I looked up, and I saw I was inside my own healer's tent. Cadvan was sitting beside my bed reading "Warcraft War of the Ancients Archive" by Richard A. Knaak. Yeah. Cadvan was a nerd. I reached out gently for the water bottle beside my bed. He noticed my hand moving, and he immediately grabbed the bottle for me. He guided me to a sitting position, and he helped me take a drink of my water.
"Where is Shadowiux?" My voice was hoarse.
I am right here. I am glad you are awake. She stuck her head in the tent with her amethyst eyes watching me carefully.
"My goodness. I just noticed how pretty you are." I giggled looking at her,
She raised her head proudly. Yes I know, but I never get tired of hearing it.
Cadvan chuckled. Then I looked at him in shock. He could hear her?! I was the only one supposed to be able to hear her! Cadvan looked at me, and he stopped chuckling.
"What's wrong Mistress?" He spoke worriedly.
I shook my head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
Then I saw Zacky sitting up. Xena was beside him as well.
"Sit down Zacky!" I ordered crossly as I struggled to stand up.
He chuckled at me. "Coming from the one who fainted after she recieved her Dragon Mark? No thanks."
I rolled my eyes. "Annoying as always."
He just smirked, and Cadvan steadied me like usual. Shadowiux's head snaked around me and she lifted me up onto her back. I looked at everyone around me. They all looked terrified and awestruck. No one could even begin to understand what this amazing feeling felt like. It was liek I owned the world. I loved it. But I had my job here. As of right now, I was Chieftess because I had a dragon ally and Zacky didn't. So I was in charge.
Hold on tight Juliet! Then Shadowiux surged up and and we were airborn.
I let out a shriek of panic then I relaxed in the grip of her scales. It was beautiful up here. I let out a sigh as I laid my face against her cool scales. This felt nice. I liked the coldness of the air. It relaxed me for some odd reason. I let out a whoop of excitement, and then Shadowiux looked back at me with a playful twinkle in her eyes.
You seem happy. She called back to me swooping down low to the lake.
"I am!" My voice was whipped away in the wind.
Her claws trailed in the water sending mist up. It sprayed me in the face, and I let out another giggle. If only Cadvan could see this. The sky had always fascinated him. This would make him feel absolutely amazing. Like it did to me. I let her go a little farther before she turned back to the village. We couldn't leave them alone. She landed and I saw Zacky leaning on Xena for support as he looked up in the face of a white dragon. Both me and Shadowiux felt our panic swallow us whole.
"NO!" I yelled panicking.
It was Lightiuon. The dragon that ruined everything he touched. Shadowiux was his sister, so it tore her apart. She let out a rough cry as Lightiuon touched his mighty nose to Zacky's forehead. A burst of white light blinded us temporarily, and I let out a gasp. No! Not Zacky! We landed on the ground, and Lightiuon's golden eyes examined Shadowiux and myself.
Pitiful choice. I chose a strong one. Lightiuon's voice was cold and blunt as he looked me up and down disdainfully.
Leave her be! She has no part in this! Shadowiux snarled angrily at him.
Of course she does. The prophecy. But which one is the protector of the Dragons while the other is the protector of the Earth? He sneered at her smugly.
We will see. Now leave. Take your apprentice and leave. We have no room here for traitors such as yourself. Shadowiux growled at him, her lips lifted into a fierce snarl.
Of course. He dipped his head gracefully as Zacky and Xena joined him up on his back.
I let out a strangled sob as I turned away from them. They flew off, and I broke down sobbing. My best friend. He was now the man I would have to kill. Cadvan's arms drew themselves around me and pulled me close. He let me sob into his chest, and I continued to cry for anything and everything that would happen. Shadowiux wrapped herself around us and covered us with her wing so no one could see me cry. My tears seeped down my cheeks making my pride wounded even worse. I broke apart, and I stepped out of the comfort of Cadvan's arms and Shadowiux's wings to look at the villagers.
I cleared my throat then stated loudly, my Irish heritage breaking its way through the barrier I once had formed, "Aye. Zacky was chosen by Lightuion. So that makes him our enemy! We will band together as the Circle of Hope did in the past! We will protect our brethren! None shall die while protected by we Dragonhearts! We are fighters! Protectors! Forces to be reckoned with! We will rise from this!"
They all looked at me, and my eyes scanned them fiercely. No one would make a fool of us. We were Dragonhearts! We are the pride and joy of the world! We will continue to watch over them as well!
"But Juliet, who will fight Zacky? As far as legend goes, Shadowiux's rider never fought Lightuion's. Samarath's rider did." An older man, Kel, spoke to me worriedly.
I sighed, and I ran my hand through my hair. "I guess it's time to break tradition then, eh Kel?"
Strangled gasps rippled through the crowd, and I let out another sigh. Cadvan's hand stayed at the small of my back, and it didn't move. He knew it meant the world to me if I had his support. I stood tall, and I angled my sharply lined chin up towards the sky as if searching for an answer from my mum and dad. Of course, they were in Heaven now. They had no worries. While me...I was screwed.
"You cannot be serious!" An old woman, Helena, called to me in her rickety old voice.
"Well I am Helena. If you cannot handle that, I guess you best get used to it." I gave her the look my mother used on me.
Trust Juliet with this. She is my rider. If I felt she was not strong enough to finish this job, I would not have chosen her. She will succeed in this misson. Or she will die trying, and that is all any of us can ask her. Shadowiux nudged my shoulder with her powerful snout, and I looked back at her smiling.
Cadvan nodded, and he led me back to the Chieftess's tent. Shadowiux made her way in, and I smiled at her. She curled up in the corner as Cadvan put the maps on my table.
"We've got some planning to do milady." he sat beside me as I opened up the map.
