Author's Note - I just want to say Thank you for all the feed back...Okies then, here is chapter

two...sorry if things seem repetitive, it will get better soon...Oh and I have no true idea

how military operations work...

Chapter 2

With the return of consciousness Rhiannon felt something burning her chest. Groaning she tried to remove the hot object, but when it still remained after a few tries she gave into the feelings of frustration and cursed. Scowling she opened her eyes and glared at the offending object, the "charm" on her necklace. While many people would consider a sentient object fascinating Rhiannon would at that moment have gladly destroyed her necklace's charm.

While thoughts of volcanic infernos dances through her mind Rhiannon missed the sound of the door opening. At the sound of a man clearing his throat her eyes flew open to meet the gaze of a pair of concerned amber eyes. Standing at the side of the hospital bed in which she lay was Ian Nottingham, the wielder of the stone and the protector of the Blade's wielder.

Looking at him Rhiannon saw the many changes in his appearance and gave thanks yet again that Irons was dead. His death has released Ian to be the man he was destined to be. Looking at her friend on a deeper level Rhiannon's relief was replaced with outrage as she saw traces of Kenneth's taint trying to latch on to Ian. Her feelings of outrage caused her charm to grow warm again and Ian's ring to glow a murderous red. Taking deep breaths she once again focused on the good, Ian was free to live his life.

Smiling Rhiannon allowed her mind to drift down memory lane to the day she had met Ian. It had been a hot, dry day in the desert that was the state of Nevada. Her unit and the Black Dragons had been assigned to work together on a "training" mission and neither unit had know how to act. Her unit had been the best the English and Irish military had to offer, while his had been so classified and need to know that almost no one had needed to know. They had been tossed into the middle of the state of Nevada with few supplies and one goal, survive. Little had they know that they had become the lab rats for a group of scientists wishing to study human behavior under extreme circumstances. At first the two units had kept to themselves, but supplies had quickly run out for both groups forcing them to work together.

While the Black Dragons had been enhanced through chemical means and training they had often over looked the simplest and most effective solutions. Rhiannon's unit had been the solution to that problem. Pairing up a Black Dragon with a member of her unit had created a knowledge pool from which the pairs could work, allowing them to survive until the scientists had grown bored and called a halt to the so called training mission.

At the end of it the two units had been sent on their separate ways and that might have been the end of it had she been anyone else or he been anyone else. But she was the Guardian of the Hallows, four items crafted before the dawn of time, and therefore had the responsibility of seeing that each Hallow found its true wielder. In Ian Nottingham she had found the wielder of the Ring of Lia Fail or Stone of Destiny.

Knowing something and acting upon that knowledge are often two things that are separated by long lengths of time. It had taken her a year after their units had separated to decide Ian was worthy of the ring. Having decided it had been another two months before she had been able to separate him from Irons for long enough to teach him how to wield his hallow and his duty to the blade's wielder. Kenneth had taught him duty to the blade but it was far different from what it was meant to be. In teaching him and putting him on the path to his destiny, she had planted the seeds of rebellion inside him and knowing that Rhiannon couldn't help but grin like a Cheshire cat.

Watching as Rhiannon was swept away by her memories Ian felt his ring pulse, as it always did in her presence and in the wielder's presence. Having gotten used to it, he likened it to the was a dog would wag its tail when greeting a friend or the purring of a content cat. Thoughts of dogs and cats reminded Ian of the surprise he had smuggled past the vast army of nurses and doctors.

Moving to the door he glanced around quickly before shutting it with a quiet click. Moving back to the bed Ian pulled out the best medicine for any ailment out of his pocket, a wiggling ball of fur. When he had gone to get a few necessary items for her from her hotel room he had come across the puppy and had at that moment been struck with on idea of how to help Rhiannon.

Placing the puppy on her chest Ian stepped back and watched as Rhiannon's stroll down memory lane ended suddenly. He felt a smile tugging at his lips as the puppy covered Rhiannon's face with slobbery puppy kisses. Hearing her laugh at the onslaught Ian know he had done the right thing. Watching the color return to her face he remembered all that she had shown him and taught him. She had given him so much and now he feared he wouldn't have the time to return the favor. In the absence of her brother the doctors had informed him of her condition, she was dying and had neglected to tell anyone.