A/N: I know this has taken forever, but I was suffering from writer's rut. But is finally here, the end of my story. Thanks to all of you wonderful people who reviewed part four: Melissa Davis (Hi Mel!!! All those months of nagging finally paid off.), Dara (You see how Ivan plays here and how close you were in guessing ^_^), Kitty Angel (Thank you, hope you like this), Darkstar (Ok, ok, sheesh! *grins*), Robin Reed (Hope you like the ending), Eclipse (Glad you think so), CheeLonos (I did!), Orcana (Sorry it confused you... hope you like the ending), ox King (Thank you, more sappiness coming your way), sam (*grins* Read to find out), AK-47 (Wow. I am proud that you can floow up without seeing the movie), Nexus (It gets a bit cooler, I hope), no need to know (*hugs* Feel better now?), and last but not least, Angie (I did it!!!!! *Hugs Angie and starts jumping up and down*)
Just in case, this is set up set several years after the movie DragonHeart: A New Beginning ended. Drake and Geoff have matured more. Geoff must be in his mid to upper twenties. Draco doesn't look like a youngling anymore. Looks more like his father, Draco (he is the same size as Draco). Oh, before I forget,
Please excuse any grammar and/or spelling errors, as English is not my first language. Any mistakes that you find and notify me with your reviews, or e-mail to me directly, will be fixed.
As always,
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, except for Emer and the plot.
Everything else is owned by Universal Studios, ILM, and anyone else who I
don't know about.
And now, the story.
DragonHeart - A Love Story
Part 5
The travel back was uneventful, the men taking the lead, talking about hunting, comparing it to their two kingdoms. Lady Emer and Anne rode behind them in silence. Lord Ivan kept thinking hthat it was a shame, in other circumstances they would have made great friends, but Alas!, it was not meant to be . There was a mission that needed to be completed, and afterwards, they might not even speak to him again. Just to test his theory, Lord Ivan looked at Drake and asked "Will you honor us with your presence at our wedding? I know that will mean a lot to Lady Emer."
Emer was immersed in her own thoughts, when she heard the question Ivan gave to Drake. Looking at Drake, she saw his reaction. Tightening his lips, he gave a false smile and said "Of course we will be honored to attend. Won't we Geoff?" For a brief second, Geoff looked at his best friend like he was crazy, and then decided to play along, 'Of course, we will be there." She was confused and a little bit afraid. She had never seen him react that way.
Dinner went pretty uneventful; the conversation still focused on hunting, Lord Ivan said, "Would you gentleman like to go hunting with us tomorrow? Is a great season for game, and we might even catch something big enough for the feast." finishing with an enigmatic smile. Drake and Geoff looked at each other, and Drake answered, "It will be a pleasure. It has been a while since I have hunted."
Once dinner was over, they retired to their own bedchambers. Drake was pacing in his bedroom, thinking how he was going to escape to the caves, so he could rest in his natural form. Suddenly, a sound of stone against stone caught his attention. Emer came out of a wall tapestry, smiling at him, "I wanted to make sure you got this room, as you can see, it has certain advantages." Drake smiled back at her, and after giving her a delicate kiss, he said, "Let's go. We cannot waist time."
Emer nodded, and taking his hand, lead him into the secret passage. Once they made sure the entrance was closed, Drake took the torch that was hanging on the wall and continued to follow her in a straight path through the dark tunnels, the torch the only light in the surrounding darkness. Emer stopped, and taking the torch from Drake, she put it in a placeholder in the wall.
Pulling a lever, he heard the now familiar sound of stone against stone, and he could se the moonlight getting into the tunnel from the entrance. They stepped outside, and Drake saw that they were outside one of the castle outer walls, the entrance hidden by bushes. The walls conveniently lead to an enormous cliff. Emer said to Drake, "To get in, press between the gargoyle's eyes. To open the entrance to your bedroom, there's a lever just like the one I used to open this."
Drake nodded, and said, "I'll see you in the morning. I'll return before sunrise." Emer put her hands in his arms, and said, "Be careful, my love. I'll see you in the morrow." Giving her a passionate kiss, Drake walked to the cliff. Looking backwards, he smiled at her, and jumped. The next thing she saw was a dragon soaring in the sky towards the White Mountains.
Ivan was looking at the sky in his bedchamber's balcony. He could not shake the feeling of betrayal, the pain he knew he caused to the one he loved. It was not meant to be. He loved her, but was destined to marry another, his best friend, no less. Stifling a yawn, he was going to turn in, when a movement in the sky caught his attention. His eyes went wide as saucers as he recognized the form in the sky. A smile crept on his lips, while thinking, "Having trouble keeping our true form, are we? This will be easier than we thought."
He returned to the bedroom, he needed to get up early for the hunt, and it looked like the game was going to be bigger than anticipated...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next day, everybody was awake really early, the hunt in everyone's mind that morning. Emer was sitting at the table talking to her mother and father when Ivan entered the dining room. With a smile, he said "Good morning, Lord Rupert, Lady Rosalind." Bending to plant a kiss on Emer's cheek, he said while sitting next to Emer, "And a very good morning to you too, dear."
Lord Rupert looked at his future son in law, and said; "You look like you are in a very good humor this morning, Lord Ivan." Smiling, he said, "Oh, yes, I am, Lord Rupert. I have a feeling that the game is going to be bigger than we ever expected." looking significantly at Lady Rosalind while saying this.
Lady Rosalind acknowledged Lord Ivan very subtly, and was about to say something, when Geoff and Drake entered the dining room. With a small bow, Drake said, "Good morning, Lords and Ladies. I hope all of you slept well." Ivan looked at the two knights coming in, and smiling, he said, "Lord Drake, Lord Geoff, how are you this morning? Ready for today's hunt, I presume?" Drake nodded politely, while Geoff said, "I have been looking forward to this since we started talking about this, Lord Ivan."
Ivan smiled knowingly, "I am glad. I have a feeling that we are going to catch big game today." Geoff and Drake smiled in response, and they proceeded to continue with their breakfast.
After much fanfare the lords left for the hunt, Emer and Lady Rosalind staying behind. Emer was about to leave when her mother stopped her, "Emer, can we talk? I need to speak with you."
Emer nodded, and silently followed her mother to her chambers. After Emer entered the room, Lady Rosalind locked the door with key. Emer, seeing her mother's actions inquired, "Mother, what are you doing?"
Lady Rosalind sighed, immediately looking at her daughter, "Emer, we need to talk, and I didn't want to be interrupted. You better take a seat, this is going to take a while."
Emer looked worriedly at her mother, "Mother, what is it? " Sitting next to her daughter, Lady Rosalind looked at Emer, a serious expression on her face. Looking directly into her daughter's eyes, she said, "I am going to ask you some things, and I want you to answer truthfully. There is much at stake here. Do you understand?"
Something in the tone of her mother's voice started to worry Emer, a sense of uneasiness flowing through her, but she nodded nonetheless, never breaking eye contact. Lady Rosalind took this as a good sign, and started her questions, "Now Emer, you told me that there is a dragon in Edwin's kingdom." Emmer nodded. "And you told me that you have seen this dragon." Emer nodded again.
Giving a sigh, Lady Rosalind continued, "And you have talked to this dragon?" Emer nodded once again. Looking at her daughter very seriously, she said, "How well you know this dragon? Are you friends with him?" Emer looked puzzled at her mother while saying, "Yes mother, but why so many questions..." Lady Rosalind raised a hand silencing her daughter. Looking again directly in her eyes, she said "I want you to answer honestly. Please do not lie to me. Are you in love with this dragon?"
Emer's eyes opened widely in surprise, "Mother, how do you...", Lady Rosalind's expression silencing her. "Tell me, do you love him?" Nervously, Emer answered, "Yes, I do. But how...", being silenced once again by her mother.
Smiling, Lady rosalind looked at her daughter, and said, "I know you have lots of questions, and are wondering why I am asking this. There is much you need to know, and so little time." Taking her daughter's face in her hand, she lifted her chin to look at her face, and said, "Every time I look at your face, is like I'm looking at your father. You look so much like him."
Confusion and curiosity took over Emer while saying, "But mother, I don't look like father at all." Smiling sadly, Lady Rosalind stood up, and turned around, facing the wall, "Emer dear, Rupert is not your real father. I was married before I met the man you know as your father... to a dragon."
Lady Rosalind turned her head as she heard her daughter's gasp of surprise. Shock in her face, Emer asked, "You... you were a dragon's companion?" Lady Rosalind arched an eyebrow to her response, "So you know about companions? Good. This will make it so much easier."
Walking to her dresser, Lady Rosalind opened a drawer, taking a small picture from it. Giving it to Emer, she said, "This is your real father. His name was Vahagn. He was very handsome. All the ladies of the court adored him. But he always looked so sad. Of course, he had no lack of ladies fawning over him, so I never gave him reason to take interest in me. I was rather shy, preferring to sit quietly in a corner, watching people dance around and have fun."
"In one of those Balls, I was hiding behind a column in a shadowed corner, watching the couples dance, when I heard a voice behind me, "And why is such a lovely lady hiding in the shadows when she should be enjoying herself?" You could imagine my surprise when I turned around and saw that it was Lord Vahagn."
"I remember that the only thing I could think so was 'I'm sorry, but you seem to have confused me with someone else. Excuse me.", and I left. I was not aware that he was following me until I felt a hand hold my arm. I stopped, and when I saw it was him again, I was actually annoyed."
"I let him know immediately I was very annoyed in my tone of voice, 'What do you want, Lord Vahagn?' He just laughed, 'Lady Rosalind, all I want is to have a dance with you. Is that so much to ask?' So I danced with him, and from then on, he continued courting me."
"One day, he came very serious. I asked him what was the problem, why he was so upset. When this happened I was already madly i love with your father. What he said next changed my life forever."
"He told me he could never see me again. He had to leave and would never return. I wanted to go with him, I was in love with him and told him so. He said that he would like for us to be together more than anything in the world, but I would be shunned by the rest. When I asked him why, he said to me that he was not human. He then transformed into a dragon, hoping to scare me away. Well, it made me love him more, knowing he had shun his own to be with me."
"I became his companion right after that. The stories you hear about a princess or a maiden that has been captured by a dragon, how wrong they are. They never actually think that the girl might want to be with the dragon of her own free will."
"For eighty years we tried to have a child, with no luck. You are surprised at this, aren't you? That is part of the dragon magic. Once you become a companion you age differently, so you can live with your dragon for many years."
"As I was saying, we tried to have a child with no luck. A good friend offered to do so in my place, and I accepted. Shortly after the eggs were placed in the nest, the dragon slayers came. They killed the two dragons, believing me to be a maiden kept to be a slave. Rupert was an apprentice of the dragon slayer at the time, and he took pity on me and took care of me. A year later, we were married."
"Years passed, and I still could not have a child. I heard Rupert's family making threats that if I could not have a child, I could be disposed of for someone who could bear children. He stood up to them, and so they said that if in a year I could not have a child, they would strip him of his name and titles."
"I didn't know what to do, Rupert had been so good to me, and he was going to lose everything because of me. Then I felt it, a tug from the dragon magic that had bounded me before. I then realized what it was. One of the dragon eggs had survived, and it was ready to hatch."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The hunt had been good so far. They had caught a stag, two does and five pheasants so far. Bow in hand; they continued trailing through the forest. Looking through the crossbow's sight the target was at hand, and had no idea it had been spotted. How ironic, the hunter had become the prey.
The timing was perfect, he was alone. The crossbow was released, and the arrow hit its target. Drake left out a cry, as a sharp pain took over his right shoulder. Geoff cried at the same time, his hand going to his shoulder and saying "Drake!", went to his friend, as he saw him falling from the horse.
The sharp pain destroyed the concentration required to keep his human guise, a golden light enveloping him while he transformed into his magnificent form. I van took charge, "Men! Take the ropes and tie him up! Bring the carriage for the beast!"
Geoff looked incredulously at Lord Ivan, "You! Dragon slayer!" Ivan saw as Geoff headed towards him, being stopped by one of his men by knocking him unconscious. Lord Ivan supervised that the dragon was secure and could not move from his position. Drake looked at Lord Ivan, "Why? Why you do this? I have never hurt anyone."
Lord Ivan looked sadly into the dragon's eyes, "I am truly sorry, but I had to do it. I'm following orders." Lord Ivan looked at his men, "It has been a good hunt. Let's go back to the castle."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Back at the castle Lady Rosalind continued her tale, "This was the opportunity I was praying for. I immediately went to the White Mountain caves with an excuse of visiting a friend. And I found it. It was hidden by the other eggs that had been destroyed the night the dragon slayers came. I stayed with it until the hatchling came out. It was the most precious thing I ever saw. It's small scales glistening iridescent against the amethyst."
"I immediately fell in love with her. Taking the last of the dragon magic I possessed, I transformed the small dragon into a human babe. I decided I would raise her as my own. I named her Emer."
Getting out of the memories by her daughter's gasp, Lady Rosalind said, "Yes dear, you are a true dragon, hiding in human form. That's the reason for all my questions. You and the dragon from Edwin's kingdom are the last of your kind. But now that you have found each other, it doesn't have to be that way."
Uproar could be heard outside; so curious, they both went to the balcony, where they saw the returning hunting party. Drake was being dragged in his true form, bound in ropes and chains, Geoff unconscious in one of the horses.
Fear gripped Emer's heart one word escaping her lips, "Drake!" Running desperately into the courtyard, her only thought was 'Please, let him be alive, please!' As soon as she reached the courtyard, Ivan greeted her, "Look Lady Emer. I have captured the most magnificent game to celebrate our wedding."
Emer looked at Ivan wit horror in her eyes, and stepped out to go to the dragon, Lord Ivan stopping her from doing so. Looking over her shoulder, Lord Ivan smiled, "Lord Rupert, a gift for you." Emer turned around to see her father nod in acknowledgement, "A magnificent prize indeed. You are truly worthy of my daughter."
Emer shouted "No!", while still being held by Lord Ivan with an iron grip. Pulling her closer to him, he whispered in her ear, "You are the only one who can save him now." Emer looked at Ivan, "What? How?" Lord Ivan smiled to her, "You know what you have to do. Just look inside yourself."
Emer looked at lord Ivan in disbelief. Her attention was suddenly brought back to Drake, as she saw some of the dragon slayers hurting her mate. That's right, he was her mate. She could feel a fury like fire start from inside herself, and struggling against Ivan's grip she screamed, "No! Leave my mate alone!"
Everyone stopped, looking at Lady Emer with incredulity and shock, the only ones smiling at her response where Lord Ivan and Lady Rosalind. Ivan's words played again in her mind, ""You are the only one who can save him now. You know what you have to do."
Closing her eyes, she looked inside herself, and smiling, knew what to do. She let the magic flow through her as her true form took over her body. Opening her eyes, they were glowing violet, as a golden light enveloped her. Lord Ivan stepped away from her as her transformation took place.
Lord Rupert saw with horror as his daughter transformed from a girl into a dragon. A magnificent amethyst dragon took her place, its scales shining almost iridescent with the light. The dragon spoke once again, her voice similar to Emer's, but with a power and a hint of roar behind it, her eyes never leaving the dragon slayers, "I said leave my mate alone!"
Turning to Lord Rupert, the dragon continued, "That's right, father. Drake is my mate. I tried to tell you before, but you wouldn't listen, and as yuo can see I am also a dragon. Do you plan to kill me a s well?"
Lord Rupert sighed, a terrible weight lifted from his shoulders. Looking at the men he commanded, "Release the dragon!" Looking at his daughter, his expression softened, "I am sorry about this deception. For years we have tried to bring you to your true form with no luck. We hoped that this would be our last resort. I didn't want to hurt Lord Drake either, but we had no choice. I am sorry to have deceived you, my daughter."
Once Drake was released, Emer went next to him, his eyes opening wide and his voice uncertain, "Emer?" Emer looked at Drake, locking her gaze with his, "Shh. Is all right, I am here with you, my love. Just hold still, this is going to hurt a little." Taking the bow out like it was a splinter, Emer sealed the wound by breathing fire on it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Emer was looking outside the balcony, watching the magnificent sunset. An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently against a strong chest, making Emer smile. Leaning her head into her fiance's chest, Emer sighed. "Is there something bothering you, my love?" Turning around to face Drake, she answered, "I just wished Elizabeth could be here with me. She is my best friend, after all."
Drake gave her an enigmatic smile, and looking down from the balcony, he chuckled, "Well, what do you know? There's Princess Elizabeth." Widening her eyes, Emer looked down as well, "What? Drake! You know the doctor' orders are that you need to rest. I expect that also means no flying. How is your arm?"
Chuckling, he answered, "I am fine, my love. Go and greet your friend." Emer looked down once again, and saw that Elizabeth had spotted her, and was waving towards her. Emer smiled and said, "I'll be right down." Taking Drake's hand, Emer left the balcony towards her friend.
Elizabeth was a bit nervous. When Emer had told Elizabeth that her father was a powerful lord, she never expected any of this. Emer was a princess as well, and will be marrying the one she loved. A pang went into Elizabeth's heart, his words still echoing in her voice, "I am sorry, but I can not see you again. I have been betrothed to another, in order to unite our two kingdoms. But please believe me when I tell you that no matter what I will never stop loving you. Good bye, my love."
She was so caught up in her memories she dismissed the next words as part of her imagination. "Elizabeth? Is that you?" Realizing she had actually heard the words, she looked at the direction of the voice. There he was, just as handsome as she remembered. Her voice faltered, "I... Ivan, is that you?"
Ivan could not believe it. It was announced that one of Emer's closest friends would be attending the wedding ceremony. So when Geoff announced that the lady had arrived, he felt compelled to go and greet her. He was shocked to see that the lady in question was no other that his Elizabeth. Without thinking, he worded his surprise, "Elizabeth? Is that you?"
Seeing the tears forming in her eyes and listening to her trembling voice as she said his name was too much for Ivan. Running towards her, he pulled her close to him, taking her chin with his hand, "My love, would you ever forgive me? I know that what I did is unforgivable, but I just ask for another chance to show you that my love for you is true. This time, no one will be able to pull us apart. Will you have me?"
With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth could not believe what was going on. Ivan was with her, and smiling at his words, she let tears of happiness flow to her face, "Ivan, my love. I have missed you so much." She could not continue, as his lips covered hers in a passionate kiss.
Emer and Drake just arrived to see Ivan and Elizabeth embraced in a passionate kiss, both of them with tears of happiness in their eyes. Emer arched an eyebrow, "This is a surprise, all this time they loved each other, but I never knew who the other was." With a chuckle, Drake cleared his throat, making the other couple separate, both red with embarrassment.
"Well I take we will have to make arrangements for another wedding soon, for what I see. Now, the only one we need to find someone for is Geoff." Making the two couples chuckle in amusement.
A child's voice could be heard, "What happens next?" A chorus of ten to twelve other voices joined the first, "We want to know too!" A voice behind them said, "It is past your bedtime children. You will hear the rest tomorrow." A chorus of disappointed voices could be heard, as the little ones marched to their beds, tails swishing in compass with their steps. Once they made sure their young ones were settled on their nests, Emer chuckled with amusement, "You are spoiling the hatchlings, love."
Drake smiled as well, "I know, but they are growing up so fast. Soon it will be time for them to leave and have lives of their own. It will be so quiet when they leave." Smiling, Emer said, "I don't think that will be a problem, love, and showed him the nest, where ten new eggs were showing, gleaming in the firelight. "Ten more? My love, I love you so much. Ten more hatchlings, who knew we would be so successful?" "That is because you are doing such a great job of making sure we are not the last of the dragons, my love."
Finis
A/N: Here is where I need your reviews people. Any grammar errors, let me know and I will fix them, English is not my first language. Please review, and thanks for any suggestions, ideas and plot bunnies that you sent. I am not too sure about this ending, what you think? Let me know if I should change it or add to it, etc. Thanks!!!!! =-)
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