Dragons

No one said anything for a long while, letting the silence of the unknown sink in. I wish I knew what had happened to Merlin, or Edgar and Alati for that matter, but most of all my mind still raced with thoughts of Aurelius. As the darkness crawled up my arms, leaving them so cold that it felt like dry ice was being spread across them, thoughts of Aurelius kept me oddly hopeful. I know I saw his body buried underneath all of that debris, but if all of my magic could not free him, maybe heavy rock couldn't either, keeping him safe and preserved. Still, even if his body is still intact I noticed no signs of life. Yet I cannot shake the feeling that he's out there somewhere, somehow.

I laid my back against the wall, looking up at the black void that hid the ceiling, and let out a deep sigh.

"Do not be afraid." My father said from his dark corner. "If your brother is anything like the son I once knew, he's alive. Plus Nequior would never kill someone as powerful as Merlin. At the very least he would be chained as you and I are. Nequior feeds on our powers, and Merlin feed him for years no doubt."

"What will happen to you if we don't escape?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking, afraid I already knew the answer.

"We will become like the Nequam." He said, plain and simple.

"So... the Nequam..."

"They use to be people... like us."

I felt a sickness in my stomach like I had eaten a giant rock. I had killed my own people without even knowing. It was no wonder our people chose to become a people of silence after the things they had seen.

We said nothing else to each other. What would we even say? We were faced with our fate: death. So much for my great destiny, a story that would matter. I grew angry, this whole thing was filled with so much hype, and all for nothing. I stood up, frustrated that I had nothing to take my anger out on, and began to tug at my chains. I knew it was useless but it was a kind of stress relief.

Nequior was soon in the prison room once again, a lit lantern casting a long shadow across the wall. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

I stopped, confused by his question. Then I heard the sound of rumblings. I felt a smile spread on my face as I saw for the first time fear in the eyes of our demon captor. "Well, I'm not doing anything."

He scowled at me just before the roof of our clay-dome cracked across the ceiling, shedding light into the darkness. The roof quickly withered away in pieces, revealing several dragons digging their way into our prison where both my parents and I were still chained to the wall.

Nequior

He let out a loud, hubristic laugh that bounced off the walls causing it to be seemingly amplified as he laid a long lanky hand across his slender belly. His mouth seemed to reach from one side of his face all the way to the other, practically cutting it in half, and was filled with lots of small pointed teeth that overlapped one another when he finally finished laughing and gave us a toothy grin.

I launched forward, trying to get at him, but was instantly snapped back by the chins. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" I was seething, moving forward as far as possible, regardless of the pain caused by the chains digging into my wrists.

The creature seemed to frown at me, long arms drooping to his sides. Calmly he walked over to me, and proceeded to hold the lamp up next to my face, his serpentine eyes giving me an execrable look. "Now don't tell me you didn't hear bedtime stories about me?" He reached his free hand up to my face, letting his long, sharp fingers glide slowly down my face. "Or did mommy and daddy fail as parents?"

I scowled and turned my head, trying my best to bite a chunk out of his onyx limb.

He jerked his hand back, only to let it snap back, slapping me so hard I flew back against the wall. "How dare you!" He hissed.

"Leave her alone Nequior!" My mother pleaded in an urgent, depleted voice.

Nequior loomed above me, and then bent down to be more at my level, twitching his head back and forth. "You really are a pathetic species." He scowled at me, his warm breath lapping against my face. "It won't be long until your parents become like my other little pets, and when they do..." he said, leaning in close to my ears. "I'm going to enjoy watching them rip you limb from limb." He stood back up and held the lantern up to his face. "Good night my pretty little captives." And with that he blew out the light and silence and darkness fell.

Imprisonment

I woke up cold and sore. Everything around me was dark and fuzzy, and movement was limited. Shaking my head a few times my eyes began to adjust. The room was full of dark shadows cast by a dim lantern that hang on the wall across from me. I looked down, thinking I should be able to at least see what was next to me due to the hue that I had previously, when I noticed how dim it was. Any light I may have had previously had been dimmed greatly. Then I noticed a strange and painful sensation coming from my wrists where heavy metal chains were clamped on my wrists. The chains on my wrists were short, keeping my hands from reaching the ground and suspended about my shoulders.

Trying to move the chain away from the part of my wrist that felt like it was burning off, I nudged at my left hand with my head, and was able to nudge it slightly away from its previous spot. There was no physical wound that one may normally associate with tight chains, but instead there was a darkness that had begun to spread from the cuff of the chain. I jumped up, trying to pull away at the chains, but they kept me from getting any more than a foot from the wall. Standing up I could reach the cuff with my other hand, so I frantically tried to pull at it or conjure up some kind of magic to break free, but the more I tried the weaker I felt. With my energy quickly being depleted, I back up against the wall and slid back down to the cold hard ground.

After a while I seemed to feel nothing at all, as if I could not care less whether or not I ever got free. Maybe this was part of the chain's affect, but I didn't see the point in dwelling on it. The ceiling above seemed to be made of clay, rounding up towards the far side of the room where a mixture of clay and metal bars lined from wall to ceiling not ten feet from where I sat. Leaning my head back against the clay wall I glanced to the right, where nothing but dark shadows and cobwebs loomed, and to my right I first thought it was the same thing, but something wasn't quite right. I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus in on what I thought was some kind of light, when two figures seemed to emerge from the dark. Purple eyes peered at me, and two glowing hearts dimly lit from the far corner.

I gasped and jumped up once again. "Who are you?" I asked.

The two sets of eyes peered at one another, then back to me. They both stood up, worn tattered clothes hanging off of the dark figures, their hearts barely shinning through them. I glanced down and noticed my own heart illuminated through my dress.

Glancing back up at the two I noticed they also wore chains on their hands, but it was barely noticeable with the color of their skin matching the dark color of the iron shackles. One could easily mistake the chains as always being a part of them.

"What is your name?" One asked, in a deep and hoarse voice.

I felt my heart beat swiftly in my chest. "Fia." I said.

The two turned to one another quickly, then back towards me, their eyes seeming brighter than before. "We are your parents." The other responded in a kind, warm voice.

My heart leapt in my throat. I had finally found my parents, and I had so many questions I didn't know where to start. I opened my mouth to speak when there was a sudden cold chill and the light of the lamp blew out.

Without that light I couldn't focus on much of anything, but there was almost instantaneously another light, only this one held by a tall, gangly creature with a huge, distorted grin on its face.

"Oh look, a family reunion." It said, looking at the three of us slowly, his voice eerily soft and deep. "What a shame big brother couldn't be here." He let out a loud, hubristic laugh that bounced off the walls causing it to be seemingly amplified as he laid a long lanky hand across his slender belly.

Flicker

The fog now hung in the air like a continuous stretch of gray cloud that encompassed the whole planet. We followed Alati in mostly silence. Since we would all weigh too much for Alati to carry at once, Merlin and I followed on foot while Edgar rode Alati with his head held high. Sometimes I feel Edgar gets a big head from all of the knowledge he feels he has aquired. If he was anymore egocentric I would have thought him to be royalty instead of the farmer he said he was before he was a rabbit.

Merlin glanced at me, then over to Edgar, then back to me again. "You know... I hear humans have this odd idea that if you carry around a rabbit's foot it would bring you good luck." He said.

"Oh, you know, I have heard that." I responded. "All though I think that only works if you cut it off the rabbit."

Merlin and I then turned and looked at Edgar, whose ears had turned towards us as we spoke.

"You don't say!" Merlin exclaimed. "I have always pondered if it would work or not..."

This time Edgar looked back at us, glaring quite unhappily. "Yeah, uh-huh, laugh it up, but who gets to ride the griffin? Oh, that's right, not you two!"

Merlin and I smiled as Edgar scoffed and turned back forward. There was not much discussion after that. We knew full and well now that any questions me and my brother had would not be answered by our fluffy companion. Our only hope was to find our parents and hope that they had held out this long. After a short while we found ourselves climbing a steep hill where the stone bellow us began to appear more maroon colored as opposed to the dark blackness of it before. Just before we reached the peak of the hill, Alati stopped and proceeded to lower herself to the ground. Edgar hopped off and he, Merlin, and I peered over the top of the hill.

Over the hill was a steep valley filled with scattered bones and dark monsters fighting over bones, or just not moving at all. And, just behind all of that, sat a small dome built into the ground, looking like it might be made of clay.

"Not very impressive." Merlin commented.

"So... what do we do now? Waltz right on in?" I asked.

"No." Edgar said pointedly. "You will do no such thing, to do that is suicide!"

"Well then what do we do?" I asked, growing frustrated.

Edgar looked back to the dome, ears drooping. "I fear we may just have to do something drastic." Edgar sighed. "As a matter a fact, waltzing right in there could be our only option, but not without a distraction first." Edgar looked to Alati, then back to Merlin and I. "We will distract the monsters, since Alati can fly we should have a pretty good advantage. Once you see your opening you run for the entrance, and do not stop for anything." Edgar lay his paw on my hand. "Do you hear me? I can't distract them and keep on eye on you, so you have to careful. If anything were to happen to you..."

"We'll be fine,  Edgar. After all, we are destined for this stuff, right?" I said.

Edgar nodded. "Yes, of course." Edgar hopped back onto Alati. "We shall see you once you have succeeded in finding your parents." And with that they were off, swooping in and out of the valley.

Merlin grasped my hand. "Are you ready, sister?"

I nodded. "Yes, brother. Let's find our parents."

It didn't take long for all of the creatures to be on Alati's tail, excited by the prospect of a fresh meal. Once Alati had led them all to the left of the dome we raced down swiftly, covering ground quickly with the momentum from going downhill. Once inside, things began to grow dark, but with our new bodies, everything about three feet from us was lit up by our flickering glow. We raced down one make-shift hallway, and turned to go down another corridor which seemed to reach down into the ground, but as we turned to make our way several creatures reached out from the dark. I tried to fight them off, but before I knew what was going on my arms and legs were being grasped, and all in what seemed like a brief moment I was jerked away and tossed into something wet, leaving me gasping briefly before even my own glow flickered out.

Alati

We buried Jasper's body in the nearby crevice, covering him with nearby stones, and said our goodbyes. Edgar seemed to take it the hardest out of all of us. I suppose when you use to have the ability to speak with and care for animals it's hard to be unable to help them. There was no talk among us for a while, just sitting and mourning.

After a while I felt I could not keep silent any longer. I turned to Merlin who sat with his gaze firmly focused on the ground.

"I found him." I said.

Merlin and Edgar's attention instantly turned towards me.

I took a deep breath. "He was in this temple, covered by some shield. I tried to save him but the temple was destroyed and I barely got out of there alive. I failed."

"What?" Edgar exclaimed. "That is not possible!"

I looked at Edgar, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean that's not possible?"

Edgar's eyes grew wide, as if he had accidentally shared something he wasn't supposed to. He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing, nothing." He began to try to hop away, only to be caught up by Merlin.

"That's it, rabbit. What do you know?" Merlin stared pointedly at Edgar, holding him up by his jacket.

Edgar's ears drooped. "Do not call me rabbit! I have lived much longer than you." He crossed his arms, but he was obviously deflated. "Time travel is a tricky business." He said, as if that explained all of our questions.

"And?" Merlin asked.

Edgar merely shook his head. "Your parents must be alive. We find them, we find our answers."

Merlin let go of Edgar, letting fall the short distance to the ground. "A lot of help you are. Why would our parents be alive, huh? I am sick of your cryptic messages and not telling us things we deserve to know!"

The griffin let our a hissing cry in Merlin's face, then moved its head down to nudge at Edgar.

Merlin shook his head, letting out an exasperated sigh.

I laid a hand on Merlin's arm. "They kept our parents alive last time, remember? Maybe they need them to survive. Yelling at the one person who can actually help will only divide us and make us easier to destroy."

Merlin looked at me sadly. "I am sorry. I know I am guilty of taking my feelings out on others." He looked down at Edgar, who was now being licked by the griffin disapprovingly. "Can you forgive me, Edgar?"

Edgar nodded, pushing away at the griffin. "I do not blame you for being angry, we have all lost just about everything but each other, it's hard." Edgar looked at the griffin, almost as if they were to have an eye-staring contest. "Alati knows where they may be keeping your family."

"Alati?" My brother and I echoed.

"Yes, that is the griffin's name. Now, if you all are ready to go, let us be on our way."

Nequam

After the temple was far from our sights, we began to fly lower to the ground; as the day went on the fog grew higher, so as to block out any light that attempted to shine onto the land. There was no indication of life that either one of us could make out, and only the occasional dip of land told us that we were still traveling across the sphere of rock.

Suddenly I felt the griffin shifting beneath me; swinging its body to the side while letting out an exasperated cry. Then, before us was a giant creature one may call a dragon, but looking into its eyes one would notice it was more snake-like and more suited to slithering on its belly than gliding through the air like a dragon. It let out a hiss that echoed through my ears, pointed teeth and red eyes welcoming me to the evil that had manifested on my home land.

The griffin tumbled away from the monster, but it left just as swiftly as it appeared. That was when I noticed Jasper racing across bellow with two of the creatures I had seen at the mountain not far behind him, and a couple yards behind the monsters was Merlin and Edgar.

I just about yelled, feeling relieved to see my brother alive, when the snake-like dragon swept bellow, appearing once more, tackling right into Jasper.

"Jasper!" I cried. "We have to go down there, we have to save him!" I cried, nearly hitting the griffin's head with all my might in my desperation.

The griffin made a low cry, but still made no movement towards my friends. It didn't take the monsters long to catch up to the dragon and Jasper. The moment Jasper was thrown off his feet the two creatures leapt onto the dragon, and, ganging up on one another, began to destroy each other. Merlin and Edgar were then on the scene, but kept their distance, letting evil destroy evil. The air was full of the scent of blood and the sound of high pitch screams and hissing. Eventually the dragon had been taken down and left soaking in its blood. Slowly the two creatures turned again to Jasper, who lay on his side, breathing harshly. The griffin once again let out a cry, but it was louder this time and shook its whole body. In less then a second we were on top of the monsters, and just as we neared the ground I jumped off the griffin as it carried off one of the monsters, tossing it into a nearby crevice.

I landed on top of the second, grabbing onto the spines that grew from its back and head. It thrashed upwards, but in my anger I was not about to let go. "It's all your fault." I spat, my hands lighting on fire. "You destroyed everything!" My whole body burst into flames, and the creature bellow me writhed in pain, its shrill cry nearly knocking me blind. I released my grip, sliding to the rock bellow, and watched as a hole seemed to burn all the way through the monster, leaving it motionless beside me.

Merlin was quickly next to me, helping me to sit up. "I don't know where you have been..." he said. "but wherever it was, you seemed to have found your reason." I looked down at my hands, and they seemed to be made of the same kind of light my brother was now made of, only just under the surface it was like my body was made of a kind of fire that flowed freely throughout my whole essence, thankfully leaving my dress unharmed by its heat, what was still intact of it anyway.

I was about to tell Merlin and Edgar all about what had happened when I noticed Edgar was not by us, but rather next to Jasper. I got up quickly and rushed over to them, seeing how Jasper's breathing was still labored, and he had many cuts leaking a bright red onto his gray coloring. It wasn't so bad, until I saw the way one of his legs bended differently than the other in a way no leg should ever bend. I sat down and lifted his head onto my lap, brushing his mane from his face. "Oh, Jasper...."

Edgar sat beside me, shaking his head. "Nothing can be done for him."

I simply nodded, tired of trying to use my magic when it never helped anyone. "I'm sorry."

Jasper's eyes glanced towards me. "Do not be sorry. I lived a life no ordinary horse would ever know; a life of magic and prophecy, even if it was short."

"You deserved a longer life." I said.

Jasper was quiet, his heavy breathes filling the silence. "It is not the length of the life that makes it important, but the stories you share with others."

"Your story is one of greatest. I cannot say that there are many horses who face dragon's on other planets."

"It's not my story that I speak of." Jasper whispered. "It's yours."

"What does that mean?" I asked, but there was no response. The breathing had stopped and there was nothing but silence.

Suddenly there was a loud thump, and over by the crevice in the ground another black beast lay in a heap on the ground, and the griffin appeared from the giant crack, landing proudly next to its victim.

Standing up slowly, letting Jasper's head rest gently against the stone, I proceeded to walk over to the creature. I was furious and sick of all the death and despair this piece of rock for a planet provided. Clenching and unclenching my fists I stood in front of the monster that lay cast on its side. Its eyes flew open, a sickly yellow with red pupils peering into my soul. It let out a dark, bellowing laugh, even when it seemed to be unable to move at all.

"Oh, how wonderful." It said, its voice sounding like a thousand whispers at once. "The princess has arrived." It laughed once more, its mouth not opening in the slightest.

"Who are you?" I asked pointedly.

"We? We are the Nequam." It said. "And who are you?"

"I am Fia, and this is my story." I spat, and just like before a fiery whole burned through the hideous creature.

The Man Under the Shield

I gasped, stepping back, heart racing. Glancing back I saw the griffin was looking down the steps, its head taking up the whole entry way. I glanced back to where the man lain and the effulgent light cast a pink hue about the room. Timidly I stepped towards the man and peered inside to see the salubrious, sleeping face of Aurelius.

"Aurelius?" I whispered, reaching towards the shield. Reaching not even two inches above the shield, the energy spiked out, striking my hand, feeling like a thousand little daggers digging into my hand. "Ah!" I pulled my hand back, staring at the unmoving man before me. His hair seemed nicely combed, and his face was clean, but there, in the middle of his shirt, was the great blood stain left by a sword.

I tried everything I could think of to destroy the shield, but no matter how hard I tried the shield would not budge. As a last reserve I even tried to light the thing on fire, desperate to save the love I thought I had lost. The griffin let out a shriek as I nearly lost all feeling in my hands from beating on the shield. Looking back I saw the griffin had shoved one of its legs into the stairwell and was scratching at the stairs.

I walked back up the stairs, but the griffin was not less frantic. "Calm down, I'm coming." Once I got close enough it grabbed onto me with its beak and tossed me out of the room. I had been so distracted that I had not realized the occasional shaking of the temple, or the crashing of pillars. The griffin frantically motioned to its back with its head, signaling for me to get on. I glanced back at the stairwell, and the griffin grabbed me once more, throwing me onto its back, and took off just as the roof began to crash down. Once into the air I noticed several darkly colored dragons crashing into the temple and breathing fire against it, completely obliterating it.

"I'm sorry Aurelius." I whispered, wiping away my tears with what was left of my frayed sleeve. The griffin glanced back at me, its eyes sad, and let out a low sound of sorrow. "That's okay, you tried." I said, brushing my fingers through its feathers. "You did all you knew how." I leaned my head down, resting against the griffin's neck, and stared at the passing mist against the black ground and gray sky. Everything seemed to have lost its color here, I could only hope I still had a brother and rabbit roaming around here somewhere. "Will you help me find my family?" I asked, feeling drained of all energy, and lacking what little hope I had had before. The griffin gave a nod and let out a loud screech and flew faster across the dead land.

Stone Temple

Everything looked the same, as if we were on a giant rock, only the occasional spike of a mountain here and there to make it easier to navigate. Edgar was going the fastest now, and we followed him the best we could. There was nothing to weave through, just more fog, so as long as we kept close enough to see through the fog we had sight of Edgar. We were trying to be as swift as possible, but we knew it would be useless. The monsters had long limbs that allowed them to have bigger strides, one of their steps equal to five of our own. The ground seemed to have settled down after Merlin's transformation, but with the creature getting closer the land once again began to tremor.

Once we reached the summit of the mountain ahead of us, two of the creatures were upon us, and the ground shook so bad that climbing up the mountain quickly was almost impossible. Edgar hopped up on ledges, grabbing onto the edges when he lost his balance.

"You have to try to climb the mountain." Merlin said, pushing me ahead of him. "I'll keep them off our trail." Merlin made no glance back at me, giving me no option but to obey him. His light energy began to brighten in such a way it was like his body was now created out of static electricity.

As Merlin threw one of the monster back I began to climb up the mountain, but the ground continued to shake, making my progress very slow. I tried to keep calm, focusing on breathing in and out as I searched for places to grab onto and push off of. I felt confident in myself, that I could do this, and Merlin would be behind shortly, after all he took care of that one easily enough.

The mountain shook relentlessly and it took almost all of my strength to keep hold of the ledge. Glancing down I saw three of the monsters closing in on Merlin. He was now encompassed in an aura of energy, as he was before, only this time all three beasts jumped on him, his power quickly weakening. I watched in horror as I thought I would never see my brother again, just as one of the monsters was thrown off, smashing right into the mountain. The crash then caused convulsions to peak and my grip began to loosen, any grip I had previously coming undone. I fell quickly down, seeing the sharp teeth eagerly awaiting my arrival, just as something snagged the back of my dress, causing my descent to turn into an ascent.

I looked up and was greeted by the screech of a griffin. Struggling, I tried to get out of its grip, but it's claws had dug into my dress, causing the dress to rip when I struggled. Defeated I watched as my brother grew farther and farther away, still trying to fight back against the unknown fiends of darkness.

Eventually the griffin let go, allowing me to tumble into another kind of temple with open, tall arches, more stable and put together then the one we had arrived in. The griffin did a running land, landing in front of me, its white tipped brown feathers fluttering against the wind. I scooted away from the griffin as quickly as I could. It stopped, looking at me thoughtfully and then almost seemed to bow before me.

I stood up and walked towards it. It gazed up at me, but did not move. Raising a hand to it's head, I felt the soft touch of the feathers beneath my fingertips. Now it looked up at me curiously.

"You have to take me back." I said. "My brother is in danger, I have to save him."

The griffin shook its head slowly and then moved out from under my hand, pointing towards a stairwell that went down into the stone floor of the temple. It looked back at me, feet firmly planted.

Taking a deep breath I headed down the stairs. I had no idea what this griffin could want with me, but it did not kill me, and even saved me, so I thought I may as well trust it. Who else do I have left?

Once down the stairs little candles surrounding the small room seemed to burst to life, casting out all shaddows. The room was aligned with little shelves carved from the stone, but they were full of cobbwebs and dust. Then, there in the middle of the room, was what looked like a stone table with a long case upon it, also made of stone. I walked over to it, growing quite interested in this oddly shapped thing in the middle of the temple. It was maybe seven feet long, and was as wide as one of the fat pillars that sat at the front entrance of the temple. I looked at it closely, but saw nothing special about it. Then, slowly, I reached out, touching the cold surface.

The instant I touched it, cold turned to warm, and a bright light overcame me. I tried to shield my eyes as I fell backwards, and once the light died down I moved my arm from my eyes and saw that what was once stone was now a kind energy field, and underneath that field wasn't stone either, but a man.

Shedding

We ran, Jasper outrunning us all with his quick strides through the mist of gray. The ground continued to shake slightly beneath our feet, causing each step to be uncertain. Merlin was just a head of me, Edgar's little arms clinging around my brother's neck.

There was another piercing cry from the creature pursuing us. And yet, it was at such a frequency that, while I have a hard time remembering its sound, I know that its sound raced through the air as my vision blurred and my head began pounding. Instinctively my hands went to my ears, and the earth beneath my feet shook even more violently, casting me to its hard surface. I tried to push myself up, but the ground was relentless in it's shaking and my vision still seem clouded, black blotting the gray. Giving it my best attempt for that moment, I pushed with my arms and legs, only to be cast on my back within the second, and to see glowing red before me.

It was almost indiscernible in the darkness around it, but the red eyes that emanated from it were no mistake. Its large mouth opened in a sickly bellow, several sharpened teeth greeting me. Its face grew closer to me, as a long claw wrapped around my ankle, its skin seemingly made of cold black facets. Once again it opened its mouth to me, all the smells associated with death greeting me as I tried to scramble away, with nothing to grab onto to aid me in any way. Looking back at the beast its eyes seemed to grow brighter, and in a brief moment I felt my short life would come to an end, and I was almost okay with it. Almost.

It was also within that brief moment that I heard another cry, one I had heard many times as I watched the men of Camelot battle, but for once it was not a trained warrior. It was my brother. Merlin sprang forth upon the beast, completely encompassed in a glowing green light. The terrible monster cried once more, but was quickly silenced by the bright light that seemed to frighten even the ominous mist of the night away, leaving spots in my eyes as if I had just glanced towards the sun.

Eventually the light dimmed, and the fog was no more, and the terrible creature had vanished. I found myself lying on a surface of a rock, not the plush grass or damp dirt of the earth. I sat up slowly and found myself looking at who I felt must be my brother, but seemed most unlike him.

"Merlin?" I asked cautiously.

The creature smiled at me and bent down to be closer to me. It seemed to me, that if a man could take the sun and stars, push them all together, dress himself in those things, this would be the result. His eyes were bright like emeralds, but the rest of him was like green-tinted points of light stopped in such a way as to make the image of a man. He blinked at me, and began to speak without the use of a mouth.

"It is I, sister. Do not be alarmed. You have only known me as Merlin, but before I was Merlin I was Emris, and this is the way Emris lived in this land." He reached out his hand to me, and I reached back out to him and allowed him to help me up. His hand was neither hot or cold, but firm and comforting.

I glanced around, Jasper was no where in sight, but Edgar sat nearby, watching attentively. I glanced down at my own hand, still a soft human hand spotted with blood and dirt, no light to be found within it. "Why is it you have changed back, but Edgar and I remain the same?"

He gave a shrug, and looked to Edgar.

Edgar hopped over, and after checking my ankle for permanent damage, went on with an explanation. "When we stepped out of the temple, a safety precaution set by your parents was released. Knowing you would eventually be here to redeem them, your parents left as much of their powers as possible into the temple to be released to their children if they should arrive. After spending so long on Earth, the soul of our people can become tied to the form of that taken on by our kind, and need a little boost to help with the transformation back into our true selves. Yet, as you have noticed, Merlin did not transform automatically, and you have yet to change yourself. Merlin is by far the most powerful one here, and when you were threatened. He had all the incentive he needed to change."

"But I was about to die, and yet I remain in this form. What motivation is more powerful than that?" I asked.

"I think you know." He simply said.

And I did know. Back in that moment I almost felt relieved to greet death. I had lived long enough to lose someone I loved dearly, and I was scared to think I could never find him, and that he had truly died. And I thought, maybe if I die I will greet him and I will never have to be without him again. But I knew now that I cannot keep that kind of logic. There is a reason Nimueh sent us here, my home planet, to search for Aurelius. I cannot help but feel that they must be tied in some way.

"We better get moving!" Edgar cried as three more figures began to emerge from the darkness around us. "Where is that stupid horse when you need him!" He cried, starting to race away quickly towards a giant shadowed mountain against the now purple and green streaked sky.

Temple Exodus

I looked to Merlin and his face seemed pale and tired. His shoulders were tense as he exhaled heavily. Cautiously I reached over and took Merlin's hand in mine. "I'm sorry, brother. I should not take my hurt out on you when you too are hurting."

Merlin looked down at me and gave a small smile. "It truly is nice not being alone."

Edgar gave a little huff. "Well, I think you were never really alone. You had me... and then you had the Pendragons as well." Merlin looked at Edgar oddly as Edgar's nose twitched. "Anyway, we must get moving, this temple makes me feel very uneasy."

The gray fog that hung in the air never really dissipated, but instead floated about in thicker and lesser quantities like clouds. We eventually found our way to a stone wall and followed along its cracked and unstable surface until we found a doorway. Once we found the giant wooden doors, halfway falling off its hinges, we paused. There was a sound of wind that rushed through the holes and the splinted pieces of the wood, creating a sound of a mournful spirit.

Jasper had been following behind us with Edgar riding upon his back, which was quite a site to see. Merlin turned to look at Edgar. "Is it even safe out there?" Merlin asked. "What if this is a trap and we all die?"

Edgar looked at Merlin for a short moment before responding. "Merlin, you are the most powerful magician among your people, why should you bother being afraid of the unknown?"

"Edgar is right, brother. Together we can do anything, even open a door." I said with a smile. Merlin nodded and I reached ahead and pulled at the door's handle. The handle came half-way off the door as it came tumbling inward, a hideous smell crashing into our presence. Jasper reared back on his hind legs, nearly throwing Edgar off, as the door threw me back into Merlin. I coughed and gagged, trying to get away from the repulsive smell which reeked of the nightmares that previously haunted my dreams.

After a minute of coughing the air seemed to thin out, and the smell became more bearable. Standing up slowly I glimpsed outside of the doorway. Outside was even more darkness, only, if you squinted your eyes, you could almost make out the light of stars in a sky filled with the darkness of space. There were no trees or bushes, the only thing visible was a low fog hiding whatever may be on the ground.

We all glanced about at one another, no one making a single sound. Slowly, we all took steps into the unknown world of lost magic. Merlin was the last to walk out, his face becoming hardened by the reality of his past life. With his final step outside of the temple the door slammed shut behind him, a bright light bursting out from the door way. Merlin jumped back into me this time, just barely keeping his balance. The light seemed to be a mixture of reds and blues and gold. There was a king of peacefulness about it, and it made me feel like I was witnessing a part of myself that I had never seen before. It made no real sense, but I guess it must have meant something... it was just something I could not yet fully understand.

Not long after the light had struck a terrible quake began to take hold of the land, causing stones to fall from the temple as the whole building began to crumble. Edgar hopped off of Jasper and nearly tackled Merlin. "What are you doing? Run!" Snapping back to reality, Merlin and I realized the frantic sounds emanating from Jasper as figures began to emerge from the darkness, shrieks of anger filling the soundless void we had previously been in. One creature reared up on it's hind legs, long clawed limbs reaching to the sky, as it let out an ear-piercing screech.

The Fog

In the air was nothing; the ground solid but invisible, each breath releasing a cough, and the only sound being the echo of the racking coughs that shook my body. Slowly I regained sanity; the coughs lessened and the darkness soon seemed to dissipate into a gray fog thick enough to keep anything five feet from my face from being seen. Sitting up slowly I looked around and was startled by a pair glowing eyes beside me. Just as I was about to release a scream a hand covered my mouth, drawing the face closer to me to reveal my brother, Merlin.

His eyes were urgent and his frame was tense. "Shhh... be extremely quiet."

I began to wonder why he did not try to halt my coughing earlier when I then heard a sound across the distance. I closed my eyes and tried to focus in on the sound. The sounds were different then anything I had heard before. It was as if something was dragging its nails across the floor, and I could hear the sound of heavy breaths leaving humid marks as it carried on. A grumble echoed throughout wherever it is we are, but with no response the thing dragged itself away in another direction.

Merlin released his hand from my mouth with a sigh of relief. "You must be more careful, this is not a nice little Earth anymore."

"Where are we?" I asked, trying to look around, but the gray kept everything from sight. I tried to stand, but was startled by the movement a large creature in the fog, causing me to stumble back down. "What is that?" I cried, as Merlin chuckled.

"My name is Jasper, thank you very much." It said slowly in a low voice.

I stood up once more and stepped closer to the creature. Moving slowly through the fog I found a different shade of gray, with pale eyes gleaming at me. It was the old horse Merlin had ridden across the battle field. "You talk?" I asked, a little startled.

"You know, I thought I had taught you better than to dismiss talking animals." Edgar popped his head out of one of Jasper's saddlebags, and brushed out his jacket with his paws.

"Edgar!" I cried, snatching him out of the saddlebag and into a hug.

Edgar tensed for a moment, but then wrapped his short arms around me as well as he could. "I was afraid I would never see you again." Edgar whispered.

I slowly sat back down and set Edgar in front of me. "I could never abandon you, Edgar." I said softly, stroking one of his ears.

He nodded his head and wiped a few tears from his eyes. "Right. Of course." He said, clearing his throat. "So, what do we do now that we are home again?"

"Home?"

"Yes, now I know it has been a few years, and the place looks a lot different, but the horse is talking and I know how magic, or lack there of, feels, and this is Zelix." Edgar said.

"Well, what we are going to do is find Aurelius' body, and then be done with this whole mess." Merlin said hastily.

"But Merlin..." I said, standing up and touching his arm, "this is our home. We have to save it, don't we?"

"Look around you... I see nothing to save." Merlin's shoulder were slumped, and his eyes were downcast. "I am sorry you did not get to meet mom and dad."

"No, maybe they're just in hiding like before!" I cried. "You don't know anything yet! One place does not decide how the whole kingdom lives. We will save our home, and we will save Aurelius!"

"Sister..."

"She has a point, Merlin." Edgar said. "We have survived once before, surely there are others who have held out. You can at least try to save your home."

The Dragon's return

I stood up and looked around, everyone was backing away, both red cloaked and blue painted men, as if they had just witnessed a ghost. Suddenly there was aloud roar from the sky, and above a giant dragon trampled the trees tall enough to get in its way. The men would occasionally step backwards, but most could not even move away. I stood my ground as the dark dragon dropped down in front of me, crushing a few bodies that laid broken on the grass. It leaned its head in forward, the sun gleaming off of its black scales. The dragon seemed to scowl at me before leaning backwards on its haunches and transforming into a black cloaked figure. A few men let out gasps and a few tried to repress screams, but their overall conclusion was that there was a demon in their midst.

The figure pulled the hood of her cloak back, revealing pale skin with matching eyes and dark hair. "What have you done?" She asked, her tone cold as ice with a glare to match.

"I did nothing." I snarled. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"My name is Nimueh." She said, moving around me, surveying the area. "And I've come to collect the price." Her dark colored lips twisted at the corners. "Or have you forgotten the price for magic?"

"I hardly think causing the earth to push people would allow for such a visit." I said.

"Oh no, of course not," she said, tracing her finger across my back as she walked behind me. "I came for something much more serious."

"Fia! Get away from her!" I turned around to see Merlin rushing across the battle field on a poor gray horse, whom looked like death itself. When he got to us he launched off the horse and pushed me behind him. "What do you want, Nimueh?"

Nimueh's twisted smile vanished as Merlin scowled at her. "You know how magic works, dear Merlin. Now, tell me, where is your king?"

Merlin's eyebrows furrowed and he looked to me. "What did you do, sister?"

"I didn't..." I started, but looked around. "I don't know what I did, he just vanished."

"Vanished? What does that mean?" Merlin yelled. "What did you do?"

Nimueh brushed her hand up Merlin's arm. "Now, now, let us not be hasty."

Merlin grabbed Nimueh's arm, his knuckles turning white. "Don't you dare touch me, you viper."

Nimueh scowled once more, and yanked her arm free. "The price for one life is another, what is your plan of action, dear brother?" She spat coldly.

Merlin said nothing, but looked to me.

"If he was alive he would be here and he's not!" I yelled. "You have no proof!"

"Ah! Perhaps." She said. "But you messed with something far greater than you and a price must be paid. Thus we have two options. I can either kill you now, or send you to wherever it is you sent the body of our dead king, and you can bring him back here. What you have done is threatened the history of our people and it cannot be accepted." Nimwueh's lips began to twist upward. "Why don't I just do the latter, hm?" She threw her hands up and a bright yellow light branched out from them, and without a second to spare she blew on her hands and the light overwhelmed me.

The Battle

When the light began to peak through the trees we continued on our journey. Juniper kept a pretty fast pace, covering a lot of ground quickly. My heart began to beat faster as I wondered if I could make a difference, or if it would all be in vain. I felt panicked and frightful as the words of the dragon in my dream rushed to the forefront of my mind, "Your efforts are worthless, you cannot save what you wish to save, and surely you'll be left with only a grave. Every time an answer you seek, another falls and another grows week, but all will die... that is the rule of your magic eye." According to the letter Merlin had a vision of Aurelius' death. What if the dragon was not a dream, but a vision? My stomach twisted in knots and I thought I would become sick, but I had not consumed food in two days; nothing could come up.

I shook my head. I would not give into such thoughts. The future is not set in stone, it is merely a suggestion, and I reject its suggestion. I looked ahead with a resolve I would not let be crushed. Around midday we found ourselves out of the woods and crossing through a valley of rolling hills. The grass was a light green and blurs of white flowers appeared every now and then. The air seemed sweet, but not long after entering the fields the sound battle struck my ears. Juniper gradually slowed down as the anxiousness within me grew with each second.

"Don't slow down, Juniper! I know not how much time I may have."

Juniper threw herself into a full gallop until we came to the top of one of the bigger hills. Down below was a mass of blue painted men attacking my red cloaked ones. I jumped off of Juniper quickly and looked back to her.

"Run back home, your life is innocent and should not be wasted in merciless killing."

Juniper gave me a light nudge and then took off back towards Camelot. I began to survey the battle, looking for the knight I would recognize, and that's when a flash of purple caught my eye. One of the knights had a purple shield instead of a red one. I began to make my way down the hill when I saw another Saxon coming up the side of Aurelius, his sword drown back.

"Ari!" I cried, in a full sprint now, using my magic to push anyone who came to close to me away so that I would not be slowed. But in the instant that I had yelled his name the sword was plunging into his side. "No!" I threw my hand forward, now close enough for my magic to touch the blue painted man with the blood stained sword, and pushed him backwards into the sword of another, and all others surrounding were thrown back, my magic spreading out several feet from me by the power of my anger.

I dropped down and removed the helmet to find Aurelius breathing harshly. "How?" He asked painfully. 

"I stole a horse." I whispered. "I could not simply stand by if I had the chance to save you."

He tried to laugh, but it turned into a blood producing cough. The wound on his side was big, I could practically fit my hand in it. My eyes began to tear up as I looked back upon Aurelius with his dirty face and messed up hair.

"I don't want to lose you." I murmured, tears streaking down my face.

"Nor I you." He said, reaching a hand to my face. "I thought I would never get to tell you the truth." 

"What truth?" I asked, holding his hand to my face.

"That, when I first met you, I loved you. That is truly why I was so cold to you before. It was not because I wished to protect Merlin, but because I thought I had fallen for someone who would try to persuade me to kill Merlin, and I though I just might." He smiled a little. 

"Edgar told me a story of people who killed for love." I explained. "I stole a horse and caused someone to be impaled in these past two days. I think that means I love you a lot." I said.

"I quite like Edgar." He said softly before having another fit of coughing. "Take care, Fia."

And with that he was gone, and I pulled his body to me, crying. "I can save you!" I yelled. "A life for a life, I'll die so you can live!" I cried, trying to make my magic bring him to life. I tried with everything I had, but then he was gone, and stood, knowing full and well what it meant to kill for love.

Juniper

I ran down the plaza and found a horse that a rider had just dismounted. I vaulted myself on top of the horse, not quite sure how exactly to ride one. The rider yelled at me, extremely upset at his horse being ambushed, but the horse quickly yanked the rope from his handler's hands and took off towards the woods. I clung to the saddle for dear life while trying to keep myself from slipping off the side.

Once in the woods the horse slowed down evenly until it came to a complete halt. My heart was racing and my fingers were white as Edgar's fur from gripping so tightly. The horse turned its head and stared at me, seeming highly confused. It nudged me with its brown nose, like a mare would to a foal to tell it to get up and walk. I slid off the horse and tried it again, placing one foot in the stirrup and swinging the other over the horse. I ended up backwards, but got it right after that attempt. As soon as I had hold of the reigns the horse bolted once again, practically causing me to fly off the its back.

Somehow the horse seemed to know where it was going, and I had no plan of action, so I let the horse do as it wished, hoping by some miracle it would take me to Aurelius. The woods seemed to never change, as if it was an eternal loop of trees and birds and rocks. Eventually the trees did grew closer together and the sunlight grew dimmer and lower, causing visibility to greatly decrease. I decided to stop for the night, seeing as, at least where we were within the woods, we could walk over a cliff and have no idea that it was coming.

I grabbed some stray logs and sticks while the horse began to nibble on the grass. With the sun going down it grew cooler, so I ignited the wood with fire and sat down on a fallen tree, warming my hands. I took the letter out from a pocket that was sewn into the inside of my cloak, an odd thing I had never heard of, but Camelot seemed full of oddities, myself included.

Reading over Aurelius' words again I felt certain I could not have acted in any other such way. I ran a finger over his signiture. Ari. He had told me no one had called him that since his mother, and surely to sign his name like that he knew I would read this, and in writing this letter to Merlin in turn he wrote it to me. Edgar had spoken of love before I rushed away, a feeling I had never understood. Is this what it was like to be in the stories Edgar would read to me? I knew not. I simply knew I could not sit by and know he was going to die without trying to save him.

The horse moved over and made a move as if to nibble on the letter I was holding before the fire to see better. I yanked it away and folded it back up.

"No, bad horse." I said, trying to shame it.

The horse shook its head and sniffed my hair oddly and then snorted.

"Thank you so much, I greatly enjoyed that." I said sarcastically, wiping the snot from my neck. "Now, I am certain you have a name, but I did not take the time to ask before I stole you." I stood up and rubbed the horse's neck. "I wonder what it might be." Then I noticed a round piece of leather hanging from the bridle. On that piece of leather was the name, "Juniper" inscribed upon it. Juniper was a kind of tree that had berries usually harvested for gin. I suppose it makes sense, considering I found the horse  outside of the local tavern. "Well, Juniper, glad to have you along for the ride."

Juniper shook its head up and down and nuzzled its head against mine briefly before walking away to nibble on some leaves from a nearby bush. I hunkered down on the grass and leaned against the log, watching the fire dance across the wood until it died out, and with it I drifted into a fitted slumber.

The Letter

I rushed through the door into Merlin's main study, still wearing the clothes from yesterday. Merlin stood up, looking startled and eyes almost completely taken over by dark circles. My heart beat quick and each breathe seemed to be shorter then the first as an angered feeling took place in my soul.

"Why?" I cried, "Why didn't you wake me?"

Merlin stepped forward as if to give some kind of explanation but no words came from him. I noticed the open letter sitting on the table in front of him and rushed forward to take it up. Merlin made no notion to take it from me as I began to read.

My Dear Friend Merlin,

I'm writing this letter as a kind of goodbye that cannot be spoken in the presence of others. I want you to know that I do not hold you responsible for my death, you merely had a vision which cannot be helped. I know now that it is necessary if my brother is to become king and father the chosen heir of my beloved Camelot. I have accepted my fate, and parish I shall. It is of no consequence to finally be rid of all this pain a king must uphold in sending his people to war; I have fought far too long.

Our friendship is very dear to me, Merlin. So, as a friend, I am going to ask you to do something very hard. There is no doubt you know how dear your sister has grown to me. I could not bear it so see her one more time, Merlin. I would lose all sense of logic and polite behavior that a king must uphold before a battle, surely. Thus, I beg of you Merlin, keep her from me this coming morning. Spare my tormented heart, it has all ready chosen to fight 'till death for her.

Your Friend,
Ari

I dropped the letter and ran to Merlin's bookshelf and pulled down one of the leather bound books of Arthurian legend that Edgar had brought with him from his cottage. I flipped through the pages as fast as I could with my hands shaking from a tremor I could not get rid of. Within the first few pages was a family tree that gave a very brief description of people before Arthur, and sure enough it spoke of Aurelius' dying in a battle.

I stood there shaking and Edgar came to take the book from me gently as my fingers let it droop towards the floor.

"Sister..." Merlin whispered.

I shook my head and ran to my room, grabbing my red cloak. I tied it well and made my was as quickly as I could to the door.

Merlin grabbed my arm, his grip as strong as an eagle's. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked, trying to repress his feelings from becoming a scream of anger towards me.

"Changing the future." I said, trying to get out of Merlin's grasp. "I have magic, I can save him!" I cried, "I owe him that much." I whispered.

Merlin's face looked hard at me, just as he had the night of the dragon. Edgar tugged on Merlin's pant leg, looking up at him knowingly, shaking his head slowly.

"You must let her go, son." Edgar said softly.

"And why should I do that? Haven't I lost enough people in my life?" He cried, yet lessening his grip nonetheless.

"Yes, but love is a completely different matter, Merlin." Edgar replied.

I yanked my arm from Merlin's hand, and without a second glance found my way out of the castle, clutching Aurelius' letter in my hand.

Tea

Merlin sat in the dark illuminated by a single candle. He had a writing feather in one hand and his head rested against the other. He made no motion to write, but simply stared down at the page. I walked slowly over to Merlin and tapped his desk to let him know I was here. He looked up with eyes that could only be reddened by a loss of tears.

He set his pen down. "Sister."

"Are you all right, brother?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same." His eyes then fluttered to my hand. "What have you there?"

"Oh," I handed Merlin the letter. "Aurelius wanted me to give you this letter."

Merlin took the letter slowly, as if he was unsure of whether the letter was safe or not. Once opened he read it in front of the candle to himself and with each second that passed his expression grew graver. After he had finished it, he folded it slowly and set it down. He then picked up his candle and rummaged with his herbs and medicines, leaving the letter and I in the dark.

"What did the letter say?" I asked, running my finger over the words I could not read without light, imagining Aurelius' pencil writing softly and gracefully across the page.

"It is just a few orders to be done during Aurelius' absence." Merlin did not turn to me for some moment, and in his tone I felt him to be hiding something from me, but I let him continue with his business without walking over there.

"What is it that no one will tell me?" I asked, trying to remain calm and kind to my brother whom seemed very troubled.

"It is nothing, sweet sister." He handed me a cup. "Here, drink this tea. It will help you to relax and sleep well."

"Will you promise to wake me up tomorrow, if I do not wake, so that I may say goodbye?" I asked, giving a yawn after a few sips of the tea. If the room could get any darker, I felt that it had.

"Do not worry..." He said, leading me through the dark to my bed.

I woke up the next day and the sun was high in the sky, and everyone attending to their business in the town square.

Popcorn

We ate the popcorn together in front of the fire. It was slightly burnt, but I did not mind. After we finished eating, we stood outside and had the idea to climb to the top of Edgar's small house. Aurelius climbed a nearby tree and dropped onto the house quite gracefully. I was unsure of know how to climb a tree, so Aurelius reached his arms down and pulled me up with ease.

The sunset was a beautiful wave of purple, pink, and red hues. Aurelius stared at the sunset intently, hugging his knees to his chest. His thoughts were a thousand miles away, but his presence was still a comfort to me. After the sun went down Aurelius slid off the roof and then motioned for me to do the same.

I looked down, noticing all the pointy rocks and sticks waiting to impale me. "It looks dangerous." I noted.

"So, you can travel across galaxies but you can't slide down a roof?" He chuckled a little bit. "I will catch you, I won't fail you." He held out his arms as if to catch me.

I took a deep breathe. "All right... I'm trusting you with my life here." I said, and then allowed myself to slip off the roof and into his arms. All of the air from my lungs rushed out in a mix of excitement and fear.

Aurelius smiled down at me. "Told you I would not fail you." He said.

I gave him a little smile before he set me down on my own feet. "Well... I suppose we should head back. You know how the creepies like to lurk about. They may have all ready got me, but we can still save you."

He smiled a little bit and nodded. "Yes, we can't both die by the hands of the creepies... or whatever it is they have in place of hands."

So we walked back to the castle in silence, and I could feel Aurelius tense up as the time waltzed by us in the forest. When we reached the castle he walked me up the dark corridor to Merlin's chambers and paused outside of the door. I stood with my back to the door and looked to Aurelius. I knew not what to say or do, but simply that I wanted to hold him and never let go.

Aurelius took a small step forward, which nearly covered all of the space between us. He reached into the pocket located inside his vest pocket pulling out an envelope. He held it out to me. "Can you give this to Merlin for me?"

I nodded and reached for the letter, grabbing it lightly. For a moment neither one of use moved, still clinging to the letter. He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against mine. I breathed in his earthly scent, treasuring each second. Oh, how I wish he would stay.

"Thank you for the walk." He said, and paused for a minute, as if he was struggling with something. "Was this a good last day?" He asked quietly.

"It was perfect." I whispered back.

 He smiled, releasing the letter that caused my hand to drop. He tucked some of my hair behind my ear and lingered for a little bit. "Don't forget to give Merlin the letter. " He said, now backing away until I could see him no more.

Creepies

We walked along the trail where I had first in silence. The ground was soft from the rain we keep getting and the green leaves of the trees stuck out against the gloomy gray of the sky. After a little bit I began to notice where we were and got a little excited. I could show Aurelius Edgar's house. Surely he would find it enjoyable to see.

I grabbed his arm quickly and shouted, "Hurry, come with me!" And I let go and ran off towards Edgar's little home. I turned around, still backing up to see Aurelius greatly confused. "Better hurry, there are monstrous things behind you, but if you move quickly enough they cannot get you!" I explained.

A hint of a smile flickered across Aurelius' face and he picked up his pace. I led him to Edgar's home, occasionally telling him look out for creatures he could not see. When we reached Edgar's house we both ducked collapsed onto the floor, panting and laughing, me more so than Aurelius. After a little bit we both sat up and Aurelius looked around. The house didn't look too different. It was a little more tidy, and a few books were missing because Edgar brought them to the castle, but other than that it was the same.

"This was Edgar's home before he came to hide out in the castle." I got up and closed the door to keep the cold breeze outside and started a fire in Edgar's rabbit sized fireplace.

"It's... quaint." He said, moving to sit in front of the fireplace with me. "So, tell me Fia, what was it that was chasing us so intently?"

I looked at him with all the seriousness I could scrounge up and said, "Creepies."

Aurelius laughed. "Creepies?"

"Yes, creepies. They're the creepiest monsters out there. They are the size of squirrels, but they're made of dark energy, so they glow of black matter. Also, they have three teethe." I explained.

"Only three?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

I nodded, still being serious. "Two on the top" I made fang motions with my fingers, "and one on the bottom." I then stuck one finger up that would go between the two fang fingers. "Very vicious."

Aurelius smiled, "Well, it looks like one of them may have gotten you." He tugged at the hem of my skirt where I had snagged a thorn, and poked his finger through the hole.

"So it appears. Looks like I only have a day left to live now. It's very tragic." I said, a little quietly, trying to suppress a smile.

"Well, then we'll just have to make it a good last day." Aurelius got up and grabbed some corn out of the small pantry. "I'll make us some popcorn."

"You do know how to make everything better." I smiled.

A Tasteless Meal

Dinner was a lot different from usual. Merlin was still gone, so it was Igraine, Uther, Aurelius, and myself. We ate mostly in silence, which never seemed to happen before to my knowledge. Perhaps it was Merlin's absence that silenced everyone, but I would think Igraine and Uther would just go on with their wedding conversation. Aurelius didn't seem to be eating much, but simply sat there and nudged at the food a bit, staring down at his plate. He was wearing red in place of his green and his hair was slightly damp from being washed.

Mid-way through the meal a brown haired messenger with rosy red cheeks came through the doors panting. He bowed before the table, and Aurelius motioned for him to come forward.

"What is it that troubles you, Fredrik?"Aurelius asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

"The saxons are already on the move, sire. If we are to be set up before their arrival we must leave first thing in the morning." Fredrik was breathing a little easier now, but his distress was all over his face.

Aurelius nodded. "Yes, I felt as much would happen. Go on and find the other knights and let them know we are to set out with the sun tomorrow."

Fredrik bowed once again and backed out of the room.

No one said anything, and Aurelius simply went back to nudging his food. I began to grow upset at the apathy present within the room. Surely they felt the same despair I felt at this news.

Uther looked to Igraine and then to Aurelius. "We must be on our way now, we shall meet you at the stables in the morning to say our goodbyes." Uther spoke with no emotion behind his voice.

Aurelius simply nodded.

These were not the brothers I had known before, and it angered me so. Upon Uther's leave with Igraine I turned to Aurelius, unhappiness clearly written upon my own face. "I do not understand, how can you sit there as if nothing in the world has happened? Are not you distraught?"

Aurelius looked to me, a kind of pain etched in his face. "I am filled with so much anguish that none of it can release itself."

I stood up and pushed my chair back in. I was filled with so many emotions I could not even understand, and all I could think to do was just leave. I then proceeded to sit back down, feeling to heavy to move. "I do not know what to do, Ari. I do not wish you to go."

A small, sad smile crossed Aurelius' pale face. "It is my last night here, would you do me the honor of taking a walk with me? At least for a little bit?" He asked softly.

"If you so wish it." I whispered.

Bench Talk

I sat at a bench that looked over the training area where the men drenched themselves in sweat. Aurelius had not slowed down from what I could see, which made me feel a little comforted, but it was very little. Uther was also there to help with training, even though it has been decided that Uther will not be going to battle. Camelot would not know what to do with itself if it should lose both of their Pendragons. At least that is how it has been described to me. Watching them fight I was surprised by how much different they appeared comparatively to the way they fought before, no expressions ever crossed any of their faces and it left me feeling overwhelmed and alone on this cold stone bench.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" A gentle voice asked.

I looked to my right to see Igraine standing, the sun shining behind her, making the ringlets that framed her face radiate. I motioned for to sit and she flashed a sweet smile at me. She was wearing a dark blue dress today that made her sapphire eyes seem deep and endless.

"I am uncertain we have ever had the chance to speak with one another like this, my name is Igraine." She stuck out her hand, light and delicate.

I shook her hand and smiled. "My name is Fia."

"That is a lovely name she said." She raised her hand to my head and rubbed a few strands of my hair between her fingers. "Your hair is very lovely as well. I do not think I have ever seen anyone with such a bright color. I must say I am quite jealous of its beauty." She never seemed to stop smiling, and I wondered if our people back home ever smiled as she does now.

"Oh, thank you." I said, modestly looking back towards the training grounds. "How are you enjoying your stay here?" I asked.

"I am very grateful to be here. I cannot tell you how long I have waited for the day I could be with Uther. I have loved him ever since we met." I looked over to see her gazing dreamily at Uther, who was holding a shield that Aurelius was striking at.

I did not understand what she meant by loving someone the instant she met them. Love was something completely foreign to me. Edgar tried to explain it to me once, after he had told me some story of love, but none of it made sense to me. How someone could end their life for love was beyond me. "You were married at the time, though, were you not?" I asked.

She looked over at me and her smile drooped a little, but never did it disappear. "I was, but it was a loveless marriage. Our parents wanted our kingdoms to have peace between one another, so we were forced into marrying each other. I thought I would learn to love him, but the moment I met Uther I knew I could never love another." She kind shrugged, as if she had no control over her emotions. "I of course miss the presence of my former husband at times, he was good company, but I feel his death was almost a gift to me, as horrible as that sounds."

It sounded dreadful. How anyone could be grateful for a death was beyond me.

Lady Igraine stood up and gave me a smile. "Well, it appears the men are off to clean themselves up for dinner, would you care to accompany me to the dinning hall?"

I shrugged and stood up. "It would be my pleasure." As odd as speaking with Igraine was, I was grateful for the distraction she provided, and suddenly I felt I understood Uther's actions, if only they weren't so caught up in one another.

Ribbons

It's been three days since I woke up from the dragon's hushed, toxic words. The days are quickly dwindling down, and I can feel the tension in the air every time I wake. Each morning I get dressed with Edgar's help then I go to breakfast with Merlin. I can't help but notice how the tension seems to get worse every morning as I sit with Aurelius, who does not express it facially, but emanates it from his bodily presence. I can tell Uther feels it as well, but he tries to push it away by constantly turning his attention to Igraine and speaking of wedding matters at every meal time. I can now understand the nausea Aurelius spoke of before.

After breakfast, Aurelius and I will then usually go for walks together to get things for Merlin, and I think it helps Aurelius. His eyes will get a little brighter and he smiles a little more, yet, I sometimes think it would be helpful for Aurelius to talk things through, but all he ever speaks of is little things: the way the birds sound or how the wind is blowing that day. His voice and words are like bits of beauty, but it is as if he is hiding behind his own beautiful world, a world he knows he cannot hold on to.

We headed back to Merlin with a basket of ribbons, which Merlin uses to tie around people arm's and legs to reduce blood flow.

"We come, baring tidings of beautiful ribbons to pretty your hair with." Aurelius announced as we entered Merlin's room.

"Very funny, Aurelius. Set them over there." Merlin pointed to a shelf as he concentrated on a purple colored mixture that bubbled a little in front of him.

I walked closer to Merlin to get a better look at the purple filled bottle, and was assaulted by a most wretched smell. "Oh, that's awful! What are you doing, Merlin?" I pinched my nose together, trying to keep myself from gagging, my eyes already starting to water.

"It's a new remedy to help with coughs." He looked up at me and smiled, and I was certain I would never get a cough. Never. Ever.

"Can we help you with anything else?" Aurelius asked.

Merlin set his things down. "Ah, yes, come here I need to see how your shoulder is getting a long."

Aurelius sat on a cot and pulled his forest green shirt over his head, causing his hair to stick up randomly like when I first met him.

Merlin poured some clear liquid on a cloth and touched it to the scar that was starting to form around the wound, and starting rotating the cloth in small circles to clean the area. "I'd say this is healed up pretty well. I do not think it will open up now... unless one gets himself stabbed again." Merlin gave Aurelius a knowing look and Aurelius simply shrugged. "Well, I am quite a good physician if I do say so myself." Merlin disposed of the cloth and put a thin coat of his healing paste and then helped Aurelius put his shirt back on. "I would not be objected to you returning to training, just don't let your men strike at your shoulder. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, of course. You know, I thought, being a king and all, I could do what I want anyway." Aurelius huffed.

Merlin patted Aurelius' head. "Perhaps, but a wise king always listens to his friend." He announced. "Fia, walk with Aurelius and make sure he listens to his doctor, will you? I need to make a house call, so I am not certain when I will return."

"Of course, brother. See to it you make them well." I said.

"Always do." He smiled, with something odd behind his eyes.

Garden Talk

We walked out amongst the garden's of the castle. The wind seemed to tiptoe through the air, carrying soft murmuring from the bustle of town-square as it went. We walked slowly, allowing all the different scents from the different flowers to reach our senses. Aurelius made no sound, not even his foot steps would give him away. In the midst of all the flowers I could not even make out his scent, which usually smelled like a musky tree right after a rain storm. Most may not appreciate its smell, but it reminds me of nature, that Aurelius is grounded and strong.

Aurelius sat on a stone bench next to a rose bush with roses that have yet to bloom. He made no motion to me, but simply stared off into the distance. He seemed very heavy.

I sat next to him and gazed at his sullen posture. "Does something trouble you, Ari?"

A smile broke across his face and he looked over at me. "Did you just call me Ari?" He asked. I nodded. He paused for a minute and gazed again towards the trees of the forest. "I feel very troubled, but I will not burden you with such things." He straightened up, losing his sense of brooding for simple seriousness. "You should know I will leave in a week's time. The saxons are approaching, just as we have predicted, and will reach the border within a week or so. I suppose I may feel troubled that I have been scolded for training, but Merlin knows how necessary it is, I can't just sit here!" He stopped himself and took a deep breath. "Sorry, that was irreverent of me." He gave me a half-smile, filled with so much sorrow I thought it to be contagious.

"Do not fret, you are the strongest and bravest man I know. The saxons will flee the moment they lay eyes upon you, I am sure of it."

Aurelius gave a real smile that time. "You do know how to cheer someone up." He looked away again. "Hmm. I suppose if I must rest, I shall not mind spending that time with you. You really are quite fascinating." He chuckled. "Plus I do not have to sit through hours of unnecessary details like I do when I speak with Merlin, or that rabbit friend of his... what was his name? Edger? He really needs to be more careful, if a servant sees him no one will be able to protect that oddly dressed rabbit." My eyebrows furrowed at his words. "I met him when I visited you yesterday, my how he goes on.... But as I was saying, about others finding him, it really would not be good. Magic may not be punished like it is in most places, but a talking rabbit would not go over well with the people. I have no doubt they would either go after your brother or Edgar himself." Aurelius shook his head, "Enough about me, I would like to hear about you. I have decided to learn as much about you as I can before I depart."

I did not know what to say to this man. It would seem Merlin has told him a lot, so surely I could trust him by now. After all, he saved my life, he deserves to at least know the person he saved. Yet, there was something I knew well, and that was that he was keeping something from me, but what it was I haven't the slightest clue. You could just see it in his eyes, the way they seemed downcast, even when he smiled.

"So, tell me miss Fia, what kind of things do you adore?"

What did I adore? "The way the earth smells after it rains." I said, it being the first thing to come to mind.

"Ah, so you like the smell of earth after it rains, but not the rain itself?" He asked.

I looked at him for a moment, trying to put my thoughts together of what I know of myself. "The rain makes me weak, therefore it is unfriendly to me. Yet, sometimes, I wish to dance in it, and do not even know how to dance." I said, a strange kind of smile crossing my lips.

Aurelius smiled. "Tell me something else."

"I do not care much for dragons..." I started slowly. "I feel they haunt me, in the woods and in my dreams.... I do not understand what it is they want, and my brother wishes to protect them. I do not care much for dragons, and I do not think they care much for me."

"Yes, I do not think they care much for you, not in the way everything and everyone should."He murmured.

Doctor's Orders

I rested for a while under Merlin's watch. Occasionally Edger would come out to lecture me about something, but Merlin always sent him back to the room. We never knew when a servant would come in and did not want evil rumors to be spread about us. I eventually got so bored I started reading merlin's book of herbs, non of it sticking of course, yet it was slightly more interesting than staring at the stone ceiling. After I got about twenty pages into the book a knock came upon Merlin's door.

"Come in." Merlin chimed.

Aurelius came striding in, a smile spreading across his face as he glanced my way. "Well, look who finally woke up." Aurelius came over to me and sate near my feet. "I thought for sure you would never awake. Things were just starting to settle down." He smirked at me and I felt a slight blush. "Here, I got this for you." Aurelius handed me a brown packed wrapped in string. I ripped away and the paper and found a red cloak. "Your purple one was kind of ruined, so I got you this red one, it goes better with my kingdom anyway." He winked.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, I am very grateful."

"Aurelius..." Merlin's tone was a bit worrisome. "How is your wound, you haven't gone and opened it again, have you?" Merlin walked to Aurelius, pointing at the spot where Aurelius had been injured that night I treated him. "How many times must I patch you up for the same thing? Surely your training can wait a day or two."Merlin prepared a paste for Aurelius while Aurelius removed his dark blue tunic.

"You know I cannot, Merlin. The Saxon's could be heading for us right now, I cannot let myself weaken." The cut on Aurelius' shoulder had opened and was oozing slightly. I also noticed that he had a cut going from his right eyebrow to his cheek bone, practically healed from the looks of it.

Merlin began to rub medicine into Aurelius' wound, causing Aurelius to wince a little. "Well, as your doctor I refuse to let you train anymore today or tomorrow." Merlin's voice was harsh and his stare solemn. "It's risky enough going to war with perfect health, going with a festering wound is not the smartest idea."

"Merlin..." Aurelius had a groan to his voice. "What am I to do while my men train then? Surely you cannot expect me to entertain my brother's betrothed for hours. You know I do not care for wedding talk."

"Wedding talk?" I asked.

Aurelius looked at me, tiredness in his eyes. "Uther is to be married to lady Igraine. I cannot express how many painfully hokey dinner conversations and lunch conversations I've had to suffer through." He shook his head, as if it was the worst thing in the world. "I am happy for them, but I simply wish I did not have to talk about how happy I must be for them all the time."

Merlin sighed. "Yes, I find your feelings very agreeable. Why don't you take Fia for a walk while I treat my other patients. She should start getting use to walking around before she becomes sloth-like."

The Calm After The Storm

I awoke a day or two later, my mind fuzzy with thoughts of rain and dragons. Every time I tried to make sense of what happened everything would grow foggy and abstract, as if the rain was caused by the mouth of the dragon, or that the dragon was not actually a dragon. I could not find sense, and sleep pulled me back anytime I tried to find it. Chaos, destruction, and rain... that's all that rallied my being in those long hours of sleep and nightmares.

Then there was a dream, at least I thought it to be a dream. I was in the forest once more, trying to find my sense, when I heard something large moving next to me. Yellow eyes struck my soul and the dragon reached out as if to eat me, and words came from his mouth in the form of a putrid stench. "Your efforts are worthless, you cannot save what you wish to save, and surely you'll be left with only a grave. Every time an answer you seek, another falls and another grows week, but all will die... that is the rule of your magic eye."

I bolted upright from my sleeping position on one of Merlin's cots, retching at the memory of that dreadful smell. My breath came in gasps and my head was pounding, my surroundings appeared fuzzy, as if they were not really my surroundings, and I thought for a moment that the dragon would come to break down the room.

"Fia!" Merlin was at my side, grabbing my arm to check my pulse. "You should not have sat up so quickly, how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts." I muttered, reaching my hand up to my right temple. My fingers found the rough texture of a bandage that was wrapped around my head.

Merlin reached up and undid the bandage slowly. "You slammed against that rock pretty hard, we were worried you had a severe concussion that couldn't be fixed, but i'd say you're doing quite well." Merlin took a cloth to my head and dabbed at it gently. "You look much better." Merlin smiled at me, great dark circles under his eyes and a mess of hair told of his lack of sleep.

I laid back down, tired already from sitting up. "What happened?" I asked. "I can't remember."

"Well, when Aurelius came back in from his little match, he came to speak with me for a bit, as he usual does. After a while we heard the sound of thunder and Edgar came bursting out of the room, scaring Aurelius quite a bit, which I found humorous, and explained that since you are of a fire magic rain is very dangerous and could drain you until you were unable to move. Aurelius then started yelling at me for not knowing such things and we left to find you. Aurelius grabbed his bow and arrows in case of a wolf, whatever that meant, and we searched for you until we found you slammed against the rock." Merlin gave me a look which made me feel very young and ignorant. "You should have been more careful, Fia. I did not like that your carelessness caused a dragon's death."

"Are you kidding me? That thing was going to kill me and you're upset that I was a victim?"

Merlin shook his head, "No, that is not what I am saying. You were careless and wandered into the dragon's home, and dragons are territorial creatures and it was simply trying to survive, which would have just been easier if you had just come back. There are very few dragons left, and I fear their race, while given a bad reputation, will be killed out for simply being protective." I thought about the weird feeling I had after Aurelius had killed that wolf, oddly similar to the words of Merlin. "We are not human, Fia, and I expect you to act as such. Our people do not kill out of fear, and we certainly do not walk into situations like you did. I am simply grateful you survived, do not take me wrong, but you are young and also need to be educated on such things." Merlin turned his gaze downward, his eyes heavier than I have ever seen them. "Those are the kinds of things mother and father would have told you, had they have been here. I am sorry if they sound brash, I did pretty much the same at your age. Looking back I feel i'd do it again if it only meant hearing their voices... When our people turned into a people of silence I thought I would never hear them talk again... and I suppose now I never will."

I sat up slowly and rested a hand on Merlin's arm. "We will save them, Merlin. It is our destiny." The haunting words of the dragon jumped up in my mind, but I pushed them away. I knew my destiny, a dream-dragon simply would not tell me otherwise.

Herb Gathering

I wondered around the nearby forest, collecting some red clover and agrimony. The birds chirped eagerly to one another across the trees and a faint wind stirred some leaves about the woods. I followed along a small stream that led through the trees in a serpentine pattern, finding more herbs growing close to it's nourishing waters. Suddenly there was a sound of rolling thunder, silencing the sounds of the critters of the forest. I looked up, noticing for the first time that dark clouds had taken place of the blue sky. I had wandered quite far from the castle, but I figured I could find a little more red clover before I headed back. I felt light drops of cold rain as I wandered by a cave, where a lot of red cover was growing outside of its entryway.

I turned to head back when a great downpour started. I juggled with the idea of just heading back in the rain, but thought best to try to wait it out, being several minutes out and suddenly feeling tired. I took cover in the opening of the cave, watching the rain fall in the dirt, making mud. I felt even more tired watching the rain, and felt very cold from the water that tried to drench my cloak. The darkness and dampness of the cave seemed to make me feel even weaker so I back up from the entry to lean against the wall. In my attempt, I tripped over something that was lying in the middle of the cave, causing myself to fall backwards and drop my basket. I landed sitting down, but my feet still on top of whatever it was I tripped over. I reached my hand forward to feel it and was surprised by how cold and oddly textured it was. It reminded me of a kind of snakeskin, but harder. Suddenly there was a warmness against my ear and neck. I turned and saw the glow of yellow eyes gleaming from the dark. The darkness moved and shifted into the light, revealing a large dragon with a low grumble in its throat. It opened its mouth and its long, yellow-tinted, sharp teeth gleamed in the dark and the cave filled with the scent of rotted flesh.

The dragon let out a shrill roar that I felt certain made my ears bleed. I jumped up and started running, wishing this dragon was, in fact, a wolf. It followed after me, shrieking awful sounds of terror. I did not know where I was going, only that I had to run. I tried to fit through tight spaces between trees, but no matter what I tried the giant beast ran through it all. In a sad attempt at escaping, I made my way to a tightly wound group of shrubbery that hid behind two trees, hoping I could maybe hide from my pursuer. When I reached it I jumped over the base of the trees, which grew close to each other, but was jerked back by my cloak getting caught on a protruding branch. The dragon caught up within the second, knocking the tree over and sending me flying with it. I landed away from the tree, my cloak ripping away from me. I tried to get up, but with each second I felt weaker and weaker. My mind grew foggy and the dragon became a blur of angry, screaming, blackness.

I desperately tried to think of a spell Merlin might have taught me that would help, but nothing came to mind. The dragon loomed over me and opened its mouth in a putrid greeting. I took a deep breath, thinking it would be my last, before I saw an arrow shoot straight into the dragon's throat. The dragon thrashed about, tossing its head side to side, and smashing trees and boulders. Suddenly Merlin was at my side saying something to me, but I couldn't understand anything he was saying. I looked back to the dragon and saw Aurelius standing in front of the dragon, wielding his sword, bow and arrows lying at his feet. I felt Merlin trying to pick me up, and still trying to talk to me as well as I felt myself say, "At least it wasn't a wolf" before everything went dark and silent.

Lady Igraine

I headed out the back way of the castle, donning my purple cloak for warmth, and found Uther and Aurelius still battling it out. It must have been at least ten minutes I listened to Merlin go on, they both must have great stamina. They were fighting out in an empty arena bordered by wooden posts, similar to that of a farmer's barrier for his creatures. I sat my basket down and leaned against the fence, watching them fight at a fairly decent distant.

Simply by watching them you could tell they were brothers who loved one another. It reminded me of how young boys play with their wooden swords, innocent and fun. The two of them had a constanct smile on their face and poked fun at one another, just as they had before. They were both moving fairly slow, granted it's probably due to the continual fighting, and you could see the sweat jumping from their skin with each swing of their blade. They went on like this for probably five more minutes until Uther unarmed Aurelius and pointed his sword at him.

"You're getting older, brother, I would be more careful if I were you." Uther's grin just about reached from one ear to the other. Aurelius raised his hands up to his shoulders as if in defeat.

"You are quick to judge, but I have not quite waved the flag yet." Aurelius then performed a leg-sweep, casting Uther down at his back, causing him to lose his sword. Aurelius snatched the sword as it flew up and pointed it at Uther's chest. "Now, I believe I am the winner."

Uther sighed. "I'll beat you one day, you just wait." Uther took hold of Aurelius' outstretched hand and allowed his brother to help him up.

Then there was a sound of clapping and Uther's eyes grew large as a lady in a lovely blue dress walked towards the brothers. She smiled at the two, her lips a vibrant coral color and her hair falling down in brown ringlets. She was the essence of beauty.

"Lady, Igraine!" Uther called, and swiftly moved to her. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" Uther took her hand and kissed it, as many do with royalty.

"Please, Uther, you need not treat me so formally. I am here to announce my husband's death. Our kingdom has been desecrated." Her words sounded sad, but the way she looked at Uther almost seemed like happiness. Strange how humans can feel so many emotions at once.

"King Gorlois was no great friend of ours, this is widely known." Aurelius said, eyeing Igraine oddly. "I see not why you feel need to bring us such news."

"I mean not to be rude, sire, but I did not bring such news for your benefit." She gazed upon Uther. "I thought Uther may find it... joyous in some way."

Uther took hold of Igraine's hands. "Oh, you know I do." He smiled greatly. "Come, you must be tired from your journey, you can rest inside."

Igraine nodded and then they were gone. Aurelius walked a bit behind them, stopping a short distance from me, an odd expression on his face.

"Aurelius," I began, "What was all of that about?"

Aurelius' eyebrows were furrowed. "I thought nothing of it before... until now. Gorlois use to be a good friend of ours, but through circumstances became very distrusted. Uther use to spend a lot of time in their kingdom, I never thought Igraine would have been the reason. No doubt she is beautiful, but she was married. I suppose that did not stop them from falling in love. I believe with Gorlois now dead Igraine feels she can finally be with Uther." He looked over at me and his expression softened. "Why, miss Fia, are you out an errands?"

I gasped. "I almost forgot! Merlin will be wondering where I am." I stood up straight and grabbed my basket off of the ground. "You are a very talented fighter, Aurelius. I enjoyed watching you and your brother." I mentioned, wanting to leave him with some kind words.

Aurelius leaned forward on the fence. "I did not know I had an audience, I may have made it more enjoyable." He showed off his half-smile.

"How is your shoulder faring?" I asked. "You didn't hurt it did you?"

"It's better than ever." He said, standing up straight and rotating his shoulder. "I should come to you more often."

I looked at him for a moment.

"I mean, for medicinal purposes..." He scratched his head and cleared his throat. "What are you supposed to be doing, exactly?"

"Oh, right! I have to go gather some herbs and things, I should not be bothering you." I turned and began walking off.

"Well, if any wolves appear just call!" he yelled as I walked away. I turned to see him smirking a little.

Wolves. I laugh in the face of wolves! Ha!