Border Crossing

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"You're late." Baralai Fairchild despised the rain, almost as much as he despised mages. He was waiting at one of the bridges that crossed the river that in turn divided the two largest kingdoms in their land. It was the same bridge where he had waited countless times. Templar or no, gold was gold, and this gold also got rid of troublesome mages.
"You want the gold or not?" A black clad man snarled as he jumped down gracefully from his equally black steed.
Baralai muttered something rather unbecoming of a Templar, then held a gloved hand out. "Gold first, then the cargo. Try anything..." He words were cut off as the mage he was transporting broke free of his restraints. It all happened so quickly that he didn't see the flash of lightning and the proud Templar was crashing into the raging river below.
Six months. It had been six months and the fallen Templar still woke in a cold sweat after dreaming of that night. The mage had rendered him immobile, though wide awake when he had plunged into the river, his heavy armour weighing him down until a pig farmer had dragged him from the river several miles away. It had taken months to get back to health and pay back the farmer for his kindness. In that time word had gotten out that Fairchild the Templar was a deserter.

Alice Gormanghast was scowling into the mirror. She hated this world she had been born into, even now as her maid pulled tightly on the laces of her dress she thought of nothing but a way to escape. Her brother's were all war heroes, famous to everyone in the kingdom for their brave deeds and triumph in defeating several of the dragons. But Alice... All she was known for was to be the prize her father handed over to the man he deemed brave enough to end the war altogether. She was the proverbial Princess in the tower, useful only for luring in prospective suitors. The young brunette didn't even realise her rose coloured lips were quirked into a slight smile 'if only they knew'. Indeed, her father would have a literal heart attack if he knew his prized daughter had secretly been learning how to shoot a bow and handle a sword. She lost herself for hours at an end in books that told of the thieves guild, and their mysterious leader who was sometimes known to have a higher moral code than the knights of their kingdom.

Marisol could feel all eyes on her, though she was staring out across the water; for now she could only hope Garrik found what he was looking for. She didn't want to have her prince have to face war again.

Auron instantly dropped to one knee as he always had when addressed by his king, his head bowed in fealty. "Forgive me, your majesty, I was accosted by another creature on my way to the mountain."

The red haired mermaid queen was looking at her with narrowed eyes, making it clear this event was far from over. 
"Where is the prince?" The familiar cabin boy whispered as he stood next to her. "He wanted to talk to their queen."

"Were you now?" Dead eyes filled with suspicion,  even through their milk white exterior. "It wouldn't happen to have been another dragon, would it? And where is my pet? You haven't lost it. Have you?"

"Resting." Marisol replied simply, feeling chilled to her very soul by those eyes out there. Even if she couldn't truly see the Queen, the mage knew she was watching her. "We need to retreat for now. We can't risk staying here until his highness is well again."

"It was a foul dreg of a creature, majesty." Auron replied earnestly. "Tried to wound me, but I came out the successor. Your female is still safe, I promise. She will come to no harm." His lips very almost quirked into a smile as he thought of how she had been crying out in the very opposite of harm not too long ago.

"We are surrounded!" One of the men howled in terror. "Where is the prince?!" Unlike his father and brother, Richard was a calming, gentle presence even in battle. They were lost without him. 

Kane saw the smirk and clearly didn't like it. "Show her to me. I need to see that all is well. And then tell me more about the creature you faced." He insisted, his mood souring quickly.

Marisol couldn't handle the panic and she shouting. She didn't usually have to deal with people, it seemed Richard had been shielding her from much of this worry without her even realising it. The young mage shouted for them to be quiet, unintentionally freezing every crew member exactly where they stood as she tried to calm herself. Not the best course of action while in enemy waters.

Auron bowed his head even lower, then pushed himself back to his feet. "The creature is dead, your majesty, I can protect your pet from any threat that realises what she is."

This did not bode well with the mermaids. They believed the spell intended for them had misfired. It took no more than a second before the larger and stronger of their creatures were ramming the side of the ship.

"I want to see it." The dead man said in a gurgling rage. "Where is my pet! Do not lie to me, Captain! Today is not the day for it!"

Marisol was tossed to the deck as the ship lurched. The young woman was terrified, and had now isolated herself from help until she regained control of herself. "Please... We didn't come here to fight you!" She insisted as she pulled herself up using the side of the deck, leaning down to look into the water below.

Auron was entertaining the thought that it would be so simply for him to just reach out and choke the life out of this pitiful form there and then. "As you wish." He finally replied, turning to walk into the trees while whispering Yena's name.

"Then why is there a naval ship in my water?" The mermaid queen was on the deck, stalking toward Marisol. "And why is my son a broken mess on my shore line? Death is the penalty for this!" 

Yena appeared amongst the branches near him, her crimson eyes filled with worry. "I can't go to him. Auron, please. Don't make me."

"There would have been war if I hadn't betrayed Prince Richard to free your son before he was executed all to make an example of Blackbeard!" Marisol retorted, barely able to get the last few words out before she ran out of breath completely.

"You only have to show yourself, kitten." Auron breathed. "That body he's in, it wont last much longer."

"There should be war!" The mermaid roared. The sea rocked with her anger. "Do not think we haven't seen what your kind are doing to the skies! It's killing our people! Your prince is the reason for it! And he wants to blame a pirate!"

Yena's chin quivered. She knew she would fave this man soon enough when she was once again his prisoner but she wasn't so sure she could do it yet. 
"I'm waiting!" Kane roared, his voice filled with water and fury.

"Mages have nothing to do with of this!" Marisol hissed, still thinking of herself as something separate from human.

"Please..." Auron breathed, holding his hand out. "If he doesn't see you... He's going to send his undead to hunt you."

"Oh? Then what is it?" The queen hissed. "Why is even my...Blackbeard afraid of what he is seeing in the sky?" She demanded, stomping closer. "Tell me witch!" 

Yena closed her eyes, not for the first time wishing she'd stayed out of the pig slop that day. Gingerly she placed her hand in auron's, feeling the familiar jolt tear through her insides. She was falling for him and it was killing her.

Marisol couldn't help her reaction as she visibly flinched when the queen called her a witch. "It's Richard's brother, Kane." She managed to reply bravely. "He has claimed the throne in the Black City for himself." She added, believing it to be the only explanation. 

Auron offered her a smile, his large frame betraying no apprehension he too may have been feeling then. "He has no power here, right?"

"We do not believe in the black city!" The mermaid said, shoving Marisol hard against the door to the Captain'so cabin. "And since there is no visible brother, I want the head of Richard!" 

"He does or he would not be here." Yena muttered. "He carries a shard of my heart after all." 
Kane was stalking toward them, the dead body making horrible squishing sounds as he moved. "Undress." He demanded. "I want to see that everything is still in order."

Marisol saw stars for a few seconds when the back of her head hit the cabin door. "NO! This was all my fault, not his!" She hissed. "I thought letting Garrik go free would help things, not make them worse! Richard had no part in any of this!"

Auron's shoulders visibly tensed when the rasping voice of death demanded that of Yena. "I doubt she has grown a third breast in your absence, sire." The large captain snorted before he could bite his tongue.

"You let him go?" The flame haired mermaid eased her attack somewhat. "Why? And how?" She demanded. 

Again came the suspicious look. "Undress." He said firmly, his gaze shifting back to the slender elf. 
Yena didn't dare glance toward Aron no matter how much she wanted to. She had to remind herself that no one cared for her and never had. She was little more than a cow to everyone, even those that had given birth to her. Silently she began removing the dress, having convinced herself she wasn't worthy to even wear it.

"I have seen enough war and bloodshed." Marisol whispered. "I don't want Richard to lose himself in it the way his brothers did. All he wants is to find his sister, the same thing Garrik wanted."

Auron was stood in front of Yena as he turned to face Kane, his large frame blocking her from the king's view. His own future was now tied with Yena's the second he betrayed his king, and that wouldn't end well for her. "Sire, would you not consider this, a more powerful dragon in exchange for the girl's worthless heart?"

"What?" The mermaid's fury resumed and she slammed Marisol against the door again. This time she hit her head on the hard wood. "He wants that luckless...monster of a girl?! I shall kill him myself first!" She screeched.

Dead eyebrow raised in surprise and the bloated soldier began to smile. "So it was you." He was all but cackling. 
"Auron, you fool. What are you doing?" Yena hissed, yanking up her dress in rage.  
"Show me what you can become." Kane purred, all but dancing even as his current body fell apart. "Now. Do it now!"

"Finding her is to... to..." Marisol could barely focus now she hit her head so hard. The young mage wouldn't get the chance to tell the queen Alice was the key to stopping Kane as she slid down the door.

Auron couldn't turn and look at Yena. He heard her rage, but knew there was no other way; he cared deeply for her. The large man put some distance between himself and the small woman before he howled at the sky, scales painfully pushing through his bronzed skin as the bony tips of wings forced their way out either side of his spine. Yena should be thankful she had no wings, it was excruciating for Auron every time he transformed.

The queen would find herself tossed back in the water by a furious Richard. He could barely hold himself up as he stumbled across the deck, muttering under his breath. A moment later Blackbeard would also find himself sinking to the icy depths. 

Kane began to clap and dance, the body Falling part like a wasted sponge. "Give me the heart!" He squealed, too enthralled to see that the female dragon was now gone.

Blackbeard couldn't see a damn thing, but it didn't stop him trying to struggle free of his bonds.
Marisol though she saw Richard stumble past her as her eyes fluttered open for a moment before she sank into complete darkness. Once Marisol was unconscious, the rest of the crew were finally freed from her unintentional spell.

"When you give me the shard." Auron told his king in a booming voice as he stretched his wings out to their full span and and smoke billowed out of his nostrils.

The deck was suddenly alive with the clash of swords and shouting. Richard ignored the fight as he saw Marisol. Nothing else mattered as he crossed the deck back to her, lifting her into his arms. 

"There is no deal to be made here, dragon!" Kane shouted. "I am your king. You will do what I command!" He was practically jumping up and down, despite the fact that one of his body's legs had splintered and fell off.

Marisol groaned softly, trying to mutter something that sounded like an apology. The moonlight haired mage curled against her price, enjoying the smell of him before  he would no doubt cast her from his sight for what she had done.

The massive dragon seemed to smile at this. He could see Kane was used to using his position as 'King' to rule Yena even in her dragon form. "You are food to me, sire." He remarked, a sharp claw slashing rather slowly across the dying creature's chest.

Richard laid Marisol in his bed and returned to the fight, locking her in the cabin. It wasn't until later that night that he returned, though the ship's regular healer had been sent in to check the mage over.
"Kenneth couldn't find more suitable bandages?" He remarked as he entered. The healer had wrapped her head in Richard's favorite shirt. He went about making tea as he waited for her answer, though didn't really expect one. 

"You will suffer for this..." Kane swore as his body fell apart and returned to its watery grave.
Yena was long gone. Like Auron, she could change to an animal shape. She hated it and rarely ever used it but it helped to cross villages without being noticed. Afterall, a piglet marching through the muddy streets didn't seem the least bit out of place. Several young children stopped to play with her but she was in no mood. She had to get away from everything

Marisol had told the healer it wasn't wise when he did it. She didn't expect any kindness from Richard after what had happened. It was done with the best of intentions, but Marisol had still betrayed her prince. "Is they sky still falling?" She asked quietly, though wasn't looking at Richard.

Auron had returned to his wolf form when he realised Yena had disappeared. It helped to cover distance, but also meant people avoided him, which was exactly what he wanted right then.

"I was hoping you'd tell me something about that." Richard said as he placed a cup in front of the shivering woman. "What happened today, Marisol? I feel like I'm being left out of an enormous secret." 

Exhausted yena had found a pig pen to hide away in. Her stomach was aching and so was her back and try as she might she could not hold her animal form any longer. She fell asleep in the back of a pig farmer's batn, surrounded by grunting pigs, who were loudly protesting her presence.

"You were going to kill Garrik." Marisol breathed simply. "It would have angered the mermaids and brought all out war, one you couldn't win." She added mournfully. "I had to free him, don't you see? I can't watch you die!"

"Miss? Excuse me miss?" A young woman was cautiously poking Yena with her foot. "Are you... dead?"

Richard's jaw worked for several minutes as he fought to choose his next words carefully. "I need to know about the sky, Marisol. The other mage tell me it has something to do with my brother. What do you know?" He purposefully stayed away from the other subject, not yet ready to address it calmly.

"Huh?" Yena opened weary eyes, lifting her head from the mud. She was barely able to catch herself herself before the smell of pigs made her want throw up.

Marisol barely contained a sob at the cold tone to Richard's voice, and she knew things would never be the same. "They say the sky can only fall while dragons are happy." She breathed. "It's just an old fairy tale, you brother couldn't make anyone happy, not even himself."

"I'm surprised you're sleeping at all, with that smell." The young woman commented. "You know, when most people look for a place to lie low for the night... They choose the barn, not the pig pen."

"I was told there are no dragons left." Richard said with a frown. "My grandfather killed the last one before I was born. Bards sing songs about it. And besides, my brother is supposedly dead as well."

Yena gave her a dark look and turned her head. "I take what I can get." She muttered, holding onto her stomach as she felt it jolt in continued protest to the smell of the pen.