A/N Well it has been quiet a while hasn't it. What with all the holidays, I've gotten myself distracted. But no more! I'm back! And it is finally time to continue this ever-growing story. My only other feasible excuse for not writing is re-reading the entire series, to make sure I have things correct ;). So, let me tarry no longer, here we continue with chapter 4 of Conquest!

Having worked on the armor for the past three days without sleep, Rhunön had decided enough was enough, and finished off the steel reinforced leather boots she was in the process of making an hour earlier, and with those boots finally complete, the set of armor lay complete before her.

Speaking to herself as she climbed the steps into her room, "I really must learn to sleep while working on my projects..."

Early tomorrow morning, the small group of elves would arrive at Rhunön's house to transport her to a hidden location half a mile away from Uru'baen, where she will hide out until nightfall.

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12 years earlier

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The sun was hot on young Jack's face as he strolled down the black sand beach of Shark tooth Isle. He could smell the salty water to his left and the cool refreshing forest to his right, and smell a hint of smoke from his village. Jack was becoming a young man and at the age of fourteen, and soon he would have to go through his trials of manhood. He was quite nervous, for he had heard of many strong-minded individuals go mad from the trials, though he heard not of what was involved with them, but that was not what was troubling him the most, no, what bothered him was a dream. It was like no other dream he had ever had. He was planning on going to the village elder and ask him if it meant anything, but he wanted to sort through his thoughts first. Now, Jack knew the importance of dreams to his people, and how some dreams were interpreted as visions, and vice versa, and he wanted to make sure he was right before going to anyone with his worrisome premonition.

After about an hour of walking, Jack made it to the small rocky outcrop at the cliffs on the eastern side of the Island. He promptly made sure no one had followed him, and after he assured himself that none had seen him, climbed over the side, and dropped about two feet onto the small projection of rock that led into a small cave that he called his hideout. This hideout was his favorite place on the Island, as nobody knew of it, and he could spend hours on end thinking there undisturbed. He was unlike most of the villagers who loved to spend time out hunting, or out in their small boats fishing, as he spent most of his time alone, much like the village elder would. Jack never could see himself as the elder though; it was much too easy to get interrupted by someone, while he was meditating. Upon finding the small polished stone he had hidden in the rear of the cave, he picked it up and began, as he had so many times before, recalled his most recent dream, the one of ten and two nights ago.

He could hardly tell that it was he who stood on the edge of the massive volcano that was once thought to be dead. Jack, in his dream, was near the age of twenty and six, and when he saw the molten rock gurgling out of the center of the volcano, began sprinting down the side of the mountain, barely avoiding the trees falling stones crashing into the ground around him. The earth shook with a mighty roar as the volcano began to erupt and send its almighty flows of melted rock down its slopes. Jack found himself at the bottom of the volcano and nearing the village where he took a long leap over the trench he had spent the greater part of ten years digging and remaking. In this time, the villagers thought him to be crazy, and allowed him to continue with his work, in fear of him attacking them. Jack had always told that the volcano would erupt, and destroy the village, as it had in his dream, but the villagers merely continued on their way, except for one, the elder. He took great interest in Jack, who seemed oblivious to the elder's questioning. Jack, now sensing that his dream was about to become reality felt something deep within him grow, something he had only felt once before, when he was ten and had discovered the cave. He had slipped off the side of the small projection that marked his cave and began to fall toward the sharp rocks and crashing waves below him. What he felt, but no one in over one thousand years on his island felt, was magic. His only intention when he was ten was to live, and he willed the magic to make it so. The rocks shattered below him and the water rose up and broke his fall slowly. At the time, Jack had no idea what it was, and he still didn't, but that changed nothing, for he thought it was the work of the gods themselves that saved him. As the power built inside him, he saw the molten rock creep its way down the mountainside, destroying the forest and all of their game. He readied himself for his final breath and called out to everyone, taking advantage of the magic coursing inside him, making it heard by all. He ordered them all to the large boat he had taken two long years to build. It held enough room for all of villagers. The heat from the flowing rock burnt his skin as he watched it flow into the trough and around the village, but then what he had dreaded for years, happened. The volcano sent forth a cloud of liquid rock that traveled over the ground. He didn't know what it was called, but he knew it would kill everyone on the island if he didn't do something. He immersed himself in the flow of 'magic' inside his body and drew from it as much as he could, then felt more 'magic' around him and drew that into himself as well. Then with his unique single-mindedness that the villagers often condemned, allowed the magic to leave his body with a single thought: Save The Villagers. The villagers had only just launched the large craft when the volcano sent forth its giant cloud of death, as they called it, while some dove off the side into the water, others prayed that the gods would save them. Jack felt the power leaving his body and blacked out before the cloud hit the village, but the spell he cast had already taken affect.

A pillar of pure white light shot into the volcano's clouds of hot ash and blew them back as if they were simply smoke in the wind. It cleansed the ground of the falling ash, and cooled the molten rock in the trench and flowing down the sides of the volcano. Whatever the light touched seemed to be protected from the volcano. The volcano itself, stopped erupting and the flows of lava halted, along with the immense cloud of liquid rock, which settled onto the forest and cooled instantly. Jack was left unconscious by the spell, which depleted him of all his power, but left him with enough to live. Luckily for Jack, the village elder had stayed and watched Jack cast his spell. To his horror, Jack used all of the available magic in the earth and in himself, and lent Jack his own power so he would survive the ordeal. To the elder's amazement Jack did survive, and the magic within him built itself back up quickly.

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Now

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"I don't understand what you're saying to me!" Jack screamed to the elder as he tried to explain what had happened two weeks before.

With a loud sigh, the Elder, known as Kratou, changed from the Ancient language to the language of the tribe and tried explaining again, "Jack, you have been unconscious for two weeks."

"What?" Jack asked, "I should be dead! I felt the power leave me..."

"Be happy you are alive today, as I was able to sustain the spell you had cast over the village. You nearly killed me in the process, but you must know what you have done, and my life is of no importance to what you accomplished."

"I don't understand...I just let the power control me and I let it do what I wished."

"Jack, the "power" you felt when you saved the village...it is."

Kratou was interrupted as a villager burst into his tent and told him that someone was going to be sent up to the volcano to check if it is going to erupt again or of it is safe.

"Why do I need to know this?" Kratou asked, clearly annoyed.

"You must take him up to the volcano and sacrifice him to the gods! They want him to join them!" the villager quickly said then left the tent, scared with what the elder implied by pulling his short sword from under his bed and looking down the blade.

"Well then, it looks as if you and I have a trip to take tonight Jack." the elder quietly said.

"Why Kratou?! I didn't make the light! I tried to save the village!" Jack yelled.

"Jack, listen to me...you and I...we won't be accepted here if it is known we are able to use magic."

"Magic??"

"Yes...you and I are the only ones on our pathetic little spit of land to be able to use magic, and magicians are sacrificed to the gods by our simpleminded villagers in fear that we will kill them. I was hoping I'd be able to avoid something like this happening, but that is obviously not an option."

"But you cannot travel anywhere! You are old! How will you walk more than a hundred steps?"

The elder laughed at Jack's questioning and accusations.

"Jack, I'm not as old as you believe, I used magic to alter my appearance, I am only three and forty, and from now on, you will not be so disrespectful towards me. I am your teacher, and will be shown the respect that I deserve."

"But...I lived all my life here, and where will we go? There is no other land than this one."

"Ah, now you are thinking ahead, there is land not too far off of our little island. It's closer than you would expect, and full of people like us, and many not like us, and that is where we will go. Ready your things, for we must set forth tonight for Alaga...well I will tell you more once we have set sail... I will make ready your boat, and stock it with enough supplies to last us quite some time. Also, before you meet me at the boat, take two donkeys from the stalls, and bring them to me.

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Later that night...

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"I have brought the donkeys and my pack for the trip Kratou."

"Good, good...but keep your voice down, we don't want to wake the villagers."

"I'm sorry," whispered Jack.

"You need not apologize, we must be off now while the tide fares us."

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Early the next day

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"Jack it is time to begin your training!"

"Argh! What hour of the morning is this?"

"Time is of the essence Jack, you must learn to control your magic and keep yourself protected before we reach Alagaesia."

"Alagaheysea?"

"No, it isn't as you said, It is a word of from the ancient language. Alagaesia, say it with me, that's it. You'll learn of the ancient language further in your training, but for now I must teach you the art of swordplay."

And so the hours dragged on as Kratou explained the proper use of the sword and how to counter his foe's moves. Jack's biggest problem seemed to be his inability to notice movements of his opponent's blade. Kratou became more and more impatient; until it dawned on him that Jack would have less trouble if he were able to end fights very quickly, rather than through besting his opponent. He began, instead to teach Jack to wield his sword in a way that would allow him quick and precise jabs and slices with the blade. Jack had no trouble with the new style and easily advanced into more difficult areas of swordplay.

Late in the day, Kratou laid his sword on the deck of the small boat, which was fairly large, for one person to have built in two years, and began to meditate. Jack didn't know what to do, so he joined him in meditation for there was nothing he could do to rouse Kratou from his thoughts.

"That's all for today Jack. You may retire to your room, I'll keep watch tonight."

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The new day dawned, and Rhunön woke early and prepared herself for what could be her last day. She knew the queen would never approve, but when did she ever approve of the things that happened around her. As she collected the armor and was about to leave her small house, Maud the werecat meowed at her.

"Hello Maud," Rhunön slowly whispered.

"Rhunön," she said as she morphed into her human form, "I came to tell you that you would get out of Uru'baen alive, and with the egg."

"I knew that already, it is what will occur afterward, is what I'm unsure of."

"Worry not, Rhunön, the next rider will not be our enemy, anymore than that, I will not say. May the stars watch over you Rhunön."

"Thank-you Maud"

With that final statement, Rhunön walked from her house with the armor in her pack, and set about gathering the spell weavers that would be teleporting her to her hiding position outside of Uru'baen.

A/N Well then, this took quite some time!! And I have to apologize for taking forever and a half :( I feel bad about it but it couldn't be helped. I did my best to make this chapter my best yet! Oh and Jack's dream didn't just end, it was what happened when he was 26.