(~)

If Mako didn't think he already regretted letting Asami join them, by now he was really really regretting it. Despite having a close relationship, he and his brother were as different as night and day. Mako was cautious and always on alert, while Bolin was optimistic and curious about almost everything. Him befriending another faerie was a dream come true for him that he didn't waste a second in starting a conversation with Asami.

Mako tried to press his bat ears close to his head to cancel out the constant jibber jabber, even stuffing a few leafs into them but his attempts were futile. Bolin did most of the talking while Asami simply listened, highly interested in the conversation. Bolin laughed out loud as he continued his story, "And after that Mako ended up smelling like skunk for an entire month! I think I lost half of my sense of smell after that because my nose was never the same again."

Asami laughed, her tail moving elegantly behind her as they walked along the path, "Bolin you are a riot! In a good way, I mean."

"Really, you think so?" Bolin asked in surprise. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.

"Absolutely." The fox faerie smiled at the dragon faerie, the sunlight capture her flawless complexion making her look like a goddess of the forest in his eyes. He'd never met a girl like her before. He's never met any girls aside from his mother before. Bolin nervously scratched the back of his neck, his face blushing.

"You know, I'm really glad you decided to come with us, Asami."

"Yeah. Me too." the faerie herself could feel her face turning red while bitting her bottom lip.

"We're here." the two faeries snapped awake at the sound of Mako's voice. He stood over a small grassy hill overlooking his and Bolin's swamp home. It looked a lot better in the daylight but it was still a muddy, slimy swamp non the less.

"Why are we in a muddy swamp?" Asami asked, cringing her nose at the sight.

"That's our home." Mako stated with a deadpan look, making Asami's ears perk up in aware only to lower down in embarrassment. She was already making a bad impression on this guy she didn't want to make matters worse.

"Muddy and…exotic. Very exotic, I mean no one has ever thought about living in a swamp, very original choice, very original." she chuckled nervously and face palmed herself.

Bolin placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, "It's okay, we know it's not the best, but at least it's got plenty of space." Bolin kindly led her to their modest self-made cottage, "Welcome to our humble abode!" he outreached his arm rather dramatically, showcasing everything they had to his new friend, which wasn't really much. "We don't get too many visitors around here."

"Because we like our privacy." Mako stated bluntly.

"Well, you're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Asami said, gently shifting her black paw foot across the ground. Once the door opened, Bolin kindly allowed her to walk right in.

"After you, M'Lady." he said with a bow, making Asami smile.

"My, what a gentlemen. Thanks." the faerie waked into the cottage, swiping her tail as she did and studied the decor. She was honestly impressed with what the brothers had both done with so little. They were naturally gifted builders, that was for sure. She had heard that dragon faeries had unmatched strength, and it clearly showed in their work.

"Wow. You guys did all of this?"

"Yep. Me and Mako." Bolin said as he walked in, "Took a couple of tries but I think we pulled it off."

"It shows. So, where do I sleep?"

"Outside." Mako said while pointing his thumb at the door.

"Mako! That is no way to behave in front of a lady!" Bolin exclaimed at his brother in disappointment before returning back to Asami, "I'll set up a spot for you next to the fireplace."

"That'd be great. It's been a while since I slept someplace warm. You wouldn't believe the kind of weirdoes I've come across in my travels. Like those folks who are all up in your personal space, you try to give them a hint and they won't leave you alone."

Mako crossed his arms in annoyance, "Can't say I relate." he said bitterly.

"This is gonna be so great!" Bolin said with such glee, "We can stay up, share stories and in the morning I'm making my famous blue bird honey dumplings!"

"With actual blue birds?" Asami asked hopefully.

"If there any other way to make 'em?"

"You know, I think I'm really gonna like it here."

Mako groaned in annoyance while tracing his hand across his spiky hair, "Well, while you two have your little sleepover, I'm going to go scout the perimeter a bit. It'll only be a matter of time before Amon gets word about us." he shot Asami one last glare before flying off.

"He doesn't like me very much, does he?"

"Don't take it personally." said Bolin, "He doesn't like anybody."

(~)

Mako spent the last two hours scouting the forest, keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of Amon's henchmen, or even word about the dragon faerie from some of the locals, but found nothing. Night was fast approaching and he was slowly growing tired. Maybe word hadn't gone out yet, or maybe Amon decided that since the dragon faerie was food farther away from the borders of his kingdom then he wouldn't serve much of a threat. Still, it didn't hurt to be safe. Mako learned that much over the years. Realizing he had searched every inch of the forest and with no apparent danger at the moment he retired back to the cottage.

He leaped down from a tree branch, letting out a yawn while stretching out his arms and wings and then rubbing his eyes. He was ready to get home and eat some leftover food he and Bolin saved from that picnic. That is, if he and Asami hadn't already eaten most of it. He smiled in relief once he spotted the cottage, happy to be home. Only, it wasn't quite as he had left it…

His amber eyes widened and his ears lowered in horror at the sight of his once private home now overrun by faeries! All kinds of faeries; mouse faeries, lion faeries, bird faeries, lizard faeries, butterfly faeries, deer faeries, cat faeries, dog faeries, rabbit faeries, faeries of almost any kind you could mention as far as he could see, which really wasn't much considering their isolated location. His body went numb, his mind desperately trying to come up with a good enough reason as to why his home was now a faerie village. Faeries even built up tents around the site, hanging up lanterns on the tree branches, and even a few already exiting and entering his cottage…and eating the food the brothers had left.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no!" Mako roughly made his way through the crowd, shoving various faeries in his path looking for Bolin and his new fox friend. "Bolin! Bolin!"

"Mako! Over here!" the older brother could hear his voice but couldn't see him. There was just one too many faeries in their swamp. His anger started to boil, his eyes becoming slits while glowing a bright amber. Spreading open his wings, Mako flew up, breathing fire up into the air, silencing the chattering crowd. All eyes were now on the angry dragon, hovering above their heads. Some of the smaller faeries hid in fear while others held their loved ones. Out of all the faeries there ever existed, dragon faeries were the only ones who preferred to remain away from the rest. They knew Mako would not eat them but they also knew he was most certainly not at all thrilled upon seeing his home overrun by faeries of all shapes and sizes.

"What are you doing in my swamp?!" Mako roared in anger while slowly descending downwards. A spot cleared up for his landing where he finally spotted his brother and Asami.

"Don't look at me, I didn't invite them." Asami said, holding her hands up in surrender.

"Nobody invited us!" said one faerie, who was crossed with a ring tailed lemur. "We were forced to come here."

"By who?" Mako asked.

"Lord Amon." said a butterfly faerie, "He relocated all captured faeries to this place. All of our homes have been taken over by him."

"He even signed an eviction notice!" said another faerie from behind, raising up his finger like a student raising his hand in class.

"We have nowhere else to go. Believe me, we don't want to be here anymore than you want us here, dragon."

Mako's slit eyes reverted back to normal. Lord Amon did this. He forced all of these faeries out of their homes and into his. This home was supposed to be a sanctuary for him and his brother, but having all of these faeries in one place? For one thing, how would he be able to feed them? Food was scares enough as it was for him and Bolin, and now with Asami, imagine needing to feel practically an entire village of faeries. Not to mention, many of these kinds of faeries wouldn't last much in this environment. Some needed more space, others needed more trees, others most likely would need rivers and ponds in order to survive. Not to mention, despite not having cared much about what other faeries did with their lives, Lord Amon banishing them here still wasn't right. It just wasn't. This discrimination on faeries has gone long enough.

"So, what do we do?" Bolin asked, "I don't think I can make enough bluebird honey dumplings for a thousand faeries." he then whispered, "Plus, most of these guys are vegetarians."

Mako narrowed his eyes and addressed the crowd, "Alright, attention all faeries, let me set one thing straight; Don't get comfortable. As of this point, your welcome is officially worn out. In fact, I'm going to see Lord Amon right now and get you all off my land and back where you came from!"

The crowd was silent for a short moment before bursting into applauds. Mako didn't intend for his speech to sound like that of a hero, but it did to them. They wanted to leave just as much as he wanted them to.

"Mako, are you insane?!" Bolin said, "Amon hates faeries! What makes you think he'll want to talk to you?"

"You got any other ideas? If I don't see him we'll be stuck with an entire village of faeries to feed. We can barely feed ourselves, you think we can do the same for them?"

"He makes a good point." Asami said, right before Mako pointed his finger at her.

"You!"

"Me?"

"You escaped from Navalon, right?"

"Yeah."

"You're gonna show us the way."

Asami blinked and gently lowered Mako's pointed finger. "Okay, cool."

(~)

Footsteps echoed in the hallways of the castle, which was lit only by the dim lighting of the hallway lamps. The doors opened and the guard bowed before the man sitting high on his throne. "You summoned me, My Lord?"

"Yes." the man in the throne replied. He was a tall and handsome man of slightly tan skin, mesmerizing gray eyes and sleek dark brown hair tied in a long low ponytail. He wore a gray jacket with dark pants, gloves and a crown around his forehead. This was Lord Amon, ruler of Navalon, and the one man responsible for keeping faeries out of the picture.

"Have you come with news?"

"Yes, Sire." the guard looked down with uncertainty. "And, the results were…the same as before." the guard flinched the moment Amon slammed his fist onto the throne arm and stood up. "Bu-But we were much closer this time."

"I don't want "closer", Lieutenant. I want results!" Amon's voice echoed throughout the throne room, making the Lieutenant quiver in fear. "My patience is wearing thin. I will not rest until I have her here."

"But, perhaps if you choose another-"

"I don't want another, you idiot! The only way for me to truly become king is if I wed a princess. She is the only princess suitable enough for me."

"But, Sire, every man we've sent to retrieve her has failed."

"Are you suggesting I leave my kingdom to go instead?" Amon asked, his voice oozing with venom, a subtle way to remind the Lieutenant what would happen if he dared to even think about that question.

"N-No, Sire. But, that's not our only news."

"What else is there?"

"We have received word from Saikan after her recovered from his shock. He claims to have spotted a…a…"

"A what?"

"A…A Dragon Faerie."

Amon's eyes slightly widened with interest upon hearing this. Dragon faeries were the most powerful, vicious and strongest there were. Their fearlessness was legendary, among both humans and faeries alike.

"What should you want us to do about it, my Lord?"

Amon placed his hands together in thought, pondering on this new information. No other man could bring back his prize. But, maybe it wasn't a man he needed after all.

(~)

"There it is!" Asami pointed her dark colored hand towards the tall walls that surrounded the outside of the kingdom. The castle stood at the very center, with flag hanging off of the pole and dancing in the wind. Mako never in a millions years would have thought he and his brother would be doing this, but it was either this or trying to find a decent meal for those faeries. Non one sounded like a good option in his opinion.

"So, this is Navalon." he said, standing before the large wooden door which was the entrance to the land and looking upwards at the tall towers and castle before him. He had to admit, it was far less flashy than he would admit. He always thought castles were beautiful, eye-catching that they captivated the imagination, but all he got was a bland cement castle with flags. Not even so much as a dash of coloring upon the walls to make it pop. Apparently, Amon was the kind of lord who liked things bland and simple.

"Alright, let's do this." said the red dragon as he headed towards the front gate before being stopped by Asami.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there fire-breath. The minute you walk in there you'll be tossed in jail faster than a roadrunner outsmarting a coyote."

"Okay, how do you propose we do this?" the minute the question left his mouth, the large wooden gates opened up. Thinking fast, Asami dragged both boys to a hiding spot behind a large boulder. Peeking over, the group spotted a group of guards leaving the castle grounds.

"I'm not sure about this." said one of the men. The faeries could practically hear him quivering in his armor.

"Lord Amon's orders were precise." said the second guard, sounding far more confident than his companion did. "We find the dragon faerie and bring it to him."

"But, aren't dragon faeries the most dangerous of their kind?" a third guard mentioned, sharing the first guard's opinion on the matter, "They breath fire for crying out loud!" the cowardly guard received a slap to the face by his commanding officer.

"Get it together, soldier! Amon wouldn't send his strongest men to take down the beast."

"Tell that to the guys who went out to rescue the princess from that pythonaconda! None of them made it out alive!"

"He's got a point."

"Thank you….wait."

The two guards quickly realized that a third party had joined their conversation. Their eyes widened upon the sight of the dragon faerie himself, standing only a couple of feet in front of them, crossing his scaly arms and smirking proudly. The men quickly took their stances, ready to fight the creature.

"Surrender now, beast, and nobody gets hurt!" the leader of the guards wielded his sword at the faerie…who easily overpowered the guard by taking his arm and flipping him over his shoulder, sending him flying all the way back over the wall, where the sound of crashing was heard from afar, followed by a man screaming; "My Cabbages!"

The rest of the guards trembled at the sight of the beast, but Mako only rolled his eyes. "I hear Amon's been wanting to see me." he said. Several of the guards nodded, while still trembling. "Well, what a coincidence…I've been dying to see him too."

(~)

Imagine Amon's surprise when the doors of his castle bursted open and the men he had ordered to seek the creature returned. All but one, who would most likely be in the infirmary by now after that insanely wicked throw. The lord rose from his throne, ready to punish the men for return so quickly. There could be no possible way they would have already found the creature.

"Did I not order you men to go forth and bring me the beast?"

"Yes, sire. But, you see, he-" the guard was angrily shoves aside when Mako walked forward, his amber eyes starring directly into Amon's and the lord's eyes slightly widened in shock. "-he…found us."

So, this was the create Lord Amon who chased all the faeries of the land to Mako and Bolin's swamp. Mako had never seen this man in person before, hardly even in pictures, all he heard about was stories. And not very good ones. The man most certain carried himself as a king, despite not technically being one, but that most certainly didn't stop him. He appeared intimidating, especially with his gray and black clothing and with his hands behind his back.

"Isn't this an interesting turn of events." said the lord and he slowly descended from the plate of stairs that led upwards to his throne sand approached his guest. Bolin and Asmai stood beside him. Bolin was more visibly nervous around the man, while Asami's reaction was a mixture of worry and anger. Amon arched an eyebrow as he studied the faerie's proportions, facial features and so on. He was quite a remarkable specimen, a perfect blend between a human and a faerie, his scales the color of rubies, and his eyes like burning ambers n a fireplace. The claws on his talons were sharp enough to cut through stone, and his wings indeed looked powerful enough to lift him.

"I thought you'd be…older." said the man, "Still, It's quite an ironic twist. I send my strongest men to find you, and yet you came over to see me nonetheless."

"Yeah, why is that?" Bolin asked curiously, "I thought you hatted faeries."

"No, my boy. I just think faeries and humans have far too much baggage in our history to really be equals. I was doing faeries a favor by relocating them to a place where they can flourish and be as free and wild to their heart's content."

"Oh, really?" Asami replied sarcastically, "I totally missed that when you had us stuffed into cages and placed for ransom!"

"My apologies if my methods came off as a tad…cruel at first. But I assure you, it was for the better."

"The better? You had every faerie crammed into my swamp!" Mako exclaimed, his wings slightly opening in reaction to his anger.

"Your swamp?"

"Yeah, my swamp! Where you dumped all of those faeries! The place isn't big enough for an entire village. That's why I'm here."

Amon studied the young lad's features for a moment. He knew that look anywhere. It was determination. A fire burning within him. Despite being a creature he despised, even though he attempted to make the facade that he did not just to get on his good side, he could relate to this.

"Indeed." he finally said, after a moment of silence. "You know, young man, you remind me a lot of myself."

"I'm nothing like you!" Mako spatted, the spikes on his back slightly rising, the sharp edges glistening in the light.

"Maybe not equal in everything, but I admire a boy with fire in his heart. The true soul of a dragon. Which is why I called you here." Amon walked towards a golden studded table in the corner of the room, where plates and cups were placed. His poured himself a cup of steaming hot tea and took a sip. Before him was a map of the entire land, from his kingdom, to the swamp, all the way to the farthest corners, just beyond the boarders.

"Ever since King Bumi's passing I had worked my fingers to the bone in keeping this kingdom running perfectly. And in doing so, I had to make some hard sacrifices. But, such as the reality of life, I am not meant to be here forever. And since Bumi left no remaining heir, and only the son of a king can inherit the throne, the only way for Navalon to continue thriving is with a king."

"But, you're not a king, technically." said Bolin, right before covering his mouth. To his relief, Amon remained unfazed.

"True. But, I can become one. All I need to do is marry a princess."

Mako tilted his head in confusion. Why was this man speaking to him about princesses and future kings? He wanted to get his home back not hear about his miserable love life.

"Sadly, there are no eligible princesses I can court….except for one." using a long measuring stick, Amon pointed to a specific location on the map, "There, in a tall tower lives a princess. My sources tell me is the the daughter of a neighboring kingdom but was sent to the tower to await the day someone would rescue her."

"Nice story, but what does this have to do with our home?" Mako asked, already growing impatient.

"I propose a deal." Amon said as he turned around to face them, "Go to the tower, bring me the princess and when you do I will give back your home."

"What about the other faeries?" Asami asked.

"I assure you I will find a better home for them." he said, but Asami did not fully believe him. She didn't trust this man, not one bit.

"Wait, isn't that the princess with the pythonaconda?" Bolin asked, fiddling with his tail nervously, "And where no man had come out alive?"

"Yes." Amon replied, "But, if I'm not mistake, you are not all man, are you?" Amon's gaze laded directly onto Mako, who secretly felt hurt over that remark. He already knew his kind were ostracized among people, he didn't need to be remind of it by him. Mako pondered for a moment before speaking.

"You'll give back our swamp? Exactly the way it was?"

"Down to the last toad stool."

"And the faeries?"

"As good as gone. So, what do you say?"

(~)