Parker looked at the stretch of land in awe. It was so fertile, so rich, as if it had not been touched by evil. But something was wrong, and he would find out what that was. But would that mean he'd give up his family, in order to find the source?

His family? Where were they? He pulled out his mother's letter and read it. Yes, she did say Beleriand. His family was heading to Beleriand first, before reaching the Land of Dragons. Did he miss them? Maybe they didn't make it to Beleriand. Oh no! That wasn't a good thing!

He glanced at Amanda, Draco, and Penelope. They arrived safely. He looked at Elizabeth finally, noticing he was being clingy towards her.

"Parker, are you sweating?" Elizabeth asked, curtly.

"Um… no. Of course not!" Parker lied, releasing his hot, sticky grip on Elizabeth's hand.

"Yes, you are!" Eliza protested, wiping her hand on her dress. "What's wrong?"

"My family's supposed to be here and they're not," Parker said, looking up from his letter. He looked around in confusion. "Where are they?"

"Perhaps we missed them and our families, too," Amanda suggested.

"Look, I'm sure it'll be all right," Draco said, noticing the portal behind them closing. "No, no, no, no, NO! NO! This can't be happening!" It was too late. The portal closed completely, leaving them stranded. "Now, what do we do?"

"Listen, we just need to relax and come up with a plan," Penelope said, calmly.

"Right! So, whose got one?" Draco asked immediately.

"Shh! Someone could hear us?" Eliza said, unamused.

"Then let them hear us! What do we have to fear? The mice!" Amanda shouted.

"Shh!" Parker told her. "We need a plan, not more yelling and screaming." He looked at the others in recognition. They needed a leader. "Let's find Dragon's Keep. From there, we should be able to find our families."

"If they're out there," Penelope said, curtly.

"I'm sure they are," Parker answered, keeping calm.

"Well, I'm hungry! Let's look for food!" Draco said, looking about the area. "Nope! No food here! Nope—" he looked up, surprised to see an elderly, blue-robed man standing before him, "—hey! Look, guys, there's an elderly king standing before us! Hi!" He waved sheepishly at the king.

The man smiled, turning to the companions in wonder. "You must come with me. There is a matter that needs attending to before I will take you to Dragon's Keep."

"Who are you?" Parker asked, cautious.

"I am Manwë and you have come at a most fortuitous time," Manwë said. He gestured for the group to follow. "Come. I will take you to my house. It's not far."

Parker looked at his companions for answers. There were none, except Amanda, who mouthed for him to follow Manwë. He sighed, realizing she was right. Parker looked back at the Elder King. It was clear that they had come for a reason. This was it!

"Lead the way," Parker said last, determined to find out what Manwë wanted.

.

Manwë's house stood atop a hill, overlooking a vast expanse of forest. The first thing Parker noticed was the excessive use of flowers, vegetables, and fruit. There was a farm nearby where pigs played, horses neighed, and the cows gave their milk to farmers. Right away, the red dragonoid was reminded of his own cow, Bonny Blue. He wondered what ever happened to her.

Manwë sighed, gesturing to the woods. "That is Doriath. Soon, it will be a home for the Elves. More than this I cannot say." He told the group, "Come. I'll make a pot of tea!"

One by one, the companions filed into Manwë's house. Parker looked at Doriath in wonder. He wanted to explore the forest. He feared he might get his chance. At last, he stepped over the threshold and entered Manwë's house, surprised to find all the wood furniture spread out in the living room, as well as a long wooden table in the dining room for either Manwë or his guests.

The painting Parker saw hanging on the wall, right above one of the wood fireplace's mantelpiece, was two elderly men standing side-by-side. One of them brandished a lightning bolt, while the other – Manwë – pointed to a large group of dogs. Amongst those dogs was a Dalmatian with a human girl, protecting the Dalmatian. Parker sighed, knowing it was a painting, but still, it was so much more than that.

"Ah!" Manwë sighed, smiling. "I see you've found my painting."

"Who are these people? They look familiar," Parker said, remembering bits of his past.

"Well, one of the men, you see in the painting before you, is me and the other is Zeus," Manwë said, pleased. "Aslan thought it best I might not reveal this painting in Beleriand."

"Why not?" Parker asked, confused.

"Well, you see," Manwë started, "now that we've come to these worlds, it's best that Zeus and I share a separate history. To think of what would happen if our paths crossed again. But don't worry! There will come a day when that moment happens. When it does, we can all finally be at peace."

"Who are the Dalmatians?" Elizabeth asked, curious.

"Well, one of them is Janus and her daughter, the human girl, is Janet," Manwë said, pleased. "Janus and Janet are responsible for helping us flee the First World before it was destroyed. They're quite famous, actually."

"Wait a second!" Elizabeth pieced it together. "You mean to tell me the worlds were brought to life because of a dog? What?"

"Trust me, my dear," Manwë said, slightly annoyed, "there are far better reasons for why the First World could have stayed alive. And yet, here we are." He gestured for Parker to sit down at the wooden, dining room table. "Now please, Parker, have a seat."

Parker reluctantly sat down. He chose to sit next to Elizabeth, in hopes of earning her trust. Whether this was good or ill remained to be seen. All Parker knew was that he had to protect her, even if it meant his life.

.

Lunch was blissful. Parker had never seen so much food and drink created with a wave of Manwë's hand. The food was the delicious, more so than during the red dragonoid's time in Oz. In fact, it was almost as if the heavens blessed him and his companions, while they ate and sang dragonoid songs.

Eventually Draco, Penelope, and Amanda sang a folksy song about the First World, which included bits and pieces of Janus and Janet's adventures. Towards the end of the song, everyone clapped and cheered, including Parker, who enjoyed the moment.

There was so much history that he had learned in just that song, and yet whether it was true or just an exaggeration was yet to be seen. For now, he was happy that he came to Beleriand and met Manwë; otherwise, he would not have heard this song sung for all to hear.

"That was beautiful!" Elizabeth cried in excitement. "Can you sing it again?" She asked Draco, Penelope, and Amanda. Parker smirked, chuckling. Elizabeth looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"

"Nothing," Parker smirked again. "It's just… this is the happiest I've felt in a long time. I'd rather enjoy this moment while it lasts, Miss Eliza."

"You don't have to keep calling me by that nickname," Elizabeth said, curtly.

"Why not? I've got to call you something. In time, you'll see it." Parker said, wondering if she understood.

"You like calling me Eliza?" Elizabeth asked, curious.

"It's easier to remember, but it depends on the person," Amanda said, knowingly. "With you, I see your name will be better said if we called you Eliza, as any friend would."

"Oh!" Elizabeth smiled, understanding. "I suppose that does make sense." She retorted, calmly, "I'm sorry. I'm not used to having friends. Most of my friends are already married and moved far away. I'm all that's left." She choked up. "It's hard going through life alone. I wish I could try something to get my friends back. Sadly, that's not it."

"Well, if you miss home so much," Manwë got her attention, "I can find a way to bring you back, to the last location you were at. You haven't been gone that long. The seconds passed in your world, all thanks to Aslan."

"Seconds? You're sure it hasn't been days?" Eliza asked, confused.

"No, not in your world. It's only seconds there. It's days for the rest of us," Manwë said, bluntly. He smiled at her, "Don't worry, my dear. We'll get you home."

"What about my bond with Parker? Does that stay after the quest is done?" Eliza asked, concerned.

"Or does it leave, like a bond broken in the wind," Parker said, taking a swig of his drink.

"I have a task for you, Parker, should you accept it," Manwë said, serious. "If you wish to keep your bond before you reach Dragon's Keep, then you must do this for me, for the sake of Arda. The world depends on you to succeed."

"What is this task?" Parker asked, curious.

"Go to Valinor. Fëanor is waiting, ready to crafting some objects. We need to ensure these objects don't fall into the wrong hands." Manwë instructed him. "Don't worry. I won't leave you in Valinor for long, but we need to ensure that the Two Trees of Valinor are kept safe. That's the key to this: finding the Two Trees and securing their lifeforce, as Fëanor is about to do."

"I'm not going alone!" Parker said, concerned.

"We'll stay with you," Penelope said, encouraging him.

"I'm not letting you fight by yourself," Draco said, awkwardly.

"I want to go with you!" Eliza cried, just as Amanda grabbed her wrist. "Please? Let me go with him!"

"Eliza, we stay here and keep watch, just in case Manwë tries anything suspicious," Amanda said, facing the Vala.

"You'll see no danger from me, lass," Manwë said, smiling kindly.

Amanda returned her gaze to the human girl. "We'll need to be here when Parker, Draco, and Penelope get back. The last thing we want is for them to wind up in the middle of nowhere."

Parker gulped. He hated this! Leaving Eliza with Amanda. He didn't know how Eliza would fare without him. What if their bond was a lot stronger than he thought? And yet, he knew this mission meant the world to Manwë. If he failed, then Arda would fall. If he succeeded, then there was a chance that everyone would be safe.

"We'll leave within the hour," Parker told Manwë, Draco, and Penelope. "I can't promise what we'll find in Valinor, but I hope we'll make it through all right."

"Yes. You'll leave right now." Manwë said, raising an eyebrow at the two short dragonoids. "Or when you've finished eating your food." He stood up and prepared the portal. Parker spun around, watching as a wooden fireplace yawned, creating a blue-hued portal. Parker turned to Eliza and took her hand. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her! But how? This quest was too important.

"I'll see you soon." The red dragonoid told his human companion, kissing her softly on the cheek. He stood up and entered the portal. He finished eating a while ago and felt that now was the time to move on. By the time he looked down, he saw Draco and Penelope standing next to him. Draco was still stuffing his face with bread, looking absolutely distraught.

"What?" Draco asked between bites.

Parker shook his head. So much for that plan.

*.*.*

References:

Zeus is from Greek Mythology.