Over the next few days of travel, Adaia and Cyrion got to know Fallyn and her boys. Occasionally, Cyrion would sit up front with Murtagh, or one of the children would sit with him.
She learned that Fallyn had once lived among the Dalish but met her husband during a war a number of years back. They had started out on the same side but ended up on opposite sides of the war for a time.
It was amazing to Adaia to see how in love they were, despite that 'hiccup' in their relationship.
Fallyn also proved to be an excellent mentor, helping Adaia learn how to take care of her son - most of her advice was to listen to her instincts, as they would know what to do.
In the times when her instinct didn't know what to do, she instead helped her learn how to figure it out.
Hungry? Need a change? Just uncomfortable or stressed?
Adaia had no idea how she could figure any of it out - and sometimes, it unnerved her how Fallyn and her family seemed to know what to do at all times wordlessly.
It was on the fourth day that they ran into bandits. Fallyn had put the boys inside the carriage with Adaia and her family and took two swords out from under one of the seats. One was black, the other wine red. Adaia had peered out from inside the carriage and witnessed the carnage the couple unleashed on the bandits - despite knowing Fallyn was a mage, Adaia witnessed no magic.
"How bizarre," she thought. "Wouldn't magic be easier?"
She was spellbound, watching them fight with elegant violence.
"I... need to keep my family safe," she thought, looking down at her son. "I can't rely on strangers to keep my family safe..."
But the smoke on the horizon as they drew nearer to Gwaren caused her heart to sink.
Fallyn leaned her head out the window, squinting at the smoke, as the carriage rolled to a stop.
"What is it?" Cyrion questioned.
"I'm unsure," she said. "Murtagh will stay with you all, and I'll be going on ahead to confirm the situation."
"Is that wise?" Adaia asked.
Fallyn smiled.
"Da'len," she said. "I won't be alone."
To her absolute horror and awe, an enormous dragon landed beside the carriage, almost spooking the horses.
Its black scales seemed to absorb all light as it swung its huge head so one red eye could look into the carriage. Unable to breathe, she clutched Cyrion's hand tightly as Fallyn opened the door, taking the black sword.
"Keep this a secret, will you?" Fallyn winked, then leaned out of the carriage, caught hold of a neck spike, and swung herself up into a saddle on the creature's back.
"The Lady!" she thought, her mind reeling with recollections of every story she'd ever heard of the Fourth Blight, even as the dragon leapt back into the sky.
"We'll be going a lot slower, just until I hear back from Fallyn," Murtagh yelled from the front. "Be ready; we might have some problems up ahead."
"Wh-how? WAS THAT A DRAGON?" Adaia demanded, carefully handing Darrian to Cyrion.
"Yes," Murtagh said, very matter-of-factly. "Her name is Fang, and she is not the same dragon from the Fourth Blight."
"But the Lady... she is the Lady in White, right?"
"Her daughter, actually," Murtagh replied. "Get comfortable; it might be a while."
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Age of the Dragon 5: Dragons, Riders, and Kings
FanfictionLife as an elf in Thedas has always been fraught with danger, especially now, as the Rebels and Cheveliars fight, with common folk caught in the middle. Adaia's main concern is keeping her husband and their growing family safe and fed, but when a ch...
