~Ava~

I ran to Eucer's tent, occasionally looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed and whenever I did no one was there. I pound on the pole holding up Eucer's tent. I heard Eucer grumbling and getting up. He opened the flap of the tent.
"Do you know what time it is?!" demanded Eucer.
"Some... some... there been... I saw a werewolf!"
"A werewolf?! How many?" One of his eyebrows was raised.
"Two at least, they were fighting Aeri the last time I saw."
"Show me!" yelled Eucer, already got his weapons ready.
We both ran to the place where the werewolves showed up, but the only thing that was there was prints in the ground that show there been a struggle and blood.
I gasped. No! This can't be happening, it just can't! I thought, horror filling me. I knelt down, looking at the prints in the ground, Eucer did the same. Scanning the marks in the ground I tracked where they were and I told Eucer and he agreed.
We tracked it all the way to a house in the woods. We peeked through a window. The werewolves were washing and bandaging their wounds. Aeri was on a bed, unconscious.
A female-presumably a werewolf-was cleaning and bandaging his wounds. The female, presumable werewolf, glared at the male werewolves as if she was angry at them. The male werewolves just looked annoyed. I could hear them speaking, but it was a little hard, but then the voices got louder.
"I told you not to challenge him! He's too young to be challenged!" yelled the female, presumable werewolf.
"Yeah, but that's the perfect time to challenge them! You get to see how strong they are and it's fun!" argued one of the male werewolf.
"Getting your butts kicked and getting injured is fun?!" demanded the female werewolf(?).
"No, but seeing what he's made of and what all of them are made of is."
"Of course it is! And you just happen to pick him?!"
"Yes, he's actually stronger than I thought. He managed to beat both of us! Now that is strong and he's very good at fighting."
I heard Aeri groaning. "Sh! Be quiet or he'll wake up!" snapped, some how quietly, the female werewolf.
I was surprised that the male werewolves didn't shut up. "Oh, he'll be fine," said the second male werewolf.
"Of course he will! What I meant was you don't want to wake him up or bad things will happen," warned the female werewolf.
I heard Aeri groaning again, waking up.
"Now you done it!" snapped the female werewolf. I saw the female werewolf get up and stomped over to the male werewolves and slapped them both. I could barely tell, but the female werewolf now has claws instead of fingers. Then she stomped off and got a vial of blue liquid and stick the needle into it, drawing the liquid into the syringe, and plunge the syringe into Aeri's arm.
Aeri sank back into unconsciousness, his head rolled against the pillows and he fell back into the dreamland.
"You two are lucky I had that on me or you two would've been in deep trouble! So next time I tell you to be quiet, be quiet!" snapped the female werewolf.
The male werewolves rolled their eyes, shrugged, but they stayed quiet, not one word uttered out of their mouth.
'What do we do now?' I asked, with my mind. Eucer looked surprised that I spoke to him without actually speaking. Before Eucer could speak I said, 'Think your thoughts, don't say them out loud!'
He nodded. 'I don't know, I never been in this situation before.'
'Why didn't you tell me that before?!'
'I thought it was going to be a different situation.'
This is the man who outsmarted a werewolf?! Yeah, now I wished I brought someone else! Maybe like Licá, Malo, his dragon, Aeri's Father, or all four of them, but no I had to pick Eucer who never been in a situation like this! Oh, I hate myself for being so stupid! I was angry, mostly at myself though.
"I would hate myself too if I were you," interrupted a voice, who pulled me from my thoughts and who sound a awful lot like the female werewolf.
I hesitantly looked through the window and saw the female werewolf staring at me. I definitely was scared out of my wits.
"Come down at once!"
I was so scared that I couldn't move.
"Come down this instant!"
I still didn't move.
"Come down or I'll come and get you and it won't be pretty when I do."
I slowly, very cautiously stepped down from where I was standing. Eucer actually did the same. The male werewolves made us go inside of the house and sit down. The only things to sit on were three chairs, which were taken, and the bed, which we now sit on.
Aeri's head rolled onto my shoulder. Whatever the female werewolf had given him was very effective.
The female werewolf glared at us-specially me. "What are you two doing here?!"
"Out for a morning stroll," I said, but it sounded more like a question than a answer.
They totally didn't believe me, anyone could see it. Oh, we are dead, so dead!
"You were looking for him," asked the female werewolf, pointing to Aeri, "Weren't you?"
I nodded my head, cautiously. I couldn't explain it, but it was like the female werewolf was radiating power from her.
"You may have him." Hope filled me until she said, "On one condition that all werewolf hunters," looking at Eucer, "And werewolf hunting and killing will be stopped completely and you won't hurt us and you both have to agree with this willing. These are my terms, no negotiation."
I looked down at Aeri. I couldn't leave him here all by himself and I couldn't stand the thought of him not being with me, or being killed.
"I agree." 'Please we need him to help us win the war,' I spoke to Eucer, with my mind.
'Quiet, let me think! She said that we have to willing agree to this!' After a few minutes Eucer must of decided because he said, "I agree with your terms."
The female werewolf smiled. "Excellent. Now before I let you go I must make sure you aren't double-crossing me or any of us." The female werewolf left.
The male werewolves stayed to stand guard, watching us with those creepy emotionless eyes of theirs.
The female werewolf return with three syringes, a piece of paper, and a pen. The female werewolf motioned for my arm. I eyed the syringe.
"Don't worry it won't make you sleepy-at all. In fact it might make you a little hyper as it takes effect," reassured the female werewolf. I let the female werewolf plunged the syringe into my arm and let the contains into my arm.
Eucer was less easy, but eventually he got whatever was in the syringe into his arm. The female werewolf did Aeri next, for some reason. The female werewolf-whatever her name was-let us leave after that, I think we signed the paper, but I don't remember. Believe it or not carrying a man who's taller than you is hard. Especially if he's heavy and unconscious.
As time went by I felt myself becoming more and giddy. and Eucer must also becoming giddy.
Who told me that? Wasn't it... I shook my head. No, I couldn't remember, all I remember was... nothing. Actually I remember the deal, but who I made the deal with, maybe it was the werewolves since the deal was about werewolves. I shook my head. I just couldn't remember. I wonder if Eucer remembers anything else. I asked him and he said no.
By the time we made it back to the Varden we were so hyper that it was as if we were drunk, but we weren't because we could think clearly-or at least I think I could-we were just hyper. Aeri was still unconscious when we gave him back to his Father.

***

~Burdon~

I groaned. My head hurt.
"Aeri? Are you alright?" I heard my Father ask.
I opened my eyes and sat up in my bed-well, a hammock-like bed. I was going to stand up, but my Father told me not to stand, to stay seated, and not get up all in the same sentence.
"Yeah, I groaned because I feel like I been kissed by butterflies," I said, sarcastically.
My Father lifted one eyebrow, another way for my Father to say, 'Excuse me?' without saying excuse me. Another one of my Father's rule: Don't be sarcastic. I have to obey those rules because that's "Crown prince material."
I sighed. "I'm sorry for being sarcastic, I won't do it again," I apologized.
My Father smiled. "Your apology is accepted."
How did I get back here? The last thing I remember is beating those two werewolves in a challenge, then I fainted. Actually I, vaguely, remember someone talking, but I don't know who exactly, I was still half asleep by then.
"Ava brought you back," explained my Father, as if he could sense what I was thinking.
I nodded.
My Father's right hand landed on my shoulder and he patted it in a way that brings reassurance. "Take it easy for the next few days."
I nodded, which is like a okay or something nowadays.
"By the way, before I forget to tell you, the challenge against you and the two werewolves was just a test and you passed. They said it was a 'late birthday present.'"
"Couldn't they given me a birthday present that wasn't so painful?"
My Father chuckled. "I bet they did, but they just decided to give you that one. Maybe it will be less painful next time."
"Maybe."
We got up and got something to eat-porridge, the food of kings, not.
I sparred some more, but I sparred more carefully than what I usually do.
I fell asleep as soon when the day was done. I woke up to people talking. "Don't wake him, he deserves to sleep," I heard my Father say. Whoever my Father is talking to must of agreed with my Father because they didn't argue. I opened my eyes. My Father and Malhaw were talking.
"I'll be fine," I said, siting up.
My Father and Malhaw looked surprised that I was awake. "Aeri, you need to sleep, we'll handle it."
"No, I'll be fine. I've been in worse conditions before."
"You sure you're alright?" asked my Father, face filled with worry. I nodded. My Father looked at me as if I didn't believe me.
I stood up and did some stretches to prove that I was alright. After a few minutes they finally let me go. I got his armor on and Licá's also. I hopped onto the saddle. Licá spread her wings and flew up to meet Valln and Espinho.
"Heard it was your birthday a few days ago, I'm sorry that missed it," mockingly apologized Valln.
"Don't worry you weren't missed."
"How about I give you your present now?"
"No, the last late present I got wasn't the greatest."
Valln made a 'humph' sound.
"Did you just come all this way to chat?"
Valln shook his head. "I came to give you your present, but seeing you won't take it, I guess I wasted my time."
"That's it?"
Valln nodded.
"It depends on what it is."
"It is an invitation for you, the Varden leaders, and the other rebels," explained Valln.
I nodded for Valln to continue the message, because I might as well hear it.
But he just handed me a letter instead of reciting the message. "It explains everything in there," said Valln. As soon as I took the letter Valln flew away.
'That was strange,' commented Licá.
I nodded, agreeing.
'What does the letter say?'
I shrugged. 'Let's tell Nasha first.'
Licá nodded-well, kinda, a dragon type of nod-agreeing. She dropped me off and I walked to Nasha's tent, with Licá tailing behind me, and asked to talk to with Nasha. I-of course-was allowed to talk with her.
Nasha looked up from whatever she was working on. "Aeri, what brings you here?"
I handed her the letter, showing her who it was from.
She motioned for one of her guards to come. She whispered for him to go collect everyone. As soon as everyone came-every rebel leader against the Empire and ambassadors for the leaders of the elves and dwarfs-she had everyone quiet down before she explained what had happened. When everyone finally quieted down she explained what happened, what's going to happen, or what it going to look like. Nasha read the letter out loud to everybody:

Dear Dragonrider Aeri and rebel leaders,
I invite you to the Uroobacon Palace for a party and then a little chat, a negotiation if you will, and I want you all to come.
Bring whoever you want with you, it doesn't matter, as along as you bring yourselves.
I will not object to you bringing your armor or weapons as long as your weapons don't harm anyone including me, my dragon or my servants-and that includes the people who serve me.
You all must be thinking "we don't trust you," but I tell you this if you don't come I will destroy all your love ones and everyone who's against the Empire.
It's your choice wherever you come or not. I expect all rebels leaders including the Queen of elves, the King of dwarfs, Kar the rebel dragonrider, and his sons that are dragonriders. Anyone who doesn't come will pay the price as long as everyone else. I look forward to seeing everyone.

King Jazer

And by the way, I am dead serious about my threats. I will do them, no matter what.

I think my other presents were better, even the one where I had to fight two werewolves at one time and win.
"How did we get this?" asked one of the rebel leaders.
"The dragonrider Aeri got it from the dragonrider he was fighting, actually the dragonrider he was fighting, handed it to him and left," explained Nasha.
"How do we avoid this without any bloodshed?" questioned another rebel leader.
"Does not seem like we can and it seems like we are force to go, else he'll kill everyone that love and care about."
A argument started right then. As soon as the argument stopped and we figure what we were going to do. We all walked back to our tent and laid down.
"What did the letter say?" inquired Burdenn as soon as I walked in.
"We have to go to a party and if we don't come he will kill everyone," explained our Father-well, besides Ryderr's.
"That must be a hard choice to make," said Ryderr. We all nodded, agreeing.

-

Question(s) of the chapter:
What would you do if you were at Uroobacon Palace-besides killing Jazer? Would you learn how to fight? Go to the dances? Pretend to be Jazer's friend but then give him up to the Varden? Give the Varden the information they need to defeat Jazer? Write me a sentence(or more) about what you would do if you were in the comment section. Thanks!
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