Winter's New Life
#16 of The Knights of Juno
And here is the second chapter I had done. I hope you enjoy it. As always, comments are appreciated and requested.
continued from 'The Renegade's Choice...'
Lord Mikael slid off the back of his dragon when the massive creature made a low, slow pass over the remote valley with his wingtips grazing the treetops, the warrior landing in a crouch with practiced ease, despite the drop of at least twenty feet. The other riders that had accompanied him would be doing likewise, the valley floor much too narrow for their dragons to land. Which meant that most of them would follow their knights to the ground, taking on their hybrid forms as soon as their riders were safely down. All except for Argil, who had not taken on such a form in hundreds of years, the huge white and silver dragon circling lazily above them instead, his massive shadow blocking out the weak light of the snow shrouded sun. Rising to his feet as his wife landed beside him, the leader of the knights looked around carefully, his hand straying to the sword sheathed at his side. The blade had been a gift from Argil in the early days of the Knights of Juno, forged in the Dragonlord's fire, and both dragon and rider had wound countless enchantments about it as the years had passed and no weapon, modern or ancient, matched it, its weight at his side endlessly comforting to him. And he needed such comfort now, his long association with magic giving him a sight that most of the others would lack. Most of the time, he could get a vague sense where there was magic being used around him, or when a momentous event caused some shift in the power of the world.
But this was like nothing he had ever felt before. It felt almost as if the very world itself was being changed around him, strands and rivers of magic that had lain dormant in the world for all time suddenly coming together, the feeling of something ancient and powerful stirring filling the air. Although it did not seem exactly threatening, the sensation none the less set Mikael's teeth on edge, a knot forming in his gut that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to dissolve it. But, despite the strange flux of magic that seemed to dwell here, his eyes could discern no shimmer, no telltale sign of a spell anywhere in the clearing. But, he had hardly made a single pass of the nearby mountain sides with his eyes before a second spasm of pain surged into his head, making him wince, though this one was muted, almost hidden, as if someone were striving to keep it a secret. Shaking his head, Mikael looked closer at the nearby slope, sure that that was where the pain had come from.
"Well," He finally remarked, sensing Karen's parents come up beside him. "You were right. They are definitely here somewhere. The question is, where?"
"Karen!?" The green clad wing captain called, her cry echoing in the silence of the valley with more than just sound, a wave of concern soaking into the stones before them, but no answer was forth coming. Both parents called again, their dragons starting to spread out up and down the valley, but even as the cries faded, Mikael suddenly paused, his attention caught by something he could not quite see.
It was like looking into a mirror and catching movement out of the corner of your eye. And no matter how fast you turned, you were never sure whether it was in the real world, or merely a trick of the light in the world one could only see, something trapped inside the reflection. As he had looked over the clearing, he had thought he had caught a shimmer like a mirage, over by the nearby rock face. Cocking his head slightly as he looked at the wall, he walked forward slowly, trusting his instincts. As the other knights fell into his wake, he approached the wall cautiously, reaching out to touch the rock face with his fingertips. All he encountered was cold stone, but, where another might have dismissed the feeling as wishful thinking, Mikael was not so easily dissuaded. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened his mind with practiced ease, allowing the overwhelming power of his dragon's consciousness to join with his. When he opened his eyes, he smiled, for the world was suddenly different, his dragon's perceptions taking the place of his own for a while. He knew, having once looked into a mirror when they had been doing this, that his eyes, though they had not truly changed, now had a different cast to them, one almost reptilian in nature.
But it was what he could see with his dragon's sight that made his grin widen. With the dragon's mind and his together, the spell he had half seen was as obvious as the sun in the sky. Sliding his fingertips over a few feet, the officer marveled at the quality of the spell. Most spells of concealment were merely illusions, meant to cloud the eyes into thinking there was something there that really wasn't. But this was so much more. The spell felt exactly the same as the stone to either side of it, even down to the grit that accumulated on the surface as the wind gradually wore it down. And when he pushed against it, he was even more impressed, the spell giving the impression that it had been there since the mountains had trust their way up through the crust of the earth. Argil however, was less impressed, his impatience and the old anger of the young pairs' defiance impossible to hide from his rider when their minds were so close.
'We must get inside,' a warm, female voice said inside Mikael's head, the senses of his dragon wavering suddenly at its presence, the tone of voice carrying a strange urgency within it. The words had not been directed at him, and he immediately felt a wave of embarrassment, as one might when unintentionally eavesdropping on a conversation. But at the same time, even as his dragon replied to Scarlon's statement, Mikael was suddenly treated to a blast of emotion that made his head swim. He felt suddenly warm all over as if he had been dunked in a pool of hot water, followed by images so fast he caught only snatches of them. A clutch of multicolored eggs, sunlight, starlight and endless fields of green, growing things, then the images were gone, and he shut his eyes tight, Argil's mind withdrawing instantly, the dragonlord realizing what had happened. At once, the voice was back, this time meant for him, not his dragon. 'Sorry Mikael...'
'Its alright.' He replied, shaking his head and blinking away the lingering remnants of the sensations.
That particular event had only rarely happened before, and every time he was staggered by it, because there was no real way to prepare for such a feeling. When Argil was keyed up like he was now, and they joined minds like that, sometimes the thoughts of the powerful dragon would leak across into his rider's mind, unfiltered by the human frames of reference that the dragon usually imposed when sharing a thought. The result was always strange, and always a little too much to handle. Always, he had to remind himself just how different the thinking of a dragon was. While a human's thoughts might be an image or words or feelings, they usually only experienced them one at a time, each one given attention in turn. Dragons on the other hand... Their thoughts were all things at once, vibrant and powerful, overwhelming in their intensity.
Recovering his composure, the lord broadened the scope of their discussion to include the other knights and dragons. 'This spell seems to be a hybrid between an illusion spell and a shield. We can probably break it, given time, but I don't think we can bypass it. It is too well crafted for that.' The other riders nodded their assent to his statement and Mikael stroked his grey mustache with his fingertips, trying to see a way that might allow them to quickly get to whatever the spell was concealing. Something that the uninitiated often forgot about magic, was that no matter how powerful you were, it still took time to break a shield spell, more if the caster was actively feeding energy into it.
'Maybe not with magic...' Argil said, hovering over the mountainside, his confident tone breaking Mikael's concentration. 'Stand back.'
Mikael instantly obeyed, stepping back out of the way with the rest of the group. The huge shadow of the dragonlord suddenly grew even larger as the dragon swooped down, landing full on the mountainside, his talons bared. Often, it was the power of his magic that was thought of, but every so often, it paid to remember Argil's tremendous physical strength. The dragonlord was the largest of his race, and though the mountainside had stood against the fury of millions of years of weather, even it could not long hold back the massive white and silver dragon's strength. Solid rock cracked and splintered like ice in the grip of the white and silver dragon's claws, and the huge dragon's muscles tensed as he strained against the earth itself. For a moment, dragon and stone warred for dominance. Then, with a great rending crack that echoed through the valley, the stone lost. Flapping his flared wings, the huge dragonlord lifted off, two great boulders that had once been part of the mountainside in his grasp, revealing the cavern to the winter storm. But even as it was revealed, Mikael sensed the four presences inside it, and more, that two of them had drawn great reserves of magic to the surface, ready to fight.
Before anyone could move, the gaping hole that had been torn in the mountainside was suddenly obscured, a shield of glimmering magic appearing over it. At once, Mikael drew his sword, the white blade gleaming in the cold sunlight, and just in time. Even before he could set the blade in ready position, two bolts of brilliant pearlescent lightning shot from somewhere within the shield, reaching out to strike both him and his dragon. Without his input, the enchanted dragonblade twisted in his hand, the blade catching the bolt, absorbing the energy without effect. For his part, Argil was equally unaffected, moving the boulders in his grasp so that they caught the spell, the bolt splitting them asunder. The dragonlord's response was immediate, and unhesitating, the huge reptile diving down upon the shield, his jaws opening wide. Even the very heart of an erupting volcano did not hold the fury of the flames that flooded from the gullet of the dragonlord. The very rock of the hillside bubbled and hissed at its caress, boulders flowing into white hot puddles of liquid stone as the conflagration raged onward. For a moment, Mikael feared that the huge dragon's wrath had been too much, that it had melted the casters of the shield as well as the rock that surrounded them, but even enraged, the dragonlord still had control.
As Argil closed his jaws, cutting off the flame, Mikael peered through the wavering, superheated air, and found that, though the stone that surrounded it had melted to slag, the shield was still intact, though only barely, grown thinner than the width of a spider's web, the dragon having done his work well. Stepping forward, a scowl on his lips, Mikael made ready to confront their attackers even as the shield dissipated...
***
Malcolm shook his throbbing head, his eyes open, but filled with darkness, his lungs tight as if cords had been tied tight around them. Stone that was almost uncomfortably hot was his bed, and for a moment, he could not remember how he had gotten there. Then, as the dreadlocked knight forced his lungs to fill with air, he began to remember, just a few details at first, snatches of memory coming into being in his mind. For a few moments, as the darkness he saw filled with little dancing lights, he remembered only flames, flames hotter than anything he had ever seen, had ever imagined. He remembered them crashing into the thin barrier of his shield spell, the magic barely holding it back, even as he and his love fed all the power they had to give into it. The effort had been terrible, worse than any test they had ever faced. And still, somehow, he and Turquoise had withstood the terrible inferno.
That thought made his heart lurch inside his chest, and he grasped for the brightest of the dancing lights in his gaze, clinging to it desperately like a lifeline, though he could not remember why. And then, as he forced a second breath into his strained lungs, the small light became a picture, distant, blurry, but unmistakable. Pale stone spread out in his gaze, stretching out towards a small crescent shaped river that glowed brilliant orange a short distance away, the shifting patterns within the melted stone mesmerizing, but he only had eyes for what lay beside him, the tableau of shifting light only a vague backdrop to his eyes. Lit by the fragmented shield and the melted stone, sprawled in a strange position with her tail curled under her back, lay his love, her beautiful eyes glazed and distant, but moving still, searching, it seemed.
When his eyes beheld her, Malcolm immediately forgot all about the shield and the reason they had raised it in the first place, the barrier falling at once, the whole of his being focused instead upon a single task. Slowly, the knight's hand began to move, his fingers twitching, striving to heed his desperate call. Drawing forth all of the strength that remained to him, ignoring the burning of his lungs as he breathed the superheated air, he focused on his hand, the hand that lay so close to that of his love. Heedless of the sticky trails of blood that had resulted from maintaining the shield against the ferocious assault, he forced his fingers to respond, stretching, straining, his fingers twitching. He could see his fingertips now, groping feebly across the stone towards his dragon's hand, a hand that lay only inches from them, well within reach, yet oh so far away. Letting out a groan, the dark skinned knight forced his arm to move, propelling his fingers across the terrible gap that separated them. Somewhere in his mind, a voice was calling for him to focus, calling for him to be aware of a danger that lay nearby, but he could not heed it. He had given all his strength to it already, what more could it ask of him? All he cared about now was reaching Turquoise. If he could just touch her, just hold her, everything would be alright...
A shadow moved into the periphery of his vision, a shadow that looked strange and foreign to him, but he ignored it. It did not matter. All that mattered was reaching his love, the only woman he would take as his mate, if she would have him. The shadow came nearer and he was so close, within bare millimeters of her scales. Then, with a last, herculean effort, he felt his fingers reach her hand, felt the wonderful scales beneath his touch. And, as he clasped her hand, he saw her gaze clear, growing more present, her eyes turning, staring into his own. And, with the same slow agonizing effort he had endured, he felt her hand close on his. The voice that demanded his attention was shouting once more, trying to draw his attention to the shadow that loomed over them, but he ignored it, because his lover was looking at him with an expression that he had never imagined she would wear for him. She looked at him as if he was the only thing of importance in the world, a look of love and affection so deep that it stilled the voices in his mind that clamored for attention. Every part of him seemed to agree now. She was more important than all the world, then all the stars in the sky, and everything that circled them. Nothing mattered, but her.
And as he stared at her, he felt a sudden strange sensation deep within him, a feeling of cool stillness, like a deep lake that had been rippling and had suddenly grown calm. He could feel the distant sensation of a metal point resting upon his chest, knew that it meant he was about to die, knew that soon it would strike him down, but he did not care, because the stillness had become profound, spreading out to envelop every facet of his soul, and out of the sudden stillness rose a word, a singular, echoing word, in a language he did not recognize, for it was not one ever spoken by man. And as the point of the blade left his chest, rising above him for the strike, he felt his soul lurch as the word came to the fore, repeating itself over and over in his mind, echoing and enchanting. Then he knew what the word was, what it represented. It was him, his secret name, the name that owned his soul, the name that even the Knights did not often know. Even as he realized it, knew what future it held, he knew also he would die when the sword struck. And yet, even as he waited for the blow to fall, his one and only desire was to have time enough to tell her, to share with her that secret word, to give to her, his beloved Turquoise, that last, greatest gift. And then, something at last penetrated the profound stillness within him, a voice that came not from within, but from without. It was female and inhuman, ancient, powerful and wise, and he knew without seeing its source to whom it belonged.
'Stay your blade, Lord Mikael.' It commanded, the tone so powerful and overwhelming that Malcolm would have obeyed it, even though it was not directed at him. For a moment, he could not comprehend what had happened, could not understand anything at all. Then, he sensed the looming shadow move away from him and a spark of hope came to his heart, a hope that he might have a chance, a chance for his dragon to know what he had realized. Turquoise's eyes had widened in amazement as the shadow retreated, and he forced his hand to move once more, clenching gently upon hers. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see shadows moving, figures hurrying past where he lay, vague conversations drifting past unintelligibly but they did not matter. Nor did the titanic shadow that he sensed hovering just beyond his gaze, a shadow that could only belong to one being. Then, at last, one last shadow fell across them, a shadow that was shapely and reptilian and he sensed more than saw the figure kneel beside them. A moment later, he felt the touch of its hand upon his chest, over his heart, not a blow, but simply a caress, a touch that tingled, like static had built up along it.
'Wake now young ones,' The voice said, bringing with it a surge of energy, a flow of fantastic warmth the banished the paralyzing weakness of his body. At once, Malcolm felt his mind wake up, becoming clear once more, and he at last found the strength to turn his head. Scarlon was kneeling beside them, one hand on each of their chests, her hands glowing brightly with the force of magic and he groaned softly, the effort of moving even that little almost too much for him. 'You are lucky my mate knew when to stop his flame. Any longer and the effort to keep the shield would have killed you.' A sudden cry of strained pain, ending in a gasp of utmost relief broke through the dragoness' assurances and she frowned, looking behind where the pair were lying as a second cry echoed in the opened cave, this one high pitched, the cry of infant lungs filling for the first time. The ancient scarlet and gold dragon rose and hurried off out of their sight at the sound, but the significance of that sound was lost on the pair who lay on the cooling stone.
Groaning once more, Malcolm managed to force himself to sit up, his dragon rising beside him. For a moment, the pair looked at each other in surprise, their gaze holding so much more than it ever had before; love and longing so deep it filled every inch of their souls. Finally, though they only barely had the strength to remain upright, they embraced, holding each other tight, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss, not caring anymore who saw. This was their choice, and to hell with anyone who thought it was wrong. Their grip on each other only tightened when the tremendous shadow fell over them and they broke off their kiss, looking up without fear to find the dragonlord himself towering over them, his expression unreadable.
"You both have much explaining to do, but that can wait." He thundered, his voice carrying tones of anger and a grudging respect within it. "Wait here, and do not try to leave."
With that, the huge dragon turned from them, going to observe what was happening beyond them. After a moment longer within their tight embrace, the pair managed to stand, beginning to make their way towards the others, their gait unsteady, each half-carrying the other. Behind them, beneath the overhang that had once been the ceiling of the cavern, Karen lay where she and Twilight had made their bed, preserving her modesty with a blanket, her face still red with the effort of giving birth, but now relaxed, a broad, almost delirious smile on her face. Her mate lay beside her in his hybrid form, his arms around her, gently nuzzling her, a similar smile on his lips. Around them, the knights and dragons had gathered, many smiling, though the look seemed almost reluctant in some of them. When the young lovers approached, their arms around one another, half embraced, half supporting, the crowd moved aside for them, revealing the sight that had everyone smiling. In Karen's arms, swaddled in a blanket so only its head was revealed, was a child, but a baby like no other they had ever seen.
It looked as a dragon hatchling might, had it been able to assume the hybrid form, but there were differences, differences that became more and more apparent the longer one looked. Chief among these, was that the baby had a short black stubble of what looked almost like hair upon its head, rising up out of its scaly scalp like a human, though it wasn't precisely hair. It had the right shape, but each strand was much thicker, and made seemingly of tiny, almost imperceptible scales. Also, its muzzle was not as pronounced as a full dragon's, even in hybrid form, and though its hide was clearly scale, it also seemed somewhat softer, more pliant than dragonhide, and what was more, its color was not quite black and violet as Twilight was. Instead, the color seemed to shift upon the surface of each scale, as if the sharp colors were merely liquid contained within a vessel of glass, lighter hues seeming to be revealed as the color shifted and shimmered. But even so, it was draconian enough to discern some details clearly. For example, to judge from the small spikes along its spine, it was clearly a male.
For a moment, everyone was silent, then Argil cleared his throat, breaking the spell. The huge dragonlord looked as if he were about to speak, but Scarlon looked at him with an almost piercing expression and the dragon closed his mouth, nodding his assent to his mate's silent words.
"Well, this is hardly the place to stand around talking." She finally said, looking around at the space that had been ruined by the brief fight. The dragoness turned her gaze on the new parents and their infant child, and continued to speak. "Will you two return peacefully to the mountain?" The blunt question caught Malcolm off guard, and he exchanged a hurried glance with his lover. What would the two of them do if Twilight and Karen refused? What would any of them do in such a place? Karen and Twilight looked at each other, obviously sharing a private conversation, then nodded slowly, tiredly and Scarlon turned her gaze upon the other pair. "And you?"
Malcolm and his dragoness shared a look and they knew their answer without asking. There was no other choice. If Karen and Twilight would return, and face whatever punishment would be laid upon them, then so would they. The pair nodded at the same time and the die was cast...
***
Malcolm sat beside Turquoise on the bench of smooth stone, their hands clasped, waiting for the word to come. They were seated in the small alcove in the upper levels of the Dragon's Aerie, not far from the nest where the Dragonlord and his mate slept. It had been a week since the quartet had returned to the dragon mountain, and since they had left their hideout, everything had been different, as if their agreement to return had transported them to another world entirely. Outside the Aerie, the clouds swirled like a great carpet, the winter blizzard in its second day, and showing no sign of letting up, and, Malcolm reflected gloomily, that pretty well summed up their life of late. It had begun on the return flight to the mountain. Neither he and Turquoise, nor Karen, had the strength for a long flight on their own, and Twilight rightly refused to be parted from his mate and child. In the end, Scarlon had allowed the new parents to ride on her back during the flight, with Turquoise and Malcolm finding places behind other knights in the flight. The flight had been made in awkward silence, no one talking, even in their minds. Though Malcolm had burned to reveal to Turquoise his secret name, he had known that it was not the time, and since then, there had never been time, never been the right opportunity. But that silent flight had been paradise by comparison to what they had endured in the mountain.
Malcolm didn't know what had been worse. There had been no recrimination from the other knights or dragons, no ridicule or insults or anger towards them when it had become clear the truth about the relationship that he and Turquoise now had, and frankly, he would have preferred that. That at least he knew what to do with. What had greeted them instead was one of two things. Either polite indifference coupled with an entirely business-like manner, as if they were something undesirable that had been discovered in the mountain and should be avoided as much as possible, or hesitant, and often awkward, curiosity, which, in its own way, was worse. Or, there had been the moment when they had met with their parents. That had been almost like torture. For their part, Turquoise's parents had been supportive enough, asking him some pointed questions that he didn't like repeating, somehow managing to be polite and welcoming, albeit in a somewhat backhand way, as well as cutting to the bone at the same time. No, it had been his parents that had been the ones who were hard to deal with. Unlike Karen, who was the daughter of two knights, only Malcolm's father was a member of the order, though his mother had lived in the mountain since they had been married.
His father had seemed to accept his choice of partner, probably because he too had a female dragon as his mount and knew how strong that bond could be. All the same, he had been somewhat distant since they had told him. His mother on the other hand... When she had found out, she hadn't even looked at him anymore, much less spoken to him. That had been bad enough, but worse had been when Malcolm and his draconian lover had gotten up to leave, breaking the all too awkward silence. His mother had broken down into bitter tears, sobbing loudly, but had shaken off all attempts to comfort her. In the end, Malcolm had known that their relationship would never, and could never, be the same. That, he could learn to deal with, and already, with the comfort of his love, it was getting easier. But after a week, it was the little things that had started to grate on him, the things that nobody could have predicted. None of their friends, with the sole exception of Karen and Twilight, acted the same around them anymore. The vast majority seemed a little hesitant in their behavior, thinking them odd perhaps, but not bad or evil. It was more like they were trying to keep them at arm's length until they could figure out how to react. But the oddest reaction of all was that of a few knight and dragon pairs, a couple of which they had only met once or twice, who had come up to them in private and had congratulated them, implying in the way that they said things, and in one case, bald-facedly telling them, that they were jealous of their courage in openly choosing each other.
Of course, as stressful as it had been for them, it was worse for Karen and Twilight. Their son, whom they had named Kastor, had been the subject of wonder and curiosity since they had arrived. He had been given a thorough examination, both medical and magical, constantly watched by a protective Twilight, and been pronounced healthy. There was no sign of internal conflicts, as had been half expected from a child that was half and half, though there had been some other difficulties that had become known, which no one could have predicted, since Kastor's like had never been seen before. For example, though he looked mostly of dragon kind, even down to his wings and tail, he still required milk, just like a human baby. But, like a dragon hatchling, his appetite was huge, and he very early on showed that he desired meat too. And more, he seemed to be growing at a rate faster than either human or dragon. Already his scaly hair was at shoulder length, and his body had gained ten pounds. Of course, not all of the differences were bad. Unlike a human baby, Kastor didn't cry, and easily slept through the night.
Shaking his head, Malcolm looked across at the couple, Kastor cradled in his mother's grasp, sound asleep, Twilight holding his mate close. The quartet had all been summoned to come here today by members of the command flight. When they had entered the huge nest, the Dragonlord and his mate, as well as the most senior members of the knighthood, had been waiting for them. It had not been an interrogation per se, in fact, only Argil had asked them anything, and the great dragon had asked only one question, a question that caught them all off guard. He asked them to lower the barriers of their minds, and allow him to see the events that had led to all of this for himself. No magic user ever willingly let their minds be unguarded while another magic user poked around in their memories. They themselves had only ever allowed it in the case of their partner, and then, only after they had become so intimate. But they had had no choice. It was either this, or they would be subjected to a lengthy interrogation, which no one wanted to undergo. They had agreed.
Argil had looked into each of them in turn, his touch lasting only about a minute. But that was by far the strangest minute Malcolm had ever experienced, the strangest any of them had ever experienced. When the Dragonlord's powerful mind had delved into his own, the young knight had had to fight the instinct to try and drive him off, as futile as that would have been. And even with the dragonlord obviously making an effort not to hurt them, it had been a decidedly uncomfortable experience, an experience that Malcolm had no desire to repeat. Watching his own experiences, his own life, being examined and relived by another mind left him feeling almost like he had been violated, the feeling getting all the stronger when the intruder had reached the point where he and Turquoise had taken the plunge into their relationship. Thankfully, the dragonlord stopped there, not going anywhere near the point when the two of them had gotten physical, or Malcolm would have fought him tooth and nail to protect that memory.
After that few minutes, the quartet had been told to wait in the small alcove, high up in the wall of the Aerie, and then the nest had been sealed by a great bubble of magic. Though Malcolm could not guess what was going on inside the nest, he figured that the Dragonlord was sharing all that he had seen with the others, something that made Malcolm feel even more violated. It was only the comforting touch of his lover's mind, so close to his own, that had kept the feeling in check. But it had already been an hour, and, from the way they were all fidgeting, it was clear that they were getting impatient.
'Relax my love.' Turquoise's voice said, speaking from within Malcolm's mind and he smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. 'There is nothing we can do but wait.'
'I know.' He replied, leaning over to give her a gentle kiss, 'That is what bothers me.' But all the same, he forced himself to relax, leaning against his love's warm side. That was one thing that had changed for the better. Somehow, nearly giving their lives in the shared effort of maintaining the shield had drawn them so much closer together. And it was more than just that Malcolm yearned to tell her his secret name. Where before, there had been a great deal of love and affection between them, now, it was far deeper, a connection that seemed almost unbreakable. It was in everything they did, from the way they looked at each other now, to the way they snuggled at night, even the way they talked and laughed together.
A moment later, Malcolm's train of thought came to an abrupt halt when he sensed the magic seal shift, drawing back to reveal the nest. Rising to his feet beside his love, the knight readied himself for the judgment that was sure to fall upon them. With Twilight leading the way, the four renegades made their way into the nest, finding the two great dragons looking at them with unreadable expressions. There were three knights in attendance, Lord Mikael, his second in command, and his wife. These last two looked amazed, and somewhat confused, which surprised Malcolm, though Lord Mikael seemed merely serious. The five judges were silent as the four made their way into the nest, unmoving until they came to a halt. When the two couples halted, they felt the powerful presence of Argil reach out to them once more, though he did not quite touch them. Instead, he spoke into their minds, and his tone was more surprising than anything. It was not angry, or full of triumph, or even grave, all of which they had expected. Instead, it seemed almost wistful, and Malcolm looked at the huge white and silver dragon with a curious gaze.
'I am going to tell you all something, something most do not know.' He said, almost conversational in his manner, 'I was angry with you all for a long time, angry because you had chosen to break our laws, because you dragons had chosen a human as a mate, and vice versa. And so I would be still, had I not been reminded of my own past.' At this, he looked at his mate with a warm smile that seemed to smooth his reptilian features, smoothing the ferocity out of them. 'I had forgotten that long centuries ago, when I was very young, I made the same choice, and for the same reason as you. For I was not born as I am now. I was once a human, or near enough, and I would have remained a human for all of my life, if I had not met Scarlon.'
At this pronouncement, the four looked at him in shock. Every knight and young dragon had heard of the dark days, when dragons had become human to survive, hiding in plain sight, until they were awakened by Argil, but everyone had sort of assumed that the greatest of the living dragons had always been a dragon, as had his mate. 'It was she who awoke the dragon in me, and when our children were in danger, I chose to abandon the human that I had been, renouncing it wholly and completely. It was a choice I made without hesitation, but in the years since that day, it also made me forgot the feeling when I had met Scarlon, forgotten the love that did not seem possible to exist within us. As such, there will be no consequences for what you have done, for the choices you made in this regard. And henceforth, all dragons and knights shall be afforded the same choice that I myself made, all those years ago. The law prohibiting it will be repealed.' Malcolm felt his mouth fall open in surprise at that announcement.
Far from being punished, they were, in a sense, being rewarded. They could be together now, without fear of reprisal. Turquoise squeezed his hand gently as it sunk in and he returned the gesture, joy beginning to fill them both, their link sharing the warm sensation as a hesitant smile came to their lips. But then, Lord Mikael stood up from where he had been seated and the smiles faded at the look that now decorated his face. It was still utterly serious, without a trace of humor and it made their rising spirits sink right back down towards their bellies.
"However," He said, his words tinged with regret. "Though there will be no punishment for your relationships, it cannot be denied that you violated our laws, and whether or not that was the right decision, when it became clear what you had done, you sought to attack us and flee in order to avoid judgment. This we cannot allow to pass." The rider paused for a moment here, looking each of them in the eye in turn. "Therefore, Lieutenant Karen," The raven-tressed mother looked up at him without fear and the Lord continued. "Your rank and authority as an officer is hereby removed, as is your position as leader of your flight. All of the rest of you are also removed from active duty, effective immediately. Until further notice, you are to act as instructors to the aspirants, until such time as I see fit to reinstate you as full Knights. Dismissed."
For a moment, none of the four moved, surprised by the announcement. Finally, all four of them straightened up and saluted, before turning and walking out of the nest, all of them sharing the same smile. The punishment, far from being harsh, was exactly what Twilight and Karen needed, since their son would need their attention for the foreseeable future. And perhaps, Malcolm reflected, looking over at Turquoise appraisingly, this would be what they needed too.
As they walked the narrow ledge down to the floor of the chamber, following Karen and Twilight, Malcolm suddenly smiled broadly, for an image had popped unbidden into his mind, a thought that was as odd as their punishment had been. He suddenly found himself imaging what it would be like to be in Twilight's position, and strangely, he found his mind musing over what his and Turquoise's children might look like, if they happened to have any. He slid an arm around his lover's waist as they walked, his grin widening, for the idea of finding out was very attractive indeed.
"What are you grinning about?" Turquoise asked, easy laughter in her voice.
"Oh, there is just something I want to tell you." Malcolm replied, a deep sensation of content suddenly welling up within him. All the stress that had been heaped upon him for months was draining away, leaving only the future that seemed suddenly bright.
"Well good." The blue-green dragoness replied, leaning in for a kiss. "I think I have a few things to tell you too..."