Chapter 17) Dragons

We were complacent, and it nearly cost us. Thankfully, I had the sense to hold onto the Loptyr tome during the battle, but it was almost stolen from us. That would have been horrifying to say the least. If Galle reclaimed it, then all of our work would be for naught…

The presence of the Deadlords, and Acheron, also reminds us of the terror we are fighting. It isn't simply soldiers. It's also literal undead, who can only be killed if you hit two certain spots and who might be anyone's loved ones. To make it all the worse, you would never know until you fight one of them.

We're such idiots, aren't we? But we have to keep going. Otherwise...

The tome was right here in my bag. I had my bag on the bed next to me. We still had the Loptyr tome. Everything was fine. Everything was fine. Sadly, convincing my mind of that without constantly checking was a feat far beyond me. It felt like every other second I had to physically hold the tome in order to make sure we truly did still have it. It was such a stress on my heart and on my sleep. I hadn't had a good night's rest since the attack.

None of that, of course, was helped by seeing Acheron and, worse, having him rifle through my head. Did I forget something important? Would I even know? If you forgot something intangible, like a memory… you wouldn't realize you had forgotten it, right? You wouldn't even think of it. So, in addition to constantly checking for the tome, I was constantly checking my own memories. I remembered bits of my childhood, like normal. I remembered life with Galle and Hezul in Belhalla. I remembered our escape. I remembered meeting everyone. I remembered the camp. I remembered forming the Rebellion. It didn't seem as if I had forgotten anything I would consider 'important'. But was that truly the truth or simply a comforting lie brought about by ignorance.

Then there was the worst part of it. Perhaps it hadn't worked. Perhaps I did remember everything. But it was nauseating to think about anyway, and there was something uncomfortable about knowing someone had been in my head. My mind had been the one bit of 'privacy' I ever had in Belhalla, and to have even that violated was… frightening. It also made me question what memories I had. Had Acheron done this in the past before? Was that why Hezul and I didn't really remember that much of our childhoods? Had Acheron taken those memories from us to better ensure that we would never run? Had there been something we had seen in the past, heard in the past, that he took away?

All these questions bounced through my skull constantly, and the eventually lack of rest ended with me being very dizzy and nearly fainting, meaning I was banned from working for the day. I knew the others were only thinking of my health, and I could understand why, but having nothing to do only left me to my thoughts. Ha… it was as if my own mind was trying to chain me more securely than Galle ever did and, worse, was doing quite well at it. It was frustrating to say the least.

Shaking my head, I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to ward off my growing headache. I had been gloomy all morning due to boredom and my own anxieties, not helped by how I was alone in the house. It was almost amusing. I used to be alone all the time, and yet now, it hurt my heart to be left alone for long. Truly, it was… something. But I desperately wanted to see something actually amusing, so I looked out the window, hoping I might see something. Luckily for me, I did. Skuld was chasing after Dain, again.

Apparently, in Grutia, one showed 'proper gratitude' by gifting a handmade bracelet. Since Dain had saved her life, Skuld had been trying to give Dain one she had made, an honestly beautiful one made of blue and white thread woven together to secure a beautiful pale-blue gem. However, Dain insisted that it was nothing to thank him over, because it was only natural to protect someone, and thus, kept on refusing it. It led to a rather interesting sight of Skuld trying to sneak it on him, and Dain running away. That was what was going on now, and it made me laugh to see the two of them argue as they walk-ran down the streets. The smiles on the townspeople told me they found it amusing as well, which was nice. Though everyone did their best, the deaths weighed heavily on everyone and thus, they were not as cheerful as they had been before. It was saddening, if understandable, and provided yet another reason why we had to find victory somehow. Though now, there were all sorts of worries…

Growling, I shook my head and decided to look up at the sky, examining the fluffy clouds passing by and seeing if I could determine some sort of shape in them as the children did. Sadly, all I saw were 'blob', 'blobbier', and 'blobbiest', though I did keep trying, wondering how they managed to find 'rabbits' and 'cats' in the clouds. Eventually, I was distracted by the lone dragon flying over the city, but not because it was a dragon. Surprisingly, after a while, you did actually get used to them flying over your head. However, dragons always traveled in packs, yet this one was alone. I hadn't seen a lone dragon flying about before.

"Excuse me, miss?" It took a couple of blinks to realize someone was talking to me, someone I hadn't seen before. It was a young man with long light-brown hair worn loose, and surprisingly kind blue eyes. "Is Lady Skuld around?" he asked me. After a bit more blinking, I pointed to the door and got out of bed to actually meet him outside. "Oh, right, the windows here don't open. I forgot about that."

"It is fine," I murmured, wondering just who this man was. His clothes were noticeably different from what I had seen the others wear, reminding me far more of what the knights would wear under their armor. However, it was much simpler, so I knew he couldn't be from Belhalla. "You are looking for Skuld?"

"Yeah, is she here?" He smiled. "I know that she runs all over the place doing chores and whatnot."

"Well…" I looked around, seeing that Skuld and Dain weren't within sight. They must've moved on while I was cloud-gazing. "She's probably chasing Dain still, and Dain had work in the fields, so perhaps she is there?"

"Dain? That's a new name." His smile became a grin. "Which might also explain why I don't recognize you, huh? I'd remember such a pretty lady."

"Pardon?" That was… um… "My name is Gwyneth. Might I have your name?"

"Vidar. I'm part of the Resistance here in the south." He winked and I finally smiled, realizing what might be going on now. "You're that group gathering people for a Rebellion, yeah? Sorry for the wait. Been a bit busy a ways north. However, before we talk, I do need to be polite and greet Lady Skuld. Or the others are going to tie a knot in my tail."

"As I said, we might want to check the fields first." I went back to my room to grab my bag, just in case, and then left the house. "Let us see if I am correct?"

I did, in fact, turn out to be correct. Skuld was at the fields, still arguing with Dain. Dain was trying to hide through work and behind Noba, but Noba was too busy laughing to help him. However, Skuld did let up when she saw Vidar, but that was because she ran over to greet him with a smile.

"Vidar, welcome back to Grutia!" she laughed, barely stopping in front of us. Noba and Dain joined us, but that was mostly because I was out of bed when I probably shouldn't have been, so they were rather cross with me. "I see you have met Gwyneth."

"I have, and I'm guessing the tall one here is Dain, who you have been trying to hunt to no avail," Vidar instantly teased, grinning. Skuld rolled her eyes, while Dain looked confused and Noba laughed, amused. "I do not know the beauty here, though."

"Noba, Dain's sister, and an utter delight." She gestured to Noba, and now Noba looked confused. However, she also blushed and smiled. "I'm sure you've already heard about them."

"Yes, the ones gathering people for a proper Rebellion, at long last." Vidar winked at Dain and Noba. "I'm from the Resistance here. Pleased to meet you." His cheer dropped like a rock, though, when he looked back to Skuld. "I apologize for not coming to your aid when you were attacked. We were fending off a Child Hunt near Luthecia and didn't hear about it until recently."

"There's no need to be saddened, Vidar. Think of the children you saved from fates worse than death? No one was captured here." People were just killed. A lot of people were just killed. I never heard the final number, but... "We are doing well, grieving but moving forward. As we should."

"Still, it pains us to be so well-reminded of our limitations." Vidar looked over to Dain, Noba, and me. "We meant to get in contact with you sooner, but Luthecia took priority. If you don't mind, I can lead your group to where we live and we can discuss?"

"That does sound good," Dain replied, smiling slightly. Here we went again. "We'll gather our things, as well as the other three in our group." Skuld carefully crept closer to Dain while he was focused on Vidar. Noba and I exchanged an amused look. "It shouldn't take too long, though. We know where Baldur, Hezul, and Vala are, so..." Skuld snagged Dain's arm and slipped the bracelet on him before dashing off. "What the…!?" Dain growled and chased after her. "Damn it! I told you that I didn't need it!"

"No give-backs~!" Skuld laughed, keeping ahead of him. She wore a very triumphant grin, perfectly pleased with herself. "I win!"

"Been a while since I've seen her be so mischievous," Vidar noted, laughing as the two disappeared. He then bowed to Noba and me. "I'm going to follow and rest up. We'll leave whenever you all are ready."

"Of course," Noba replied, smiling brightly. As he left, however, she frowned at me. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I'll go back to the house to rest and pack," I reassured her, smiling. I was just glad we were able to move forward and work towards gaining their help. "I figured it would be better if I accompanied him."

"Mmm… fine. I'll let you off since it does make sense. One of us is going to carry you as we leave, though. You almost fainted, after all." She leveled a look at me when I tried to protest, so I simply sighed and nodded. "Excellent. We'll make Hezul do it. Then you two can cuddle and be adorable~!" She giggled and skipped away. "Meet you at the house!"

Giggling, I waved her goodbye and returned home, now feeling a little sad. It had been fun, living here in Grutia, and while I was glad to press forward to our goal, I also felt… it had been nice. I would've loved to have stayed. But we couldn't. We had too many people relying on us. Still, it was a surprise to see Neit waiting outside of the house. He had never come there before.

"Ah, there's one of you," he sighed, fixing his ponytail. He then pulled a pendant out of his pocket. "Where's the tome?"

"The Loptyr tome?" I asked, producing it from my pack. Then I handed it to him. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all." He tied the pendant around the tome and, for a split-second, I thought I saw shadows flicker over the cover, like a pinned animal. But then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, so I wondered if I had just imagined it. "There." He handed it back to me, and pulled several more pendants out of his pocket. "These ones are for you lot to wear. Or have on you. Better if you wear, but might catch during a fight. Not sure."

"I see…" I took them hesitantly, and studied one. Almost immediately, I saw a flicker of magic on them, but it was no magic I knew. "What are they?"

"They're charms to protect against scrying." He shrugged and crossed his arms. "They won't completely block it, as I don't have the materials to make that sort of talisman, but they will blur the image and effectively make it useless. Just in case."

"Oh!" That was honestly a relief. To know that they couldn't find us easily… Perhaps it was silly simply to take Neit at his word, but awkward as he was, he was also honest. "Thank you. It is kind of you to make these for us."

"It'll be troublesome if you all get caught. That's all." His voice was dry, but he also couldn't look me in the face. I thought he might have even been blushing. "Best get ready."

"So I shall." I giggled, amused. He truly was awkward. "Thank you, Neit. I mean it."

It took us longer to leave than expected, because the people of Grutia insisted on giving us a 'proper' send off, which was more or less a party. It was so strange, especially since the last few 'farewells' weren't like this. In the camp, it was sad, and everywhere else, it was simply us leaving. But they had insisted, and so, we participated. Then we left, following Vidar through the mountains. Higher and higher we climbed, and after the first day, I felt lightheaded and both Vala and Baldur fell ill. Thankfully, after the second, I was fine, and the reassurance of the charms led me to sleep just a little better. Vala and Baldur, however, continued being ill.

"Are you sure they are going to be okay?" Noba asked Vidar as we continued walking. She carried a dizzy Vala on her back, while Hezul carried Baldur on his. Dain and I hovered worriedly around them. "I mean…"

"It's the mountain's height giving them some trouble," Vidar reassured, smiling. He was as fresh as a daisy. "Their symptoms are still mild as well. There's no cause for worry unless there's fluid in the lungs. Or the brain starts swelling."

"That's not exactly reassuring." She glowered and lightly kicked his leg. "Will they be better?"

"When we're with my group, we can give them a medicine to soothe it, yes. I don't have any prepared on me. We'll also be at a lower altitude, so that'll help."

"And why aren't the rest of us affected?"

"It's a variable thing. Not all people can endure the tests the mountains like to give us. Rather like how not all people can, say, sing or knit."

"In that case, can you tell us more about what we will have to do in order to secure your support?" Hezul asked, shifting Baldur higher up on his back. Baldur attempted to lift his head to listen, but then groaned and let it rest on Hezul's shoulder. "Take a nap or something, Baldur."

"We're not far from the boundary," Vidar reassured. He looked around playfully and added. "I think." Vala raised her hand and made a rude gesture. "See, they're fine. But, more seriously, I want to wait until we're within the boundary. Just in case some priests are following."

"I hear no one besides ourselves."

"I don't know you well enough to trust your ears alone."

"That's fair."

"Thank you." He grinned. "Besides, like I said, we're not far. In fact, we might already be-"

"You're late, Vidar." The soft, drawling voice drew our attention up to the ledge above our heads, where a woman who almost seemed to be made of ice sat. "I've been bored waiting for you to bring our new playmates," she continued, voice lilting with an accent I couldn't place at all. Not that I was paying that much attention, entranced by her looks. Long light-blue hair was half-pinned up and fell all the way to her ankles, and her skin was extraordinarily pale. Her eyes were either a pale-gray or a pale-blue, and she wore light blue clothing to complete the impression. "Are these them?"

"You were just waiting for the dramatic timing on that one, Skadi," Vidar teased, stepping back. He smiled warmly at her and gestured to us. "Yes, these are them. The brave ones stirring up a Rebellion."

"Oh, and they do look like they'll be fun." Skadi jumped down in front of us and rested a finger on her cheek as she looked us over. "Very fun indeed. Have you told them about the three tests yet or…?"

"And rob you of any fun? I've no intention of getting my finger sniped off."

"You are a darling child, Vidar." She laughed and smiled at us. Now that she was on the ground, I saw that there was a jewel in her hair pin, a light blue gem that shifted in color. It… reminded me of the stones I had seen Naga, Forseti, Jarl, Salamander, and Neit with. Baldur had to be right; there was something more to them. But… "Welcome to Thracia or, rather, Thracia's outskirts. I'm Skadi. I'm your 'official' guide from here on."

"A pleasure," Dain replied, only a touch dryly. We glanced at each other, realizing that our normal spokesperson, Baldur, was sick, so someone else would have to talk for once. Almost immediately, Noba, Hezul, and I looked at Dain, who sighed. "Gods damn it, you three."

"Hee… looks like you're the chosen one," Skadi teased. Despite her good cheer, there was a distinct calculating look in her eyes. "So, tests?"

"We have to do three of them, you said?"

"No, no, I said there are three tests. They're mutually exclusive, more or less." She brought up her hand to count them off. "Easy, medium, and hard."

"That's… convenient." Dain glanced at the rest of us, and… well, I shrugged. Hezul and Noba couldn't really shrug with people on their backs. "How 'easy' is the easy one?"

"If you pass, you'll have all of us on your side in… oh, five minutes?" She smirked. "Fail, though… well, you'll be trapped into the 'hard' test and you'll likely lose one of your own." She leaned forward slightly, eyes glittering. "'Easy' involves one of you, and only one, to put themselves in a great amount of danger." Her smirk widened. "So, what do you pick? Do you gamble on the 'easy'? Or do you take the safer 'medium'?"

"Oh, is that all?" Dain shrugged. "Sure, I volunteer."

"You what?!" Noba yelped. Vala and Baldur immediately mumbled protests as well, as loudly as they could given their headaches and dizziness. Hezul and I simply froze from shock, to startled to voice anything. "Dain! At least discuss it with us first!"

"What's there to discuss?" Dain asked, rolling his shoulder. When Noba looked ready to keep yelling, he shook his head. "It's not the first time one of us has gambled their life to make things easier." Dain looked right at Hezul and me, and I realized just why he was doing this. He still felt guilty for us playing bait with Galle. "It's my turn now."

"I… you…" Noba growled something under her breath. I glanced over at Skadi and Vidar, and saw Vidar was stunned. Apparently, he hadn't expected us to agree or, at least, have someone agree so quickly. Skadi, however, looked thrilled. "Stupid… stubborn… brother…!"

"I'm sorry."

"If you die, Dain, I'm going to kill you."

"Got it, Noba."

"I mean it."

"I know." Dain looked to Hezul and me, tilting his head in a silent question. Hezul simply smiled wryly and I shrugged. Since he compared it to what we did with Galle, it didn't feel 'right' to protest. I also didn't know what I could possibly say to sway him. "So? Where do we go?"

"You will be coming with me, as we will have to take a different path," Skadi explained, gesturing Dain to follow her. She was still smirking. "I'll explain the details to you on the way."

"Meanwhile, the rest of you will come with me, to a place where you can watch the test, and get some medicine for your two afflicted," Vidar added, tripping over the words a little. Dain had truly startled him. "And some alcohol for the rest of you if you want."

"If you're breaking out the alcohol, save some for me."

"No way, you bottomless pit." Vidar rolled his eyes, and Skadi playfully sulked before walking away, again beckoning Dain to follow her, which he did after hugging each of us. "This way."

"Can we not stay with him?" Noba asked. Her normally ever-present cheer was gone, replaced with worry. I immediately went over to rest my hand on her shoulder. "I…"

"Unfortunately, it is too dangerous for that, and would lower his chances," Vidar answered, perfectly honest and a little too bluntly. Noba winced. "This way. It will be safest for all of you."

"...But I don't want to be safe if…" Noba looked down. Hezul joined us and Baldur managed to pat her head after a little bit of flailing. Vala did her best to hug her. "Oh, fine. Doubt you care anyway."

"If I didn't care, I'd simply let you go and get killed." Vidar's voice was soft, and sincere. "I am certain he would not want that, and I doubt this is the first time any of you have been in danger."

"Just keep walking and let her mope," Vala mumbled, lifting her head to glower at Vidar. It wasn't as effective as usual because she couldn't decide where to focus her eyes, but it did convey her meaning. "She was like this when Hezul and Gwyneth played bait last time. We're a family. We worry and long to be near each other when things are dangerous."

"My apologies for the unintentional insult, then," Vidar said, bowing slightly. Hezul and I shared a surprised look since no one had told us Noba had acted like this after we had left. We knew Dain had felt guilty, but not... "Follow me, please."

If Dain had this sick feeling in his stomach when we had left, I understood all too clearly why he demanded we never use a bait plan again. I hoped I would get to apologize.

Vidar eventually led us to a very strange area. It almost seemed like a natural 'arena', with a large open space surrounded natural jagged cliffs of various heights. Some were small, like a small balcony, while others were humongous, stretching all the way to the clouds. Vidar had us sit down around some 'medium' height ones, and then left to get medicine for Vala and Baldur, as well as some bits of food. Hezul, Vala, and I were the only ones who ate, though. Noba and Baldur were too nervous to even pretend.

"I am surprised that you three can eat," Baldur mumbled. Noba rested her head in his lap, and he stroked her hair. "My stomach is in knots."

"Court," Hezul deadpanned. Vala simply sighed and nodded. "You learned how to eat through just about anything there."

"Oh. Right." Baldur grimaced. "This is the worst."

"Were you all this bad when Gwyneth and I went to distract Galle?"

"Until we had the mission to distract us, yeah." Baldur glanced at him. "Did we never tell you?"

"No, you didn't." Hezul offered Noba a fruit slice, but she shook her head. I began saving some for when she and Baldur would, hopefully, want to eat. "I'm sorry."

"Be far better if we could do something besides sit and wait."

"You could eat."

"I'm liable to puke if I try."

"Point." Hezul looked to Vala. "How are you?"

"Let's not answer that," Vala sighed. After a moment, she decide to curl up in Hezul's lap much like Noba was curled up in Baldur's. "Sorry to steal him, Gwyneth, but I do need to lay down."

"Why would I mind?" I asked, genuinely curious. However, Vala simply sighed again, so instead, I focused on Hezul. He sat stiffly for a moment before slowly relaxing and hesitantly stroking Noba's hair. It took me a long while to realize why he had been startled; Eir had done the same before… "In that case… ah!" I noticed movement in the center, and saw Skadi leading Dain out. "There he is!" He… looked okay… that was good.

"Has the test happened yet?" Vala pushed herself up briefly before laying back down. "Or is it now starting?"

"I don't know…" I looked around for any sort of hint, but there was none. Vidar wasn't within conversation distance, only shouting. "Dain…" This horrible dread… I truly did need to apologize to everyone, properly, once this was resolved.

For his part, Dain seemed perfectly calm, standing in the center of the area. Skadi seemed to say something quietly to him before skipping over to the walls and easily climbing her way up to stand near where Vidar was. As soon as she did, I saw others step out of the shadows, watching with impassive expression. I thought about counting, but decided I was too nervous for that. Instead, I steeled my nerves and held myself still, waiting for 'the test'. But nothing happened for a very long while. It was simply Dain in the middle, and everyone watching in perfect silence. Even the wind held still, lingering in anticipation.

Suddenly, Hezul tensed and jerked his head up. After a moment, I saw what had caught his attention: dragons. At least fifty dragons walked up to the edges of the jagged cliffs and even more swooped down to join them. The entire outer edge was soon filled with dragons, all sitting perfectly still, watching and waiting. Their attention was solely on Dain, and with dread, I wondered if Dain had to fight them all. This did look like an arena, after all…

Almost unconsciously, I reached over to take one of Vala's hands and scooted closer to lean against Hezul. Hezul had one hand on Vala's shoulder, and the other held Baldur's hand. Noba and Vala clung to each other, and Baldur continued stroking Noba's hair. We all watched, and waited. We wondered what would happen. I half-thought about pulling a tome out from my bag, just in case, but something about the air had me frozen.

There was a quiet growl, and the dragons in the top center suddenly parted to allow a new dragon to step up. This one had black scales that shifted colors under the sunlight, never quite the same color twice. It was noticeably bigger than the others, and held their attention with a simple tilt of the head.

It remained on the rock for a long, breathless moment before it jumped down, joining Dain on the ground. Slowly, it circled around him, much like a predator wondering whether or not a cornered prey was worth it or not. Dain held perfectly still, even as the dragon drew closer and closer. He continued holding still even as the dragon stopped right in front of him, looming over him with wings half-unfurled.

Then an unexpected thing occurred. The dragon suddenly crooned and made this… not-quite-purring sound before leaning down and nuzzling Dain's cheek. Its wings relaxed against is back and Dain struggled to not topple over from the sudden show of affection.

"So, I'm guessing I passed?" Dain asked, reaching up to push the dragon's face away. It, however, bumped its nose against his hand, encouraging pets. "I thought you told me the dragon would just nod and fly away if I did."

"Oh, yes, but I'm afraid things went a little off script, young dragon rider," Skadi laughed, a surprisingly warm sound considering her looks. However, the 'young dragon rider' did make us freeze. "You did more than 'pass'. That dragon peered into your soul and decided she wished to bond with you. We'll have to teach you how to ride her, and fight from her back."

"Wait, what?"

"I told you. Dragons hold the ability to peer into people's hearts. That is why this was the 'easy' test. If you earn their respect, we know you are trustworthy." She still continued to laugh. Vidar, next to her, remained silent, with a half-surprised smile on his face. "However, that ability is also how dragons choose their riders. Probably should've warned you of that possibility. But she's yours, and even if you try to leave her behind, she'll just follow you." Skadi grinned. The rest of us were more than a little dumbfounded. "And she's quite a bit faster than a human!"

What… just happened…?

With the reassurance that Dain was, and would be, just fine, Baldur and Noba found their appetites and all but devoured the food I had saved for them. They ate even more when Vidar and Skadi brought fresh plates of fruit, sharing with Dain. Though at first we had all hugged him and planned to sit by him, the dragon left us a little disconcerted and it (she?) insisted on sitting right behind Dain, so that he could lean against it, to the point that all of us had to move down into the empty 'circle' in order to include him in the group. We certainly hadn't anticipated getting any sort of animal, except possibly some horses, and I already knew that moving 'stealthily' with one was going to be a trial.

"Well, if I thought that was going to happen, I really would've warned you all ahead of time," Vidar sighed, sipping some sort of ale. The rest of us declined alcohol, for our own personal reasons, but he and Skadi drank it like it was water. "A great majority of our group is made up of dragon riders of various skills. Most of us favor lances, but we've some sword and axe fighters as well."

"So, most of your force is actually aerial?" Hezul asked, intrigued. He even smiled slightly, and that made me smile automatically, though I tried to hide it by resting against him. "That will actually gives us an interesting advantage. Belhalla's forces have no aerial support at all, since the pegasi of the north refuse to bow to their whims. They have tried breaking them in the past, but the pegasi literally died first."

"I wouldn't call us invincible, though." Vidar handed his cup to Skadi, who refilled it. I saw Vala make a mark in the dirt, adding to her tally of how many both Vidar and Skadi had. Vidar was on six; Skadi was on ten. "All fliers have a weakness towards sharp projectiles, like arrows. An arrow through the wing sends us down. And dragons don't have that great of a resistance to magic."

"Still, it adds another dimension to the battlefield, one that they are not used to considering." Hezul wasn't normally the one to talk during these sorts of things, but with Baldur stuffing his face still with Noba, he decided to be the talker. Besides, military was his specialty. "It will take them some time to adapt."

"You can also truly make things hectic by adding the fire-breathers," Skadi laughed, eyes dancing. She was a surprisingly merry person, truthfully. "Only a few ride them, mind, but Dain here rides one." She nodded to the dragon, who licked Dain's cheek. "You'll have to name her, by the way."

"I have to what?" Dain asked. He was more than a little bewildered by all of this. Then again, so were the rest of us. "She doesn't have one?"

"Of course not. The dragons are wild, and choose to partner with humans. You don't exactly name wild creatures, right?" She laughed again. "Pick one she'll like."

"Uh…"

"Skadi, stop teasing the poor man who got one of the biggest shocks of a lifetime," Vidar chided. He set down his cup and leaned forward a bit to look us all in the eye. "That said, is it all right to be serious? We can wait if you all would prefer."

"No, please, the sooner we get stuff done, the better," Baldur insisted, covering his mouth to hide the last bits of food he was chewing. He set his plate to the side and moved a little more forward. Noba hang back to continue eating and, to my amusement, hesitantly passing treats to the dragon. The dragon ate them surprisingly delicately, while Dain watched. "What would you like to talk about?"

"It's what our group was doing next, and it'll be on the way for you guys since you're heading north." Vidar began sketching a crude map in the dirt. "It's difficult to really 'divide' the peninsula into halves, but the closest way to do so is between two cities. Mease and Manster." He drew squares for both. "Manster is a big merchant city, but not our focus. The north has their own group and haven't asked for assistance yet. But Mease? Mease is part of our 'area', and something is going on there. We're not really sure, but someone managed to get a message to us, a little boy and a piece of paper asking for help."

"That's… ominous."

"Yeah, not normally something we'd like to move on, except…" He grimaced. "Simultaneous attacks is a new thing. They never cared enough."

"Ah, so it might be related."

"Exactly our thoughts." Vidar straightened and shrugged. "So, we would like it if you'd help, so that we can help Dain learn how to fly and to have more options."

"Well, of course we'll help. We'll decide when we get there if that help is direct or running to get this northern group you mentioned, but we'll definitely help."

"Good words," Skadi murmured, standing slowly. She stretched her arms above her head, going onto the tips of her toes even, before hopping back. "In that case, Vidar and I need to join the others for preparations. You all relax, okay? You had a stressful time."

"And thank you very much," Vidar added, standing as well. He bowed and winked at us. "Tell us the dragon's name when it's time to depart, okay?"

"We'll be waiting~!"

The two walked off, disappearing into the shadows so easily that there had to be secret passages we just couldn't see well from where we were. As soon as they were out of sight, we all shifted a bit to be in a circle, Noba properly joining us now that she had eaten her fill. Then we all turned to Dain or, more accurately, our newest addition to the group.

"Okay, first things first," Dain sighed, running a hand through his hair. He then gave the dragon a pointed look. "These people are my family, and you are going to get along and listen to them if we're going to make this work." She crooned and nuzzled his cheek. "That better be an agreement."

"I can't believe you got a dragon out of this," Noba sighed. She sulked a bit and leaned forward, bracing herself against the ground with her hands. "I am definitely getting a horse, damn it! You can't stop me!"

"You don't even know how to ride."

"Neither do you! And you have a dragon!"

"Certainly unexpected," Vala noted absently. She wiped away both the map and her tally counts. "I think that actually tops Gwyneth and Hezul stealing the tome. Maybe."

"I'd call them equal, but that's just me," Baldur laughed, relaxing. I took the opportunity to double-check that the Loptyr tome really was still with us and, thankfully, it was. I also checked the charm around it, and then the charm I wore. I wasn't sure if they actually worked as Neit said they would, but they were comforting nonetheless. "Whatever, though. Name for the dragon. If we leave it to Dain, it's going to be horrible."

"Really? Is he bad at naming or something?"

"He once named a cat-" Baldur ducked under Dain's half-hearted punch, but we all laughed when we noticed Dain not even pretending to protest. "Anyway, name?" He looked to Hezul and me. "You two have any?"

"None that aren't tied to some sort of tragic end," Hezul replied honestly. I grimaced when I thought about how true that was. Every name that popped into my head was either the name of an enemy or someone long gone. "Neither Gwyneth nor I remember specific stories or anything that aren't tied to history. Imperial history, at that."

"Though, again, most of those names are tied to tragedy," I whispered. Again, I wondered if it was time that had dulled those memories, or Acheron. I didn't… like that… "So, I am afraid neither of us will be of much assistance."

"However, perhaps one of you remembers a story?" Perhaps because he realized my darker thoughts, he brushed a kiss over my cheek, which immediately improved my mood. "Or a character, at least?"

"Oh! I do!" Noba excitedly declared, crawling over next to Dain to look the dragon in the face. The dragon looked back impassively. "How about 'Freya'? I don't remember much about her story, mind, so it could be tragic, but I remember the name fondly, at least." The dragon tilted her head curiously before nodding. "Oh, yay! Freya, it is!"

We did actually discuss a few other names, but the only one the dragon liked was 'Freya', so Noba was right. 'Freya', she was. When that was settled, we talked of lighter things and then Hezul left to quietly ask just how many were actually in this Resistance, and the answer was surprising. It was more than surprising, actually, because it was 'over a hundred' with the great majority of them being dragon riders. Granted, not all of them were actually in this area, and would have to be informed to either head to Mease or Darna, but it was still far, far more than expected.

In the space of five minutes, we gained so much. The others were never going to believe this.

Our Family

Gwyneth

21 years old

Class: Shaman; Weapons: Fire - B, Thunder - B, Wind - B, Light - A, Staves - A; (Axes - D, Sword - C, Lances - D, Bow - E)

Skills: Critical, Paragon

Due to her new fear of losing her memories, she has scrounged up pieces of paper to write down everything she remembers, particularly of the events since the escape from Belhalla. Just in case.

Though she is horribly anxious about the Loptyr tome suddenly being stolen, she begins to wonder if they should take turns carrying the tome. Just in case. Because so much now has to become 'just in case'.

Hezul

22 years old

Class: Paladin (dismounted); Weapons: Swords - A, Lances - B

Skills: Pursuit, Wrath, Ambush

Was startled by Vala laying on him and, for a split-second, actually saw Eir in her place. It served as a reminder of the things he failed to protect, and how much he was to protect what he has gained.

Fascinated by the idea of aerial combat, since he's never seen it before, though he's quite certain he doesn't want to actually participate. The idea of falling isn't appealing in the slightest.

Noba

19 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lances - A

Skills: Adept, Nihil

Though she pretends to be jealous of Dain, she's actually just relieved he's still alive and is just making fun. ...She does want that horse, though.

Was surprised when Vidar called her a 'beauty', as she's never really been called that. The most she's ever heard before was 'adorable'.

Baldur

22 years old

Class: Mercenary; Weapons: Swords - A; (Lances - C)

Skills: Charisma, Pursuit

Made sure to tell Vala the name Dain gave that cat as soon as he could, as 'revenge' for Dain worrying them so much.

Never wants to mountain climb again. Ever. Or be anything higher than a hill again. Ever. He did not like being so useless.

Dain (and Freya)

23 years old

Class: Dragon Lord; Weapons: Lance - A, Swords - C

Skills: Pursuit, Nihil, Adept

Has no idea what the hell happened or how he's going to manage to make things work, but Freya refuses to leave his side, so he's well aware of how stuck he is

Continues to wear Skuld's bracelet, actually finding some comfort in it since things went so weird. He'll never tell her, though.

Vala; Fjalar

18 years old

Class: Fire Mage; Weapons: Fire - A; (Swords - C, Thunder - D, Wind - D)

Skills: Wrath, Miracle

Was absolutely terrified that she'd watch Dain die and be absolute helpless, much like she was helpless when her family died

Finds herself wondering if all of them should get horses, just to keep up with Dain. She's not sure how to bring it up, though, nor is she sure she's a good enough rider to fight while mounted.

Our Allies

Neit

Unknown age; appears 25

Class: Unknown; Weapons: Dark - A

Worked through the night to make the charms for the group, wanting to ease their worries even just a small bit. Not that he'd ever admit it to their faces, though.

Didn't openly see the group off, instead just hanging back while everyone else did because crowds make him nauseous. Besides, he knows he'll see them in Darna, and wonders if they'll still 'glow' then.

Skuld

21 years old

Happy that she finally got to give Dain that damn bracelet, though she admits that she did have fun with the chase. She hasn't really let loose in a while, due to her duties.

Dreadfully misses everyone, but knows she'll see them again soon and so, made sure to see them off with a smile. And a teasing remark or ten, because while they are heroes, she likes it when they laugh.

Vidar

22 years old

Class: Dragon Lord; Weapons: Lance - B, Swords - B

A long-serving member of the army, due to bonding with his dragon, Erebus, when he was 14 years old. The others often look to him as a 'leader', though he refuses the title, feeling that he doesn't have what it takes to 'lead'.

Surprised and impressed by Dain, both for agreeing so quickly and for being chosen by a dragon. Looks forward to working with him.

Skadi

Unknown age; appears 30

Class: Sniper; Weapons: Bow - A

A woman who joined the resistance group a year ago, one of their few non-flying members. She takes a playful big sister role to most of the group, delighting in teasing them all silly.

Though she rarely seems contemplative, very few things miss her sight and she is constantly taking mental notes on everything and everyone. She mostly uses it to gauge morale and the like… for allies. For enemies, she uses the ability to rip them apart.

Author's note: And Dain finally gets his dragon. There's nothing really in canon about dragons/wyverns being able to 'see into the soul', but it's something I utilized in Records of the Valiant, so I decided to continue with it here. Since Dain promoted, he obtained a third skill, Pursuit. 'Dragon Lord' is the class because it's technically 'wyvern lord', but their word for the wyverns is 'dragon'. (I think it's also the name of the third tier promotion for the wyvern line in Radiant Dawn.)

'Vidar' is the name of a Norse God associated with vengeance, foretold to avenge Odin's death in Ragnarok. 'Erebus' is the personification of primordial darkness is Greek Mythology. 'Skadi' is the name of a jotunn associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. 'Freya' is a Norse goddess associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death. She receives half of those who die in battle, taking them to Folkvangr; the other half go to Odin in Valhalla.

Next Chapter - Promise