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Sanira ran.

Ran through the dense forest along the borderlands, leaping over roots and stones. Too many things to name cut and pricked at her grimy bare feet, but she payed the pain no heed. Scrapes and bruises abounded as she sped by branches and brush and though they brought tears to the corner of her eyes she dared not stop. Even the ache in her legs and the tired burning in her lungs were nothing compared to the fear nesting in her heart.

A cruel thought from the dark recesses of her mind made a mockery of her attempts. Why, it crooned. W_hy do you run? What is left of your life to value?_

Her inability to answer that question gave it weight, but even bearing it she couldn't will herself to stop. Perhaps her life was not worth much to her, but it had been to others.

Fresh memories brought tears that trickled down her scraped and dirty face, making lines through the grime. Her father's stern face as he explained that they would have to leave the realm. Her mother's calm, ever collected composure as soldiers stormed into their estate. The sight of them standing quietly together, like beings from some distant legend, their guards unwavering at their sides while her older brother dragged her to the stables.

It had been her brother Gredrick who had told her what had happened as they mounted and raced through the city streets despite her fierce protestations. Joining his somber voice had been the distant sound of clashing steel and shouting.

The king had finally passed into the care of the Six. With no heir to take the throne the Council of Lords had called the great Houses of the realm to a moot where the only true rival to her father's ascension had revealed that silver tainted her hair. When she heard this, Sanira had wept then and there, but her brother Gredrick had assured her that it hadn't been her fault. May each and every one of the Six forgive her-she had felt nothing but relief at learning that she wasn't to blame. Not after spending her entire life miserable because of a curse she neither asked for nor understood.

Gredrick had explained that their father's rival had accidentally stumbled upon documents regarding her birth; documents one of the clerks her father had bribed neglected to alter. Though it proved nothing, the Council had demanded she be cleared of suspicion. Her father's following withdrawal from ascension only served to raise suspicions. Afterward...well, people did very stupid things when they were afraid.

Now Sanira was a fugitive who could never return to Avon, the life she had known forever in tatters. Though Sanira knew the Council of Lords would not dare punish her parents for defending family and home without confirmation of Sanira's condition-even if their actions did reek of guilt-they would likely still be stripped of their titles, their House never to rule again. And Gredrick...

Now that his involvement was known helping her escape the realm would cost him dearly too, for at the border of Avon, so close to lands which saw no rule, they had been set upon by a smaller group of oddly armored soldiers. Even from a great distance it was easy to see that their warhorses were slowly overtaking even their sturdy steeds.

Eventually the border had been passed and shortly after, shrouded from view by the ancient trees on either side of the road, Gredrick had quietly told her that he loved her, no matter what others believed, and that he wished her well. He had knocked her off her horse at the edge of the wood and then tossed her a pack of travel food, telling her he would draw them away with tracks to grant Sanira as much time as possible.

That had been the last time she saw him. Perhaps, her cruel mind supplied, the last time she ever would. Left with little choice and filled with a volatile mix of rage and sorrow, Sanira had ran.

Somewhere along the way her pack had caught on a branch. She scarcely remembered it, though she did remember screaming in frustration and leaving the bloody thing instead of taking the time to simply either undo the tangle or snap the branch. Common sense hadn't been a priority in her state, though now she realized that blunder might be the death of her if she didn't stumble and break her neck first.

That was all in the past however; the present was more important if she were to earn a future at all. Soon the forest thinned before finally breaking. Here Sanira paused to catch her breath, but was so overwhelmed by sudden exhaustion that she fell to her knees. Heart pounding, she looked before her.

The world loomed, oblivious to the troubles of one as insignificant as she. A sea of tall viridian grass waved in the summer breeze, their rustling like that of an ocean wave. Crooked, wiry trees dotted the landscape here and there, and in the far distance Sanira saw what seemed like a river quietly coursing across the field. To the north loomed foreboding mountains, beneath which rolling hills flowed.

At the far edges of the horizon loomed the clustered green of forests.

Beautiful, Sanira thought. If the Six meant for her to fall today, perhaps this wouldn't be such a terrible place for her bones to rest.

The expansive wildland did, however, remind her of another problem. They had fled to the east, where the border had been closest to their estate, but there was only more wildland further east. She would have to travel south to Rissal or north, across the mountains, to Gralbak.

A short laugh escaped her lips, then she shrugged gently to herself. A destination was perhaps more important at the moment than actually ever getting there.

First she would have to do something about the growling in her stomach.

Sanira cast her gaze wide, then eyed a herd of strange, bulky beasts she distantly recalled as being brumba. They looked a little like cattle, but were much larger, rounder, and had dark, leathery skin. At first they appeared to be eating the grass, which wouldn't do her much good, but Sanira noticed that they were actually pulling something else out of the ground. Well, if it was edible to them, it might be for her.

Tiredly she dragged herself upright and waded through the thigh high grass. Insects buzzed around her, a few disturbed by her passing, but she ignored their indignant cries. The herd payed no attention to her when she neared and only one of them eyed her lazily when she stepped among them. Sanira watched as they noised around until they found a vine-like protrusion, then tugged on it with flat teeth to unearth something that reminded her of a darkened radish. With a bleat, the beast munched on it without much hesitation.

Taking the lesson to heart, Sanira crawled around on her hands and knees until she too found a wiry vine. The plant came out of the ground easily enough, but didn't look very appetizing. If the beasts were able to eat it then it should be fine for her as well, though she'd heard of some animals who had an immunity to poisonous plants and could feed on them...

Well, if this doesn't kill me hunger eventually will, she thought to herself. She didn't have a lot of time to waste either, and there were enough of them to easily gather a hoard. Perhaps with a makeshift sack from the remains of her dress...

One of the brumba shuffled its way over to her while she thought the idea over and nosed her plant, bleating hungrily.

"This one is mine!" she said to it, moving the plant out of range.

The creature ignored her and circled around to the root, bleating as if it couldn't comprehend why the delicious treat was moving away.

"Shoo!" she said, feeling silly for talking to it, but not especially caring at the moment.

She tried to push the large beast away, but it took the opportunity to snatch the dark root from her unguarded grip while she was trying to get it to move. Placing her hands on her hips, she stared at the beast indignantly while it munched away.

Exhaling in defeat, Sanira crawled around for another, and having found one, unearthed it. Sanira glanced around when she rose, on watch for another wayward brumba.

They however were all staring to the south, ears flicking restlessly.

"What is it?" she asked, looking from them to the south.

Without warning the creatures broke off into a run, moving as one through the waving grass. Puzzled, Sanira watched them go before again turning towards the south. She wasn't quite sure what prompted her to gaze skyward, but when she did, she spotted a streak of gray and sharp talons drawing near. Sanira stumbled backwards in surprise, falling onto her rump.

That had saved her life.

A gryphon straight out of the bestiaries she had studied as a child rushed over her, landing neatly in the tall grass. It screeched disappointment at missing its mark, but quickly bound towards her. Sanira crawled onto to her feet and broke off into a run. The gryphon easily closed the distance and pounced, knocking her down, but fumbling when she went down rolling. With a surge of adrenaline and fear she struck it across the head with her root before it had the chance to end her life.

The gryphon screeched-whether in anger or surprise she didn't know-and Sanira hit it again. The sharp beak opened and dove at her, but she managed to jerk out of the way. Her heart pounded as she slid further beneath it, forcing it to walk backwards to keep her in view. It might have been comical if she wasn't so certain the gryphon would eventually have the meal it so craved.

Then, almost as if the Six themselves had chosen to intervene, a flash of whitish silver fell to the grass beside them. A deafening roar sounded and a silver whip slammed into the gryphon, not only knocking it off, but sending it a good distance away.

Heart still pounding, Sanira scrambled onto her feet, turning to stare at her savior-and froze.

A silver dragon, sleek and muscular, stood, its scales gleaming in the sunlight.

Sanira almost ran towards the gryphon. What had she done to deserve such hatred from the Six? Almost falling to her knees in tears, Sanira wondered if she should bother fleeing or if it would be simpler to resign herself to being the victor's meal.

Before she could decide, the gryphon righted itself and dove at the dragon in a wild rage, but the difference in their strength became evident as soon as they clashed. The gryphon for all its clawing and striking did not even scratch the dragon's scales, while the dragon used, of all things, its tail to soundly give the gryphon a thrashing, whipping it into the bird-like beast whenever it attempted to pounce.

Eventually the gryphon decided it had enough and screeched a defeat before taking off and flying into the distance. The dragon watched it frantically retreat with an odd calm, then tilted its long neck back to regard her.

Breathing heavily, Sanira brandished her root-plant, closed her eyes, and waited for death to come in the form of that terrible maw. When it didn't, she slowly pried one eye open, then the other.

Intelligence shone in the dragon's own eyes while they stared at each other. Relaxing a little, Sanira got a better look at the creature that had for some reason saved her.

It wasn't very large; about the size of the largest warhorse, perhaps larger. If the bestiaries were to be believed they generally averaged at least twice that size. Its scales-which she noticed were more of an argent hue-looked like ornate decorations laid over each other; Sanira thought them beautiful. In fact, she thought the entire creature a carefully constructed thing of beauty.

There was a lithe sleekness to the dragon that was almost somehow feminine. Its sinuous tail was free of the spines some dragons bore, and its body was muscled in a compact way. Its wings were folded neatly across its back while it stood on two thick, clawed legs and two thinner, slightly shorter forearms, also tipped with obsidian claws. A somewhat long neck arched from the body, ending in an angular head crested with four ebon horns, two on each side. The horns curved back, the lower horns shorter than the upper. Amber eyes slitted black continued to watch her, and a thick, snake-like tongue was visible within its partially open maw. Sanira did not fail to notice the fangs and sharp teeth accompanying it.

The dragon suddenly turned away, surprising her, and spread its wings wide. Sanira saw that whatever made up the frame of the wings was somehow flexible; the dragon would have nearly absolute control over their angle.

"Wait!" she cried as she the dragon crouched. When it paused and craned its neck back to her, Sanira added, almost bashfully, "Thank you. For saving me."

A long moment passed in silence, then the dragon refolded its wings and turned to once again regard her. "You are welcome."

Sanira blinked and her heart skipped a beat. "You can speak!"

The dragon snorted. "Believe me when I say the fact that your kind can speak is far more of a surprise."

Sanira frowned."That's a rude thing to say."

"As rude as assuming I was as much a mindless beast as that gryphon, I would think."

Sanira winced at his words. "That's true. I apologize with all of my heart, but I don't often have the company of a dragon so I didn't know what to expect."

"That will change if you continue heading east," he-or at least she assumed it was a he from his voice-said casually. "These are dragonlands. You should leave."

Wonderful, yet another problem, she thought sourly, but before she could voice her complaint the sound of neighing horses and scabbards slapping against armor sounded from the forest to the west.

Seven men in black armor rode upon fearsome black steeds. The leading rider's armor was enameled with depictions of mythical creatures and curved ram horns adorned his full helm. Though his bulky plate mail seemed impossibly heavy, the dark knight moved as if he wore nothing more than the wind upon his body.

The horses bore light armor themselves and were also marked with livery bearing a runic eye hovering over a crossed feather and blade. Sanira didn't recognize the emblem.

They paused a short distance away, their faces hidden behind helms as they glanced from Sanira to the dragon. Most men would have fled merely at hearing the roar of a dragon, but these men didn't so much as hesitate at the sight of one.

"What sorcery have you wrought to call upon the aid of a dragon, witch?" the lead knight said, his voice deep and without emotion.

The dragon cast a sidelong glance at her, then eyed the knights curiously.

"I'm not a witch," Sanira said with forced conviction. Who was she really trying to convince, she wondered? "And by who's authority do you hound me so? I'm nobleborn, daughter of-"

"Your status no longer matters," the lead knight said, his voice like cold stone. "And we speak with the authority of kings past and present. We are the Watchers; man, beast, or sorcery, we defend Avon from the vile, from those like yourself."

"I am not a witch!" she repeated.

The Watchers ignored her, dismounting and drawing hand-and-a-half swords from oiled leather baldrics. They approached Sanira and the dragon carefully, spreading out to encircle them.

The dragon moved before her and said, "Stay close and do not be alarmed."

She didn't know what he meant by that, but watched while the dragon approached the leader of the gathered Watchers. The knight brandished his blade and slid into a defensive stance in response. A quiet tension began to build as the two eyed each other, the remaining knights making calculated steps to encircle the beast, then at last the first move was made. The dragon opened its maw; the knight lifted his other arm and a runic symbol in the shape of a shield blazed with blue light.

Nothing happened for a drawn out heartbeat and then before Sanira even really realized what had happened the dragon neatly spun and whipped his tail with graceful precision and blurring speed. The knight, caught completely unawares, was knocked off his feet. Immediately following his ruse, the dragon spread his wings and launched into the air, roaring at the other knights as they closed. His tail looped around her waist and suddenly the ground was so very far away.

The gathered knights relaxed their stance as they watched them fly away and Sanira couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration.

"Hah!" she yelled at them, grinning from ear to ear.

The dragon glanced down at her with amusement, but said nothing as they flew north. The land below blurred into streaks of green. Sanira felt a little dizziness at the height and her mind deviously wondered how long she'd have to scream if she fell, but the dragon's grip seemed sure and secure.

That didn't stop her from tightly clutching the length rising up to join with him though.

More of those round, rude, brumba scattered at the dragon's shadow and Sanira saw many other creatures, some familiar, like deer, and others not, like scaled birds the size of a goat running across the grasslands. Eventually they slowed at the edge of another forest, much closer to the great mountains to the north, and the dragon began to descend slowly.

When he hovered just above the ground, he unceremoniously dumped her onto the grass and then fell neatly onto his own feet. His amber eyes smiled at her while she rose to her feet.

"That's twice you have saved me, sir dragon!" she said to him, curtsying. "You have been the only light in an otherwise very dark day."

"Do not expect it to become a habit", the dragon said with a snort. "And I have a name, you know."

"Oh," she said, feeling stupid for some reason. "Of course you do. Well, I suppose we should introduce ourselves then. I am Sanira la Arc."

"Rumulng."

"Rumag?" she said, mincing the name.

"No," the dragon said, shaking his head and curling his tail. "Rumulng."

Sanira shrugged. "Would you mind if I called you...oh, let's see, Rul, for short?"

"That is not my name," Rumulng complained, but he didn't sound particularly upset. "Though I suppose you may call me whatever you please."

"It's either Rul or the Silver Lizard," Sanira said with a smile. "I rather find the second one dashing, like a hero from the hearthtales I read as a child."

He looked unconvinced. "Rul shall do."

"Then, Rul, I'm very pleased to meet you," she said, moving closer. The dragon shrank back as she approached, surprising her. She paused, head tilted, and lifted one hand slowly up to him. "May I?"

"May you what?"

"Touch you?"

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Oh, just stay put!" Sanira said, slightly annoyed. She put a hand against his snout and was surprised to find a heavy warmth radiating from his scales. "You're very warm."

"You...are not afraid of me?" the dragon asked, honest surprise in his voice.

Sanira shook her head while she idly stroked his jaw. "I was, at first, but I believe that passed when I realized you didn't want to eat me."

"Perhaps I am saving you for later," the dragon said, sniffing.

"Considering you saved my life twice, my new friend, I suppose I can't very much complain if you decided to change your mind. Hopefully I'm somewhat tasty."

Rumulng gave her a draconic grin. "You are an interesting human. Few could even stand being in the presence of a dragon, let alone jest with one."

Sanira laughed, then shrugged. "My unique circumstances didn't allow me the luxury to be afraid of you for long, and it'd simply be rude after what you've done for me."

"Well, Sanira la Arc-"

"Just Sanira is fine."

The dragon grunted, then continued, "As much of a pleasure as it was meeting you, it is probably best that you be on your way. There will be trouble if my kind spots you."

"Trouble? Why?"

"Humans are not allowed in our lands."

"But you didn't stop me!"

"No, I did not. Take it as the exception, not the rule."

"If you insist," she said, exhaling. "Though, could I ask for one last favor? If you could fly me south, out of your lands, or north, over the mountains..."

Rumulng hesitated, tail waving slowly.

"I know it's asking much after all you've already done," Sanira pleaded, "But I can't go back to Avon or cross the mountains on my own and you've carried me even further away from Rissal!"

For a while Rumulng didn't answer and instead glanced up at the waning daylight. The sun was sinking beneath edge of the forest, painting the skies a lovely blend of oranges, pinks, and pale blues.

Rumulng blew out a draft of hot air when his gaze returned to her, then said, "Very well. Beneath the cover of night I will take you south."

"Thank you so very much," Sanira said without bothering to hide her relief. "Now I won't have to battle my way to Rissal after all."

"As amusing as that would have been."

"I like to consider myself bolder than most, but even I have my limits." She sighed and eyed at the bruised radish-like root she still carried. "This won't kill me, will it?"

"The taste might," the dragon said. "But I have seen your kind eat them before, if that is what worries you. If you thirst, there is a river not far away and it would not make so poor a location to wait until night fully falls."

"Please, " Sanira answered, biting into the plant. It was bitter and earthy, but she forced it down.

The dragon turned and lumbered into the forest, tail waving in the dying light. Sanira followed after him, chewing silently on her root, her hunger seasoning enough.

Underbrush clung to massive roots arching and twining throughout the forest so thickly that it was nearly a maze. The trees here were gigantic and adorned with heavy, smoothed bark; Sanira could tell that each leafed guardian was ancient and wondered how old the forest was as a whole.

Rumulng weaved between the trees with ease and familiarity, pausing every so often to ensure that she was still following. Sanira struggled to keep up with his gait, and while he flowed through forest as if it were liquid to her it seemed every branch tangled in her hair and every impeding bush clutched at her dress.

They eventually reached a crystal clear river. Little fish danced in its depths as the river cut through the forest and jutting stones diverted the flow into tiny currents. Sanira immediately thought of how wonderful it would feel to take a dip.

"Would it be all right to take a bath?" Sanira asked the dragon. She then glanced down at her torn white dress, embroidered with floral patterns in various colors, and frowned. "Perhaps wash this as well."

Rumulng hesitated. "The forest is dangerous to the unaware."

Sanira considered him thoughtfully. "Well, couldn't you stay to watch over me? I don't think my nudity will be a problem since you're technically nude yourself, after all."

"Certainly," came the even reply, tail waving.

Even having said that, Sanira still blushed as she turned away and pulled the dress over her shoulders, then removed her underthings. She dumped them into a pile at the river's shore and slid into the water. Chilling cold soon became a refreshing coolness. All her aches diminished, drawing a content sigh as her eyes rose skyward.

The day was already darkened and the stars just beginning to appear around a filling moon. Sanira glanced down at her own reflection. Her soft skin was unflawed and her thin but athletic frame, blessed with ample breasts, had been considered attractive by most men, even if she maintained it by being more of an adventurous tomboy that was likely proper. Her vivid emerald eyes had captivated those very same men.

Sable hair fell straight and silken to the small of her back, but it was here that she paused and frowned. So simple a thing had ruined her life. Already she could see that a few rogue strands had lost their dark hue. The dye she used lost its immunity to washing after a sennight or so, and normally she would apply another dose. Not today.

Sanira dove into the cool water and when she rose the river had become poisoned by black plumes. They became more frequent as she rubbed and rinsed her hair. When she was finished the reflection that stared back had silvery white streaks in her raven black hair. The contrast highlighted her face and clashed with her eyes in a way that she had always found pleasing.

She eyed the silver strands that seemed to now glow with a pale luminescence and sighed. Something large drifted into view, startling her, then she realized it was Rumulng. The dragon floated just beneath the surface like a crocodile, his tail propelling him in a lazy circle around her.

They stared at each other in silence while he made a full loop, then he raised his head and said, "An interesting fashion choice."

"Unfortunately, it's not. Do you like it?"

"I might be a little biased, of course, but I do. It gives you a rather fierce appearance."

Sanira laughed. "Me? Fierce?"

"I would have considered saving the gryphon from you had this been your appearance when we first met."

Sanira's laughter shook her body, and she noticed the dragon's eyes traveling downwards appreciatively. Surprised, she pointed at the dragon with lighthearted accusation.

"I recognize that look! You lied to me!"

"I only agreed to what you asked," Rumulng protested mildly. "You were the one who believed what you wanted to believe." He made a point of glancing at her body. "Besides, how could I not look? You are so curiously curvy."

Sanira raised an eyebrow at the dragon, who met her eyes for a moment before returning to his visual exploration without a shred of subtlety. She decided not to be offended, and the truth was that it thrilled her for some reason. Besides, he had saved her life, and twice at that. Looking wouldn't hurt anyone, and he was certainly curious...

Rumulng continued to watch her while keeping himself from drifting with an occasional stroke of his tail. Sanira retrieved her clothing and rinsed them in the river, then, as night fully bloomed into a canopy of stars and a half moon, strode dripping from the river.

The dragon followed shortly after, shaking himself like a dog and spraying her. She glared at him, then tilted her head thoughtfully when she realized he was already dry. His eyes followed as she approached and placed a hand on his flank, feeling warmth radiating from it.

"Could I borrow you for a moment?" she asked with a small smile.

"Mhm," he replied, and she wondered if he had even heard her at at all.

Sanira laughed and shook her head. "You're completely bewitched! All males are the same, apparently."

"I take offense to-" He blinked as she started laying her dress and undergarments over his side. "What, may I ask, are you doing?"

"Well, I was hoping my things would dry faster this way... and before you say anything, remember that I did ask."

The dragon submitted to that with reluctance and before long her things really were dry. She donned her clothing once more, noting Rumulng's disappointment with amusement, and felt much better after her bath.

With nothing else keeping her, she supposed it was time to leave. She turned to Rumulng, but the dragon eyes were looking up into the skies. His tail waved restlessly and his expression was what she'd call the draconic variation of worry.

"What's wrong, Rul?" she asked, a hand stroking his warm side.

"Trouble," was his simple and grim reply.

Her eyes joined his skyward and she saw black silhouettes circling above the forest. They were draconic in shape, though seemed fairly larger than Rumulng himself was.

"Black dragons," he explained. "They patrol at night."

Three of the dragons dove downwards while they watched, landing neatly on the river's shore and moving to face them in a half circle. Even the smallest was at least twice her companion's size, if not more. One of them moved forward, tongue flicking across its snout, and hissed.

"Rumulng," the dragons said, annoyance heavy in its tone. "Would you care to explain why there is a human in our lands?"

"Not any more than you would care to explain why such prestigious drars such as yourselves are suddenly doing all the way out near the border."

"Hah!" the dragon replied. "Believe me, I would not have flown so far from the heartlands if I had not been ordered to." He turned to Sanira, red eyes seeming vicious even though she only sensed growing irritation. His black scales gleamed in the moonlight. "Talgranil and Nynalech sensed slayers in our lands earlier and set us to wing. Imagine my surprise to find a human here after all!"

Slayers? Sanira realized he must be speaking about the Watchers.

"My dear Nanen," Rumulng said evenly. "Those slayers are now long gone thanks to my diligent efforts and, as you can plainly see, this one is no slayer."

"But she is human, nonetheless!" Nanen rebuked. "You know our laws."

"That I do. She, however, does not know of our ways."

"Ignorance is a folly, not an excuse."

Rumulng glanced at Sanira and sighed. "Then what would you do?"

"I will do nothing," the dark dragon said with a flick of his tail. "Come. We will go before the Eternals and they will pass judgment on this scrawny thing."

With that the dragon took off with its fellows and joined those circling above. Rumulng watched them for a moment, the half moon an eerie backdrop to their dark shapes, and then glanced back down at her.

"I didn't mean to get you in trouble," Sanira said. "I'm sorry."

"No worries," the dragon said in a soft voice. "I will only receive a few choice words at worst."

"And me?"

"Oh, the Eternals are a reasonable sort."

"That's good, then?" she asked, tilting her head.

Rumulng wrapped his tail around her waist and shook his head. "No. You broke one of our laws, so reasonably, you will pay its price. That would be death, by the way."

Sanira's heart skipped a beat as he launched himself into the air, but it was more from his words than at seeing the forest zooming further away. They flew through the cold night air for several hours, silently moving towards the northern mountains. The black dragons kept their distance but remained in a loose circle around Rumulng.

As they neared the jagged behemoths, Rumulng craned his neck and said to her, "Do not worry, Sanira. I will think of something. I promise."

The words gave her comfort.

The mountains soon drew close and Sanira saw that they were even more imposing up close, their rocky faces dotted with caves and strangely with what seemed to be ancient human ruins. Fallen stone pillars and archways, mossy and weathered, covered the mountains more often than stone and soil. She wondered who had dared lived in these inhabitable mountains.

Who the current residents were, on the other hand, was not left to the imagination. Dragons nested on the moonlit slopes and filled the skies. She spotted reds, greens, golds, blacks, and purples, but had no idea what their colors might signify. Little was actually known about dragons except that most people believed you were better off never meeting one.

Now she was surrounded by them.

Rumulng caught her gawking like a girl still in her schooling years and grinned. They rode the chilly air currents and sped over the slopes without care. Sanira found herself envying dragons their ability to fly and was too busy being awed to feel afraid when they started to descend. A misty vale tucked between the clustered mountains soon came into view, and it was toward a large lake centered within this green oasis that the dragons flew.

Other dragons joined them. They spoke in hushed, curious voice. Many of their eyes focused on Sanira, but her own gaze was at region to the east of the lake where a massive stone outcropping-almost a mountain in its own right-stood. Its top was flattened evenly and it reached around towards the lake to form a sort of lowered clearing between it and the lake.

It was what lounged on top of the outcropping however that captured Sanira's attention, even as they landed in the clearing and Rumulng gently set her on her feet. Five dragons, many times larger than any of the others she had seen, eyed her with mild amusement. Authority and power radiated from them and it was evident that the other dragons regarded them with as much awe as Sanira did.

Looking up at them, the stars and moon an intimidating backdrop to their forms, Sanira felt very insignificant.

One of them-a sleek gold dragon who, like his smaller brethren, gave off a honey-gold light that bit away at the night-spoke.

"Human," the voice said, deep and ancient. "I am Talgranil."

"Nynalech," said the black dragon in a feminine voice, her eyes blood red, her scales blurred and melding with the night.

A green dragon, different from his companions in that his scales were jagged and his build was far bulkier, flicked his ridged tail and said, "Grangalros."

The smallest of the five, a purple dragon with four, rather than two, wings and an agile, dagger-like frame clamped its its maw and said. "Sieron."

"And I am Nalenthser," came the last, a red dragon almost as large as Grangalros, but with thicker legs and forearms and a muscular, ridged body. From her voice, Sanira assumed she was female as well.

"You're the Eternals," Sanira breathed, her heart pounding so fast she feared it would burst.

"We are," came Talgranil's soothing voice. "We rule these lands and act as adjudicators for dragonkind." He tilted his head and looked thoughtful. The light he gave off was awfully bright, but her eyes were somehow unbothered despite having stared at him so long. "Which is why we must ask the reason that Avon brings slayers into our lands unprovoked."

Sanira almost laughed. Almost.

She doubted Avon-or any other human realm for that matter-knew so many dragons existed, let alone that they had even more terrifying leaders that actually, well, ruled. Untamed wildlands were always dangerous, but those thought to hold even a single dragon were avoided fervently. Idly, Sanira wondered what the Council of Lords and the king would do if they knew hundreds of dragons nested next door.

Unsure on how to answer the question, she turned to Rumulng, but he merely stretched and looked wordlessly back at her.

"He will not speak unless given permission," Nynalech said in a soft, almost seductive voice. "That time will come, but now we speak to you."

Well then.

Sanira shrugged and looked up at the towering dragons. "The slayers were looking for me. Avon, like pretty much everyone else, assumes only a handful of dragons exist."

A sound rose through the observing spectators that had landed in a circle around the clearing and it took a while for Sanira to recognize it as draconic laughter. A few choice words about her people reached her ears, but Sanira found herself agreeing with them too much to be angry or offended.

Talgranil waved his tail with casual grace and the laughter died slowly. "Why were slayers hunting you, human?"

"My name is Sanira la Arc," she said with more heat than she intended. The way they said 'human' made it sound like an insult. "Sanira will do, though."

The golden dragon chuckled and nodded his head.

"And they were hunting me because they thought me to be a witch." She raised a lock of hair and showed the silver in it. "Those born with silver in their hair are supposedly warlocks or witches."

Sieron briefly unfurled all four wings. "To little surprise. Humans often fear what they do not understand." He craned his thin neck toward the others. "If this is the truth then it is not our concern, however amusing the irony."

Irony?, Sanira thought, puzzled.

"Agreed," Talgranil said, and the others grunted their own agreement. "I see no reason to draw this matter out." The massive reptile turned his horned head to Sanira. "You are charged with invasion of our territory, the punishment to which is death."

Sanira frowned. "That's not fair!"

"No," Nynalech said. "Though you would have found that life is often not."

Talgranil eyed her, seeming almost as if he were reliving a past memory. "You think us unnecessarily cruel?"

The question caught her by surprise, but she nodded.

"What do you believe would be the reaction of your fellows should I find myself sightseeing in your wondrous cities?" He clamped his jaws languidly.

Sanira saw his point and had no answer she would be willing to voice.

The dragon, however, took her silence as answer enough. "Though I do not relish the taking of a life our laws have kept us safe and prospering for thousands of years. I am hesitant to make an exception for one mere human."

Defeated, Sanira slumped her shoulders. The five gigantic dragons turned their gazes from her to the silver form beside her. Rumulng straightened when they peered at him, his muscular tail waving back and forth with what Sanira hoped was expectant calm.

"Rumulng," Nynalech said. "You have been found harboring a human. Speak and tell us for what reason, knowing that your answer will determine your own punishment."

The argent dragon stepped forward into the clearing and glanced at Sanira for a moment before saying, "My deepest apologies, Eternals, but this would have been a simple matter if only I were allowed to speak earlier. You see, Sanira is in fact my mate."

Stunned silence fell over the procession and even the Eternals seemed shocked. They were, however, probably not as surprised as she was.

The silenced passed almost as suddenly as it came and was replaced by thunderous laughter from around them. Rumulng looked unperturbed, even when breathless conversations began to emerge from the laughter.

"Of course a human would be the only mate Rumulng could entice!"

"No doubt he traded her life for her companionship..."

"...threatens to eat her....does not..."

Sanira frowned at the bits she caught, wondering what they were talking about-then everything suddenly fell into place with such clarity that she realized was stupid to not have seen it before. The clues had been there: she had seen no other silver dragons among the many nesting here-Rumulng had been the only one. He was also much smaller than any of the other dragons, which if they were anything like humans would do little for his popularity.

Sanira also recalled his surprise at seeing the black dragons in the borderlands and Nanen's insistence that he'd only come because he had been commanded to, meaning the dragons probably didn't normally roam near the borderlands. Yet Rumulng had been there...alone...away from others of his kind and in a place where they apparently rarely dwelled.

Now he'd apparently made himself the ridicule of his brethren simply for her own safety. Sanira found it difficult to believe he hadn't done it out of kindness, considering his willingness to help earlier when it had hardly been necessary, but she also suspected it was because he already had nothing else to lose. Certainly not the admiration or respect of his fellow dragons.

A deep, hot anger began to rise inside her. She barely knew Rumulng and already thought him intelligent, funny, and kindhearted. How could they treat him like this?

"Is this true?" Talgranil asked her, not bothering to silence the laughing horde. Somehow his voice was easily heard over their increasingly irritating comments. "You are his dam, and he your drar?

"Of course," she said angrily. "Are you calling Rul a liar?"

"Rul?" Talgranil said, and he and the other Eternals exchanged amused looks. The gold dragon unfurled his wings and waved his tail before regarding her again. "This is...unusual."

"Unusual or not," Rumulng said. "The laws you are so very fond of do not specify that one's mate must be draconic and the very same set of laws say that a pair both share their privileges."

"That is because not even a stone-headed fool should need clarification on what qualifies as a mate," a furious voice spat.

Sanira turned and saw a red dragon several times Rumulng's size-but still far smaller than the Eternals-step from the cluster of dragons.

A sigh escaped Talgranil and he waved his tail at the newcomer. "I might as well grant you permission to speak before you do it anyway."

"Dranzar," Rumulng said with a sigh of his own. "What a surprise."

The red stomped across the grassy clearing until he was before the silver dragon. The onlookers quieted, though isolated conversations still carried on the chilly night breeze.

"Eternals," the dragon said while glaring at Rumulng and Sanira. "Surely you would not allow this runt to make fools of you? His words are only meant to save the human's life. She will be home before the morn!"

Grangalros yawned and rested on his belly. "Mmm, yet Rumulng is correct in regards to the law, though it is still our decision on whether or not we will accept a human as, for all intents and purposes, a dragon." His tail tip wriggled lazily. "Though, personally, I see no reason why not, mmm. No status is gained or lost by this union, no hoard sizes are affected, and no others will be affected by the pairing." The giant green looked at Dranzar pointedly. "Except, perhaps, a few of the easily insulted, mmm."

"Seeing the two in passionate union would make for an interesting sight," Nalenthser commented, amusement thick in her voice while she eyed them with interest. "On those hopeful grounds alone I am eager to leave it be, even if our young friend is correct in assuming Rumulng only wishes to protect her."

It took a moment to for Sanira realize what Nalenthser meant. Sanira blushed fiercely.

"Nalenthser!" Talgranil exclaimed without much force. "Do keep personal thoughts to yourself?"

"I will try," came the innocent reply.

Dranzar growled his distaste. "You do not mean to allow this?!"

"I agree with the youngling," Sieron said. "I vote we kill her and be done with it."

Nynalech snorted. "I care not either way, but perhaps we should be asking Dranzar his reason for opposing a pairing our laws do not explicitly forbid."

"Yes, Dranzar," Rumulng said with a roll of his eyes. "Do tell us why such a thick branch has lodged itself so far within your tailhole."

The red clawed angrily at the moist soil in response to Rumulng's comment, but addressed the Eternals instead. "As a kaiser, I have a well known respect for our laws and our ways. It is no surprise to anyone when I say I dislike that which mars the greatness we have perfected for so long and feel any flaws should be clipped and trimmed as any reasonable mind would do." He glanced pointedly at Rumulng who pretended not to notice. "Unfortunately, the other kaisers do not always agree with my views, so I tolerate some diversity, but the blatant twisting of our laws is unacceptable!"

Talgranil snorted. "If that is all, then I see no reason to disallow the pairing."

Dranzar growled angrily, speared both her and Rumulng with a look, then stomped away mumbling to himself.

"Now, then," Talgranil said to them. "Please accept our apologies for disturbing you and your dam, Rumulng." Then, to everyone else, "This gathering is concluded."

The dragons began to disperse like a flock of birds and all the Eternals, save for Talgranil, took to the skies themselves. They were even more magnificent while in flight, or at least Sanira thought so. Talgranil lifted his thick tail and a smaller gold dragon perched on top of it. They seemed to exchange a brief conversation, then the gold dragon flew over to them and landed by Rumulng.

With a frown Sanira noticed that the dragon was at least twice as large as Rumulng.

"I am Vatessh," she said. "Please come with me. It is my wish to treat your wounds and feed you before you head off."

Sanira glanced up at Rumulng, who merely nodded and wrapped her in his tail. They took off and flew a short distance, landing on a rocky ledge set along one of the mountains. A few curled dragons blinked at the gold's sudden light, then eyed her and Rumulng with open curiosity.

Rumulng didn't set her down, but instead presented her to the gold with his tail. Vatessh opened her maw and spewed what Sanira first thought to be golden flame as bright as it was, but realized it was more like a thick mist. The warm light clung to her and smelled strangely of fresh strawberry pastries. Wherever the stuff touched pains and aches vanished and as she endured the bright breath her exhaustion melted away.

When the dragon was finally done none of her scratches from the day were visible. In fact, a few scars from her childhood were even gone. Amazed, she said nothing while the gold took off and Rumulng set her down.

"I apologize," Rumulng said quietly. "About what I said to the Eternals."

"Don't," Sanira said, her forgotten anger resurfacing. "You saved my life again, and now I think I understand how hard it might have been for you to come here in the first place, so I'm the one who should probably apologize."

Rumulng looked surprised, but said nothing.

"I mean it," she said, hugging his lowered snout. "Thank you, Rul. You're every bit my knight in shinning armor." She kissed him lightly on the snout and grinned.

"What was that?" he asked with mild surprise.

Her head tilted quizzically. "What was what?"

"What you just did."

"Huh? You mean when I kissed you?" Sanira passed a hand through her hair. "It's a way humans sometimes show affection."

"Hmm," Rumulng said curiously. "Could we...try it again?"

Sanira eyed him suspiciously. "Are you tricking me again?"

"I did not trick you before," he answered, pretending to be affronted. "And I am not tricking you now."

"Well, why not?" she said shrugging. "I suppose you have more than earned a kiss from the fair maiden."

Rumulng snorted at her comment. Sanira drew close to kiss him again, but this time Rumulng twitched his tail nervously.

Her lips pressed against his snout, intended to be another light kiss, but he awkwardly licked her lips with his tongue. Sanira giggled at the ticklish feeling and pulled away. Rumulng, however, looked distraught.

"Erm, sorry," he said. "I really do not know what I am supposed to be doing."

"Oh, it's all right," she said, still giggling. She drew close once more. "Here. Open your maw a little bit and play with my tongue."

They tried it again and this time their tongues brushed together for a moment before they parted. Her earlier innocent kiss had ended up turning into something a little more intimate than she had originally planned, but Sanira didn't particularly mind.

"Yes, like that. Did you like it?"

"It was strange...but pleasant."

The return of the gold dragon interrupted any further conversation. The female dropped several green balls thrice the size of an apple. Satisfied, she nodded at Sanira and took off again. Sanira eyed the green orbs and picked one up.

"Allow me to help," Rumulng said, reaching forward with one obsidian claw. He cut a deep gash in one and the leathery skin peeled back.

Sanira peeled the rest off and found fruity flesh beneath. She bit into it gingerly and an odd taste somewhere between pomegranates and oranges tickled her tongue. It was good though, so she quickly finished the rest of them, surprised at how hungry she was.

"Ahem," Rumulng said with a flick of his tail. "If you are done, perhaps it would be best if we left..."

Knowing he was uncomfortable here, she nodded and stroked his snout. "Of course, Rul. Let's go."

His tail wrapped around her thin waist again and he launched himself into the sky. The mountains were quickly left behind them as they fled south and before long only Rumulng's occasional flapping and the sound of the wind rushing was all they could hear.

"I will take you to our southern border," Rumulng said distantly. "There is a road nearby, I think, and it should take you to somewhere humans dwell."

She'd almost forgotten about her previous troubles, so caught up that she had been with their visit to the mountains. Despite being what she had wanted, Sanira felt a pang of sadness. Though she had only known him for a day, she had really come to like Rumulng and the world of the dragons, frightening as it might had been, had instead fascinated her.

And what was awaiting her elsewhere? She'd always be on the run or in hiding, for Avon was hardly the only realm that looked unfavorably on witches and warlocks. Though her family had been willing to leave the realm for her, they had been forced to stay behind in order to secure her escape. No doubt they'd try to find her despite knowing the new king would be watching them. In all honestly, it was probably better if they never heard from her again.

Yes, even death was better than forcing her family to live the life of a fugitive.

So then, why couldn't she remain here if Rumulng didn't mind? Sanira knew the silver dragon had only said what he had as an excuse to explain why she was trespassing into the dragon's lands, but it'd be an equally good excuse for staying. Also, and of this she was growing increasingly certain, Rumulng seemed lonely. She was sure he would appreciate a friend if nothing else.

The only way to actually find out however would be to ask.

"Um, Rul," she said gently, hugging his tail while they continued flying. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"It will have the wait," he said grimly.

Sanira looked ahead and saw two draconic shapes streak across the moon, then dive downwards. They snapped their wings just before Rumulng, forcing him to stop and hover lazily, his powerful wings beating at an odd angle. She saw that it was two reds that halted Rumulng.

"Down," one of them said, and Sanira recognized the voice as that of Dranzar.

Rumulng tensed for a heartbeat, then descended down into the grassy meadow below. Once all three dragons had landed, Rumulng set her down, but made sure to stand between her and the reds.

"What is it now?" Rumulng asked with a yawn. "My days have troubles enough without you going out of your way to add to them, Dranzar."

The other male dragon smiled with predatory malice. "I am here on official business, my dear Rumulng."

"Oh? And that is?"

"I have come to challenge your claims," the red answered.

"My claims?" Rumulng said with a wave of his tail and a short laugh. "I have no hoard, no status, no prestigious roosts. Even if you were able to challenge one beneath you, there would be nothing for you to take."

"In that you are wrong," Dranzar said, flicking his tongue across his noise. "You have a dam."

Rumulng blinked and glanced down at Sanira, who looked back up him with confusion.

"And," the dragon continued with delight. "The laws say that any may challenge any in the name of siring the strongest hatchlings."

Rumulng was silent for so long that Sanira felt her heartbeat begin to quicken.

"Is he right, Rul?" she asked nervously.

"Yes," the silver dragon finally said. "Though they are very ancient laws, spoken in a time before humans built their first cities, and have not been employed since."

"Before humans tainted our ways, yes," Dranzar responded casually. "But that matters not. They still allow me to claim your dam as my own, regardless of status."

"I thought you despised the twisting of our laws," Rumulng retorted angrily.

"Oho, I do, but it is so very delicious when you use your opponent's own weapon against them, yes?"

Rumulng growled. "You have no real desire for her. You are doing this to get at me."

Dranzar swept his tail and slowly clamped his jaws in a draconic shrug. "Oh, I do not know, perhaps some fun can be had with her after all. Perhaps she will make a tasty treat. Either way, it will be none of your concern."

Rumulng glanced at Sanira.

"Don't do it," she immediately said. "This is all my fault and I'm not going to let you kill yourself because of me. Please, Rul!"

"So little faith in me, my dam," the silver dragon replied with a flick of his tongue. "I will not let him take you. I promise."

Sanira's heart began to thud painfully as the silver dragon stepped through the swaying grass. Above a sea of stars lit up the darkness of the night, encircled around the half moon grinning down on the two dragons.

"Trizatz will be my witness," Dranzar said, gesturing at the other red.

"And Sanira will be my witness."

Dranzar nodded, a draconic grin on his snout. "Are you certain you do not simply want to cede her?"

"Quite," Rumulng said, stretching out on all fours before the larger dragon. "Are you sure you do not want avoid humiliation?"

The red laughed, loud and booming, and spread his wings while flexing his claws. "Though I sit as a kaiser, I earned all my status and hoard through battle, runt. Come."

With any warning or sign that the battle had started, the two dragons leapt at each other, taking to the skies.

Dranzar surged forward with a powerful beat of his wings, maw open and claws extended. Rumulng's wings beat much faster and his smaller form nimbly skimmed over Dranzar, hind legs kicking the red in the back of the head. A roar erupted from the larger dragon and he swept tail. Rumulng spun with a quick twist of his body, avoiding the attack and whipping his own tail. He caught Dranzar across the snout when the red used the momentum to face Rumulng.

The dragon again roared in rage, trying to get a fix on Rumulng, but to Sanira's surprise the silver dragon was much more agile than the red and weaved in and out of his reach, clubbing with his tail and clawing. He didn't seem to be doing much damage, but he was definitely annoying Dranzar, and in turn Dranzar's attacks were getting wilder and less precise.

Eventually the red stormed down and crashed into the meadow, bellowing, "You tiny runt! Why do you not fight me?!"

"But I am," Rumulng replied mildly from the air. "It is you who can not seem to hit me."

Dranzar's response was to light the night with a frighteningly large plume of flame, hot enough to force even Sanira, who was a good distance away from the battle, to step back several paces.

Rumulng was a blur as he retreated out of range, but as soon as Dranzar paused to draw another breath the silver dragon darted in, wrapped his tail around the red's throat, and squeezed tightly, carefully positioning himself away from the red's maw. Dranzar attempted to spew more flame, but with the silver's grip he was only able to cough out a few sparks. Growling from his throat, he started to roll across the meadow, but Rumulng already unwound his tail and launched himself away.

Almost like some comical play, Sanira watched the battle continue like this and realized that despite Rumulng's lack of size, strength, and flame breath, the silver dragon used a weapon Dranzar probably had never even considered: well thought out strategy. Where Dranzar was powerful and of high endurance, Rumulng conserved his own energy while making the larger red waste his own, used his smaller size and superior speed to quickly get in tiny attacks, and stoked up the red's anger so that his attacks became clumsier. Rumulng was aware of every single one of his faults, but he also knew the red's, and he plied every single advantage he had to his advantage.

The brilliance with which Rumulng fought stirred a deep admiration inside Sanira's heart. He didn't weep over what fate had deigned to not give him, but instead made use of what he had in ways that made up for what he lacked.

She wanted to cheer him on, to shout his name with all of her might, but was afraid of distracting him, so instead she shivered in the cold night while nervously playing with her hair.

After nearly an hour of battle, it was obvious that the red was becoming tired while Rumulng still moved with graceful ease. The red was missing scales and trickles of thick, red blood oozed from numerous minor wounds. Rumulng had been bruised a little bit, and had several gashes from claws he only barely avoided, but he looked much better off.

Dranzar seemed to realize the same thing, because he started backing off defensively while clamping his jaws.

"Dranzar," Rumulng said casually, his wings twisting and beating while he hovered. "Leave us and no one needs to know about this."

Growling his rage, Dranzar gave Rumulng a predatory grin. "Indeed, runt, no one will know."

The other red crashed into Rumulng from behind, knocking him into the ground and pinning him. Rumulng immediately struggled to break free, managing to slip from his grasp and avoid a maw full of teeth, but fell prey to a crashing charge from Dranzar.

"That's not fair!" Sanira yelled angrily, her hands clenching into fists. "Stop!"

The dragons ignored her. Rumulng desperately tried to take to the air again, but they kept close and attacked with wild killing intent, so it was all he could do to keep from being mauled. Trizatz pounced on Rumulng, but the smaller silver crawled along the ground like a snake beneath him and immediately threw himself into the sky. Dranzar clamped his jaws, then turned to Sanira.

Seeing the look in his eyes, Sanira immediately turned to run, but the dragon crossed the distance before she managed to even take a step and trapped her by forming a circular wall with tail and body.

"You or her," Dranzar said as Rumulng neared. "Choose."

Rumulng hesitated for a moment and in that drawn out heartbeat Sanira saw in his eyes someone who struggled to value himself, someone without purpose or a future, someone who felt he lied to himself every time he woke and trudged through the day. Worse, she saw that he kept those feelings deep and hidden, so that maybe even he didn't realize them for what they were.

Sanira knew what his choice would be.

Rumulng landed on the ground and lowered his tail and head. Rage surged through Sanira, hot and white. She was angry at Dranzar, who would rather kill another than accept his loss. She was angry at Rumulng, who she knew to be clever and kind, for undervaluing himself because of the idiocy and ignorance of others.

Most of all, she was angry at herself.

For causing those she befriended and loved pain, for her inability to do anything to help them, and for her pitiful self loathing. Her own life was not nearly as terrible as Rumulng's and though it seemed to pain him he continued on anyway. That was courage. Courage she already lacked and her life had only been recently turned upside down.

Sanira blinked and realized that a silver light had infused her body, lighting the night in a nova of radiance. Dranzar turned to glance at the light in surprise. Sanira felt her anger gathering into a raw surge of power, unrefined, but still potent, and knew she wielded a weapon. Her hand touched the red's tail and she directed that rage at him. The silver light left her and streaked through Dranzar's body.

For a moment nothing happened, then tiny geysers of blood erupted from the large red's body and he roared in pain, spasming and rolling wildly on the ground while Sanira hastily retreated. Rumulng moved beside her and exchanged a look with her before they both turned to watch the other red rush to his companion's side

When Dranzar finally stood rivers of blood poured from numerous wounds and deep gashes showed where scales had been flayed off. His eyes shone with anger more than pain and it was obvious that he had no intention of backing off, but when he took a step towards them, a thunderous roar sounded across the night and sent birds flying miles away.

The massive form of an Eternal landed beside them and moonlight lit up crimson scales. Nalenthser eyed Dranzar with such malice that the dragon flinched as if struck.

"And what is going on here, I wonder?" she asked.

"Nothing," Dranzar and Rumulng both said at the same time. They exchanged a glance, then Dranzar said, "We were just leaving, Eternal."

Nalenthser looked unsatisfied with that, but Sanira refused to let it all end like this.

"You're both damned lairs!" she said loudly, crossing her arms. "I'll tell you what happened, Nalenthser."

Rumulng lowered his head towards her and said, "Sanira-"

"Don't, Rul. You won fair and square."

Nalenthser looked at her with amusement. "Speak then, human."

Sanira retold the events with as much detail as she could muster, not bothering to skip out on choice words or restrain her anger. She felt much better when she was done.

"It sounds to me," Nalenthser said casually as she turned to Dranzar. "Like you lost a dual bout against Rumulng and his interesting dam. Is this true, Dranzar?"

Surprised, Dranzar nodded slowly. "Yes..."

"Very well," Nalenthser said with a yawn. "So no one was foolish enough to break one of our most highly held laws regarding such challenges and I will not need to maul any necks this night. Good." She turned to Rumulng. "For winning against someone so far above your status, I will grant you a third of his hoard."

"A third?!" both Dranzar and Rumulng exclaimed.

Nalenthser blinked. "Is there a problem?"

Dranzar looked very unhappy. "...no..."

"No," Rumulng said, sounding surprised.

"Good. In the light of day I will send others to bring your winnings."

The two smaller reds growled and took off into the sky, quickly vanishing. Sanira, Rumulng, and Nalenthser watched them go without comment, then the Eternal turned to them.

"That might not have ended so well," Nalenthser said. "But...perhaps it is for the best that it ended as it did." The giant dragon sighed. "I actually came to speak with you two, though I suppose it can wait..." She hesitated, her eyes on Sanira. "Hopefully I will have that chance."

The Eternal took off after the reds, leaving the two of them alone.

"Well..." Rumulng said with a wave of his tail after Nalenthser's silhouette vanished. "I suppose you are a witch after all."

Sanira deflated, realizing he was right. "Does that bother you?"

"Of course not."

She moved closer to the silver and hugged his snout when he lowered it, pressing her face against the top and closing her eyes.

"Don't scare me like that," she whispered.

"Sorry..." came the equally soft reply.

They stood like that for a moment, then he reached around with his tail and said, "Come, it is time enough that you went on your way. Safely this time, I hope."

"No," she said sternly. He glanced at her in surprise. "Take me back to the river you brought me to before, please."

Rumulng didn't argue. He launched himself into the air and soon circled around the spot along the river where he had first taken her before the arrival of the other dragons. He landed neatly on the shore and set her down, turning around to face her. Branches rustled in the breeze and the sound of nighttime insects and hooting owls filled the silence.

A deep breath escaped her lips and she stepped forward. Rumulng lowered his head and she stroked his warm scales.

"Would you mind if I stayed with you?" she asked.

The dragon did not reply for a very long time. "At the risk of sounding like a fool, I had very much hoped you would ask that, however unlikely."

"Are you lonely?"

Another pause, then he seemed to deflate a bit. "A little..."

"I'm not yet lonely, but I am alone." She smiled sadly. "Considering we are both unwanted silver things, maybe we would make a good match after all."

Rumulng looked surprised. "Meaning...?"

"Meaning I would like to be your mate in every meaning of the word, if you would have me."

"Sanira-"

"I know what I'm saying," she said, interrupting him. "This isn't some random whim. You're kind, brave, and intelligent. You make me laugh and I think you're amazing. Inside you're very much like any other person I've ever known. In fact, you're already more than any of the men I might have been forced to marry. The only real differences between us are physical, but I couldn't find any reason why I couldn't accept you there either. You are not handsome in the way humans value beauty, but I think you're beautiful anyway, Rumulng."

"Beautiful? That is certainly a first..." Rumulng unfurled his wings and clamped his jaws. "You know, life with me will be different. You may not like it."

"If it is with you then I'll be fine, I think. At the very least it will be better than a life spent on the run."

"What if..." Rumulng hesitated as if he were wondering whether it would be better to stay silent. Eventually though he continued and said, "What if you end up not liking me? We have only known each other a day, after all."

Sanira caressed his snout and smiled. "I can't tell the future, Rumulng, but let me be honest: I don't think love is something that can be given or taken; it has to be grown and nurtured by two people. Wouldn't you like to at least try?"

The dragon nodded slowly. "I would."

She kissed him gently on the snout. "Then I am yours, Rul."

"And I yours, Sanira."

A happy exhilaration rushed through her despite the fact that she was now a dragon's mate. The very idea was madness and she wondered what her family might have thought of her decision, but to Sanira there was a deeper meaning. She was not simply a dragon's mate, but Rumulng's, and though she might never have dreamed herself in this place and time she felt that she could be happy and was also determined to make Rumulng as happy as possible.

"Well, my home is not far from here," Rumulng said. "It was built by humans, so I think that you might like it, and I would very much like to show it to you."

That piqued her curiosity, but she shook her head. "There will be plenty of time for that. Right now I could really use a relaxing bath to collect my thoughts."

"Another?" Rumulng asked with amusement.

Sanira tugged the white dress over her head. "It's been a stressful day and old habits do linger. I won't be long though, I promise, and afterward we can go."

"Well, it is not as if I mind..." he said, tail waving as his eyes wandered across her now exposed body. She gave him a mock reproachful look when their eyes met and he said, "Erm, sorry..."

Sanira giggled. "It's all right. You have a right to look now anyway, I suppose." She gave him a bashful glance after stepping out of her panties, her face reddening. "That also means you have a right to more, if you're ever interested..."

"Hmm?" he said, tilting his head quizzically.

"You know...now that we're mates..."

"Oh," he said, eyes widening. "Right now?"

Finding his expression rather adorable, she grinned. "If you'd like. Though it has to be before I take my bath."

Rumulng nodded eagerly.

She walked across the leaf-strewn ground towards him, eying him and clasping her hands behind her back. "This is going to be awkward, I think."

"Well-"

Grinning, Sanira cut him off with a kiss. "It's all right. I don't mind at all."

Saying that, she lowered herself onto her hands and knees and crawled underneath him. Rumulng craned his neck and watched her curiously. She spotted the slit where his cock nested and tentatively traced a finger along it. His body jerked at her touch.

Sanira continued to tease the opening, parting it with her fingers and rubbing it until finally a tapered pink tip began to poke out. She moved her head up into his crouch and brushed it with the tip of her tongue, then along the outer edges.

Rumulng lifted a leg and said to her, "That feels wonderful."

Encouraged, she let the hot member enlarge into her waiting mouth, sucking on it as it grew in length and girth. With her hands she rubbed the slit's ends, coaxing more of his cock out. Precum started oozing from the tip in a constant trickle, filling her mouth and forcing her to swallow. Rumulng's cock twitched every time she did.

The cock eventually grew too large to fully hold in her mouth, so she let it wetly fall out and used her fingers to stroke it, teasing the fleshy ridges along the cock and enjoying the heavy heat radiating from it.

"It's a little smaller than I expected," she commented with a smile, though his cock was still quite large. Rumulng snorted and she added, before he could say anything, "And by that I mean that we should be...compatible."

Sanira continued to pump his cock with her hands while letting the tip again slide into her waiting mouth. Rumulng purred in delight, his tail eagerly waving back and forth, his legs spreading further apart while he leaned into her. The lewd sounds of her messy sucking filled the still night and the earthy scent of his arousal was thick in the air. His pre continued to trickle into her mouth in a constant stream, which was a little surprising, but she simply drank it all. She pulled away to gulp a breath of air, then played with the hole on the tip of his cock with her tongue, smearing pre over her lips and chin in the process and drawing another deep purr from Rumulng.

The dragon shifted and she felt something move near her rump, then something wet and rough brush across her pussy. She jumped in surprise, but the tongue relentlessly continued to caress her slit, sinking deeper with each forceful wet lick. Rumulng's hot breath tickled her bottom and pussy and the heat radiating all around her from his body left her skin tingling.

They continued nosily playing with each other, Sanira lapping at his ridges and tracing his cock with her tongue, while Rumulng shoved his sinuous tongue deep inside her, twisting and turning until she let out breathless moans.

Eventually Rumulng gave her one last wet lick, then said, unmet need thick in his voice, "Sanira...I want to mate you."

Nosily she let his sizable cock fall out of her mouth and watched it dangle rigidly between his legs, thick and slick, dripping a steady stream of precum.

"All right," she breathed, crawling out from him and standing up.

"Lean against that tree," Rumulng commanded.

Obeying, she moved over to the tree and placed her hands on it, bending over. Rumulng eagerly strode towards her and placed his claws above her until he positioned himself, then his warm forearms lowered to grasp her while he maintained his balance with surprising ease. Something incredibly hot prodded her pussy, causing her to jerk involuntarily.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his tone heavy with lust.

"Yes," she replied, her heart pounding. "Go ahead."

His body drew close, pressing hotly against her flesh like clothing, his thighs pressing hard against the outside of hers, his belly following the curve of her back perfectly. His cock forced her pussy lips open and sank deep inside, the ridges pushing into her sticky walls and sending electric jolts of pleasure searing through her body.

Bit by bit, the large draconic cock continued to force itself deeper into her most intimate place.

"Ugh...ah..." She grunted as he settled himself on top of her, then with one cruel thrust slammed the remainder of his cock all the way inside her.

A hot breath escaped his maw and tickled the top of her head.

"You are deliciously tight," he said happily, drawing back.

He slammed down again. His crotch slapped against her bottom and sent the dragon's hot cock spearing further inside. She yelped in pleasure, but the dragon again drew back and started to thrust in an increasingly furious rhythm.

Sanira clawed the tree with her nails, locks of hair falling past her shoulders, as Rumulng mated her. Each thrust dragged ridges all along her wet walls and the tapered tip felt wonderfully strange as it moved inside of her and forced her pussy to accommodate his filling size.

Gulping air between his needy thrusts, Sanira reached down and moved one of his claws up towards her breasts. "I know dragons don't....mm...hah...have breasts...but...you...might like..the feeling...and..I like it..too..."

Rumulng's thrusting slowed as she spoke, then stopped. Surprised, she craned her neck to look up at him, but he adjusted his position and moved both forearms up to her ample breasts, cupping them gently with his claw-tipped paws. The heat ever radiating from his body sent maddening pleasure racing through her nipples.

"Like this?" he asked, a little amusement mixed with his breathless lust.

"Yes...squeeze just a little harder..." Her muscles tensed as he fondled her breasts. "Do you like them?"

"They are very soft and strange," he said, flicking his tongue. "But like everything else about you, I find them pleasant."

She blushed at his compliment, then moaned loudly as he thrust deep and then resumed his rhythm. He chuckled and she felt herself coloring even more deeply, but decided she didn't care. He continued to experiment with her breasts, hefting them, squeezing them, rubbing them in slow circles, and continued to thrust deep and hard with mind-numbing strength, his fleshy ridges driving her insane with pleasure.

The dragon's pre continued to drip while he thrust into her, making her pussy even stickier and wetter, and she could feel the thick fluid coursing warmly down her thighs. Wet noises sounded behind her from the messy meeting of his cock and her pussy.

"I am almost there," Rumulng breathed. "This will hurt a little, but please endure it."

She nodded vacantly as he forced her away from the tree and down onto the ground, his body hard against her as he pounded her bottom with aching need. She spread her legs as far as she could and kept her forehead pressed against the ground, hands clutching tufts of grass, while his claws gripped her breasts tightly and hot breaths shot out of his maw. It was a rough, wild mating, and it hurt a little, but she also found herself enjoying it far more than she thought she should.

At the peak of his hard, deep pounding, Rumulng roared, wings spreading wide, tail high, and in that moment he was her drar whose duty was to fill her with his seed, and she a simple dam waiting to hungrily accept the sticky warmth into her womb.

His cock twitched wildly, then grew hot enough that she feared it might actually burn her, but instead sent such an incredible sense of pleasure through her nerves that her vision darkened for a moment as she was taken over the edge. Hot spurts shot inside her, impossibly thick and hot. The streams continued unabated, each more powerful than the last, and she felt a growing pressure in her belly as Rumulng purred while holding her and forcing her to take all of his seed.

Her breaths continued raggedly while he continued to spill inside of her, continuing even, to her surprise, as his sticky white fluid began to ooze around his cock and flow not unpleasantly down her thighs.

Then, after what seemed an eternity, he exhaled with deep relief and satisfaction and let her go, rebalancing himself on four legs. He stepped over her, tugging his shrinking cock out of her aching pussy and trailing warm strands all along her back and hair. She looked up as he passed and saw his giant draconic cock dangling, wet with both of their naughty fluids and still dripping the seed coursing down its sides.

Sanira sat back as he turned, a hand going down to press against her pussy. A steady river of cum was pouring between her fingers when she looked up at Rumulng and raised an eyebrow.

He coughed and clamped his jaws. "Sorry. It has been some time."

"I can tell." she replied, shaking her head. "I'm glad I waited until after to take that bath. Anyway, did you...enjoy yourself?"

He moved forward and settled on the ground, curling around her and resting his head next to her body. She leaned back against his warm form and stroked his snout with her clean hand.

"Very much so," he said. "And you seemed to have enjoyed yourself just as thoroughly."

Sanira grinned. "Your dam is very much satisfied."

"Good," he said, lifting his head and nuzzling her affectionately.

Sanira buried her face in his warm scales and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment while lovingly caressing his snout. The day had started with horror and uncertainty, but had ended with hope and the spark of a bright future.

The vast greatness of the gift she had been given wasn't lost on Sanira. She wouldn't have to hide while in the dragonlands, nor would her fellow humans hunt her for the rest of her days, and she might even be able to explore her mysterious powers more deeply.

Her family would never find her here. They would mourn her for a time, but then their lives would continue on without her. As cruel as it sounded, Sanira knew they'd be happier this way and she'd be happier knowing she wasn't making their lives miserable.

Most importantly of all, she already felt budding love for Rumulng emerging from her heart and eagerly looked forward to spending the coming days-and hopefully years-with him. Though she felt the dragon deserved much better, Sanira was happy to give him her companionship and affection and was delighted to receive his own in return.

After all, it was every young girl's dream to be swept off her feet by a handsome knight in armor.

Hers had simply come donned in scales.