Finding The Red Dragon

Everyone has changed

"Allan, it has been a week, we need to do something?" Sal exhaled a breath as he sat at the table with Allan, Ivan, and Torsten. "Is she eating?" Allan ran a hand over his face. "I take her food every meal, but she just picks at it. She does not even want to talk to me." Torsten pouted.

"And Ragnar?" Allan asked. "Still has not returned. Jerrico saw him out in the farmlands yesterday, so I know he is still alive, but I am fearful that he has completely lost himself now." Sal closed his eyes, waiting on the decision he knew Allan would make.

"Have you been able to talk with him?" Allan asked. "No." Sal exhaled. "Well, I think we will give him a few more days to come around, then the decision will fall on me, not you." Allan announced. Sal was thankful he was not going to be the one to call it, but sad at the fact that his friend was to be executed in a few days.

"As for Ella, Liv will be back today. I am hopefully she will be able to talk to her." Allan looked out the window, clearly missing his mate. "Women always seem to know what to say to each other to make it better." Allan crossed his hands behind his back and Torsten shot Ivan a look, and Sal wondered what they were up too.

"Allan, if we may, Ivan and I have an idea. We were thinking of throwing Ella a welcome to the weyr party. Kind of our way of officially accepting her into the clan. I know that is technically your job to let a new member in, but she is..." Torsten looked uncomfortable as he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"Well, she is like a sister to all of us. We all want her to be happy and to feel like she is part of our family. Ella had said she did not belong here with us because she was just a human, and I think that she is wrong. That is the exact reason she belongs. We need her Allan."

Torsten and Ivan stared at Allan, waiting, until slowly, a smile spread across his face. "Torsten, I never thought I would see the day when you would stand up for a human. And I could not agree more. I think a party is in order. A true ceremony. I will draw up the papers, and you get everyone that wants to help involved. Go into town and buy all the supplies that a human would like in a party. We will create a feast!" Allan announced and Sal was in awe of this man. Ella had changed him too.

"In two days, at noon. We will have the ceremony then a grand feast. Ivan, I want you to invite all of those on the outlands. Every member of this weyr will attend. Sal, I want you to buy her a beautiful dress, fit for a queen." Allan wrote quickly on a notepad, tearing off pages, each with a list, and handing them to out to the three men.

"This will need to stay a secret to her. I will take care of the formalities and you all will plan the event." Allan stood and they all just watched. Sal was sure they were as confused at this new Allan as he was.

"What are you waiting for? Go." Allan dismissed them and they scurried out of the room, happy to have something to do besides worry about Ella.

"Like I said, she has affected us all." Ivan punched Sal's arm and then went downstairs to get the men on board. Sal could not help but stop by her door again, just to check. He wanted to make sure with his own eyes that she was alright.

"Ella, it's Sal. Just checking on you." He waited, and nothing. "Ella?" He knocked again, and no answer. He started to get worried as he waited, and then he snapped. To hell with privacy. He pushed the door open and went in, his eyes scanning the room. It was in perfect shape, not a thing out of place. Except for her, she was nowhere to be found.

Panic hit him as he checked her bathroom, under her bed and the closet. Where could she have gone? He was about to call for help when she walked back in, surprise on her face, and a piece of chocolate cake in her hand.

"Where were you?" Sal exhaled. "I wanted cake. Bo said he made chocolate." She held up the plate as proof. And although her eyes were slightly puffy, she looked as beautiful as ever. And then her smile lit up her face as she looked at him.

"Were you worried I ran off?" She giggled. "Yes." "I know I can't. I was just in the kitchen." Her tone dropped to sadness at the statement and her eyes fell to the cake. Laying the cake down, she sat at her desk and pulled up whatever she was working on.

"I wanted to check on you." Sal walked to her. "I am fine. Just working on some research." She nodded to the screen. "Ella, you have been in this room for days, why don't you come out and get some fresh air?" "I'm good." She turned to face the computer, but that would not do for him. He strode over to the desk, hefted her up over his shoulder, grabbing her camera from the desk and walking out, while she protested with all her might.

"SOLVIEG!" She growled. "You are going out for some sunshine. Humans need that. You look pale." He lied, but he needed her outside. He could not lose her too.

Eventually she stopped struggling and held on while he carried her to the garden and planted her on the bench as he handed her the camera. "What are you doing?" She laughed. "You want pictures of a dragon, well, I will give you some. And then I will answer all the questions you have. You are here to do research, and we have all agreed to help you achieve that." He walked away, into the yard as she laughed.

A few moments later, there stood a tall dark blue dragon, who if she was not mistaken, was posing. Ella let out a small laugh and walked out to take some pictures. He was magnificent, but if she was being honest, he did not hold a candle to the beauty she saw through her lens when she photographed Ragnar.

The thought made her heart ache, and without thinking, she focused on his house at the back. She wondered what he was doing. If he was ok. Or had he already perished? The thoughts brought tears to her eyes and she closed her eyes and fell to her knees.

"Ella?" Sal had changed back into a man, and his hand laid on her shoulder. "Is he...still alive?" She looked up to face Sal. "Is Ragnar still alive?" She tried as her throat tightened. She hoped with all her might that he was. If Sal said he was gone, she was going to die right there in the grass.

"Yes. Jerrico saw him yesterday." Sal's smile was forced, and it hurt even more to not tell her the truth. "I wish I could go see him. I miss him." "I miss him too, but Ella, I fear he might not even know you anymore." "That hurts more than you can imagine." She turned to face his house and waited to see his goofy gait as he came towards her. But he didn't. He was not there anymore.

"I can imagine. I feel it too. Why don't we go find a comfy spot and I will answer all those questions?" Sal offered her a hand. "I want to stay out here for a while. I have things I want to write. You go on in the house and I will come find you later." She wiped away a stray tear. She was trying to be strong, but it was so hard.

"Are you sure?" Sal looked torn. "Yes. The purple flowers down by the baseball field are blooming." She nodded. "Ok. Not too long away from the house though." "You got it." She gave him a bright smile and he nodded before walking off, leaving her in the grass.

Ella sat by the field for a while, then had wandered over to the side of Ragnar's place. She had seen some orange flowers there, and it was a reason to be near to him. Even if he wasn't home, she could feel his energy there.

She did miss him, more than she wanted to admit to Sal, or anyone else, but her heart ached for him. The look in Sal's eyes and the sadness on his face told her that Ragnar was anything but ok, and all she could do was hope he was not suffering.

Snapping some pictures by his house, she saw movement in the woods and her heart skipped a beat. "Ragnar?" She called out. "It's Ella." She hoped it was him as the movement moved further back into the shadows. "Ragnar, please, at least let me know you are ok." She stepped a few more steps into the darkness, holding her breath as she searched for him.

Then a pair of red eyes came into view, and that was the last thing she saw before everything went black...