(Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the following story)
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Return of the Dragon Slayer.
Chapter Eighteen.
The Ancients stared in awe at the man in front of them. They'd grown up on the stories of the 'The Rise of the Phoenix'; they had sat at the feet of their grandparents and great-grandparents, listening raptly as the tale was told again and again…a fairytale of sorts, about the man that was foretold to come into the realm; whose sacrifice would bring about a change in their world; heralding a new beginning ...like he was.
As children it had been a fantastic tale, one that was acted out by them in fields all over Larten Vola, arguing over who would get to be 'The Phoenix' this time and who would be evil that was vanquished. As adults, it had been mere fantasy in a world that was slowly starting to lose its magic. But here, in front of them, they had borne witness to the legend, had seen it and the man come to life. 'The Rise of the Phoenix' was no longer myth; it was a startling reality and it bought with it a sense of hope for their people and ignited a fierce determination within them; a determination that rose like the fire, the fire from which the Phoenix was born.
"Sammy…?" asked Dean softly as he took a tentative step towards his brother.
Sam grinned "Hey, dude. Like my big bird?" and he motioned behind him.
"Sam" he walked over quickly and hugged his brother tight "I'm sorry, Sammy" he whispered in his ear.
Sam pushed him back gently "For what?" he grinned "Caleb's safe right?" he looked over Dean's shoulder and grinned at the boy.
"UNCLE SAM!" he ran over, wrapping his arms around Sam's legs.
Sam bent and picked him up "You get your ride on a dragon?"
"Uh huh! And we shoot fire and everything!" said Caleb, excitement lighting up his face.
"Awesome!" said Sam with a grin. He looked around, ignoring the stunned faces of the Ancients "Where's Finn?"
Dean turned and scanned the stunned faces "She was here a minute ago"
"She see you okay, Uncle Sam" said Caleb "She go with Uncle Gideon now"
"Come on then" he walked towards Finn's tent, the Ancients parting like a sea before him.
Sam put Caleb down "You need to stay out here while I speak with your Mom, okay?"
Caleb nodded "Can I go talk to your bird?"
Sam laughed and ruffled his hair "Course you can. His name's Ankou, he likes to tell stories"
He nodded "Ankou" then grinned "I like stories!" he ran off, then ran back "Daddy, don't you stop Uncle Sam. He knows what he doing…well soon anyway"
Dean nodded "Okay, now go play with fire" he grinned at his son and Caleb rolled his eyes and ran off "I'll teach you how to run with scissors when you get back!" he yelled after him.
Sam looked at his brother "You are such a bad influence on him…" he grinned at Dean "Daddy"
"Shut up" said Dean with a grin.
"Stop grinning, dude" said Sam with a laugh.
"Can't" he grinned again "Got my little brother back"
"Come on" said Sam, he pushed the tent flap open and walked in. He saw Finn sitting on one side of Gideon's body, holding his hand while another man sat on his other side, holding the other hand in his one. Sam went over and crouched next to Finn "Hi, Finn" he said softly.
She turned her eyes slowly to his "Glad you're back, Sam" she said softly.
Sam smiled "Me too. And thanks for setting me on fire"
Finn gave him a small smile "You're welcome" she turned her eyes back to Gideon "Can you help him, Sam?" she asked softly.
"I'm told I can…but I'll be honest, Finn. I'm not sure exactly what it is I have to do"
"Whatever it is, do it" said the man.
"Sam, this is Gabe, Finn's other brother" said Dean.
Sam nodded at him "Gabe, I'm kinda new to this but I'll do everything I can, I promise" he turned to Finn "You can't be in here…either of you, when I do this"
"Why not?" she asked.
"You just can't" he cocked his head and frowned. He reached over and ripped Gideon's shirt open. He looked at Finn "Give me your arm" she held it out and he took his dagger from his boot, took her arm and made a long cut along it, slicing it open.
"SAM!" he grabbed at the dagger "STOP IT!"
Sam shrugged Dean off him "Back off, Dean" he held Finn's arm over Gideon's chest "Leave it there. Gabe, arm" Gabe held it out and Sam did the same, both Finn's and Gabe's blood flowing over their brother.
"Jesus, Sam…" said Dean.
"Okay, now get out" said Sam.
"No" said Finn.
"Dean, take her out of here. Gabe you go too. You can't see this, it's not allowed"
"I'm staying" said Finn determinedly.
Sam looked at Finn "Finn, if you don't leave, I can't do this and Gideon stays as he is"
Gabe got up "Come on, Finn"
Dean went to her and pulled her to her feet "Let's get this looked at. Come on, let Sammy do his thing" and he practically dragged her out of the tent.
"Fix him, Sam!" she yelled over her shoulder as he zippered the tent closed behind them.
Sam went back to Gideon and got on his knees next to the man's body "Alright, Gideon…just bear with me…and …sorry about this but…" he raised the dagger and drove it straight through Gideon's unbeating heart.
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Dean and Finn had been sitting with Gabe near one of the fires, all the Ancients bar Jude, giving them a wide berth. Jude had healed both their arms and they now sat in an uneasy silence, trying to listen for any sounds that were coming from the tent and trying to ignore the tension that hung like a blanket over the three of them. The seconds dragged into minutes, the minutes dragged into hours and Dean finally got up and took Caleb to bed. He came back and sat behind Finn, putting his arms around her "Sammy'll bring him back, Finn. I know it"
She didn't say anything, she didn't acknowledge him at all. All she did was stare into the fire, her chin resting on her knees.
"It's my fault" said Gabe quietly.
Finn looked up at him "How is it your fault? You didn't hang him from a fucking tree, Gabe!"
Gabe shook his head slowly "I'm the eldest…when I went with the dragons…Gideon had to take over as Supreme Royal…if I hadn't…"
"If you hadn't, nothing" she said "Don't play the 'If I' game with me, Gabe. I'll win, trust me" she said angrily.
"Both of you stop it" said Dean "You want to be pissed at someone? You be pissed at Jonas, he's the prick that did this. And we're gonna make him pay for it. He wants to send us a message? Well I'm gonna send him a fucking answer" he got up and went over to Peluda and spoke to him briefly. He came back and sat down behind Finn again as Peluda took to the skies.
"What did you do?" asked Gabe.
Dean grinned "Gonna hit Jonas where it hurts him most"
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Peluda sailed over the now dark fields of Larten Vola, and if a dragon could smile, he'd be smiling now. He had hoped that this Slayer would be more than what they'd been foretold and he was starting to understand that the man was only now just coming into his own. He had finally reconciled his Mortal and Ancient self and his acceptance of who he was would be the downfall of the 'New Ones' . He sent out a silent call to his brothers and sisters and watched as they shot over the mountains, rising like stars and shooting over the landscape and towards the Citadel.
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Jonas was woken from his sleep by a loud knocking at his door. He rolled over, yelling at whomever it was that if he was disturbed again, it would be the death of the disturbee. There was a pause then the knocking came again. Jonas punched his pillow angrily, rolled out of bed, threw on his gold silk robe and marched to the door, throwing it wide.
"WHAT?" he yelled into the face of his General.
"Sir…" the man took a deep breath "there is something you need to see"
"It can't wait til morning, General?"
"No sir. I'm sorry" he turned on his heel and walked to the opposite side of the floor and waited at the large glass window.
Jonas quelled his anger and strode towards the man, his mind ticking off the ways he could kill his General without arousing suspicion. He knew the man was well liked among the Royal Guard, not to mention the people. Still, anyone who woke him at this hour had to be punished "Well?" The General pointed and Jonas turned to the window and stopped. His eyes widening and his mouth dropping open at the sight before him.
The turrets that surrounded his Citadel had been destroyed and lining the walls of the city were dragons, there must have been twenty of them, sitting casually on the walls and staring at his Palace. As if on cue, they raised their heads and let out a unified roar that echoed round the Citadel and over the outlying lands. They roared again and again as lights all over the city came on, soldiers and people rushing from their homes, believing they were under attack. They stopped and stared in awe at the dragons that lined their city, the fear slowly retreating when they realised they were not under attack.
"KILL THEM!" roared Jonas at the General.
"Sir, they have taken out all our weapons. We have no defence against them at the moment. I have the army rebuilding as we speak, but at this stage…we are defenceless...and it doesn't appear as though we're under attack"
"I DON'T CARE!" he turned back to the window and watched as his city slowly filled with his people, staring in awe at the dragons, he saw smiles on some of their faces, especially those of the children and he roared his rage again. "WHAT ARE THEY DOING? WHAT DO THEY WANT?" he screamed.
"We don't know, sir. They seem to be …waiting …for something…or someone"
"Is the Dragon Slayer here?" he asked angrily.
The General shook his head "From what we can see, it's just the dragons"
"The Slayer and that bitch Griffin know about their brothers?" he asked, his eyes never leaving those of the dragons.
"Yes sir. I've had a report that it was the Slayer and Griffin Jacobs that found them"
"No one else was with them?"
"No" lied the General.
"This is the Slayers' work…what…" he stopped as he saw a dragon heading towards the Citadel, something held in its talons. It sailed over the palace, circling back and slowly coming to rest in the main square. It folded it's blue wings against its body, its silver and purple scales, sparkling in the moonlight. It sat easily 40 feet high and it stared at the Palace window, looking directly at Jonas before lowering its eyes to the people in front of it.
Jonas heard a woman scream as a small child ran towards the dragon. He watched as the dragon lowered its head to the child and allowed itself to be petted. The child was joined by another and another, all of them dwarfed by the enormous creature but showing no fear. They were called back by their parents and the dragon raised its eyes to the palace again and let out another roar; it lifted its foot and dropped its package, nudging it. Jonas' stomach tied in knots and the fury rose in him as the tarpaulin rolled open, revealing the bodies of two men…the two men that had spoken out during the execution of Gideon and the Slayer's brother.
The dragon lowered its head to the people then shot into the sky, barrel-rolling out of the Citadel with a roar. Another dragon took its place, one of orange and yellow scales, it too had a package, and he watched in horror... this one held Bartholomew's body.
Dragon after dragon arrived in his city, depositing the bodies of all the men and women he had had killed and secretly buried. His hands clenched and unclenched and he ground his teeth as he watched the dragons deliver their cargo. His mind slowly unravelling as he watched his people turn and stare up at the Palace, stare at him in disbelief and distrust.
Xavier watched the people, watched as they slowly started to understand exactly who they had as a leader. The seeds of doubt that he had been planting in the minds of the people burst through with the messages delivered by the dragons…messages he had no doubt were sent by the Slayer. Jonas had killed the Slayer's brother, killed Griffin's brother and had left them hanging...discarded; their sole purpose to bring the Slayer and the Princess to their knees. He stopped a smile, looked like Jonas' 'message' had had the opposite effect; Jonas was now looking down the barrel of a gun held by a very pissed off, Dragon Slayer…and his ammunition was the people.
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Finn sat resting against Dean as he whispered to her. She wasn't sure what he was saying, it didn't matter, just hearing those soft murmurings in her ear seemed to calm her some…the soft kisses he lay on her neck, distracting her a little... but not enough to keep her mind from her brother. Her brother who had always tried to protect her; who had always been there for her, no matter what; and who had sacrificed everything to keep her and Caleb safe. The tears came again and she felt Dean's arms tighten around her "What's taking so long?" she whispered.
"I don't know, Finn…I don't understand what he's doing" said Dean softly.
"It's been hours" she said, her frustration starting to set in.
Dean didn't know what to say so he said nothing; he just held her close, willing Sam to get this right. He had his brother back…now Finn needed hers. And then, then they were going tear Jonas a new one.
They turned and stood quickly as they heard the tent zipper slowly rise, Dean took Finn's hand and squeezed it as Gabe came up beside his sister. They watched in what seemed like slow-motion as the tent flap was moved aside and Sam came out, his hands and clothes stained with blood.
"No…" said Finn as she took in Sam's appearance "What did you do?" she yelled as she stormed over to him.
Sam smiled and pushed the tent flap back and Gideon stepped out "Cut the man some slack, Finn" he grinned at his sister "He's kinda new to all this"
"Gideon…" she threw her arms around her brother and hugged him tight "You're alright"
Gideon laughed and hugged her back, lifting her off the ground "Yeah, I'm good, sis…" he kissed her cheek "I've missed you" he whispered "Jesus…" he dropped Finn to the ground "Gabe? Is…is that you?" he asked, not wanting to believe it could be true.
Gabe grinned "In the flesh…well most of it" he held up the arm that finished at the wrist and went and hugged his brother "Damn, it's good to see you"
Gideon laughed softly and hugged his brother "Seems like both of us have come back from the dead" he turned to Dean "Dean, good to see you again"
Dean shook his hand "You too, Gideon" he grinned "How was your trip back?"
"Hurt like a sonofabitch" he smiled "Thanks for the memories"
Dean laughed "Anytime, dude"
They looked up as they heard a rush of wings and a shadow pass over the moon. Peluda circled slowly before coming to rest gently in front of them. He looked at Gideon then turned his attention to Dean.
Slayer, your message has been delivered.
Dean smiled "How'd it go?"
It was well received by some more than others.
"Are you laughing Peluda?" asked Dean
Dragons do not laugh, Slayer.
"Uh huh" said Dean with a smile.
Peluda turned his attention to Gideon You are back, Lion
Gideon nodded "Azhi is unharmed…well he was the last time we saw him"
Peluda nodded and turned to Dean There is one riding towards the encampment, we have allowed him entry. He brings a message you must hear.
"How far away?"
He will be here within the hour. He rides alone.
Finn cocked her head.
"Finn?" asked Dean.
She turned and went towards Raja.
"Fuck me…is that a griffin?" asked Gideon incredulously, staring at the beast they all believed had been hunted to extinction.
Gabe nodded "He's one of four. The other three are with the dragons"
They watched as the griffin lowered its head and Finn stroked him gently. They watched her nod, go into her tent and come out with her swords across her back and head back to the griffin.
Dean ran over and grabbed her arm, turning her to face him "Where do you think you're going?"
Slayer, this does not involve you. Griffin, time is short.
She nodded at Raja and turned to Dean "Gotta go" she kissed him deeply "Watch Caleb" and she scaled Raja quickly.
"Finn…"
She gave him a sweet smile and then she was gone; Raja rocketing into the heavens, the night sky swallowing them quickly. He swore to himself and kicked at the ground, it was just like Finn to go off without telling him what she was up to, making him worry. He turned quickly, his worry and anger forgotten as he heard his son begin to scream.
To be continued…