The next morning, Jarvan woke as the sun crested the mountains behind him. He squinted as the orange orb slowly rose over the distant peaks. There was a certain silence that the morning brought that was peaceful and set his mind at ease. As he took several deep breaths of the last of the cool night air, he realized there was a bundled lump asleep next to him. He felt his cheeks grow hot as Shyvana's red hair peeked out from under the edge of the dark blanket.

Jarvan vaguely remembered her falling asleep last night with choked sobs and tears still running down her face. He hadn't the heart to roust her from her uneasy slumber and his presence alone seemed to have calmed her.

Jarvan carefully stretched, still trying not to disturb the young dragoness. As his arms rose above him, he realized that he felt well rested for once. He paused, trying to remember what had plagued his dreams the night before.

The realization that he had slept restlessly was both shocking and amazing to him. He took pause, and looked down at the young dragoness and smiled. He tucked one of the dirty strands of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear. Jarvan caught himself as he stroked her cheek tenderly, withdrawing his hand and blushing as he looked around, hoping that none of his men had seen the affectionate gesture. Jarvan looked down at the young dragoness, something in his stomach fluttering.

I wonder… is this…? Jarvan shook his head and took a deep breath, clapping his cheeks. Slow down. You've only just met her. Jarvan thought back to the night before, the memories of her smile and her laughter bringing a smile to his face, his entire chest swelling at the memory. It's not love… not yet. Jarvan reconsidered the young woman at his side. Perhaps she could return to Demacia with me…

Jarvan stiffened as a demonic screech cut through the sky and echoed back and forth about Mogron pass. He looked skywards for the source of the sound.

Shyvana jumped up, on all fours, her hair almost standing straight up as she growled. Her eyes had grown wide, going from a sound sleep to unbridled fury in an instant. Her face was a mix of horrifying and demonic rage, her eyes wide and her grow contorted in her rage. She bared gleaming white teeth with long fangs, her magenta eyes narrowing to gleaming diamonds.

"It's him!" She roared. "He's returned!" Gone was the innocence of her eyes from the night before, replaced by fury burning like hellfire and damnation. As the cry echoed across the pass again, Jarvan's men stumbled onto the plateau, their weapons drawn and raised to the sky. Shyvana continued to growl as she watch the horizon of a distant mountain.

"Who?" Jarvan asked as he struggled awkwardly to his feet, his leg stiff. "Who has returned?"

"Kampf!" She shouted. "Come down here! Show yourself!" She bellowed into the open sky, slowly turning slowly, as if she were tracking a target.

"Kampf?" Jarvan repeated, frowning.

"Here, sire." Forsythe tossed Jarvan his tunic and gloves. Jarvan plucked them from the air and shucking the rough tunic he had been wearing, he pulled the tight leather tunic that he attached his armor to over his head. Jarvan pulled his hair free of the tunic and tucked the garment into his pants, fastening his belt down. He began attaching his armor plates, fastening the snaps and shoving the belts through the buckles, fastening them down. He took his helm from Argyle's outstretched hand and his lance from Isaacs. The remainder of his men were packing up the encampment, breaking down the cook fire and scattering the coals and rolling their bedding away as quickly as they could.

The men eyed Shyvana with tepid interest, still not sure whether they should fear her. Jarvan nodded to them subtly which seemed to calm them. They eased their stances slightly, but yet another ear splintering screech caused them to clamp their hands over their ears. Jarvan dropped his helmet and clasped his hands over his ears as Shyvana screamed back, her cry both pained and vicious.

As Jarvan and his men struggled to regain their footing, a dark shadow swept over them. A massive black dragon crashed down onto the monolith, his massive talons crushing the rock and sending dust cascading down the side of the monolith. He was a massive reptilian beast with long black horns and small red eyes that shown like rubies even in the morning sunshine. His chin was lined with rows of razor sharp horns, his head distinguished by one massive horn that curved around the right side of his face, the opposite horn having been broken off long ago in a battle with another great beast. He snorted smoke that rolled across the plateau like fog in the early morning, the stench of his breath overpowering and oppressive.

His eye darted back and forth between Jarvan and Shyvana, what one could best call a sneer forming on his long snout. His body was covered in black oily looking scales from head to the tip of his tail, shards of boney extrusions dotting his spine and festooning his shoulders and the tip of his wings. His massive black wings folded back as he used crooked talons to hold himself upon the plateau, swinging his great head, taking in Jarvan's motley crew.

"Ah yes." He rumbled. Jarvan could hear the bass tones of the mythic beast reverberating in his heart, the beast's voice alone able to cause his heart to race. "The monster-slaying hero." He paused as he reared his head back and let a booming chuckle reverberate from his scaly belly. His chest swelled with a menacing orange glow as fire licked the sky, a great pillar of flame reaching out as if to consume even the sun. As smoke curled from his nostrils and his great jaws, the dragon lowered his head to Jarvan's eye level. "Did you ever find the remnants of your friends that I devoured?" He chuckled again, the stone beneath Jarvan's feet rumbling with the sound. "I tried to leave them somewhere you would find them…"

"You-you…" Jarvan swept his lance back as he crouched to leap but the dragon knocked it aside, sending the weapon tumbling down over the edge of the cliff. Jarvan nearly went after as he tumbled backwards, stopped only by his crash into one of the pillars that rose up around the edge of the monolith. The dragon took a massive stride forward and clasped Jarvan's leg in one talon and lifted him high. As Jarvan flailed and struggled with the crushing pressure on his leg, the beast eyed his squirming with vague disinterest.

"Spare me, pathetic human." The shutter lid swept back across his eye and retracted again as the beast took Jarvan's defiant glare in. A long pink scar swept down across his eye, bisecting scales and ending abruptly at the corner of his jaw. His left wing was also held at an odd angle, the leathery material shredded in places. There were long gashes along his throat that swept along his neck and down his side.

"KAMPF!" The dragon swung his head towards Shyvana, who was still down on all fours, her teeth bared and her eyes wide. "PUT HIM DOWN!" She had long thin pupils like that of her dragon father, her rage barely contained as she struggled to keep her beast form from surfacing. They glowed a fiery orange, and her skin was now hued blue, scales visible amid the flesh.

"And the half-human runt." Kampf chuckled again as he continued toying with Jarvan. "How fitting you would fall for a human …just like your bastard father. Typical." The great dragon tossed Jarvan up into the air and plucked him from his fall towards the edge with his other leg. Jarvan screwed up his face in pain, but he refused to let the beast get any satisfaction from his torture. "Defiant… how fun."

"He is mine!" Shyvana hissed, her voice rumbling from her throat unlike anything Jarvan had heard from her before.

Kampf paused and eyed Jarvan again. He then swung his massive head towards Shyvana and eyed her as well. He reared back and belched more flame into the sky as he roared in laughter.

"How quaint!" Kampf roared as he shook with laughter, a crooked grin forming on his long snout in his best impersonation of a human sneer. "You have developed an affection for him?" Kampf roared, dangling Jarvan above Shyvana like a treat just out of her reach. She continued to stay down, her rage still growing as smoke rose from beneath her palms. Molten fire began to pool around her hands as her fingers dug into the stone, shattering in her fists.

"Leave him out of this!" Shyvana roared, snarling furiously as Kampf briefly dangled the prince over her head before yanking him away. "If you want to kill me then do it! Come get me you coward!" The dragon froze for a brief moment, his eyes swiveling down to stare at the young woman.

"Very well. You want him, yes?" Kampf said, rearing back, "You can-…ARGH!" The beast hissed in pain as he brought Jarvan too close to his great head. The prince had finally managed to retrieve his knife from his boot and as he swung past, dangling upside down, the prince had struck out, his knife aimed directly for the beast's eye.

The blade struck deep and true, black blood gushing from the socket as Kampf reared back and sprayed fire and smoke into the sky, roaring in pain. He tossed Jarvan aside like a child angry with its toy. The prince crashed into Shyvana, sending them both tumbling down into the basin on the lower plateau of the monolith rolling away. They crashed into one of the walls, the wind getting expelled from Jarvan's lungs, and Shyvana crashing on top of him. As the world spun and darkness began to creep into the edge of his vision, Jarvan struggled to calm his spinning head as Shyvana struggled to get to her feet, sprawled across the prince's lap.

"Are you hurt?" The sound of concern in the woman's voice cause Jarvan to freeze and take a deep breath. Jarvan opened his eyes, the plateau still spinning underneath him, a red blur centered in his vision. As the sky slowly righted itself and the many stars retreated from his vision, the red mass resolved itself into the red hair and violent orange eyes of Shyvana. Her eyes were aflame in anger, but there was still worry plastered across her face.

"I don't think so…" Jarvan said with effort. His chest felt heavy, as if someone were sitting on it. "I think I may have cracked rib or two, and my leg hurts like hell, but it's functional." He leaned forward and struggled to his feet. He looked up as the blackened corpse of one of his men went sailing by, tumbling down the side of the monolith towards the desert below.

"You and your men," Shyvana glanced to where they stood defensively and shook her head. "You should get out of here. This is my fight… Kampf came for me." She stepped over Jarvan towards Kampf. "I plan to finish this."

"Like hell." Jarvan snapped, an ambitious grin on his face. "I still have to pay this bastard back for the deaths of three of my men. Besides, I love a challenge." Jarvan looked to Isaacs, a grin on his face. "Lieutenant?"

"Ours is but to do or die." Isaacs said, licking his lips and tossing Jarvan his lance. "We will follow you anywhere, my liege!" Jarvan snatched the lance from the air and grinned, the heavy weight comforting in his hands.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Shyvana frowned as she turned back to Jarvan, watching his ambition and aggression. She couldn't help put on a brave expression for the prince. Jarvan looked down at her and smiled cockily, though it faltered slightly; he could see she was trembling, her shoulders and arms held tight around her chest. Whether it was due to rage or fear, Jarvan couldn't be certain, but he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him with eyes swirling back and forth between magenta and a brilliant orange color. Jarvan could tell that she wanted retribution for her father, and he didn't think she would be able to live with herself unless she was able to see this vile beast slain.

"I've got your back, no matter what." Jarvan spoke with a certainty that instilled confidence in Shyvana. She smiled as he stepped up to her side. Jarvan nodded once and took off at a run, closing on the beast. Shyvana raced past, a swirling sheet of flame beneath her feet carrying her forward at an unbelievable pace. He reared back her fists as she closed with the beast and collected a ball of flame in her hand. The flames swirled around her fist as she struck hard, the ball of flame exploding against his scaly hide. She followed the blow up with an almost instant strike with her left hand, using the flat palmed blow to smash through the fire weakened scales. Kampf roared in pain as he kicked out, the blow sending Shyvana skittering back across the surface of the plateau.

Jarvan crashed the pommel of his lance down on the sandstone plinth and sent a standard flying through the air, arcing high above the dragon. It crashed down, striking the sandstone and imbedding itself opposite the beast. Jarvan hit a button on his lance, cause a small magical charge to explode, extending his lance instantly. He hooked one of the barbed tips of the lance around the standard and pulled himself in, the lance retracting, drawing him past the dragon. He flew directly under the beast's snout, and using his standard as a back stop, his kicked off and launched himself towards the beast. He brought his lance up, using his forward motion to put extra force behind his first blow. He aimed for the beast's neck, and the blow hit with a sound like the firing of a cannon, but the dragon's thick hide and armored scales did much to deflect the blow. It crumbled some of the monster's armored plates, but the dragon simply roared in anguish. Jarvan pulled himself up and over the beast, rolling into a rough landing that left him on one knee as he skidded to a stop.

"Isaacs!" Jarvan ordered, turning to his men, "Keep your distance but don't let the beast escape!" Jarvan sprinted forward, raising his lance and aiming for the beast's heart. The lieutenant and his men surged forward, propelled by their captain's battle cry and their will to live. As they charged, a wave of flame swept over them.

"Shields!" Isaacs shouted at the last moment. He and his men raised their shield over their heads and brought the broad metal plates down in front of them, crouching behind the large, broad steel plates. Several of the men had forgotten their shields and they paid for it with their lives. Two more men went to meet their maker, their charred corpses falling to the ground unceremoniously, their screams dying instantly as molten fire poured over their bodies and flowed into their throats and lungs, ending their pain instantaneously. Isaacs watched with bile rising in his throat as two charred corpses fell to the ground, their clothes and armor melted over their body.

Shyvana moved from side to side, juking Kampf's attempts to snap at her. He nearly clipped her one time, but she raised her arms and was merely knocked backwards towards her father's remains. She went end over end, and crashed into the remains, disappearing into the bones and leathery flesh. She pulled herself up to her knees, struggling to rise to her feet. She had just pulled herself to her feet when Jarvan bowled her over, grasping her around the middle and diving to the side. She rolled with him as she felt the hair on her back get burned away, black smoke rising from the bones, the last of Shyvana's father remains getting burned away. All that was left were the bones. Shyvana came up on all fours and skittered to a stop, her nails already stumps. Bloody marks were left on the stone beneath her, her rage blinding her to the pain in her hands. She launched herself forward, flames billowing behind her as she sprinted, rising up onto two feet.

Jarvan extended his lance and struck the dragon, impaling his shoulder, just above the joint to his wing. The blow had just managed to strike the armored plates just right and the blade managed to get under the scales, cutting deep. The dragon roared, rearing back angrily. He struck left and then right with the extended lance still stuck in his shoulder, the blade skittering along Kampf's neck. Jarvan was tossed aside like a ragdoll, striking the ground hard and grinding to a halt at the far end of the monolith.

Blue skin spread rapidly over Shyvana's body, the color of eyes turning into a brilliant orange that gleaming violently. The sound of Shyvana's transformation caused bile to rise in Jarvan's throat as her skin seemed to bubble and boil as she launched up through the air. Her arms seemed to break and snap in multiple places as the bones splintered and expanded, taking on a whole new form. Her nose elongated into a long snout, her eyes growing in size and her teeth growing into mighty fangs. Her bones knit themselves together as she expanded and spread her wings.

They were tattered in places, as if someone had shredded them long ago, and her attempt to launch into flight only left her crashing down towards Kampf in a ball of talons, fangs and flames. She struck hard, her newfound mass catching the dragon off guard as she crashed into him. Shyvana lashed out with her claws, spaying flame as she swiped at his face. She raked her claws across his injured eye, the bloody socket getting shredded further. She grappled with him momentarily, before she opened her mighty jaw and clamped down around his throat. She tried to bite through the scales, but her sharpened fangs only ground on the armored plates. The softer tissue on his neck started to give way, causing him to roar in pain, black blood beginning to drip down his neck, droplets spraying about as he flailed. He lashed back and forth, his brute strength great enough to even heft Shyvana's dragon form and toss her back, breaking her grip on his neck.

Kampf lunged after her as she struggled to recover, slashing at her with his talons, cutting a deep swath in Shyvana's side and down her leg. Jarvan dove to the side again as Shyvana crashed down, the young dragon trying to roll out of the fall but merely crashing down on the stone, crumbling over one of her wings. She roared in anguish, the sound like that of a wounded animal, ragged and strained. She struggled to right herself, and when she finally managed to get herself to her feet, she took off at a sprint on all fours, fire swirl around her feet and leaving a burning wake on the ground behind her. She lashed out again, her claws cutting deep but catching on his armor plates, stopping her mid strike. Kampf spun and struck Shyvana with his tail, the heavy, pummel-like appendage easily batting her aside. The spiked tip of his tail struck Shyvana hard, catching her in the side and sending her arcing away, through the air, blood trailing behind her as she headed toward the ground. As she tumbled through the air, she shrunk down to her human form, her frame falling back to its normal size, the thick blue skin and armored scales reverting to her delicate pale skin. Her hair returned to its full length, the long red strands the same shade of the crimson that stained her skin. She hit the monolith and rolled, her body twisting at an odd angle as she did.

Shyvana finally came to rest, face down on the ground, a pool of blood expanding beneath her.

"NO!" Jarvan bellowed. "SHYVANA!"

His face contorted in rage, Jarvan thrust his lance forward, sparking the magic charge that resided in the long barrel of his weapon. The tip of the lance exploded forward, extending many times its normal reach and hooking to one of the many horns that crested Kampf's brow. The dragon screeched in anger, tossing his head up, nearly ripping Jarvan's arm from his socket as he launched the prince skyward. Jarvan tried to roll as he landed, attempting to come up in a fighting stance but he only managed to crash into another pillar as the dragon spread its wings and threatened to send all of Jarvan's men stumbling off the monolith as he took off into the sky in a massive gust of wind. Jarvan hauled himself to his feet as the beast circled about the monolith, preparing to swoop in and spray fire and death from above.

"Take cover!" Jarvan shouted as the beast banked and began to close, Jarvan's men scattering for shelter behind rocks. Jarvan dove towards Shyvana, her form still lying motionless upon the ground, the deep gash in her side running down her hip and across her thigh. Jarvan summoned his lightshield with all of his strength, throwing the barrier up around him and the dragoness both, the flames descending around them. Jarvan turned as he poured all of the strength he had remaining into his shield, the heat barely getting split to either side. He felt his armor growing hot as the dragon's flames began to break through the lightshield. They scorched his back and began to burn through the leather tunic when the beast finally passed overhead and the flames retracted. Jarvan fell to his knees over the dragoness, his legs limp and his arms feeling frail with the exertion. Sweat poured down his face and his back screamed in agony as blackened flesh tightened over the wound, spread over his back. Shyvana's eyes fluttered open as tears dripped down Jarvan's nose, the pain overwhelming.

"Jar…van…." She murmured softly, her trembling hand reach up to the prince's cheek. "…you saved me." Her gaze looked distant, her eyelids fluttering.

"Stay with me…" Jarvan breathed softly. The monolith was eerily silent as Kampf circled around yet again. He would be looking for a finishing blow with his good eye. "I'm going to finish this. For the both of us." Shyvana smiled weakly, tears welling up in her eyes. Her hand fell away from his face and her eyes fluttered shut, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank…. You…."

Shyvana fell silent.

"Shy… Shyvana…" Jarvan breathed, his voice cracking, his throat growing thick. A distant rumble of a dragon's call broke the prince from his trance, his mind racing. The sickening feeling within his stomach had coalesced into solid ice, but as he felt his anger flaring, Jarvan forced himself to take a deep breath. He looked about for something, anything he could use to save her, desperate to help her. Jarvan's mind came to a lurching halt as he cursed himself, realizing he could still save her. He reached into a pouch on his belt and withdrew a small object, the crystalline phial filled with a translucent crimson substance. Jarvan snapped the top off of the small vial, carefully holding Shyvana's head with one hand as he emptied the contents of the phial into her mouth. Please… please don't let it be too late… Jarvan wiped some of the grime from one of her cheeks, though he only managed to spread the dirt about with her tears.

A green aura enveloped the young woman as she coughed and spluttered violently, the health potion finally taking effect, grasping the dragoness back from the verge of death. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up in the smiling face of the Jarvan.

"Welcome back." Jarvan said softly. Shyvana smiled and closed her eyes again taking several deep breaths. Her chest rose and fell, her heart beat thready as she pushed her cheek into Jarvan's hand, nuzzling it weakly. Jarvan moved and laid the dragoness's head gently on the stone underneath the upper floor, ignoring the pain in his back despite the red tinging the corners of his vision. The prince retrieved his lance and mounted the top of the pillar as he looked skywards, watching as the dragon began his descent from afar. Jarvan took a deep breath and prepared himself, waiting as the dragon dove towards him. Jarvan stood valiantly, taunting the beast in, planting his lance next to him and puffing out his chest defiantly.

"It's time to end this, Kampf!" Jarvan bellowed. "You dare defy my will?" Jarvan smirked, a thought racing through his mind. "Hey you gigantic flying fuck!" The dragon broke off its dive, snarling as he hovered distantly, turning his good eye towards the prince. "Demacia… get some." Jarvan raised his arm and clasped his hand down over his other arm, bending it at the elbow. He raised his fist and extended his middle finger in a defiant, archaic gesture that Kampf immediately recognized.

Kampf screamed in rage and indignation at the obscene gesture that Jarvan made, refusing to be goaded on by this pathetic human. He dove, aiming for the human standing defiantly on the edge of the cliff. As he stretched his talons open for the strike, the human rolled away.

Jarvan dove to the side, coming up in a stance on one knee, a hand extended to brace himself as he struck the pommel of his lance down onto the stone. The center of his lance shot out like a ballista, arcing up through the air and landing deep in the neck of dragon. The beast roared as it coiled back, trying to grasp the standard with his jaw and rip it out, however the standard retreated from his grasp as the beast tried to gnash at it. He continued turning, his jaw snapping at the standard, the metal rod continuing to bounce just out of reach. Jarvan sprinted towards the edge of the cliff as the beast tumbled down towards the ground, rolling and writhing in pain. Jarvan extended his lance again, the long blade extending out to strike the dragon. The blade just barely missed, but the dragon realized too late that Jarvan hadn't been aiming for him. The hooked prongs at the end of the weapon hooked onto the standard that was impaled upon his neck, drawing Jarvan in at an alarming speed. The beast swung its head around and rolled, spraying flames at the pesky human, but the flames had no effect, a bright golden shield of light erupting between him and his quarry. The human continued to close, his weapon raised above his head.

Jarvan raised his weapon up, summoning all the force in his body and the spirit of his fathers before him, and he struck down as the beast crashed into the ground. His lance pierced the beast's chest and drove home as the hit the ground. The man and the dragon impacted with such force that the ground around them rose up, shards of rocks jutting up and cutting into the sky. The stone formed an arena, the sandstone spires rising up to surround Jarvan and the beast that writhed in agony, greasy black blood pouring from the massive wound in his chest. Kampf sucked in a deep breath and reared his head back, preparing to belch flames. The flames exploded outwards from his chest, sending Jarvan flying.

Jarvan struck one of the walls of the cataclysm that the descent erected and the force of the blow caused him to lose consciousness.

Jarvan crumpled upon the ground at the edge of the staggered wall.

When Jarvan came to, he found himself still in the arena he and his draconian quarry had made, but the beast was absent. He shook the confusion from his head and pulled himself to his feet, his head swimming as he stood up straight, pain arcing through his back. As he struggled to maintain his balance, the black blood that coated the ground and the sides of the arena told Jarvan that his quarry hadn't gone far and wouldn't last long less he could find a place to lay up and heal. He can't get away. Jarvan looked around, his eyes finally falling upon a long, golden cylinder. I need to martial my men and get back to Shyvana. If anyone survived…

Jarvan retrieved his lance from the side of the arena and gave it a cursory inspection. The magical components were still intact and he had a few of the standards still loaded in the long weapon's hidden barrel. Satisfied the weapon would hold up, the prince slammed the pommel into the ground and launched a standard through the air, arcing the flag up and onto the peaks of the arena. It impacted heavily in the rock and stuck hard, forming a solid anchor, though it stuck out at an odd angle. Jarvan spread his feet to roughly shoulder width apart and struck out, triggering his lance. The head fired and extended like a pile, he swung the weapon at the last second and hooked the prong onto the standard and with a tug, he found himself being launched upward and out of the arena. He sailed over the edge with ease but found himself tumbling down towards the ground leading with his shoulder. Jarvan crashed into the ground and rolled, ending up in a pile a few feet from his intended landing point. The prince grunted and blew dust from his mouth as he righted himself and slowly pulled himself to his feet, his entire body aching.

Maybe that fight took more out of me than I thought it did.

Jarvan looked up to the fire blackened monolith that stretched up toward the sky. He hobbled to the edge of the ridge he was below and paused, looking about. Droplets of black blood led north, headed for the entrance to Mogron Pass. The path that led to the steps back up to the top of the monolith was to his right. Jarvan took pause, almost dreading to find out just how many of his men had survived, but steeled himself against the thoughts. He stepped over the edge of the ridge and jumped, sliding down the soft material towards the path, starting a small avalanche as he went. He jumped clear of the falling debris and jogged the rest of the way up to the base of the watchtower. He had already spotted two unidentifiable bodies in that short journey. Jarvan's heart felt heavy in his chest as he began trudging up the steps.

It might not be about who we find dead rather, who we find alive. Jarvan broke into a run, mounting the steps two at a time, finding solace in the pain the exertion brought in his leg, back and chest. As he neared the top, he slowed to a walk, finding another body burned to the stone, the corpse burned to a crisp Muscle and fat had been burned away to the bone, though there was a slight rise where his sternum had been. Jarvan covered his nose, the stench of blackened meat hanging in the air like a greasy fog. Jarvan hesitated, but finally leaned down and carefully chipped away some of the burnt flesh to reveal the Demacian dog tags that had hung on a leather strap around the corpse's neck. The leather was gone and the metal was melted to the skin. Jarvan pried it free and turned it over. The name stamped on the metal read 'Jacken Argyle'. Jarvan felt bile rising in his throat. He clasped the remains of the metal sheet in his hand and closed his eyes, the stench of burned human flesh clinging to the inside of his nose.

"Thank you, my friend." Jarvan carefully stepped over Argyle's remains and continued up the top of the monolith. There were the several burnt forms, many of them not more than partially melted armor and bones. Some Jarvan could identify, though there were others completely missing.

Isaacs was sitting on the steps that led upwards towards the top of the monolith, his head in his hands. At the sound of armored boots on the stone, he looked up. His eyes were tired and bloodshot, and instantly Jarvan knew.

"He died at the hands of a mighty beast." Isaacs said with a distant, pained sigh. "I suppose he would have liked that."

"Valin…" Jarvan said, putting a hand on Isaacs' shoulder. The man looked up, the bags under his eyes were puffy and dark. "Valin, your son was a great man and a true Demacian hero. Shore was a proud and capable soldier. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Valin Isaacs nodded solemnly and pulled himself to his feet, albeit shakily. He closed his eyes as he stretched his back, taking a deep breath. He clapped his cheeks once and opened his eyes, offering the prince a smile. Jarvan felt pity for the man. He had just lost his son and yet he managed to put on a smile when he sensed the pain of others. Jarvan locked gazes with the man for a moment and realized the smile was merely a façade, for within the man's emerald eyes all the pain could still be seen.

"I think so." Isaacs said, looking away as he nodded again, pausing. "I think… I think that if I survive this, I'm going to retire." He said with yet another nod as if to reaffirm his decision. "Get married again perhaps. Settle down."

Jarvan nodded in agreement. Valin Isaacs was many years his senior and a career soldier. He hadn't cared much for high command so he had stayed in the infantry, choosing to mentor the younger Prince rather than rise through the ranks on merits of his own. In many ways, Jarvan was as much his son as the young Shore whose body, covered by a woolen blanket, lay only meters away. Only a few month older than Forsythe, he was nearly as young, though he had only just joined Jarvan's company when they had suffered their crushing defeat at the hands of Swain. Under the watchful eyes of his father, Shore had shown great promise, but that had just been cut short. Valin clutched what Jarvan recognized as a set of dog tags that were halfway melted, just as he had found Argyle's tags. The mental image of Isaac's having the pry the tags from his son's charred corpse seared the prince's mind.

Jarvan turned and began to search for any other survivors. He found two more similarly charred corpses about the top of the watch tower. Unable to recover their dog tags, the prince was barely able to identify the remains of the armor as that of Torn and Orion. As he continued his search, the prince found Forsythe alive but unconscious, a gash on the top of his head, above his left eye. The jagged cut ran all the way down, across his eye and to the corner of his jaw. A talented healer could have saved the eye, but here, stuck in Mogron pass, the boy would be wearing an eye patch for the rest of his life. Jarvan examined the wound, and while grievous, it would be survivable. Jarvan quickly bandaged the wound and then returned to his search.

Jarvan moved onto the upper tier of the monolith where he found Shyvana sitting pensively, her back to the bones of her father, the remainder of his flesh burned away by the flames that Kampf had rained down upon the monolith. Jarvan stood beside her taking in the bloody sky, the sun just beginning to fall towards the horizon. He hadn't realized it but he must have been out for several hours. Jarvan picked a singed blanket and draped it over Shyvana's small shoulders. She clutched the blanket and leaned her cheek against the hand he left resting on her shoulder for a brief few moments.

Shyvana looked up to him with sunken eyes, dark circles accenting the magenta orbs that glowed like gems in the long shadows that stretched out from the pillars. Their flame was only barely dampened, but Jarvan could feel her pain and shared it. Jarvan looked down at her with silent understanding.

"About your men…" She spoke quietly, her normally powerful voice was hushed and reverent.

"Save it." Jarvan said with reserve. "They knew the risks and they knew they may not come back from this. No one wanted to die… but each and every one of my men, myself included, died long ago." Jarvan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, banishing the painful memories of the rest of his company from his mind as he looked back out over the Shuriman desert. He felt Shyvana's eyes upon him, but he refused to meet her gaze. Only the howl of the wind on the distant plains could be heard for many minutes.

"They say dragons are without remorse." Shyvana looked to the ground. "I suppose I'm more human than I thought." She stifled a sob with a course laugh.

Jarvan felt the weight upon his chest lighten, ever so slightly. "That's not a bad thing." Jarvan did his best to manage a chuckle of his own. "We may be a young breed, but we have our perks."

"Is that so?" Shyvana said, standing. She winced as she fully extended her leg, pulling the skin taunt over her hip. The wounds had stopped bleeding, but even with draconian blood in her veins, it would likely take her several days to fully heal a gash so deep. Her pale skin was even paler than normal and with a simple glance Jarvan could tell she had lost a lot of blood. As she stood, the centermost gash began to bleed, just barely a trickle running down her leg.

"Ask me about it when we have some peace and quiet and I'll show you." Jarvan said with a smirk.

"Is that so?" Shyvana asked, raising an eyebrow. She moved slightly closer to Jarvan and sniffed a few times. "I smell fear…" She had a smirk to match Jarvan's and she giggled at the aghast look on his face.

"I…" Jarvan stammered, taken aback by her response. He had been flirting with her to try and relieve some of the tension he felt, but her wit surprised him. He smiled, she had plenty of fire still left in her yet.

"Kidding." She said. The small smile she wore suited her, though the exhaustion that showed through in her face and eyes really made her look human. She began to turn, but the motion of her hips caused her to fall forwards into Jarvan's arms. She blushed as he sank to his knees, carrying her carefully to the ground.

"Sorry…" She spoke softly, her face glowing red against her pale skin. Her cheeks were nearly the shade of her long red hair. Jarvan watched her wince as she stretched her leg out in front of her. "I think the damage is pretty bad." He inspected the damage and knew that if they weren't patched up, they would only fester and get worse.

"I'll get that bandaged for you." Jarvan picked her up and stood, his own knees threatening to give out as he moved down the steps and under the second story. He moved carefully, giving the bodies a wide berth. He set Shyvana down in the shade of the upper tier and propped her gently against the wall. He rummaged through his pack and pulled out his canteen, a long strip of gauze that had been rolled up and a few other things. "I used my last health potion on you before, so we'll have to do this the hard way."

Jarvan peeled his armor off and stacked it neatly to the side. Jarvan grimaced as he peeled his tunic off, hissing as he ripped the leather free of the burns, the warm trickle of blisters and blood running down his back. Jarvan examined the hole in the back of the tunic and tossed it away, shivering as pain passed ran through his body like electricity. He returned to Shyvana's side, a small bundle tucked under his arm. As he sat down, he unrolled the bundle, revealing medical supplies and a few small packs. He helped Shyvana lay out carefully, stretching her back.

Shyvana nodded bravely, a sad look on her face. She pulled the blanket back and revealed her hip. She did her best to preserve her modesty, but Jarvan caught a glimpse of a crimson tuft of hair. Shyvana's face was glowing crimson as she looked away. Jarvan ignored it as best he could and began to clean the wound, using a bit of gauze and some water to wipe away the dried blood. Shyvana winced as he went about his task, hissing in pain as he carefully cleaned the wound.

"I used to think you were gentle." Shyvana said, trying to keep her voice even. "How wrong I was..." Shyvana started to sit up to look down at the wound, but Jarvan poked her in the shoulder, pushing her back down.

"You wanna do this?" Jarvan asked. Shyvana pulled the blanket up over the edge of her face and looked up at him with big eyes. She shook her head and stayed quiet while he finished cleaning and then wrapping the wound as best he can. She only winced a few times.

"Thanks." Shyvana spoke softly, and Jarvan nodded solemnly. He continued working on her hip, trying to patch the wound up as best her could. He pulled a small leather kit from his belt and unrolled the small parcel to reveal a small bolt of thread and a few needles. Jarvan grunted as he shifted, sitting cross legged. He looked up over his shoulder, watching the sun drop over the mountains, starting to plunge the world into darkness.

Isaacs pulled Forsythe over and went to work starting to build a fire. He stacked the remainder of the wood they had accumulated and then sparked some char cloth and lit the bit of tinder he had saved. He blew into the embers and soon he had a roaring fire. Jarvan nodded his thanks and taking a burning stick, he held a needle over the flames and when satisfied with the needle, he threaded the hook of the needle. Shyvana looked down as Jarvan matched her gaze. Isaacs extended something to the dragoness, a small piece of thick, folded leather.

"Here, bite down on this." He said with a nod. "It helps. I know." Shyvana glanced back and forth between the leather and lieutenant and nodded meekly. She extended her neck and clamped down on the leather, her gaze returning to Jarvan. Isaacs set a small bottle down next to him and then stepped back to the fire. Jarvan's eyes followed Isaacs as he turned and slumped down across from the fire, holding a small pan of water over the fire and holding his free hand to the fire. Jarvan watched him for a few seconds, but matched gazes with Shyvana. Her eyes glowed, reflecting the light of the fire. Her pale skin looked almost ghostly in the moon light, her face still flushed red, despite the loss of blood.

"Ee jen-nul." Shyvana said weakly, grinning behind the leather. Jarvan couldn't help but smile at the words.

"I'll do my best." He rinsed and scrubbed his hands with a bit of soap, washing the soap away with water and shook them dry. He held his hands up to the fire and waited for them to dry. Satisfied, he raised the needle and thread and went about sewing up the worst of the gashes that ran up and down Shyvana's hip. He set the needle aside carefully and pulled out a small filleting knife, used for cleaning and gutting dead game. He rinsed it off and sterilized it, holding it over the flame. Satisfied, he rinsed more water over it, cooling the blade. The prince raised his gaze to Shyvana, her face screwed up, ready for the pain. Jarvan nodded as Isaacs set the pan of water down next to Jarvan and then kneeled over Shyvana. She looked up at him with big eyes. He set his hands on her shoulders firmly as she tried to shrink back towards Jarvan. The lieutenant held her fast though.

Jarvan raised his knife to the wound and carefully pulled the raw wound apart. The flesh was crimson and there was blood still pooling in the bottom of it, going deep above and below the hip bone, a small gash along the bone. Jarvan set about carefully digging out the small bone fragments, and a piece of talon that had been broken from Kampf's talon. He carefully worked the talon out, and was amazed that Shyvana had been able to stand, much less walk with the sharp piece of talon stuck in her side. Jarvan set the bone and talon in a shallow dish that he sat beside him, blood dripping from the fragments. Her moans and muted screams echoed in his ears though, he knew that the pain was immense.

Jarvan began to dig through the other gashes, but neither had been as deep as the central one. He set the knife down on Shyvana's stomach, more blood staining her pale skin. Jarvan wiped some of the blood from his hands and then pulled the stopper from the bottle that Isaacs had left him.

"This is going to hurt." Jarvan spoke softly. "I'm sorry." Shyvana raised her head and looked at him with sad eyes. Jarvan's heart throbbed, but he poured the alcohol into her wounds. She bucked against Isaacs, nearly throwing him aside, but Isaacs kept the pressure on, keeping her shoulders pressed firmly to the ground. Her screams were muted by the leather, but they cut deeply into Jarvan's heart.

He poured the steaming water over her, getting it deep in the gashes, washing away the alcohol. Shyvana fell silent, only a whimper or a weak moan coming from her as Jarvan held the skin together with one hand and pierced the skin with the needle in his other hand. He pulled the short length of thread half way through and tied the suture off with a basic double knot. He continued working up and down the gouge, diluted blood gushing out as he reached the end. Satisfied that the sutures were firmly tied, but not too tight, he began the second gash, only needing a few sutures along the middle of the deepest part of the gash to close it. He repeated it with the third gash and when we was finished, he washed the wounds with the now cold water that remained in the pan.

He took a clean cloth and carefully wiped the blood away and blotted up the remainder of the water and blood. Isaacs nodded solemnly to Jarvan and returned to the fire. The lieutenant sat down and stared into the fire deeply, as Jarvan, satisfied with her sutures, pulled the blanket down around Shyvana. He pulled himself to his feet and dipped the pan into the spring. He drunk deeply, the cool water relieving the tension in his shoulders. He dipped another pan from the spring and poured it over his head, the water dripping over the side of the monolith. He dipped the pan a third time and filled the large bottle on his hip and carried it over to Shyvana. He sat down next to her, lifting her head gently into his lap, his back to the cold stone.

Her eyes fluttered open, the magenta orbs seeming muted and soft compared to their normally fierce and aggressive brilliance. She smiled up at him, her eyes fluttering closed again as soon as she gazed up at Jarvan.

"You were gentle." She said softly. "Thanks." Jarvan chuckled softly.

"That's not exactly what I was led to believe." Jarvan said, brushing hair out of her face. She nuzzled his hand softly, her flushed cheeks warm to the touch. "Here." Jarvan said, helping her sit up slightly, still propped up against his chest. She carefully pushed herself into his lap, her head leaning against his chest, just below his chin. Jarvan lifted the pan to her lips and she drunk greedily. She nearly drained the pan, barely leaving any in the bottom. Jarvan carefully wiped a drip from her chin as she sat back. Shyvana breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling calmly.

"Thanks." Her voice was barely a whisper, her soft tones weak with exhaustion. Jarvan began to help her lay back down but she gently shook her head. "Please, let me stay like this."

Jarvan paused, but nodded and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Shyvana pushed against him, snuggling down, turning her head slightly. She pulled Jarvan's arm across her chest underneath the blanket, wrapping it around her. She was cold to the touch and Jarvan's warm body would help keep her warm as the temperature rapidly began to drop, as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Jarvan tensed at the swell of her chest brushed his arm, but Shyvana pulled him close and quickly drifted off to sleep with Jarvan's arm draped across her shoulder and down across her chest. Jarvan sighed, but sat back and looked to the pale red and purple sky, content for the first time in years.

As Jarvan drifted off to sleep, something new predominated his mind. As he fell asleep, his dreams were no longer nightmares about Swain, but instead, they were dominated by a certain red-haired half-dragon.

The sun had risen high in the sky and the occupants of the top of the monolith had still yet to stir.

With a flash of red hair, the cloaked figure's companion drew herself from the shadow of the craggy rock and stretched languidly. While he would have normally enjoyed a taut female form as such, the cloaked figure had other things on his mind. His brooding was punctuated with a loud yawn. His frustration bubbling to the surface, the cloaked figure did his best to maintain his temper.

"This is no challenge." He spat, his permanent frown ever present. "The least you could do is pay attention."

"Intriguing." His red haired companion spoke, her voice almost a purr.

"Hmm?" He growled. "You seem to have noticed something I didn't. Care to explain why are we following these Demacians?"

"We're searching for information." She spoke, sitting on a rock, raising the spyglass to her eye. She frowned as the Demacian Prince finally rose. "Following the missing Prince seems like a decent start." She covered her mouth as she yawned again. The cloaked figure sighed.

"I suppose." He said, pulling his cloak down around his face.

"We don't exactly have any other leads at the moment." She shrugged.

The cloaked man grunted. "Fine. Let's finish this quickly."