Now introducing Part 2 of The Celebration! Hope you enjoy it! Also, if anyone thinks they could draw any of the characters, please PM me! I'd like to update some pics, maybe make a better Cover photo. Anyway, happy reading and, as always, please review!

Chapter 10:

The Celebration: Part 2

Fenrir slowly made his way back to the Queen's side. He was in a terrible mood now, but needed to know what was going on. Snaking his way through the thickly crowded Elves, he eventually found the Queen, thanks to Evalette's bright white dress.

"Where have you been? The Ceremony is about to start" Evalette scolded him.

"Just catching up with Valeria" Fenrir replied.

Any attempt to hide his feelings was a complete failure, and Evalette was clearly aware that something was bothering him. Luckily, Queen Arya realized he had arrived and impatiently motioned him over to her, saving Fenrir the discomfort of explaining his emotions to Evalette.

"Fenrir, I hope you enjoyed your time wandering around. Thanks to your disappearance, you have only a few minutes to become acquainted with the process of the Ceremony" the Queen quietly fussed at him, obviously at her wit's end.

"I will have to give you the simplest possible directions, but rest assured, you will be taught a complete lesson on the origins and details of the Ceremony another time" she continued.

The Queen then proceeded to drown him in instructions. Where to stand, where to go, what to say, how to act, every single motion he would have to take. The amount of manners and rules for one Ceremony was staggering. To make matters even more difficult, Fenrir was still distracted by Valeria's actions, so by the end of the lecture, he was still confused on what he would have to do. Meanwhile, Evalette seemed quite confident, so he decided to simply follow everything she did.

Soon after the Queen had finished her lecture, one side of the mob of Elves began to part. Fenrir and Evalette drew closer to see what was going on, and saw an old Elven woman emerge from the gap. She wore an ornate blue robe that sparkled in the were-light's glow. Behind her followed five younger Elves carrying large eggs.

Dragon eggs.

Fenrir and Evalette gasped at the sight. The first egg was a deep purple, with a pearlescent shimmer. The second was as black as the night sky. The third was a strange green with yellow speckled about its shell. The fourth was bright white, with a faint blue sparkle to it. The last egg was a rusty brown color, definitely the least beautiful of the five.

The Elven egg-bearers lined up alongside the stone table, then without a word they turned and placed their respective eggs on the table in perfect unison. Fenrir could now see that there were shallow dents in the table to hold the eggs up straight.

Once the Elves had placed their cargo on the table, they turned and retreated the way they entered. The entire crowd remained eerily silent, even the forest itself was devoid of all the usual wild sounds, as if every animal and insect in the area knew of the reverence of the moment.

Which is entirely possible with Elves.

A few minutes passed and Fenrir began to wonder if there was anything more to the ceremony. Just as he was about to go mad from the silence, the Queen stood from her throne.

"The Chosen may step forth" she spoke in a solemn tone that he had not heard her use before.

But how do we know who is Chosen?

And then Fenrir realized he was walking. He hadn't thought of the movement at all, and yet he found himself pulled towards the stone table. He looked around in panic to find that Evalette was walking with him as well, though she seemed much less confused.

Probably something I missed in the lecture.

He turned to see three other Elves emerging from the crowd. And among them was Valeria.

Just my luck.

She seemed sober now, probably the working of a quick spell. It didn't make a difference to Fenrir as the damage was already done, but at least she wouldn't make a drunken fool of herself in front of the entire Elven population.

In a few moments, he found himself and the other Chosen lined up at one side of the table.

"Begin" the Queen said in her ceremonial voice.

The first Elf in line, a young male, walked forward. He passed by each egg slowly, until he reached the rusty brown one. As he passed by, it shimmered and rumbled. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the egg. Fenrir saw him take a nervous gulp of air as he slowly reached out his right hand and placed it on the egg. There was a blinding explosion of light between his palm and the egg, and then he collapsed.

Two of the Egg-bearers walked into the area again and dragged the young elf away, his hand still glowing, and carried the egg away as well.

"Next" the Queen spoke again once they had removed the unconscious Elf.

The next Elf in line, a young woman, stepped forward. She proceeded slowly in the same manner, this time making it to the green egg. The egg shimmered just as the first, and the Elf hesitated before turning to face it. She looked to be on the edge of tears as she reached towards the egg. At her touch, the same lightning flash as before blurred Fenrir's eyes momentarily. She collapsed with an unfinished gasp, and the Egg-bearers removed her and the egg as well.

The Queen issued her request for the next Chosen and Valeria began to step forward. Fenrir watched with concern, though tried to make himself look disinterested in case she looked his way. She made her way towards the eggs with an air of confidence; once again back to the Valeria that Fenrir had first met. She had not made it far before the first egg, the pearlescent purple one, began shimmering and shaking. Fenrir noticed her lips part in a tiny smile. She reached her hand out until it made contact with the smooth shell, and the flash of light blinded him again.

Once he could see again, he watched the Egg-bearers return to take Valeria and her egg away. Despite his attempts to maintain his gloomy mood so she would know what she had done, he couldn't help but feel joy for her.

"Next" the Queen interrupted his thoughts. Her voice seemed slightly different. Which made sense because the only person left in front of Fenrir was…

Evalette.

He watched his sister nervously step forward. Her humanity was obvious in her less-than-graceful walk towards the eggs. Fenrir could see her visibly shaking as she slowly crept past the black egg. Nothing happened, and both Fenrir and Evalette released a simultaneous sigh. Whether it was a sigh of relief or disappointment, he honestly didn't know.

Evalette stopped for a split-second but continued on. Within a few seconds they were both startled by a quick rumble and sparkle, emanating from the white egg. Evalette cautiously turned to face the egg and, after a moment of hesitation, reached a furiously shaking hand to touch the gleaming shell. A brilliant white light ignited as her palm met the shell, and Fenrir opened his eyes to find the Egg-bearers moving his sister's limp body from the scene.

Fenrir glanced to Queen Arya, and caught a fleeting glimpse of the shimmer of a tear leaving her eye.

"Next" the Queen spoke quickly, trying to hide the tone of choked back tears.

Fenrir took a hopeful glance forward, wishing there were someone else before him, but he was the last of the five. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, attempting to keep calm, despite his anxiety. He took an unsure step forward. It was either the deep black egg or none. His steps slowed as he inched closer to the egg, the idea of possibly becoming a Dragon Rider fluttering around his stomach. With a final step, Fenrir passed by the twilight egg and… nothing. The egg sat perfectly still, its shell still a bottomless pit of black with no sign of a shimmer or sparkle.

Fenrir gasped in disbelief. It had to be him. There was no one left. He took a step back and passed by it again. The egg remained mockingly motionless. Tears threatened to escape his eyes as he stared at the egg that he now despised. He looked back to the Queen. Genuine sympathy and pity covered her face. He darted his gaze around and saw the Egg-Bearers beginning to move in to remove the unclaimed egg. Rage filled Fenrir's vision. Rage at the egg. He turned towards it and glared hatefully at the motionless shadow. He banged a fist on the stone table and heard the Egg-Bearers quicken their pace.

You may not choose me, but I have chosen you.

Fenrir reached towards the egg. A mob of hands grabbed at him. The Egg-Bearers were attempting to drag him away.

He yelled "Vaetna Aptr" and a burst of wind pushed the Egg-Bearers back a few feet. They quickly recovered from the surprise spell and closed in on him again. As they reached for him, Fenrir threw both hands out towards the egg.

His palms connected with each side of the midnight black egg.

His vision faded.

A paralyzing bolt of energy darted up his arms and burned through his body. Colors flashed across his blank vision as his mind tried to keep up with the bursts of energy bolting through his brain. He was distantly aware of Mother calling his name.

Mother.

As he lay paralyzed and burning, unable to move or speak other than sporadic twitches, he finally gave in to looking at her that way. Unsure of his fate, he allowed himself to see the Queen as his mother, scared to die without one. He wasn't sure if this was right. Maybe he was dying from touching an egg that was not his?

Through his fried nerves, he felt her grasp his hand. She was worried. This defiantly was not how the Selection was supposed to be.

He felt tears escape his blinded eyes. Or maybe blood.

His consciousness slipped from his reach, and he faded into oblivion to a strange sound. He couldn't tell if it came from outside or in his head, but it was frightening, and yet, familiar.

Resonating within his mind was the sound of a low growl.