Alistair and The Dragons

Chapter 21 - New Ways

Alistair's POV

I jumped down a flight of steps, heading towards the building where the elf warriors trained. My entourage of dragons and elf guards were hot on my heels. The guards were clearly wary of the dragons but their job was to protect me at all cost.

I waved at a few people as I walked through the main street of the city. Many people waved back but their ears gave away their true emotions. Their ears pushed back and down, showing that they were scared, worried and very unsure.

I had been King for only a little over a week so it was understandable that they wouldn't trust me yet. I pulled open the large metal double doors, letting the sounds of metal clashing and grunts escape. As soon as I entered the training room, everyone got quiet and bowed on a knee. I nodded my head signalling that they could stand. I had told everyone there was no reason to kneel but they had ignored my words.

"Today you are going to try a new type of training." I said, holding out my arm so Soren and Varon could land on it. "Training with dragons."

There were some soft murmurs from the warriors but none dared to oppose me. A elf with light brown hair stepped forward. I smiled and let Varon fly towards him. Varon landed on the ground next to the trembling elf and grew to a bigger size.

"Let's start with something easy. Flight." I said, walking over to them. I demonstrated how to properly mount a dragon before letting the male elf have a try. He shakily got on the dragons back and held on tight. I waved my hand upwards and Varon began flapping his large wings. I stepped backwards and he flew up slowly. The elf boy looked terrified but slowly his expression changed to one of wonder.

Varon felt the change in his emotions and started to fly in a slow circle around the compound. There were gasps and looks of shock in the crowd of elves below. I smiled, knowing I had peaked their interest.

"Why don't we go outside the castle, grab some more dragons and take this training to another level?" I questioned. I waited for some approving yeahs and nods before leading everyone outside the castle. People in the streets watched confused as all the guards marched behind me to the open gates.

We made our way to a clearing a ways away from the Kingdoms wall and began training. Fane stayed by my side as Soren began flying the elves around. Varon flew away in search of a few other dragons and soon came back with four others.

The new dragons were just as wary as the elves were but they warmed up to them quickly. The dragons enjoyed themselves while the elves experienced what I hoped would be new friendships. I wasn't sure how to start repairing the rift between the elves and the dragons but this was a good way as any.

It was about midday when people started to slow down and I noticed everyone getting hungry.

"Does everyone here like fish?" I questioned, catching everyone's attention at the mention of food. No one answered with a no so I began leading them to where I knew there was a lake. It took us no time to make it there and the elves took it upon themselves to create a fire. The dragons caught a multitude of fish, enough to feed an army. Everyone began to feast once the fish were done cooking.

Everyone chatted away, enjoying their meal and their new friends but my attention was drawn by the snap of a twig in the woods behind our group. I stood, making sure no one noticed, and slowly walked into the brush.

I came face to face with a frowning Ryuu and a surprised Selah. I hadn't been able to see either of them since the day of the ceremony.

"Hey guys." I said nervously. Selah smiled but Ryuu's frown stayed put.

"Hey, it's good to see you." Selah said, pulling me into a small hug.

"Its good to see you too." I said and turned around when footsteps approached from behind. A guard was staring unsure at my two friends, especially Ryuu.

"Everything is okay." I said to the guard. He nodded his head but didn't move from his spot. I sighed and turned back to Selah and Ryuu. "I guess I'll see you guys later." I said, smiling awkwardly. Selah nodded and we went our own ways.

When we made it back to the lake, the guards and dragons were standing and ready to head off. We began the walk back to the Kingdom silently, some dragons allowed the guards to ride on their backs on the way there. I was content with walking alongside them.

When we made it to the front of the gates, the dragons stopped and the elves slid off their backs. Some words were exchanged and the dragons took off into the cloudy sky. The guards and I entered into the the Kingdom and parted ways. My personal guards switched out shifts and I was happy to see a familiar face, the guard who had been the first to enter the old kings room on the day of the incident. I had come to know him as Xander and to put it simply, he was nice.

We began the trek back to the castle when a woman approached us from his houses steps. I stopped and waited for her to stop in front of me. She bowed much to my dislike and greeted me.

"Hello King Alistair. Since you did not accept the previous kings crown, I took it upon myself to make you one that may be to your liking." The woman said softly, holding a small crown towards me.

I gently picked it up from her hands and held it up to examine it. Gold was crafted into intricate curls. Two lines of clear beads mixed with pearls went different ways from the front of the crown while a single larger pearl and a midnight black bead hung down from the middle as a center piece. It was an amazing piece of craftsmanship.

"This is beautiful. Thank you." I beamed, sending th young elf woman a sincere smile. She gave me a wary, unsure one back and shuffled back into her small home. I set the crown on top of my light blonde hair and tried my best to make it even. I turned and looked at Xander for his opinion. He looked up at it and reached his hand up to straighten it before nodding his head. I smiled and restarted our walk back to the big castle.

-----
So Alistair got a crown from a nice elf lady. The picture is what the crown looks like.
Hope you like it!