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.

31. Act 3, Chapter 4

Never in all of Elza's life had she hated the Arcus Desert so much.

There was little that she and the teenagers around her could do that night, but sleep and wait for morning. And during that morning, the cruel sun woke them up with terrible heat. Immediately they had to shed their loose garments, and stick to only the bare essentials as they made their trek to the east.

Blast it all… Elza's tongue lolled out as she struggled to keep herself cool with tiny gusts about herself. It was just like that blasted trek with Albanion and Aegis four years ago… only much worse; this time, she was countless miles away from her husband.

Elza would have given anything to be able to spread her wings and take off through the skies; so much time would have been saved. But the heat was so intense; Elza barely had the strength to lift her wings. Tina and Chalice were barely able to keep up with the wind dragoness as they walked side by side. And Helianne… Helianne had the worst time of it among the four of them. Her movements were sluggish, and her jaws hung open as she panted heavily. The flora dragoness swayed from side to side as she tried desperately to follow after the others.

"Wh…What are we going to do?" Helianne asked between her pants. Her eyes darted around at the expansive sand dunes and she clattered her fangs. "Everything looks the same. We're stranded!"

"Just keep your head on straight." Chalice said as they ruffled their mane. "We won't get anywhere by panicking."

"How can you be so calm?!" Helianne demanded. "We're lost in the middle of nowhere!"

"We're not completely lost…" Elza snapped. "I've been through these sands before. We just have to get to the city or…" she stopped to catch her breath. "Or some kind of oasis."

"But where do we FIND one of those?!" The princess exclaimed. She rubbed her tired eyes as she gazed around at the sand once again. "I can't see anything for miles."

"Listen; we're heading east," Elza said between pants. "The sun rises in that direction, and it'll be overhead in time. If we keep going in this direction, we're bound to run into civilization. Even if it isn't Glenhaven, there's bound to be a village built near a river. All we have to do is keep our heads on straight."

During their trek, a miracle happened: Elza spotted an oasis in the middle of the sands. With as much strength as she could muster, the wind dragoness pushed herself to fly toward it. Tina and Chalice worked to follow… while Helianne struggled to keep up the pace at the rear.

The four of them came to a landing and drank from the water. It wasn't quite pure, nor was it very cold… but a drink was a drink. Helianne in particular groaned and gasped as she gulped down as much as she could like a dying animal. Everyone sat back on their haunches and panted heavily. Elza used her magic to stir up a cool breeze so everyone could relax in the low shade.

But then Elza's stomach rumbled. Then Tina and Chalice did the same. Helianne, once again, had the worst of it; she struggled to stay seated as she put a forepaw on her underbelly.

"Are you girls alright?" Elza asked the trio.

"I'm fine…" Tina shielded her head with a wing. "I can hold out."

"Grandfather trained me to get through worse scrapes than this…" Chalice gave a slightly-uneasy chuckle as they stood up tall. "I'll be fine."

Helianne was the only one not to respond; instead, she gulped down more of the water and coughed up some sand. She then clasped her forepaws together and reached within herself. Elza pursed her lips and stepped around Tina and Chalice to keep an eye on the flora dragoness.

"Princess Helianne, what are you doing?"

"Trying not to starve…" She muttered.

Helianne put her forepaws down as her body glowed with magic. The princess clasped her eyes shut and grunted as she dug her talons through the sand. She dug and dug until her talons were caked with sand.

"Come on…" She muttered. "Where's the dirt? I need dirt."

"I… I think you're plenty dirty already." Chalice replied.

"That's not funny." Helianne winced as she brushed her dark mane out of her eyes. "We need real food! We can't just…" Her body shivered as she tried to form the words. "…We can't just STARVE out here!"

"Princess Helianne, take it easy." Elza sat down beside her. "We're not going to die; I'll get you to safety."

"But… I…" Helianne just shook her head and stuck her forepaws deep into the sand. "I still have to try."

Helianne's scales glowed once again as she forced her magic deep down into the sand with her paws. The ground rumbled briefly, drawing Tina's and Chalice's attention. Everything shook and rumbled beneath the sand as the flora dragoness panted heavily.

"Come on…" She shut her eyes and scowled. "Come on…"

"What exactly are you…?" Chalice began to ask… only to gasp as a small sapling burst from the sand.

As Helianne kept focusing on her magic, the sapling grew. It rose into the air above her head as it got wider and wider… becoming the bark of a tree. Tina and Chalice watched in amazement as a small tree rose above Helianne's head. It sprouted tiny leaves, and gradually covered patches of her scales with shade. But as branches spread out, Helianne's glow began to face. She panted slightly and crouched down, but she refused to end the magic. The dragoness kept growing that tree… until eventually, tiny little buds formed on the branches.

Helianne peeked an eye open, and then shut it again as she growled as loudly as she could. Her magic faded more and more as the buds on the branches kept growing, becoming tiny round fruits.

"Almost there…" Helianne said between heavy pants. "I can just about… about…"

Helianne collapsed onto the sand, hitting her head on the tree's trunk in the process. The tree stopped growing, and the fruits had just barely formed a shape. The princess panted with exhaustion, and she winced as she rubbed her sore forehead. She opened her eyes to look at the tree's fruits in silence.

"Wow…" Tina said as she stepped up to inspect the tree. "Is this… an apple tree? I never thought I'd seen one growing out in the middle of nowhere."

"Hmm…" Elza reached down to pluck one of the fruits from the tree. She sniffed it, bit into it… and then winced. She stuck her tongue out and cautiously put the fruit down. "It's, umm… not quite ripe."

Crying filled the air; Helianne had looked away from the tree and hung her head low. The others looked at her in surprise.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Elza asked.

"I'm sorry…" Helianne sniffed. "I wanted to get them right; I really did. I… I gave every drop of magic I had to get it to grow."

Chalice stepped up and patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, Hey, just take it easy. We're all grateful that you tried to get us something to eat. Right, girls?"

"Of course…" Tina stepped up and nodded. "You didn't have to bend over backward for us."

"But… it's something I'm supposed to do." Helianne wiped her eyes. "I'm the only one who could grow anything out here. You're both the fighters, Lady Elza is carrying eggs. And I…" She took a deep breath. "I don't want to be useless."

Elza felt her heart break just a bit; she stepped up and patted the flora dragoness on the shoulder.

"It's not your responsibility to keep us alive." She said softly. "I'm the adult here. It's my job to keep YOU safe; not the other way around."

"But…" Helianne fell back onto her haunches. "What if you…?"

"Don't worry about me." Elza sat herself down and stretched her body out. "I'm fine, and so are my eggs. I just need a moment's rest, and some water to drink. We can put off eating food for a little while longer. Let's just… talk."

"Talk?" Tina and Chalice repeated incredulously.

"Yes; Talk." The Deep Shadow settled into the sand. "We can't warn the Elders of Glenhaven if we're exhausted and half-dead. Let's take a moment to catch our breath… and get to the bottom of things."

"Well, I guess it would be nice to relax…" Tina sat on her haunches and stretched her back out. "Might as well enjoy it while we can."

"Mhm…" Chalice sat down and kept her eyes on the princess. Elza, meanwhile, flapped her wings and focused her attention on Helianne as the latter drank a bit more water.

"Helianne, as long as we're all trying to regain our strength, there's something I've been meaning to get to the bottom of."

The prince flinched. "Uhh… what is it?"

Elza took a deep breath and looked down sternly at the flora dragoness. "Princess Helianne… what did you do with my nephew Rune that night?"

Helianne gasped, and she covered her face. Tina and Chalice stepped closer and fell back onto their haunches to listen in.

"I…" Helianne shivered. "I… I don't…"

"Oh, just tell the truth already!" Chalice snapped. "There's nobody around to eavesdrop, and there's no reason to hide it! All you've done is get yourself in worse and worse trouble by being secretive about it!"

"Hush, Chalice." Elza scolded and pointed a talon in their face. "Yelling at her won't fix anything."

Chalice's ear frills drooped. "But…"

"I just want to know what Rune's been hiding from me." Elza looked back at Helianne. "Rune hasn't kept any kind of secrets from his family before. And I want to know what it is, so I can at least try to understand…" Elza relaxed her expression and brought her voice to a whisper. "Did you and Rune… make love?"

Helianne's eyes flew wide, and her face flushed a bright pink.

"N-No!" She declared. "We didn't go that far!"

"That far?" Tina repeated curiously.

Helianne gulped and flapped her wings uneasily. "We… We shared a kiss. And we hugged… and we talked for a while. Th-that's it; that's as far as we went."

"Talking, kissing, and hugging…" Elza lifted her head and scratched her chin in amusement. "And all of this is something you two wanted to keep a secret?"

"I… well…" Helianne grimaced. "It's more like… what we did after… after he…" She shook her wings uneasily. She looked between Tina and Chalice and shivered. "Please… Please don't make fun of me."

"Of course, we won't," Tina said in exasperation. "Especially not after everything that's happened."

"I just hope there's a good explanation." Chalice said with a huff. "Rune got into a lot of trouble keeping that secret."

"Chalice, calm down." Elza scolded. The grey dragon grimaced, and Elza turned back to Helianne. "Take your time, princess."

"Okay…" Helianne took a deep breath and looked the Deep Shadow in the eyes. "That night… Prince Rune… was helping me to fly."

Elza was silent for a time. She took a deep breath and fell back onto her haunches. She clasped her forepaws together as the princess shook before her.

"Helping you to fly?" Elza repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I…" Helianne shivered as she flapped her wings again. "Ever since I was young, I… I've had trouble flying. The short version is… I got hurt. Really bad." She looked sadly at the scars on her membranes. "And even after they healed… I've had trouble getting up into the sky without… panicking."

Chalice's eyes went wide; they covered their muzzle with a forepaw as realization washed over them.

"I… I wasn't ever going to bring it up…" Tina looked at the scars. "But is that why you always wore that cape?"

"Y-Yes…" Helianne hung her head low. "I didn't want anyone to see how… how ugly they are."

"They're not ugly, princess." Elza draped a wing over her back. "They seem rather healthy and strong to me."

"My aunt's said the same thing." Helianne continued. "She and the rest of the family have tried helping me, but I hadn't made much progress in flying on my own. That's… That's when Rune came in."

"Hmm…" Elza scratched her chin. "I could ask you how long you two were doing such things, but the amount of time isn't relevant."

"We used to only spend a few minutes in secret… but over time, we wound up staying out longer and longer…" Helianne blushed. "And the last time… I almost felt like I could fly on my own again. I… I owe Rune a lot."

Tina smirked, while Chalice continued to stay silent. Elza simply sighed and stood up.

"It's a shame everything spiraled out of control…" Elza looked down at the princess. "It almost sounds like you wanted to make a boyfriend out of my nephew."

"Well, I… might have… already…" Helianne gulped and looked away sheepishly. "But…"

"Oh, ho, ho!" Tina laughed as she nudged Chalice's sides. "What a cute story, eh Chal?"

"Maybe…" Chalice cleared their throat. "But why keep the flight training a secret? Why not just ask for help from the beginning and set up a training course?"

"Because… uhh…" Helianne shivered. "Because I was too nervous. I didn't want anybody finding out."

Chalice blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Chalice, don't be mean." Tina prodded their sides.

"Oh, I can't help it." Chalice flapped their wings. "All of our friends are trapped in Convexity, there's a war brewing on the horizon, and the four of us are trapped in the middle of the desert with barely enough energy to keep going…" The grey dragon panted. "I guess I just feel frustrated; I'm sorry if I'm taking it out on you, Princess."

"It's… okay…" Helianne said with a nod. "I… I'm sorry that I got Rune into trouble over all of this." She wiped her eyes. "I just wish… he didn't hurt my brother."

Tina and Chalice exchanged uneasy glances, while Helianne teared up a bit.

"I… I still can't believe it." The princess continued. "Rune was always so sweet, so charming, and so… so kind. I don't understand why, even after promising me he wouldn't hurt Lantel, he…" Helianne shivered and cried a bit. "What got into him? What made him so violent?"

"I might have a clue…" Elza grimaced. But she draped a wing over the princess's back. "But I can assure you, that if Rune developed feelings for you, he wouldn't have wanted to break your heart. Things got out of hand, and his control was taken away. And knowing my nephew, he'd do anything to make things right."

Helianne wiped her eyes again. She took a deep breath and leaned down to drink some more water. "I… I just hope that both Rune and Lantel are okay."

"And all of our friends and fellow students, too," Chalice added as they stood up. "I can't imagine for the life of me what that Bergan is up to."

"Right…" Elza stood up tall and flapped her wings as she surveyed the area to the east. "Okay, we should fly up to the top of that dune; we can take another breather, and then we'll fly off further east." She looked at Helianne. "Do you think you can fly up there?"

"I…" Helianne spread her wings and grimaced. "I can try."

"Good. Then let's go."

One by one, Elza and the teenagers took off into the air. She flew briskly as she ascended upward to reach the top of the dune. She couldn't just take off at full speed; that would put the teenagers far behind. And looking back, it seemed like Helianne struggled to get very far off the ground. She was still airborne… but she trailed behind Chalice and Tina once again.

"Come on, Princess," Tina said to her. "You can do it."

"I know…" Helianne flapped her wings and panted. "I'm trying."

The four dragons flew up to the top of the dune and came to a landing… and the moment they looked out at the east, they all gasped.

Helianne covered her maw in shock. "What…?"

"What in the…?" Tina's jaw fell open.

"I don't believe it…" Chalice rubbed their eyes.

"This…" Elza's gaze widened. "This wasn't here the last time I was in the desert."

A series of ruins dotted the landscape on the horizon. They were decrepit in places and eroded by winds in various places. And the most striking feature among them was the vast, square-shaped PIT across the way in the sands. None of the four dragons had ever seen anything quite like it in their lives.

But the most surprising feature out in the ruins was the dozen or so dragons flying through the sky. Some of them noticed something odd about the dune and soon spotted Elza and the teenagers. And now, they were flying over the top of the ruins to make a beeline straight for the foursome. It was a miracle!

One by one, the dragons landed to surround the group. Chief among them, a water dragon, came to a swift landing before the adult dragoness and looked around incredulously at her and the teenagers. He bit his lower lip as he locked eyes with Elza and examined her features.

"You… You're one of the Deep Shadows from Warfang, correct?" The drake asked cautiously.

"Yes… I'm Elza, sister to the High Queen." Elza said as she rose her head up tall. She then panted and collapsed slightly into the sand. "And I require some water."

The blue drake nodded in understanding; he extended a forepaw and immediately created a flowing source of water between his talons. He then had the water flow into a bowl, which he passed to Elza. At the drake's discretion, he had several of the other water dragons set to work creating bowls of water for the teenagers.

"Thank you…" Elza panted as she passed the bowl back to the drake.

"You're welcome." He nodded. "I am Guardian Zecht. What's happened that has brought you so far from Warfang?"

"Oh, much has happened…" Elza grimaced. "But there's little time! We need to get to Glenhaven and warn the Elders! The city is in danger!"

"What?!" Zecht shouted.

Elza didn't waste another second with words; she spread her wings and took to flight as best as she could. Dumbstruck, the blue drake quickly took to the skies to follow her, as did the teenagers.

"Elza, slow down!" Tina cried out. "Think of the eggs!"

Elza grimaced as she tilted herself to descend back to the sands. As she did so, she gnashed her fangs and waited for the Guardian to land beside her.

"Slow down, Milady!" Zecht cried out. "We came with carriages for our non-winged companions at the ruins. We can get you on the carriage for a safe trip, during which you can even explain what's happened."

"Alright…" Elza sighed in defeat. "But still, we need to be quick…"

Elza picked up her pace and marched forth, with the rest of the dragons following behind her. She could feel the strands of her mane standing on end as she struggled forth.

We have to warn the Elders…

~~…~~

The early morning hours in the IceFyre home were rather busy for Seraph. She had a lot of work to do to prepare her extended family for the fun and festivities to be had.

The water dragoness spent quite a bit of time doing the final preparations for her home: dusting, cleaning, washing, scrubbing, and redecorating the whole house… all while the others in the home were asleep. Blankridge and Nellie were shut away in their bedrooms, while Nymph, Rupert, and Hugo were laying in a nest of pillows in the living room. Nymph probably would have helped Seraph get things going had she only asked… by the ancestors, she might have even gotten her husband and son to help out. But Seraph worked alone and quietly; that's how she preferred it.

After quite a long bit of cleaning, Seraph sat herself down on a cushion in the living room. She panted and sighed as she struggled to catch her breath. She'd just rest her eyes for a few moments. She couldn't stay relaxed for too long. She blinked forcefully a few times, to keep herself awake. She just… needed… to sit down…

The scent of well-cooked meat made the dragoness rumble and sit up. She blinked as she turned her head into the kitchen; smoke was coming out, and it smelled like it was seasoned with various herbs and spices.

Huh? Seraph yawned before rising to her paws and stepping through the doorway. There, standing before the stove with orange flames rumbling inside, was Blankridge. The orange drake hummed to himself as he carefully grasped a steak that was laying in a pool of oil in a frying pan. He flipped it over, humming to himself the whole while. Turning toward the table, Seraph was surprised to see that a whole line of steaks was neatly prepared on five other plates. And they were all cooked to a golden brown.

"What…?" Seraph rubbed her eyes to double-check what she was seeing was real. Sure enough, Blankridge was cooking. And as he lifted the sixth steak from the frying pan, he turned toward the doorway and smiled.

"Morning, Mom," Blankridge said as he carefully placed the steak on a plate.

"M-Morning…" Seraph said awkwardly. She yawned stepping carefully into the kitchen. "You… You prepared a meal?"

"Of course I did." Blankridge grinned. "After all, you've been working hard today. Plus Aunt Nymph, Uncle Rupert, and cousin Hugo are here to celebrate the holidays with us. AND Nellie needs to keep her strength up before the big fight today…" He climbed into his cushion and wagged his tail. "Why wouldn't I cook?"

"It… It's just…" Seraph looked around at the arrangement of steaks on the table. Just the scent of the well-prepared meat was enough to make the dragoness's mouth water. "I wasn't aware that you knew how to cook, Blank."

"Oh, well…." Blankridge shrugged. "I've been practicing a bit, while the guys and I are around the city preparing for our adventures." He looked down at the steak and sighed in satisfaction. "An adventurer needs to know how to properly prepare food he finds. I wouldn't want to get sick, you know."

"Hmph, I suppose not…" Seraph rolled her eyes; of course, it somehow linked back to his adventuring obsession.

"And also, the more times I tried it… the more I figured out that it was actually kinda fun." Blankridge wagged his tail again. "Did you know that there are over a dozen different kinds of herbs and spices are grown right here in Glenhaven alone? And it all goes GREAT with lamb meat!"

"Uh-huh…" Seraph awkwardly tapped her talon. "Well… thank you for making breakfast, Blankridge. But that doesn't mean I've magically forgiven you for the airship incident."

Blankridge frowned. "Oh, come on, Mom. I wasn't even trying to bring up my adventures all that much." He stepped down from the seat. "I just wanted to do something nice today."

Seraph sighed; maybe she could give her son a little slack this time. It saved Seraph the time she'd have to spend cooking that meat herself.

"Blank… please go wake your sister up," Seraph said. "Let's all eat together."

"Got it." He nodded and trotted off down the hallway. Seraph looked down at her plate and sighed again. Perhaps she just needed to lighten up a bit.

~~…~~

Blankridge pushed Nellie's bedroom door open and strode inside. Nellie was curled up on her straw mattress and snoozing soundly. The orange drake marched right on up to the dragoness and shook her shoulder vigorously.

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead!" He exclaimed. "You've got a big day ahead of you!"

The dragoness cracked an eye open and growled as she glared at him.

"Blank…" She said angrily as she lifted her head. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Mom says you have to get up." He snickered. "You've got a big day ahead of you."

At first, Nellie was confused about what Blankridge was going on. But after casting her eyes across the room at the calendar on the wall, she rolled her eyes and slammed her head down in frustration. The arena match was TODAY.

"Ancestors damn it…" Nellie pulled her blanket up over her head.

"Hey, don't be like that." Blankridge scolded. He grasped the blanket and pulled it away from his sister's body. "You've got a lot of preparation to do today! Starting with a delicious, nutritious breakfast made by yours truly!"

"If you don't get out of my room, I'm going to prepare YOU a nutritious breakfast…" Nellie held her forepaw up. "A knuckle sandwich!"

"Geez, I can take a hint…" Blankridge snorted before leaving the room. "Just be out here to join the family soon, okay?!"

"Yeah, sure…" Nellie rolled her eyes.

After Blankridge closed Nellie's bedroom door, the dragoness stood up and stretched out her back. She spent a few minutes grooming herself and putting on her fancy jewelry. Her mind raced with dread as she adjusted her various rings.

Stupid Blank, waking me up so early! She gnashed her fangs. I wanted to get as much sleep as I could. So much for that.

Nellie turned toward the doorway and took slow, cautious steps. She took cautious breaths and tried to psyche herself up for the big day.

It's finally here; my fight against Roxanne. She sighed again. The more days pass by, the less and less I actually want to fight her. I wish this whole stupid thing was over and done with already; I don't even care if I lose… Her legs shook, and then she swatted her tail in the air. Okay, maybe I care a little. But that doesn't mean I expect to win…

As Nellie stepped out into the hallway, she almost immediately caught the scent of herbs and spices. She also heard various dragons chatting curiously in the kitchen. Nellie followed the scent down the hall and arrived in time to see her extended family gathered together at the table. Nellie's aunt Nymph was already digging into her plate.

"Oh, this steak is simply divine!" Nymph declared. She looked right at Blankridge and winked. "You've certainly cooked this steak to perfection, darling! You'd make a fine chef!"

"Err, thanks, Aunt Nymph." Blankridge scratched the back of his head with a wing-thumb and chuckled awkwardly. "Though, that's not exactly what I had in mind for my profession."

"Let's just focus on the meal itself for now…" Seraph said with a sigh. She looked across the way and saw Nellie standing in the doorway. "Ah, Nellie. You're just in time for breakfast."

"Yeah…" Nellie sighed. She stepped around a few of the seats and sat down in the empty one beside her cousin Hugo. "Uh, Hi, Hugo."

"Hi…" Hugo said awkwardly. He then immediately turned to look down at his steak to begin eating it. Rupert was quick to start on his meal as well, much to the annoying snort of his wife Nymph.

"Really, not even going to say hello to your niece?" Nymph asked.

"Err… Hello, dear." Rupert nodded toward the young dragoness. But that only made Nymph roll her eyes even harder.

"I swear to the ancestors, you're the worst sometimes," Nymph said with a glare. Rupert gave his wife an indignant expression, while Seraph simply stared ahead at her daughter.

"I hope you're ready for your arena match today," Seraph said.

"I am, I am…" Nellie sighed as she picked up a kitchen knife. "I… I'll try to do my best."

"You might as well do your best…" Seraph harrumphed. "You got yourself into this mess; it's only fitting that you come out of it none too worse for wear."

"I know..." The younger dragoness nodded wearily. She should have figured that she wouldn't get much in the way of encouragement; not with the way Seraph had been giving her daughter the stink-eye for days.

After that, breakfast was about as standard as Nellie could expect. Blankridge got into talking to Hugo about sorts of shenanigans he and his friends had gotten into in Glenhaven, though the posh drake wasn't much of a talker. Nymph, meanwhile, continued to shower praises upon her niece and nephew.

"Oh, I've heard so much about you two over the years." Nymph smiled. "The both of you have grown into quite majestic dragons. Both of you have your mother's eyes!"

"We do?" Blankridge asked curiously. He blinked a few times, and then glanced curiously in Nellie's direction. Nellie simply rolled those eyes of hers, as she tried to focus on eating.

"It's definitely quite the family resemblance, I suppose…" Seraph nodded.

"According to Hontus's letters, Blankridge is looking to be an adventurer someday." Nymph smiled. "He takes so much after-"

"Please don't say it, Nymph." Seraph gnashed her fangs. "Now's really not the time."

"What? Wait!" Blankridge wagged his tail. "Who do I take after?"

Seraph sneered and wracked her talons on the table. "It doesn't matter right now, Blankridge. You're still very much in trouble for your airship fiasco."

"Alright, alright…" Blankridge sighed and shook his head. "I get the point."

"Good…" Seraph glanced at her sister and sucked in a breath. "Nymph, please hold onto the contents of the letters for another time. These two are still in trouble."

"Well, they won't be in trouble forever." Nymph replied. "Surely you look forward to seeing them explore their chosen paths in life, yes?"

Seraph could only sigh at that, while Nellie pretended not to pay attention. Blankridge, however, pouted as he dug into his plate. Now and then, the two siblings would exchange glances. Something was amiss, but now wasn't the time to pry their mom for information.

Before long, breakfast had finally come to an end. Nellie and Blankridge rushed off to prepare for the day, while Rupert and Hugo retired to the living room to gather their cloaks.

"What are you two off to do, then?" Seraph asked curiously.

"We'd like to take a look around the market." Rupert declared. "We're still getting used to Glenhaven, and we'd like to have a look around… if that's alright with you, Seraph."

"No, it's… it is fine," Seraph said as she rubbed her foreleg. In all honestly, things were still a bit awkward around Nymph's husband and son; she could use a little break away from them, despite how mean that sounded to herself.

Nellie adjusted her satchel and made her way to the front door. "I'll be heading on ahead; I have to pick out a suit of armor for the fight."

"Hmph." Seraph flapped her wings. "Once you're done with the arena match, Nellie, I want you to-"

"Head straight home." Nellie interrupted. Seraph scrunched up her face in annoyance, but the sad and resigned look on her daughter's face made the dragoness sigh.

Blankridge was finished with his preparations at about this time. He stood up tall, flapped his wings, and trotted around the side of the table to follow after Nellie.

"I'm going to go with her to give her some pep!" Blankridge declared. "I hope the rest of you guys have an awesome day! See ya!"

"Have a nice day, darlings!" Nymph smiled and waved after the two young dragons.

"Bye, Aunt Nymph." Blankridge and Nellie said in unison before marching out the front door.

Meanwhile, Rupert planted a kiss upon his wife's muzzle, while Hugo hugged her goodbye. The two noble drakes then said their quick goodbyes to Seraph and were soon vanishing out the door.

"Looks like we're finally alone." Nymph declared. She took a deep breath and turned toward her sister. "Seraph… I think it's time that we sit and talk."

"Is this about Blankridge and his adventuring desires again?" Seraph sneered. "Because honestly, all I want is for him to stop doing such dangerous things."

"No, no, no…" Nymph shook her head. "That's not the danger I wanted to discuss."

"Wh-What?" Seraph blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Seraph… what I'm about to tell you is likely to shake you to your core." Nymph fell backward onto her haunches. "But please understand: all I want is to get you and your family to safety before the worst of it starts."

"Start making sense," Seraph demanded. "Get to the point, Nymph."

"Alright…" Nymph sighed. "General Saul is launching an invasion on Glenhaven."

Seraph's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. She nearly fell backward onto her rear as she struggled to process what Nymph just said. The older dragoness just sighed and stood up to help her sister keep her balance.

"I don't know how long it'll take his army to get here." Nymph continued. "I was lucky to get some time to get on ahead so I could warn you."

Seraph couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Glenhaven, in danger? And because of SAUL of all dragons? Seraph had thought she'd seen the last of him four years ago! And now he was leading some sort of attack on the city?! And Nymph KNEW?!

"Wh-Why didn't you say something sooner?!" Seraph demanded.

"Because it was hard to say around your kids, Seraph!" Nymph pleaded. "Darling, it was plain to see that they were in quite a bit of a fuss already with whatever's been going on in town. I didn't want them to get even MORE worried about an oncoming invasion."

Seraph whirled around and scowled. "Well, they're bound to find out soon enough! Along with all the OTHER dragons whose lives are in danger!"

"There's still time for the people to be warned." Nymph insisted. "In fact, Vice President Flamaedelus is on his way to warn your Elders today."

"W-Who?" Seraph raised an eye ridge.

"Flamaedelus. It's a long story…" Nymph shook her head. "The point is; we're doing everything in our power to ensure that the people of Glenhaven are warned of what's coming."

Seraph shook with anger; Nymph had been in town with her family for quite some time now. There was plenty of time for her to tell Seraph about what was coming!

"Do you have any idea how much time I've spent preparing for the holiday when it SHOULD have been spent preparing to get my family to safety?!" Seraph hissed. "How could you have let things get so bad, Nymph?!"

"Seraph, things have been rather complicated on my end…" The taller dragoness adjusted her cloak and stepped closer. "I've been very busy getting Saul to see me as a member of his alliance, but-"

"Alliance?!" Seraph shrieked.

"Please, just calm down and listen." Nymph insisted. "Being on Saul's good side was the only way I could delay his assault on Glenhaven long enough for the holiday to take off. And while I was here, I needed to ensure that Flamaedelus did his tasks as well…"

Nymph stepped just a bit closer and put on a weary face.

"But today's the day that the elders will be warned of Saul's attack. We can get your whole family safely out of here."

"Not my whole family." Seraph snapped. "What about-?"

"Hontus and Rune are arriving in town today."

Seraph blinked in surprise. "H-How do you know that?"

"Bergan told me." Nymph declared. "He gave me the exact date in a scroll."

Seraph felt uneasy. She had only a faint memory of encountering this elusive Bergan, and that was four years prior. He'd have some certain insight into…

NO. Now wasn't the time to stop and reminisce; Seraph had just learned that there were danger makings its way toward Glenhaven, with her entire family trapped right in the middle of it.

"I… I can't just sit here." Seraph turned toward the front door. "I have to go to the palace. I need to find my children… I need to do something."

"Seraph, wait!" Nymph exclaimed.

Seraph stepped out into the front garden, with her sister following suit. Seraph scowled back at her sister; she was suddenly in quite a foul mood. But rather than continue an argument, Seraph simply spread her wings and took off. If something was to be done, then it needed to be done NOW.

~~…~~

Nellie's classes came and went rather quickly. The teachers made no reference or mention of the upcoming arena fight, despite the students' prodding for information. Nellie supposed that that was an alright series of events, considering the struggles she'd have to deal with later.

Nellie and Emerald were the last two students to leave the Elemental Studies class. Nellie sighed as she looked over her notes on the lightning element. She hoped she could find some means of gaining an advantage over Roxanne by applying some stuff she knew about basic physics. But things weren't going so well.

"I can think of a rather simple solution," Emerald said. "You're water, she's lightning. If you get her completely doused in water, she just might electrocute herself trying to attack you."

Nellie looked at Emerald incredulously as the earth dragoness grinned.

"Alright… ignoring for a moment that magical water isn't as conductive as natural water is…" Nellie stuck a talon in the air. "That was incredibly morbid, even for you, Emmy."

"I can't help it; Roxanne has grown to be a pain in the rear lately." Emerald snorted. "So forgive me for not being as prim and proper as usual."

"Fair enough." Nellie nodded.

As Nellie and Emerald made their way to the cafeteria, they were joined by Ember. The pink dragoness smiled upon seeing them and trotted on up, despite dragging her over-stuffed satchel behind her.

"Heya, Ember." Emerald greeted.

"Hi, girls." The pink dragoness responded. "Are you ready for the fight yet, Nellie?"

"Not quite." Nellie sighed. "And I still have to go and decide on the suit of armor I'm going to wear."

"Ah…" Ember nodded. "You know, everybody in my class has been talking about the fight for days."

"They have?" Nellie asked in astonishment.

"Uh-huh." Ember nodded. "They've been arguing over which of you two is going to win. There have even been some betting pools…." Ember twiddled her talons. "And a lot of people are banking on Roxanne."

Emerald sneered. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was." Ember frowned. "I'm really sorry, Nellie."

Nellie turned her head to the side and huffed in frustration. She should have known that so few other students would have confidence in her. They probably thought that Roxanne was some kind of underdog, taking on the big, mean noble girl who had done her so much wrong.

"Well, if it's any consolation, Nellie…" Ember blushed a bit. "I bet in YOUR favor."

"Really?" Emerald asked with a raised eye ridge. "I would just like to say that gambling is a terrible habit, especially for young dragonesses."

"I couldn't help it." Ember pouted. "I felt really bad for Nellie, and I wanted to give her a confidence boost." She stepped up and smiled at the blue dragoness. "I'm rooting for you, Nellie!"

"Thanks, I guess…" Nellie sighed.

As the three dragonesses stepped into the cafeteria, they saw a bunch of students forming a crowd on one side of the room. Curious, the trio walked over to have better look at who was in the center… and almost immediately Nellie felt her blood boiling.

It was Vaun and Aaron; Roxanne's irritating goons. They were standing back-to-back as they spread the word about the upcoming arena match that day.

"Don't miss the big fight, folks!" Vaun declared as he wracked his talons on the floor. "Roxanne's sure to mop the floor with Wet-head Nellie!"

"Yeah." Aaron chuckled as he stood up tall. "Roxy's victory is almost a guarantee! The only way Rox could win even easier would be if Nellie actually attacked HERSELF!"

A lot of the students gave quite a large laugh at that. Nellie just grumbled in the corner, with Emerald and Ember sticking closer by her.

"How much do you want to bet that those two are responsible for that betting pool? Emerald whispered.

"Very high." Nellie snorted in frustration.

"You know…" Ember nudged Nellie in the side. "You could always bet a large number of coins on Roxanne. Then you could throw the fight and walk away a rich girl."

"Ugh, NO." Nellie snapped. "Not in the thousand years."

"Well, it was just a suggestion." Ember gave a playful shrug.

The three girls cut their way through the crowd, trying their best not to draw any attention to themselves. Nellie just wanted to eat in relative silence as she tried to focus on the match.

But as the meal went on, Nellie felt certain needs calling. She excused herself from her table and quickly trotted over to the nearest restroom to freshen up. Nellie made sure nobody followed her inside, as she walked up to the sink to clean her face in the mirror…

"Hello, Nellie."

The water dragoness flinched; someone was standing in the mirror. She slowly turned around and gasped upon seeing someone else in the room. It was another dragoness, with a purple face dressed in dark robes. It didn't take long for Nellie to remember who it was.

"You're… Tyrrany, right?" Nellie asked awkwardly as she backed up a bit. "What are you doing here?"

"I… came to see the arena fight." Tyrrany shrugged her shoulders. "I figured, 'hey, I'm still in town for a while. I might as well see how the fight goes.'"

"Nice…" Nellie snorted. "But I'm not so sure if you're allowed in the students' restroom."

"I wasn't aware that there were any other restrooms for visitors." Tyrrany sighed. "But anyway, I didn't expect to run into you today, so…" She put on a smile. "It's nice to see you again in person."

"Right…" Nellie backed up a bit; that smile of hers wasn't as creepy as last time, but it still put her off a bit. "I'm going to use the restroom now. Good day."

"Listen, I don't mean to take up too much of your time…" Tyrrany said outside the door.

Ugh, what does she WANT? Nellie sneered.

"Could you maybe… tell me about Rune?" The dragoness asked.

Nellie blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Rune… your foster brother." Tyrrany nodded. "I've been wondering what he's like, and I figured that you could-"

"Ugh, this is SO not the time." Nellie snapped. She turned around and stuck her muzzle in the air. "Listen, I have an arena fight to deal with, and I'm not sure how things are going to go by the end of the day. Maybe if I have the time, I'll tell you about my brother. But for now, my friends are waiting for me. Good day."

"But…" Tyrrany stammered.

And that was that: Nellie walked out of the restroom in a huff. There was nothing else that the cloaked dragoness could say or do to get her to say. So, Tyrrany just sighed in defeat and turned to make her way out of the door.

I guess it'll have to wait, she thought with a grumble. But hey… at least I can give Nellie an entertaining match.

~~…~~

After days of journeying, Rune was finally standing before the foot of Glenhaven Palace.

The return to Glenhaven should have been one of the happiest parts of the year for Prince Rune. He could never forget all of the good times he'd had growing up as a student of the Southern Guardians, as well as the beloved son in the IceFyre family. Rune should have been able to hold his head high and proud as he stepped out of his carriage and gazed out upon the familiar streets of the desert city. And he should have had a heart beaming with joy, as one of the best holidays of the year was to begin today: The Day of the Bonds. Rune should have been HAPPY.

But there was so much wrong today.

For one thing, he was still filled with dread and worry about the fact that Hontus and Voden were bringing Prince Jonathan along as a prisoner; there were sure to be awkward moments with the Elders today. He also was concerned about Riven, his little second-cousin. He glanced across the way at an adjacent carriage: Voden emerged from it, with the little white dragonling riding on his back. The scholar grimaced as he strode forward; the dragonling was choking him a bit. But this was only met with brief chuckles from Dona, who slid out of the carriage with an air of elegance and grace.

"Ah, so this is Glenhaven…" Dona looked around curiously. "It certainly is a marvelous place."

"Indeed…" Voden grunted as he stepped forward. "Riven, dear, please take it easy on your Daddy's neck. He needs to… to…"

The scholar gazed up at something in the direction of Glenhaven Palace to the south. Dona saw it too, and her jaw nearly hit the ground. And several of the dragons serving Voden and Hontus stopped and gawked at the ominous object in amazement. Rune sighed; he'd spotted the mysterious object first, and merely held his tongue up until now.

"What in the world is THAT?" Hontus asked in amazement as he emerged from the carriage.

"It's an airship," Rune said with a sigh.

Hontus looked down at the prince incredulously. "You know that thing is, kiddo?"

"Ugh, isn't it OBVIOUS that it's an airship?" Dona snapped as she stepped closer. "It's a SHIP, and it's flying in the AIR around the palace. Makes sense to ME."

"Well, excuse me…" Hontus snorted. "I don't know about YOUR upbringing, but I don't recall living in places that had ships that could sail through the sky like water, Queen Dona."

"Hmph…" Dona stuck her snout in the air and stepped forward. "Let's argue semantics another time. We need to meet with the Elders and announce our arrival in the city. Come along, dear husband!"

"Of course, Dona…" Voden sighed as he spread his wings to flap them. "Hold on tight, Riven."

"Okay, Daddy!" The dragonling chirped as she hugged her father's head.

Rune watched as Voden and Dona took off into the sky to fly up and around the side of the palace. He then shook his head and turned around; the scholar was quickly growing into the role of a hen-pecked husband. Rune watched as Hontus made his way to the carriages at the back of the caravan… where Prince Jonathan was kept in his cell for the whole journey south.

Jonathan scowled as his cell was taken out of the carriage and placed on the street. At once, Hontus ordered his soldiers to take formation around the cell, to keep the civilians from gawking at the earth prince; the last thing anyone wanted was the word to get around too fast. If word spread in Glenhaven, then it would likely spread across the desert to Aeroshard… and straight to the exiled King Saul himself.

This line of thought reminded Rune that he didn't want word spreading about HIS arrival, either. So, he reached over his shoulder and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head; the Guardian had been kind enough to supply him with one to keep everybody from gawking at him upon his arrival.

"Welcome home, Prince," Hontus said with a scowl as he glared at Jonathan. "Mind your tongue, until we get you before the Elders."

"Oh, yeah…" Jonathan growled as he slumped back in his shackles. "I'm sure that Granddad will be so happy to see me in chains."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be quite delighted to hear the news of your treason…" The Guardian growled. "But, we won't know until we get you before him…" Hontus glanced over at Rune. "Come along, Rune."

"Okay…" Rune cautiously nodded before trotting his way down the road to the back entrance of the palace. Hontus followed shortly behind, while the soldiers dragged Jonathan's cell along the way. Rune tried to walk with a smile as he made his way inside… but he just couldn't get over the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong.

You seriously need to lighten up.

Rune growled; of COURSE, something was wrong. Something was ALWAYS wrong when Runefor started talking.

Shut up. Rune sneered as he marched forward.

What? I didn't do anything. Runefor snapped. All I said was that you need to relax.

How can I relax when I have to deal with YOU?!

Can't you just take a deep breath and let yourself be HAPPY for once? Runefor continued. We're back in Glenhaven again. We'll get to see all of our friends. Maybe we'll even find a dragoness to celebrate the Day of the Bonds with. Why can't you just stop being so miserable?

Rune gnashed his fangs and shook his head; he needed to stop talking to the nasty voice in his head... no matter what little sense he might have been making. Rune took a few deep breaths, stood up tall, and made to stride forward toward the stairway that led inside the palace.

Be calm… be peaceful.

~~…~~

The doors were pushed open to the Elders' Chamber, and Rune was greeted with the familiar sight of the three aged dragons he'd respected for years: Telus, Krystallos, and Attonita.

Each one was seated upon their respective thrones, like always, and they had warm smiles as Rune's entourage made its way inside. Upfront, of course, were Hontus and Voden, who bowed their heads toward their elders at once.

"Good day, Elder Telus." Hontus declared.

"Welcome back, Guardians Hontus and Voden," Telus said as he bowed his head in turn. "We're more than pleased to welcome our dear Rune back into the welcoming walls of Glenhaven."

Telus lifted his head and cast a smile at Rune. Rune couldn't help but smile and bow his head. To many, Rune was a prince and the future High King of Warfang. But here, in Glenhaven, he could just be one of the favorite students of the elders he'd respected for years. It was refreshing to stand here again, bowing dutifully to his teachers.

"My Elders, we have a few other guests with us this time." Voden smiled. He stepped off to the side of the doorway and made a waving motion with his wing… "It's with great honor that I, uh… welcome my dearly beloved wife and daughter."

The elders exchanged curious glances as the doors of the audience chamber were pushed open. Rune grimaced as small bits of smoke flooded the floor, as a pool of darkness slunk its way across the chamber and came to a stop before the Pool of Visions. Telus, Krystallos, and Attonita all glowered and rose to glare at the intruder… but Rune just rolled his eyes as he watched the shadowy dragoness emerge from the darkness.

"Greetings, Elders of Glenhaven." The dragoness fanned out her wings as she stood regally with a forepaw raised before herself. "I am Dona, Queen of Shadows! And I've brought along my daughter, Princess Riven."

As she said that, the little dragonling poked her head out from atop her mother's back and looked at the three elders worriedly. Telus, Krystallos, and Attonita all exchanged curious glances. Attonita couldn't help but smile warmly at Riven.

"Ah, she's an adorable little thing." She chuckled. "Am I to understand that THIS is your daughter, Voden?"

"Correct…" The Guardian bowed his head once more, though a bit more sheepishly than last time. "She's one of the lights of my life, My Elder."

"Come now, Voden." Dona scrunched up her face. "You're the Shadow King. Kings don't bow to the elders."

"Shadow King?" Krystallos repeated dubiously. Voden blushed, while Hontus and Rune cleared their throats awkwardly.

"Yes, my lovely wife insists that I'm technically the Shadow King now." Voden nodded. "And, while I guess I can't argue against the old laws… it isn't exactly an easy thing to say about myself right now."

Dona just sighed at that, while the elders exchanged curious glances.

"Well, in any case, we're glad to have you all in Glenhaven." Attonita smiled. "I'm sure you and your daughter will fit in nicely, Queen Dona."

Little Riven shifted about to hide behind her mother's wings. Dona bit her lower lip and backed up, while Hontus took center stage once more.

"My Elders… I wish that our arrival was COMPLETELY joyous." Hontus said with a forlorn expression. "Sadly, that's not true; there's one more guest here for you."

"What do you mean?" Attonita frowned.

Hontus took a deep breath and then turned around to signal to the guards. "Send him in."

Rune tensed up as he stepped out of the way. He watched as the soldiers set to work carting in the jail cell… and it didn't take long for the three Elders to gasp in shock and alarm.

Prince Jonathan wracked his talons against the bars of his cell as it was brought to a stop before the three elders. He gazed up bitterly at Elder Telus, who looked down at him with a look of horror. The earth elder looked close to bursting into tears at the sight of the grandson he hadn't seen in four years.

"Johnny…?" Telus asked with wide eyes. The earth prince didn't reply; he just sneered silently up at his grandfather and gripped the bars of his cell.

"Wh-Why is Jonathan in a cage?!" Telus scowled at Hontus and Voden. "Explain yourselves!"

"It's because he's committed treason," Hontus said coldly.

"Wh-What?!" Telus's voice boomed in disbelief.

And so Hontus and Voden told the tale that had been told to them by the high queen and her Deep Shadows. They explained how Jonathan and members his gang, the Crazy Aces, had attacked Rune's brother Cyrus and attempted to abduct him, only to fail and get arrested. And by the time the Guardians were finished telling the tale… well, to say that Telus was horrified was an understatement. The earthly dragon fell backward into his cushion and panted heavily.

"By the ancestors…" He muttered. Attonita and Krystallos were quick to rush to Telus's side, while the other dragons in the room glared silently at Jonathan. The prince continued to scowl as he gripped the bars of his cage; he'd expected as much from Telus.

"H-How could you do this, Jonathan?" Telus asked incredulously. "How could you take part in such vile schemes?"

The earth prince didn't reply; he just looked away from Telus and snorted in derision. The earth elder forced himself up onto his paws as he glared down at his grandson.

"Don't you realize what you've done?!" Telus demanded. "Were you any other dragon, you'd be liable to be put away for the rest of your days! You've attacked a member of the royal family of Warfang! And you have nothing to say?!"

"Just lock me away," Jonathan said coldly. "Cut the crap and toss me in the trash, just like you did to my dad."

Telus and the other Elders were completely floored by Jonathan's outburst. Telus stepped closer and writhed in aggravation as he bore down into the uncaring face of the prince.

"Your father made terrible decisions in life, Jonathan." Telus snapped. "His is a path I never would have chosen for you. But you're dooming yourself to a similar fate if you continue like this."

"You mean the fate of being stabbed in the fucking BACK?!" Jonathan hissed. He spat at Telus's forepaws and stepped backward in the cell. "You're the reason we all had to leave Glenhaven!"

"It was only your FATHER who was exiled." Telus stamped his forepaw. "He attempted to start a second Twilight War, all out of SPITE for the descendants of Spyro and Cynder. Saul has reaped what he'd sown, Jonathan! And you would follow in his footsteps?!"

Jonathan snarled and stood up as tall as he could. "The black dragons are a bunch of-!"

Rune immediately covered his ear frills, while the adults around him recoiled in disgust at the obscenities leaving Jonathan's lips. Dona in particular seemed particularly furious as she struggled to protect Riven's innocence from Jonathan's swearing. By the time Jonathan finally stopped his rant, Telus looked just about ready to have a stroke. Once more the earth elder stumbled backward and struggled to control his breathing. Rune's blood boiled despite his silence; he could feel Runefor struggling to take control to lash out at the malignant green prince.

No… He shook his head. We need to keep it under control.

"I think we've heard quite enough from Jonathan for one day," Attonita said with a scowl. "Guards, take Jonathan down to the deepest section of the dungeon and keep a close watch on him. Make sure he doesn't do anything to slip out of his cage."

Attonita cast Jonathan the most revolted glare that Rune had ever seen in his life. "You should be ashamed, boy."

"Not in the slightest!" Jonathan snorted.

Rune watched as soldiers strode into the room to grasp Jonathan's cage to wheel it out of there. Along the way, the earth prince stood up tall and grasped the bars of his cage.

"I know I won't be stuck in this cage forever." He declared. "You'd all had better count your blessings, you traitors!"

Attonita and Krystallos just shook their heads, while Telus slumped back in his cushion. Rune stepped out of the way as the soldiers dragged Jonathan out of the room. And with a slamming of the doors… he was gone.

"Well… that was a dreadful turn of events," Krystallos grumbled. "Voden, Hontus… on Telus's behalf, I thank you for your service to Glenhaven."

"Erm… we're happy to help," Hontus said dubiously. He glanced over at Voden, who stepped back to stand beside Dona. With a sigh, Hontus looked back at the elders. "If it's not too much trouble, Rune and I need to depart for home."

"Wait…" Telus forced himself to rise onto his feet and suck in a quick breath. He then frowned as he looked at Hontus and Rune in turn. "If you're planning on finding your family, then I have some… unfortunate news."

"What?" Rune exclaimed and stepped forward. "Wh-What's happened?"

"Nothing life-threatening, I assure you…" Telus frowned. "But you'll find that Blankridge and Nellie have gotten into some trouble as of late."

"What do you mean?" Hontus grimaced. "What's happened?"

Telus took the time to inform them of recent events…

But while this was going on, and the disgraced earth prince was being escorted down into the dungeon, a dragon and his dragonfly companion walked down the hallway. Flamaedelus and Richard came to a stop before the doors, while the guards blocked the way and held suspicious faces.

"Who goes there?" one guard demanded.

"I am Flamaedelus, Vice President of the Faeshrine Trading Company." The red drake gave a bow of his head. "This is my companion Richard. We wish to speak with the Elders as soon as we can about some important matters."

The two guards exchanged glances and then turned their ear frills toward the noise going on inside. They then grimaced and looked upon the fancy dragon uneasily.

"That might not be for quite a long while, stranger." The first guard said. "It's highly unlikely that any of the Elders will be in the mood to meet with guests. There's simply too much going on."

"I see…" Flamaedelus tugged on his chin. "Well, here's hoping that they'll be available before nightfall."

"We have some important business to conduct, sirs." Richard declared. "It concerns that fancy airship of yours outside."

The guards' eyes widened, and they immediately grew tense.

"The elders have forbidden anyone to speak of the airship on the palace grounds." The second guard declared. "It's for the elders' ear frills only."

"Well, no need to get hostile, sirs." Flamaedelus frowned. "We've only just heard of such a rule."

"Well, see to it that your lips don't get too loose…" The first guard stood tall. "We'll do what we can to ensure you get an appointment with the Elders. Until then, stay out of trouble."

"Hmph. A fine way to speak with a pair of merchants…" Richard crossed his arms and snorted.

"Don't mind them, Richard." Flamaedelus shook his head. "I can respect dragons who take their jobs seriously."

With a flourish of his cloak, the fiery drake turned and made his way down the hall… just in time to see two blue dragonesses making their way toward them. Flamaedelus and Richard came to a stop and watched curiously as Madam Nymph struggled to keep up with a similar-looking dragoness.

"Seraph, please!" Nymph cried. "It's not easy keeping up with you in all this garb."

"And yet you're still able to follow just behind me." Seraph stuck her muzzle in the air. "Keep moving, if you want to stay on my good side today."

Flamaedelus stepped out of the way as the angry dragoness moved to push past him. Nymph slowed to a stop and panted heavily beside Flamaedelus, who patted her on the back.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"I've been better…" Nymph groaned.

Seraph, meanwhile, stepped right up to the doorway to the Elders' chamber. The guards immediately blocked the way with their wings, much to Seraph's frustration.

"Get out of the way!" Seraph shouted.

"The Elders aren't seeing anyone, Lady Seraph." The guard said.

"But my sister and I have news regarding danger!" Seraph stamped her forepaw. "We can't delay! There's a-!"

Almost immediately, the doors were pulled open from the inside. Seraph flinched and stepped back a bit as several dragons emerged from the group. The first was a teenage black dragon in fresh garb, and he was followed closely by a miserable-looking Hontus.

Hontus and Seraph were surprised as they locked eyes with each other. Seraph gasped and looked over to see Rune standing at Hontus's side. A well of emotion overflowed within the dragoness; the first thing she thought to do was to run forward and wrap her wings over both of them.

"You're home!" Seraph cried. "Oh, thank the ancestors, you're home!"

"Of course, love…" Hontus cautiously patted his wife on the back.

Seraph soon let go of the two dragons, though they didn't look ready to stop hugging her. Rune in particular seemed elated to see his foster mother again. But while Rune gave Seraph another happy hug, Hontus had a face of complete worry and stress.

"We have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Hontus asked cautiously. "About the kids."

Seraph tensed up. "Did… Did the Elders tell you what's happened?"

"They told us everything." Hontus stamped his paw. "Thus, that's why we're heading for the arena next; to see how Nellie does in this apparent arena match."

"Right…" Seraph nodded and nuzzled her husband on the forehead. "But there's something much bigger than I need to discuss… err, with the elders, not you."

"There is?" Asked the weary voice of Telus from behind Hontus. The fire guardian stepped out of the way as the earth elder took his place. And he seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. Seraph almost held her tongue upon seeing that… but no, the truth needed to be shared while there was still time.

"Very much so, Elder…" Seraph turned her head to glare back at the two dragons out in the hallway. "And evidently THOSE TWO know plenty about what's going on."

Telus looked out at Flamaedelus and Nymph, who approached slowly. The dragonfly came to a landing on the red drake's head. Flamaedelus held a stoic expression, while Nymph seemed quite nervous. Hontus recognized the face of Nymph straightaway, while Rune was left rather lost.

"Whatever news those two have, it will have to be handled by Krystallos and Attonita." Telus declared. "I have to act as the judge of the arena match, so I can't hear it myself."

"Err… I understand, Elder." Seraph said with a tense voice.

Before long, Telus and several other dragons made their way down the hall. Hontus and Voden brought their respective wives and children with them behind the earth elder to head for the arena… while Krystallos motioned for the guards to allow Flamaedelus, Richard, and Nymph inside.

"So…" Krystallos said as the doors were slammed shut. "What's this you two needed to tell us?"

"Well, my Elders…" Flamaedelus put on a brave face. "Saul's going to be giving you a lot of trouble soon."

~~…~~

With all of the classes over and done with, the school day was officially over. And the time for the arena match between Nellie and Roxanne was almost here.

Nellie stood in the girls' locker room on the eastern wing. She stood in front of a mirror and took steady breaths. Ember and Emerald were in the locker room with her; they worked together to help the dragoness put on the armor she'd chosen for the match. It was a series of chain mail coverings, lined with magical augments to help protect her from lightning magic. Being a slender dragoness, Nellie preferred chain mail's mobility over the clunky plate mail. Nellie lightly fidgeted with her paws; she'd be able to move fast and loose while in the fray with this gear.

Nellie looked at herself in the mirror as the magic in her armor shimmered and shined. The scales on the back of her neck ached, and she wracked her talons on the floor. She could already imagine Roxanne laughing and giving her mocking insults during the battle. Nellie was of two minds about this; she finally had a chance to get some payback. But she was also in danger of getting her arse handed to her; she knew how good of a fighter Roxanne was. If Nellie lost this fight, it would be the most humiliating day of her life as a Guardian's apprentice.

"How are you feeling, Nellie?" Emerald asked.

"Nervous…" The blue dragoness sighed.

"I know that this is harrowing, but try not to worry too much." Emerald patted her friend's shoulder.

"How can I not? We weren't able to find a sure-fire advantage over Roxanne." Nellie protested.

"Well, then you'll just have to beat her the old-fashioned way; by hitting her down until she stops getting back up." Emerald chuckled. When Nellie didn't immediately smile or laugh, the green dragoness sighed. "Listen, Nellie: You can win this."

"Yeah!" Ember added. "You're going to mop the floor with Roxanne!"

Nellie finally let out a giggle. "Well, that would be fun to do, yeah."

The locker room door burst open, and the three dragonesses looked up to see Mimet step into the room. She looked down her muzzle at Nellie with a disappointed snort.

"The match will be starting in five minutes." She said coldly. "Get moving, Nellie."

"Yes, Ma'am." Nellie bowed her head. "Ember, could you please help me get my helmet on?"

"Okay!" The pink dragoness picked up a silver war helm that was off to the side. Nellie stood still as Ember put it on her head; there was a clicking noise as the slots for Nellie's horns locked into place. Nellie shuddered; her mane was tightly pressed down beneath the helmet, and her head felt just a bit heavier. But that wasn't going to deter her; Nellie flapped her wings and stood up tall in a heroic poise.

"Okay… I'm ready." Nellie said as confidently as she could. "I'm off to face Roxanne!"

~~…~~

Tyrrany, Flame and Arthur looked around curiously at the interior of the great arena of the Glenhaven Palace. Many students had flooded into the bleachers on the upper floor, and several of the Guardians were there as well. So many dragons were there… it would be difficult for Tyrrany to pull off her violin playing in the crowd. So, she and the others stepped back as far into the upper row as they could, in a small corner that didn't have as many dragons seated there.

"So this is the Glenhaven arena," Arthur whispered. "Fancy place."

"Look at all these dragons." Flame added. "They must really enjoy arena fights."

"Okay… so from what I've heard whispered around…" Tyrrany said, "Nellie and Roxanne are two of the top students; they're both apprentices to the Southern Guardians. So they're sure to be quite talented."

"Possibly, yeah." Flame nodded. "Nellie certainly didn't seem like the dainty type when we saw her that one time."

"Mhm…" Tyrrany nodded. "And from what I can gather from rumors… they're fighting over Prince Rune."

"Ahh…" Arthur nodded. He flew up closer to whisper directly to Tyrrany. "Say, where do you think Rune is now?"

As the dragonfly asked that question, Tyrrany just looked away to gaze out among the many students gathering for the match. By chance, she spotted a young dragon slinking around near the very back of the opposite side of the arena. The drake wore a hood over his head, but she could just barely make out his snout… his midnight-black scout. Or at least it was until he'd waved a forepaw over his face, and it changed to a fiery red.

It couldn't be. Tyrrany blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Was it him? Here, right in the arena crowd? Had he come to see the fight?

"Tyrrany?" Flame asked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, uh… yeah." She nodded her head. "I'm fine."

"Maybe you should just prepare to work your magic." Flame patted her shoulder. "I'll warn you if anyone spots you."

"Right…" Tyrrany made her way across the bleachers and stopped before one of the pillars that held the roof aloft. She took a breath as she got into position behind the pillar; looking around, she could keep her eyes on anyone in the arena without being immediately obvious.

Okay… Tyrrany thought as she sighed. She opened her violin case and set to work propping up her instrument. Time to wait for the right moment.

Far below on the arena's lower floor, Tyrrany could just barely make out the visage of the Earth Elder, Telus. As the elderly drake raised a forepaw in the air, all of the dragons in the bleachers quieted down. Tyrrany stopped herself from playing, and turned her ear frills to listen in to what the drake had to say…

~~…~~

Nellie walked forward toward the southern entrance of the arena floor. She was joined by Mimet, Emerald, and Ember, though everyone had walked silently the whole time. Once they passed by a stairwell that led to the upper floors of the arena, Mimet cleared her throat.

"I wish you the best of luck in your match," Mimet said coldly. "Here's hoping this finally puts to rest the ridiculous grudge you have against that girl."

"I… I hope so, too." Nellie sighed.

"You can do this, Nellie." Emerald smiled. "Put that yellow pain in the arse in her place, once and for all!"

"Emerald!" Mimet snapped, making her daughter jump. "We aren't supposed to pick sides in this conflict!"

"But Nellie is my friend: I can't help but root for her." Emerald frowned.

"Frankly, I don't see any obvious heroes or villains in this dumb match." The earth guardian stuck her snout in the air. "I just want this over and done with as soon as possible, so that the whole lot of you can get back to your regular training."

"Yes, ma'am." Nellie bowed her head. "I understand, ma'am."

"C-Can I still root for Nellie?" Ember asked cautiously.

"Fine…" Mimet rolled her eyes. "But you can do that from the bleachers; Nellie must go forward alone." She flapped her wings and led the way up the stairs. "Come along, you two."

"Okay…" Emerald sighed as she followed her mother up the stairs. Ember was just behind her, and the two of them waved back at Nellie as they left.

"Bye…" Nellie frowned. The dragoness sighed, before turning to face the doorway to the arena; she could already hear the chatter of the crowd as they anticipated an action-packed battle. And looking across the way, Nellie could see Roxanne emerging from the northern doorway. Sure enough, Roxanne was decked out in a similar set of chain mail, and she strode forward with her head held proudly.

Figures, Nellie snorted. She put on her prideful strut to march out to face the dragoness.

The two dragonesses came to a stop in the center of the arena, where Telus stood waiting for them. He raised a forepaw into the air, silencing the crowd. Nellie and Roxanne fell backward onto their haunches to listen to Telus speak. The earth elder seemed quite miserable today; Nellie couldn't help but frown. Was he truly upset about the fight today?

"As I'm sure many of you have been aware for days…" Telus began with a sigh, "This match shall be between two of the top apprentices of the school: the water dragoness Nellie, and the lightning dragoness Roxanne. Quite recently, these former friends came to quite an ugly dispute. And now, the two of them shall settle the matter once and for all, right here, in a duel."

Nellie glanced across the way at Roxanne; the lightning dragoness had a smug grin as she showed off her chain mail to the crowd. It hurt Nellie's ego to see Roxanne so confident, while she had been dreading this fight for days. But there was no time left for preparation and psyching up; Nellie had to be ready for anything now.

"Let's take a moment to go over the rules…" Telus said glumly.

~~…~~

Despite being grateful to see Seraph again, Rune was still in mild surprise about the arena match, even as he made his way into the bleachers. Sure enough, everyone around him was chatting excitedly about the big arena match to be held today. And sure enough, Rune could see Nellie and Roxanne making their way toward the center of the arena.

Rune did his best to keep himself scarce as he found a place to sit down. He'd even taken to wearing a hooded cloak and wearing a shroud of darkness; to anyone looking around, he was just a very peculiar-looking fire dragon.

Rune was soon joined by Hontus and Seraph, who shielded the prince with their wings as they settled in. Voden was on the opposite side as he sat down with Dona and Riven.

Hontus looked down incredulously at the arena; Rune could tell that his foster father was still reeling from when he was told that his daughter, the sweet and well-tempered Nellie, was scheduled to appear in an arena match! Seraph placed one of her forepaws atop him, and she whispered something into his ear frill. Hontus's face softened a little, but he still seemed worried.

"My, my, my…" Dona said as she relaxed in her cushion. "It's interesting to see the way southern arena duels are handled."

The shadowy dragoness held Riven snuggly in her forepaws, though the dragonling was barely paying attention to what was going on around her. Seraph seemed annoyed but paid Dona no mind as she spoke with Hontus.

"They're not all that different…" Rune said with a sigh. "Two students battle pointlessly, and one is declared the winner for not falling over."

"Hmph. I guess the old ways are dying all over the dragon realms…" Dona grimaced. "One of these days, I need to teach you about how REAL duels were handled back in Mount Erebus."

"Sure, whatever…" Rune shrugged his shoulders. Honestly, he just wanted to settle in as Telus began to speak.

"Let's take a moment to go over the rules…"

"Ah, this takes me back…" Dona sighed as she leaned against Voden. "It reminds me of the time I watched you fight in your duel, Voden, way back in our time at the Silver Talon."

"Hmm, that was certainly a long while ago." Voden snorted. "My gladiatorial days are well behind me at this point."

"That's a shame… you were always an incredible warrior." Dona chuckled. She leaned in to nuzzle the side of Voden's face, who sighed and nuzzled back.

Meanwhile, Hontus was still struggling to keep from tearing the beard from his chin. With a frown, Rune reached up and rubbed the guardian's upper foreleg. "Are you okay?"

"How can I possibly be okay?" Hontus grimaced. "Seraph, I can't even BEGIN to imagine how all of this happened." He looked at her and shivered. "I'm sorry I wasn't back in town soon enough to do something."

"It's alright, Hontus." Seraph insisted. "You were off to bring Rune home for the half-year. And now you're back. We can handle this whole thing like a family… if we have time."

Hontus gulped and looked away. There was something about the way Rune's foster parents looked at each other that made him worry; they knew something. Rune just wasn't sure what. He didn't have long to worry or wonder, as the voice of a certain fiery drake caught everyone off-guard.

"DAD!"

Hontus barely had time to turn and look before an orange dragon nearly slammed against him The red drake groaned in pain as Blankridge squeezed his foreleg incredibly tightly.

"I can't believe it! You're back already!" Blankridge exclaimed as he wrapped his forelegs ever tighter about his father. "Welcome home!"

"H-Hi, Blank…" Hontus sighed… though the dragon couldn't help but smile at his son.

"I'm hoping you were keeping yourself out of trouble today, young dragon." Seraph snapped.

"Of course I have. Apprentice's honor!" Blankridge traced a talon across his heart. Seraph just sighed at that, while Hontus ruffled his son's mane.

"I'm just glad to see you, lad," Hontus said.

Rune opened his mouth to say something to Blankridge… only for the orange drake to suddenly turn and wrap his wing around the prince's back.

"And gee, I wonder who THIS could be?" Blankridge snickered. He leaned in to whisper into Rune's ear frill. "Welcome home, Bro. We missed you."

"I missed you too, Blank." Rune smiled. He extended his wing to hug Blankridge back. Despite everything that had happened so far, it was good to be back home.

"Blankridge…" Hontus tapped his paw on the orange drake's shoulder. "Once we're done with your sister's arena match, I want to know all the details of how you came across that airship that's drifting around in the sky."

"Really?" Blankridge asked with great enthusiasm.

Seraph shot Hontus a glare, who then grimaced and put on a stern face.

"Yes, because you're in very big trouble, young dragon." Hontus gave a glare. "Big trouble indeed."

"Aww…" Blankridge slumped down. "Okay, Dad…"

~~…~~

As the earth elder described the standard rules and regulations of duels, Rune gritted his fangs. He wanted more than anything to just leap down into the arena and find some way of talking both of those girls out of this. But alas, he knew he wasn't allowed to do that. Rune just kept his hood pulled over his head as he frowned at Nellie.

How did you manage to get yourself into this, Nellie? He thought incredulously. You didn't need to prove anything.

And yet, there she is, ready to throw down. Runefor rumbled in his metaphorical throat. Do you think she'll beat Roxanne?

Ugh! I don't want either one to win! Rune growled quietly to himself. This whole thing is stupid, just like my duel with Lantel!

Well, tough shit! Runefor chided. We'll just have to sit back and watch the chaos unfold!

Rune grumbled to himself and slunk down in his seat; how could it have come to this?

~~…~~

Rune wasn't the only one filled with dread and anxiety; Tyrrany felt herself getting worried as well. But her worries were more along the lines of wondering if she'd get caught messing with the match. If she played too loud, she'd be spotted for sure, especially if the crowd ever quieted down in the middle of her performance.

I'll just have to be as careful as I can… Tyrrany sighed. She looked down at Nellie as the blue dragoness prepared to fight. Watch out, Nellie: you're in for quite a fight.

"…And under absolutely no circumstances is either combatant allowed to take their battle up above the upper floor." Telus finished with a stomp of his forepaw. "This action will result in immediate disqualification. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Telus." both girls agreed.

"Well then, without any further ado…" Telus spread his wings and flew up onto the upper floor. He came to a landing between Elders Attonita and Krystallos. "Let the fight commence!"

Almost immediately the crowd erupted into uproarious cheers and delight as Nellie and Roxanne leaped backward to get into battle stances. The two began circling each other, growling and waiting for the other to make the first move.

Rune sighed and shook his head, while Tyrrany carefully brought her bow to her strings as she focused her gaze on the two dragonesses…

The fight had begun.