I woke on the lawn with a sharp intake of air, and the first thing I felt was Axa shaking my body.

"Damn you, Helena, wake up!" Axa roared.

"I'm back! I'm back!" I exclaimed. "Stop shaking me."

"Holy fuck, you made it?" she exclaimed as she drew me to her in a huge hug. Her smile faded as she looked around her. "Where the fuck is he?"

"Here," Dahlroth said as he emerged from the garden dressed in his traditional Shadow Rider uniform. He went over to my pack, found two vials of liquid potions and drank them greedily.

"Excuse me," Axa said, "but just what the fuck--"

"Forgive the uniform, but I don't want to kill our comrades by mistake."

With a gasp, I stared at him. Had something gone wrong? Had Lord Darius returned?

Axa rose to her feet and crossed her arms. "Prove that you're the dragon," she hissed.

"Shall I morph in front of you, Dragonborn?" he growled under his breath. "I don't want to injure you--Helena and I respect you too much."

"Where is your rider, anyway?" she growled. "Who controls you?"

Dahlroth pointed in my direction. "She does."

Both of them stared at me, and my mouth fell open. "Who, me?" I asked, stunned as I pointed at myself. "What are you talking about?"

"Your medallion," Dahlroth replied. "It fits securely onto an implant in my back, like a key. You hold the reins and guide my decisions because I trust you with my life. No one else."

Axa scrunched up her face in confusion and disdain. In a flash, she whipped out two broadswords and brandished them at the apparent Shadow Rider.

"Show me your true form, demon, or you ain't going anywhere near my people."

"Your wish is my command." Dahlroth turned to me. "Khrysakh, would you come here, please?"

With trembling knees, I walked towards Dahlroth, not knowing what he expected me to do. He reached out one of his gloved hands to me, and my heart thudded as he drew me close.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered in my ear. "I would never hurt you, no matter what my form."

"What are you doing with her?" Axa snarled as she prepared for battle. "Let her go."

"It's okay, Axa." I held out my palm towards her. "He won't hurt me."

"We need a moment of privacy, please," Dahlroth commanded. "Turn around."

"The fuck I--"

"I said turn around!" he roared.

To my shock, Axa turned without another word. After removing his cape, Dahlroth began to remove all of his leather armor bit by bit. My heart thudded in my chest, and he chuckled.

"Later, sweetheart," he murmured. "We have the battle to fight, remember."

"I can't move, Helena!" Axa growled. "Dragons can compel the Dragonborn. But if he's hurting you, I will fucking kill him."

"I'm fine, Axa," I said, breathless. "Trust me."

Dahlroth--my mate in another life--stood with his back to me, fully unclothed. His tall, lithe frame took my breath away, and I longed to touch his smooth, light-blue skin.

The draconic man knelt on the ground in front of me, and I stared at his lean back, his wiry muscles rippling beneath his scaly flesh. Directly in between his shoulder blades lay a metallic frame, which had the same shape as my medallion.

"Insert the medallion into the frame," he commanded me in a husky voice.

"Will it hurt you?" I whispered.

"Anything worth doing requires pain," he replied as he gritted his teeth. "Just do it and hold on to the reins."

"What reins?" I asked, incredulous as I placed the medallion into the frame.

Metal teeth from the implant clamped onto the medallion, and Dahlroth hissed in pain. The golden chain around my neck elongated along with his strong torso, and he roared in agony as his bones snapped and popped into realignment.

"Dahlroth!"

The dragon collapsed on his hands and knees before me, his torso rising underneath me, lifting me up as he morphed. The chain had turned into golden reins, and I gripped them for dear life.

With a yelp, I noticed how his neck widened and thickened, his flesh hardening into impenetrable scales beneath my fingers. His skin deepened into an icy-blue hue.

Behind me, two massive wings broke out of his back with a sharp crack as his draconic screech pierced the air. "It's okay," I murmured in his ear. "I'm here."

Another piercing cry of agony escaped his lips as his haunches bent backward with a mighty snap. Dahlroth lifted his draconic head and breathed a column of ice thirty feet into the air that descended a hundred feet away from us with a deafening crash. When he reared onto his haunches, I grasped the reins and screamed with fear.

Axa bolted from the place and turned around to see me riding on the back of a ferocious, pale-blue ice dragon fifty feet in the air. She fell to her knees and touched her forehead to the ground as Dahlroth and I exited the maze.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, my Lord Dahlroth!" she croaked in fear. "God of Ice."

Axa was never afraid, but when he roared at her, her whole body quaked.

"No, Dahlroth, please," I whispered in his ear. "She's my friend."

I stroked his scaly neck, and his chest heaved in anger before he snorted and turned his head towards me. His gorgeous eyes looked just the same as they did in his humanoid form, and his pupils dilated when he looked at me.

"That's it," I said, my voice trembling. "Stay calm."

Dahlroth backed down and relaxed on his haunches. His skin felt so cold beneath my armor, almost unbearable. Still, feeling his powerful muscles rippling beneath made my body burn with desire. I felt a powerful vibration coming from the doldrums of his chest as I stroked his scales.

He was purring.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and stroked his throat, which almost burned me with frostbite. He exhaled slow, strong breaths from his snout as his chest heaved, which turned all the humidity in the air into frost crystals.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice laced with concern. "Does it still hurt?"

"Helena," Axa said as she cleared her throat, "You're ... ah ... getting him all ..."

"Oh!" I pulled away and whispered in his ear, "Sorry."

He snorted again, and his pupils narrowed at Axa as he barked at her and breathed a wall of ice about 100 feet away from her, blocking her view of us.

"Don't be like that, Dahlroth."

A slight rumbling echoed from his throat as he turned to me, blinked his nictating membranes, and exposed his fangs.

"Are you laughing at me?" I asked with a chuckle.

A hum of ascent resounded in his throat.

Without any warning, an explosive fireball interrupted our moment of happiness. It landed about a thousand paces from the castle entrance, destroying the front gates and the border guard. Smoke billowed from the smoldering rubble as Dahlroth whipped towards the sound.

I shrieked as I held onto him only by the golden reins. "Dahlroth!" I yelled. "They're attacking the castle! Hurry!"

With another snort, he ran at full speed as my heart thudded in fear. With a massive leap, he flew into the air, and I screamed with panic as I gripped the reins and wrapped my arms around his broad, muscular neck just for good measure.

To my shock, Dahlroth's deep voice echoed in my mind. Don't be afraid. You're safe with me. My shield will protect us both, my dearest Khrysakh.

"Your shield?" I said out loud.

Then, it hit me--that was why my shield was so powerful, so massive, and so deadly. It was designed to protect a flipping dragon.

If the rebels attack you, they will fall just like the soldiers at Castle Halcía.

"Good gods!" I screamed as we descended at full speed right before Castle Eismark. I gripped the reins until my knuckles turned white. Finally, we landed on terra firma with a gentle thud.

Neither you nor your mother could land as well as me, he said in my head with a chuckle.

"Oh, hush!" I murmured in his ear as I gave him a tender pat on the neck.

As Dahlroth lumbered towards the castle, my friends--prepared to defend against barbarian hordes, not dragons--shrank back in terror. Even fearless Lena and Alex gaped at me, wide-eyed.

The only ice dragons they'd all seen were probably in stories and fairy tales. Now one stood before them seventy-five feet high and twenty feet wide with a giant wingspan half as wide as the castle itself.

Full of majesty and power.

"Wh-what is that?" Alex asked as he brandished his broadsword. "Where is Lord Darius?"

"Yeah!" Lena yelled. "Where is he?"

"Using magic, I've transformed him into the mighty warrior you see before you," I said in a loud voice. "We will lead you into battle and defend us."

The trainees muttered among themselves. "How do we know that thing won't kill us?" Lena yelled.

At that, Axa stormed in front of us and brandished one of her broadswords in the air. "Shut up, all of you!" she roared.

Everyone fell silent.

"Now I've been here longer than any of you, and I've fought in many battles," she said as she gestured behind her. "Yes, this dragon is real, and, yes, they are dangerous."

The trainees began to murmur until she raised her palm. They all fell silent, and Axa turned toward us with a toothy grin before she continued.

"But I know both Helena and Lord Darius. Has she ever hurt any of you? Even in jest?"

The trainees all shook their heads.

"And has Lord Darius always defended us? Even saved us from certain death?"

The trainees murmured their assent.

"Helena controls this magical creature, and they're going to defend you and our home." Axa raised her broadsword in the air. "Who's going to stand with us and fight these rebel bastards?"

With a roar of approval, all the trainees raised magical staffs, crossbows and broadswords to cheer on Axa, Dahlroth, and me. Even Marsha raised her magical violin with a shout of approval.

At that, Dahlroth took his position in front of the trainees. He gave a loud snort and narrowed his eyes in determination. His voice echoed in my mind.

I will protect as many of our people as I can with the shield.

With a gentle pat on his neck, I murmured, "Thank you."

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, though, he answered. I want them to cower in fear--I don't want to kill innocent Halcíans who are trying to defend their home.

My heart clenched at his words--I knew that Dahlroth was a good man in the depths of his soul.

But I will do whatever is necessary to defend us. Honor and devotion, Khrysakh.

"Honor and devotion, Dahlroth," I whispered as I gave one of his mighty scales a gentle kiss.

His massive muscles rippled under me in response to my kiss as he shook his head. With an almighty exhale, he puffed a freezing blast into the air and gave me a gentle purr.

That was when the devils came.

_____

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Let's give Helena and Dahlroth a vote for their bravery! Now, let's see how it goes in the final battle. :D Hope you enjoyed this--if you did, please vote and/or comment.

Special thanks to Aerolegend for the lovely banner. Your artwork is amazing! As thanks I've dedicated the chapter to you! :D

That being said, I just jotted this down--literally--so it is *very* raw and requires a huge amount of editing. However, I wanted to get down my ideas as soon as possible before I forgot them. Woot!

If you see anything that could do with some revising, please let me know. The next few weeks/months will mean copious editing, rephrasing, etc. :D So, please let me know how I can improve it.

Of course, encouraging comments help too. Especially during the editing phase, which can be a real drag. ;)