.Elementals.

-75-

"You took your time coming back here haven't you Arianwyn?" A familiar voice said from the darkness as the crystal torches lit up by themselves and the ghostly apparition of my dream Merlin stood in the middle of the room, transparent and glowing white.

I tried to say something but my words left my mouth in a baby gibberish.

"Oh dear gods that's..." Belladonna whispered from behind me.

"It is good to meet you all." He greeted everyone. "Yes I am who you think but only a soul that lives in this tree."

"Merlin." I breathed out. "You knew of this? Every time you told me truth would soon come you meant this?!" I threw my arms out at my side.

"You talked to him before?" Em asked in awe.

"Through the elm young boy." Merlin answered.

"Seems you beat me again didn't you? Speaking to the elm, I never stood a chance." He laughed.

"What the hell Merlin? What does this mean?!"

"Calm down child."

"Oh my god!!" Meridith yelled as the ghostly head of a dragon faded into the room before a silver haired woman replaced it with eyes like mine.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"What does this mean? Any of this! Why did my name open that damned door?!" I pointed at where the door had been.

"You already know child." The woman, I guess Seraphim, said.

"No I don't!"

"You sure do." Merlin said.

"This is stupid! I was born to humans!"

"Then explain this." She pointed at my hair. "And this." At my eyes. "And the fact you turned into a dragon that is completely silver."

"This doesn't add up does it?" I asked, turning to the other people.

"Not exactly but too many pieces of the puzzle you are fit together." Leo said softly.

"I am nineteen! Not millennium old."

"You aren't but you are technically." Merlin said.

"How?!"

"Well child." Seraphim said. "A hatchling doesn't ages inside the egg, ours was stole alongside the sword you wear, it was made to only serve our child to be, after death our soul lived in this tree because the magic binding us to it was so strong, the egg was lost and found by a fisherman along with the blade, he past it down through the generation, at first because they wanted to tame the dragon that would hatch but was soon forgotten to time and thought to just be a precious stone until one day it cracked and had a baby in it, they raised the baby as a human without telling her of her past as they knew nothing of it either, thinking it was the gift of gods because they couldn't have a child of their own."

"You are tell me." I set my fingers over my face. "I'm the child or the first elemental.... And queen of dragons.... Is that it?..... No..... Nononono.... No. This can't be real."

"It is tho." Merlin said.

"So how did I get this name? You didn't give it to me that's certain."

"We did, two names were bound to the egg so no matter who saw it hatch, they would name it as the parents would have wanted it."

"So you are telling me my two sets of parents abandoned me?"

"Arian--" "IT'S MYSTERY TO YOU!!!" I yelled that the human dragon, her face didn't change from her cold neutral stare while Merlin was taken aback. "First my human family dies and never told me how I really came to be, second you fucked up!! You didn't realize the enemy you made and now the man that is my uncle is out for my and my companions life!! And you!! You wallow yourself in despair!! Instead of trying to find me?! Did I really matter because you just left me!!" I yelled, on the verge of tears. "And you didn't think of telling me before?! For more then half my life I spent here?!"

"CHILD STOP THIS INSTANT!!!" I shut up but was mad as she glared at me. "You don't realize how it felt! You have no idea do you?!" Her lips were pulled in a thin line, trying to think of what to say. "You won't know how it feels to lose your child and then lose your other half until it happens to you.... You'll be unable to think.... Unable to live with yourself.... Unable to go on.... You think I let myself die because I had hope to find you?! You think I wouldn't have done anything if I could sense your presence then?! I would have razed towns, civilization and mountains if I just had the barest hint of feeling your soul somewhere.... But I didn't.... I had nothing to live for!!!"

I wanted to cry even more seeing her angry but pained tears.

"Child don't ever think I would have chosen death over you."

"But why didn't you show yourselves before?! Merlin spoke with me a few times and nothing more, keeping secrets and acting like none of this..... This bond existed!!"

"I already told you." Merlin said, a hand on her shoulder. "I couldn't say more as I risked the collapse of fate itself which would have been catastrophic for all beings and talking to you when you slept it was easier, awake our soul was just like a normal elm tree because it was dormant never fed by enough magic to truly manifest, this room stands where my body turned into a tree, the heart of the elm, the only place we can still take up this form."

"And you were never truly without us." Seraphim added. "Why do you think you had such an affinity with our elm? Why do you think the tree sang so gently to you? Why do you think it took care of you without your magic controlling it? All the tree has ever done to you, all you felt for it, it has been us caring for you."

".... You really are my parents..... You really are.... Oh my gods."

"This might be hard to grasp yet child but it is reality, we looked after you in all the way we could, your sword and your staff, they are gifts from us, even if it wasn't how it should have been we still spent time with you."

"I am eligible to the dragon throne." I chuckle humorlessly. "Nonono noooo I am the heir to it and also the heir to the self appointed king.... Why the fuck?!!"

"I get that you are angry." Merlin said. "But it couldn't be otherwise, I am sorry that this is the world we left you alone in but you were never truly alone, you had a third family with you."

Oh right I am not alone here, I forgot the others.

"I.... How is it above ground? How are things going?" I simply asked instead of trying to undo the mess this made in my mind.

"The enemy has the castle and the town but most of the kingdom isn't aware of this, Aurelius having had centuries to gather his strength to teleport his whole army here with one spell but right now he is nowhere." Seraphim said.

"Right, what can we do? We are six and with the royal family and the current queen of dragon will show up at midday and will be captured if he comes back by then."

"There is a way inside the castle from here, if you take out his advisers it even if the alarm is rang they won't be mobilized in time and well, you'll need to then somehow contact the current dragon queen because you'll need to flee from here or you'll be found, it is a matter of time how long until they look under our roots."

"So take out advisers, contact the queen to help us flee."

"That would be the safest for all of you."

"Right." I awkwardly looked back at the people I forgot about.... Again. "Could I have some.... Privacy?"

"Oh yeah of course Mystery er I mean Arianwyn or whatever we'll go." Audrey was the first to jump and try to get everyone out of the room to leave me alone with.... 'them'.