Hey Guys! Sorry this is a bit of a rushed note - Chapter isn't as long as I would have liked it to be after making you all wait so long - and I also know that it might not be fromt he point of view that you were wanting it to be from!! I hope to have another one up sooon, hope you are all wella nd I love you lots <3
For those of you who aren't on FB I have been moving city, finding a job and havent had internet in my new flat until yesterday (#DEPRIVED) Im also typing this with my contacts out so excuse errors LEL

Love Daisy xxxx

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ZALAS

It was still raining. I had my eyes tight shut and I felt her approach but studiously ignored her. "If you think you are getting under here in that state, then you are sorely mistaken."

Sopping wet, she sat down opposite me, wiggling her wet toes in front of my face. She smelt nice, like the rain. "Get your foot out of my face." I scowled, opening my eyes.

Water was sheeting down, but the sun broke through at various intervals, illuminating the clouds and casting rainbows at random. The wind tugged at the edge of my hastily made shelter and I pulled it a little tighter.

She laughed. "Lighten up Zalas, Unabonan says that we have changed course. Anthemin is heading in a different direction now."

I mused to myself from under my tarpaulin. Changed direction so abruptly? Surely that meant that he had met up with someone. Assuming that he was still with Circe, the only person that it made sense for her to come into contact with was that half human brother of hers. I couldn't seem to remember his name, but it didn't really matter. Last time I had seen him, he had been travelling with the other Bones twin. I couldn't remember his name either.

So ... she had joined them again, the very thought made me feel sick to my stomach. I wondered what her next move would be. If she had come into contact with them, surely it wouldn't be long before she re-joined the world and her Mother and my Mother became aware of her whereabouts? Was my perusal needed now? My main objective had been to return her to the world and if she had done it herself, wasn't it better for everyone?

"You aren't thinking about quitting are you?"

My eyes widened with shock as I jerked my gaze up to meet hers. "What did you say?"

She looked back at me steadily, her cheerful expression from a minute ago no-where to be seen. "You heard me. If you quit now just because she turned you away one time, you will regret it. It's a cowardly move Zalas. I didn't know you were a coward."

I gritted my teeth and cursed Unabonan as he chuckled softly. She is right Brother.

"Shut up," I spat out. "I was thinking nothing of the sort. I will not return to the Kingdom until I have gained the Princess's forgiveness."

Suddenly Elika laughed. "I should hope so, otherwise you know, your Mummy wouldn't let you back into the Air Kingdom anyway!"

I flushed bright red as Unabonan joined in on her mirth, his body shaking as he took delight in my embarrassment.

"Don't- don't talk about your Queen that way!" I stuttered furiously, trying to regain my dignity.

"Oh be quiet you big baby, I was just teasing." She smiled sweetly at me, an attempt to lighten my mood I knew, but it didn't work. I glared back at her.

"Do you have a plan this time?"

The sudden question caught me by surprise. "A plan?"

She sighed, resting a hand on her cheek. Her eyes wandering away for a moment before drifting back to me. "You know ... a plan of how you will approach her? Because I'm not sure if you realised, but last time it didn't go too well."

There was an awkward pause as the three of us remembered how disastrous the last encounter had been. "It was that black dragon," I mumbled distractedly. "It was chasing her at the time, if it hadn't been for that beast, things would have gone differently."

I still wish to know the origin of that Dragon, Unabonan's voice was troubled. It hasn't left my mind since we saw it. I thought-

"I thought it was Zarska," I said quietly. "But it was larger than she had been and the aura around it-"

It wasn't normal, Unabonan finished. Not by any means. Perhaps, once we locate the Princess she might know more about it. That or her presence might cause it to reappear, in which case we could find out its intentions for ourselves.

"And this time," Elika said determinedly, "We will be prepared. It won't catch us unaware again."

"I agree," I said firmly. "Last time I lost pitifully. I was humiliated. But next time ... I will show that beast the true might of my power. I will not fall again."

*

Another half a day of flying finally cleared the rain and Elika and I lay sprawled out side by side in the middle of the saddle, staring up at the fast moving clouds. Unabonan's muscled body moved steadily beneath us, eating up the distance between us and our goal. I knew that we were close. Where ever they had gone to first had required them to stop before continuing in a different direction and by following the path we knew they would eventually take if they continued forwards, we had cut time from our journey by deciding to head straight across to intercept them.

I felt Elika's hand brush against mine, her fingers casually twining in-between my own. I glanced over at her, frowning at the innocent smile she offered me. Pulling my hand away I crossed my arms across my chest.

"How do you think your Mother is doing back at home?"

I sighed. "Both children gone, both a disappointment, I doubt she is very happy with anything right now."

"Do you ever think about what it would be like to run our Kingdom Zalas?"

I glanced at her, a little surprised. "Not really, I mean, there are other things on my mind right now, but it isn't as though I don't know the day is coming. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged her slim shoulders. "If I was you, it would be on my mind all of the time. What it would be like to hold the responsibility of that many lives on your shoulders ... I mean, I know that our Kingdom is a peaceful one, but there are the mundane responsibilities that a Ruler has as well, aside from the exciting stuff. Like making sure all the people are happy and have everything that they need."

"You sound like you have thought about this a lot," I said wryly. "Why do you bring it up now?"

She looked over at me, her eyes serious. "I just think that you could do with learning a little more about our Kingdom that's all. If you are to be King, you need to know about the people, otherwise how will you govern them or earn their respect."

My face was startled. "Earn their respect? Elika, I am the legendary Dragon Prince, I do not need to earn anyone's respect, it is given to me."

She laughed loudly. "You are so blind. When did you last go down into the city? To see it first hand?"

I blinked, looking back to the sky. "I don't think I have ever been into the city."

"What? Never?"

The astonishment in her tone brought colour to my cheeks and my mood abruptly turned sour. "Elika," I snapped. "Royalty does not descend from the Palace, you know this – we are seen only from above, in our Kingdom, Royalty and the power that comes with it might as well be Godlike. To wander casually through the city without care or thought for tradition or rank would be seen as extremely disgraceful. You might not comprehend, having grown up in both worlds, but it simply does not work like that. I show my respect to my people, by upholding the dignity and tradition of the royal line before me."

"I still don't think that you can govern a city that you know nothing about," She protested.

"That is why a Ruler has councillors, which go down into the city in their stead."

"Well if I was Queen-"

I laughed; it was a sound that surprised me, even as it made its way from out between my lips. I lazily flipped myself over, so that I pinned her back to the saddle, one of my hands reaching over hers, her other arm tucked underneath my chest. Her eyes had grown wide, but the amused smile did not fade from my face at her startled expression.

"If you were Queen," I jested, "the whole Kingdom would fall to ruin."

Her astonishment turned into fury. "It would not!"

"I would," I persisted, curling a lock of her hair around my smallest finger. "Perhaps I have answered your questions wrongly, you look at me now and I see in your eyes that you believe me to be a proud, pretentious fool. You believe I do not think enough of my subjects and their individual lives and perhaps I do not. But when I rule, I will rule the Kingdom as a whole. I will uphold the traditions that our people have faith in, I will decide what is best for our race as a whole. A Ruler does not have to descend down from his throne to be kind, or to show compassion. A Ruler shows his worth by leading his people in the right direction, by showing them that their faith in the monarchy is not misplaced. This is what I have been taught, this is what I know." I arched an eyebrow. "When was the last time the citizens of the Air Kingdom felt discord pray tell? When was the last time that you remember a rebellion? You could never be Queen because have not been born a Royal. You look at my Mother and think her a cold ruler, with no compassion for her people, but you do not understand because you have not been brought up as one of us. We have a duty, we give ourselves, our lives, for the good of the Kingdom."

She seemed a little speechless and I smiled a wry smile. "Although we have grown together Elika, you were never privy to my classes. You were brought up a warrior, not a Ruler. There are oceans between us. Do not presume that you know anything about me." I drew back from her then, standing up as I did.

I could see from her expression that she had touched upon the subject without realising what my reaction would be. I laughed at her.

"You thought that you could question my worth as a ruler without any retaliation?" I reached out to grab her hand and I tugged her to her feet, pulling her towards me until she bumped against my chest. An indifferent smile curled the edges of my lips. "Silly girl,"

She frowned at me, but had the good grace to look abashed. "I just thought-"

I interrupted her, pinching her chin between my thumb and forefinger as I tilted her face up. "It isn't your place to have any thoughts on matters such as these," I said gently. "You are a warrior, your skills are among the best in our Kingdom, be content with that little Air Sprite and leave the Ruling of the Kingdom to those who were born to fulfil the role."

Unabonan hummed, the deep rumble resonating through his body. We draw closer. If Anthemin has indeed met up with the Pirates, I think that I can guess where they are heading.

I let my grip on Elika fall away as I turned from her, the discussion now ended. My thoughts, as always, were in tune with those of my brothers. "Port Savannah," I said sharply. "The pirate port, of course, it should have been obvious."

If that is indeed there chosen destination, then we will have to be careful not to be seen.

"There are many coves around the coast," Elika interjected, walking up to stand beside me, face no longer flustered. Her voice was sure as she spoke. "We could hide Unabonan in one and then Zalas and I could walk on foot into the town."

I raised an eyebrow. "Will there be one big enough to hide him?"

She turned to one of the saddle bags and drew out a map from within. Laying it flat on the saddle she smoothed out the creases and pointed to where Port Savannah was located. "The port is here, and around here," Her finger moved up the coast slightly to hover over a groove that clearly indicated a large cove. "This beach is uninhabited and ships do not drop anchor because of the coral reef that surrounds the cove. It would the perfect place to hide Unabonan accessible only by air."

I leaned back satisfied. "Very well, we will proceed with this plan. Brother?"

Yes, I know the place she speaks of. It will suit our needs well. We will arrive early tomorrow morning.

*

That night, sleep did not find me. I watched Elika instead, her steady breathing and peaceful face portraying an image of one who held little weight on her slender shoulders. Her white hair, splayed across the saddle bag she was using as a pillow, was illuminated in the light of the moon, her white skin appearing dark in comparison.

I shifted in my position to look up at the sky. The night wind was warm as it washed over us and every so often a light cloud blew across the moon, shrouding it for a moment before moving onward. Far below in the swelling darkness the ocean rumbled and pulsed.

Unabonan's wings moved in a steady rhythm but I was beginning to sense tiredness in his movements. We had been travelling airborne for a long while now and he reaching his limit. I stood up smoothly, and made my way up his neck till I reached the place at the base of his head. There I placed a hand, just under one of his long, delicate ears.

"By the Great Father whose blood connects us, I lend you my strength so that you may continue onwards and deliver us safely to our chosen destination." I murmured and with the words a subtle light appeared where our skin touched, escaping out from the gaps between my fingers as it grew stronger. I felt the energy leaving my body in a slow trickle and simultaneously sensed the return of my brother's strength as his muscles were relieved of their aching.

He breathed out a long sigh. Thank-you Brother.

What is mine is yours, I thought to him, my tone dismissive. Once we reach the cove, you will be able to hunt and eat. We will both need our full strength for our enemy is unknown, as is the outcome of our quest.

I have been thinking,

I raised an eyebrow. Oh? What troubles your mind Brother?

His forked tongue flicked out from between his jaws and his internal voice was grave. The black dragon, I have been in contact with our Father about it.

Now I really was surprised. You think that the truth is that far out of our reach that Father needed to be notified? Why didn't you consult me first?

I had a theory, one that could only be confirmed by him.

And what is this theory, pray tell?

That the black dragon is Zarska and the golden eyed son of the traitor, that, after we saw them burned, they both rose again as one being.

I felt the blood rush from my face, my eyes growing wide. A rebirth? Do you mean to say that you believe that she chose to die for him?

There is a pitiful amount of Dragons that have been bonded to others; even Nelonimi and Aranel are not a bonded pair. Not much is known at all about the strength or capabilities of a bonded pair, only whispered legends with little credibility. This is why I consulted our Father.

"You really believe that a rebirth is possible?" I whispered aloud. "That someone like him is capable of receiving such a gift?" What he was speaking of was a story told to the Air Kingdom children, an ancient tale of love and loyalty so strong that it was able to overcome death itself. I knew that it was based of ancient legend, but I had never believed any of it to be true. I was the closest thing that there was to the fairy-tale, a mix of both Dragon and Air Sprite, but I hadn't had to die to become it, I was born the way I was.

"She didn't love him like that, she couldn't have." I said softly, almost to myself. "Their connection, it was there, but it was nowhere near strong enough."

There were other feelings that they shared however, Unabonan said gently. A bitter loathing for the man who took their lives away, passionate hate, anger with reason, it can burn as strongly as love brother. Zarska would have pitied him; she would have seen him for a victim, blamed for his Fathers crimes-

"Which he was," I snarled. "But it doesn't explain the fact that, at that point it time, he was believed to have stolen a dragon egg, a crime that should have unforgivable to a Dragon."

Indeed, Unabonan thought solemnly. As a Dragon who was stolen as an egg herself such an act by her destined partner should have rendered her broken with betrayal, which makes me believe that she had good reason to think him innocent.

"You think that she knew about Aranel before we did?" I said shortly. The thought that my sister could be the guilty party was still a difficult thing for me to accept and I wasn't sure that I would truly believe Ambrose's words until I learned the truth from Aranel herself.

Maybe not, Unabonan reasoned. But she must have believed him innocent all the same.

I paused for a moment, taking in everything he was saying. What did our Father say?

The feeling you felt afterwards, on that night, he felt it too. He believes that it could be possible.

My eyes closed as a mixture of feelings bombarded me. Disbelief at the answer that had been presented to us after months of not knowing, anger at myself for not believing the impossible to be possible, jealousy that out of all of the people, it had to him that was chosen to receive this greatest of gifts. And he wasn't even fully a part of the magical world.

I remembered again, the impact with which the black dragon had powered into me, the ferociousness of his attack, the promise of death that I had seen burning in his golden eyes, mere moments before he had struck me out of the sky. And the sheer size of him, he had been massive, easily as large as Unabonan. My face was set in a grim snarl as I opened my eyes.

"If it is him, we will find out soon enough. We are heading for Circe after all, and wherever she is, if it indeed is him, he won't be far behind."

I remembered the last time I had spoken to him as he knelt shackled to the ground beneath him. I remembered the surety that I had felt in my heart that this was the right thing to do. And I remembered how he had looked into my face and told me that I would be destroying her and how I had replied, stating that I would rather see her destroyed than in love with him.

Unfortunately for me, I had never been able to comprehend what destroying Circe would truly look like and I hadn't been able to comprehend it until I was staring  into her dead, soulless eyes after she had all but flung herself into the flames after him, hadn't until I was listening to her animalistic scream of despair that seemed too awful a sound to be able to emit from a human mouth, hadn't until I was watching her burnt and shaking hands rake at the pile of ashes as though somehow she could fix what had been done.

"Unless he has already found her, he won't be far behind. He won't let her go again."

*

After our talk, Unabonan and I had fallen prey to our individual thoughts, signalling the end of the conversation. There was nothing else to be said, all that was left to do now was wait.

I had made my way back to Elika, a sudden need for her company, swelling in my chest. I lay down beside her, turning my face towards hers. We were close enough that I could feel her breath on my face and see the moonlight reflected in her eyes as they opened.

We looked at each other for a moment before she shifted so that she was lying directly on her side, a hand reaching forward to touch my cheek. I closed my eyes.

"What are you thinking?" She whispered softly, the words curling into my ears like a caress.

My eyes found hers, my lips shaping words that I didn't want anyone else to hear for they spoke of my deepest fears and left me vulnerable as I awaited her answer with baited breath.

"Of course not," She replied and her eyes were so sincere they held no room for doubt.

I rolled over onto my back and stared up and the night sky. Beside me, Elika shifted a little closer, her slight body pressing against mine, her warmth soaking into my side. Her breathing gradually slowed, the steady rhythm lulling my mind and as she drifted back into sleeps embrace, this time she took me with her.

*

I did not sleep for long; the early morning light came quickly and with it a change of temperature. Upon awakening I became aware that Elika was wrapped up in my side, her hand splayed across my chest and somehow my arm had become lodged underneath her as we slept, her head resting on my shoulder, her breath hot on my neck.

I shifted uncomfortably, stretching out my fingers and realising they had gone numb, as had most of my arm. My other hand came across to touch her head softly.

"Elika. Wake up."

She sat up suddenly, her eyes startled. The swiftness of her awakening surprised me and for a moment I just lay there, looking up at her as she looked back at me, her hand still spread on my chest, a light crease in the skin of her cheek from where she had been resting on my shoulder.

Our conversation from last night rushed back to me with embarrassing clarity and I scowled, regaining my composure. "You were asleep on me," I said gruffly.

She didn't say anything but her mouth still hung open slightly. I looked pointedly at her hand and her gaze followed mine down to where her palm was splayed flat against my skin. Realization sprung into her eyes and she removed her hand so fast it was as though she had been burned. A blush coloured her cheeks.

"I am so sorry." Her voice was wavering.

"Forget it," My voice was rough as I climbed to my feet, straightening my shirt and extending a hand down towards where she still sat, her limbs still clearly tired from sleep although her white hair hung neatly around her face like a shimmering white sheet. She took the offered hand and I pulled her to standing with a little more force than necessary, causing her to trip and bump into me. I caught her automatically, steading her.

I had always seen Elika as a warrior, a child brought up in the Palace from birth, like Aranel and I, but meant for a different purpose, for fighting and protecting, not lesser, but not equal either. Elika had been in the same warrior training classes as Aranal and both girls competed against each other at the top. Where others might have turned into enemies, the two instead became friends, Elika's presence in my life from there on, becoming increasingly regular.

As the best of her graduating class, equal only to Aranel, she had expressed her desire to serve to protect the Royal family, an honour only given to the most elite warriors. We had watched as she had accepted the challenge required to become a royal guard, a battle with an elder guard, and had been deemed worthy. And she had been at both mine and Aranel's side ever since, a playful presence that mostly catered to my sisters whims, tempering her tantrums and soothing her explosive rages in a way that only she and I could.

Elika and I always held common ground when it came to Aranel. We both understood that my sister had a dark heart, that her anger was deeply connected to the fact that our Mother all but pretended that her Father had never existed. I knew that although she loved me, she also hated that she was not considered for the throne, simply because of my birth right. Because I was the Prince that connected our two races and that detail would always overshadow the fact that she had been born long before Unabonan and I had hatched from our egg and technically had more claim to the throne than I.

And now I was looking down at this familiar face and for a moment I did not see a warrior, but the woman that she had become, her arms slender and willowy under my hands, the curve of her body underneath her clothing, the fullness of her lips as they parted, the gentle blush that spread across her cheekbones as she and I both realised that we had been holding each other's gaze for slightly too long ...

I dropped my hands and stepped away, turning so that she could not see the confusion on my face. Brushing out the rumples in my clothing I looked to where land had appeared on the horizon, growing closer and clearer with every passing second and the rising of the sun. My breath hung in the air as I exhaled and studied the landscape before turning back to her.

She wore a curious expression, her mouth pinched shut, her eyes looking a little lost. As she realised that I was looking at her, she seemed to break out of the trance that she had been in and her hands came up to wrap around her chest, her shoulders hunching slightly.

I knelt down, rummaging around in one of the saddle bags until I found a blanket. Striding towards her I threw the cloth out around her, capturing her and tugging her back into my chest. My arms wound around her and I held her tightly. Our hair blew out on the cold morning, the white strands tangling together. My head dropped down and I brushed a light kiss upon the top of her head.

"Don't make that face," I said gruffly. "And don't apologize when there is nothing to forgive."

*

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