A/N: Things are getting intense now! Thank you to everyone who has supported me by reading As They Fall, I never dreamed I would get this far. <3

The dragon's roaring continued intermittently throughout the day, increasing in volume as we travelled further into the mountains. It was late in the afternoon when its roars faded away and a loud clanging noise rang out.

"That sounds like a hammer on an anvil," exclaimed Charlie, spinning about wildly in search of the noise.

"This way," announced Merek, pointing to where the ground ascended to form a sheer cliff of grey stone topped with a fresh coat of snow.

"Are you sure we'll be able to climb up there?" replied Elizabeth, gazing up at the cliff with scepticism.

"It's not that high." Merek's voice was filled with confidence as we continued to trudge through the snow.

"You were raised in a tree," retorted Elizabeth in a mocking tone.

"You're not wrong about that," chuckled Merek, his laughter echoing into the distance. He began to scale the cliff with ease, despite his missing hand, finding handholds in seemingly impossible places. Elizabeth followed him cautiously, making sure her grip was completely secure before moving on. The rope made climbing arduous but it wasn't worth risking the fall without it. We were close to the top when the wind picked up, threatening to sweep us off the cliff face. It was then that I made the mistake of looking down. The wind had carried the mist away, revealing the land below and it was both terrifying and breathtaking. Paralysed with fear I couldn't help but stare, the rolling hills spread out before me, drenched in the fiery glow of the setting sun as it fell behind the fringes of Hilfdyr forest. The sky was filled with streaks of pink, purple, orange and blue intermingled with wisps of white cloud.

My fingers began to ache with the effort of holding on but I couldn't move. I squeezed my eyes shut and clung on for dear life unable to shake the image of us plunging to our deaths.

"Amelia, you need to keep going!" urged Merek from somewhere above me. I shook my head weakly, readjusting my grip as I felt myself slipping.

"Amelia please! I can't hold on much longer," pleaded Elizabeth. Her frantic words made me open my eyes and reach up for the next handhold, my limbs shaking with terror.

"Keep going, you're doing great," said Charlie, his voice soothing some of my fears. It was then that my foothold crumbled and I fell, releasing a bloodcurdling scream. I plummeted only a few feet down before the rope tightened painfully around my waist, and I found myself suspended between Elizabeth and Charlie who were both terrified.

"Charlie grab her and get her back on the rocks," ordered Merek, who was surprisingly calm, "Elizabeth hold onto my leg if you can't hold her up on your own." Charlie began to edge toward me and I concentrated on my breathing, trying not to panic, or look down. Elizabeth's limbs shook with the strain of holding me up and she clutched onto Merek's leg as instructed. Holding on with one hand Charlie tugged on his end of the rope and reeled me in at a painfully slow pace, until I was safe on the wall once more.

"Thank you," I huffed, out of breath.

After my fall, I managed to keep climbing without incident until we reached the top. I scrambled over the edge and lay on my back in the snow, relieved to be on solid ground. Charlie hauled himself up and helped me to my feet.

"I think we can untie the rope now..." Elizabeth trailed off, her voice filled with awe as she gazed into the distance where hundreds of smoke plumes were ascending into the sky. The clanging sound of the anvils was deafening here and I could feel a deep rumble reverberating through the ground into my chest. Untying the rope from around my waist, I clambered up a small rise and dropped to my stomach, peering out onto the land below. We had found the camp.

Clusters of multi-coloured tents dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see, bonfires scattered throughout, glowing like shards of molten gold in the fading light. Far away from the tents and soldiers lay an ancient wooden hut, that seemed as if it had been there since the dawn of time. The others released a collective gasp as they joined me in observing the camp. Thousands of soldiers dotted the campsite, most of them drinking flagons of ale and huddling beside the fires.

A flicker of movement near the old hut caught my eye just as an ear-splitting roar exploded above our heads. A robed figure emerged from the hut and raised a staff into the air. The dragon roared once more and engulfed us in shadow as it flew over our heads towards the figure. It flattened its pale leathery wings and plummeted to the ground like a falcon diving for its prey, landing with a thunderous crash in front of the hut. Its entire body was covered in scales that glittered like fragments of jade, as it bowed its head before the figure, who pressed the tip of the staff to its head. At the figure's command, two massive creatures with sloping foreheads and elongated limbs, lumbered over to the dragon and secured it with heavy chains.

"Trolls," muttered Merek, before any of us could ask.

Despite the trolls being three times the size of regular men, they barely grazed the bottom of the dragon's knee. Taking the chains in their massive hands the trolls led the dragon away into the distance and secured the chains in the ground with metal spikes.

"They've captured a matriarch and her kin... This is a place of evil," snarled Merek, rage emanating from his shaking body. I searched for the cause of Merek's fury in confusion, I saw nothing but tents, soldiers and the matriarch. Then I saw them. What I had assumed were dozens of large ridges scattered across the snowy plateau were in fact the bodies of dragons covered in snow. My heart leapt in delight at the sight of more of the mythical creatures but it was soon suppressed by their distressing condition. These dragons had also been fettered. Heavy chains crisscrossed their bodies, pinning their wings, tails and necks to the ground. Their once radiant scales were dull and grey, only a handful retaining a hint of their original hue. A stab of anguish pricked my heart, seeing such magnificent creatures in such a humiliating position was almost too much to bear.

"It looks like they're using the dragons to forge weapons," muttered Charlie, his brow furrowed at the sickening view. I followed his gaze to where makeshift forges had been set up around the dragons' mouths.

"Whoever these men are. They're monsters," growled Merek, "Dragons are noble creatures, bound to the skies like elves are to the forest. I tried to talk to the matriarch but she sounded so distant. What I could hear was fragmented and filled with pain." His eyes shone with grief, as if he could feel the torment they were in. Clenching his fist in anger, he procured a dagger from within his jacket and lunged toward the camp. He skidded down the outcrop but before he could go any further Charlie tackled him into the snow, pinning him to the ground as he hissed,

"Don't be so rash, you wouldn't get ten paces before you were slaughtered." Merek glared at him as if he were about to reply, then relaxed, allowing Charlie to lead him back to our vantage point. As we got to our feet, Elizabeth placed her hands on his shoulder and buried her face in his chest.

"We'll save them," she promised.

I let out a groan as I stretched my cold, stiff limbs before I made my way back down the slope.

"Wait! Look!" exclaimed Charlie, who was still watching the camp.

"What is it?" replied Elizabeth, letting go of Merek and trudging back to Charlie's side.

"It's him. Amelia's uncle!" replied Charlie. Unable to contain my excitement I sprinted through the snow, clutching his arm to steady myself as I scanned the campsite.

"Where?" I demanded, "I can't see him!"

"Look there! Near the large tent with the green flag on top. Next to it in the cage." Charlie pointed to a large that was suspended off of the ground and I had to hold back tears of joy. He was imprisoned, bruised and battered, but he was alive. I wanted to run to him, bury my face in his chest and have him tell me everything would be alright, as I had done so many times before. I almost gave in to my temptation but I knew if we were to successfully rescue him we would have to be cautious. Overwhelmed with joy, I grabbed my three companions and pulled them into a group hug.

We continued to embrace as the sun completely disappeared and took our only source of warmth with it. We made for a sheltered outcrop nearby that would protect us from the brunt of the icy wind sweeping through the mountains. Risking a small fire, we ate a small meal and huddled around it together. One way or another our journey would be coming to an end soon. Merek would return to Eularia, Elizabeth to her manor and Charlie to his forge. I felt a flicker of fear at the prospect of Charlie choosing to live in Eularia with his mother. Perhaps even Elizabeth would live there too, she clearly cared for Merek and his family far more than her own. I would be returning home with my uncle and for the first time I was saddened by the thought. As if he could sense my distress, Charlie wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. To my left Elizabeth had already fallen asleep, her head in Merek's lap as he stroked her hair, his gaze lost in the flames.

"How will we save him?" I mumbled, looking to Merek for an answer.

"I don't know," he sighed, his golden eyes filled with sadness, "but we'll figure it out. We always do." Charlie murmured his agreement and placed his lips on my temple. I yawned into my hand, before I pecked Charlie on the cheek and crawled into my bedroll, burying myself in its comforting folds. My mind was ablaze with anticipation and joy but also fear. If we were to come this far only to fail in rescuing uncle Henry, it would be an excruciating blow. I ran countless scenarios through my mind until sleep finally grasped me in its gentle clutches.