The bitter taste of dirt invaded Isaac's mouth, as the sound of rattling chains met his ears.

"You are my friend." came Bowen's voice.

"Then as my friend, STRIKE PLEASE!!" Draco roared in reply.

"I can't." The sound of shuffling met the boy's ears as he slowly lifted himself up, finding he was bound; the heavy iron chains on his wrists enough to keep him from moving much.

Isaac watched the two of them, seeing Draco's expression grow angry.

"Then I will make you!" Roaring, the dragon lunged at Bowen, who dove aside, rising with a cry.

Isaac struggled against his chains, crying out to the dragon. But clearly, neither he nor Bowen noticed.

That was when it occurred to Isaac that he was watching a memory, albeit a disturbingly vivid one, of Draco's wish for death to stop King Einon.

"Strike back, dragonslayer! Defend yourself!" Draco roared. Bowen hefted his axe, before throwing it aside.

"Pick it up!!"

Suddenly hearing a gasp, Isaac only now saw Kara, just as the king grabbed her around the neck, drawing his sword to her throat!!

Isaac felt a stab of panic, and fought to try and scream out to Kara, but as much as he did, no one could hear the young boy's cries.

Einon chuckled maniacally under his breath...just as the dragon bit his left hand; the king screaming in pain as he felt the bite...despite being nowhere near Draco.

Isaac felt momentarily hopeful as he watched Kara escape the evil king's grasp, running toward Bowen, who had now hefted his axe.

Glancing up just as the soft crack of Draco's breast scale being pulled open, Isaac began to weep as he watched Bowen glance between the dragon and King Einon, who was now running toward Bowen with an enraged sneer, his dagger raised for the killing blow to the young knight.

The mesmerizing pulse of Draco's half heart echoed over the courtyard.

"No! Please, God....NO!!" Isaac screamed in fear, yet was helpless to do anything more as the final page in the life of the greatest dragon ever known to live, was unfolded in such a violent and heartbreaking manner.

THUNK!!

Isaac screamed as the axe's blade sliced into the dragon's exposed heart; Einon's run suddenly faltering as he jerked, gasping raggedly and flailing, before the knight grabbed his arm with a yell of rage, flipping the evil king over him like a rag doll while tearing the dagger from his grip, raising it as the king slammed into the ground; a terrible, bloody line seared down the centre of his chest!!

As Einon took his final breath, then died, Bowen dropped the dagger, as Isaac watched helplessly.

The knight looked up at his friend; Draco's now fading gaze seeming almost grateful, then, as the pulse of his slowing heart resounded one last time, the dragon rested his head on the ground as his eyes closed; the final, slow pulse of his heart resounding.

Isaac knew he would never forget the pained look on Bowen's face...

...

"NO!!" Isaac bolted up, sweating bullets and hyperventilating.

His hand came to unconsciously rest on his heart, as a soft shuffling startled him.

"Isaac!" came Draco's sleepy, yet annoyed, voice. "What are you doing?"

But the young boy didn't answer.

Luckily, due to their shared heart, Draco and his friend were also empathically connected, and the dragon softened as he felt his friend's fear and worry.

Isaac finally turned his gaze to the dragon. "It's...it's nothing, Draco. Just a nightmare."

But Draco wasn't so easily dissuaded. A hint of a smile, that Isaac didn't catch, crept over the dragon's muzzle.

"Come now, my friend!" he replied softly. "You can tell me what's troubling you!"

Isaac swallowed. "I don't want you to experience any more pain that you already have, Draco!"

The boy turned away, but the dragon's gentle hand on his shoulder let Isaac know that he couldn't hide the truth.

Then, unable to stop himself, he hugged the dragon, crying into his chest.

Draco hugged his friend, leaning down to nuzzle and gently shush him.

"I remember my father always recounted the story of your life, Draco, and how you requested Bowen to kill you to stop Einon. Before I ever met you, I spent countless nights ever since, wishing it could have been different, and when my father died, it just felt so much worse!! What if you go next? How would I go on?" Isaac sobbed, not even realizing he'd asked the last question.

He looked down at the ground again, weeping quietly. Draco swallowed as he felt Isaac's pain. The boy's vision was too blurred by tears to notice Draco's hand come to gently lift the boy's chin to meet the dragon's gentle gaze.

Softly wiping away Isaac's tears with one knuckle, Draco smiled warmly at his friend. "Saving King Einon was the greatest mistake I knew I could ever make, Isaac," he replied gently. "but I knew that my death would put an end to his cruelty, and I would finally find peace in the dragon's heaven. However,"
Draco reached down to place a gentle hand on the boy's chest. "the heart I shared with the king, is now yours, so you can rest assured that since I, Draco, know your heart, Isaac, you and I shall live, peacefully, and eternally, bonded as brothers, and friends!"

Isaac then looked up at his friend, who smiled. Draco then told him something Isaac would never forget:

"I love you, Isaac, and sharing my heart with someone such as you has not only given me a second chance, but also shown me what true peace, love, and freedom really are!! You and I will be together forever, my friend, and as long as one lives, so shall the other, in our hearts, and by each other's sides!! As Jesus now holds your father at His side, so you and I shall remain together, until the stars fall!!"

The dragon then reached up to gently lift his friend's shirt. The scales had by now covered the boys entire torso, and were now slowly advancing down his legs and arms, and the two diminutive bumps on his shoulder blades signified the start of his wing-growth.
If one looked closely enough as well, you could see the traces of dragon horns beginning to poke through Isaac's skull. His nails had by now darkened to black, and were already beginning to grow outward into talons.

Oddly, unlike Draco, Isaac's hands retained their human form in having five fingers, but his feet were plainly becoming draconic; the little toe having already migrated to the back of his foot, like a dewclaw, and his two inner toes having merged, giving the boy three-toed dragon claws!!

Isaac shed his shirt, leaving just his jeans, as he and Draco sat leaning against each other while gazing up at the starry night sky; the stars of the dragon's constellation a comforting reminder to Isaac that he and Draco would soon fly the skies together.

"Thank you, Draco!" he replied, not caring to wipe away the sparkling diamonds that had gathered at the corners of his eyes. "Thank you for saving my life!"

Draco smiled kindly. "Brothers always look out for each other, Isaac!"

...

235 years later...

Isaac, now Asger Stormfire, stood quietly atop a cliff far higher than even the most skilled mountaineers would dare to ascend, watching the rising sun over the distant pines in the valley; the river running like a sparkling golden-pink ribbon through the forest.

Balder Valley, located deep in the Dolomites, was more than perfect a home for the two dragons.

Asger, being younger than Draco by at least 150 years, bore resemblance to him aside from his black scales and silvery underbelly and chest; his wings bore a similar silver colour, yet fainter, almost white.

He also bore only two sets of horns in contrast to Draco's three, as well as having blue eyes instead of gold.

Draco also outweighed Asger by nearly 700 pounds, but that wasn't to say that the young dragon was weak; he had more than once bested his friend in mock aerial battles and races they occasionally held for fun.

Asger was also different in that he could naturally breathe bright bluish-white fire in stark contrast to Draco's red flames; this being due to Asger having the ability to produce a natural compound in his nasal passages that was a combined mix of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, a gas known as "carbon hydroxide", that was so flammable as to almost be explosive.

However, due to the complex structure of his nasal passages, the two gases were naturally kept separate, although Asger's breathing them would allow the two gases to combine before being ignited inside his nasal passages, but the process was so quick that Asger knew to never fear an explosion harming either him or Draco, although Asger's friend was always impressed at the younger dragon's fire skills (not only could Asger breathe blue flames, but also be able to telekinetically manipulate them; something Draco knew he himself would never be able to accomplish).

Draco walked up to stand by Asger's side as they watched the rising sun.

"Is something troubling you, Asger?" Draco asked.

The young dragon smiled, before looking over at his friend.

"I'm just enjoying the view, Draco, and feeling how great it is to be alive!!"

They chuckled, before Asger slowly spread his enormous, 62-foot wings, leaping off the cliff and going into a steep vertical dive, as Draco watched in shock.

But just when he thought the younger dragon would meet his death in the valley below, Asger suddenly twisted in midair, and flew backwards just twenty feet above the river waters, staring up at Draco with an amused smirk.

"Betcha never knew I could do that, eh, Draco?" he roared with laughter.

Draco chuckled, before noting his friend was almost at the end of the valley.

"Last one to reach the lake's a rotten egg!!" Asger's laughter echoed over the valley as Draco saw his friend getting closer to the massive lake at the valley's mouth.

"Then fly fast, Asger, 'cause here I come!!" Draco roared, before diving out into the abyss, letting the wind unfurl his massive 72-foot wings and send the ancient dragon soaring like a hawk high over the land below.

As the two dragons chased each other and played like hatchlings, they both knew that whatever this new life threw at them, they'd always have each other's backs, and enjoy living to the fullest.

After all, one of the greatest bonds two people can have...is a bond of brothers.