The Legend of Rune: Forsaken Blood

by Deeth Irteen

Four years have passed since the Malefor Ordeal has ended. Rune is enjoying life in his new home. However, things are not peaceful; new conflics have arisen across the dragon realms. The largest of which is Bergan, a purple dragon, and his daughter Tyrrany, a mysterious white dragoness. Rated M for mature themes and violence.

11. Act 1, Chapter 10

As the morning sun rose over the lands, most of the merchants in the caravan of traders woke up and got to work.

Tyrrany had been curled up in a ball on her side of her couch during the night, snoring quietly. Jonathan, Flame, and Arthur were all still sleeping peacefully; even if it was just a carriage, it was still a finer place to sleep than any nearby inns or taverns.

But despite being surrounded by comfortable space, Bergan hadn't slept a wink. The purple dragon had instead spent most of the early morning hours over the contents of a small scroll. He'd been taking some notes whilst in the middle of keeping himself entertained with the strumming of the violin.

Bergan savored every moment he had to relax. Sure, he could have given himself a little extra time if he used his magic, but the drake didn't want to overexert himself on such a fine, summer day. Plus, he needed to keep his reserves for when he really needed them.

And besides… he savored every moment he could look after his daughter while she slept. Bergan sighed; Tyrrany seemed so peaceful. There was no stress on her sleeping face; no worrying about upholding the standards of high society. And definitely, no desires to get revenge. But was just… sleeping; like when she was a little dragonling tucked away in her crib.

Bergan sighed; it almost pained him to have to wake her up. But he could feel the sun's rays streaking through the window and making the air warmer; time for everyone to get to work.

"Forgive me, my dear…" Bergan whispered as he grasped her shoulder and briskly stirred her awake. He then shook the other teenagers awake in turn, before raising his voice. "Rise and shine! A new day has arrived!"

Tyrrany awoke and quickly got onto her feet, shaking slumber from her eyes. Jonathan, Flame, and Arthur gradually stood up in turn. But none of them were as energized as Tyrrany; she stretched out her limbs and spun about eagerly.

"What shall I do today, Dad?" The dragoness asked.

"Today, you are to explore the streets of Warfang," Bergan answered. "You haven't come here very often, and it would be best if you learn the city's layout."

Tyrrany blinked. "That's it?"

"Of course." The purple drake declared. "One of the early stages of performing business in a new town is scouting out the layout. Learn where all the important buildings are, as well as places where people travel frequently."

"Wait, business?" Jonathan asked as he rubbed his eyes. "What do you mean, business?"

Bergan raised an eye ridge. "Not one for subtlety and metaphors, Jonathan?"

"Hold on… "The prince stretched his wings and yawned. "Did you mean we need to learn everything about the enemy's territory, so we can figure out how to plan bigger operations?"

"Hmm… close." Bergan pursed his lips, and then returned his focus to Tyrrany. "I'm sure you get the idea, my dear."

"Yeah, Dad…" Tyrrany turned to look out the window. She noticed the distant Dragon Spire looming over the surrounding buildings, and she wracked her talons on the windowsill. "I think I know just the place to-"

"Nope." Bergan shook his head. "Stay away from the Dragon Spire."

Tyrrany looked at her father like he'd just commanded her to eat her head. "What?! But that's the key place we need to scout out! That's Elenar's seat of power, right there!" Tyrrany pointed forcefully."

"We're a long way from planning to sneak into the Deep Shadows' stronghold, Tyrrany." The purple dragon shook his head. "First, you need to learn everything there is about greater Warfang."

"But don't YOU already know all of it, Sir?" Flame asked cautiously.

Bergan just sighed. "Yes… but do YOU, Flamaedelus?"

"Well… no…" He awkwardly rubbed his head.

"Well, that's the point of your scouting mission." Bergan snorted. "Once you've learned the lay of the land, then you can start keeping an eye out for a golden opportunity to, say, learn some secrets. Is that understood?"

The dragoness just sighed irritably. "Yes, Dad. I get it."

"Good. Now then..." Bergan passed the violin and its bow to Tyrrany and spun around. "Flamaedelus, Arthur: you two are to be Tyrrany's bodyguards."

"Yes sir." They said in unison.

"Uh, what about me?" Jonathan asked nervously.

"Well, Jonathan…" Bergan smirked at the prince. "When you step outside, my employees are going to provide some cover for you and your gaggle of friends to head out into the city. Just a moment..."

The purple drake picked up a scroll and jotted down some instructions, much to the teenagers' curiosity. Once he was done writing, he handed the piece of paper to the prince.

"Head to this address; you can use it as a safe house," Bergan said. "Once there, pick a handful of your friends, and venture out onto the street. You're to follow behind my daughter's group… from a DISTANCE."

Jonathan's eyes widened, and he scratched his chin. "I get it. We're to provide back-up for Annie if things get messy, hang back the whole time so it isn't obvious that there's a whole bunch of us wandering around."

"Exactly." Bergan's eyes sparkled. "See, there have been some messy dealings in Warfang already, involving two different groups of dragons causing a ruckus. I'll spare you the details… but just remember that any attention is too much attention. Got it?"

"I've got it." The earth drake nodded. "You can count on me!"

"Heh…" Arthur quietly crossed his arms and snorted. "We'll see about that."

Tyrrany spent about half an hour putting on her disguise, with Arthur and Flame helping her. Jonathan, meanwhile, opened up his satchel and pulled out one of the masks of the Crazy Aces. He stood in the mirror and adjusted the mask on his face for a while, making sure it covered his scars perfectly.

"So, what do you guys think?" Jonathan asked as he turned to face the other young dragons. They weren't quite sure what to think. Unlike all the other masks of the Crazy Aces, Jonathan's was perfectly sculpted to conform to the ridges on Jonathan's face. He attached it via a strap behind his head. The color of his eyes was hidden via a strange layer of fabric behind the eye holes. Altogether, it gave him a ghoulish appearance.

"I guess it's neat…" Arthur said. "In fact, I'd say it's an improvement over your real face."

Flame chuckled at that, while Jonathan simply scowled.

"Very funny, you little gnat." The prince snapped; his voice was muffled slightly by another layer of fabric that fell over his upper jaw. He then opened up a dresser and pulled out a dark brown jacket.

"You're going to get overheated wearing THAT, in weather like THIS." Arthur gestured out the window.

"It doesn't matter; I need to disguise myself." Jonathan completed. "The last time I was in Warfang… my father was exiled." He snarled as he slid his forelegs through the sleeves. "I don't know how many dragons are around to recognize me as the son of King Saul, but-"

"General Saul." Flame corrected. "He's not a king any-"

"Shut up!" Jonathan growled and pointed a talon at the smirking red drake. Arthur snickered, while Tyrrany just rolled his eyes. He just scoffed and turned away. It didn't matter what they said; Saul would likely be considered a king again soon enough.

"I get the point; it's to hide your identity," Tyrrany said. "Just like how my makeup and cloak disguise me. Fairly smart, I suppose…" She couldn't help but smirk. "But Arthur is right; I like you better with the mask on."

Jonathan flinched, while Flame and Arthur laughed. The earth drake snorted in frustration through his mask. "Not cool, Annie."

"Well, if you're all done antagonizing each other…" Bergan scolded as he approached the door. "You can head out and begin your reconnaissance. Chop-chop!" He pushed the door open and gestured with a forepaw. "Time's being wasted!"

"Sorry, Dad…" Tyrrany sighed. She hefted her violin case over her side and made to step outside. "Come on: let's go."

Bergan watched as the foursome made their way outside. He gave them all a warm smile as he waved goodbye. "Take care, my young friends!"

Tyrrany looked back at her father and frowned. She nodded her head and mouthed a "Goodbye" his way. She then turned around, pointed her head high, and ventured forth into the great unknown that was the streets of Warfang.

And Bergan was left alone in his carriage. He closed the door and gave a hearty sigh.

"Well then, now that they're off having their jolly good time…" He said with a grin.

The purple drake held up a forepaw to his maw. He inhaled deeply and blew out a small layer of earth magic. The green mist floated between his talons and then solidified into a pile of sand in his palm. Bergan held the sand steady in one paw and then held his other forepaw up to blow out some icy mist. The mist danced between his talons and flowed like a miniature river.

Looking back at the sand, Bergan unleashed a jet of precise, controlled fire. The flames melted the sand and turned it into a layer of glass. Using water magic, he had the little river flow through the air and land with a splash on the glass. He bent and molded the glass around the water until it formed a perfect sphere. And finally, Bergan let loose a spark of electricity upon the glass, shocking the water within to stir it into a thundercloud. And with that, Bergan had created another of his crystal balls.

"Now then…" Bergan ran his talons along the surface of the ball as he stirred up the cloud. "Let's see what I need to do first…"

~~…~~

There was quite a bit of chatter in the throne room today. Elenar sighed as she sat on her cushion. She tapped her talon on the floor as she looked around at the assembled Deep Shadows. They'd all come to decide what was to be done about Rune.

Across the way, Rune sat on his haunches in the center of the group. He twiddled his talons and refused to look at any of the Deep Shadows as they passed their own judgments on him. Some were sympathetic, others were harsh. But all in all, it would be up to the queen to decide how she would do things. And as she rested her forepaw on a little notebook, she prayed to the Ancestors that she could make the right decisions today.

"Are you alright?" Urobos whispered to Elenar; he sat on her left, like always. "You look as though you haven't gotten enough sleep."

"I never get enough sleep." Elenar snorted. "I could rest a thousand years and still feel tired afterward."

The queen stood up tall and cleared her throat. Immediately all of the Deep Shadows went silent, and Rune cautiously rose his head up to look upon the queen.

"Prince Rune…" Elenar said sternly. "You went too far in your arena match against Prince Lantel. While you weren't able to yield the match to him, Lantel quite clearly yielded to you…" She tapped her talon on her stone column. "And yet, in your anger, you nearly blinded him in one eye."

Rune shivered in place. He looked like he wanted to speak in his defense, but his eye twitched and clamped his jaws shut. Elenar sighed; she gazed around at a few of the Deep Shadows. Apella in particular looked ready to strangle the prince for threatening to blind her nephew. Elenar stood up taller and fanned out her wings

"For continuing to do harm after your opponent yielded, you forfeited your victory, and no result can be determined…" Elenar took a breath. "That's how things go by the official rules, anyway. However, those rules don't take into account the repercussions of what comes after…" Elenar wracked her talons again. "Word has been sent to King Horus about the arena match. He's on his way to Warfang, where I'll have to apologize to him on your behalf."

"On my behalf?" Rune repeated uneasily. "Shouldn't I, uh… apologize to him directly?"

"No." Elenar shook her head. "You'll apologize to Lantel, and then stay away from him until you're told otherwise. And you will apologize to Apella for the trouble you've caused for her nephew and niece…" She looked at Apella again. "Is it safe to assume that you're in no mood to continue training my son in swordsmanship in light of recent events?"

"I'm still weighing my options, Your Grace…" Apella huffed. "But at the moment, I'm none too pleased with the prince's actions."

Rune sighed and bent his head low in shame. Elenar took another deep breath; this next bit would take quite a bit of tact.

"Prince Rune… word is quickly spreading about your violent outburst," Elenar said. "You'll need to learn some serious self-control in the near future. As such, we'll be excusing you from classes and private tutoring so you can-"

"Are you honestly just letting him off with a slap on the wrist, Your Grace?" Demanded a water dragon.

Most of the other Deep shadows, especially Wraith, looked at the blue dragon incredulously. Elenar just sighed and rose to her full height; she should have figured he'd be one of the few not in the know.

"Well, I guess Cerulean wishes to speak." Elenar sighed.

Cerulean was the second of the two Guardians to become a Deep Shadow when Elenar took the throne. He pulled back his hood to reveal the scowl on his face. He tapped his talons on the floor as he glanced incredulously between Elenar and Rune with his black spectacles

"The rest of the injuries done to Lantel were bad enough," Cerulean said, "but nearly gouging out the prince's EYE? That would be a criminal charge for most other dragons." He huffed and stood up tall. "Even if I'm to understand that Lantel was willing to assault Rune in the ring, your son's retaliation calls for some serious consequences. And simply saying sorry isn't going to cut it."

Elenar just sighed and wrinkled her nostrils. "Normally I'd agree, Cerulean. But there are other circumstances you need to be informed of."

"And that would be..?" Cerulean demanded.

"Rune didn't merely lose his temper; he lost control of his body," Albanion said, drawing the blue drake's attention.

Cerulean blinked and leaned back. "Come again?"

"I'm sure you're aware of the whole Ordeal with Malefor at this point, yes?" Elenar asked.

"Of course, but what are you…?" Cerulean stopped, and his eyes widened. Elenar sighed as she adjusted her stance again. She checked to make sure nobody would barge through the doors to the chamber. It was closely guarded by two soldiers, who stood at the ready and didn't budge. Once she was secure that it was safe, the queen looked at Cerulean to explain.

"Everyone here is aware that Malefor took possession of my son's body four years ago and nearly destroyed Warfang." The queen said. "While my son was freed, it left him scarred; both inside and out…" She glanced down at Rune in pity. "There's something inhabiting Rune's mind. He doesn't like to talk about it, but it's there."

All eyes were on Rune once again, He shivered as he tried to keep his composure. Meanwhile, Apella and Cerulean became increasingly distressed.

"Is… Is this presence the same thing that caused the prince to sneak out and be with my niece?" Apella demanded.

"N-No…" Rune said as he shrank back. "That… That was really me."

"I see…" Apella scowled at him.

"Well, something must be done, then." Cerulean declared. "If the prince is possessed, then we should work to free him of it." He stamped his paws. "I motion that we keep Rune quarantined; keep him in his room and monitor him until we can strip him of whatever's corrupting his mind."

"No." Elenar shook his head. "If anything, he needs to leave for Glenhaven more than ever."

"What?!" Cerulean balked. A few of the other Deep Shadows chattered amongst themselves curiously. Even Rune looked upon his mother in confusion.

"Your Grace, I know that you love your son," Apella said with a huff, "But how can you just ignore all the trouble that this corruption of his has caused?"

"It's not corruption; it's stress." Elenar declared. Apella and Cerulean exchanged incredulous glances. Before they could demand answers from her, the queen stood up tall again and fluttered her wings.

"We all know how Rune is normally; calm, collected, and a pacifist," Elenar said. "Even if he's trained to fight, he doesn't want to. And even if I hadn't urged my son to be on the defensive, Rune wouldn't normally want to fight back against Lantel. But in the arena, he was forced to stand his ground as Lantel beat him down…" Elenar sighed. "And Rune was pushed to a breaking point. That's when this thing inhabiting his mind was able to take control."

"So to sum up… we don't like him when he's angry?" Wraith raised an eye ridge.

"If that's how you want to look at it…" Urobos sighed. "But it's not just anger; it's deep-seated frustrations that push the prince over the edge. The boy needs a positive emotional outlet to keep himself under control. And right now, locking him away and telling him he's simply awful would only make things worse."

"I'm sorry, but this still all sounds hard to swallow." Cerulean huffed. "Until I've seen more evidence of this loss of control, Prince Rune should still be held accountable for his actions." He looked at the queen directly. "And if his condition is to be kept a closely-guarded secret from the student body and the population at large, the word is going to get around that you simply let the prince off with a verbal warning whilst Prince Lantel suffers in the medical ward. And I doubt King Horus is going to like that."

"I'm well aware…" Elenar sighed. "But I need to do what I can to ensure that my son isn't pushed down the same path as…" She took a breath. "My grandfather."

"You mean Runileon?" Rune asked, finally speaking up again.

All eyes were upon the prince as he sat on his haunches and glared at Elenar. The queen sighed in pity and looked her son in the eyes.

"I tried. I really tried, Mom." Rune said as he tapped the floor. "I wanted to keep myself under control, I really did! I wanted you to tell me about Runileon. But…" He looked down and glowered. "Lantel got to me. The next thing I knew, I was beating him senseless." He took a breath and looked his mother in the eyes. "I know that I went against what you wanted me to do, but…" He glared a bit. "If I'm becoming like your grandfather, then wouldn't it help us all if you just told me about him?"

"Rune…" Elenar tapped her talons.

"Why does it have to be a big secret?" Rune demanded. "Why won't you tell me anything?"

"It's not because of some secret, Rune." Elenar sighed again. "It's because… it's difficult to talk about your ancestor Runileon."

Rune felt silent; the look on his face painted a clear picture to his mother that he was growing increasingly frustrated every time they spoke vaguely about Runileon. Elenar shut her eyes and cursed herself; it was happening again.

"Alright, I'll talk to you about Runileon…" She glanced around at the Deep Shadows. "And this will serve as a refresher course for the lot of you as well."

Elenar returned her eyes to Rune. After picking up the book she held at her side, Elenar fluttered her wings and came to a landing on the floor to approach her son.

"Long ago, there was a queen of the shadow dragons who fell in love with a light dragon." Elenar began. She opened up her book and turned it for Rune to look at the illustrations held within. It was of two dragons standing together with their tails crossed.

"Sadly, before she could lay her egg, the queen's lover died of an unknown ailment." Elenar continued. "The queen eventually had her egg, whose shell was as white as the snow that surrounded Erebus. And the queen, out of grief for her lost lover, blamed the white hatchling for his father's death. So, she ordered the hatchling to be tossed out into the snow and left for dead."

Rune shivered uneasily as his mother showed him artwork of the death of the king and the egg being tossed away; already this was making for quite the faerie tale.

"But the child didn't die; instead, it spent years fending for itself out in the wilds around Erebus," Elenar said. "As time went on, the shadow queen found a new lover and had more children. She completely forgot about her firstborn son. But the child didn't forget…" Elenar shivered. "He remembered his mother's face and was filled with sorrow for being rejected. Several times he tried to enter Erebus to find his mother. And each time he was treated like a wild animal."

Rune saw several images of a white dragon being beaten and tortured by other dragons every time it approached the entrance to the mountain.

"One day, a shadow dragon realized that the white drake had the möbius glyphs on his sides, marking him as a child of the royal line. But when he went to inform the queen, her disgust returned and she ordered that the child's wings be torn asunder, and the boy tossed into the depths of the Well of Souls before anyone had the chance to realize he was an heir to the throne."

The illustrations of the beaten child made Rune's stomach churn. And they only grew worse as he saw the image of the child's wing membranes being sliced to ribbons. The pain on the child's face was unbearable: Rune could almost hear the cries of agony.

"And at once, the child was tossed in the Well of Souls… But still, he didn't die." Elenar said as she turned a page. "He fell a long way, to be sure… but he arrived in Convexity. And it was there that he found a wealth of the purple crystals, which he consumed out of desperation." Elenar pointed to an image of purple energy erupting from the child's body. "The wealth of the collective knowledge of the dragon race poured into the child's mind. He could finally think rationally and speak coherently... but all of his sorrow had turned to hatred."

The next image showed a furious white dragon with the deepest yellow glare.

"The young dragon spent several more years feeding off the gems within Convexity. And when he was finally strong enough, he used his power to make a gateway that brought him right back to Erebus. Now a fully grown adult who could speak freely, the white dragon made his way to the throne room at the top of the mountain…" Elenar turned a page. "…And killed everyone who stood in his way."

There was red blood everywhere. Dead bodies and screaming dragonesses littered the area. And they all lead to the throne room n the next page… where the white dragon ripped the head from the shadow queen's body.

"The white dragon didn't just murder his mother. He… he devoured her." Elenar shuddered as she said it. "He consumed her still warm flesh right in front of his siblings. And then… he killed them too, and sat on the throne."

Elenar quickly turned the pages, refusing to show Rune the grisly contents.

"He called himself King Runileon, and executed the remaining few who refused to acknowledge him as the true shadow king." Elenar closed the book and shuddered again.

"Is that it?" Rune asked uneasily. "What happened next?"

"Years and years of a brutal conflict. That's what came next, Rune." Elenar sighed. "Spyro, Cynder, and King Hyperion did their best to help the shadow dragons overthrow their king. But even on his dying day, Runileon's hatred of his own kin was fierce." Elenar took a steady breath. "Runileon had two children: Alexander and Catherine. The white dragon looked them in the eyes, and using his own blood, he placed a curse on them. He said… He, he said…"

Elenar shivered and looked away; she didn't have the strength to say it. But Dona did.

"Some day, there will be another white dragon," Dona said carefully. "They will be far worse than I ever was, and will stop at nothing until all the dark dragons in all the world are DEAD." The shadowy dragoness sat back on her haunches and took a breath. "And the shadow dragon royal family never forgot those words. Nor did any other groups of dark dragons." She wracked her talons and leaned back. "Word spread like wildfire throughout all tribes of dark dragons in the years after the death of Runileon the Wicked."

Rune felt a pit in his stomach. This Runileon definitely sounded like the wicked type. And he was driven to bloodlust by a consumption of convexity… that sounded all too familiar. And yet, as Rune looked down at his forepaws, he still wasn't satisfied.

"If this Runileon was so bad, then why did you name me after him?" He demanded of his mother.

"I… I didn't, Rune." Elenar frowned.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "Then who picked the name? Was it Father? Grandpa Urobos? Who?"

"That's a topic for another time." Elenar declared. "I'm feeling sick to my stomach the longer I have to think about our ancestor…" She sighed and rose up to her feet. "At the very least, I hope you can understand why so many of us are worried about you, Rune."

"So… you think I'm the result of some curse?" Rune tapped his talons on the ground. "I… I already thought I was cursed. But it's Malefor's fault, not Runileon's."

Elenar just snorted. "It doesn't matter how this came to be…" She leaned down and nuzzled the top of Rune's head. "I just want to be sure you're okay, son."

"I know…" He blushed and rubbed his upper leg. "So, what do I do now, then?"

"Try to keep calm and relaxed for the next few days," Elenar said. "Mind yourself while you're around the other students…." She brought her voice to a whisper. "And keep meditating with Spyro and Cynder; they're the best at helping you keep it under control."

"Alright, Mom…" Rune sighed and backed up. He then glanced over at Apella and grimaced. "I… I'm really sorry about the trouble I caused your family, Miss Apella."

"Hmph…" Apella wrinkled her nostril. "Well, given the circumstances, I'd be remiss not to forgive you. But I'm still not too keen about continuing the private lessons right now. Maybe I'll reconsider when you get back from Glenhaven."

"That's fair…" Elenar sighed. She looked back at Rune. "Well, you're dismissed. Just… try to be good, my son."

"I will." Rune bowed his head. He said his collective goodbyes to the Deep Shadows and turned to leave the throne room. And once the prince was finally gone, Elenar fell backward onto her haunches. She sighed greatly and tried to calm her nerves.

"Cerulean, Albanion, I have a task for you in the coming days." The queen said. She turned to look at each of them in turn. "When you have free time, I want the both of you to collaborate on your knowledge of medical and magical remedies."

"What exactly are you hoping to cure, Your Grace?" Cerulean asked curiously.

"Find some means of providing relief and calmness to Rune." The queen continued. "When he leaves for Glenhaven, I want him to have the means to pacify himself in times of stress."

"Well, I'll certainly do my best to help the boy," Albanion said. "But it might have to wait until I've also inspected that caravan from Faeshrine." He fluttered his wings. "We all have a lot of actions to juggle, Your Grace."

"Yes, of course…" Elenar sighed again. She rose up onto her feet and glanced around at the Deep Shadows. "I have one final order for the lot of you: keep an eye on Rune from afar, but don't make him aware that you're spying on him."

Grail rumbled as he rose up. "Do you fear that Prince Rune will be engulfed in rage again?"

Elenar shook a bit. She couldn't bring herself to say it. So instead, she took a regal stance and put on a serious expression.

"As the High Queen, I must ensure the safety of all of my subjects as they interact with anyone potentially dangerous…" She shut her eyes and steadied herself. "But as a mother, I want my son to be cured of his affliction before he gets himself into even worse trouble."

"We'll find a way, Elenar." Said Urobos. The aged black dragon stepped down to the floor, walked over, and patted her on the back with a wing. "None of us want to lose Rune to this affliction. We'll find a way to cure him; I promise."

Elenar just sighed again. She stood up tall to glance about at the Deep Shadows. "This meeting is adjourned. Go in peace."

"And peace be with you, Your Grace." Most of the Deep Shadows replied; the only one to stay silent was Dona, who just snorted.

One by one, the Deep Shadows turned to leave through the doorways to go about their business in various parts of the Dragon Spire. Soon, the only ones left in the throne room were Elenar, Dona, and Urobos.

"So, shall I be the first to snoop around your boy and see what he's up to?" Dona smirked. "I have a feeling most of our other dear friends won't really be up to it."

Elenar just glowered and rolled her eyes. "Very well. Just make sure he doesn't do anything rash today."

"As you wish, Your Supreme Most Pious Grace!" Dona declared sardonically. She then sank down into her shadow and was gone. Urobos just sighed and patted Elenar on the back again.

"I'm off to consult with Argos and Icarox." He said. "We'll see if we can find some ancient means of putting a stop to the demon that haunts Rune's mind."

Elenar just nodded and sighed again. She surrounded herself in her shadowy magic and left the throne room. Urobos, with a frown, used his own magic to leave the same way.

Could anything be done to help Rune?

~~…~~

Rune gave a small breath of relief as he strode down the corridors of the Dragon Spire. He wanted to feel like the worst of the day was over. After all, he wasn't being confined to his bedroom or being charged with anything… yet. But despite that, he still couldn't shake a feeling of dread he had.

Everything his mother told him about Runileon only made the prince uneasy. His great-grandfather was a white dragon that was scorned by his people, only to be driven to bloodlust and murderous revenge. And he was the reason why many dark dragons attempted to round up and kill any white dragons born in these recent years. It all felt so dreadful; like a horrific fable from the more brutal ages of history brought to life.

With no classes to attend or private lessons to practice in, Rune was left to his own devices for most of the day. He passed the time by going to the library to catch up on some old stories he liked. The prince also put on some fresh clothes in his room to cover up his scars again. None of the fancy princely attire; just some fresh robes that didn't confine him. And yet, for all of his time alone, Rune couldn't shake a strange feeling. Whenever he turned his head around in a seemingly-empty area, the prince felt as though he just missed something. A chill ran down his back; why did he feel like he was being watched?

Having trouble relaxing? Runefor chided. You really need to lighten up.

I don't have anything to say to YOU. Rune growled. Go back to sleep, or whatever it is you're doing when you actually shut up.

Temper, temper. Runefor snickered. I only want you to lighten up and celebrate our victory.

What victory? Rune snapped. Mother declared that we lost that stupid arena match.

But you got exactly what you wanted, didn't you? Runefor continued. You got Mother to tell you about this Runileon guy. AND you got to reduce Lantel to a crying heap. All in all, I'd call this a great day.

You're the one who beat him down! Rune dug his talons into the floor. You hijacked my body! All of this was YOUR FAULT!

By all means, get angrier. Runefor laughed. It'll just make it easier for me to take over YET AGAIN.

Rune flinched. He retracted his talons and fell back onto his haunches. Damnit, Runefor was right; getting angry was exactly what the wild drake wanted, and he was taunting Rune over it. The prince took several long, deep breaths and tried to think of happy thoughts to keep himself relaxed.

"I'm done in here…" Rune said aloud. He stood up and made to leave the library. "I'm going to find something else to do."

Lead the way, Mr. Happy. Runefor scoffed.

Rune shuddered but refused to talk to him again. The prince left the library and went down the corridor to find another place to go.

Along the way, he heard a multitude of voices echoing from the main halls. Rune checked the time; it looked like most of the day's classes had come to an end, and everyone was heading out. Rune sighed in relief; maybe he'd feel better if he walked amongst his fellow students.

The student body chattered amongst themselves in much the same way they always did. Rune carefully descended the staircase and took another breath.

Okay, here goes… He strode forward down the center of the hallway and put on the most casual smile he could. Act natural. Just act natural…

But it didn't take long for the students to notice the prince. And they voiced their collective opinion on him by not saying a single word. Everyone scooted out of the prince's way and avoided making eye contact. There were a few awkward coughs, and more than a dozen of them shivered in place. When Rune got too close to one of the fire dragons, he yelped and scooted out of the way.

"D-Don't hurt me!" The boy exclaimed.

"What?" Rune grimaced. "I wasn't going to-"

But the fire dragon gave him no chance to explain; he took off down the hall with another yelp. Rune just sighed and bent his head low; this was terrible.

Well, how about that? Runefor snickered inside his mind. They're finally giving you the respect you deserve.

This isn't respect; it's FEAR. Rune growled internally. Outside, however, he just took another breath and walked carefully down the hallway. Rune moved slowly and steadily, so as not to freak anyone out by accident. He didn't even comment as more of the students moved to avoid getting too close to him.

"Rune!" Someone called from down the way. "Rune, over here!"

"Huh?" Rune blinked and looked up.

The familiar faces of the Deep Shadows' apprentices were gathered on the far side of the hallway. They weren't necessarily thrilled to see him, but at least they weren't frightened like so many others. Tallest among them was Cyrus and Chalice; the former waved to his brother to come over.

Rune took another breath and made his way to meet with his friends. Brisa and Ozul stepped out of the way so Rune could sit on his haunches beside his brother.

"Hey, guys…" Rune put on a cautious smile.

"Uh…" Ozul shrank back. "H-Hi, Prince Rune."

Rune frowned at him, and then looked around at the others. Holly held a smile, but it seemed more forced than usual. Brisa wracked her talons on the wall and looked Rune up and down as if he might snap at any point. Chalice stood up tall and looked upon Rune with a raised eye ridge. And Ricin kept his muzzle obscured by his journal, drawing something like usual. The only one who seemed genuinely happy to see Rune was Cyrus.

"We've been looking for you all day," Cyrus said. "You feeling alright, Rune?"

"A bit, I guess…" Rune shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"Because everyone's been treating you like a pariah." Chalice grimaced. "That match of yours was certainly… something."

"Yeah…" Cyrus nodded. "I haven't seen that kind of ferocity in you since…" he leaned in to whisper into Rune's ear frill. "Since the Well of Souls."

Rune shivered at the mention. It brought back swift and unpleasant memories of the time the two black dragons had to fight off a horde of crepsculi, as well as worse things that happened up north. He shook his head and wracked his talons on the floor.

"Guys… I'm really sorry." Rune looked around at the apprentices. "I didn't want to do any of that, I swear. But…" He sucked in a breath. "Lantel got to me… in the worst way he could."

"I forgive you," Holly said, holding up a cup. "Do you want some ice?"

"Uhh, no thanks." Rune shook his head.

"Funny that you should mention Lantel…" Ricin said from behind his journal. "Did you hear about him?"

"No, I haven't," Rune replied. "So… how is he?"

"Well, he's still being patched up in the medical ward." Chalice said. "But there's a rumor going around that King Horus is going to take both Lantel and Helianne out of the Dragon Spire once he gets to Warfang."

"What?" Rune's eyes widened.

"Good riddance, I say." Brisa huffed. "Lantel is an asshole."

"He's not that bad." Holly pouted. "He only wanted to protect his sis."

"Guys, you're not thinking of the bigger picture here." Chalice scolded. "I can't even imagine how the queen is handling all of this."

Rune grimaced and rubbed his upper foreleg; he was tempted to share what Elenar told him in the throne room, but ultimately decided against it. None of the apprentices looked ready to hear about Runileon the wicked… especially not Ozul.

"So… what are we going to do now?" The shadow dragon asked as he stepped back from the prince. "Classes are over. Should we head to the usual hangout?"

"Hmm…" Chalice scratched their chin.

Rune wracked his brain for ideas. But before he could list any of them, he spotted a familiar form emerging from a classroom a short distance past Chalice and Cyrus. Helianne walked out with some of her friends, and she had a dour look on her face.

"Helianne!" Rune exclaimed. He stepped around the apprentices and made to follow after the princess.

"Rune, wait a minute!" Chalice called. But Rune ignored them and continued on to get the princess's attention. The grey dragon winced as they stepped back. "Oh, boy…"

"I can stop him" Brisa fanned out her wings. "Just a quick dash, and-"

"No, let him go." Cyrus extended her wing to block her view. "Rune has to face this."

"Helianne!" Rune called again.

The flora dragoness gasped and came to a stop, as did her friends. While the other dragonesses cautiously backed away, Helianne stood her ground… and cast an angry glare in Rune's direction. Immediately Rune flinched and fell back onto his haunches.

"Uh… H-Hi, Helianne." He said sheepishly. The princess blew a bit of smoke from her nostrils as she scowled at him.

"I asked you…" She stepped closer and gnashed her fangs. "…to go EASY ON HIM!"

Rune stammered and jittered for a bit as he looked Helianne in the eyes. "Uh… I…"

Helianne took a few harsh breaths as she glared up at Rune. She held her cloak tightly to her chest as her eyes teared up.

"How… How could you do that to him?!" Helianne yelled. "Part of me knew… knew that you'd have an advantage over him. And I knew he deserved some kind of smack on the head for wasting all of our time!"

"Helianne…" Rune winced.

"I thought you were just going to let him tire himself out!" Helianne yelled. "I thought you wanted to find a non-violent way out of it! But… But then you just… beat him senseless?!"

"I…" Rune shivered. "Helianne, I'm sorry. I-"

"Sorry? SORRY?!" Tears poured from Helianne's eyes as she stamped her paw. "My brother is bound up in a hospital! He's traumatized after nearly having his… his…" She stepped back from Rune as her voice cracked. "How could you even THINK to try doing that to him?! What is WRONG with you?!"

Rune froze in place; he half-expected Helianne to attack him right then and there. But instead, the dragoness turned on her heels and darted down the hall, leaving a trail of tears in her wake. The other dragonesses around her scowled at Rune before they dashed off to comfort Helianne. Rune was left all alone. He felt his heart plummet down to the bottom of his stomach.

Was that the end of their relationship before it could even really take off? He felt like it was so: what sister wouldn't be disgusted with the drake who seriously harmed her brother? Rune could barely keep his composure as he stood up to turn around. He walked back to the apprentices, who exchanged worried glances. Rune slumped over against the wall and looked at his paws as the others crowded around him.

"Rune?" Cyrus stepped up and patted Rune on the back. "Are you okay?"

Rune didn't answer; he just listened as Helianne's words repeated over and over in his mind. Everything felt so unreal.

"Hey, come on, Rune." Chalice said. They turned Rune's head and looked him in the eyes. "Just because she's mad at you doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

"I…" Rune stammered again. He shook his head and rose up to his full height. "I think should just go. Nobody wants to see me right now."

He felt someone wrap their wing about his back. He looked to the side and saw that Holly had stepped up to hug him.

"Don't be like that." She said. "We still want to see you."

"Uh, yeah…" Ricin said with a stammer. He stepped up, took a page from his journal, and held it up to the prince. "Here."

Rune at first expected something grotesque on the page… but it wasn't quite what he was expecting. It was a crude drawing of himself, alongside Cyrus and all of the apprentices. They were flying through the air together with little smiles above Warfang.

"I wanted to save this for the day you were going to leave for Glenhaven," Ricin said without looking at the prince. "But I think you needed this now."

"Th-thanks, Ricin." Rune calmly took the page and held onto it.

Rune's ear frills were assaulted by several random musical notes. Look across from Holly, he found Brisa had rifled through her satchel and produced an ocarina. She played a few practice notes whilst looking at the prince.

"What's that thing some people say…?" Brisa rubbed her head as she played a few notes. "Turn that frown under the clown?"

"It's upside-down." Ozul corrected.

Brisa looked at her ocarina and gasped. "Oh, you're right."

"That's not what I… oh, forget it." Ozul sighed as the wind dragoness flipped her instrument around. The crimson dragon then turned toward Rune and nervously patted him on the upper leg.

"I'm sorry if I've been a little scared," Ozul said. "It's just that I never saw that behavior in you before the arena match. I don't know what broke your composure… but I hope we can help you keep it from happening again."

Rune looked around at the apprentices, unsure of what to say. They each gave him looks of confidence and reassurance that he hadn't expected from anyone else today. But even as most of the other students moved quickly down the corridor to avoid getting too close to the prince, these four dark dragons stood right by his side, trying their best to be the friends he needed.

Chalice stepped through the group and looked at Rune with pity.

"Everyone else here is unnerved right now, sure… but that doesn't mean people think you're a monster." Chalice said. "Just give it some time, and everyone will mellow out."

"I… I guess you're right." Rune said.

"Things will be back to normal in half a year or so." Holly declared. "All it'll take is some time!"

"Uh-huh…" Rune nodded.

"Hey, uhh…" Ozul cleared his throat. "What do you say we all head out now?"

"Yeah, classes are over!" Ricin declared. "I vote we go hang out in town!"

"We could go to the park." Holly smiled as she let go of Rune. "The flowers are blooming soon!"

"I guess it's better than being cooped up in the library again," Brisa said eagerly.

The four apprentices broke off to head down the hall, only to look back at Rune, Cyrus, and Chalice.

"Aren't you all coming?" Holly asked.

"We'll catch up with you." Chalice said. "I just need to talk privately with the princes for a bit."

"Sure thing." Holly smiled. "See you soon!"

Once the four apprentices had taken off, Chalice and the two black dragons gradually walked forward. Rune cast a curious glance at Cyrus; he'd been quiet for quite a while now.

"As the others said, you just need some time." Chalice whispered to Rune. "The student body won't hate you forever."

"The other students are the least of my worries, Chal." Rune sighed. "The Deep Shadows think I'm suffering from corruption. And I'm starting to agree with them."

Chalice grimaced. Cyrus, however, just sighed and pulled Rune into a hug. The shorter prince bit his lips as he tried to think of whatever to say.

"Hey, come on. Don't think like that." Cyrus said. He looked around to make sure nobody was within hearing range, and then leaned in to whisper into Rune's ear frill. "Everyone worked together to help free you from Malefor's control. If you're still suffering from some kind of residual effect, then we're not all going to leave you to get worse."

"But what can be done?" Rune demanded. "Whenever I get mad, I start losing control. And I can't keep myself calm and happy forever. Not with…" He suddenly became sick to his stomach. "Not with everyone acting like THIS around me."

"I'm sure the elders will figure something out." Chalice replied. "Especially Lord Urobos; he wouldn't want to lose you, you know."

Rune just sighed. "I know…"

Chalice turned to check the time and huffed a bit. "Listen, I need to head back home soon; I've got some errands to run before I can meet up with the rest of the gang." They turned to look at Rune and Cyrus. "Will the two of you be alright on your own?"

"Yeah, we'll be just fine." Cyrus nodded. He tugged on Rune to get him to follow him down a hallway. "Come on, Rune; let's take a walk together."

"Sure…" Rune gave a low sigh. He turned down the hallway and walked alongside his brother. Chalice waved goodbye and turned down a separate hallway, leaving the two princes alone.

Once the halls were mostly barren, Cyrus looked this way and that. Once he was sure that the coast was clear, he stood up to whisper into his brother's ear frill.

"You should have won."

Rune flinched. "Hun?"

"You had Lantel right where you wanted him." Cyrus continued with a scowl. "If it were me, I wouldn't have held back; he'd be in the hospital for good after I was done with him." He wracked his talons on the floor. "It wasn't fair of Mom to declare you BOTH as losers."

"Cyrus…" Rune said in exasperation. "I didn't want to hurt Lantel. I just… couldn't help myself."

"Yeah, I know…" Cyrus snorted. "But that doesn't change the fact that Lantel deserved his beating; he's been nothing but a complete arsehole for months on end." He fanned out his wings. "It was so satisfying seeing you beat him down. If he EVER starts trouble again, I want to be the one who gets to brawl in the arena against him!"

"Cyrus, NO." Rune insisted. "I couldn't get out of the fight against him because he called for a challenge. But Mom doesn't want us fighting with any other future heirs!" He stamped his paw. "Do you have any idea how awful this whole thing has made her feel?!"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Cyrus snorted indignantly. "Let's just… let's get to the front gates; we're wasting daylight hours."

Rune sighed again. "Fine…"

The two resumed their walk to the front of the Dragon Spire. Along the way, Cyrus looked at a wall clock and grimaced.

"Oh, geez, look at the time." He frowned. "I'm running late for my date with Tina."

"Your… date?" Rune repeated curiously.

"Yes, a DATE." Cyrus puffed out his magenta chest. "I'm going to head to The Nexus to pick her up. Then we're heading for a tour of the gardens."

"Ah, sounds fun…" Rune said with a nod. "I hope you have a good time."

"Oh, I intend to have more than that…" Cyrus fluttered his wings and lifted himself up with shadow magic. He then spun about to do a complete somersault in the air above his brother's head. He then came to a landing and struck a dramatic pose. "I've been practicing my moves; I'm going to show her just how agile I can be in the air."

Rune grimaced at that. And then a spark ran through his mind, and he smirked.

"I don't know why you keep trying to impress her, Cy," Rune said slyly. "She prefers boys."

"What do you mean by…" Cyrus began to ask. When he saw the grin on Rune's face, the smaller prince flashed with anger. "Oh, screw you!"

"S-Sorry…" Rune suppressed a chuckle. He then stepped out of the way as his brother tried to take a swipe at him with his forepaw. "I couldn't help it."

"Not funny. Not funny in the slightest!" Cyrus snapped.

The two princes made their way out the front doors of the Spire and down the stoop toward the garden. Cyrus immediately spread his wings and took off for flight toward the floating fortress. Rune said goodbye and waved as he watched his brother leave.

Rune looked forward toward the front gates. Off to the side, he spotted Holly, Brisa, Ozul, and Ricin gathered in a group. They'd all sat down on some benches off to the side, evidently waiting for the others to get back. Rune almost walked toward them… and then looked out of the corner of his eye to the front of the steps of the Dragon Spire.

Albanion had appeared a the doors. The Deep Shadow spoke in hushed tones with a few soldiers as they prepared to begin patrolling. He turned around to march toward the gate, presumably to perform more of his duties. Rune sighed in relief as he approached; maybe his uncle could help him stay calm.

Rune stopped halfway to the apprentices as Albanion descended the stairs. Across the way, the students all gasped, and they scrambled to get up to stand in formation. The poison dragon came to a halt and gazed around curiously.

"Greetings, Master Albanion." The students declared.

Rune bowed his head. "H-Hello, Uncle."

"Hmph…" Albanion looked over the group with an appraised eye ridge. "It's curious to see all of you out here. What are you doing?"

"We were just waiting, M-Master." Ricin said cautiously. "We wanted the princes to join us on a trek through the city, and…" He looked at Rune, and then searched around for the other prince. "Where's Cyrus?"

"He's not here," Rune said. "He left for a date with Tina."

"A date?" Holly said in surprise.

Ricin's ear frills drooped. "You mean… Cyrus ditched us again?"

Albanion ignored the apprentices and looked at Rune. "You're not still reeling from the little chat you had with your mother, are you?

Rune grimaced. "Uh… n-no, I'm not."

"Hmph. Good." Albanion turned to spread his wings. "I hope the lot of you keep out of trouble."

"Wait a minute!" Rune chased after Albanion. "Where are you going, Uncle?"

"I'm off to investigate the caravan of traders that arrived late last night from Faeshrine."

"Ooh, a caravan?" Holly's eyes widened.

"…Yes, Holly." Albanion snorted and looked back at Rune. "We haven't heard anything grisly about the traders… yet. So, I figured I may as well peruse their wares for a while during our investigations."

"Ah…" Rune nodded. He was about to wish Albanion a good day when an idea sparked through his mind.

A caravan selling items from a place as exotic as Faeshrine might just have something to lighten Helianne's mood. Rune thought happily. Maybe then she won't want to smack me every time we meet.

"Can I come with you?" Rune asked Albanion eagerly.

Albanion raised an eye ridge again. "And why would you want to come along, Your Highness?"

"I could use some time out of the Dragon Spire," Rune said.

"And are you sure that the High Queen will approve of such an excursion?" Albanion demanded. He raised another eye ridge and fell back onto his haunches. "The moment you left the throne room, she started tearing herself apart about preparing to apologize to the solar king."

Rune nearly sank into the stone from the way the heat of Albanion's glare cut through him. He took a breath and made to stand tall.

"Well… she never said I was grounded." Rune chuckled awkwardly. He then flapped his wings and stood taller. "And besides, the Day of the Bonds is coming up. I want to find something to celebrate the holiday with… someone…"

"Can we come too, Sir?" Holly asked as she gestured with her wings at the apprentices. This immediately got him an incredulous glare from the Deep Shadow.

"I'm not running an after-hours daycare." Albanion snapped.

"We just want to see what they've got." Brisa reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pouch. "I've got some leftover money from my allowance."

"And I could use some new art supplies, Master." Ricin said eagerly.

"Indeed…" Albanion scowled. "Are you looking to draw even more inappropriate images on your teachers' chalkboards?"

Ricin's smile faded, and he shrank back. "No, I mean… I was just…"

"Uncle, please…" Rune stepped around to stand with the apprentices. "I know I'm not in a position to ask you for anything. But I just want to be with dragons I can trust right now. And I don't want to stay cramped in the Dragon Spire."

"Hmm…" Albanion scratched his chin and then sighed. "Very well; you can all accompany me."

The apprentices all cheered happily, which made the Deep Shadow snort.

"But all of you are to stay exactly where I can see you for the entire trip; especially YOU, Rune." Albanion pointed at Rune's snout. "We've all been on edge around you lately. And we don't want another…" He leaned down to glare even harder into the prince's eyes. "…Outburst."

Rune felt ice run up and down his spine; Albanion was terrifying when he wanted to be.

"Y-Yes, Sir." The prince nodded his head several times. "I understand, Uncle."

With that said Albanion made his way out into the garden and spread his wings. Rune and the apprentices walked alongside the Deep Shadow and prepared for flight. Several guards followed behind the group. But whether that was because of the investigation of the caravan, or because they suspected Rune of going wild, the prince was unsure.

"Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!" Holly chirped.

"Yeah…" Ricin cleared his throat and inched away from Albanion. "A real fun time."

Albanion and the young dragons made their way south… and Dona appeared from the shadows of the garden. She tilted her head and grinned as she watched them fly away.

Hmm, looks like they're off on a shopping spree. She thought with a snort. Looks like I'll need to give dear old Bergan a heads up.

~~…~~

Cyrus flew up to the Nexus as fast as his wings could carry him. He passed by a few other dragons who were traveling either toward or away from the fortress. When he saw some of the younger dragons, the prince did cartwheels in the air. He beat his wings, dashed around with a burst of wind, and even created little sparkles of magic in the sky, all with the biggest of grins on his face. Cyrus could never resist putting on a show.

Unfortunately, sometimes his audience wasn't all that grateful. Most of the older dragons just ignored the prince's antics. And while the younger dragons were enraptured by his tricks, they were mostly just called away by some of the older ones. Time and again, Cyrus was left alone, performing for the open air.

Just once, I'd like to have a long-lasting audience, He sighed.

Cyrus came to a landing on the crisp grasp of the front garden. He sighed as he looked upon the black stone and towers of the fortress. The prince held a grimace as he beheld a tower that contained what used to be his childhood bedroom. Too many times the prince was ordered to go to his room when the adults didn't want him pestering them.

All these years later, and I still can't look at that room with anything but dread, Cyrus thought with a snort. I wonder what poor sucker was assigned to sleeping in there after the fortress was renovated.

As Cyrus made his way forward, he passed by a couple of dark dragon soldiers that stood watch over the grounds. They barely acknowledged his presence as he made his way toward the front doors. Along the way, more dark dragons and dragonesses close to the prince's age were stepping out of the doors of the fortress. Cyrus grinned at the various wind and poison dragonesses who approached.

"Well, hello, ladies." Cyrus declared. "How was your day of study?"

They didn't reply to him; they just spread their wings and took off. Cyrus blinked a few times… and then glowered in frustration. Why were other dragons always doing that to him?

In a huff, Cyrus pushed the doors of the chapel open and stepped inside.

Standing in the middle of the chapel was the burly Aegis. The crippled Deep Shadow was one of the teachers of the little school run for artificially-created dark dragons. After all, who better to teach them the customs of being a transformed dragon, than one such transformed dragon?

Aegis sat on his haunches before the altar, while his daughter Tina stood across from him.

"…like I said before, Tina", Aegis was saying, "You should talk to your mother about it. She can explain it better."

"Okay, Dad," Tina replied. She gave her father's foreleg a hug before rising to her feet. As Cyrus approached, Aegis and Tina turned their attention toward him.

"Ah, Prince Cyrus." Aegis smiled. "I might have known you'd be arriving at a time like this."

"Hiya, Sir Aegis." Cyrus bowed his head. He then grinned in Tina's direction. "And hello to YOU, Tina."

"Heya, Shorty," Tina smirked. She stepped closer and stretched her body out; she made it all the more apparent that she'd grown taller than him. She walked around him in a circle and came to stand by his side. "You're late."

"Hey, I had things to do." Cyrus snorted in derision.

"I suppose you two will be off to disturb the peace again," Aegis said flatly. Cyrus could never tell if Aegis was trying to be funny or not.

"We're not going to get into trouble, Dad," Tina said.

Aegis rolled his eyes. "Of course, you will. You always do."

"Well, then…" The dark-yellow dragoness gave a toothy grin. "We'll just try not to get into too much trouble!"

Aegis just sighed and wracked his talons on the floor. "Very well, dear. Just don't get hurt…." He wrinkled his nostrils. "I have the strangest feeling about today."

"What do you mean, Aegis?" Cyrus asked.

"I don't know…" Aegis grimaced. He gazed out at the clouds. "There's just… something strange about today. Something's not where it's supposed to be."

Cyrus just shrugged and tilted his head. "If you say so, Aegis."

"Hey, Shorty!" Tina declared as she flapped her wings. "I'll race you!"

She took off into a run down the rows of bleachers and out through the front doors. Cyrus gasped and sprang to his feet.

"No fair!" Cyrus yelled. He had wind magic flow through his wings to take off at high speed after the dragoness. Aegis watched with unease as the two teenage dragons took off into the sky and flew around each other. Once they were gone, the burly dragon just sighed and shook his head.

"Teenagers."

~~…~~

Rune could scarcely believe his eyes as he looked around at the caravan. Wagons and carriages were lined up all up and down the slanted streets. A great number of moles, avians, lagomorphs, felines, and other races had set up shops all over, showing their goods to the many citizens who came to see what was on sale.

Rune came to a brisk landing beside Albanion, while the apprentices landed all around him. Each of the teenagers gazed about happily.

"I've never seen the market this busy…" Holly trotted in place. "What do you think they're selling?"

"It could be anything, really," Ozul said as he looked over at a cart run by moles. "I'm hoping they've got some nice tools."

"Hey, check it out!" Brisa grabbed Ozul's tail and pointed across the way at a cart surrounded by various wind instruments. "They've got musical stuff!"

"Uhh… Nice, Brisa." The shadow dragon tugged his tail away.

Rune couldn't help but smirk at the apprentices as they chatted amongst themselves. The prince could already feel his bad feelings melting away. He turned around, took in the fresh air, and looked up at his uncle.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" Rune asked.

"Well…" Albanion's expression softened just a bit. "I've been trying to find something to give to your aunt for her upcoming hatchday."

"Ah…" Rune scratched his chin. "I'd almost forgotten about that."

"Hey, Master?" Ricin asked as he stepped up and wagged his tail. "I wouldn't mind drawing something for Lady Elza… how old is she turning again?"

Albanion raised an eye ridge at the younger poison dragon. "I'd highly suggest never asking a dragoness that question, Ricin."

"Sorry, Sorry…" Ricin's ear frills drooped. "I just wanted to be nice."

Albanion snorted… but Rune could see his uncle fighting back a sly smile. Rune sucked in a breath to keep from laughing out loud it wasn't every day when his uncle tried a bit of humor. He was grateful to finally spend some time with Albanion… even if it meant enduring the guards that loomed just nearby at all times.

Albanion lead the group throughout the caravan. The young dragons looked around happily, chatting with themselves and the merchants about the goods on sale. Brisa was tempted to try out a big drum set, but the price nearly made her pass out.

Across the way, Ozul happily picked up a set of hammers. He put them into his satchel and worked a bit of magic to keep them weightless. But as the shadow dragon tried to continue walking, he suddenly slumped to the side and groaned. Albanion snorted and reached down to lift him onto his feet.

"Carrying more than you can lift again, young dragon?" Albanion asked.

"That should have worked…" Ozul grumbled as he stretched and channeled a bit more magic. He lifted up the hammers again… only to fall over once more. Holly just rolled her eyes and stepped over to collect the hammers from Ozul's satchel.

"You're doing it again, Ozul." She scolded as she grasped his tools. "You can't magic your way past heavy lifting."

"But they were just a few hammers…" Ozul pouted.

"Oh, relax." Brisa snickered. "We'll help you lug them around."

Across the street, Rune and Ricin were looking at a series of art supplies splayed out on a particularly fancy cart. There were art easels, paints, brushes, quills of many sizes… Ricin looked like he'd been taken to the candy store. His eyes dazzled as he looked upon an elaborate art case. It came with over a hundred paints, and three different sizes of brushes. It even had a brush-cleansing station built onto the side.

"Look at that! Just look at it!" Ricin cried as pointed at the art set. "Just think of all the cool stuff I could make if I had it!"

"Right…" Rune bit his lower lip as examples of the indigo dragon's art appeared in his mind. The prince shook his head and looked at Ricin dubiously. "Have you even really worked with paints much?"

"Once or twice… before they were taken away." Ricin sighed. He looked down at his satchel… which was still horrifically stained with clumps of dried brown paint all over the bottom. "But I didn't WANT to make a mess; it was an accident!"

"Right… an accident…" Albanion said from behind. Ricin flinched as he felt his mentor's shadow passing over him. The adult poison drake leaned down and once again cocked an eye ridge at his pupil. "Accident or no, I highly doubt you have enough to buy that set."

Ricin reached into his pocket and grimaced as he pulled out a few small blue gems mixed with pocket lint. He then chuckled nervously at Albanion. "Say, uh, Master…"

"No. I'm not buying it." Albanion snorted. "Look for something else, boy."

Ricin frowned, and he walked away in defeat. Rune frowned at the poison dragon and then turned to gaze up at the art set. It was definitely fancy… and quite pricey, too. The prince reached into his pocket and felt around for his coin purse.

"Oh, no…" Albanion grimaced. "Rune, please tell me you're not thinking of buying that."

"Well…" Rune pulled out his purse and glanced up at the Deep Shadow. "I haven't seen his eyes light up like that before. I could easily…"

"Didn't you say you wanted to buy a gift for someone?" Albanion asked cheekily. "Or did you have your eyes on Ricin all along?"

Rune balked. "Whoa, NO. It's DEFINITELY not like that. I just wanted to make the kid happy."

Albanion snorted. "If Ricin wastes that paint to make a big mess, I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough…" Rune rang a little bell on the counter to get the merchant's attention. A few moments later, and a dozen gold coins shorter, the prince walked away with the fancy art set.

The group continued looking through the caravan wagons until they came close to the end of the caravan. The road continued on its downward slant after the last wagon. Rune sat back on his haunches and sighed, as the other apprentices gathered around.

Holly was holding some strange frozen treat in a little cone; she'd walked carefully to keep from dropping it. It looked like tiny, frozen shreds of ice, colored blue somehow.

"What's that?" Rune asked as she sat down beside him.

"I don't really know." She shrugged. "One of the vendors was selling them. It's some kind of frozen treat that's really popular over in Faeshrine."

"Oh…" Rune blinked. "Is it… good?"

"Well, it's… different." Holly shrugged. "It kind of tasted like blueberries… mixed with ice." She licked it again and sighed. "Not bad for a copper coin!"

"Uh-huh," Rune said dubiously, while Holly leaned down to lick her treat again...

THWAAAAMP!

A loud noise made Rune jump. Holly yelped and smooshed her muzzle into her treat on accident. The two looked up… and saw Brisa approaching with the strangest instrument Rune had ever seen in his life. It resembled a big cloth bag, with various wooden reeds jutting out of it. Brisa blew into a mouthpiece as a chorus of unearthly noises burst forth. Many of the surrounding dragons groaned and covered their ears, while Brisa chuckled to herself.

"Hey, guys!" She called.

"Brisa!" Yelled the irritated voice of Albanion. He walked up and glowered down at her. "What in the dragon realms is THAT?!"

"Honestly, I have no idea." The wind dragoness chuckled as she held the instrument up. "It was being sold by some atlawa guys on the far end."

"So… you don't know how to play it." Albanion snorted.

"No… but it sounds hilarious." Brisa snickered as she made to blow into it again. But she paused when she saw the Deep Shadow scowling at her.

"Disturb the peace again, and I'm confiscating it." He snapped.

Brisa winced, and quickly put the instrument down. She then slung it over her shoulder and frowned, while Rune quietly whispered a thank-you to his uncle.

Eventually, Ozul and Ricin sat down with the other students. Albanion came to a stop at Rune's side and sat back on his haunches. As the apprentices were chatting together, Rune looked down at his coin purse and sighed.

"All of these carriages…" He said. "All of that looking around, and I didn't see a single thing that Helianne might like." He put his purse down and shook his head. "Guess the trip was a bit of a bust."

"It'll take more than a single trinket to get a dragoness to stop being mad at you, Prince Rune." Albanion scolded. "And besides, just because you have wealth, doesn't mean you should spend it too frivolously."

"But I hardly spend money ever." The prince said. "This is a rare occasion for me." He wracked his talons. "And besides, what else am I supposed to do to lighten Helianne's mood?"

"Well, for starters, you'd best give her some space," Albanion said. "Wait for her to decide for herself if and when she wishes to speak to you. Otherwise, you run the risk of driving her deeper into anger."

"I guess that makes sense…" Rune sighed. "Still, it can't hurt to give her some kind of peace offering, can it?"

"Fair enough," Albanion said. He stood up tall, drawing the attention of the young dragons.

"Alright, listen up." He said to the apprentices. "I'm going to double back and look around one last time. Come along."

"Can't we just wait here?" Rune asked as he stretched out a hind leg. "My thighs are aching."

Albanion cast him an annoyed glance. "Need I remind you that you're to stay where I can see you?"

"I'm not going to pick fights with anyone," Rune said worriedly.

"Plus, he's got all of us to look after him!" Ricin exclaimed; he stepped up and draped a wing over Rune's back. Holly and Brisa quickly smiled and nodded, while Ozul just fell back and grimaced.

"We won't let him move from this spot, Master," Ozul said. "I promise."

Albanion huffed as he looked at the apprentices in turn. He ran his talons along his muzzle and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll be right back in five minutes. But the lot of you are to STAY RIGHT THERE." He gestured with a talon toward the ground for emphasis. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master." The apprentices bowed their heads.

"Yes, Uncle." Rune nodded in annoyance. "I get the point."

Albanion didn't quite look convinced. He took a few steps to the side and faced a pair of nearby guards.

"Keep an eye on the prince and his friends." He ordered. "See to it that they stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Lord Albanion." The two dragons said in unison.

With that done, Albanion made his way up the street, while Rune sat himself down on a little bench by the road. The apprentices stayed nearby; Holly chatted with Brisa while eating the rest of her frozen treat, while Ozul slumped over to sit beside Ricin. Meanwhile, the two guards stood on either side of the group and kept an eye out. Rune just sighed and leaned back to rest his paws.

"Geez…" Ricin lightly kicked a rock. "Why did he have to go and tell these goobers to stand guard? We could have done it ourselves." The indigo dragon snorted. "We're not dumb."

"Oh, don't get too worked up…" Rune whispered to Ricin. "At least we can just sit and relax for a while."

"I guess…" Ricin looked up at the sky and sighed. "I hope Cyrus is having fun… on that date of his…"

Rune looked at Ricin curious; the indigo drake looked so sad suddenly. Ricin tapped his talons on his wrist and frowned as he looked around. Rune couldn't help but smirk as he reached into his satchel.

"Maybe you'd like to pass the time by making another picture?" Rune asked.

"Nah…" Ricin shook his head glumly. "I'm not really in the mood."

"Are you sure?" Rune pulled out the art set. "You seemed pretty eager before."

"Rune, I can't…" Ricin turned his head, and his eyes lit up. He stood stunned as the prince presented him with the art set. "I… can't…"

"What do you think?" Rune raised an eye ridge.

"I can't… I can't believe it!" Ricin wagged excitedly as he took the art set in his paws. "You're the second-best!"

"Thank y… second?" Rune balked and eyed him incredulously.

"S-sorry…" The poison drake laughed awkwardly as he cradled the set. "What I mean is, uh… th-thanks for this, Rune."

"You're welcome." Rune nodded. "Just do me a favor."

"Oh?"

"Make sure you paint something nice for my Aunt Elza." The prince stood up tall. "Nothing shocking to get a rise out of people; try painting from the heart. Make it a gift for her hatchday." Rune reached out and pulled out a gold coin. "Consider this a commission, alright?"

Ricin snorted. "Sure thing, Prince." He held out his paw. "I guess you're my first-ever customer."

Rune held out his forepaw to give Ricin the coin… when his ear frills suddenly wriggled. Something was flying through the air and heading their way. The prince looked up… and saw a jagged chunk of earth hurtling toward them!

"Look out!" Rune grabbed Ricin and hurriedly pulled him out of the way.

The earth spike stabbed the ground right where the indigo drake was standing. Ricin clutched the art set to his chest as his eyes dashed around in shock. Rune heard a clink-clank as his gold coin hit the ground, but he didn't care. He just made sure Ricin was just behind him, as he looked around for the source of the attack.

Holly, Brisa, and Ozul all looked over in shock. They scrambled over and looked at the earth spire in confusion. The two guards pushed past the apprentices so they could look it over. Rune just stood with Ricin, who double-checked to make sure his set was okay.

"Are you okay, Ricin?" Rune asked him.

"Oh, geez, oh geez…" The poison drake muttered.

Ozul looked at the sky and gasped. "There's more coming!"

Rune and the others all turned to look up… just in time to see several spikes hurtling from the sky. The young dragons all dashed out of the way, while the two guards sprang up to deflect the attacks.

The wind dragon was able to blast a few spikes off-course to smash into the road, while the other one just barely avoided having a pillar run through his neck by dodging out of the way.

More and more spikes rained down. Rune and the apprentices all fled behind a carriage for shelter, which was soon assaulted with a hail of spikes. They knelt down low for cover, while Rune tried to stand tall. But that was difficult; he could feel a chill running along his spine, and his limbs shook with adrenaline.

They were under attack… and there was only one culprit that came to mind.

As the two guards continued to fight back, the ground shook wildly as more spikes rained down. Holly screamed as one of them came close to where she was seated; she sprang up and ran to the other side of the carriage. Ozul wasn't too far behind; he dived into his shadow and slunk his way across the ground to avoid being seen. Brisa stood up tall and tried to spew small cyclones at any spikes that got near… but her magic was paltry compared to the assailants.

"Don't bother!" Rune exclaimed as he shook her shoulder. "Just stay behind cover!"

"But aren't we supposed to fight?!" Brisa yelled back. "It's what we're trained for!"

"You're not trained to fight THEM." Rune insisted. "Just get down! We need to find Albanion!"

"Damnit…" Ricin muttered as he hurriedly stuffed his art set into his satchel. "Damnit, damnit, damnit…!"

Rune led the apprentices behind the carriages as they formed a protective wall from the hail of spikes. He stood up tall and summoned a barrier of earth around his body. He tried to expand it to cover the apprentices but was just barely able to shield Brisa. And even that was barely enough; as he dashed through the open air between two carriages, one of the spikes flew down and struck his barrier. The attack shattered on impact, but it created a headache-inducing ringing, forcing him and Brisa to cover their frills.

"G-Good work…" Brisa muttered.

"Sorry, Sorry…" Rune winced.

The five young dragons continued on their way, struggling to avoid being hit by the hail. Rune kept going to the front and the back of the group, doing his best to keep the apprentices from getting hurt. Ozul had panic in his eyes as he peeked out from his shadows beneath the carriages; he looked ready to run off ahead at any moment and leave the group behind…

"Ozul!" Rune yelled underneath a carriage, drawing the boy's attention. "Go on ahead! Find my uncle!"

"But-"

"GO!" Rune pointed with a talon. "Tell him to come to find us!"

Ozul gulped and wordlessly ducked fully into his shadow. Quick as a flash, Ozul's shadowy mist zipped on ahead beneath the carriages, faster than anyone else could move. Rune watched him with a slight moment of ease; he hoped that the order would help Ozul not feel too cowardly as he left the others behind.

As Rune lead the other three forward, his mind raced to figure out what to do. Did he tell them to stick together as a group? If he did, it would only make them all into one big target for the hail of spikes. But if he ordered them to spread out and go in different ways, then they'd all be on their own out in a danger zone. And he could barely carry one other person in his shadows; trying to bring all three would just be a disaster.

As Rune was trying to figure things out… the hail stopped falling in one specific spot. A short distance ahead, three adult dragons flew downward. They are all adorned in haphazard armor. Their muzzles were covered in torn fabrics and rags as they growled furiously at the young dragons.

Rune winced and fell back on his haunches. He spread out his wings to shield the apprentices, and they all peered nervously over them. Rune's heart beat wildly as the leader of the trio, a fire dragon, stepped forward and locked eyes with him.

"Kill it!" The fire drake roared to his companions. "Kill the black dragon! KILL THEM ALL!"

~~…~~