A/N : Hey guys, here a new chapter for you to enjoy ! However, before you start reading, there are some things to say.
-First of all, I would like to thank those who have favored and/or followed my story so far. I would also like to thank those who commented on this story. It warms my heart to see that you like my work.
-Secondly, I said it before, I will say it again : if you don't like my story then you are free to leave !
-Thirdly, here are the result from the poll I made recently about what name should I give to Ancalagon's future mate and Queen :
-Rhea =6
-Morrigan = 4
-Freya = 1
It had been decided that Ancalagon's future mate will be named Rhea! Thank you for those who voted!
-Fourthly, a friend of mine had suggested that I do a crossover story featuring Harry Potter and the famous game (and upcoming movie) Until Dawn! What do you think? Should I write one? Tell me your answers through reviews or private message.
Now that everything was said, I wish you all a good reading ! ENJOY THE CHAPTER EVERYONE !
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The next day, Summer, Salem, Taiyang, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss and Cinder were once again on the back of a dragon, flying over the lush green forest full of life just below them. Unlike the day before, they were not on Aurora's back but on Targon's.
Day had dawned barely two hours ago, plunging the hidden world back into light and no longer into the darkness of night. For Team RWBY, Cinder and Taiyang, their first night was very enriching and peaceful. Peaceful because none of them had to face any creatures of the night (largely thanks to the imposing and majestic presence of the Dragons) and enriching because they learned a lot about this unknown and fascinating world.
Before going to bed the previous evening, they had asked many questions to Aurora and Targon (but also to Summer and Salem who knew this world well given the number of times they came to visit) and the answers that what they achieved was both incredible and disconcerting.
Thanks to the four mentioned people, they learned a lot from that, contrary to their own world, Remnant, this one was composed of FOUR continents instead of 6 !
-The largest continent, and the one they were in right now, was called Zephyria. Depending on where you are, the climate is different: The landscapes in the north are filled with green forests, hight mountains, and lakes along with the well-known four seasons and their respective weathers. That's where they were.
The central part was composed of steppes and vast plains and the climate was similar to desert's with hot, scorching days and cold nights. Precipitation was apparently terribly low, but thankfully sufficient enough to avoid total desertification. Then, the south part of Zephyria was filled with tropical forests and mangroves. The climate was adapted to the landscape : mainly hot and humid, with high temperatures all year round.
Due to the different climates, the diversity of creatures and living things (both common and magical) on this continent was greater than anywhere else with endemic creatures (Re'ems, Demiguises, Zouwus, Qirins, Acromantulas, Occamies, Kappas etc... )and creatures from other continents such as Yetis, Thunderbirds, Graphorns, Frost Salamanders, Griffins or Manticores.
Speaking of the other continents, they also got to known their names and geology as well. Like Zephyria, the other continents were just as fascinating to them :
-The Frozenland in the North, covered with ice, high mountains, fir forests and snow and whose climate was mostly cold and polar, creating ice floes. In those cold lands, lived a large number of species from common creatures such as Polar bears, penguins, and seals but also 'magical' creatures such as Frost Salamanders, Yetis or Doxies.
The greatest city in this land was Yananor and was ruled by an Elven King named Gorwin and his wife, Ashera.
- To the west of the Hidden World, stood a gigantic continent divided in two but connected by a very small piece of land. The first part known to everyone as Sylvaria was filled with pine forests, vast plains, numerous lakes and rivers and a few mountains. In this part of the world, the climate could be hot and arid in summer, almost polar in winter. But the rest of the time, the climate was pleasant and mild.
The greatest city in Sylvaria was Imrenbel, ruled by the Elven Queen Aenwyn and her husband, King Tanyth.
The second part of this over-sized continent, called Solamira, was filled with tropical forests, mountain ranges that could almost reach the sky, and further south, there were large plains. Unlike Sylvaria though, the climate was completely 'tropical' like, therefore hot and humid, with high temperatures all year round. Due to this, they were two seasons: the dry season, which generally lasts 4 months, and the rainy season. However, despite the climatic differences, this continent was not void of life and a wide variety of animals, normal and magical alike, lived in these lands.
Wethtalos was the main great city of Solamira and was ruled by two strong individuals : King Lysanthir and Queen Aleratha. Of course, they were Elves.
-Finally, to the south of the Hidden World, there was another fairly large continent, named Darvalis, composed of savannahs, some mountains, forests and deserts. The climate, the group guessed, was also very varied: arid, semi-arid, desert and humid with sometimes numerous monsoons. Like other continents, this one was also full of life with a wide variety of common animals like lions, elephants and buffaloes. The magical creatures were also greatly present in those lands : Giant Dung Beetles, Graphorns, Billywings, and Thunderbirds to name a few.
Ersalon was the name of the greatest city of Darvalis and was ruled by the recently crowned, King Orym the Second. Last Summer and Salem checked, he wasn't married.
Once the geology of the Hidden World was finished, Team RWBY, Cinder and Taiyang asked things about Elves as they didn't know what they were. From Summer and Salem, they learned that Elves looked like humans but were more graceful and beautiful than any man and woman, with pointy ears. They told them what Lord Scalanis of Malon had once told them about the story of Elves and needless to say that it was a shocking revelation.
To hear that, millennia ago, elves were used as servants by humans/magical wizards and treated as lesser beings, was both revolting and outrageous. Once again, their respect for Ancalagon grew when they learned that it was thanks to him that this slavery ended.
After that, Targon, Aurora, Salem and Summer continued to tell the small group about this world : Dragons are the dominant species of the Hidden World, alongside the Elves, and in Zephyria, they had different shapes and size.
For example : Aurora and Targon belonged to a specie of Dragons called 'Earth Dragons'.
Earth Dragons all shared the same characteristics : thick scaled armors, earthly color (green, brown, amber), large size, muscular and robust forms, thick curved horns etc. This type of Dragons, despite having wings to fly, was made to live on the ground, unlike some other species of Dragons from the Hidden Realm.
There were many other species of Dragons in the Hidden World : Ice Dragons, Desert Dragons, Rain Dragons, Mountain Dragons and Sea Dragons.
-Ice Dragons had four legs like Earth Dragons, but had a more slender appearance and a more "icy" appearance. Their heads were shaped like a diamond's and very narrow, with spikes running down their back and tail and a ruff of spikes behind their heads, giving them an intimidating look. They had a thin, whip-like tails with icicle-shaped spines, ending with sharp-looking tips and serrated claws.
Their scale colors were varied from silvery-gray and white to pale shades of blue and purple, perfect to blend into the snowy landscapes. Ice Dragons mostly have clear eyes color such as dark blue, sky blue, icy blue, or stormy gray. They also had forked tongues like snakes.
Summer and Salem had befriended an Ice Dragoness during a visit to Frozenland. She was younger than Aurora and her name was
-Desert Dragons, unlike Earth Dragons and Ice Dragons, had two legs instead of four but like the formers, they were massive and robust looking. Their large wings were made to 'swim' in the sand and they could hid in it to hunt their prey or ambush intruders. Desert Dragons have mostly pale colors to blend even more in the sand of the deserts such as pale yellow, pale gold or light yellow-brown.
They have dark eyes, a spike on the top of their nose and below their ear, and a black forked tongue. Their heads are shaped like a lizard's with short, curved horns and a sail or ridge going from the top of their snout to their tails. Speaking of the tail, the tip looked like a stinger and was usually dark in color. The venom was not made to kill but to paralyze (it didn't do anything to get rid of the crowd's slight fear though).
A few years back, during a trip to Darvalis, Summer had been accidentally paralyzed by a young male Desert Dragon (ironically named Sting)… after the young woman had touched the tip of his stinger. It took THREE hours before she was able to move again and since then, Summer made sure to not repeat the same mistake.
Summer had whined at Salem for telling their companions about this and everyone had laughed loudly in amusement, causing Summer to pout at them in embarrassment.
-Rain Dragons, they were like Earth Dragons with four legs but had (of course) different appearance. Indeed, unlike Earth Dragons, they have a long and graceful appearance, ruffs behind their ear-like appendices, curved horns, and prehensile tails primarily used for climbing, swinging trees and/or hanging off branches in the environment they inhabit. In addition, unlike all other kinds of dragons, Rain Dragons have vivid and bright colors such as pink, orange, yellow, violet or Fuchsia while their eyes are primarily green, yellow, brown, or blue. Also, unlike the other kind of dragons, Rain Dragons were omnivore, eating both meat and fruits.
Salem had once been pranked by a juvenile Rain Dragoness named Iris and after Summer mentioned this in front of everyone, the woman in question had looked so embarrassed that everyone was forced to laugh in amusement while Summer had shot a smug grin at her friend, ignoring the glare she received back for it.
-Mountain Dragons, like Desert Dragons, have only two legs and two large wings. This species of dragons is perfectly adapted to life in the air with its long, streamlined body and large wings (which were larger than those of all other dragon species). Their snouts are thin and long, with a spike on the nose, and an extra horn on their jaw along with long curved horns on their heads. Mountains Dragons are all red, crimson, orange or yellow in color and their eyes were usually yellow or amber colored.
Like their namesake suggested, they usually nest in high mountains.
Summer and Salem had been one of those dragons during their third trip in the Hidden World and it almost ended in a fight. The dragon in question was named Scar because of the scar running over his right eye. He was a grumpy fellow and very territorial. He had attacked them because they entered his territory but once he saw who they were, he calmed down, reluctantly apologize and left without waiting for an answer. Salem and Summer had found him to be pretty rude… before learning that Mountains tended to be this way. Females more than males though…
-Last but no least, were the Sea Dragons. Sea Dragons are among the tallest dragons in the Hidden World but they were pretty peaceful contrary to the Mountains Dragons. Sea Dragons have long, compact bodies, short legs, curved horns, a slender, curved snout, and two barbels on the underside of their jaw. They have webbed spine-like appendices running along the backs of their necks to the tips of their tails, as well as on their chests. In addition, they have webbed talons with hooked claws, as well as long, powerful tails that they use to swim faster. Living in the ocean, those Dragons developed gills on the sides of their necks, allowing them to breathe underwater.
Their scales are either blue (be it, aquamarine, sky blue or indigo) and green, allowing them to blend with their environment and their eyes were also blue or green in color. In addition, Sea Dragons have glowing dark stripes marking their faces, bodies, and wings.
Aurora told the young ones how she once took Salem and Summer to the coast where they got to meet a friend of hers : a young Sea Dragons named (ironically) Aqua. Summer had smiled as she remembered the dragon in question : she and her would play in the water for some time while Aurora and Salem would watch them from the beach.
Team RWBY, Cinder and Taiyang were fascinated by the different species of Dragons and hoped that one day, they would get to meet some. Of course, once the story was over, they all went to bed and enjoyed a good night sleep. The next day, they woke up at the crack of dawn and Summer and Salem revealed to them where they were going to go next : to the great elven city of Lelfalion.
Why ?
Because today was the birthday of Queen Shanyrria and King Falael's daughter, Soliana, who turns 10 this year. When they learned that they were about to meet a king, queen, and princess, the members of Team RWBY became nervous. Weiss knew how to stand in front of high-ranking people... but she had never met a king or queen. It was a new experience as much for her as for the others.
Seeing their fears and worries, Summer and Salem, with the help of Aurora, comforted them by telling them that everything would be fine.
A few hours later, everyone climbed on Targon's back (Aurora not being able to come because she had to take care of the little ones) and once everyone was secure, the powerful dragon took over, heading straight toward Lelfalion, the greatest Elven city of Zephyria.
Which bring us to present…
"Are we there yet ?"
"No..."
"Are we there yet ?"
"No..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"…"
"..."
"Are we there now ?"
"Ruby, stop it !" Weiss hissed at the their leader with annoyance.
"Yang ! Tell your sister to stop !" Blake said to the blond as a thick mark could be seen on her forehead, clearly showing her annoyance.
"Ruby… stop..." Yang said flatly but sternly to her younger sister who dunked her head in embarrassment and shame.
Taiyang, Summer and Salem all sighed in relief while Cinder rolled her eyes in fond annoyance. They all loved Ruby with all their hearts but sometimes, she could be annoying… especially when she was impatient. They had left Aurora's and Targon's den not long ago and everyone (minus Salem, Summer and Targon for known reasons) was excited to see a new place… and meet creatures they never known before.
"This young one reminds me of someone..." Targon grumbled while glancing at the adults on his back.
"Let me guess : Valadhiel and Fang ?" Cinder retorted back while looking at the mighty Dragon with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, yes but I was thinking of someone else..." Targon said while shooting a glance at Summer Rose.
"HEY !" The silver-eyed woman cried out in indignation and all adults laughed in amusement, including Targon.
"You are all mean..." Sumemr grumbled grumpily while crossing her arms over her bust, pouting.
Once again, they shared a good laugh… until a young voice caught their attention.
"Excuse me ? How far are we from the city ?" It was Blake Belladonna.
"Not too far, young one…In fact, I suggest you look ahead..." The dragon answered while looking back forward.
Team RWBY, Taiyang, and Cinder, upon hearing this, all blinked in surprise before turning their heads in front of them...and gasping in awe and surprise.
Not too far away from them and slowly being more and more visible to the group, was a large city surrounded by high white walls covered by plants. The city was not only surrounded by white walls but also by a beautiful landscape with vast green meadows, high mountains and dense woods.
Summer and Salem at the sight of the walls, merely smiled while everyone else looked at them with awe and wonder, their eyes shining like stars. The two women and the dragon couldn't blame them for those reactions : the city looked massive and grandiose.
When they came closer, Summer and Salem shared a look before facing their companions.
"Welcome everyone to Lelfalion !" the silver eyed young woman said to them with a bright smile while looking at them with slight amusement.
Team RWBY, Cinder and Taiyang, however didn't hear them as they were far too busy admiring this new place as Targon passed over the walls, now flying above the city itself.
The stone towers 'which seemed to be made of white marble and carved marvelously) were tall and graceful; even taller than some buildings in Vale; and many statues could be seen, depicting fantastical creatures like dragons or griffins, decorating them.
Cobblestone streets snaked through the city, stretching between the city's magnificent buildings, flowery glades and sunny parks. Squares were lit with countless fountains and birds were singing amid the branches of the trees.
Speaking of the streets, we could see, in addition to residents going about their business, banners and garlands hung on the walls or between buildings, a sign that there was a celebration.
Apart of the scenery and how lively the place was, our small group could see what looked like giant aerial walkways placed all over the city... As such, the group would have no problem landing… seeing that some people were riding winged horses or strange creatures that looked like a hybrid of a bird and horse like themselves. In addition, they could all see elegant houses connected by small bridges built on the tallest trees decorating the entire place.
"Wow..." Ruby and Yang mumbled in awe as they looked at everything with awe and wonder.
"Are those winged horses ?" Yang asked out-loud while looking at one of the giant walkways where they was indeed, a winged horse landing on it.
"They are called Abraxans…" Salem said to the blond brawler of Team RWBY who nodded in understanding.
"What about this one ?" Ruby said while pointing at the gray creature who looked like a mix between a bird and a horse.
"It's called a hippogriff... Salem and I had ridden one before...It was an interesting experience..." Summer answered her daughter with a fond smile as she remembered Moowing, the beautiful White Hippogriff.
"It was indeed..." Salem said in agreement, nodding her head while thinking of Shadowheart.
However, the rest of the group was still focused on the city itself.
"Beautiful..." Weiss commented with equal awe as she looked at the beautiful city. Neither Atlas nor Vale could rival the beauty of these places.
Blake was too stunned to form words. Moreover, even if she could, there was no suitable word to describe the splendor and beauty of this city. Like Weiss, never in her life had she had such a grand and elegant city. Cinder, for her part, was equally shocked and amazed by this place and she looked at her surroundings with wide, amazed eyes.
As for Taiyang…
"Now there's an eye opener and no mistake !" the man said with wonder as he gazed around with shining eyes of awe.
Everyone nodded their heads at this, unable to refute this claim.
"Everyone ! We are almost there !" Targon called out and everyone looked ahead instantly.
"WOW !" Taiyang, Yang and Ruby all cried out with awe and wonder.
"Beautiful… Marvelous… Wonderful !" Weiss commented while looking at the scene in awe.
"I have no words..." Blake began to mumble in shock as she stared at the sight before her in wonder.
"Incredible..." Cinder remarked while staring at the sight with admiration.
What had caused such reactions ?
It was the castle standing before them.
Surrounded by a large courtyard filled with different colorful flowers and with a large fountain at the center or it, the castle was as grandiose looking that the city itself. It was constituted of four small towers, three turrets and a large one at the center. Built in marble like the walls, the architecture was something to behold with marvelous graving and motif.
The windows were also pieces of art with colorful representation of fantastical creatures or people. The turret roofs were all emerald green in color while the tops of several towers and two of the tallest spires are made with gold and golden leaf. The main door appeared to be made of wood but the surface was covered in gold, probably to decorate and be in harmony with the elegance and majesty of the castle. Around the building, in the few trees surrounding the courtyard, the birds that dwelt there were colorful and variated and their voices sounded sweeter than a lullaby of music.
Team RWBY, Cinder and Taiyang were once again speechless in front of such splendor. It was like being in a fairy tale. This place was simply wonderful and magnificent. They all staid silent as Targon slowly flew toward the courtyard before landing carefully. The, the mighty dragon crouched down, allowing his passengers to climb down from his back.
Once their feet touched the ground, though, they kept looking around in awe and wonder, taking in every detail of this beautiful place.
"Alright, everyone, I have to go back to Aurora and the children..."
"Thank you for the flight, my friend…" Salem and Summer said at the same time with a bow and everyone did the same, also thanking the dragon.
"Good luck !" Targon said with a nod before taking off into the sky, to start his way back home to his mate and hatchlings.
They all watched in silence as the mighty Dragon flew away from the courtyard, then from the city itself and then, out of sight. Once their friend was no longer in view, Summer and Salem looked back at their companions, looking stern and serious.
"Alright everyone, we are about to meet important figures in the Hidden World so I expect every single one of you to be on your best behavior !"Summer said with the sternest look she could muster.
"We will !" Team RWBY all said at the same time with nods while Cinder and Taiyang merely nodded in understanding.
Summer and Salem stared at them for a moment before sighing.
"Alright, let's go !"
(To be continue…)