A slightly longer chapter today, so enjoy :D

Chapter 56

Seeing Blue on the ground waving his arms, Calla led the Dragon Riders down and landed in front of him. One dragon in particular was very pleased to see Blue and bounded up to him, knocking him over backwards.

"Oh my God; he's being attacked" Jeanne gasped.

"Non Jeanne, that is Speedy and he is Blue's dragon" Mallory corrected her "He is just over excited, like a big black puppy."

Mallory was soon proven right when Blue managed to get back onto his feet and hugged the dragons affectionately. He then spoke to the other riders for a moment, sending Calla and Windstorm over to the Leclercs.

"Good morning" she gave a simple greeting.

The sight of such a young girl sitting high on the back of a creature that should not even exist, proved yet again to be a truly life changing experience; just as it had been for Mallory. Jeremie stared at the dragon with his mouth wide open, unable to believe what his eyes were showing him.

"Is... is that really a dragon?" he gasped.

"Well it's not a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel" Mallory shook her head.

"B-but they're not real."

"It looks real to me Grand-Pere" Jeanne admitted, her heart racing.

"And you want me to fit these creatures... with saddles?" Jeremie asked, still slightly shocked.

Calla heart leapt and her eyes opened wide when Leclerc mentioned saddles; now she too why they were there instead of flying south.

"Please sir, Windstorm is the only one of our dragons who has a saddle. It would be wonderful if you could help us out" she smiled.

Jeremie Leclerc glanced over to his granddaughter who looked back with a shrug. Blue brought the other riders and their dragons a little closer, but they still kept a reasonable distance.

"Mallory, why don't you bring Mister Leclerc and Miss Jeanne over to meet Speedy? He would love to say hello."

Both women helped Jeremie to limp over to the excitedly friendly Night Fury. The dragon did his usual sniffing of the air as they approached, and was pleased to sense there was no aroma of oiled metal and gunpowder.

"He seems to like having the top of his head rubbed" Mallory suggested.

"Yes... and his chin too" Blue agreed.

Jeremie Leclerc's fear soon turned to excitement as he realised being with this creature was no worse than standing with a large and powerful horse. Taking his time, Blue made sure the Leclerc's were able to become accustomed to all five of the larger dragons, as well as introducing them to the Terrors, who all soon started running around the farm playing games of discovery.

Now that the initial shock of seeing dragons was waning, Jeremie and Jeanne started to look closely at each of the dragons and attempted to work out the challenges they would face in fitting a saddle to each of their individual body types. Boris's frightening visage was still hard to get used to at first, but at least he was calm and still; unlike the eager Gronkle and the inquisitive Zippleback, who both made the planning stage quite difficult. Leclerc especially found being closely examined by the two heads of Lucy and Ricky was still very nerve-racking, even though he had already made friends with the Zippleback.

"Jeanne, I want you to go back to your parent's home and get the word out to the family" Jeremie eventually ordered "I want everyone who can work leather here as soon as possible; we've got a lot of work to do."

"Maybe Calla and Daisy should go with her" Blue suggested "It can be hard to disbelieve in dragons when you are looking at one."

"Good idea young man" Jeremie agreed.

As soon as Calla and Jeanne had left, Jeremie got straight to work re-examining the dragons, making notes, taking measurements, making notes, examining each dragons gate, making notes, watching the dragons in flight, and then making notes. More people began to arrive over the next forty minutes; some in awe, some in shock. One child was so thrilled to see the dragons, he had to be held back by his father. Meanwhile two of the adults instantly decided these dragons were not their cup of tea and they both retreated to the relative safety of the main workshop.

Under Jeremies direction, several types of standard saddles were tentatively fitted to some of the dragons specifically to look for problems that may arise later if not addressed now. Each of the riders helped him to understand where the dragons were strongest and each of their like and dislikes. He was most surprised to hear that although Abigail had been flying her Zippleback from its shoulders, the normal seating position was at the top of the neck, just behind the head.

The inside of the main workshop was a hive of activity with people marking, cutting and punching leather on long flat benches, while others used various methods to shape individual pieces. There were two large sewing machines on opposite sides of the shop, each one looking more like a drill press. They were each operated by a team of two; one to guide the work, and one to slowly turn a large steel flywheel. The long thick needles on these machines moved very slowly, giving the operator time to line up each stitch with pre-made punch holes done earlier on the bench.

Outside there were fittings, more measurements for harnesses, and a lot of play with several excited children. Jeremie could not believe the sight of his many grandchildren frolicking with these fierce looking creatures, so he sent one of his sons to fetch an old digital camera from inside the house. The dragons had no idea why everyone was standing still and smiling for the old man with the little box, but they decided to play along because it made the people happy.

Later in the morning the dragons were taken in pairs to the nearby river to feed and to give them a break from the kids, but for the most part they all basked in the attention they were given. There was even some jealousy between Lucy and Ricky when Lucy had her saddle fitted first. It seemed that for these dragons, a new saddle was clearly the must have fashion accessory of the season.

"Can you believe this" Calla said to Blue as she took his arm and rested her head on his shoulders.

"Yeah, it's amazing... and hard to believe after what happened yesterday. We're losing a lot of time but I think it's worth it" Blue smiled.

"Erm... excuse me" Gage approached from behind "You are the leader of the Dragon Riders?"

"Yes we are" Blue turned and nodded.

"I um... was wondering... if perhaps I... I could join your group?"

Blue and Calla both looked at each other wide eyed as this was truly a surprise.

"Well um... what does your mother think of you being a Dragon Rider?" Blue asked.

"I figure there was no point getting her to agree if you said non, so I came to you first."

"What do you think?" Blue checked with Calla.

"Ah... well then... I think... I think I have no idea" Calla admitted "On one hand our Gronckle doesn't have a rider yet, but on the other hand we don't know what kind of a future we are flying into and with all respect Gage, we don't know you very well either."

"Oh I promise you, I will do my best" he replied eagerly "I have had much experience with flying, mama has even taught me how to land her plane, I have done the camping, hunting and fishing for most of my life, I am sure I could fit in with your friends."

"It's a risk" Blue said to Calla "but I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to his mother about it."

"BLUE, WE'VE GOT TROUBLE OVER HERE!" they heard Haley call out.

"Argh; why can we have just one problem at a time?" Blue asked the universe.

All three quickly wandered over to where Abigail and Haley were assisting Jeremie with Lucy and Ricky.

"Abby was about to test the new Zippleback seating position on Lucy's neck, when Ricky started getting upset and tried to snatch her away. This soon started a fight between the two heads as to who was going to get Abby as their rider."

Blue looked at the Zippleback and sighed. The now innocent looking dragon was being comforted by Abigail as she stood between heads, hugging each one.

"I guess you'll have to go back to riding on the shoulder between them" Blue shook his head.

"Hey Blue, what about our eager little French friend?" Calla suggested.

"Little? I'm taller that you" Gage protested.

"We haven't spoken to Mallory about it yet, plus we don't know how Lucy and Ricky are going to feel about him" Blue noted.

"Then we shall see" Gage smiled.

Trying not to look too pushy, the French boy walked slowly up to the dragons and greeted the right head with a slight bow.

"Hello Lucy" he greeted.

"That's Ricky" Abigail snickered.

"Oh sorry, I thought Ricky was the right head."

"Yes, but the dragons right, not your right."

"Ah I see" Gage nodded "Do you think I could try sitting in Ricky's saddle?"

Abigail looked to Blue and Calla, but they both just smiled and shrugged.

"Okay but first come and get to know her better; you pet Ricky and I'll take care of Lucy" Abigail suggested.

They took a few minutes getting the dragon used to having two people fawning over her. For some unknown reason both Lucy and Ricky were happy to have someone paying them attention, while at the same time continuing to be jealous of each other.

"Mom said Saffy and I were the same when we were young" Abigail admitted.

"What did she do?" Blue asked.

"Shouted sometimes, but mostly she would separate us to opposite sides of the room until we agreed to play nice."

"Give it a try" Blue shrugged.

Abigail directed Gage to take hold of Ricky's new bridle and gently lead her around to the right while she went left with Lucy. The result was instantaneous as both sides of the dragon calmed down and payed full attention to the person in front of them. Lowering Lucy's head close to the ground, Abigail then pulled herself up into the saddle and nodded for Gage to do the same.

"I think its working" Abigail said with caution.

Both Ricky and Lucy seemed very pleased as the riders rubbed their hands on the side of the dragon's necks. They naturally turned back towards each other though and started growling as soon as they noticed the other head had a rider too.

"Hey... no" Abigail pulled Lucy's rein slightly to the left to stop her from snapping at Ricky.

As soon as Gage noticed what she had done, he repeated the action with Ricky.

"They'll get used to it eventually" Calla smiled as she took Blue's hand.

"I guess they'd become too accustomed to having to share Abby, neither one could accept seeing the other with its own personal rider" Blue thought out loud.

"As I said, they'll get used to it" Calla repeated.

"I suppose it's time to see what Mallory has to say about her son coming with us; although I must admit to not being sure about it myself" Blue confided in Calla.

As they went to find her, Speedy trotted away from his saddle fitting to proudly show Blue what he had on his back.

"Hey, somebody bring that dragon back!" one of Jeremie's relatives called out.

"Come on Bud, you're not done yet" Blue smiled as he returned Speedy to his small team of fitters.

"Ah merci" the man acknowledged "he is a very excitable animal."

"More than you'd imagine" Blue nodded.

The young Night Fury looked very disappointed when the people around him removed the saddle and took it away; he thought he was being punished.

"It's alright Speedy, you're a good boy and we all love you" Blue tried to comfort the dragon "I'm sorry bud but you'll have to wait till the nice people have completed your saddle; it isn't quite finished yet."

Blue wasn't sure if Speedy understood, but the soft words and kind gestures from his rider did make him realise he was not in trouble. Deep down in the back of his mind, Speedy had thoughts and memories of Toothless, and he felt a strong desire to make his noble and powerful Alpha proud of him.

By the time Blue managed to get away and join the others, Mallory had already given her negative answer. Still sitting high on the Zippleback, Gage looked disappointed but resigned. He had genuinely hoped to join the Dragon Riders, but he knew inside there was very little chance it would happen.

"Maybe I should try talking to her" Blue suggested.

"Wait, Haley is already doing exactly that" Calla told him.

Not far away, Mallory was trying to be insistent about being against her son leaving with the Dragon Riders, but she was not prepared for the direction Haley was about to take the conversation in.

"I can understand why you would not want your fifteen year old son to leave home so suddenly, but you have to think about the rest of your family as well as the Leclerc clan and the rest of Lyon as well" Haley began.

"What are you talking about; how does this affect them?" Mallory shrugged.

"Blue and Abigail's parents, along with many of their friends, are highly involved with the Mars Project and the continuing operation to get as many people off Earth as they can before the big one hits. Of course you all would all be a part of the evacuation, but having Gage so close to the people in charge would surely help all these people to go sooner rather than later" Haley said while gesturing to all the people busily working behind them.

"Are you saying Gage would get the people of Lyon special treatment?"

"Not at all because the Railgun team don't work that way; but to put it differently, it would mean everyone here would be effectively in the front of Doctor Spencer's mind when the space shots restart."

"So who is this Doctor Spencer?" Mallory asked.

"She is the head of the Railgun Project and chief organiser of new space construction. A fair woman and dedicated to her work."

"Non... non... I'm sorry but I cannot let my son go just to get myself high on the list of people to be saved" Mallory insisted.

"What about them" Haley nodded towards Jeremie Leclerc's grandchildren as they marvelled over the dragons.

Mallory just stood silently and considered what future those children had on Earth. As she took a deep breath and sighed, Haley suddenly realised how powerful a weapon guilt could really be when used ruthlessly.

Not far away, the outfitting of the dragons continued at a feverish pace, with people hurrying everywhere. It seemed the only one going slow was Jeremie Leclerc, who was now limping his way towards the Dragon riders.

"Monsieur Blue, I would like see you out the back of my house if you please" he asked politely.

"Certainly" Blue agreed.

Taking care not to push Leclerc too quickly because of his injured foot, Blue tried to make pleasant conversation so as not to appear frustrated with the slow pace.

"May I ask how you hurt your foot?" he started off.

"Oh zis? It is such an embarrassing thing for a man such as myself, who has spent his entire life working with horses."

"Ah... I assume one trod on your foot then" Blue guessed.

"Massive bruising and two broken toes" Leclerc admitted "Fortunately Mallory was on hand to fly our local doctor out to treat my wounds. But now we must talk about you; I have been told many stories this day about your many exploits. Tell me Blue, is your sister really from Mars?"

"She is indeed sir" Blue nodded.

"And the kidnappers in North America?"

"Very true... unfortunately."

"I am also told that Lyon is not the only place you have had to defend yourselves from a frightened mob. Tell me honestly my boy; have you ever been forced to kill in defence?"

"Fortunately no sir, but I must admit that even dragon fire aimed at the ground can propel dirt and rocks in such a way as to cause injury. It weighs heavily on my mind that one day someone may be killed and I'm doing my best to avoid it, but we must defend ourselves."

"Oui oui" Jeremie agreed "and zis is why I have asked you to join me here; I would like you to meet Dieter Meyer, my son in law."

As they came to the back yard at last, Blue saw a tall smiling man holding two rapier blades, each with a cork on the tip.

"Oh, are you Jeanne's father?" Blue asked.

"No he is not, I have many children and many in-laws" Leclerc stated "After I heard of all the trouble you have encountered in your travels, I thought it would be advantageous for you to learn some defensive fencing."

"Guten morgen young man" Dieter nodded.

"Ah you are German" Blue smiled and offered his hand.

"Close, I am Austrian" the tall man corrected.

"Dieter will do his best to give you some basic knowledge in swordplay in the short time we still have together" Jeremie said in a very firm voice.

On Dieters direction, Blue stood in front of him with a rapier in his right hand, while he used his left arm for balance.

"Now don't try to touch me with your sword, just stop me from touching you" Dieter instructed.

As the tip of his opponents' blade pushed towards him, Blue's instant reaction was to jump back.

"Nein nein, with your sword; you try to touch me and I will show you."

Blue noticed Dieter did not take the balanced stance, but stood straight and upright with his sword at his side. Aiming for the centre of the Austrian man's chest, Blue thrust the point of the blade forward. Dieter did not move with supernatural speed, he merely lifted his arm and deflected Blue's attack to one side.

"Again!" the instructor ordered.

Blue tried to touch his instructor several more time, but each attempt was simply push left, right, or down.

"Notice I almost never deflect your attack up" Dieter pointed out "It can be done but you risk being struck in the face if you are too slow."

Time and again Blue tried to land his sword and failed, but he found the challenge to be quite enjoyable, and watching Dieter's movements was fascinating. After a few minutes, the pupil started to improve slightly and so the teacher widened his stance to compensate.

"Yes, keep going" Dieter encouraged.

And keep going they did until Blue realised he was expending far more energy that he had first realised and started to noticeably slow down.

"We will take a short break and when we resume, you will try to replicate what you have witnessed."

"I will try..." Blue panted "...but I won't promise anything."

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Hello again :)

I forgot to mention last time that it was Haley who assumed Hippopotamus translated as Horse-Potato, and Abigail who found the idea hilarious.

The cold weather is making a move on us but it's not too bad yet. Even so Boo Cat is spending more and more time hiding and sleeping in cosy places around the house and less outside.

Another thing I forgot to do last chapter was say hi to Tegan' and thanks again for reading this story. Shout outs of course to Vin, Draco38 and the Florida Guest, hoping you are all good and life is treating you well.

Au revoir mes amis, Marty.