It was three hours before dawn, and Atlas could feel his heart trying to crawl from his throat. All of his adult life, he spent time understanding maps and battle plans, but seeing action was not something he'd done before. That was what scared him the most. His dragon scales could withstand blows from arrows and all but the sharpest of blade. The underside of his belly would not be protected from flame like the hardened scales of his back, legs, and tail were. Fire would be the easiest way to take down a dragon, or weapons specifically designed to do so. Knowing the foes they were up against, Atlas wouldn't put it past Kelwin to have those in his arsenal. His own warriors had several large war machines in their arsenal and would break up the battalions as they marched.

Ladrin's forces were set to move into position once dawn broke the sky. After further discussion with Ander and Reylan, they decided to have Ander take his troops, split them up, leaving Julias, Ander's second in command, to lead one half around and to the left of Kelwin's forces and Ander would take his half to the right, aiming to choke Kelwin's troops, or at least to funnel them into their opposition. Atlas' own battalion would be the last to depart, taking flight over the field for attacking from the sky.

After breaking down the plans more, Atlas hadn't gone back to his tent, worried that it would be the last time he'd see his mate. Instead, he sat across from his tent, sharing a fire with Mykel and several felines who hadn't bothered to share their names with him. They weren't part of his battalion, so he didn't feel the need to strike up conversation. Mykel also sat in silence with them. As tempted as he was, Atlas couldn't bring himself to listen to Tallulah's thoughts as she spent time with her ladies. The idea of having a mate was, while exhilarating, still a foreign concept. He could feel that while she was still in pain, she was at ease in her current state.

"This will be the longest night of our lives, and many of these shifters will never return home to their mates and families," Mykel said. Atlas knew he was right, and he was even concerned for his own safety. The ultimate goal had been to take him and his line off of the throne. If that happened, there wouldn't be a dragon powerful enough to keep the unity their people had relished in for centuries.

"Aye, and most, including us, have never seen real war. The only ones of us in charge tomorrow that have are Reylan and Latimer, but nothing at this magnitude," Atlas responded.

"We may not have the lifespan of your people, but we cats have to fight and survive in a pride. It's a crude imitation of the kingdom you all keep, but it's the only way we know," one of the felines offered. "That is to say, we know what it's like to live a life of war, and Latimer was perhaps the only pride leader we've had in centuries that felt the need to connect with another species rather than war with them. Jacendi is fierce, but he too readily follows the orders your betrayers give him. He has no mind of his own,"

"Hush Komensa, he did not ask for your input, don't you know it's disrespectful to address a king without being addressed first," one of Komensa's companions said in a strained manner. Atlas didn't miss the fear in the man's eyes.

"Please, we are but soldiers on the battlefield, I wouldn't harm or discipline anyone for just talking to me," Atlas replied. The tension did not ease at his words, and this troubled Atlas. Before anything else was exchanged between them, Atlas made the decision to head back to his tent. The sun would rise soon, and he needed to dress for battle.

As he lifted the tent flap, he saw Tallulah asleep on the furs that she woke up in earlier, Benna and Rika slept beside her, Aurora was not in the tent. Atlas supposed she was at one of the fires or relieving herself elsewhere.

As quietly as he could, Atlas took his current clothing off and replaced it with boiled leather. Because he did not plan on fighting as a man, he did not want the metal plates of his standard armor to weigh him down in dragon form. The magic that allowed him to shift also allowed him to keep his clothes, if he wore any, in their entirety. He strapped several daggers and a short blade to the boiled leather, knowing that he would need something to defend himself if he did have to shift back to his human form. Before he could proceed with buckling his boots back on, muffled cries alerted him to the pile of furs once more. All three women were asleep, but he could see pain lancing across Tallulah's features before it hit him in their bond.

Gently, he nudged Rika awake, as she was on the side closest to him. Atlas put a finger to his lips to silence her as he slid close to Tallulah. Rika obliged and stepped to the other side of the tent, worry in her eyes.

When Tallulah suddenly began thrashing against him, Atlas wrapped his arms tight around her so she wouldn't open her stitches, and by doing so, she woke with a start in his arms. The panic in her eyes was nearly palpable until she met his gaze, going limp against him.

"I thought...I thought I was still there, with him, I could feel the whip..." her voice was scratchy, and her eyes pleading.

"Shh, I've got you. He will never hurt you again, I promise," Atlas whispered in her ear, pushing her hair away from her face. Sobs wracked her body as they stayed tucked together. Benna had awoken once Tallulah began thrashing and after she sat up, scooted herself against the tent canvas to let him calm Tallulah down. The same worry that was in Rika's eyes was in Benna's.

"I want to see that Bastard burn," she whispered to him once she was no longer overcome with tears and sobs.

"I promise you will, I will personally bring him to you to burn for yourself," he said. "If I cannot bring him here for you, I will allow you to watch through my eyes as I incinerate him," the conviction in his own voice slightly unnerved Atlas.

"Thank you," the relief in her words cracked his heart a bit. Gods, who would hurt such a beautiful and perfect woman? He should have died the first moment Atlas knew who and what he was back in Idris.

Benna and Rika took some time outside of the tent while Atlas stayed by Tallulah's side. It was a while before she fell back asleep, and while his own drowsiness plagued him, Atlas fought the urge to fall asleep with her. Instead, he took the time to look at her, to really look. Her face was sharp in comparison to the time before their trip south. Dark circles encompassed her eyes, giving them a haunting appearance. Her hair was thinner, or maybe he was imagining that part. Her limbs were no longer the same muscled build he'd become accustomed to, and while wiry, they lacked the definition she'd built while training with him and his men. Her clothes hung off of her frame, and where her corset hugged her torso, the cloth was bunched and rolled underneath.

Atlas could see bits of her scars under the collar of her tunic, and while they weren't an angry red, they were still pink, still healing even after many months. What he knew about her past indicated that she received her previous wounds only weeks before she met him. Gods. No wonder she was so frightened by his presence when they first met. He would be too if he'd been in her shoes. It was something he would take time getting used to.

As Atlas held Tallulah's hand, he couldn't help but realize they were softer, less calloused, like she hadn't used her weapons in a while. Which Atlas assumed was the case. They were still more calloused than the first time he'd felt them, pulling her onto Ronan when the wolves had found them on their way to Aria; however, and Atlas knew he couldn't have found happiness in a Lord's daughter who only knew how to sew and talk. Tallulah was born to lead, and born to fight.

Atlas wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, but he awoke to the frantic shaking of his body.  He felt Tallulah's disturbance as well from the commotion.

"My king! It is time. The formation is readying," it was one of the commanders, Jormund, he was dressed similarly to Atlas with boiled leather and simple fighting gear. Slowly, and with slight protest from a groggy Tallulah, Atlas extricated himself from their sleeping position. Benna, Rika, and Aurora stood behind Jormund.

"Please take care of her while I'm gone," he said pointedly at the three females. They all nodded their affirmative. His body ached after the unintentional nap he'd gotten. The ground and boiled leather armor made for poor sleeping conditions, but it was worth it to be wrapped up with his mate.

He left the tent with Jormund. Light was gracing the horizon as they stepped out, and Atlas couldn't help the stirring of his inner beast. He was ready for a fight and so was Atlas...