Never limit yourself to what you can't do, but to what you have the power to do with what you have.

~ Nadege Richards

Chapter 14: Dragon and Pendragon

The army marched past the border with no trouble or issues whatsoever. There were no signs of any of Cenred's men or patrols just like they predicted. Uther had sent some scouts ahead to make sure the path was clear with orders to strike them down if they found any. When they were a few moments from Ealdor, Uther sent a soldier on horseback to scope the village to see if there were any kind of armed presence that might have to be dealt with.

"Sire," the soldier rode up to Uther.

"Your report," he said as soon as the man stopped in front of him.

"The village doesn't seem secured at all. It doesn't look like anything is being done to be in our way."

Uther was a little surprised at the news. He expected the village where a dragonlord dwelled would have some kind of defense. This might seem easy on first glance but he should remember that this is Balinor that he was dealing with and the last time he was in his clutches he had escaped and lay siege to Camelot. He couldn't allow himself to underestimate what the Dragonlord was capable of.

"Let's not let our guard down. Move forward but move forward with caution," he ordered.

"Yes sire," the knights chanted before they and the army marched forward towards Ealdor.

The village was a little on edge from when they got up that morning with the events from the previous day still fresh on their minds. Some of the people went over to Hunith's hut to find that she and Balinor were gone and that it seemed a few things had been packed from it. The same could be said for Richard and Gina's home.

"They're really gone," said Enid the herb woman. "I can't believe they actually left, just like that."

"Good riddance then," said one of villagers. "We don't need trouble here."

"They were far from trouble," shouted another in defense of them. It was Stan, the one who Balinor helped when he cut his leg. "They were good people."

"Good people who would've brought bad things," sounded off behind them. Simmons was walking up to them and he stuck his head into the empty hut. "At least now we have nothing to fear."

"And what about that force from Camelot that Balinor and those Druids said was coming here?" Stan argued back.

Simmons waved him off. "For all we know they were making it up. As if Uther would trespass in Essetir with an army even for that man and his dragon."

It was barely a moment after he made that statement that great thumping was sounding off from the distance.

"What's that noise?" asked Enid.

"Sounds like…heavy cavalry," said another villager. "I've heard that before during one of Cenred's raids."

"You were saying," Enid screeched.

Simmons' adam's apple bobbed back as he nervously swallowed but he kept a strong firm front. "Don't worry. I'm sure Jack could talk sense with them." He didn't want to believe that Balinor's warning was true. He couldn't.

The villagers spread about Ealdor were frozen as the sight of Camelot's forces moved in like a tide of blood into their green valley. The sight of the catapults being pulled in and all the armed soldiers did little to quench their fear. Many of the parents told the children get inside their homes. Jack the Headman was at the front of the village, strong and tall, as he waited to receive them. Some of the riders stopped in front of him and seemed to look him over as if to measure if he was a threat. After a moment, one of them gave a wave back and the men parted allowing Uther to ride forward and appear before him.

"I am Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot," he announced.

"I am Jack, the headman of the village of Ealdor," Jack answered calmly. "What brings Camelot's king here?"

"I am looking for a man; a dragonlord by the name of Balinor. I have it on good word that he has been holding up in your village."

It didn't escape Jack's notice that a number of the army that Uther brought with him was moving to try and entrench around the village as if to surround it and cut off escape. He was starting to think that perhaps he was wrong about Balinor's predictions and he was starting to feel pretty foolish. "Balinor was here but he left," he said calmly trying to ease the situation.

"He left?" Uther repeated skeptically.

Jack nodded. "Just yesterday. We, the village, felt that it was time for Balinor to go."

"Is that so? Why would you all do that exactly?"

"Because we didn't want any trouble to fall upon our village. We still don't."

"I understand. Then, tell me where Balinor headed off to and my men and I will take our leave."

"I'm sorry but we don't know. We told him to leave immediately and he did."

Uther refused to believe that Balinor would just leave the village the very day before he got here. It just wasn't possible and he suspected that this village was trying to hide him. "Tell me, why would the whole village just happen to tell him to leave when it is clear that he has been here for quite a while?"

"That is this village's affair," he politely defended. "I'm sorry."

Uther made some kind of movement with his right hand at the men behind him and some of the knights on horseback dismounted and slowly approached them. "Are you?" he said when the knights stood side by side directly behind him. "I won't be asking again," he all but roared at the headman.

Jack could see that Uther wasn't going to believe a word from him. He could feel the tension building from all of these men and he could just see them beginning to unleash themselves upon them. Yet, he couldn't allow this man to come in to their village and just bully them with all of his soldiers when he wasn't even their king. Balinor was an outsider but he didn't come here and bully them with his dragon. And, if Balinor was right, then he wouldn't give this soon to be murderer anything if he really was planning to slaughter them all regardless.

"I'm under no obligation to tell you anything. You are not our king," he said stubbornly.

Someone then shouted from behind them. "Just tell him Jack! Don't be a fool!"

"Simmons," he roared. "Let me handle this!"

"Seize him!" Uther ordered. Two soldiers came and grabbed Jack

"Take your own advice Simmons and don't be a fool!" he growled as Uther's soldiers grabbed him.

But Simmons wouldn't have it. He wasn't going to let ruin come here all for Balinor's account or for that traitor Hunith's. That dragonlord was gone and he wouldn't let the trouble he brought in for them to stay. "Please, don't hurt him or the village," he pleaded. "Our headman doesn't mean any ill will."

Uther held up a hand. "He won't be harmed if there is no reason to do so. I have no desire to bring harm to this village either. It would be wise that you no longer test my patience however." He then went to leer over Simmons. "Now tell me about Balinor!"

Simmons jumped at the tone and cleared his throat before talking. "We told Balinor to leave when he told us that you were coming here today!" he explained.

"What?!" Uther roared. How did Balinor know that he was coming for him today of all days? Did he have a traitor in his midst?

"Some druids came here and informed him that you and your army were coming here. He tried to tell us about you and that you wouldn't allow anyone here to leave alive so we told him to leave. Him and those druids and that new wife of his!"

"What wife?" he asked. New wife? Uther was truly alarmed. This could open the path for new dragonlords to be born and Uther couldn't let that happen; not with them being down to only one. He needed to find him and this wife. Not to mention these druids. He needed to find how they found out about his force as well as use them to find any more of their kind.

"Where are they?! Where'd they go?! Balinor, this new wife of his and these druids?!" Uther roared.

"They…" Simmons stopped midsentence. He didn't know where they could've gone. He was so happy they were gone that he never gave any thought into where they would go.

"Well?!" Uther demanded. He was not in the mood for any more games. "Where'd they go?"

"We don't know," he finally admitted. "They left last night and we don't know where they've gone."

"Sire," said one of the knights behind him. "There is a chance we can still pick up a trail to follow."

Uther nodded. "Very well." He then turned to the rest of his men. "Set the village aflame and execute the villagers."

"What?!" Simmons had to have heard wrong. "But you had said…"

"Like your headman said. I'm not your king so I'm under no obligation to see to your well-being."

The villagers started screaming as they ran with the soldiers starting to run after them. Some others brought out torches and started to set the nearest huts aflame.

"You can't do this!" Jack said struggling from the hold he was in.

"I wasn't lying when I said that I didn't desire to destroy this village but unfortunately, it's a necessity."

"Because of Cenred?" Jack pushed. "Too late, he already knows. It's pointless to destroy Ealdor."

Uther wouldn't listen to the lies of a desperate man and jerked his head and one of the men holding Jack took out a dagger and slit the man's throat.

"Jack," Simmons cried running forward. "You," he began roaring at Uther.

Uther cut it off with his sword. He struck the villager down and turned to Sir Tate. "Sir Tate."

Sir Tate was staring horrified by the sight before him. "Sire," he gasped out.

"I want you to take a squad and-"

However, he was interrupted by the screams of his own men next to him.

"Sire!" they cried out.

"What?!"

He looked where they were pointing to see the Great Dragon swooping down from the sky. It flew down and unleashed a steady stream of fire to close off the approaching men from catching up to the villagers they were chasing.

"It's the dragon!" one of his knights cried.

"Then what are you waiting for?' Uther spat out. "Attack! Fire the catapults! Shoot Balinor and his dragon down."

"Sire, the villagers are going to escape!" one of them pointed out the villagers starting to scatter and head into the woods.

"Tate, take you men and go after them. Don't let any of them get away."

Richard was riding alongside with some Essetir knights as he brought the whole battalion from the fort to head to Ealdor to get Balinor so they could take him to Cenred, or at least that's what they thought was happening. Richard just hoped that he wasn't late or early in getting to the fort for the plan to work. He didn't know if he should feel fear or relief in seeing rising black smoke.

"That's too much smoke to come from a campfire," a rider pointed out.

"Is there a forest fire?" asked one of the knights.

Then there was a giant boom followed by a roar. Richard guessed that Uther was now in Ealdor and Balinor was trying to intercept them.

"Sir," he cried to the commanding knight. "That was a dragon's roar."

He looked over at Richard. "Are you sure?"

As if on cue Kilgharrah soared high enough for them all to see them over the trees as he rained a fireball down below. "I'm sure," Richard quipped.

"What is happening?"

"Well sir," Richard put in. "There is a chance that someone is trying to take possession of the dragonlord and the dragon for themselves. It looks like that dragon is attacking someone on the ground."

"No," roared the commander. "That dragonlord and his dragon belong to Essetir and King Cenred! No one is going to take it from us." He unsheathed his sword. "In the name of your king, Charge!"

All the men on horseback had their horses gallop at top speed while the men on foot began roaring and running for the village. It wasn't more than a few moments from then that they emerged in Ealdor and started to engage soldiers from Camelot. Richard hacked away at one of them before he rode off to meet up with Balinor like they planned.

The villagers stared up at the sight to see a robed figure standing on top of the dragon. The figure pointed down and the dragon unleashed a new blast of fire at the soldiers below that exploded into a great pillar of black smoke.

"Everyone! Run!"

The villagers looked off to see Hunith, Gina and Abel on horses riding up to them from the trees.

Abel got off his horse and ran at them. "Those of you who want to, follow us!" he cried. "If not, then you have to leave. Get anywhere safe. Uther won't spare any of you."

As they started to react to Abel's words, there was a new sight coming into their land. Another army. Hunith turned to Gina with a sad smile.

"Richard's back."

"Thank goodness. It looks like Balinor's plan is starting to work," she said back.

Kilgharrah was in the air weakening Uther's force and artillery while Richard brought the Southern Battalion to help even the odds and keep Uther's force back and occupied so that the villagers could get away.

"Hunith," Abel shouted. "Balinor just contacted me. He needs us to go, not stand around and watch."

"Where exactly is he?" she asked as he ran to them to help get their horses moving.

"In the trees somewhere but I can't tell where."

The robed man on Kilgharrah wasn't Balinor. It was one of Abel's fellow druids. He was up there using magic to sabotage the catapults from above. He had a strong bird's eye view to focus his magic on them. It was strategically better than having Balinor there as he didn't have much practice with those sort of spells. Just now, the druid casted a spell and weakened a joint in one of the catapults. As it reared back to be reloaded, it snapped and the basket fell on two soldiers. Balinor was on the ground directing Kilgharrah as to help pick out surprise movements Uther and his army might make from the ground. Also, waiting to meet back up with Richard to meet back up with everyone together later.

"Where are we going?" one of the villagers asked frantically.

"We're regrouping with the others," explained Abel. "It's not too far now."

The villagers were frantic as they moved together through the woods as they followed Hunith and Abel. About two dozen of them went off with them while a few others branched off and ran on their own in other directions. Enid and Stan were among the villagers that decided to go off with them. The sounds of the battle echoed into the woods leaving their imaginations to imagine the destruction and carnage that was taking place on their once humble home. Hunith and Gina, they were worried perhaps more than all the others for their men were still back there facing down Uther and his army.

"I hope they'll be okay," Hunith said as she helped Gina across a sink in the ground. "My nerves feel like they're burning and won't ever cool down again."

"Yes," Gina slurred. "Welcome to the world of having a warrior as your husband. Every time they ride out will always set you ablaze with worry until you see them riding home."

"Gina, Balinor isn't actually my husband." That wasn't the point though. "It's one feeling I could've done without." Hunith huffed

"But…there is a good thing about it."

She was finding that hard to believe. "Really? What is it?"

"It only proves to you that the man you're worrying about is the right one. If something happened to Richard, I wouldn't know what I would do and that proves to me that he is the one I am meant to be with."

Hunith could accept that. She knew that Richard really did love Gina and she him. She knew that Balinor did care for her and now, she didn't doubt that her feelings for him were indeed just as strong.

"I just wish we didn't have to have this to prove our feelings for each other."

Gina looked back again at the distant sight of rising smoke. "Why did we have fall for two brave and reckless fools?"

"Just lucky I suppose," she said finally breaking and making them both break into small giggles amongst all of this madness surrounding them.

"Abel! Ladies!"

Hunith and Gina followed the voice and a little off to the left were the final two druids waiting for all of them. Abel directed all the people to move towards them.

"It's alright now people. We should be safe here for the time being," he said as he helped one of the elder village men sit down at a tipped over log.

"We're glad to see you're all safe," one of them said as he made their way to them.

"Thank you," Hunith said. "These are all the people who were willing to come with us. Some of the other villagers scattered off in different directions and a few others were too stubborn and proud to leave."

"That is truly regrettable. Sometimes there are those that can't or won't be saved," one of them said full of deep meaning. "What we can do is work to save that ones that we can."

"As we explained to all of you yesterday, we have a place where you can stay safe for a time. Please, follow us."

Yet, barely into moving out with them.

"You're all staying right here."

The people all looked to see the sight of a dozen of Camelot's men on horseback. In front of them was a full armored knight with his sword drawn.

"None of you are going anywhere. I am Sir Tate and by the authority of King Uther Pendragon of Camelot, you are all sentenced to death for crimes of magical conspiracy and abetting a royal enemy. I'm sorry but there is no other alternative."

The men on horseback all withdrew swords and pointed them forward at the people who shrunk and froze in fright at the sight of them.

End of Chapter 14

A/N: First, let me say that I'm sorry this update was later than usual. These last two weeks, I didn't have a lot of time to focus on it and I'm going on vacation soon so my mind has been wandering. Anyway, how do you think of that? What is going to happen to everyone now? Review and tell me please.