Warrior's Heart

8

Xandria stared listlessly at the miserable view from her window. She was confident that someone had heard her pleas. It was now only a matter of waiting. Though the waiting was sheer boredom. There was also nothing to do. There had been books but the shadow had torn them apart when it was in a rage. The scattered pages were now nothing more than a warning as to where the shadow was when it came.

The creature that had once frequented her prison cell had seemingly vanished. Not once had it come to whine about what it's master wanted. It was a welcome relief but also somewhat concerning. The thing was pathetic, yes. But if it was now gone who would the shadow send in its place?

Xandria glared at the grime on her small hand. The muck was years of dirt, molded fungi, and bird excrement. It was disgusting when it was dry or misty but the downpour now made it all but unbearable. The now pungent stench wafting along the breeze was overwhelming.

Where are you? Xandria wondered, absently wiping off the filth on the torn drapes. When will you come for me? Will you come for me?

Suddenly a horn call rang out from the mist along with a bright red glow. Immediately after came a deafening feral roar that shook the foundation of the crumbling castle.

Gasping Xandria staggered and clung to the window to maintain her balance. Uncaring of the muck she gripped the window firmly. She did not want to be tossed out of the window and into the moat below.

Trying to see through the deluge was nearly impossible but the red, orangish glow was as bright as sunrise. Curious Xandria stared, squinting to see through the downpour. A bonfire, she wondered before dismissing the thought, it was far too wet to raise such a large glow and such bright flame. There was that roar as well, such a loud roar and so powerful.

A second roar shook the very air, feral and menacing. A few seconds passed before a third chorus of roars answered. Xandria gasped in horror as the tower swayed alarmingly. It was made worse by a sudden gust that beat against the walls and plastered her mud splattered clothes to her body and brought a shower of rain. Looking up Xandria was stunned to see something she had never in her life thought to see.

Dragons.

A pair of large dragons.

So focused on the amazing sight Xandria did not feel or see the tower base begin to crumble. She did, however, feel it when she was suddenly thrown forward out of the window and clinging to the filthy sill.

"Catch me!" Xandria franitcally screamed at the dragons, praying that they understood her and would not consider her a tasty treat.

The tower rocked once more, throwing Xandria with enough force that she was flung out from the collapsing castle. Shrieking, Xandria flailed uselessly until she fell on something hard. The resounding thumps on eitherside of her made her look left and right to see wings. Very large, leathery wings that were colored a beautiful bronze with darker color at the clawed tips.

A series of growls and chirps made her look up slighly, another dragon was flying above them and keeping the debris from hitting the dragon below it. The green dragon craned it's large head down to her, crooning in a pleasant bass.

Somehow, in some way; Xandria understood. She was safe.

It was slightly ridiculous but Xandria somehow felt protected. What made it even more far fetched was that she felt that these giant dragons meant her no harm.

Feeling herself tilting slightly Xandria craned her neck over the neck of the dragon she was riding. What she saw below her was shocking.

Hordes of dragons. All of them on the ground and flaming great spouts of flame and swinging their horned tails at the war machines. Their hard scales turned away the arrows and swords that the men wielded. Screams drifted up as well as well as the bellows of the dragons.

It was chaotic and fantastic. It was frightening.

A great plume of flame erupted near the center of all the chaos. Xandria stared, it was a gigantic black dragon. As black as the night sky and as shiny as the stars, its great horns were deadly spikes rising up from it's great head and along the long graceful neck and all the way down to its massivly spiked tail. Great claws at the tips of it's paws were as large as a grown man's arm. Xandria caught sight of it's eyes, a familiar gray and felt the jolt all through her body.

"Jasmina," Xandria breathed. Holding tight to the bronze dragon under her, Xandia dared to sit up despite the gusts of wind. "Jasmina!"

The black dragon whipped it's head around quickly. The low hum was barely audible and Xandria felt it more than heard it. Amazingly the dragon chirped, like a bird.

The bronze dragon under her chattered as it banked it's wings and began a slow glide as the other dragons roared and formed a large protective circle around the black dragon with enough room for the bronze dragon to land.

Heedless of the height of the dragon Xandria slid down the wing of the dragon until she was able to drop a few feet to the ground. Staggering slightly due to her wobbling knees Xandria hurried to the black dragon as it crawled toward her.

Xandria flung her arms around Jasmina's muzzle, heedless of the fact that she was hugging a dragon. This was not a dragon, this was her lover. Xandria wept as she clung to Jasmina, "I knew you would find me."

Jasmina hummed softly but with how close Xandria was she felt the vibrations rather than the sound. Once Xandria had recovered enough to step back Mallor swept his spiked tail protectively around his queen. Looking deep into her eyes he spoke, My darling dove. We have finally found you. You will fly with Drovin and Squerin back to my lands. You will wait there for me.

Horrified at the thought of separation Xandria shook her head frantically while she tried to grab hold of her lover. "No! I want to stay with you! Please! Let me stay!"

Take her away. Mallor and Jasmina felt horrible at sending Xandria away without offering her comfort but it had to be done. There was no alternative. If Alisar was alive Xandria was far safer away from the battlefield. Guard your queen well.

Xandria screeched as one dragons picked her up in its clawed paw gently. "No! Jasmina! Please! Don't do this! Let me stay!"

Both Mallor and Jasmina felt a lump forming as they listened to her desperate pleas. They could not let her stay, no matter the love they both felt. We are sorry Dove. Precious Xandria. Beloved consort. You are far safer there than you are here. Do not cry, we will come back, just as we promised.

Xandria screamed in pain and fury as Jasmina ordered the dragons to take her away. There was nothing she could do to stop them.