Unhcegila

Chapter 2: the unknown rider

Early the next morning...
I woke early the next morning, energetic and excited. What I saw last night had kept circling around in my dreams. I got my adventure clothing on and made sure to grab my scarf and my weapons satchel. I raced through the halls. No one was up yet, just a few early risers still in their rooms. I raced into the courtyard and found Iceheart standing there. She handed me her wood saddle necklace and I said, "How did you know?"
"We have the same dreams Gabriel, you just didn't know that."
I nodded and grabbed her saddle and put it on. The sunlight was just coming over the horizon as we took off. The guard dragon's from the night shift were snoozing in their spots, till the morning horn sounded. By then we were far from the palace...

Later that afternoon...

The sun was high and was getting a bit warm. Iceheart was starting to heat up, but not as bad as when we neared the Sand Kingdom's border. We continued to fly silently, like we had for the past...however long. I sighed and said, "can't things get any worse!"
"Yes they can my rider, if you continue to say that then things will get worse."
"Thanks." I said flatly.
"What?"
I just kept my mouth shut, as my mind started to race around again. What if my mother found out and sent someone after me? What if I was going to be captured by one of the other kingdoms? What if...
"Gabriella, slow down. If someone was to try and capture you I would stand in their way. No one will lay a hand on you."
"Thanks Iceheart."
That seemed to lighten the mood a bit, but not for long. Iceheart spotted the border of the Ice kingdom and their...were...these green...bushy things?
"What are those?" I asked Iceheart.
"I don't know. We have been together since day one gabriella, both of us haven't been outside of the Ice kingdom."
"True."
We flew closer and Iceheart dove for the landing. I raced to grab the saddle and heard it squeak. I hate this saddle! Iceheart flapped her wings once and landed. She lowered herself so that I could climb off, then I walked over the border. Iceheart was cautious to follow and stayed on Ice. I looked at my Ice shoes and saw that I was standing on something brown. The further I went the more green I saw, and Iceheart finally followed. I went up to one of the big bushy things and touched it. It was rough, and warm, warmer than anything in the Ice palace. I touched one of the green eye shaped things and it fell to the ground. I looked up at the thing and saw it hadn't moved.
I picked up the green thing and looked at it closely. I sat down on the green and studied the thing for a long time until I remembered what they were called. Leaves, and the bush thing was a tree. I never knew they would be this colorful. Iceheart suddenly lifted her head and looked around. She had heard something. She got up and ran over to me. I got on as fast as I could and Iceheart took off. I struggled to get my feet in the feet holder of the saddle, as I heard multiple dragon roars. Iceheart looked back and I saw fear in her usually warm and comforting gaze. I looked back and saw Rogue dragons flying right behind us.
"Go Iceheart! Go!"
She didn't wait a millisecond more. She sped up, but all her strength and speed was left behind in the Ice Kingdom, she would be slower and weaker than before.
"Come on Iceheart, do this for me. Like you promised." I whispered.
Iceheart roared and started to speed up. I looked back once more and saw the rogue dragon's were a group of shadow dragons. I looked closer and saw they had...riders!? I didn't know Shadow dragons could bond with humans! Iceheart sensed this radiating from me and started to tense up. The more she tensed up the slower she went.
"Go Iceheart!"
She didn't answer, just continued to slow. I shut off my racing thoughts and Iceheart said, "I'm getting...weaker..."
I looked back to see the lead dragon fly above his group and get ready for a move. The shadow dragon flapped his wings once and dove at us. Iceheart was able to dodge the attack, but the rest of the group kept on coming. Iceheart couldn't dodge the last one and was entangled in the rogue's claws. Iceheart tried to shoot her ice fire at the dragon but she was too weak. I was about to pass out because of fear, and I saw something shoot up from the woods below and fly directly at the shadow dragons, then I passed out.
Hours later...
I awoke in a bed made out of leaves. I was too hot. I threw off the leaf blanket and looked around. I was in a cabin, that was for sure, but it looked like nature had taken over. Vines were everywhere and leaves were scattered across the floor. Then I saw Iceheart in the corner sleeping.
"Iceheart!"
I ran over to her and saw she had eaten something. I picked up the little chunk of a frozen leaf. These were from the Ice kingdom.
"I would give you some too if you were hot. This is no place for an Ice dragon and her rider to be." someone said from a chair by the fire. Whoever it was got up and turned around. His face was masked and he had a hood on.
"Who are you?" I asked, looking at this man carefully. He then took off his mask. I gasped, he...he was so handsome, as handsome as the prince! His perfectly cut bangs swung across his forehead, his hair was so silky and smooth, and his eyes were a beautiful shade of lime green.
"I am Shadow, son of Aron Black, and I saved you from those Shadow dragons."
"How?"
"Simple, you attack them with your dragon and teach them coming into my territory and chasing an Ice dragon out of it's kingdom is wrong."
"I would agree with you, but that doesn't explain why you're living with a...shadowy dragon?"
"Midnight doesn't like to be seen, people always stare at him."
I grumbled and laid down next to Iceheart. Shadow asked, "Who are you?"
I was shocked by the question, everyone knew me! Everyone!
"You... you don't know my name?"
He nodded and said, "if you had a...diamond saddle...I believe that's what the royal Ice people have, then I would say you're the Ice princess or servant of the Ice princess."
I was too shocked to answer, I just sat down next to Iceheart. Shadow opened one of his many pockets and grabbed another ice leaf. He offered it to me and said, "this will keep your body cool for days, you just got to sleep it off the first night."
I took it, realizing that I was putting a lot of trust in this Shadow guy. I took it and instantly felt tired. I fell asleep as I felt the leaf start to cool off my body...
The next day...
I woke to Shadow cooking something in a pot on the fire. He noticed I had awoken and grabbed one of his wooden bowls. He spooned in some of what looked like these brown tree things and offered it to me. He also put a little bit of the ice leaves in the soup so I would be able to eat it. I accepted it graciously and devoured it. Iceheart was stirring and she seemed hungry too. Shadow had ice cold dragon food waiting for her, and she didn't wait for him to toss it to her. She grabbed it out of his hand and devoured it.
"Iceheart, manners."
Iceheart backed up, her head low and Shadow threw her a couple more chunks of frozen meat. If it wasn't frozen enough, Iceheart used her ice breath to cool it off even more. Once she was full, Shadow suggested, "Why don't we go for a short fly?"
"Why do we need to, I need to get back to...my family in the Ice kingdom."
"Tell you what, you can leave if you want, I don't care, or you can stay here and...learn the secret of how the nature kingdom fell."
I turned to look at him and asked, "what!? You know what happened to the nature kingdom."
Shadow nodded and said, "and the nature dragon's didn't go extinct, they tried to rebuild their palace, but in doing so they attracted Rogue's attention, so they had to scatter throughout the forests to avoid being captured and bonded to a rogue rider."
I said, "where are your parents?"
Shadow stopped in his tracks, a vision from his past seemed to blind him, then he said, "they are...dead."
"I'm...sorry I asked."
"It's ok you didn't know."
Shadow turned and did a bird hoot, and a black dragon's head perked over the side of the balcony I hadn't seen before. The dragon cautiously climbed down the side of the wall, and I saw that it wasn't a Shadow dragon after all. It was...a hybrid!?
"Wait! Is she a hybrid?"
"He is a hybrid between a nature and Shadow dragon, but knowone knows how he inherited a star dragon's wings."
I looked closer and saw the feathered phoenix shape of his wings.
"I believe I've seen you before. Were you at the Ice palace two nights ago?"
"How did you know?"
"I saw the silhouette of a dragon against the moon, and to be honest looked more like a panther with wings than a dragon."
The dragon above me snorted and Shadow said, "Midnight, you know that she is somewhat right."
The dragon snorted again and hopped down. He was beautiful! Shiny black feathers with lime green at each feather tip, green eyes that looked like stars in a way, and a beautiful mix of small, completely black feathers and shiny black scales.
"He...he's beautiful." I said in awe.
Midnight looked shocked as he said, "I've...never been called beautiful before. Thank you."
"Well you are." Iceheart said, agreeing to me and not even looking at Midnight. That's when I realized that Iceheart was blushing. I held in a smile as Shadow got on midnight and said, "Let me show you the ruins of the palace."
I grabbed Icehearts horrible saddle necklace and put it on her. Shadow said, "I don't like saddles, they just don't fit me."
"I would agree with that."
Once I was in the saddle, Midnight took off with Iceheart close behind. Shadow put on his hood and threw me something to go around my mouth.
"Why?"
"Cause then if anyone sees us they don't know who we are."
I nodded then remembered my scarf was in my satchel. I grabbed it out and wrapped around my head. It also helped to cool me off, and the cooler I got the cooler Iceheart seemed. Midnight and shadow took the lead as we flew over the very tall jagged cliffs surrounding Shadow's home and his land...I guessed. They led us over miles upon miles of forest, and then I saw the ruins of the palace.
"Here lies the kingdom of the forests, no outsider has ever seen it's ruins until now."
"Wow."
Both Iceheart and I were speechless after that. This was the lost kingdom! Shadow was smiling, then his dragon's mood changed to something coming. Shadow sensed this and I saw the change. Midnight told Iceheat something in dragon and dove for the trees. Iceheart followed close behind. Midnight dove into thick trees and I held on for dear life. Iceheart landed and I opened my eyes. Midnight growled and spread his beautiful black wings and covered Iceheart. Shadow took off his cape and threw it over Iceheart, then I was directed under Midnight's other wing. I understood, we stood out like a sore thumb in this landscape. Then Midnight stood completely still and so did the Shadow. Then I heard it too. Voices nearby!
"I swear I saw the Ice dragon come down right here, and I believe I saw that Shadow person leading the way."
"I officially saw it! He is real!"
"Of course he's real, you idiot! He's been freeing our dragons from their cages!"
"Stop it both if you!"
Shadow tightened his fist like he was angry, then I realized that voice must have been the leader, and Shadow knew him!
"We don't find these dragons by sundown. All of you don't have food for the next week!"
there were a few weak "yes sir", then the sound of wing flaps flying directly over us. Shadow whispered to both of us, "we need to cover Iceheart in mud if we are to fly out of here."
Iceheart nodded and I nodded, then we started from the tail up, covering Iceheart in a thick paste of mud. After we were done, she looked horrible.
"That will have to do." Shadow concluded.
I got in the saddle and found I finally liked the saddle for not being muddy. Better than going bareback. Shadow got on Midnight and started to trot through the forest. Iceheart followed close behind, keeping her head low and her wings tucked in tight. We traveled through the forest for ten minutes, then we heard one of the rogue riders searching the forest. The dragon probably was doing one of their disappear into the shadows trick. Right then Midnight disappeared from beneath Shadow, but he remained seated on air. Shadow noticed that Midnight had disappeared and leapt from the air and he disappeared.
"Stay here." someone whispered from in front of us, and I saw branches being pushed out of the way. It was the shape of a dragon. Shadow dragon's didn't go invisible, they dissa...oh. Now I got it. There were rumors of nature dragon's having the ability, and mixed in with a shadow dragon made the ultimate camouflaged dragon. We waited for thirty more minutes till we heard the sound of a dragon fight. Iceheart was about to go when someone yelled, "fly Ice!"
Iceheart took off and we spotted midnight flying away from us. Iceheart sped up and this time I didn't even notice it. I was too focused on Shadow. I looked back and saw a dragon fly up from the forest, but he didn't see us. Iceheart saw him though. She twirled around till she was gliding over the trees, then I saw the mud was drying up and falling off. She was starting to glow in the moonlight.
"Shadow!" I yelled, then Iceheart did an unexpected turn and I barely fell out of the saddle. My hand holding me up was covered in wet mud, and I slipped and fell. This was it, my end. I was going to fall to my death. I kept my eyes on Iceheart, who had noticed I fell, but she didn't pursue me, someone else did. Shadow grabbed my waist and pulled me out of the air. I landed on Midnights back with a thump, and he flew up to Iceheart's side. Both dragon's started to glide and Iceheart positioned herself a little to the left of our heads. I reached up and grabbed the saddle, then stepped on Icehearts foot to get into the saddle again.
"You need practice before you can go to the palace."
I nodded, then we flew low back around the place where the shadow dragons were. We flew on for another twenty minutes until a dragon roar came from above us and dove at Iceheart and I. It was a big collision, and the dragon holding on to Iceheart lit up her mouth. It was a shadow dragon, an elder one by the looks of it. The masked rider grabbed my arm and pulled me upon the dragons' back, and the Shadow dragon started to level out with Iceheart's wings pinned to the dragon's chest. Right then Midnight barreled into the shadow dragon and grabbed Iceheart. Shadow flew from Midnight's back and kicked the man out of his seat, then grabbed me and jumped back to Midnight. The Shadow dragon dove for her rider, while Midnight turned invisible, and it seemed to spread to Iceheart.
"Can all dragons do that!" I asked, and Shadow said, "later."
We flew back to his house and then I noticed the scratches on Iceheart.
"Iceheart!"
I leapt from Midnight's back and to Iceheart. Her blue blood was dripping from the wounds. Shadow called Midnight over to bring Iceheart into the house, as I strangely fainted feeling Icehearts pain...
I woke the next morning feeling cooled off and horrible. Iceheart was beside me wrapped up with the last of the ice leaves. Shadow said he had gone to the Ice kingdom for the Ice leaves, and he needed more. He had left early this morning to go find some in the Ice palace. I laid beside Iceheart waiting for Shadow's return.
Iceheart started to stir, and her wounds instantly started to heal faster. Once they were gone, she got up and stretched her wings.
"That feels a lot better, where's Shadow?"
"He was getting more Iceleaf since we used up the last of it."
"Wait! It's the middle of the day! If he is spotted..."
We both came to the same conclusion and I got the wooden saddle. I climbed up just in time to hold onto the saddle as she took off. Iceheart sped up and I got the feeling that we were being watched. I looked back to see the Shadows house disappear behind the ring of mountains. We flew for about five minutes until we spotted someone coming from the distant horizon. When we got close enough to see it was Shadow.
"What are you doing?"
"We were worried you would get captured by the Ice..."
"We have a dealer up there, we wouldn't get caught."
All of a sudden another dragon appeared from behind the nearest mountain and both our dragons tensed up. The dragon spotted us and flew closer to us. Iceheart gathered Icefire in the back of her throat. I could tell because the fire glowed between her scales. In the Ice Kingdom she would literally light up a room, or glow in a blizzard. The dragon stopped hundreds of yards away from us and the man on the back of the brown dragon grabbed something from one of his many satchels. It was a white flag and he waved it around. Iceheart let the fire back off as the brown dragon flew closer.
"Good day riders, I was wondering where the Ice kingdom was. I needed to meet up with a friend of mine..."
"Head west, there lies the kingdom." Shadow answered.
"Thank you masked rider. You have a...very unique dragon. And I have never seen an Ice dragon outside of Ice borders. Are you hiding from something?"
"No...just catching up with a friend."
Shadow looked at me with surprise, and the brown dragon asked, "my name is Puddle I've heard the Ice princes have been missing for a few days now, say do you know where she is?"
Iceheart said, "my name is...Icefang, I don't know where she is."
I just nodded and the trader said, "thank you again. Hopefully I'll see you again some time?"
I just nodded and the two flew off towards the Ice kingdom.
"Why did you lie about your name?" Midnight asked. Iceheart said, "because you can never trust those types of traders. They can be used as bait or try and lure you into a trap."
"Point taken."
We started to fly back to the house when a roar from below stopped us.
"What was that?"
The group of ten Shadow dragon's answered my question. Iceheart and Midnight dove away from the rising dragons and prepared for a fight. The lead dragon was faster than the others, and she used the same arrow tactic like before. She flapped once and dove wings tight. She rammed into Iceheart and started to pinn her wings. Iceheart reacted by throwing ice fire into her face. She fell into the forest below screaming, as her rider tried to get onto her belly. Iceheart flipped around and sprinted to catch up with Midnight.
"We need to work together in order to get these rogues off our tail."
I nodded and both dragons looked at each other and flipped in mid air. They both blew fire at the group, the mix of light blue and lime green was beautiful! The flame hit almost all of them, only two escaped the dragon fire. Midnight banked to catch one of them and fight him off, and Iceheart did the same. Iceheart scratched the underbelly of the shadow dragon as he barreled into us. The rider tried to reach for me but I reacted by grabbing my ice bow and one arrow from my satchel. I pulled it back and shot. It hit the man in the shoulder and he lost his grip on his saddle. The Shadow dragon saw his rider falling and dove for him, while Iceheart blew ice fire at his wing. It hit and both the dragon and his rider crashed in the forest. We met up with shadow, who looked astonished.
"Where did you get that bow!?"
"It was a gift from my father." I lied. It was really a gift from the best blacksmith in the kingdom. I had never shot it before.
"Let's head back before any other rogues come after us."
We flew back to the house and the shadow unloaded a full pile of ice leaves with other ice things.
"The guy was trying to get rid of some things so I just got everything."
I helped sort the mess and get them into air tight bags. Once we were done I noticed something on the distant horizon. I remembered what the trader said and wondered if the kingdom had sent a search party to look for me. Shadow saw them and said, "let's go inside. If they spot us they may think we're enemies." "Sure." I mumbled...