~Tyron's P.O.V~

I let out a tired yawn as I slowly exited from the large storage shed that I had been staying in. I had slept in, much to my surprise. It had been a while since I had slept so long. Shaking myself I glanced around, looking for Blu, only to find that he wasn't there. I frowned slightly, before shrugging to myself. He was probably off doing some other thing. Probably with his sister. They did look eager to explore the city. Me on the other hand... I was content to stay where I was.

With that thought in mind I lay back down in my nest with another yawn. Dragon's usually slept a lot... right? In that case it would be perfectly natural to spend my time here in this nest... at least until I got hungry. Just as I was about to close my eyes again the most annoying thump echoed through the room, and I groaned.

"Who is it!?" I half roared, making sure they knew I was annoyed.

One of the large door creaked open, and a young squire stuck his head through. A bead of nervous sweat trickled down his brow and he clutched the door with a frightened hand, ready to flee at a moment's notice. I turned a half-lidded eye on the boy, making sure my tiredness was well noticed.

"What?" I grunted.

"The... ah... king... um... was wondering if... aaah... you were coming... to dinner," he stuttered.

I blinked, the information taking a second or so to sink into my tired head. Suddenly I leapt from the nest, looking at him in surprise. The boy peeped, jumping backwards in fright.

"It's that time already?" I said surprised.

"Y... Yes sir," he stammered,

"Wow... I slept all day," I shook myself before letting out a huff. No wonder Blu wasn't still with me, "Tell the king I'll be there shortly."

The boy nodded his head, said a quick goodbye, before dashing out into the night again. I watched him go with a small sigh, before shaking myself and looking over my red scales. Pieces of straw stuck out from in between them, and a small amount of dust had gathered on my head. I snorted, shaking the dust off and picking out the straw from my scales, before rushing out into the doors. For a moment it looked as though the sun was rising, but I quickly realised that it was the complete opposite. I let out a sigh, knowing I wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.

The guards around watched warily as I made my way to the castle. I ignored them, knowing that they wouldn't attack. I was an 'honorary' guest to the kingdom after all. I entered the castle through the large double doors leading into the main hallway. It was a little surprising how well this place occupied dragons. I was easily able to fit into most of the more important areas of the castle.

"Tyron!" came a voice from behind me, causing me to look back and smile.

"Hey Blu," I said as the other dragon trotted over to me.

"Finally awake," he chuckled.

"Yep. Didn't realise how long I slept in until now," I replied with a small yawn, "Where have you been for the past day?"

"Oh, exploring the town, meeting new people. It's actually a rather interesting place," he said, falling into step beside me.

"I know," I sighed, "I have been here before."

"You have?" he seemed surprised.

"Yes. I've been around Blu. There hasn't been many popular places in Teleran that I haven't visited," I grinned.

"Oh," he looked to the ground, "Man, I wish I could travel as much as you have."

I nudged him softly, "Hey, once this is all over, we can go anywhere. We're dragons now."

He chuckled, "Yes, that we are."

Together we walked into the king's chambers to see another large banquet laid out before us. I snorted in surprise, wondering where they managed to get all this food. The cooks probably hoped that we wouldn't stay too long, as they would run out of things to cook if this kept up. My stomach let out a loud rumble, and I grunted. Wow... I didn't realise how hungry I was until now.

Looking around I noticed a number of people were already there. Aaron was sitting at one side of the table, looking a little nervous. There was something wrapped up near his chair and I wondered what it was. The king was at the head of the table, and smiled as we walked inside. His wizard sat near him, as well as a woman who hadn't been there before. Though by her attire I immediately recognised her as the queen. She had a baby in her arms, who was sleeping quietly.

"Hello," Aaron greeted us as we walked in, though it seemed as though he was looking for someone, "Where's Tabitha?"

"She's gone with mum to get ready," replied Blu, "They should be down shortly."

Us two dragons walked over to the gap in the chairs where we sat the previous night. I hesitated, looking around. Some people had already grabbed their meal and were eating, while talking in quiet voices. Deciding that it wouldn't be entirely impolite, I reached over and picked up a boar in my mouth and sat it down on the large plate that had been prepared for the two of us. It didn't take me long to dig in. Blu watched with a grin.

A couple of minutes later the doors opened once again. I looked back from my meal, seeing the rest of Blu's family walk inside. Tabitha was wearing a quaint but plain green dress, which she seemed very unhappy about. Her mother on the other hand had taken something a little more fancy, seeming to enjoy the idea of wearing royal clothing. Tabitha grinned slightly in Blu's direction as something silent passed in between them.

"Great! We are all here!" exclaimed the king, "Now we can officially begin."

The two women took their seats near us, Tabitha sitting next to Aaron. The mage seemed strangely nervous for some reason, and continued to glance at the hunter girl. I tilted my head at that, suspecting it had something to do with the wrapped package by his seat. With a snort I turned my head to the king, wondering what he was going to say.

"Coming back to what I was saying last night, I have asked your group here because we are in desperate need of help. The kingdom is under siege, and the creatures that you fought off not too long ago have been attacking in increasing ferocity. We have already lost a number of the towns along the outskirts of Teleran. But you already know this. All I want to know is are you willing to help?"

"Of course we are," Aaron said, leaning back in his chair. Tabitha and Blu nodded their heads in agreement.

The king grinned and was about to say something when I decided that maybe I should add something to this conversation.

"Wait, before we agree to anything, I want an assurance," I said, causing them to look at me in surprise.

The king frowned, "Go on?"

"It's all well and good for you three," I said to Aaron and the two women, "But what about Blu and I? If we help you, and let's say we succeed, how do we know that as soon as this is over you won't... keep us in cages or send hunters after us."

"He would never...!" exclaimed Aaron but the king cut him off.

"I understand what you are saying, Tyron. You are dragons, and even if I accept you not many other people will. So how about I do this. If I make you two citizens of the kingdom you will be put under our law and protection, meaning that if one should hunt or threaten you, they will be given just punishment. Though this also goes both ways. If you break the law, you will be punished as well. You will be given free reign over the kingdom, however you like, but you must accept that some places are off limits, as they are to the general public. Would that suffice?"

I hesitated, and glanced at Blu, wondering what he thought.

"Would we be able to live in the forest?" he asked.

The king nodded his head with a grin, "Of course, as long as you don't burn it down."

"Then it's a deal," said the other dragon.

~Tabitha's P.O.V~

I listened to Tyron with some reservation. Sure, it made sense why he would request something of this measure... but was it really necessary? The king seemed like a good man, plus he was the brother of a trusted friend. I'm sure that even without this agreement, there would be measures put in place that would prevent the hunting of these two specific dragons. I sighed, either way, it made no difference now.

"Now, I won't be asking you to stay at the castle. Though it would be preferred if you wish to. But I would like for you to have something that Malcolm has prepared," Thelonious looked to the wizard.

Malcolm stood up from where he has been sitting and walked over to where Aaron and I were seated. He produced something from his robe and held it up in front of us. I blinked in surprise. It was a mirror. A mirror with a silver handle and edges and a dragon engraved in the hilt. Aaron reached up and took the mirror with the utmost care.

"What will a mirror do?" snorted Tyron.

The crown wizard turned his gaze on the dragon, "This mirror is linked up with one that I have in my study. When we have need of you, I will contact you through this mirror. Knowing that, please don't loose it. It was a pain to make," he grinned.

"I'll take care of it," promised Aaron.

"Good," he turned to look at the dragons, "How long would it take you to fly from the forest to here at top speed."

They shared a glance, before Blu replied, "Two days... maybe one if we pushed ourselves."

"Okay, we will try to give you at least a day warning for a battle, but don't rely on that. If worst comes to worst then we will probably only have an hour or so warning. If that's the case... we will hold out for as long as we can while you four make your way here."

"That sounds like a plan," I said with a small grin, "Just make sure you don't all die."

Malcolm returned my grin, "I will try my best milady."

I shifted slightly in my seat, not used to being spoken to in such a manner. He gave a small bow before walking back over to his seat. I took another chicken leg from my plate and bit into it. The king gave his final words before sitting down, smiling slightly at his wife. He seemed more relaxed now that our deal had been settled. The kingdom now had a number of protectors, powerful protectors. It was good that he felt more confident.

For another couple of minutes we ate and talked, just enjoying each other's company. It was good to be this relaxed. It was like taking a holiday, and it was the first time in awhile where I didn't have to hunt for my own food. Mum seemed to be enjoying it as well, and I swear she had gained a couple of pounds during our short stay here.

"Hey Tabitha," Aaron said, causing me to look at him.

The mage reached down and grabbed the package that I had been wondering about this entire time. He cleared some room on the table and placed it down carefully, before looking at me with a small smile.

"This is for you... to help protect you a bit more when you're out fighting," he said.

Frowning I reached over and began to tear at the wrapping. When I was done it revealed the weapon on the inside. The most beautiful and intricate bow I had ever seen, made from what looked to be silver and a near invisible string. Surprised I picked it up, holding it in the grip near the middle. It fell perfectly into my hand.

"This is Deleria, The Silver Bow," he said, "A magical weapon. It may help you."

"Aaron... I... I don't know what to say," I said, admiring the craftsmanship. I had never owned something so expensive.

"Try it out," he said with a grin, looking around, "See that armoured man over there, see if you can hit it."

I shrugged softly and stood up from my chair, gripping the bow in my hand. Instinctively I reached to my back to grab an arrow, and frowned, before looking at Aaron in confusion.

"Um... I don't have any arrows."

"You don't need any," he grinned slightly at my look of surprise, "Apparently anyway. Try it."

"Okay..."

Taking a deep breath I gripped the string of the bow with two fingers and pulled a little, testing the draw strength of it. Almost instantly I could tell this bow was more powerful than my other one, and far harder to draw back. Still, it shouldn't be too difficult. Breathing in I slowly pulled back the string, frowning slightly at the effort it took, but it wasn't undoable. Aaron blinked in surprise.

Almost instantly a silvery arrow flashed into existence at full length. I let out a small cry of surprise, and nearly let the string go, but managed to hold it back. For a moment I just marvelled at the arrow. It looked to be made from the same material as the bow, though it had a wispy quality, like a ghost. Aiming it toward the armoured knight I adjusted it so the arrow would fly into the eye socket. Based on the power of the bow... I guessed it would fly straight there. As soon as I let go of the string, I knew it was a perfect shot. The arrow flew through the air, piecing the eyes socket... and going straight through it into the wall behind. The armour shivered softly, but was otherwise unaffected, except for a hole in the back of its head. The arrow on the wall shimmered, before disappearing into thin air.

"Wow," there were a few gasps.

"Aaron. Are you sure Tabitha can use this?" I heard Blu asked out of concern.

He grinned, "Of course she can. 'Only a maiden with the truest aim' can wield it. The fact that she can pull it back at all is amazing."

Blu frowned slightly, looking at the bow, "Oh."

I looked back at them with a small smirk, "This is great Aaron... but why did you think I needed it?"

"Because, well, I'm worried that your old bow won't be able to handle what we will be up against, and this one will give you more protection," he explained.

I frowned at that, looking at the bow. It was true, this one was far better than my other one... but the other one was special to me. It was my father's bow, and Blu's bow as well before he became a dragon. It had been in my family a long time... and thus far had kept us alive. Well... at least Blu, mum and me alive. I sighed as I looked down at it. It was such a good bow though.

"Thank you. I will make sure to treasure it," I said, looking at Aaron.

"I know you will," he replied.

I sat back down, placing it back in its package. I would have to make sure to find a place to put it. Carrying two bows might get a bit awkward at some point. It also seemed like this one had blades running down the arms, making me wonder if it would work as a close ranged weapon as well.

"You know, that armour costs a lot of money," said Thelonious.

"Sorry," I grinned, "But the damage isn't that bad. You should be able to fix it in no time."

"You have no respect for antique," he joked with a chuckle.

The rest of us laughed. Our casual chatter filled the room as we continued to eat. Desert came, but I was forced to refuse. The dinner we had had completely filled me up. I was stuffed! Hopefully I didn't gain too much weight during this trip. We continued to talk for a little longer before I decided that it was time to get to bed. We were planning on heading off in the morning. As soon as I got up however a massive wave of magical power rippled through the room, a wave so powerful that I even felt it.

Blinking I glanced around, firstly at Aaron, wondering if he had been the cause, than to Malcolm, who was also looking perplexed. A cry was what gathered our attention, and we turned to look at the source. The queen seemed a little worried, looking at the baby in her arms with slight shock as it began to fidget and cry. With each cry another magical wave washed through the room.

Suddenly a wave far more powerful than the last shook the room. We were all flung backwards, me being carried off my feet. Even the dragons stumbled. The scream echoed through the castle, and the entire building shook with the power it created. Windows cracked, the armour I had shot fell to pieces. The king and queen were thrown off their chairs. Even the two wizards in the room were flung away. I blacked out for a moment.

As light returned to my eyes I slowly sat up from where I had fallen, looking around in confusion and slight horror. The magical bow was still in my grasp, but everything else had been blown away. Food was scattered all over the room. Chairs had been upturned, a sword that had been sitting on the wall had flown to the other side of the room and was now quivering where it hit. Thankfully no one seemed too badly injured. I turned, looking at the cause of the destruction. The child, sleeping peacefully in his unconscious mother's arms.