Alright guys, the next chapter is up! Thank you so much for following this story, even if I have lots of things going on right now. I promise you, I will never completely forget about this story and will finish it. I swear.
Anyway, thanks guys! And remember to review!
She looked sideways at Paladin who flapped twice to gain some altitude before he met her eyes.
"It has been a long time since I had a conversation with a dragon," she said quietly.
His scaly face seemed to frown. She snickered at the completely non-dragon action.
"It is so strange. I have been only with dragons for 50 years. It has been the opposite for you."
"I have been alone," she said.
"May I ask you something?" he asked.
She nodded as she snapped at a bug flying past her.
"Will you tell me about your family?"
She stiffened at once. She fell in the sky a few feet before she beat here wings and came back up to his side. She paused and looked down at the land far below.
"I haven't shared that information with anyone. Ever."
Paladin continued to look at her. His eyes were not expectant; only curious. She thought for a moment then snorted.
"I can't. Not now."
Paladin dropped his eyes. They flew in silence for a few moments; the only sound was the flapping of the leather in their wings. Paladin watched his tiny shadow soaring over the rocks and fields below before he looked back up at her. When he met her eyes, he was searching. Searching her mind for something. Had she felt threatened, she could have closed her mind to him, but she didn't. Somehow she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Finally he looked away down to the left.
"There it is."
Mayleea followed the direction he was looking, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. There was a clearing between the edge of the mountain at the beginning of the trees. Paladin turned on the wind and Mayleea followed. She folded her left wing and banked to the left after him. They both shrunk their sizes significantly and landed by a small lake. Mayleea shook herself and had the intense urge to dive into the water and splash around, though she stopped herself. She could feel Paladin's growing concern. Although she did trot to the edge of the water and dunk her head in. She opened her mouth and gulped a few mouthfuls then pulled her head up. Water droplets ran easily off her slick skin and scales. She tossed the water off and walked to her comrade's side. He was looking up at the precarious rock face. She bumped his shoulder with hers and he turned his head.
"Ready to face your family?" she asked.
His eyes hardened.
"They stopped being family when Kopa tried to lock me away."
Mayleea blinked.
"You can't feel that way about all of them," she said. "Only Kopa did that."
"Let's just get in there," Paladin said, ignoring her.
She nodded.
"Lead the way."
He let out a grunt and took off into sky, clawing up the rock face. Mayleea followed him. They made their way about 1/3 of the way up the rocks and finally came to a small cliff. Paladin glanced behind him and met her eyes. She cocked her head and phased back to an Elf.
"Are you alright?" she asked putting a hand on his shoulder.
He leaned into her touch and responded with a low rumble in his chest.
"Are you afraid?"
He tossed his head.
"Let's go," he said.
Mayleea sighed, changed back to her dragon and followed. Paladin shoved his shoulder into a crevice and pushed. The rock gave way and fell in to reveal a dark passage big enough for a dragon the size of a horse. Paladin began forward with just a moment's hesitation and Mayleea followed. As soon as they passed the doorway, she was hit with a mental explosion.
"Shield yourself," Paladin said calmly.
Mayleea put up mental blocks and took a deep breath.
"Sorry," Paladin said. "I should have warned you. I guess I'm just used to it."
Mayleea growled and snapped at his back leg.
"I said I was sorry!"
She snorted. It hadn't been painful. Not like when she had pushed her mind out from Gondor to find Sam and Frodo. This was just a pressure. It almost felt natural.
"They have sensed me, but as far as I know, your true identity is still hidden from them," Paladin said as they continued to walk.
The passage was opening up and becoming less stuffy. Paladin stiffened considerably as they came to a corner. He puffed out his chest then turned the corner. It was pitch black, as it should be inside a mountain, but she could see fine. All dragons could. There was complete silence for a moment, then roars and jets of fire filled the air. Mayleea hadn't been around this concentration of dragons in a long time and it frightened her at first, but when Paladin roared back and galloped out into the middle of the room, she relaxed. The dragons closest to him bounded toward him and crashed into him. One in particular seemed extremely overjoyed to see him. In the jets of fire, Mayleea could see brown skin, much like Paladin.
"Brothers," she thought with a smile.
With her senses limited by not being able to use her mind, she instead used her nose. There were an amazing several hundred dragons and elementals in that room alone, and if she had to guess, she was sure that there were more than that in the caverns. Paladin rolled his brother off of him and bounded to Mayleea. His brother stopped. When he and Paladin met eyes, Mayleea knew they were speaking, even if she didn't know what they were saying. Before they finished their conversation however, three huge bursts of flame lit three torches up above them. Mayleea blinked as light flooded the cave and dragons flew for cover. Soon Mayleea, Paladin and his brother were the only ones left in the middle of the room. They turned to face three dragons, all larger than the rest. Paladin's brother hid behind them as the dragon in the middle roared. He was the biggest and shone a soft blue. The one on the right was red and was a female.
"Lothiri," Mayleea thought, then looked to the blue dragon's other side. "And Curunír."
He was green and the smallest. The one in the middle roared.
"Kopa," she thought lifting her lip.
He got up and came down off the platform they were on, changing into a human as he came. Mayleea growled quietly and glanced at Paladin. She was surprised to see him in human form. She guessed it was only polite for the other members of a clan to change when one of the leaders did. About a third of the dragons were now human. Kopa strode up to Paladin with an air of entitlement and arrogance she instantly hated. All that could be heard were his footsteps, calm and slow on the hard packed earth. He reached Paladin and stopped two inches from him. After a moment, Kopa reached out and grabbed Paladin by the collar and yanked him into a tight embrace. Another roar went up collectively from the surrounding dragons, but Mayleea wasn't listening to them. She was concentrating on Paladin.
When Kopa had grabbed him, he had gone ridged. Mayleea could see a hand around the back of Paladin's neck, holding him in place while he was talking quietly in Paladin's ear.
"How dare you come back here and with a stranger! I told you that if you ever came back I would kill you. Don't think you are walking out of here boy. I-" but his sentence was cut off by the loudest roar in the mountain.
Enraged, Mayleea had reared up and opened her mouth, flame erupting into the air. The humans dropped their composure and phased back to dragons as they ran from the heat of her fire. Kopa let go of Paladin and stepped back as she changed into an Elf mid roar. Paladin grinned at her as she brought her eyes level with Kopa's. His features were hard to see because she was looking right into the light.
"How dare you?" he asked, his attitude clipping the ends of his words.
Mayleea set her jaw.
"You do not scare me, Kopa," she hissed.
His serene face did not change; only his eyes betrayed him as they lit with angry fire.
"And why not?" he asked stepping past Paladin.
"Because you are not my master, nor are you anyone else's. Not anymore."
Kopa bristled.
"Who are you?" he asked taking another step and bringing his face out of the shadow.
Mayleea held her answer for a moment to take in his appearance. He was taller than she was with dark hair and a matching completion. He had scruff on his chin and cheeks that reminded her strikingly of Aragorn. His nose was a little large for his face, but he was handsome. The lines in his face were hard and pronounced, and he held his head at such an angle that he was forced to literally look down on her.
"Who are you?" he asked more forcefully.
"My name is Solaris," she said, using her clan name.
Kopa's face went blank and the huge cavern they were in fell silent. Mayleea waited a moment then opened her mind. The walls fell and she extended herself so fast that some of the dragons closest to her fell. Paladin, who was expecting this, caught himself and his brother who was still a human, but let Kopa fall on his backside.
"Now you all know who I am," she said, not needing to speak in more than a whisper to be heard by everyone.
Kopa jumped to his feet and glanced back at the other council dragons. They were staring at him. When he didn't do anything, they looked at one another then dropped their heads in Mayleea's direction. Kopa stared open mouthed at them as they bent their front legs and bowed their heads under them. They splayed their wings out toward her. Mayleea had not been expecting this and with them leading the way, all the dragons followed suit. As each dragon's loyalty switched from Kopa to Mayleea, she felt herself gaining power. Her mind was filled and opened up to hundreds of other consciousnesses. Her eyes were clearer and her senses sharper. She had never felt so alive. Finally the last three standing were Kopa, Paladin and his brother. Paladin found Mayleea's eyes and smiled.
"They have been waiting for you," he said aloud. "We all have."
Mayleea felt strange emotion bubbling up in her chest and clenching around her heart, when suddenly, Paladin dropped to his knees and sat back on his heels, hands on his thighs. The smile on his handsome face was so genuine, she could almost not handle it. His brother dropped down beside him, although he looked scared, not happy. Mayleea blinked back tears then met Kopa's eyes. He was still standing.
"You know who I am," she said.
It was not a question. Kopa did not speak.
"If you do know me, you know what place I hold. What place is rightfully mine," she said stepping to Paladin and pulling gently on his shoulder until he stood. "I will not be a ruler that makes her kingdom kneel every time they see her, but I will have the respect I deserve."
Paladin showed a sideways grin.
"What makes you think you deserve it?" Kopa asked, regaining control of his expression.
Mayleea almost laughed and spread her arms.
"I know you can feel it. Their loyalties lie with me."
"You may be of the royal line, but you are not royal. You did not even know of your heritage until Paladin - " but he paused, and Mayleea grinned.
"Until Paladin what?" she asked quietly. "If they are not all loyal to me, they will be after they hear what you did. What you have been doing for 90 years."
Questions popped up in all the dragon's minds at once. The amount of minds connected to hers overwhelmed Mayleea for a moment but she managed to push past them and open her eyes.
"Go on Kopa. Tell them what you've done. How have you betrayed them?"
Kopa didn't move, but his eyes shone angrily. Mayleea growled and jumped forward. She grabbed him by a fistful of the collar.
"Tell them or I will."
"How did you know?" he asked pulling away.
She let him go and smiled.
"Paladin is more knowledgeable than he seems."
In an instant Kopa had jumped across the empty space, phasing into a dragon at the same time. Paladin hardly had time to change his form to counter Kopa. Paladin, though bigger than Mayleea by a significant amount, was just over 2/3 the size of Kopa. The larger dragon knocked Paladin over and aimed a bit at his jugular, but Paladin got his hind legs under him and kicked Kopa in the chest hard enough to throw him across the space. Paladin got to his feet and stood side by side with his brother, who was also in dragon form. The former leader drew back out of their fiery reach, then pulled a large front foot up, ready to deliver a fatal blow when a jet of orange fire came out of the darkness above him. The scales on his face easily deflected her attack, but it drew his attention from the brothers.
"You will not hurt one who is protected under my authority!" Mayleea yelled into his mind.
"No one is under your protection if you can't even protect yourself!" he shouted and flapped twice to get off the ground.
He chased her up into the top of the mountain. She glanced behind her just in time to see a flame as big as her face flying at her. She dodged to the left and hit the side, dislodging rocks to fall onto Kopa. He roared and tried to grab her tail. She whipped it out of his reach then closed her wings and fell backward. Surprised to see her hurtling toward him, he almost crashed right into her. Just in time, he dodged her falling body and ran right into a protruding rock face.
Mayleea opened her wings and caught the air under them just in time to dodge a rock. Dragons were roaring as her joy overflowed her mind and emptied into theirs. Paladin and his brother were so excited they were almost flapping their way off the ground. She roared back to them, but their contagious cheering quickly turned to warning calls, but Mayleea didn't register them until it was too late. Kopa had come crashing down out of the top of the cave, close to unconsciousness. He had not been lucid enough to even attempt at flapping his wings. He hit her squarely in the back, taking her with him.
She cried out as his weight propelled them both toward earth. Frustrated, she let out a jet of fire and tried to roll over and throw him off, but his dead weight was too much for her. She struggled and fought against him.
"KOPA! You are going to kill us both! WAKE UP!"
Kopa did not respond. Mayleea growled and pushed with all her might and managed to get out from under him, though it was almost too late. She couldn't get enough wind under her wings to stop her completely, just slow her down. Kopa's dead weight hit the dirt first, followed a few seconds later by Mayleea. For a moment they both lay there. Paladin began to step forward to check on her, but as the dust settled, they all could see the back and wings of a dragon. They held a collective breath as the dust cleared and they could make out the black and orange of Mayleea. She shook off as Paladin walked to her side.
"Are you alright?"
"I have been better," she said hopping a little. "My leg."
Mayleea turned around and growled at Kopa, who was trying to stand. She planted her good foot in the middle of his back and pushed him back down, then changed into an Elf.
"You stay down," she hissed then stood up and addressed the rest of the dragons and elementals. "Since your leader doesn't want to tell you what he did, I will enlighten you all."
She waited; so did they.
"Kopa has been keeping you here. There is a way out."
A buzz went through the dragons as Mayleea continued.
"Your leader has been lying to you for almost 50 years!"
A few confused roars erupted from the crowd, as well as some jets of fire. Mayleea looked back down at Kopa.
"Tell them."
He growled, and Mayleea kicked him in the side. It did little to hurt him, but it moved him to get up. Had she not been the rightful leader, he probably would have killed her on the spot. As it were, she was the leader, and he did not dare harm her. He shook himself and changed back to a human.
"Tell. Them," she hissed.
"Tell them what?" he asked innocently.
She clenched her jaw.
"Fine," then addressed the crowd. "Kopa has been keeping you all here. There is a way out, and we can all go."
"Why is he keeping us here!" someone yelled from the back.
It was a human voice.
"That I do not know," Mayleea answered the voice.
A young female pushed her way to the front next to Paladin, who was now a human, along with his brother.
"Then how do you know he is lying to us?" she asked.
Sharp, blue eyes darted from Mayleea to Kopa. Her dark hair was cropped short around her chin. Though unwashed and obviously unkempt, it had a wild elegance to it. Her cheek bones were wide and high set, similar to Kopa's now that Mayleea looked. She didn't ask about the obvious relation, and instead asked her name.
"Kára," she stated stiffly. "Now how do you know he is lying?"
"Paladin found a way out and told Kopa. Your leader tried to lock him away and keep him quiet about what he found," Mayleea explained calmly.
The girl frowned, unconsciously clenching and unclenching her fists and Mayleea could see her chewing on the inside of her cheek.
"Kára, it is as she says," Paladin's brother said stepping forward.
"Oh how do you know?" she asked rounding on him. "You weren't the one to leave, Pallando. Your brother was. Let him tell me my father is a liar."
Paladin stepped up and grasped her outstretched hand. Both closed their eyes. Everyone was quiet until Kára opened her eyes and tried to drop Paladin's hand, but he didn't let go. She frowned at him.
"What?"
"It's Enobaria. She is dead."
Kára's face paled.
"How?"
Paladin turned to Mayleea. She was lost for a moment, then remembered their conversation after Paladin had rescued here from Grima. Kára turned her eyes to meet Mayleea's.
"She came with the enemy to Helms Deep. She caused a lot of damage, and tried to kill not only me, but my comrades. I had to protect them."
Kára frowned and looked at Paladin. She seemed to be asking him something. He looked at Mayleea, then back at Kára. When she turned back to Mayleea, her eyes were shining.
"Show me?"
Mayleea blinked but nodded and extended a hand. Kára came forward slowly and put her hand in Mayleea's. She recalled the memories of the green dragon.
"Enobaria," Mayleea reminded herself.
She found the memories that were the clearest of Enobaria and let them flow to Kára's open mind. The girl trembled and began to cry as the images kept coming. Mayleea pulled the conversation she had had with Enobaria on the cliffs above Helms Deep.
"You and I do not have to be enemies."
"Oh but we do," said Enobaria.
"You would rather be a pet to the Uruki?"
"I am no pet," she spat. "I am a goddess."
"The Uruki answer to no one but Saruman," Mayleea said.
"You know nothing do you?" she asked.
"I know enough," Mayleea answered.
"Obviously, you do not."
"Tell me then," Mayleea challenged.
"You know you are an Elemental."
"Yes," Mayleea agreed.
"But you think you are the last one left."
"Yes," Mayleea agreed again.
"You are not."
"You lie," she hissed.
"Why would I lie?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't you?"
"Good point," the other dragon answered. "But I'm not. You are not even close to the only one."
"Saruman has them all in his prisons," she said.
"How many?" Mayleea asked.
"Hundreds."
"Why did you tell me?" Mayleea asked.
"Because I'm going to kill you," she said, her grin getting wider.
Kára ended the memory abruptly by pulling her hand back.
"That was not the Enobaria I knew," the other female looked up at Mayleea. "She was not evil."
Mayleea nodded.
"I believe you."
Weather she truly did believe her was unclear, even to herself.
"I'm sorry I doubted you," Kára said.
Her voice shook in an effort to control her emotions. Mayleea nodded before Kára turned to Kopa.
"You have been lying to us," then to everyone, "He has been lying to all of us. I'm leaving with Mayleea. If you're smart you will follow."
"Kára!"
It was a new voice. Another female. She was shrill and high pitched and appeared behind Kopa. Her cerulean gaze gave her away at Kára's mother. She helped Kopa stand, all the while sending daggers at Mayleea with her eyes. Mayleea didn't bother to change her facial expression nor her attitude.
"Mother he is lying," Kára said bluntly. "I have seen it. Let Paladin show you."
He stepped forward, ready with his message, but the new female slapped his hand away.
"I know exactly what happened. This new leader killed her own kind."
"Mother, Enobaria was different. She had been corrupted. How, I do not know, but – "
"I may know," came a different voice.
It was a dragon this time. A male. He shouldered his way to the circle holding Kopa, his wife and daughter, Mayleea, Paladin and Pallando. He was the size of a horse of Rohan, but just from his front feet, Mayleea could tell he had the capacity to be much larger. His body was heavily plated from his face all the way down his body to the end of his tail. His belly and chest plates, as well as the leather of his wings were a light pink, while his body was silver with a tint of purple. His eyes were hidden under a shadow cast by the bony eyebrow plate above. She could see no more in the dim light, but just then, his voice entered her mind.
"I am Maltök," he said. "And I believe I can shed some light on our old leader and his plan for us."
Dragons all around roared and there were shouts from the humans.
"Tell us!"
Maltök snorted and shook his head.
"Kopa has been keeping us here. He has made a deal with the White Wizard Saruman. Kopa exchanges several dragons every few months for safety for himself. He hands us over to Saruman and he takes them and tortures them. Brainwashes them into slaves for his armies."
"How do you know this?!" someone cried.
"I overheard them long ago, but I kept my findings to myself. I knew Kopa would deliver me to Saruman immediately to keep his secret, I stayed out of the way."
He paused and looked at Mayleea.
"Enobaria, the young fool that she was, found out. How, I do not know, but she tried to confront the council. Kopa sent her off at once."
Maltök found Kopa's dark eyes and rumbled low in his chest. Mayleea, who was not shocked to hear this, nodded.
"How many does Saruman have?" Mayleea asked, drawing the large dragon's attention.
He swung his head around to face her.
"It has been going on for far too long to count. No less than one hundred."
"If that were true," Kopa spoke up, "Why weren't they missed?"
Maltök growled at him.
"There are 557 souls under this mountain. There is no way we could keep track of everyone, and you knew that."
"I knew no such thing," Kopa said hotly.
"That is enough from you," Mayleea snarled in his direction. "I have had enough. You were NEVER fit to lead, and that remains true. I am the leader of this clan now, and you have no say."
Kopa opened his mouth, but shut it again as Mayleea stepped up to him and grabbed him by the collar.
"That. Is. Enough."
Kopa's dark eyes flashed between terror and anger.
"No more from you. Understand?" she asked.
Kopa clenched his jaw but nodded once. Mayleea pushed him away with such force he ran into his mate. She caught him, but just barely. Mayleea then turned to Maltök and the others.
"I am leaving this mountain. Go and tell your kin and stay close. We are all getting out this very day."
Roars erupted and jets of fire sprayed into the air. Mayleea glanced at the ones closest to her, and Paladin stepped forward, his brother close behind.
"Mayleea," he said grinning. "This is my brother, Pallando."
Mayleea matched Paladin's smile and put her hand on Pallando's shoulder.
"It is good to meet you."
"And you," he said.
He looked star struck.
"Pallando, I am just another Elemental. Like you. There is no need to be afraid."
"But there is," Maltök said coming up behind her.
His voice held a smile, though it could not be seen on his plated face.
"I have been searching for you for years. I found you not so long ago when you were fighting Enobaria."
Everyone turned to him and listened.
"How were you searching?" Mayleea asked.
"I am a seer."
Those listening began whispering and Kára spoke up.
"The seer died long ago."
Maltök growled at her.
"He was killed."
"By who?" she asked.
"I dare not say it."
"Who was the seer?" Mayleea asked.
"My grandfather. He was killed because he was thought a threat."
"How do you know?" Kára asked crossing her arms.
Maltök glared at her and Mayleea could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes.
"I am a seer." Then he turned back to Mayleea. "I have seen you fight, my queen. Everyone in this mountain would quake with fear if they could see it too."
Mayleea shook her head but grinned at him.
"You will follow me?"
This time, his teeth appeared in a dragon smile.
"Wherever you go."
Once again, Mayleea was touched with their faith in her. None of them knew her, but they seemed to know her on a deeper level than anyone she had ever met. Although she had never had more minds connected to her own in this way, she still missed the little connection between she and a certain elf. Paladin seemed to know.
"Should we go?" he asked suddenly.
"Yes," Mayleea said with a nod. "Is everyone here?"
Maltök looked around them, trying to take count. Finally he turned back and agreed with a nod.
"We move now!" Mayleea yelled.
Her shout was followed by joyful roars and sprays of fire before she turned and began walking out the way she and Paladin came. Paladin joined her and Kára and Pallando fell in behind. Maltök roared right along with the rest, excited to finally be leaving. They walked back up the tunnel for a good few minutes before Mayleea bumped Paladin's shoulder. He glanced up at her and unclenched his nervous fists. Their human and Elf forms couldn't see in the dark hallway, but they were still connected. Mayleea could feel all of the dragons and Elementals under her rule, and there was many of them. All behind her. All but Kopa and his mate. They were still in the main area under the mountain.
Behind Maltök was a roaring, singing party of hundreds. They danced down the hallways, cheering and singing praises to the rightful ruler. As Mayleea turned a corner and saw the exit, she felt Paladin stiffen next to her. She found his fingers in the dark and wrapped hers around them. He smiled at her and together, they stepped over the line to the mountain. They turned and watched as Kára and Pallando step out. They paused at the door and finally moved forward together. They were the first two out and they blinked, even in the dim evening light. Slowly everyone gathered out on the ledge and Mayleea surveyed her group. She was distressed that far too many of them were young. Far too young to be in the middle of a war. Dragons had crawled up the rocks to give the elementals who were in their human forms room to stand. Mayleea stood with her back to the edge, her body framed by the setting sun. Paladin was standing behind her, arms crossed, smiling at the back of her head.
Her lean shoulders were squared and back; hands pressing into her hips. He could see tension in the soft lines of her biceps and triceps. On closer inspection of her bare arms, Paladin noted small, almost invisible lines pulsing color over her skin. He looked closer and was reminded strikingly of the metallic shimmering of a fish under water. Though the lines were thin and close to invisible, and in no particular design, they gave off a strange, beautiful glow. They came and went in waves, pulsing with each heartbeat. Paladin was almost sure she didn't know they were there, but it was becoming slowly apparent that everyone else was noticing. Starting with the Elementals in front and working slowly through to the back, everyone was noticing her strange glow; especially in the dying light.
"Now, there is something I need to do. I have pledged my loyalty to Gondor and the people allied with them. Even as I speak, the armies of Gondor and Rohan are marching on the Black Gate."
Whispers began in the crowd, but Mayleea raised a hand. Before she could speak however, Kára piped up.
"The armies of Mordor were huge, even before we were taken under the mountain. They must have at least doubled their size since then."
Mayleea nodded.
"I am sure they have more than tripled. None the less, I, along with all the able bodied here, will be leaving tomorrow for the Black Gate."
There was total silence and Mayleea felt their minds swaying back toward Kopa. She had been expecting this. They had known Kopa their whole lives. She had become their leader not twenty minutes before.
"I know you are afraid, and the last thing you want to do with your newfound freedom is to go fight a war, but if Gondor fails in their fight, you will be thrown into war, like it or not."
They looked at one another and Mayleea glanced at Paladin. He gave a slight nod, and she continued.
"Mordor will soon know of the escape here and they will come for us next. The dragons who were imprisoned will be too much of a threat in the enemy's mind. They will destroy everyone. Males, females and hatchlings."
Mayleea watched mothers hug their children closer to them and males begin to mutter.
"So you see, the armies of Mordor must be stopped."
She paused.
"At all coasts. For all our sakes, and for a future for our children."
There were head nods and confirming growls and grunts all around.
"Who will fight?" she yelled.
There was a pause from everyone until Maltök reared onto his back legs and let loose a roar. Even from the far side of the group, and up the mountain a ways, the ground shook from his voice.
"I will fight for you, My Lady."
Mayleea raised a hand.
"Do not fight for me, fight for yourselves."
More roars joined Maltök's as well as shouts from the human Elementals.
"I know you have no reason to fight for me, or for me. All I ask is that you fight alongside me."
Roars and shouts filled the air as night really set in. Finally, they quieted enough for Mayleea to speak. We will leave at dawn. For tonight, we rest and feast!"
More roars.
"Go! Find food and return. Go in groups and be careful."
They agreed and for the first time, some in their whole lives, extended their wings and jumped off the edge of the mountain. Mayleea closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of everyone's joy. Paladin grinned and laid a hand on her lower arm and her eyes opened. She met his and sighed.
"How am I going to lead 557 lives?"
Paladin grinned.
"With help."
She sighed again, but this time, sadder. Paladin's smile slowly turned downward.
"What is it?" he asked, although he was fairly sure he already knew.
She looked up and met his eyes. If he wasn't sure about her reason before, her eyes told it all.
"The elf?' he questioned quietly.
Her eyes flashed.
"Legolas."
Paladin dropped his eyes.
"You miss him?"
"Of course I do," she said frustrated, then a little softer. "I wish we would have left on better terms."
Paladin did nothing for a moment while she watched the dragons flying in different directions.
"We are going to help him and Aragorn in the morning. For now though, you must rest and eat."
She agreed with a nod then smiled at him.
"We both must."
With that, she dove off the cliff. Paladin followed easily. They both phased back at the same time and caught wind under their wings. Mayleea rolled to her left and Paladin was obliged to follow. That night food was rather scarce because of the overwhelming amount of Dragons now roaming about. Mayleea and Paladin had eaten in Minas Tirith, so neither of them were overly hungry. In the end, they found a few fish in the little lake and waited up for the entirety of the Dragons and Elementals to return. There were several groups that returned together, but it took almost two hours for all to come back. When they did, however, Mayleea was waiting in her dragon form. She had all their attention as soon as she began talking.
"Everyone, you are no longer in the safety of the mountain. Precautions must be taken. All males will sleep on the outside making a circle around the females and hatchlings. We rise at dawn. Before sleep, I must speak to everyone coming with us. Meet on the cliff."
With that, she crouched and sprang off the ground, aiming for the entrance to the cave. Most of the company of dragons followed. There were more males than females, as was usual with dragons and apparently Elementals, and they all made their way to the ledge. Mayleea stood on the same edge she stood on before while they gathered. Paladin, Pallando, Kára and Maltök were right in front.
"I will not sugar coat it for you. This battle will be difficult; especially if the enemy has Dragons they have turned to the side of evil. If you knew someone who is no longer here, there is a good chance you will meet them in battle. You must all be prepared for that. Are you?"
There were a chorus of quiet 'yes's' in her mind. She nodded.
"Good. Now there is another matter that needs attending to. There are hundreds of females and hatchlings down there who are not going to come with us. I need a group big enough to protect them to stay behind."
She glanced around and her eyes landed on a small male who looked young.
"Let us start with you."
"I want to come with you to fight!" he said sharply.
"How many summers have you seen?" she asked him.
He didn't answer.
"How many?"
He sighed.
"Fifteen."
Mayleea snorted.
"I'm not too young!" he shouted.
Mayleea quickly rethought her decision and walked up to him. He stood a little taller as she approached.
"What is your name?"
"Mwvyan," he answered puffing his chest out.
"Mwvyan," she repeated. "I have the most important job of all for you. You will stay back here and keep the females and hatchlings safe. It is a very special job, which needs to be given to a very special person."
If possible, his chest puffed out farther.
"Mwvyan, will you do this very important job for me?" she asked, dropping her eyes down to his level.
He nodded and did a little dance. Mayleea grinned and looked up.
"How many more have seen fewer than fifty summers?"
One over a hundred stepped forward. Mayleea almost fainted.
"Well then, you will be my army. The protection for our females and children."
They all whooped and roared and agreed wholeheartedly.
"It is settled then. Mwvyan will be my acting Captain while I am away. Can I trust you with that title?"
"Yes my lady!" he said enthusiastically.
"Good. We leave at first light."
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