Ristvak abr Wyrda (Changeling Plot RP)

[Quetzal]

Isrydia and Arlyn would have exchanged glances, but they were being careful and didn't want the Changelings to think they were plotting anything. They heard Konner and Arathale object. They could understand they wouldn't want their privacy to be intruded upon, but the pair thought there were some occasions when exceptions had to be made. Isrydia was more trusting of the Changelings. She might be a Rider as Konner was, but if anything that should mean she should be more willing to allow someone to examine her mind if it was needed - otherwise she would be seen as more of a threat and might earn herself enemies. If this race had never met a Rider and dragon before, what impression would it give for them to refuse? It might well be taken as a sign they had something to hide. Even though they didn't, there was no way the Changelings could no that without checking her mind to make sure. "Arlyn, should we let them?" she looked at the ground in thought, chewing her lip as she tried to make her mind up as quickly as possible.

"I'm not sure. We know absolutely nothing about this entire race, we shouldn't be too quick to trust," the dragon replied with no change in body language to suggest he was speaking to his Rider.

"True, but... we don't want to make enemies out of the Changelings. If they're suspicious of dragons, humans, elves and the like, they might lock themselves up on this island for years to come."

"I doubt they'd wage war on Alagaesia, if that's what you're concerned about. They can keep to their island if that's what they really want."

"Aesira seems curious, I'm sure others are too! They might want to see more of the world. They could be friends and allies. It would benefit them to get along with other races, and they might be able to do more damage than we think. We don't know, as you said, and they might form an alliance with someone else in future. Is it really our place to spoil potential friendship and discovery and advancement for these people just because we were too stubborn to let them look at our minds?"

"You make a good argument. I want the Changelings to be happy as much as you do, but we need to think of ourselves as well..." he paused and Isrydia prompted him impatiently, knowing he'd run dry his fuel against her. "Fine, fine. But the instant they turn against us, I'll use all my strength to fight them. I don't want to get possessed again," he sounded agitated, but that didn't matter.

Their connection was strong so the conversation had only taken a few seconds. Things were spoken quicker when the words were just put into someone else's head without saying them. Sometimes the young woman and dragon spoke in their minds as though they were speaking aloud yet privately, but this time to speed things up they'd just put the ideas and sentences into each other's brains. Isrydia looked between Arathale and Konner. Neither of them looked set to change their minds. "You can examine my mind, and Arlyn's too, your grace. We have nothing to hide, but if you go too deep, you might find personal things we'd rather keep private. If we get defensive about those, it'll most likely just be a reflex. I can defend myself, too, if you try anything," she was nervous, but managed to look confident enough. "Read when you are," she added, removing all the barriers from her mind. A part of her screamed to put them back, but she resisted the urge. It made her feel like she'd walked into the middle of a battle without any armour on. How did I manage before I was a Rider, before I could defend my mind? she thought to herself. There'd been a time when her mind had always been this open, which was a scary idea to her now.

Before Arlyn lowered his guard as well, he spoke to everyone in the room, thinking it best they all knew the warning. "You'll want someone experienced for me, maybe two people. A dragon's mind is notoriously vast. Even I don't know some of the things it can do. I'll help if you get into real trouble, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to. You'll need to be very careful." His voice was sincere and serious; he didn't want anyone getting hurt in his mind.

[Capricorn]

The Queen's golden gaze fixated on Arathale and Konner, and she reared onto her hind legs, bringing them back to the ground and causing cracks in the ice. She seemed angry, and her sudden action seemed to frighten even the members of her court. "What do you have to hide, outsiders? What reason do you have for denying me if you don't have anything to hide? I was not saying that you could either accept or reject that your mind is to be examined. It is either let us read your mind and confirm your intentions, or death!"

Aesira took a few steps back, looking rather confused by this. Was the Queen mad? This wasn't rational behavior at all. She'd heard tales of Changeling queens being mad, but was this one?

A member of the court spoke. "My Grace... If you'll forgive me for this suggestion, perhaps we could make them swear that they have no ulterior motives and that they will not harm us in the Tongue of Tongues? And, if they don't trust us, maybe swear the same thing to them in the Tongue of Tongues?"

The Queen's gaze didn't shift from Arathale and Konner. "There, you have a choice." She spat. "Do you know the language in which one cannot lie, and in which oaths cannot be broken? The Tongue of Tongues? You may let your mind be examined, swear that you shall not harm us in this tongue, or we will kill you." She paused, taking a step closer- her eyes fixated on Arathale in particular. "And we do not fear you. Magicians whom have studied for hundreds of year reside in this hall. No matter how skilled you are in magic, no matter how strong you are of mind or wit or body- we will destroy you if we so choose to."

"My Grace," That same court member said, stepping forward, "Perhaps you should be... Less threatening? After all, we know very little about these outsiders, and perhaps they're stronger than we think." Her last words were added hastily. "But, of course, I have no doubt in our ability to... destroy us, despite our... Slight disadvantage with knowing what they're capable of."

The Queen let her gaze flit to the court member for a moment, disregarding her words. She addressed Isyrdia. "The court magicians shall examine both your mind and that of the dragon." The four Changelings near the orbs proceeded to turn to the dragon and Rider.

((Quetzal, feel free to control the court magicians.))

[Brenton]

Arathale glared at the queen as his jaw clenched in pure righteous fury directed at her words. With a menacing tone, and in the Ancient Language, he spoke. "You dare to threaten me, Arathale bane of dragons? Iwas slaying dragons and spying on enemies long before your race was born as an infant. None but Camarat can match me in strength and Iam a dragon spirit!" As Arathale spoke the last word his body exploded into that of a dragon centuries old. Konner simply cast aside his cloak to show his armor and drew his sword with determination. "Move away from the queen Isrydia. True hosts don't threaten their guests." Out of the sky came Talon who roared in defiance. "I am a knight of the dwarves, friend of three kings, and a rider. If you kill me then this island will not survive."

[Aelodil]

(( If this post ain't welcome, my apologies. Just ignore it and I'll delete it. In any other case, glad to be RPin' with ye ))

A clear thud of wood upon stone shuddered across the small grove of trees. The walking staff was risen again and lowered as an old man hobbled behind his staff. The man, none other than Camarat, walked with his staff in one hand and his weapon in the other. He had both heard and felt Arathale. It was quite hard to miss the fellow what with his careless release of his dragon. Camarat knew that whomever was conversing with Arathale wouldn't have much of a pleasant conversation now that Arathale's already gone this far. As he neared the large city that was still being constructed, he closed his eyes and felt out. He could easily sense a few other people with Arathale - Isrydia, for one, and another strange presence along with presence of royalty and a few others. He continued navigating his way through the treacherous mountain and finally arrived at the city.

Lowering his pointy hat down a little below his forehead, he continued to proceed into the city. He was met by two guards who immediately put their hands on their swords at his sight. He raised his staff up and sheathed his sword."Peace, children. I do not come here to fight. But to come take a friend of mine home. I believe he has been making quite some trouble here. Please, let me pass." he told them, his voice gentle and passionate as ever. The man who had once been able to pass as a 20 year old man with a military history now could only pass by as an old man. The guards stared at him blank in the eye. After a long threatening glare, they took out their swords and each took a wild and vicious slash at him. With a mutter and the movement of his staff upwards, a small sphere of ice accumulated to his front, guarding him. He charged some magic energy into the butt of his staff and slammed it into each of the guards' foreheads, putting them into a deep sleep.

The 'old man', Camarat, walked over their prone bodies and into the city. He made his way towards where he had last felt the dragon spirits' energy and found himself in front of what seemed to be the supposed entrance to a royal palace. Camarat walked inside the palace. No one gave him a second thought. He just continued on his merry way through a flight of hallways and finally into a grand room. The sight in front of him was indeed a frightening one: Arathale, the dragon spirit, and Konner were already armed for a fight in front of what seemed to be of royalty and in the midst of all this was that strange presence he had felt with Isrydia and Isrydia herself there in the midst of it all. Giving a sigh, he continued on his way to them.

Casting a quick, silent spell on himself to increase his speed, Camarat dashed forward and brought his staff down on Konner's head in a manner to scold him, not putting any intentional strength into the hit."Fools!" He hissed,"Is this how you expect to solve every single one of your problems? Through sheer force? Konner, you are to be blamed for still lacking in maturity. You are no longer a young man of the age of 20. Learn! And you, Arathale, I truly expected more of you. As the only one in this room who is as old as I am, I truly expected you to act more wiser. But to release your dragon form in such a place? You should be ashamed of yourself. Just stop this and let me deal with it." He kept his voice low as so they would be the only one's to hear him. He looked at what seemed to be the queen here and said in the Ancient Language,"I apologize for my companions' behavior. I sincerely hope you will forgive them and hear from me these words: They never meant you any harm. They only came here on their ship which had crashed on your shores. Please don't continue to provoke them any further and let it all be." His voice stern despite his old and wrinkled looks.

[Deleted]

(May I?)
Aiedail had remained silent by her orb as was her duty. Not her best talent as she was bursting to hear the stranger's answers to the queen's questions. Informing the guards not to harm the dragons had luckily kept her occupied. Now she was wondering if that had been such a wise choice. Things were escalating quickly and seeing Aesira so close to the dragons she grew tense. Hopefully it could still all be amended, but just in case she motioned for the huntress to join the mages. She was supposed to read her mind anyway so the motion should not cause any surprise.

When the non court changeling had first walked in, she simply thought the human with her had managed to somehow make it further inland and was to be punished. She paid it no attention, simply gave her a cursory glace and dismissing the human as a minor threat to the courts safety. Dawnstalker was the best huntress around and could easily protect herself from a human. Then she realized the human had come willingly and was speaking of a companion. That had caught her attention.

When the first dragon had showed up the fawnling's initial awe had been replaced by caution. That only increased when more of the humans entered the palace. The queen was getting antsy. It was easy now for the cervitaur to keep her mouth shut. The elders were doing a fine job of putting their foots in their own mouths it seemed, on both sides. Not that she could have handled it any better. 

The redhead had turned toward the Dragon and rider upon hearing their minds were to be read. No small task it seemed. Normally she would jump at the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity but she believed the creature about the dangers. Aiedail had studied magic for about a hundred years and been raised by one of the best architect magicians of her hometown but this was way out of her depth. For a second she wished the mage before her had not retired. This is what she got though for wanting to know the going ons of the capital. 

Before she could move an inch it started raining dragons. They were simply popping into existence all over the place. Her already glowing eyes glowed a bit brighter as the two guards outside whose minds were delicately attached to hers shifted. A steady rise in the other mages' eyes confirmed it. Aiedail let go of the communication orb, only to put her hands back on it as the aforementioned magician entered the room. The deer woman held her breath, her heart racing, as she waited for orders. She truly hoped this amazing babysitter would make everything better.
 
The queen had to listen lest she be overthrown or watch her incredibly peaceful race suffer before her, right ? Being the changelings had not known about others they obviously were lacking in hardened battle ready elders. Their magicians were wise and knowledgeable but more so in creative manners. Them being a peaceful race was nice but having others step in to fight their battles was slightly embarrassing she'd admit. That did not make her any less grateful for the wiser old man.  These races must have had the experience of battle and a fondness of it to jump to it as a conclusion so quickly. That made them a foe she would rather not see her people subjected to.  

[Quetzal]

Isrydia and Arlyn were taken aback by the Queen's rage. She'd seemed like a calm, peaceful person. This anger was justifiable, but to the extent it was at made Isrydia think she was overreacting. "She is scared of us," Arlyn spoke his opinion to her. It made sense. Strangers with dragons from legend and dragon spirits previously unheard of were bound to make the Queen wary. When they started threatening her, she would be concerned for her people. Instead of showing fear, she was lashing out in anger. "We will have to tread all the more carefully. We need to calm both sides down or they'll never get along. Arathale and Konner look like they might start a war if the Queen doesn't pledge fealty, kiss their feet and tell them how wonderful they are. The Queen looks the same towards them," he observed.

Isrydia sighed, trying to see it from both points of view. Konner and Arathale were used to everyone respecting them and not challenging them, so to suddenly have someone commanding them enraged them. They wanted the Queen to act like everyone else they'd met, and thought she should trust them without question because of their status and honour. They weren't thinking so much about the consequences. The Queen didn't know about any of the kings or Riders or anything. Arathale and Konner's status in Alagaesia meant nothing to her purely because she had no idea what that meant. A fear of the unknown was universal among intelligent life, so she must be intimidated by the idea of a vast land with many races she'd never heard of. She knew nothing about these people aside from that they were threatening her. She couldn't know they were trustworthy, that they weren't playing some trick on her - everything she knew about dragons had been from the time they fought a savage, brutal war with the elves. That couldn't leave a good impression. She would want to take every precaution to ensure the safety of her people, and what conclusion was she to draw from Arathale and Konner refusing to prove they meant no harm other than that they did mean harm?

This was all guesswork, but it seemed to fit the situation. If only Konner and Arathale would make more of an effort to see from the Queen's perspective. When they refused even to swear they were peaceful in the Ancient Language, she felt angry. It was rare that she ever lost her patience and scolded someone, but this was one of those times. "For goodness' sake, you two! Your titles and honour mean nothing here. They've never even heard of Riders or dragon spirits before, why should it mean anything to them that we happen to be them?" She glared at the large dragon Arathale had turned into. "Would it really hurt just to swear you won't hurt them in the Ancient Language? Seriously, what reasons could you possibly have for denying this entire race the security knowledge that you won't hurt them? A group of strangers from races they've never even heard of before rush into their palace and start threatening the Queen! Don't you see how that looks? We might not know anything about them, but they don't know anything about us, either! Maybe if you just took your heads out of your arses for once you'd be able to see the bigger picture rather than just your precious selves!"

Arlyn stared at her. She was surprised by her outburst, too. Normally she wouldn't say things like that to her friends, but their petty childish attitude was so frustrating right now. Honestly, you'd have thought they were a couple of twelve-year-old squires who had yet to learn that there was no shame in just listening to another person. It was tiring to listen to.

The mages became to probe their minds then. Arlyn sank to the floor, scales matching the ice in colour. It was easier for him to shut down as much of him brain function as possible, putting himself in a sort of trance - he was aware, but his thoughts were slower and he didn't move or speak. It would be easier for the mages to explore his mind if it was as inactive as possible. Contacting others would mess it up most of all, and the mages could get lost in the contact. Isrydia's mind was simpler, human, so while she was less able to act with the uncomfortable feeling of people rummaging around her mind, she could still speak and notice things. She looked at the mages, trying to figure out which was in whose mind. It was hard to tell. They were all in deep concentration and looked experienced and confident, save a younger red-haired woman who looked a bit worried about the task.

She was relieved to see Camarat. She'd met him before, and he was wise, calm, and understood politics better than these two were showing. He scolded the hot-headed men, saying just what she was thinking. "I'm sorry I shouted. Camarat, thank goodness you're here, maybe you'll be able to talk some sense into these two. Konner, Arathale, please listen to Camarat. You say you're strong, and I know you are physically, but that's not the only way in which a person should show their strength. There's strength in swallowing your pride, looking at things from another's perspective, and listening to people when they ask you to do something. Just because someone told you to do something doesn't make it bad. I think we should all just calm down and have a proper discussion so we all know what's going on." Her eyes flitted to the Queen when she said that. The Changeling representative hadn't exactly proven to be the calmest person out there, although Arathale and Konner were causing more problems.

[Capricorn]

The Queen's eyes glowed brighter as the two new dragons appeared. One appeared to have been one of the two men- the other had come from somewhere else. "You outsiders make bold claims! What do you know of our race? We are ancient! I have lived for for eight hundred fifty-seven years- I'm sure that I am older than most, if not all of you. The Changeling race is three and a half thousand strong- many mages, many experienced in their craft. All at my beck and call, over a third of which can easily attack you. It is you outsiders who will not survive."

Aesira walked towards Aiedail, pressing her body against the icy walls. She held up her tail to show her emotions. She was scared, and confused. This had happened so fast. Was this her end?

The Queen's voice rang crystal clear through the icy halls and the minds of all close enough to hear. "Slay the dragons! Slay the outsiders!"

The entrance of Camarat, as well as Isyrdia's lecture, meant nothing to her. Indeed, it seemed although she had ignored it completely. The outsiders meant harm. War had been declared, as far as she was concerned. And the Changelings would fight. Should could have more power than any queen before her had ever had. Her people would respect her, and submit fully to her command. She would conquer the land that these outsiders came from.

"Jierda!" She said, her voice commanding. She had called her magic, and it had answer. Golden light rose up from around her, and moved skyward. In a moment, the ceiling shattered into countless shards of ice, each razor sharp. They began falling, a sight that would have been beautiful if it weren't for its intention- to kill. The court was not even shielded from the magic- they'd have to create their own barriers.

The Queen snatched up a grand scepter from beside her throne. The object was made of gold, but the top was nearly covered in gems of various colors. The Queens' Scepter- an artifact passed down from queen to queen, forged by the first queen, Irili. The Changeling monarch had no crown- her gowns and scepters were the only indication of royalty. This was something that had been shared amongst all queens.

The Changeling Queen took the scepter in her hands, taking energy from the jewels. "Skulblaka arget abr vanyali!" She called out. As the ceiling fell, a silvery, wispy creature that appeared to be draconic formed in the sky above the palace. It dove down, aiming its claws towards Arathale.

"Isthyria, I've had enough!"

The court member from earlier cast her own spell. She shouted in the Ancient Language, her words coming almost unimaginably quickly. One could hear her speaking of shields and magic- it was a spell. A pink sphere appeared around all except for the Queen- even Arathale and Konner. The shards of ice that had not yet fallen to the floor bounced off harmlessly.

The Queen narrowed her eyes. "Nobody addresses the Queen by her birthname. None except for the first. "

The court member cast another spell, dispelling the silver creature in the sky before it could reach Arathale. "We've had enough, Isthyria. All of us. Especially me. Either we end this, now, or your reign is over."

"Freohr!" The Queen called.

The court member strengthened her barrier as a sudden surge of golden magic assaulted it. She began siphoning energy from the ones inside- in particular, the other court members and Aesira. Hardly anything could be seen beyond the barrier except for magic clashing. Sounds could be heard, the sound of magic assaulting other magic to see which magician was stronger. And then, silence- an eerie silence that might have seemed like one didn't even hear the noise before.

The palace walls had been shattered- very little ice remained. Around half of the city had been destroyed in the explosion which was visible for several miles out. Several court members and Aesira collapsed from the energy needed to maintain the barrier. The Queen was lying dead on her throne, the Queens' Scepter empty of energy for the first time since its creation. The only reason that it or any part of the palace had survived was because of the enchantments placed upon them.

The snow around them had been blown off, revealing stone. Hardly any life but that within the shield could be seen. A significant portion of the Changeling race- a small group to begin with- had died. They'd been killed by their own Queen.

And there was nothing left.

[Aelodil]

(( Sorry for the late reply. Thought Timmir'll be joining ))

Camarat had seen what was coming. If he had tried and had acted as quickly as he could he probably could have stopped the death of many, but as it was, he didn't. He thought that this was something he shouldn't interfere directly in. This was between the Changelings and their Queen and their desire to over-throw her. He had nothing to do with it. However, when the court member had placed a shield and began to siphon his energy, he released his energy into her, giving her enough energy to withstand any incoming projectiles but leaving the majority of his energy hidden. He would need it to heal those who were on the verge of death. He looked at the multitudes of people who were scattered on the floor. He walked to them and pushed his staff onto the shield as he left, forcing it to disperse and he reclaimed his energy. He knelt next to the closest one and covered the Changeling's face with his hand and began murmuring some words. Words that had been long forgotten. The Changeling gave a gasp and sprang to her feet, staring at Camarat in shock. The old man smiled at her and moved on.

He repeated the same process multiple of times until the majority who had fallen were back on their feet - but the rest remained on the ground, their bodies mangled far beyond control. Such was the consequences of having a mad monarch. Next he turned to the ceiling and the rest of the palace which was for the most part crushed. He raised his staff above his head and began uttering multiple chants. As he continued his chanting, a small sphere began to accumulate from his staff which began to grow and grow until the sphere covered the whole city. He released his magic and dropped to one knee as his magic began to take place. He had reverted the city's condition back to as it was before the queen had damaged it - not an easy task at all as was clearly shown by the exertion on his face. Finally regaining enough strength to stand again, he turned to Konner and Arathale.

First he walked to Konner. He gave him a dangerous glare. He raised his staff and brought it onto Konner's head in a scolding manner. He shook his head. He then turned to Arathale."Do us all a favor, Arathale, and go back to being human. There are many matters which I need to discuss with you. For one, your naivety is something which cannot be forgiven. You are old yet not wise, I'm afraid to say. Do not take this as an insult, but rather a statement." He said to Arathale in a surprisingly strong voice. Then he turned to Aesira and Aedail as well as the final court member. He smiled at them warmly and began apologizing,"My sincere apologies as to what has happened here. Although the Queen was acting unreasonable, Konner and Arathale are also at fault for goading her. Please accept my apologies in their stead. I also wish to thank you very dearly for the help you have offered Isrydia and for protecting the rest of us."

Finally, he turned to Isrydia and Arlyn. At the sight of how much Arlyn had grown since he last met him - the incident with Nelfarion - he gave a broad grin."Well well, if it isn't my favorite Dragon and Rider. Just look at you! You've grown so much over the many months. Oh, and what's this I see? Elvish ears, eh? A far more angular face?" he said, teasing as he pinched Isrydia's ears. He laughed at himself."You need not apologize for your outbreak, my dear. It is understandable. These two gentlemen have thick stones for skulls and ants for brains." He said to Isrydia mostly with the smile still on his face. He rested his hand on her shoulder for a brief moment, siphoning what energy she and Arlyn may had lost due to the shield then huffed. He looked around him. What a mess. He no longer had his youthful body to jump around the world and explore. Oh no, he was an old man now. He wasn't cut out for this kind of stuff. He looked towards the court member who had rebelled and waited for both an explanation and a scolding.

[Timmir]

((I was. I just wanted to figure out how exactly I wanted to enter the thread before I start writing the post.))

Myrddin was moving at a quick, but steady pace as he headed towards the capital. Word was it that a dragon was in the throne room right now. Dragons were just a myth to most Changlings, so one being in the throne room could prove to be a world changing event. That was something that the mage had to witness for himself.

As the capital city came to sight, something unexpected and horrible happened. A fairly large explosion occured right around where the palace would be at. Myrddin paused for only a moment before sprinting as fast as he could to the capital. Could this have something to do with the supposed dragon there, or did this have to do with something else entirely.

---

"Okay, that should take care of all of the repairs." Farore said with an exhausted sigh as she leaned against the boat. It had proved to be quite a difficult task as they weren't able to recover much of the debris. So instead Farore had to use some of the wooden barrels that they used to store food in order to fix the holes in the ship. While their was some argument from the other sailors, she did manage to weld the wood together using magic, making the ship look as good as new, or as good as new as she can make it.

As she took her break, she heard a massive explosion in the distance. She looked up to see smoke billowing up into the air. Oh no. That can't be good. She thought as she stood up and watched as the smoke rise towards the air.

Wait... Isn't that the direction Isrydia and Arlyn went. Farore realized with a panicked thought as she now became worried for her friend. While she hadn't witness Isrydia leave the ship herself, she was informed by one of the sailors told her that they saw Isrydia heading inland, chasing after what looked like a deer. She had no idea why Isrydia would chase after a deer like that, but knew that the rider must have her reasons.

"Hey. I'm going to check that explosion, and make sure everythings okay." She informed the captain before running off. Once she was sure she was far away from the boat that she couldn't be seen, she transformed into a dragon and began flying the rest of the way their. It wouldn't be long before she saw began to see a city in the distance, or at least, the remnants of one.

[Deleted]

When the ice had first started falling Aiedail had made her own bubble around the now close enough huntress. With so few changelings, it was almost like a small town, and if she had not already known the taller changeling was not a magic user she would have sensed it. It had been harsh of the queen to not think of her own people who could not protect themselves from these shards. The redhead stretched her bubble around her fellow mages and the dragon rider duo whose minds they had been reading. She herself had simply skimmed the human rider's mind enough to satisfy her own curiosity and not give herself a chance to get lost. It had been...educational to say the least and left her with more questions.  Aiedail was quick with her bubble because she didn't know if the mages had been given enough time to detach from the newcomers and cast their own bubbles. They would be needed soon. The light emerald of her own magic had cascaded over them and flashed into existence for only a second before being sucked into the much more experienced court member.

The green was quickly replaced by pink as gold washed over it. Though the young mage had known the first spell to cave the ceiling she did not know the one that brought this wraith. Luckily the court member did and a rush of respect mixed with awe flowed through her. The fawnling's vision rimmed with black and she sank to her knees before protecting what magic she had left. There was no way of knowing how this would end. The explosion echoed in her ears and loyal court members laid all around her. The town was half destroyed. Mom's going to have her work cut out for her, thought the magician about the town. She didn't even know what to think or how to absorb that many of her townsfolk were gone. Then her attention turned to Camarat. He was bent over a changeling and before Aiedail could even think he was harming her, she gasped to her feet.

She watched as he healed many of her brethren. She strained her ears to hear the enchantment he used. It was a powerful one. Aiedail would have helped otherwise but she was still recovering from giving the magician the majority of her magic. Soon she was watching the rebellious court member. Their savior was probably to be the next queen. It appeared both sides in this war were also warring upon themselves. Aiedail hoped that this new uprising would be gentler than the last. She was stronger and that meant if she were to go mad she would not be so easily overthrown. Swyft promised herself after today she was going to learn more than just defense and creative magic. The only reason she knew the spell to cave in the ceiling was from watching her mother correct her own architectural mistakes. There was a whole other world to what she could do besides orbs and bubbles. Then again the rebel had mostly just used defensive magic herself and let the queen bleed herself dry.

Feeling a bit better the redhead eyed the scepter. She wondered if she should put what magic she had protected back into it. The new queen would need it soon to help rebuild this city. Deciding it was as good an idea as any she released her green magic into one of the gems. The scepter would need to be guarded in till the new queen was chosen or emerged. Swyft motioned for one of the other mages to look after it as she wanted to see what the court member had to say. Aiedail herself was an odd mix of grateful to the two magicians and a scared curious about the future. 

[Brenton]

((Woah skipping me are we now? Oh well!))

Konner had been expecting trouble from the queen when he heard the command to slay them all, already tightening his grip on the sword, but then a staff smashed into his skull. Sharp pain jolted through the mortal man's head and into his body as he jerked up to see who had attacked him in such a manner. It was an old man, or so he looked anyhow, who wielded a staff like an ancient mage should. Camarat, dragon spirit mage, was striding into the palace and attacking his own allies for these treacherous scum of deer.

Then he heard Isrydia's outburst and Konner had been through enough with that. Isrydia, rider of Arlyn, I trained you using the skills I learned from Brenton Bromsson and I have been a rider far longer than you have. Do not think that I cannot take you in single combat if it were to come to it. Respect your elders for you are still a youngling to Talon and I. Then the room exploded and Konner barely had time to raise his own sword into the air, directing energy through the blade to call up a red shield over himself and Talon.

He was certain that the people he was accompanying would be able to defend themselves so the rider was not to worried about them but Konner did look over at Aesira with regret. She had been nice to them and it was unlikely he could get to her to protect her as well. Yet the fight was over soon, as the shields were raised and the queen died from trying to penetrate them.

Konner lowered his shield and barely stepped back so the staff that came hurtling at his head was able to be deflected to the side by his blade. Enough with hitting me, Camarat! Or are you going to side with those who threaten us? We were not in the wrong by saying we did not wish to have our minds invaded. Anyone has the right to say that and it should be accepted but the queen decided to threaten us with death. Drawing my blade was only a precautionary measure for if she did try anything drastic. Next time arrive when we do so you can observe the whole situation. Then if you have objections, I will listen to them and take the blow to the head.

Arathale had been in his dragon form, crouched down with his teeth bared in a snarl, when his old ally walked in and began to reprimand him like he was a young child again. No one would take this and he sure wouldn't either from someone who was too cowardly to keep their ability to turn into a dragon. As the fight broke out, the dragon spirit waited for the shields to go up and then he began to funnel energy into his friends so they would survive. Slowly he began to feel the weakening of his limbs but it was short-lived for the fight was over.

Camarat healed people, or deer for that matter, like they deserved to live but the dragon spirit just simply waited for his next enemy to arise. Then his friend walked over and spoke once more to him like he was a youthful fool. With a blinding flash, Arathale rose in his human form and drew Whirlwind with a flourish. "I may not be as learned in magic as you, Camarat, but I am still as old and wise as you. Do not treat me as if I am too young again or I will show you what comes from mages giving people like me blades."

He glared at the mage for another second and then turned to Konner briefly to nod in appreciation. Of them all, only the human rider had been willing to back him up. And he was still willing to if it came to it. Now that was heart and soul meant for a warrior, not a scholar. "Camarat, some of us choose to train our bodies because we have a calling to go to war with those who wage war against us. Others go down the path of scholars and train their mind for magic to learn how to control the world around us. I am not like you because I keep my dragon form so I can help those who need it by fighting. Isrydia and Konner were here and being ordered to let others invade their mind. I said it would harm the magicians to gaze upon me so intimately but the queen decided to force the matter, saying she was able to win a fight against me. A true warrior doesn't take a challenge lightly and let it be uttered without retaliation. That is what I did, defended myself and prepared to fight for my honor."

[Quetzal]

Isrydia looked at Konner in mild disbelief. She hadn't been saying anything about single combat. "Yeah, I know you're physically stronger and more skilled than me. I was talking about using your heads to be diplomatic here, it had nothing to do with single combat at all. Not everything's about fi-" her words were cut off as the Queen began shouting, the ceiling shattering with a surprisingly loud sound. The shards were beautiful, looking like small glittering versions of Arlyn's scales when the light hit them. However beautiful they might be, they were also extremely deadly. Sharp, enchanted, and fast-moving, they were basically tiny arrows of hard weathered ice come to rain down on them.

Events happened so quickly. A great smoke dragon was conjured, a Changeling rose up against her Queen, dissipated the false dragon, attacked, was attacked, and set up a shield. It was a good thing she did. Isrydia and Arlyn both wrenched themselves free of the mages' minds to think better to protect themselves and others. In her panic, shielding spells left Isrydia's mind. Arlyn sensed this and immediately extended a wing protectively over her, pulling her towards him and restricting her view. Still she sought a shielding spell to protect the skin of the dragon's wing, when thankfully one found itself around her. It was pink, marking it as the magic of the Changeling who'd spoken out. The dragon-Rider pair gladly lent their energy to help protect others. Ice shards bounced of harmlessly and pattered to the ground in a melodious tinkle.

Then it was over. Arlyn withdrew his wing. Isrydia looked to see the damage, but black dots inhibited her vision. She stumbled as she tried to walk, falling to her knees. Arlyn was alarmed and gripped the back of the leather shirt she'd been wearing for protection should she encounter anything dangerous in her exploring, but he was too weak to pull her up. She knew she wouldn't fall unconscious, but to avoid being light-headed and weak in what was set to be an important time, she drew a little energy from the ice blue sapphire set into the hilt of Iarmailt, the Rider sword the dwarf Throkk had forged for her recently. Arlyn took some as well. It was a good thing they'd thought to ciphon a little energy into the gem every now and then when they could spare it.

"This will put the Changelings against the late Queen. If we help them now in their time of need they will remember it in future," Arlyn commented. Isrydia looked around and saw that the Queen was indeed dead. By the look of the flattened city, so were many more. She felt sick. Corrupt rulers existed everywhere, it would seem.

Camarat had wasted no time in helping the others who'd collapsed, and had even started repairing the city. It would take a lot of energy to do that, but the old dragon spirit was wise. He knew his limits. No doubt some repairs would still have to be made, and of course nothing could replace those lives that had been lost. Despite her sadness at their loss, she couldn't help but grin when Camarat spoke to her. Her ears were indeed more pointed. Not so prominent as those of an elf or even a half-elf, but definitely more pronounced than her rounded human ears had once been. Arlyn had grown the most. When they'd last met, he'd been barely able to fly with Isrydia on his back. Now he was about a foot taller than a horse, eight months old and able to breathe fire - a mature dragon. "It's good to see you too, and doing well," she replied. However much he looked an old man, he was tough. It would take a lot to take him out, and his natural lifespan was a long one anyway.

"Sometimes you just have to let threats slide, I suppose. You know your strength, so you don't really need to go angering other people with it. If the Queen gets that angry, I say take the moral high ground and be calm as ever so no one can claim you were in the wrong and all blame is on the opponent. I know you both and Talon are strong too, but there's strength in knowing when to sheath the swords. I agree too that being able to fight is important, but there are some situations more complicated that just brute force. Fighting won't settle those, it has to be done by talking, person to person. Right now, fighting the Changelings will only make things worse. They'll want to retaliate just as you did just now, and then we'll have another war on our hands. We have one already, and that's enough." Isrydia wasn't critisising Arathale and Konner, she was trying to explain calmly that right now words would serve better than violence.

"When war is necessary, fight, but when it can be avoided, it should. It's not a good thing. So let's avoid one right now, OK? Let's be nice to the Changelings and see if they'll be friendly in return," Arlyn spoke to everyone but the Changelings. Aesira had been nice even when the Queen hadn't, so the Changelings couldn't be all bad. These beautiful ice structures too showed of an intelligence and creativity beyond violence and destruction.

Isrydia turned towards the Changelings, hoping Konner and Arathale would realise she wasn't threatening their honour or abilities in battle, only suggesting that perhaps they should stop getting so butt hurt over nothing and try talking to the Changelings like normal people. "What now? If you need any help, Arlyn and I will aid you," she offered. It was the least they could do after being in any way involved in the destruction of their capital city and the deaths of many of the their race.

[Aelodil]

(Sorry for the quality. Low on muse)

Camarat slammed his staff onto the ground to get attention and partly to suppress his anger. He pointed his staff at Arathale."Arathale, if you are truly a warrior, then you would know that the strongest of warriors is not one who cannot take a blow to his pride without retaliation but one who could withstand such a blow but continue to act mature and play it out. After all, even strength must bow down to wisdom at times. And this is one of those times. I would very much rather not making myself your enemy. The last thing the people here need would be a squabble between the two of us. If you would not mind retiring for the day and let me handle the diplomatic part of this it would be appreciatted." Camarat said to Arathale, his voice strong and commanding. Just for extra measures, Camarat pointed his staff to Arathale's sword and ordered it to return to it's sheath. Then he turned to Konner.

Camarat's eyebrow twitched with a little sense of anger. He never knew his own friends were this thick. As Konner spoke to Isrydia, Camarat heard the hint of a threat in his voice. His eyes flashed dangerously. Konner was acting rash, too rash. But it seemed his dragon made up for the sense that was lost in his Rider."Konner. Make sure to watch your tongue. You are blinded by hate. You see Isrydia now as your enemy and the words you utter are like poison spilled on a fresh wound. Restrain yourself, Konner." Camarat responded to Konner's argument. This conversation was getting rather annoying. Camarat looked at Talon in the eyes and something flashed through Camarat's eyes and he hoped Talon would understand; He hoped he could take Konner away for awhile. The man was too angry to act properly now as was Arathale, however, he couldn't do anything about Arathale without having to spar with his old friend, something he wished to avoid.

Camarat couldn't help his head's nodding in agreement to Isrydia and Arlyn's words. True words indeed. What a sad world it was becoming - where the young are wiser than the old. Another thing he couldn't help noticing was the murderous glint in Arathale's and Konner's eyes. They were angry at him for healing the Changelings. He frowned. Wouldn't they had done the same? If you were looking at someone right in front of you who was in need of help and you could offer the help they needed, would you not help them? He was generally confused. Finally, he turned to what remained of the Changelings' royal court and asked the same as Isrydia,"How may we be of any assistance?"



A large flap of wings could be heard across the city and the guards on the watch towers, already in chaos and disoriented by the destruction of half the city were thrown into fresh disarray as a hulking white mass stopped right in front of their city. A small figure slid down from the hulking mass, more commonly known as Valinor. Anurin took his first step on the icy ground of the North. With a wave, he signaled Valinor to take a rest. He would need it. Vanilor grunted in appreciation and wrapped himself around a chain of mountains and fell into a deep slumber. Anurin was dressed in his formal attire for the Air Branch; The flowing white cloak along with the tunic dragged along the snow as he made his way to the city. The guards didn't even bother trying to bar his way. There was this sort of commanding aura to him that made them make way.

As soon as he entered the city, Anurin saw the signs of his friends; all he had to do was follow the destruction all the way to the - palace? Anurin frowned. Why the royal palace? Were they foolish enough to attack the Queen!? He put that thought aside. He doubted it. As much as they didn't like wounds to their honor, he didn't think they'd go that far. Especially not Arathale. Anurin made his way past the groaning bodies of the wounded as he made his way to the royal room. He healed those he could on his way and left the rest to mourn the dead. As he reached the doors, he slowly swung them open and walked inside. The sight was rather confusing. Arathale, Konner, Talon, Camarat, and... wait wait wait. Was that Isrydia and Arlyn? He gave a small audible gasp. They had grown so much! In the midst of this unlikely group was a bunch of Changelings and the presence of a recently deceased. The Queen, he guessed. She must have committed suicide, he decided. His friends wouldn't kill her. Definitely not. As Anurin walked into the room, it grew abnormally quiet. He broke the silence, facing Isrydia and Arlyn with the declaration,"You look like an elf, Isrydia. And Arlyn, you look like a fully grown dragon! My god, how much you have changed! I'm glad to see you again." A broad smile on his face. He turned to the grim-faced Changelings and put his hands on his hips. He had a quick conversation with Camarat and understood. Ah. He turned to the Changelings and gave a slight bow with his head."Anurin, too many titles to start with, so just call me Anurin. At your service." He said with a slight flourish.

[Capricorn]

((Sorry, just now realized that it's my turn!))

Aesira rose up once more, using her hands and all for legs. She had to be careful to balance her weight- a normal deer would be capable of standing up much more easily, but her elven part added more weight than she liked and made getting up after a fall difficult. Deer weren't meant to fall, she simply assumed. Half-deer, well, a fall was worse for them. The Huntress was glad that she had managed to hone her balance and running abilities- she wasn't as fast as Changelings specifically trained as runners, but she had plenty of coordination and hadn't fallen since she was a fawn.

The council member glanced around in shock. The ground was gray, and looked almost sickly. The outsiders may have seen it as ash, but it wasn't. There was simply nothing to burn on this island. The council member turned around, and realized In shock that a large part of the mountain had been destroyed, too. Not entirely- clearly the stone had absorbed some of the impact and been ground into this "ash"- but a good portion of it was gone, too.

She lowered her head slightly, speaking to nobody in particular. "It's gone, it's gone. By the stars, I swear I never knew that this would happen... I never knew that she would snap like that. We had been having some issues with her, but... Your arrival just caused so much to happen at once. And now it's gone. Gone."

She began to pace, turning her head away from the newcomers. "They- They never knew. I don't know how many won't believe us. Plenty will stand by us, but what of those who supported her? What will the countesses do? The choice of Queen is up to them, and I don't trust them to make the right choice..." Her voice became more high-pitched, and tears glistened on her face. "I-I c-can't-"

Aesira stepped over to the council member, and glanced over to Aiedail. "I don't think you're in the right emotional state to deal with this right now." She said, before addressing the newcomers. "Help... Yes, there are two other cities. One is along the coast and the other is to the east of here. Each has a palace, not as large as this one, but still very similar. A countess is upon the throne of each of these palaces. They need to know what's happened so that they can take control of the city and pick another queen. If two of you could fetch them, that would be very useful."

Aesira nodded in welcome to Anurin, but was unable to properly welcome him because she had temporarily taken charge of the situation. The Huntress gestured to Aiedail and the council member still beside her, who was currently silent with her eyes closed. "Could you please help me take her to somewhere calmer? Maybe in the city?" She asked, before glanced around. "We could use some of you in the city, too. To help inform the Changelings in the city. I'm afraid that we won't be able to offer you shelter, though. And I wouldn't be able to, anyways. I'm just a huntress."

[Brenton]

Konner was standing there, his shoulders set in defiance and a blaze of anger flashing across his features, while everyone surrounded him. He had only been defending himself and now they were saying that he had been in the wrong but what did any of them know about being wrong? Konner was a knight who grew up in Farthen Dur with a family that didn't try to care for him during all of his training. That was wrong of them. He went to Ellesmera after getting Talon to hatch and learned from Brenton who now was going insane from a cruxis crystal. That was wrong of the king. Konner was not the one who did things that were wrong for he only defended those that did. Well maybe the assassin rider would just have to set all of them straight.

With his mind made up, Konner opened his mouth to start speaking but suddenly he couldn't form any thoughts aside from gibberish. Words eluded the man and his mind grew fuzzy as his limbs grew heavy just before an arm wrapped around his throat and Konner saw darkness start to welcome him. Cool darkness that wouldn't care what he did as long as he was there to accompany the insubstantial lack of light. As Konner's head hit the ground, the arm was pulled from around his neck and he began to cough violently, blood coming from his mouth where he'd bit his tongue.

Next thing he knew, a shadowy figure was crouched next to the man and all light was blocked from his vision once more. You are too quick to violence and that is why I choked you out just now. Not because I wished you harm but because if I'd hit you then you would have died. Don't gather magic to harm them again, especially not Isrydia. Or the next time I will kill you Konner Derriksson.

When the light came back into his eyes from the shadowy figure standing up, Konner jumped up, already drawing his sword, but he met with a boot to the chest. Talon, take your rider back to the ship where he can't harm anybody while Skailah and I speak to the group. There is much to be done here and we can't have a violent youthful man like him here to interrupt. The red dragon complied and flew off with Konner, heading back the way they had came.

Brenton looked over and smiled to himself. He had walked through a rift just in time with Skailah and that caused him to be able to save everyone there who couldn't protect themselves as well. The only reason the king had recognized that there was going to be an attack was because he had trained the man himself and so he knew how he reacted when he thought people were ridiculing him. This was one of those times. Still now was the time for speaking about what Skailah had wanted instead of dwelling more.

So Brenton walked with Skailah toward the center of the room where they stopped and the king looked at everyone carefully. Finally he spoke with an air of authority not necessarily directed at any of them. This was a foolish situation for you all to get yourselves into. Now a matriarch is dead because she thought that her land would be attacked and all you had to do was consent to let her read your mind long enough to see you meant no harm. What is the big deal with that? Arathale, my father adopted you because he saw promise in the way you act but if he could see what you just caused then he would be just as angry as Camarat if not more so. Camarat, yet they were wrong to cause this but you were also wrong to attack them with your staff. Preaching about not fighting when fighting is unnecessary just to hit someone over the head makes you a hypocrite. Isrydia...you've never gotten so upset before and all because two men were thick skulled? Have you learned nothing from your time around me at all? I would think that you would know men are stubborn and that getting upset just drives them insane. When he spoke to Isrydia, Brenton's voice got softer and he looked at her with sadness in his gaze.

Finally he turned to the others in the room. My name is Brenton Bromsson, king of the elven nation and rider of two dragons. Both dragons are dead but they taught me that it is best to listen to what others have to say and to help when you can. Unfortunately I can also claim to be on the side of the coin where insanity was my ally for I am not perfect. Because of that, I offer you my aid in rebuilding for as long as I can to hopefully atone for the wrongs I have caused and to show that I am not who people think I am.

Skailah had walked over to Arathale and glared at him for a second before slapping him across the face hard. "Don't ever cause this much damage to another land again or I will take it out on you. You're not the only one as old as Camarat so don't act like you are all high and mighty." She walked briskly over to Camarat and smiled broadly. "I would've been here sooner but Brenton was too busy obsessing over Isrydia and moping around because he can't have her, not like she's an object, to do much of anything. Finally I told him you might be able to help him later on down the line if he helps out, even if you just set him straight with his obsession."

[Timmir]

Farore looked at the ruined city ahead of her, thinking of what her next course of action should be. She couldn't just fly into the city in her dragon form. It would bring her to much attention to whoever live in the city, and could cause undue problems. So instead she landed and transformed back into her human form, running the rest of the way there.

As she reached the city, the first thing she noticed was Talon flying over head, heading back towards the ships. At least, Konner and Talon are still alive. But what happened, and where are the rest? She wondered as she quickly moved through the city.

She had to admit, it caught her off guard as she saw the city's citizens. It was just weird for her to see deer-elf hybrids. As far as she knew, there were no records of such a race ever existing, Then again, she didn't know of any records of Dragon Spirits existing either. It did explain why she was having such a hard time walking through their city though.

Sending her mind out, she had quickly found that Isrydia was still alive, but was towards the direction of where the explosion was at. She also sensed that Brenton along with other she did not recognize were there as well. Brenton? How did he get here? And where is Gretzal for that matter? She wondered as she continued on her path towards ground zero.

"Hey. Your one of the outsiders that came with the dragons, right?" Farore heard someone call out to her. She turned to see that it was one of the hybrids who seemed to be trying to be attempting to heal someone who seemed to have been injured by the explosion.

"Uhh... Sure." Farore said hesitantly as she approached the man. Right now she wanted to know what was going on, but seeing how she knew that Isrydia and Arlyn were alive and with Brenton, she decided a short detour helping these people couldn't hurt. Especially if her suspicions "What do you need me to do?"

[Aelodil]

Something about Camarat's feature changed. He snapped. He finally snapped. He had it. First he tries to calm down two people he personally knew as thick-headed numb-brains, scolds them with a light whack on their thick-headed skulls with his staff, heals the injured, tries to calm everyone down, and finally, the last straw: Brenton comes out of no where and actually tries to scold him. He grasped his sword, Vasilis' handle heavily in his hand. He gave a small twitch. He really had had it. Taking a deep breath, he sheathed Vasilis and soothed himself. He watched as events unfolded themselves. A lot of chaos was within the Changelings' ranks and it was to be expected. A couple of strangers walk into their city and a few seconds later their queen's dead. It's to be expected that they'll be confused.

"Hello, again, Brenton. Can't say it's nice to see you, honestly. Hope you'd excuse an old man's rudeness for speaking their mind. I wasn't attacking them per say as much as I was scolding. A little whack on the head isn't an attack. No decent man would walk into war while abandoning a sword for a staff. Except maybe me. But that's not the point. The point is, you should be just a tad bit more attentive next time." He said to Brenton, his voice giving a subtle hint that he didn't really feel happy about Brenton's arrival. "With this done, I'll be taking my leave. Bye bye. And take care, Isrydia, Arlyn, and the rest of you of course." He said his goodbye as he strode out the palace with a quick friendly smile and wave to Skailah.

Anurin put his hands on his hip. Between the oldest around, Camarat was the one with the shortest fuse. Anurin sighed. What a pain it would be to talk to him after this. Oh well, what was done was done. He made the mistake of trying to ask Vanilor who was still asleep, draped around the whole of the nearby mountain and received punishment. Vanilor roared, loud and clear, and began scolding Anurin. "The mountain's demolished, Anurin, demolished! For crying out loud, how bad would it have been for you to just hurry up a little? Then my bed here wouldn't be in such a state! But nooo, we had to walk by slowly to see the view. Well, would you like to see the view now, eh!? It's terrible!" Vanilor yelled at him in his mind. Vanilor went on a little more then finally gave it a rest.

By the time Vanilor had stopped, Anurin looked like a true and through old man. He shook himself to get the feeling off his back. Vanilor was far more scarier than Anurin and when he was angry like that.. it wasn't something to be happy about. He looked around him. The place was in shambles, to say the least. Camarat had began the repairs but that was about the best he could do in his current condition. Anurin hesitated before asking out loud, "Um.. I'm not gonna ask what happened, but rather, what can we do to make up for it? Our party's also to be blamed in part for what happened here. Please feel free to ask us anything. Of course, other than examining our minds; We all have seen how badly that turned out."

((Sorry, bad quality, I know. I'm not feeling well, but I thought I should post because I don't wanna keep ya'll waitin'))

[Quetzal]

Isrydia had to smile when Anurin turned up. She was of the Air Branch too, and hadn't seen him since the unsealing of said Branches. That had been back when Arlyn was still the smallest dragon in all Alagaesia, not even reaching her elbows. New hatchlings had hatched since then, so that was no longer the case, to Arlyn's relief. While her ears and grown a little pointed and Arlyn had just plain grown, Anurin looked the same. Valinor must do, the white dragon being so large any gain in size wouldn't be noticeable compared to how large he was already. "It's good to see you too."

"I wouldn't be fully grown if it weren't for you, Anurin. I won't forget that," Arlyn said, still grateful for what the ancient Rider had done. He'd been the one to properly heal a particularly nasty wound he'd got from a Shade when he was little over a week old. The wound had stunted his growth for a time, but Anurin had seen to it that it healed completely so let him grow as he would naturally.

Isrydia didn't know what to say to the poor stressed out Changeling worrying about who would rule. It wasn't her place to suggest anything on the matter. The Changeling should sort out who ruled them themselves. She jumped at the chance to help when it was offered, relieved to see she could do more than just stand around awkwardly. "We can do that. Arlyn's probably able to carry two people, but not three, so we'll have to make a second trip or someone else will have to go get the other countess."

Before she could leave, however, Brenton appeared. She was surprised to see him materialise out of nowhere, but in some ways shouldn't have been. Whenever anything happened he always had to turn up. A lot of the time that meant him trying to assert himself where he really didn't belong. That never ended well. Thankfully this time his arrival wasn't an intrusion on anything, and for once his speech was against violence and blind rage. In her experience he was often the one acting on violence and blind rage, so it made her uncertain of what he would do to see him sensibly for once. She ignored his introduction of himself, having heard it all dozens of times before, and instead looked at Skailah. She looked familiar, but she couldn't quite pin down where they'd met before.

When Brenton was done, she frowned at him. "I don't think anyone can help him with his obsession," she remarked to Skailah, then spoke to her friend. "Brenton, it's more the fact that their thick-headedness helped drive the Queen to blowing up an entire city, killing hundreds of people, that made me angry. People are stupid all the time and I can refrain from shouting at them, but when acting like that has such serious consequences as starting wars and needlessly slaughtering hundreds of innocents and destroying a beautiful city, yes, forgive me for getting angry. Being a man has nothing to do with being stubborn or short-tempered either, so that's no excuse." She wasn't taking any of that nonsense. It would be insulting to men to say they were all as angry and violent as that. Plenty were perfectly reasonable, controlled people. "Arlyn and I must fly now. If your over-inflated egos had physical form, I doubt even from up there we'd be able to see an end to them," she directed the last remark at Konner and Arathale as she lifted herself onto Arlyn's back, the dragon crouching to make it easier for her. He said nothing as he looked around the room, then leaped into the air and took off with a strong beat of his wings, rising up through the ruined ceiling.

Where were you? she'd nearly said, if you're so helpful and against violence, why didn't you just show up while the Queen and her subjects were still alive and the city still stood? She'd had to leave then, or she might had shouted those words and colder ones at Brenton. She was uncomfortable with him being there, seeing the way he looked at her, and she was still not calmed down from Konner and Arathale. She hadn't been this angry in... well, she couldn't remember being this angry. Her hands shook as she tried taking deep breaths to calm herself once she saw the ruined city. They had done this, all of them, it was their fault. That meant some of the blame rested with her. She'd failed to stop those lackwits making ruins of what could have been a great civilisation. Their city had been so impressive! Below, she noticed Farore helping some of the wounded. It was a stretch at this altitude, but she managed to reach her mind, gently sharing with her the memories of what had just happened; the arguments, hers and Camarat's failed attempts to calm everyone down, the Queen killing her own people. She let her know where she was going too, in case Farore could spare the time to fetch the other countess.

"You shouldn't have said such harsh words to them when you left," Arlyn scolded her. She sighed. "I know, it was a stupid thing to do. I let anger get the better of me," she felt quite guilty for the cruel words she had said. It was a good thing she had left. Maybe she would have calmed down enough by the time she returned to keep herself composed and level-headed for the rest of this messy affair. They made for the nearest city, a glittering beacon of ice. Smaller than the one they had just left, they were relieved to see it still intact. It didn't take very long to reach there, only a few minutes. The island was so small it was only a couple of miles between the cities.

Aryln landed outside the gates and Isrydia dismounted before astonished guards. People had seen them flying near and some had sought shelter while others had joined the gaggle of Changelings muttering excitedly to one another at the gates. They stared and her and the dragon. Shock was clear at seeing the dragon, more shock at seeing him allow a mere human to ride on his back. "So it's true." Once guard managed to speak after a moment's silence. "We got word through the orbs not to harm dragons if we saw them, but we just thought it was a joke. Communication cut out, though, and we heard the explosion... what's happened?" she looked at the two with severe distrust in her eyes.

"I need to see the countess. It's urgent," she didn't have time to explain herself.

"What, so you can kill her too? You and that lizard may have tricked her, but you're not fooling me. You're strong, no doubt, but there are lots of us. We're strong too." She had the glowing eyes Isrydia had seen back in the first city.

"I do not mean anyone any harm. I must speak with your countess, for the good of your people," she swore in the Ancient Language. She didn't know the word for 'Changeling' so had to say 'your people' instead. The guard clearly didn't trust her, but reluctantly led her and Arlyn through the gates. More guards surrounded them as if they were a dangerous captive, the crowd that had gathered following on behind to get a longer look at the dragon. More people stared out their windows as they passed.

[Deleted]

Aiedail tried to keep up with the Riders in their own negotiations but she soon gave up. The second one left another appeared to take the previous one's place. The palace was quiet a whirlwind of people at the moment and the redhead was grateful when the huntress asked her to escort the council member outside. The council member was slowly losing it and the young mage moved to her side opposite Aesira. She gave a nod signaling she was ready when they were and listened as Aesira took charge.

The slightly younger changeling struck a much more imposing figure than she did herself. The other was quiet a bit taller for starters and Aiedail was glad someone was stepping up to the plate. Swyft was no longer surprised at the violence after watching the way the strangers were forced to handle their own. Granted they had just had to go through the same lengths with their own matriarch. The court member was just relieved that these powerful beings were choosing to help at the moment. She thought it wise to keep her own mouth shut and just observe for fear of saying the wrong thing in the face of these newcomers.

Just as the female human had said they'd need another to fetch the countesses, another showed up. Aiedail knew she and the others could telepathically relay what had occurred here. This was definitely better a situation proved in person however. Having a dragon pick the countesses up was a better explanation than any. As the woman took off, Aiedail took a step towards the castle entrance. She was ready to be away from all these outsiders. So much had happened today, she was in shock. A whole mountain was gone for Irili's sake she thought, still not quite able to absorb what that entailed.

The destruction around her was startling. They lived on such a peaceful island. Here they were surrounded by death and ground rock. In the sky the dragon was fading out view and Aiedail allowed herself a half smile at the thought of a changeling riding the magnificent beast. Their arrival would be one she would like to see. She knew her curiosity would be the death of her one day. Curiosity did kill the werecat after all. The sounds of hooves brought her back to the present and she wondered if she should take the council member outside herself. Everybody was now vying for Aesira's attention.