Here it is. The first half of the eighth episode of Season 3. I have a song recommended by a review. Credit goes to the Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power TV Series and its writers. It doesn't belong to me. Just wanted to use it cause a reviewer recommended it. Hope you all enjoy it.

Dragonguard Part One

The couple, the former blacksmith and the companions were shocked. The Sky Patrol bowed their heads in silence. "No," Carol breathed. "She can't be dead,"

"She is not dead," spoke the wise Sky mage sadly. "She lives but is not with us,"

Ibis, his apprentice Yonas and his little friend Incavive led the Sky patrol and the team through the doors into a hallway of stone with a podium in the centre and statues in front of the stairs. "Losing her mate and her egg has caused her so much grief. It's irreparably broken her heart. Her eyes shut hours ago and no matter how hard I have tried I can't wake her up. Come," he led them up the stairs to another archway. But Zym wouldn't go any further.

I can't go. He whimpered. Not now. Carol genuflected and stroked him, struggling to contain her wet eyes.

I'll stay here with him. Said Felix, walking over to comfort his best animal friend. Zym purred, needing his comfort. The Adoraburrs joined in too

Ibis and his apprentice led the party slowly into the dragon queen's chambers whilst Caelus and the rest of the patrol walked back outside, to give them some alone time. They descended down the short flight of stairs and in front of them was a heart-breaking sight. An enormous dragon of stormy blue with a crown of horns and a white mane snored loudly but gently, not moving a single muscle, or lifting an eyelid. Her tail was snaked around an empty nest.

"No," Carol shook her head. "No. We didn't come all this way just to fail like this. There has to be a way to wake her up,"

"Carol…" Ethari tried to say, but she rushed over to the face of the deep sleeping drag.

Carol gently touched her soft snout. "Come on Queen Zubeia. You have to wake up Your baby's here. He needs you,". But nothing could wake up the heartbroken queen. Her eyes teared up.

Raylan scrunched his eyes crying too. Ethari placed a hand on his shoulder. "We failed,"

"No," he shook his head. "None of you are to blame,"

Carol tried again and again to wake up Zubeia. She even tried using spells but that didn't have an effect either.

"It is no use," said Yonas distressfully.

Ibis gave him a warm hug. "My magic was not enough to help her. There is nothing to be done,"

Carol just turned and fled the chambers. Raylan tried to follow but was held back by Ethari, who quietly said, "She needs to be alone,". The boy just stared out as he watched his girlfriend leaving the hallway too, passing by the tearful Zym whose eyes were shut and Felix who looked out towards her with worry.

The heartbroken girl saw some stairs leading upwards and sprinted upwards. She ran up until she found herself at the pinnacle, the tippy-top of the Storm Spire. She sat down, seeing nothing but clouds in the distance and cried into her hands. She felt like she had failed everyone. Zym. Her dad. Her siblings. Her home. She didn't know what to do anymore. "What do I do dad? What do I do?"

Raylan walked out slowly and sat beside Felix and Zym, stroking them tearfully. "I can't believe we came all this way and now it's led to this,"

Caelus entered the hall. He turned to him. "Is Carol…."

"She ran up to the top of the pinnacle,"

Raylan decided to get some answers. "Do you know what became of the Dragonguard?"

"Many of them fled and in doing so have been exiled from their lands. There were two members in particular whose fates we don't know about," he glanced intriguingly at the boy. "Your face and eyes," he knelt before him. "You remind me of two Moonshadow Elves who came here years ago,"

Raylan's face brightened. "Those people were my parents,"

"Lain and Tiadrin were the bravest people I ever met. Without them, I never would have become the leader of the Sky Patrol,"

"Everyone I know says they abandoned their duty. But I refuse to believe that. Do you what happened to them?"

"I wish I could answer that. But your parents are not cowards,"

"Why were the Sky Patrol here the day Viren came and killed the king?"

"Zubeia was called to a gathering and we were called to accompany her whilst the Dragonguard was in charge of the egg. But it turned out the gathering was a distraction. WE tried to get back to the Spire but we saw her entire family were killed. Or so we were led to believe for the Dragon Prince. I am truly sorry for how desperate you and your friend were to make this journey. I know for a certain your parents would be proud of you," He stood back up and left leaving Raylan to reflect on his words.

The teen clutched his mother's pendant, still wishing to know what had truly happened to her and his father. Felix licked his hand, comforting him, earning a stroke. "You go to Carol," he encouraged. "I'll watch over Zym. She needs you,"

Felix licked Zym's face and bounded off to find Carol.

Willow, Pyrrah and Bait struggled to find a way to fly safely into the sky. The edges of the desert were crawling with many mages of the Cult of Aaravos; to fly clear blue into the sky would mean certain death. And to reach the Spire, straight over it was the only way to get there on time.

"How are we gonna make this work?" whispered Willow, after ducking behind another rock.

Pyrrah thought a moment. I've got a plan. She gave Willow and Bait a serious expression but the girl nodded, trusting their dragon friend.

Felix walked up the stairs and found his person, her legs over the edge of the pinnacle staring longingly out into the starry sky. He wandered over, purring at her unresponsive hand but then he felt her fingers stroke his head. She needed him. He hugged her tightly. "Oh Felix," she mourned. He purred his face into her neck, both heartbroken that they had come so far from their home only to find out it was supposedly all for nothing. "How am I supposed to tell Ez and Willow we failed?" He settled on her knees, a melody humming in her mind and a song waiting to be released from her tense throat.

The sun is fast fallin' beneath trees of stone
The light in the tower, no longer my home
Past eyes of pale fire, black sand for my bed
I trade all I've known for the unknown ahead

Call to me, call to me lands far away
For I must now wander this wandering day
Away I must wander this wandering day

Of drink I have little, and food I have less
My strength tells me, "No", but the path demands, "Yes"
My legs are so short and the way is so long
I've no rest nor comfort, no comfort but song

Raylan with Zym in his arms walked outside and when he heard his girlfriend singing, became mesmerized by her lyrics he felt himself being pulled up the stairs.

Sing to me, sing to me lands far away

Oh, rise up and guide me this wandering day
Please, promise to find me this wandering day

At last comes their answer through cold and through frost
That not all who wonder or wander are lost

No matter the sorrow, no matter the cost
That not all who wonder or wander are lost

Raylan sat down beside her and she turned to him, happy that he was here with her. "We did everything we could. Nothing could have prevented this,"

"How are we supposed to Ezran and Willow?"

"This doesn't mean everything we've done was for nothing. We'll figure it out," he took a moment to stare into the distance too.

Carol noticed that something was off about him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Caelus knew my parents. But he didn't know what happened to them. He told me they weren't cowards but…how am I supposed to feel about them if I don't even know what happened to them?"

They were silent. Nothing more was to be said. The couple slept alongside each other in the hall in sleeping bags, Ethari watching over them.

The sun was rising early the following day. The Sky patrol stared out into the distance, looking for any form of danger; they would fulfil their duties no matter how deep in sleep the queen was. That was when they saw a red and golden dragon flying towards them. They stood back and allowed her to land gracefully. "What brings you here young dragon?" asked Caelus. He noticed something was off about her mouth. "What are you holding in there?"

Pyrrah opened her mouth and out dropped a little girl and glowtoad covered in dragon saliva. Quickly Caelus cast a spell.

Felix and Zym woke up, leaving their persons to sleep a bit more. Zym walked over to the hallway that led to his mother's chambers and whimpered again, still unable to go inside. Felix comforted him. Both hadn't known their mothers at all. Felix couldn't even remember the family he had before he met Carol as a cub. They heard low growling and loud footsteps that startled them and woke the teens up. They stood up and saw Caelus approaching through the entrance. "There is someone here who wishes to see you," he said. The teens stood up and once he parted to his side, they saw Willow approaching them with Bait in her arms.

"Willow!" Carol rushed forward and the moment they collided he spun her around giving her a big hug. "I'm so happy to see you,'

"I've missed you, sis!"

Bait was squeezed between them. Once they parted, Willow placed him down and Felix bounded over to him and they nuzzled heads happy to see one another.

"It's so good to see you too Willow," Raylan hugged her. "Um…why is your hair a bit slimy?"

"We took an uncomfortable ride in Pyrrah's mouth,"

"You rode in Pyrrah's mouth?" Carol questioned, her face cringing with disgust.

"It's a long story,"

"How did you find us?"

"We bumped into some friends of yours and they gave us directions," she let go. The two realised she was talking about the Skywing elf family and the sunfire merchant and his dragon. Zym, upon seeing her, felt all sadness dissolve away from him and pounced on her like a playful puppy, licking her face. "I missed you too Zymmie,". She hugged him and then she gave Felix a stroke as he purred.

Ethari approached them. "You must be Carol's sister, Willow,"

"This is Ethari," introduced his foster son. "He's one of my guardians,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Willow," bowed the elf.

"Please don't bow," she said. "And it's a pleasure to meet you too," she turned to the elves. "Thank you for allowing me to enter the Spire,"

"Well, if your sister is a welcomed guest, then so are you. And your dragon friend seemed to trust you enough to ride her," Caelus bowed his head. "But what may we ask brings you alone on your dragon friend out here?"

Fear consumed Carol from head to toe. "What's happened, Willow? Is Ezran…"

"He's safe. But Zym is in grave danger. Everyone's in grave danger," Willow breathed out. The group blinked their eyes. They all gathered around the pedestal, giving her a blanket and something warm to drink. "It's Lord Viren. He led a coup and overthrew Ezran with the help of Saleer and Prince Kasef. They tried to have us both killed but we escaped,"

"Then where is Ezran?" asked Raylan.

"He's in Duren, seeking Queen Aanya's help. But that's not even the worst part. Viren is leading four armies of Katolis and the other kingdoms here for him," she glanced fretfully over at Zym who was once again grieving for his comatose mother with Felix, the Adoraburrs and Bait nuzzling him, trying to comfort him again.

"Then we must act," declared a female Skywing elf.

"Do you have any idea where they are now?" Ibis asked.

"They will have reached Lux Area by now. I dread to think what they've done. And Caldor…"

"Caldor?" spoke up Carol. "What are you talking about?"

"When we met your friends that you met in the desert, he went with the sunfire merchant to go to Lux Area to warn Queen Khessa. And that's not all. Our aunt is their prisoner. But I know for certain Viren succeeded in whatever it was he planned. I don't know if Caldor or Aunt Amaya are alive,"

"They have to be," prayed Carol. Ray rubbed her shoulder to comfort her.

"But there's more," Willow continued, increasing everyone's fears. "The Cult of Aaravos is coming here as well,"

"'Cult of Aaravos'?" questioned Yonas.

"What is the Cult of Aaravos?" Ethari asked.

"Remember those mages?" she asked her sister and Raylan, whose eyes were enlarging. "The mages are part of it. That's who they are. And they have more than a dozen followers and they're planning to capture you two and Zym. We saw them gathering up earlier and somehow Castor managed to break his brothers free from Katolis,"

"And they are not allied with Viren?" Caelus asked.

"I doubt they are," said Carol. "They tried to kidnap me when I was a child but Viren helped our aunt and father stop them,"

Willow was shocked. "What? Why didn't you tell me or Ezran?"

"I didn't know until Dad told me so in the letter that he gave me. And he mentioned something else," She reached into her knapsack and pulled out the cube. "This cube that I got from the Banther Lodge, he said it's called the key of Aaravos. It belonged to an Archmage of all the primal sources called Aaravos. And he said I had to keep it safe,"

"Whatever item that is, you must get rid of it," Ibis said seriously.

"I can't. I promised him I'd keep it safe. And he says I have to figure out what it is,"

"How do you know who those people are?" Ethari asked.

Willow was silent for a second. "Because Caldor was part of it,". Carol was shocked. One of her oldest friends was part of that organisation. She couldn't breathe for a sec. "But he's on our side, sister. Mum and Aunt Amaya have known about him for years and if they trust him, so should we. He's still one of us,". Her sister was reassured slightly but still her heart quivered with the truth. "When I told your Skywing elf friends, they went off to warn the rest of Xadia and get help but I don't know if they'll make it here in time. And I don't know if Ezran and Aanya will make it either,"

"We must scout and find out how long we have before this dark army reaches us," declared Caelus. "In the meantime, the rest of you must leave,"

"No!" Carol shook her head. "We came all the way here to bring Zym home,"

"And it will all be for nothing if you don't leave. Take the Dragon Prince far away from here," Ibis advised. "Do what you all must do to survive. Yonas, prepare them whatever supplies you can give them,"

"Yes, Ibis," answered his apprentice; his companion squeaking in agreement. The children walked outside and watched as Ibis and Caelus transformed their tattooed arms into wings and soared off into the clouds.

Ezran, Aanya, Grark, Opeli, Corvus, Barius and the armies of Duren rode on horses and in the distance they could see the smoke rising up from the magma river. Opeli who rode with Ezran noticed how anxious he was. "Are you alright, King Ezran?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about my sisters,"

"I'm sure they are safe my king,"

"What worries me is that we may already be too late,"

"We'll just have to hope we can make it," was all Queen Aanya could say, apologetically. They continued riding on until finally they reached the border but when they did, they saw the most appalling sight. There was a pathway right through the magma, wide enough for a massive army to pass through quickly. But what shocked them more was there were the bodies of dragons and elves scattered about. He felt sick to the core.

"We have to keep going," said Aanya trying to lift his spirits.

"But what it's just wasting lives? What if more people die?" shuddered Ezran.

Corvus looked to the side. "I think you should look to your left King Ezran,"

The boy king turned his head and he saw Gren on a horse but what surprised him more was who was standing behind.

"Elves!" cried a soldier. The leaders turned their heads and they saw three elves descending towards them with feathered arms. The soldiers were a little nervous, they drew bows.

"Bows down!" commanded their queen. They obeyed nervously.

The Skywing fliers landed gracefully before them and bowed humbly much to their confusion. The middle one, the father glanced at Ezran. "It looks like you need help getting to your sisters, King Ezran,"

Ezran felt relief flowing through his veins. But nothing was more surprising to all these humans than the generous offer of these elves who had encountered the princesses of Katolis.

Soren was compelling his horse to carry him at top speed across the plains. And when he came to the top of a hill, he finally saw the Spire reaching high into the clouds. They passed by the statue of Avizandum, Soren hung his head down remembering how his petrification courtesy of his father had led to all of this. When they reached the top of the stairs, he left his horse and decided he'd take the long hike up. An hour passed. He collapsed. He tried to fight it. He opened his eyes. He saw three figures above him. One is a soldier bearing the emblem of a tree and carrying a horn. Another is a muscular boy with shaggy hair carrying a hammer. The final was a masked warrior with spikes and tusks on her helmet, wielding a double-hooked staff.

"You guys…are not from around here," he murmured.

"You took a brave stand standing up to your father," said the tree-emblemed man. "I know it wasn't easy for you but what you are doing is more honourable than anything he has ever done,"

"Beware the mages with the dragon of darkness," the hammer-bearing one said.

"And know this…a great evil will come within centuries," the masked warrior, a lady, warned. "And the world must be prepared for it,"

The young man dozed off again. But moments later when he opened them up, he no longer saw those three strange beings standing over him. Instead, he saw three Skywing elves.

Inside the hallway, whilst Willow and Carol were sitting down, Ethari and Yonas were leaning against the wall, and the animals were lying about, Raylan was pacing around the podium in circles.

"Ray, it's not helping when you do that," his guardian said.

"It's not gonna make the queen wake up," said Yonas.

"I hate to say this guys," Carol said. "But we may not have a choice but to do what Ibis said,"

"No! Ezran and Aanya will get here with her army and we'll stop them," Willow refused; the thought of fleeing with Zym to safety was out of the question to her. "And our friends will have gathered as many allies as they could,"

"But that will not be enough to defeat Viren's army of four kingdoms and the cult of mages; they're just too powerful. And Ez might not get here in time,"

Before an argument could start, three Skywing elves entered and with them was…

"Hello?" waved Soren awkwardly.

Instantly Raylan threw into a fit of rage and before anyone could stop him, he rammed into Soren and pinned him to the wall, pressing one of his butterfly blades to his neck. "You made a big mistake coming here!"

"Ray-Ray, what are you doing?" Ethari asked.

"He tried to kill Carol and Zym!"

"Raylan, it's okay!" Willow exclaimed. "He's here to help,"

"Willow…what is going on?" questioned Carol. Felix growled, frowning as well, flattening his ears. Even Zym was appalled by the younger princess's reactions.

"Please just let him go and I'll explain," she implored.

"She's right. I'm only trying to help," coughed Soren. Raylan glared again into his eyes but when he did, he saw innocence and regret. He let him go and in instance, Carol marched right up to her childhood bully and punched her right on the nose.

"That was for trying to kill us," she hissed.

"Yeah, probably deserved that," Soren's nose was red.

"More like definitely," She spun to her sister. "You've got a lot of explaining to do,"

For the next moment, Willow explained to her sister and their friends how Soren had turned against his father to save her and her brother the night he tried to have them killed. How he risked his life to save Pyrrah and help Caldor escape his execution after summoning Phoe-Phoe to take Ezran and their allies to Duren safely.

"So…Soren saved your life?" Raylan asked sceptically.

"And Ezran's. And Caldor's. and Pyrrah's," after Soren had spoken, Pyrrah poked her head in and licked his face. "See, the dragon lick proves it,"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Carol asked Willow.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell them?" Soren asked the little princess who twiddled her fingers awkwardly.

"Because I wasn't sure how you guys would feel about it. And to be honest, I wasn't sure about it myself,"

"To be fair, I've done some awful things," Soren acknowledged, holding up his finger.

"Like trying to kill us!" explained Raylan. "And trying to take Zym back to your dear daddy," he said that final bit with a mocking voice.

"Why are you here?" Carol crossed her arms.

"Soren, what has happened?" asked Willow, a bit more gently.

Soren sighed. "My dad stole a secret power from Lux Area. He destroyed the city and corrupted it with magic. He's made the army's armour fireproof. They're stronger and faster. And their weapons are infested with dark magic so that even a single scratch ends the life of anyone who has even the smallest scratch,"

"And why should we believe a word you say?" demanded Carol. "After everything you did to us? For all we know, you could actually be spying for Viren,"

"I know what I did. And I'm sorry," Soren apologised, hanging his head in guilt.

"Sorry doesn't excuse the fact of all the horrible things you've done to us," snapped Raylan.

"I regret it deeply. And I can't stop thinking about it. I see you and Zym, Carol… every time I close my eyes," all he received were more frowns. "Listen I'm not expecting you guys to forgive me. But you have to believe me,"

The couple still weren't appeased. "Guys, I know Soren did a bad thing," Willow spoke up. "But he saved me, Ezran, Caldor and Pyrrah," Though resentful towards Viren's son for being so awful to her sister, Willow knew that they needed to heed his words.

"I want nothing more to do with that horrible man. I've realised now what a dreadful man he truly is. And when I tried to warn Claudia about him, he lied to her and she didn't believe me,"

Yonas stood up. "I know you guys might not wanna believe this guy…but now this really means you have to leave and take Zym to safety,"

The elves and humans were conflicted now more than ever. Could they hide and stay hidden for longer? Or was it suicide going against Viren and his army?

That's the first half done. Once again credit of the song doesn't go to me. It goes to the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series and its writers. Just wanted to write on request from a reviewer who i'd like to thank for this idea. Also thank to everyone else for the other ideas i've used in this chapter and what i'd like to use in the future chapters and the next book. See you all in the next half later this week.