Gah! I'm so sorry for how late this is! High school has been an absolute JERK. To quote Gollem: "We hates it!" Yes. Yes, I hate High School so much... On the plus side, Fire Emblem: Awakening is an amazing game, and I've made so many theroies about Fire Emblem in generl. But I'm rambling about something you guys probably don't care about, so on to the story!

Chapter 8

"How about some new dragons?" Astrid asked. They had flown home last night after staying with the village for another day. They had started to set up fences around the perimeter of the village, but the two of them still had a lot to finish. Seth had sent them home to make sure all was safe. They were still beating back mobs, but the worse was over.

"Sounds great! Which are you going for?"

"Fire."

"Ha! That's the one I'm going to go for!" Luka laughed.

Astrid smiled. "There are three ways to get a fire dragon: lava, fire or desert. Which do you want to try?"

"I'll try the lava method. You?"

"Desert."

"Alright. Just be careful." He seemed slightly reluctant to let go to the desert on her own, but he knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind.

"I'll have Frozen River with me." She pointed out.

Luka nodded. "Just be careful." He repeated.

"I will be." She smiled.

After getting her dragon egg, she headed off to the water pen. She entered and climbed into the saddle, noting that Rain Splash was asleep. Telling Frozen River to fly, she turned her to the desert. They got there quickly, and Frozen River landed on the outskirts, greeted by a few shouts of alarm.

"Astrid! You scared us!" Hale, a farmer, said as he recognized her. "Well, most of us."

"Hey, Hale." Astrid greeted the farmer. He was one of the villagers that hadn't had a dragon before. "Sorry about that. But you should probably start getting used to it. Luka and I are going to be coming on dragons—usually. Though our dragons might change." She added.

Hale nodded, embarrassed. His expression changed to confusion. "What do you mean, 'our dragons might change?' You only have one each!"

"Luka and I are going to hatch new ones. We're both going for fire dragons." She looked around. "Where's your brother?"

"Ah." Hale nodded. At her question, his eyes flooded with pain. "Rale was hit with a couple arrows last night. One lodged itself into his neck. The healers aren't sure if he's going to make it."

Hale's twin brother, Rale, was one of those few villagers who knew how to fight. They were called the 'Protectors,' and, as their title suggested, they fought the mobs off.

"What? How? The protectors all were iron armor!" Astrid was stunned.

"Spider jockey. A smart one, too. The skeleton told the spider to a climb a building and then it fired down Rale's neck. From what I saw, it went into his back too." Hale looked really upset.

"I'm so sorry, Hale. I'll go see him, really soon." Astrid liked dark-haired, sarcastic protector. He was one of her closest friends in the village. Luka's too.

Hale sighed and went to back to tending his crops. Astrid went to the dragon barn they had set up, Frozen River right behind her. After setting the egg down and punching it, she waited a minute to make sure it was a fire dragon.
"The lava method works." Luka's voice said suddenly in her mind.

"So does desert." Astrid answered silently.

"What's wrong?" Luka asked instantly.

"Rale's been hurt, badly. A spider jockey climbed a building and then hit him in the neck. Hale said that from what he saw, the arrow also went into his back. The healers aren't sure if he's going to live." Astrid explained her voice sad.

"Seriously?" Luka was lost for words. "I… I should come over and see him…"

"Perhaps you should, in case he dies…" Astrid agreed as she headed for the healers house.

She got the impression that he was nodding. As she entered the healers house, she heard a heart-wrenching scream of pain. Astrid winced and looked up. Rale was obviously on the second floor.

"Hello?" She called.

"Astrid!" Mist shot down the ladder and leaped into Astrid's arms.

"Hey Mist! You chose to be a healer, then?" Astrid asked, examining the little girls white robe.

"Yep." She smiled, but then her face fell. "But if I'd have known that Rale would hurt the day I chose, I might not have…"

"Rale is pretty well liked, isn't he?" Astrid said sadly.

"He is. He's one of those who would take an arrow before letting anyone else get hit. He's also like a big brother to all of us younger villagers. He and his brother are the best at that." She paused. "Rale's been asking to see you and Luka. Is Luka coming?"

"Yeah, he is. He'll be here soon."

"Alright. C'mon."

Astrid set Mist down and followed the little girl up the ladder. She climbed out and looked around. As she looked at Rale, her heart went to her throat.

"Astrid. I was hoping you'd come today." Rale said hoarsely. "Where's Luka?"

"He's coming." Astrid's voice cracked, and she winced.

"It's alright. The pain alone tells me it's really bad." He croaked.

Astrid examined him further, and noted that his spin wasn't broken. Blood had pooled on the sheets under his neck, and the bandage that had been wrapped around the wound was already soaked. The healers began changing it.

"Astrid?" someone called.

"He's up here, Luka." Astrid called down the ladder.

"Hey Rale…" Luka murmured as he turned to see him.

"Luka, good to see you again." Rale greeted his friend hoarsely.

"How're you doing?" Luka asked, running a hand through his spiky black hair.

"It hurts." Rale answered. He flinched as the healers set his head down. "Other than that, I feel like I could wrestle a dragon."

Astrid couldn't help but give a half smile. The fact that Rale could still be sarcastic when he was like this was impressive.

"We had just finished taking the arrow out when you came in." The young, ashen haired healer, Mella, murmured.

Astrid noted the arrow and then the pool of blood again. It made sense then. "His spine isn't broken, which is good."

Mella looked at her with some surprise. "You know how to heal?"

"Back in our old village, I trained as a healer as well as a fighter and dragon tamer/rider." Astrid explained. "We both did." She added, nodding to Luka.

"Perhaps you two can help?" Mist asked, her eyes brightening.

"We can give it our best shot, that's for sure." Luka answered.

Astrid gently removed the newly soaked bandage and ordered the healers to help her gently roll Rale over onto his side. Astrid and Luka examined the wound, gently wiping away the blood with a damp cloth.

"Do you guys have Saleroot? That might stop the bleeding." Astrid asked after a few tense minutes.

"Yes, we do." Elna, another healer, answered.

"Do you have Goldenrod, Sale leaves, flowers or berries?" Luka asked.

"Yes." Elna confirmed again.

"Go get some of everything we just listed off, please." Luka told her.

Elna nodded and, beckoning Mist to her, shot down the ladder, quickly followed by the little red-head.

"What will those herbs do?" Sam asked. He was the lead healer, and Rale and Hale's father.

"As Astrid said, Saleroot helps stop bleeding, but it's also a painkiller." Luka answered, looking at Astrid expectantly.

"Goldenrod is great at healing wounds and stopping infection, Sale leaves, flowers and berries do the same thing as both Saleroot and Goldenrod combined. I'm thinking that if the Saleroot on its own doesn't stop the bleeding, then the leaves, flowers or berries will. Or maybe I have to combine them all. I'm thinking that mixing Goldenrod with the leaves, flowers and berries will make the wound heal even faster." She paused. "Rambling, sorry."

"It's fine." Sam chuckled.

"I see I'm not the only one who rambles." Rale grunted. "For a while there, I thought I was the only one in the whole world who did."

"Here's the herbs!" Elna shouted as she returned. She shot up the ladder with Mist behind her.

"Great!" Astrid said. She took down a mortar and pestle and started to grind the Goldenrod up. Luka started to give Rale the Saleroot.

"Ack, it tastes terrible…" Rale groaned.

"Good. It's supposed too. If tasted good, that means it wouldn't work." Astrid explained. She added a few Sale leaves, flowers and berries to the goldenrod poultice after a moment's hesitation. "Roll him over again." She ordered once the poultice was completely mixed. She applied it to his wound once he was on his side. Rale winced and grunted, but he didn't cry out. They rolled him back over, and he smiled weakly. "I actually feel a bit better already. But I suppose that's just the painkiller."

Astrid wrapped Rale's wound and set his head back on the pillow. "Let him sleep." Luka said.

Rale was already asleep. They went down the ladder and went outside.

"I can't stay; I have an egg due to hatch, and if I'm not there, the dragonet might fly away. I wish I could, but once the egg hatches, I'll come back." Luka said regretfully.

"I have to stay. My egg is hatching here. Besides, it might be a good idea to have one of us here." Astrid said.
"Yeah." Luka nodded. "I'll see you in a day." He climbed into the saddle, wheeled Rain Splash around and launched into the air. Astrid watched him fly away before turning. "One of us needs to stay with Rale 24/7. Hopefully, he'll be better tomorrow." Astrid said.

"I'll stay with him tonight." Gale, the fourth and final healer, said. His sandy blond hair was ruffled, as if the wind had combed it.

"Thanks, Gale." Sam said.

Gale nodded once and vanished back inside. Sam went off to find Hale; Mella went back inside, leaving Elna, Mist and Astrid outside.

"I should probably go see if my dragon has hatched." Astrid said.

"Elna!" Mella called. "I need a hand! The pools leaking again!"

"I have to run. Can you take Mist with you? Seth is off gathering materials and won't be back until almost sunset."

"Yeah, I can do that." Astrid nodded.

"Yay!" Mist cried happily.

Elna disappeared inside, and Astrid lead the way to the dragon barn. Little growls floated from the barn, and Astrid perked up a bit.

"Is that what I think it is?" Mist asked.

"You bet!" Astrid grinned, though her eyes were still sad.

She opened the door cautiously and peeked inside. Instantly, the baby dragon raced to the door, and Astrid slipped inside, tugging Mist in with her. "He can't get out one door, but I just want to be safe."

The dragon growled in frustration, turned and skittered across the barn. Astrid nodded. "Well, once he grows up, I can tame him." She sighed. "I hope Rale gets better by that time."

"You like him, don't you?" Mist asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Who, the dragon or Rale?"

"Rale."
"Of course I do. But if you're asking whether or not I'm in love with him, the answer is no. Rale's just a good friend." Astrid grunted.

"But you're obviously in love with someone! I just have to figure out who…" Mist narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Good luck with that." Astrid snorted. "And how come a girl of seven has so much knowledge of love life?"

"Because I had a giant crush on someone once. And then he died." Mist said. What surprised Astrid the most was how calm she said it.

"Hmm. Well. You hungry? I don't exactly thing you want to stand around all day watching a dragon grow up."

"Yeah, I could eat." Mist said, starting for the door to the house.

Astrid strode forward to catch up with the little red-head.

"How's it going?" Luka asked later that night, his voice startling Astrid from her thoughts.

After lunch, Astrid had gone out to work on the fence surrounding the village. After completing what she could, she, Mist and Frozen River had played together, their games interrupted occasionally when mobs came around.

"It's going pretty well. My little guy iss almost fully grown and Rale's doing better. I think he's going to make it." Astrid added tentatively.

"Great. I'll be there tomorrow morning on my fire dragon. I'm going to name her Phoenix, by the way."

"That's a great name. My dragon's name is going to be Torch."

"I like that one."

"Thanks. I might actually fly back on Frozen River tonight and then run back on foot. I'm not too sure right now. Trying to get two dragons back at once is kind of hard."

"Yeah. At least they will follow you."

"True. I'm not so sure right now, though. I suppose I should make my decision soon, huh?" Astrid sighed.

"Probably. Just be careful, whichever one you choose!"

"What's wrong with you?" Mist said suddenly.

"Huh?" Astrid started. "Oh. Nothing, just thinking. I'm trying to decide if I should fly Frozen River back or if I should wait…

"What?" Luka's voice was faint.

"Oh, sorry, Luka! I forgot to detach from your mind. I'm talking to Mist."

Luka nodded and she detached from his mind. "Sorry, Mist!" Astrid apologized. "My thoughts dragged me down again. What did you say?"

"Your dragon's full grown!"

"He is? Sweet." Astrid grinned and entered the barn. She took some fish out of her pack and the fire dragon raced over. After three fish, hearts rose and he growled. "Welcome, Torch." Astrid greeted her new dragon.

"He's so cool! Can I pet him?" Mist asked.

"Of course. Just be careful that you don't punch him, though. I don't want to have to explain to your father as to why you're dead."

Mist chuckled and stroked Torch's nose and Astrid put the saddle on him.

"Astrid? Mist?"

"Dad!" Mist shot off to the door.

Astrid shook her head and followed her. "Hey, Seth." She greeted the red-haired blacksmith.

"How's your dragon doing?" Seth asked as he scooped his daughter up.

"Fully grown and tamed. I'm going to take him out for a test flight here soon. Then I have to decide whether I want to ride Frozen River home or wait till morning."

"Well, maybe being in the air will help clear your mind." Seth said.

"I'll walk you guy's home, first. It's too dark for you to go home on your own. Wait until I open the door to come out. I want to bring Torch out for extra protection."

Seth nodded and Astrid went back into the dragon barn. Climbing into the saddle, she urged Torch toward the door and opened them. He emerged, greeted by moans from zombies. Astrid dismounted and closed the doors quickly. "Already?" She complained.

She drew her sword and opened the door. Seth and Mist warily came out, fear etched on their faces. They reached the blacksmith safely and Astrid sheathed her sword before climbing into the saddle. She launched Torch into the air and then flew around low, dodging arrows.

"Oh, I like you, Torch. You fly so smooth!"

Torch turned his head around to grin at her.

"Have you decided?" Luka asked.

"I think so, yes."

"And?"

"I'm flying Frozen River back. I don't know why I was stupid enough to wait till night though." She finished with a sigh.

"You can always bring Brave and Wise with you." Luka suggested.

"True. I'll see you in a minute."

With that, she turned Torch and guided him down to the barn. He landed and she dismounted, making him sit with a bone. She then climbed into Frozen River's saddle and told her to launch into the air. No need to bother Brave and Wise. Astrid thought.

The night was cool, the leaves bleached in the light of the moon and the stars. The dark haired young woman cast her gaze up and noticed that the moon was almost full. "Hopefully, I'll be able to see mobs with this light…" She mumbled to herself.

Frozen River growled something and sped up a bit. Finally, the ice dragon thumped down on one of the pedestals in the water pen. Her pure white scales glowed in the moonlight, her wing membranes, horns, claws and spines glowing ice blue. She gazed at her trainer with a glowing emerald gaze and nuzzled Astrid fondly. Astrid smiled, told her to sit down, and then sprinted off back to the desert. Almost instantly, she heard the wails of zombies and the clattering of bones. Astrid hissed and sprinted faster. She ducked with a strangled cry of shock as an arrow whizzed past her face. She started zig-zagging to dodge the arrows. She saw the river through the trees and Astrid pushed herself harder. She heard the hiss of a creeper and she leaped forward, landing hard on the ground and taking a bit of damage. The creeper exploded, sending her flying into the river. Claire remained under the water for a while and then she pushed up to the top. She exploded from under the surface and kicked out for the desert shore. She clambered up and shook her hair out before sprinting to the village. She opened the gate and closed it before sprinting in a ways and stopping, panting. Astrid quickly ate some bread and then headed at an easier pace to the healers hut to find Elna sitting outside, chewing on some tansy, probably to calm her nerves from the day.

"Hey, Astrid." She healer greeted her, setting the stalks aside.

"How's Rale?" The trainer asked.

"Sleeping easier. That Saleroot is definitely working."

"Great."

"He'll probably want to see you when he wakes." Elna advised. "I'd go sit with him, but he and I don't get along that well."

Astrid dipped her head and headed into the healing house, where she climbed the ladder and relieved Gale on watch duty.

*cough* Yes, this was not the chapter I was raving about, I thought it was, but... I was lazy and didn't make sure XD Chapter 9 finally has some action. And my style actually shifts from the old to the new towards the very end of this chapter. Chapter 9 onward is my new style, the one you see in the one-shot that gives a little history of this story! I also want to point out that Chapter 9 is going to be ver delayed... I haven't even started it... *sigh*

QotD: Which dragons do you think Astrid and Luka will go for next? And what do you think those dragons will be named? Remember, the name is determined by the element the dragon represents.