to fight for magicals that have their heads stuck up their asses,"
"Neither do I," Taylin admitted as they made their way through the market district, "But it is how it is. We'll heave to deal with it if Father decides to allow it,"
Lyra was silent for a few moments before asking, "Do you think he might use this as a way to create a treaty with them?"
Taylin was silent for a few moments before saying, "Perhaps, but I doubt it. With the kingdoms at peace for the most part, we don't need a treaty with them at the moment. Not to mention, I doubt Father will ever sign a treaty until they apologize to Diana for what happened ten years ago."
Lyra snickered at the reminder. Ten years ago, King Vallian and the rest of the Royal family journeyed to England for the annual treaty signing. While there, one of the nobles harassed Diana and payed her a great insult. Instead of killing the one that had done it as is common place within the kingdoms, King Vallian demanded an apology as the English were their allies. The English refused and King Vallian had broken off the treaty signing. Until the English apologized, they would never have a treaty with the Sven fey kingdom. Taylin glared lightly at her, "Ly."
"Sorry, I just think she kind of deserves it for being a brat," Lyra said earning a slight huff.
Taylin chuckled softly, "I know, but she's still my sister even if she is a bitch."
The orphanage was settled on the second level on the edge of the residential district. It was one of the ones that took in a mixture of species. At the current moment, the orphanage was inhabited by eight 11 to 12 year olds, nine 9 to 10 year olds, 1 eight year old, two six year olds, and ten 4 to 5 year olds. They did have a few babies, but they were rarely brought outside. Lyra unbuckled her legs as Taylin hopped off of Ausca and walked over to help her off of Karth, "After the meeting, we'll head to the healers."
"Right," Lyra agreed as she slipped off of Karth.
Taylin steadied her as Cain rushed up, "Hey, you guys made it just in time. How did breakfast go?"
"Smoothly, my parents are okay with having two ceremonies and agreed not to tell my siblings about the second one," Taylin answered as Lyra turned to get things from her saddle bag, "We also learned that the meeting involves English magicals,"
Cain visibly winced, "I feel for you. Any idea why?"
"Our squad might be hired by them," Taylin answered making Cain's eyes widen.
"We're not being separated?" Cain asked earning a nod, "Sweet! I don't think I could deal with rooming with a new group of assholes,"
Cain let out a yelp as Ausca swatted him with her tail. Lyra giggled, "We're among children, Cain. No swearing."
Grumbling, Cain rubbed his back, "Yeah, yeah. Let's get started."
Lyra removed the wrapped gift she was planning to give to a specific child just as the orphanage doors opened and children streamed out. It took over ten minutes to get every child to calm down and happily going through the goods that the Mounted Guardians brought for them. After that, she was able to find the specific child that she'd gotten the gift for. Carter, one of the half-fey half-human child, was currently settled beneath one of the large ash trees that somehow managed to grow on the second level outside of the gardens scattered throughout it. He took more after his human parent then his fey parent as was obvious by his rather plain outward looks. One of the few traits that showed his mixed heritage was his eyes. Only the fey were capable of having eyes that looked like the night sky with silvery stardust. Walking over to him, she spoke, "Hey, Carter. How have you been the last few weeks?"
Carter jolted causing his curly brown hair to jolt slightly, "Lyra! You're back!"
Carter jumped up and ran to hug her. He relaxed his grip a little revealing that he remembered injured side. Smiling, she ruffled his hair with her empty hand, "Yup and we're an official Mounted Guardians."
"We got to see the show yesterday, it was awesome!" Carter grinned up at her, "I can't wait to see if I can bond with a dragon,"
"Neither can I," Carter was ten which was the minimum age someone was allowed to try their hand at bonding with a dragon, "Is Karth okay?"
"He's fine and so am I," Lyra pulled away, "Now, I have a little gift for you that I picked up on our last trip to Vulmer's Hammer. I know that I missed your birthday last week what with all the training we've been doing, but here,"
She held out the wrapped gift she'd gotten him. Carter took it from her with wide eyes, "Y-you didn't have to get me anything, Lyra."
"I wanted to, Kiddo," Lyra smiled warmly down at him, "Now, open it,"
Carter looked at the silky emerald green cloth tied off with forest green ribbon. Settling down on the ground, He undid the ribbon before stuffing it into his pocket. More than likely, he was saving it to add to his collection of ribbons and fabrics. He unwrapped the cloth before gasping with wide eyes. Lyra smiled brightly knowing that she'd gotten him the best gift he could've been given. It was a well known fact that the settlement living within Vulmer's Hammer were some of the best creators this side of Delllea and Carter dreamed of go their to join them. Lyra had gifted him with one of the best sowing kits currently available and a pair of specially made scissors with his name engraved on them. Carter put down the present before throwing himself at her. With a smile, she hugged him close and laid her head on his as he whispered, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"It's no problem, Kiddo," Lyra honestly loved the kid like a little brother and probably would've adopted him by now if she could, "You're my little brother by spirit after all,"
Carter pulled away, "Lyra, do you think you can adopted me soon?"
"Not yet, but soon, I promise," Lyra told him, "If you bond with a dragon, I can sponsor you,"
"I hope I bond with one," Carter wrapped up his present and stood up, "I have something for you. I need to go grab it,"
Lyra watched him go off and smiled sadly. She jolted slightly when an arm wrapped around her waist before relaxing, "I really hope I can adopt him."
"I know and I do too," Taylin laid his head on her shoulder, "He's a good kid. I really think he's going to bond with a dragon. The magic he gives off and the way our dragons act around him just screams it,"
"Then again, he could be like your mother," Lyra reminded him.
Queen Saya had all the signs of someone that could bond with a dragon, but it never happened. No one knew why, but many believed it was due to the dragon they were meant to bond with not being born yet or having already died. Many times, they went on to get jobs that let them work with dragons in hopes that they would one day meet the dragon they were meant to bond with. Of course, the Mounted Guardians only trained those between the ages of ten and seventeen with the rare exemption for 18 or 19 year olds that managed to bond. Queen Saya helped raise the Vesca within the capital city, Dragon Ridge, and was considered a master at it. Taylin nodded and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, "True, but if that's true, my mother can take him on as an apprentice. Considering how likely it is for us to be stationed in the capital, it means you'd be able to see him fairly often."
Lyra hummed softly, but didn't reply as Carter returned. Carter smiled at Taylin, "Hello, Taylin. I trust you and Ausca are well?"
"We are and we've been ensuring the same for our other halves," Taylin answered while glancing towards where the dragons were settled.
Ausca and Karth were curled up together with the female dragon ensuring that no one messed with the male's prostheses. After their first visit once Karth's was mobile again, the kids had learned to avoid touching the prostheses though it was difficult to see the difference between the dragon's natural limbs and his artificial ones. It was still surprising to see the controlled female doting on the rambunctious male. It was as surprising as Taylin and Lyra's own pairing. Carter smiled at him, "Good. Lyra," Carter held out hand, "This is for you."
Lyra took it from him and smiled softly at the sight of the gift. It was a beautify made red and gold kerchief with dragons that looked like Karth stitched into it, "Oh Carter, this is absolutely beautiful."
"It's the first really good piece I've ever made," Carter flushed lightly, "I made it for your birthday though I didn't quite make it in time,"
"It doesn't matter," Lyra bent down to hug him, "I'll keep it with me always. Thank you so much, Carter,"
Carter hugged her in return.
Chris watched Dumbledore and those he chose to join him leave through the windows with a frown. Lilac spoke from her place beside him, "It's no fair that they get to go out and we don't."
"It's too dangerous for us," Warren said from his seat near the magical screen set near the wall.
It was surprising just how advanced the fey were to the other magical countries he'd been to save for Japan. At the current moment, the screen was showing the highlights of yesterdays event. Chris pushed away from the window, "I hate to admit it, but Warren's right."
Warren rolled his eyes before gasping, "Blood hell, our sister's dragon is awesome!"
"Huh?" Chris ran over to the screen with Lilac and the others.
On the screen, it showed Briar standing next a rather large looking four legged dragon with magma-like scales. A female fey dressed in a rather expensive looking dress spoke, "And this is Sergeant Lyra Silver and her dragon Karth. While she is a magical human, she has managed to not only rise up to the rank of Sergeant among her fellow trainees, but also managed to complete her last months of training even with crippling injures sustained during a training excursion. From the date we managed to collect, Sergeant Silver and her dragon Karth saved the youngest of our Princes and his dragon from death at the expense of themselves. They were injured, but all we've been able to gather is that they were crippling. I, for one, must say thank you to Sergeant Silver for saving our youngest prince and his dragon. She may be a human, but she is definitely worthy of being a Mounted Guardian..."
The screen shifted to show another dragon and rider though Chris didn't pay attention to it. He stared at the screen blankly as he ran what the fey had said through his mind. Briar and her dragon sustained crippling injuries? She participated in the event yesterday, but how did she manage it if she was hurt? Chris was knocked from his thoughts by Ron saying, "If they were hurt, why would they do that stuff yesterday?"
"I don't know," Chris murmured with a frown.
"I suppose we could ask her once they come to England," Hermione said while looking clearly disturbed, "But they didn't look hurt in the picture,"
Lilac tugged his shirt and Chris looked down at her, "Big Brother, is Briar going to be okay?"
"I don't think she would've participated in the event yesterday if she wasn't," Chris said with confidence that he didn't really feel at the moment.
Just what the hell did the Mounted Guardians do for training that could cause crippling injuries?