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***

Not too far away, in a small valley at the foot of a mountain, their dwelling lay nestled against the rock. The house was partially built into the stone, taking advantage of natural caves for storage. A staircase was carved into the rock, bending around a large oak tree on top of the house, leading to a spacious terrace. There were small gardens and a few more trees scattered around. The door was framed by weather worn stone and decorated with an old fashioned knocker shaped like a Venkat's head. It was a tidy, laid back and welcoming home.

Carvel was looking out of the window. His son Vayle was lying on a makeshift bed in the living room, close to a series of shelves built around the great oak's roots. His wife Lilita knelt besides their son, doing her best to give comfort. In a corner of the room Vayle's three friends were sitting in silence.

"Dear... can you see the eldest yet?"

He turned around and looked at them both. His wife and son, the love and joy of his life. Walking over to her he met her eyes and they embraced one another.

"She will be here soon. I am sure of it. Finlo has not been gone for long."

"But, what if... ?"

He placed a finger to her lips and shook his head.

"We have to wait and see, my love."

He did not want his wife to succumb to worry and say something that would upset the young ones. Calming and cradling her he spent a few minutes bestowing gentle affection until he caught a glimpse of Aldreda coming across the hill. He jumped up to hastily open the door.

***

Aldreda did not need to knock. The door flung open before she reached it, Carvel standing in the door frame.

"Eldest! Thank the tree you are here! My son..."

"I know, Carvel. Lead the way, we must hurry!"

Carvel stepped back and gestured her inside, quietly sighing in relief when he spotted the filled flask Aldreda carried. Until now they had done all they could to help Vayle, but now their hopes rested on the shoulders of the druid.

She rushed over to the far end of the room where Vayle was bedded and put her bag and staff down. Finlo emerged at once and opened it, ready to assist her.

In Lilita's eyes shone a spark of hope as soon as she saw Aldreda. Both Carvel and Lilita held great respect for their Eldest Aldreda. They had faith in her advice and abilities.

"Eldest! I am so happy to see you. Please help our son!"

"I am here now, dear. Tell me what happened!"

Aldreda took effort to keep calm and to speak in a warm voice, not wishing to add to their emotional turbulence.

Lilita stayed quiet. She looked towards Vayle's friends, who have been silent so far.

"Please, tell the Eldest."

She was not blaming them, but wanted it to be told first hand. The elder of the two boys quietly said, "We were playing up the mountain. Vayle tripped and... fell off a small ledge."

The younger boy continued, "He fell into a strange tree and a branch wounded him. The wood broke so easily and left shards everywhere... we didn't know what to do. We ran to get help as fast as we could and then..." the younger boy struggled with his words and fell into silence. The girl did not speak a word.

"They found me in the garden and I carried Vayle here, Eldest. We stopped the bleeding as best as we could." Carvel finished the story.

"Thank you." Aldreda nodded to them with a reassuring smile and turned to Vayle. She had noticed a mouldy and sweet smell the moment she entered the room, giving her an idea of what kind of tree caused the wound. Still she hoped for the best. No matter how life-threatening it possibly was, she had to first make sure he bonded with a nether dragon. Should he die before having bonded, he would lose all memories of this life. It was a fate worse than death to a Venkat.

"Vayle!"

He turned his head with a trembling motion towards her, breathing heavy and fast from the pain, his watering eyes full of terror.

"I brought you a nether dragon. You do not need to be afraid."

"I... I..." He tried to speak, but the old druid gestured for him to not attempt it.

"It's okay Vayle, do not speak. I will give you something for the pain and we will see that you bond with your nether dragon before I attend to your wound."

She carefully slid her hand under his head and helped him lift it. Finlo brought her two vials. One contained a slightly bluish liquid that acted as a painkiller and the other, with green liquid that would give him strength. She mixed a few drops of the green into the blue and placed the vial to his lips. He was weak and needed a few attempts to swallow it all. It was as strong a medicine as she dared to give such a young Venkat and indeed soon his breathing became more eased. The pain was fading and thus the prerequisites were met for the bonding. She picked up the flask.

"Vayle," she spoke in a gentle voice, "Look, in here is your nether dragon. He will treasure your memories and help you remember. Please close your eyes and pay attention to my voice. All you need to do is to welcome the spirit. It won't hurt."

Clearly feeling relieved from the pain Vayle drew breath and closed his eyes, then nodded in affirmation.

"Try to breathe slowly and welcome the spirit. Slow breaths... and a welcoming mind." she recited in a calm tone while opening the flask.

"Slow breath... and a welcoming mind."

The purple fumes escaped the flask in a sudden rush and hovered for a moment over the boy's chest. Carvel's and Lilita's hearts skipped a beat at the sudden stop and his friends held their breaths, not moving an inch. In a sudden and swift motion the fumes vanished into his body. All was quiet.

"You may open your eyes now, Vayle."

He blinked and looked a little irritated. Fumes emerged from his chest and formed a nether dragon on his shoulder. He turned to face the small creature. It hugged Vayle's cheek and shared a reassuring emotion with him.

His parents felt a flood of relief and his friends joined them to get a glimpse at the small creature. It was red and of a rather dignified appearance, standing tall with the expression of a caring protector. Aldreda had an idea of what emotion of Vayle made the nether dragon choose this form; it was the pride and respect he held for his father.

"Congratulations, Vayle! Your dragon is red and proud... just like your father." She smiled, observing how Carvel did not manage to hide a flattered smirk.

Vayle has always looked up to his father, who came from the Badlands. Carvel had a scar over his right eye and in general was of a different appearance. He had rounded horns, red and white fur, smaller ears, bigger pseudo wings and only three fingers and toes on each hand and foot. What Aldreda could not know about was the origin and strength of the trait of the protector that he had passed on to his son. The trait that the dragon has chosen to live.

However there was no time to celebrate, there was still Vayle's wound to deal with. She requested the children to take their former place again. They would not disturb her work, but she wanted to leave Vayle breathing room and spare them any unpleasant sights.

"Vayle, I need to pull back your blanket to look at the wound."

Her words blackened the small joy and relief he felt. He stared blindly at his blanket and Aldreda noticed the anxiety in his eyes. He nodded again, then reached for his father's hand. Tension began to fill the air once again.

She pulled down the blanket to expose his stomach and immediately a foul, sweet and mouldy stink filled the air.

Vayle gasped and squeezed Carvel's hand. Lilita stood frozen like a pillar of salt.

Alreda's fears had come true, and exposing the wound had shown the situation to be even more dire.

The branch that penetrated into the boy's stomach was of the venomous umber tree. Its branches break like glass and are filled with a poison that kills slowly and very painfully. It makes the flesh rot and the razor-like shards cut deep wounds, but with the right antidote in time, there can still be hope.

At once Finlo brought her a vile of antidote against umber poison. The wound was badly rotten by the spreading venom. Aldreda worked as fast as she could. She cleaned his injuries, applied antidote and removed fragments of the vicious tree, but no matter what she did, whether she gave Vayle more medication or attended his wound, it appeared futile.

"Eldest? Will..." Lilita wanted to ask if Vayle was going to die, but she refrained when Carvel drew her closer.

Aldreda looked up to her for a moment and saw deep fear. To make things worse the painkiller was wearing off faster than expected and she could not give Vayle more without killing him. She had a decision to make and needed clarity.

"Vayle, I need the help of your nether dragon to see clearly. Will he please join Vanya and allow me to see beyond?"

Vayle was in cold sweat, his eyes darting about. Scared by the turn of events he did not know what to expect, his heart pounding in his chest. All he could do was give in and follow the guidance of his eldest. His little nether dragon nodded and all eyes were fixed on Aldreda.

When she sat herself onto her tail the two netherdragons turned to vapor and joined each other. At once she fell into a deep trance and saw a strange landscape. Vanya turned the images from the Otherworld into images Aldreda's mind could make sense of.

She found herself under a blood red sky. Green meadows were being consumed by black flames. They formed a circle and crept closer, roaring, crackling and hissing in eerie ways. In their middle a lone tree stood, young and beautiful. Many of its leaves have turned dark and were smouldering. In its crown a three eyed raven sat.

Slowly, but surely, she began to hear low, whispering voices.

'Why are you here?' and 'You know the answer!' it whispered ever so faint, but she ignored them.

'Raven! Please hear this humble being from the mortal world', she shouted out over the sound of the roaring flames.

He did not answer.

'You know the answer!'

The tree began to tremble and single branches broke.

'Keep your promise!'

'I ask of you to reveal to me of the fate on the path ahead!' she shouted out and again the raven stayed silent and motionless.

'You know the answer, you know the answer, ease the pain!', the whispering grew louder, echoing in her mind.

All the raven did was stare at Aldreda with his three eyes, feathers ruffled by the wind, looking more and more tattered. When a tear rolled down from his third eye she asked for a last time.

'Please tell me, can Vayle be saved? Can he live? Tell me! Can I save him?' her voice echoed in the Otherworld.

The raven's tear rolled down his beak and fell to the ground. He turned uneasy and shuffled his wings.

'Noooooooo!', he cried out with deep raven's voice and took flight beating ragged wings. A branch burst open and black flames shot out of the split. The fire began to consume the tree from within.

'Hurry', 'hurry', 'hurry' the voices shouted everywhere in her mind.

Aldreda woke from her trance with an uncomfortable jerk. Vayle was in pain again and his parents knelt besides the bed once more. She descended from her tail and stood there for a moment. Vayle looked at her with pleading eyes to end the pain. The tension was becoming unbearable, but she could do nothing but tell him the truth.

There are times where even the wisest are at loss for words and the strongest feel powerless. Times that remind so cruelly of how much mortal beings are at the mercy of the never-ending flow of life.

She had one potion left that would take away all his pain, but it was not meant for those who would live on. The final mercy.

'Had I attended his wound first, maybe I could have saved him...'

Vanya and Finlo heard this thought cross her mind. At once they reminded her of what she deep down knew: That the risk of him losing his memories was too great and that the nether dragon strengthened Vayle's body, buying her more time. She knew it was the best decision she could make. She felt their love and care for her. What if a minute later he would have been unable to bond with a nether dragon? Every decision bears the risk of turning out unfortunate, and she would never know if it could have worked out differently. This wondering, the what-if, is self-pity. That she knew, and today was not about her. She had to focus on her duty and on serving these Venkat as best as she could. If this doubt still lingered within her later on, then she had to deal with it another time. Not now. Her only concern at this moment was Vayle and his family.

She had endured this burden before. Not once, but many times. To both young and old she had delivered the dreaded message. Every time she felt powerless and out of control. How to tell someone, especially a child, that they will die? She looked at him and shook her head.

"I am sorry, Vayle. There is nothing left I can do to save your life."

Lilita winced, but Carvel held her close. Had she not been kneeling she would have collapsed. Vayle looked shocked, but there was no more time left for Aldreda to act in a considerate manner. Finlo brought Aldreda the well sealed vial of the final mercy. Once Lilita saw it her gaze became an unbelieving, empty stare. The eldest looked at Carvel and Lilita, held the vial cradled in both her hands so only they could see it and waited for their permission to offer the potion to their son.

Carvel's eyes appeared old and tired. He saw his son suffering, saw how he fought in vain. No matter how they decided, they were going to question their decision for a long time to come and would wonder, if they handed him to the grave.

Lilita looked into Carvel's eyes, seeing he shared the same weight on his soul, but she also saw that she would not need to carry the burden alone. They realized Vayle suffered for nothing. It was the cruelest of all decisions that could be demanded from parents, but ultimately their love for him was stronger than the fear of losing him. Both gave Aldreda their approval, together, with silent nods.

Now it was up to Vayle. It was his life and the final decision was for him to make.

"Vayle..." Aldreda placed her hand on his head and caressed him very softly, feeling the trembling of his body.

"I am so sorry, I cannot save you. You are going to die today, but it is your decision how you want to leave this world. I can give you a potion that will end all pain and allow you to live a few more hours before it kills you. This way you could spend the last hours in peace with your beloved and bid farewell properly, but the decision is yours alone."

Vayle looked about in disbelief. He saw his friends who dared not to make a sound, saw the caring eyes of the Eldest and saw his broken body. Only when his father squeezed his hand he dared to look into his parents' eyes. He saw their sorrow, but also their never ending love. It was Lilita who spoke first.

"It is okay, son. No matter what you wish for, we will be here with..." she broke the sentence, losing her voice.

Carvel knew his son. He knew he was too brave to give up easily and how much he wanted to see his father proud of him.

"Sometimes the bravest thing to do is to let go, son. We are proud of you, no matter how you decide, but you do not need to suffer for us. We are with you, now..." his gaze wandered to Vayle's nether dragon "... and forever."

It was true, he wanted to try to survive for them. Not for himself. His biggest concern still was to not cause his parents pain. He would rather go through this hellfire. No matter how much his mind screamed for the torture to end and how much he longed to spend a few more hours with them in peace. He could not answer.

Aldreda knew what conflict raged within him, but also knew she must not intervene. The decision was his to make.

Lilita held Vayle's hand and pressed it against her chest, held it close to her heart. For him, she found her voice again.

"Father is right. We love you... and thus we will... let you go your way. Please do not suffer for us."

Vayle knew she meant what she said and that it came from the bottom of her heart. Then it happened: Suddenly the pain was drowned out by what he saw in their eyes. It was the rarest of gifts anyone can wish for. Sometimes it takes the gravest of moments to unveil the purest form of love. A love that is willing to let go for the well-being of the beloved. Unconditional love. Vayle was granted this last gift at a time when it would be least expected. He smiled. It was a smile like a reflection of their endless love and in that moment he made his decision.

"El... Eldest."

"Yes Vayle, go on."

"I wish for the potion."

Aldreda was glad. Not because he wanted the potion, but because it was truly his decision. She made a move to uncork it, but stopped... hesitated. She saw the beautifully decorated bowl on the shelf behind the bed. It held the shards of the egg Vayle hatched from. For just the faint moment she saw before her inner eye how he was born, saw the perfectly happy faces of his parents and the very small eyes discovering life. It was the same love she saw, that she had witnessed just a moment ago.

'A child born by parents who love each other has nothing but goodness in its heart', she remembered.

Aldreda had to almost force herself to break the seal and to place the vial in Vayle's hand. It was a moment that felt like it stretched on for an eternity. She helped him to hold the potion steady and spoke to him the words a Druid had to speak while aiding the doomed in the ending of their life.

"Your will be done."

As long as he was able to, he had to take the final mercy himself. Raising the vial to his lips he drank it all.

Not long and all pain faded, was pushed aside by endless relief. Vayle would never feel pain again.

Lilita and Carvel hugged him close and kissed him on the forehead. In their embrace they all shed a few tears, but Vayle looked like a happy child basking in his parents' love.

They needed to prepare for the ritual of passing. Aldreda wanted to keep them busy until all was prepared so they could focus on spending time together. The kids especially needed distraction.

"Allard, Corwin, do you think you can get us clean water from the well and heat it up?" she addressed the two boys. They were quick to obey and almost on their way out when Carvel got up.

"I will go with them."

Lilita was still kneeling besides the bed and holding her son's hand. For her, Aldreda feared the most. They might all appear stable, but that was a result of the events numbing them.

"I will watch over Vayle and put on a fresh bandage, Lilita. Please get the incense... and his life gown," she requested before she turned towards the girl "Please help mother Lilita gather all we need from the storage caves, Chani."

"Oh, you... remember me, Eldest?"

"Of course I do! I saw you hatch. What Eldest would I be when I forgot who you were!" Aldreda playfully overdid a protesting expression that made Chani giggle, but when Chani's eyes met Vayle's, she turned a bit bashful.

"Eldest?"

"Yes, Chani"

"Can I please stay here with Vayle and help you?"

Aldreda noticed her genuine desire to stay, but she had hoped she would go with Lilita and distract her with her presence. The storage caves were not dangerous, but dark and the most ferocious beasts praying in the darkness are the own thoughts.

Lilita was aware of how close Vayle was to Chani. He wanted her close and she would grant him any wish.

"It is okay, Eldest. Let her stay with Vayle, I will go and get everything."

"Are you sure, dear? I can finish here and then come with you."

"I will be fine, Eldest. Thank you."

With these words she lit a lantern and made her way into the darkness.