Anna laughed at the display of angry from the Dark Elf. "Excuse me?" she asked it almost politely though she was mocking Rhyldrin. She tilted her head to the side like a child would if they were curious. "What did you just say to me?" she smiled warmly at him though there was something terribly wicked about her smile. "How rude, didn't your parents teach you better than that?" she asked then laughed, her tail flicked back and forth if the Dark Elf didn't strike soon then she would become impatient and do so herself. Though she finally got exactly what she wanted, she watched Rhyldrin as he charged forward. She brought her sword up allowing it to meet his two daggers.

"Oh look at you," her face dropped, she pouted. "Poor little thing, all beat up and full of so much anger!" she kept her blade against his two daggers without a struggle though she grew tired of doing nothing. "You would make a nice addition to my collection," her lips curled upwards into a twisted smile. "Though you probably won't last that long, oh well!" she pushed forward forcing Rhyldrin backwards. Anna curled her fingers and punched Rhyldrin with her free hand, she laughed as he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"What's wrong? I guess that your wounds are getting to you, aren't they now?" she looked down at him, a smile still across her face. "Drop your damn weapons or else I'll pry them from your damn cold hands." she laughed then looked over at the two men. "Or I can always get Alec to use his magic!" she looked back down at Rhyldrin. "Or you can be a good boy and drop them now." she spat.

Anna waited until Rhyldrin dropped his weapons, when he dead she leaned down and picked him up by the front of his shirt. A sudden thought popped into her head. "Oh, I have an idea!" she said it mostly to herself though Rhyldrin and the other two had probably heard it anyways. She let go of Rhyldrin but then took hold of the back of his head, gripping his hair in her hand. She forced him to walk beside her. "I have a playmate for you!" she laughed.

She forced Rhyldrin to walk beside her all the way to where they kept their prisoners. The other two followed her, if Rhyldrin slipped from her grip then they could help put him in his place. Though it was unlikely that Anna could not manage herself. She came to the front of a cell, the entire room was rather dark though she didn't have difficulty seeing. One of the men unlocked the door, it swung open and Anna tossed Rhyldrin into the cell. "Have fun!" she said before the door slammed closed. "I'll play with you two tomorrow, if there is still two of you that is." the three of them laughed, then they left.

Judith jumped as the door was opened, she had been wandering around the dark cell trying to find a weak spot, something that she could possibly take advantage of. She couldn't stand another day in here it would drive her insane. She quietly went to one of the corners, as far from the door as she could get from the damn thing. If they tried to harm her again she was try to put up a fight though maybe that wasn't a good idea at all.

Though she heard the woman speaking and none of it seemed directed to her or even about her. She breathed in heavily, she heard two other voices as well. The men who often followed her around. She sat quietly against the corner, she brought her knees to her chest then wrapped her arms around her legs. Suddenly she heard a loud thud, followed by cursing. She flinched when she heard a loud noise. Whoever was in here didn't seem to happy about it.

Her ears fell a little bit and she stood slowly. This man's voice sounded familiar, this made her feel uneasy. She took a step forward, then another. Judith reached out a hand slowly until she felt the other's arm, then she ran her fingers gently down to his hand. "Rhyldrin?" she asked, she whispered not wanting the guards to her. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Don't apologize," Judith whispered to him, she looked up though her eyes were no good at seeing in the dark. She could make out his features a little bit at least. "It isn't your fault, Rhyldrin." she pressed herself against his body, she was so terribly cold. Judith was afraid that she was catching something, she couldn't even remember the last time she was sick. Though she was certain that she had something. It wouldn't be surprising considering how poorly she was treated and where she had been for the past week. "It isn't anyone's fault, it just happened. Please don't blame yourself."

Judith smiled weakly, she ran her hands up from his hips to his shoulders then rested them there. "Stop worrying, you're almost as bad as I usually am right now." she held in a laugh afraid that the guards would think something. "I'm fine despite a few bruises here and there of course." Judith's ears dropped a little as she realised something. "What are we going to do?" she asked, though she didn't expect an answer. "I don't know if I can make it far if we even manage to get out." she was exhausted. Not to mention she had not been fed properly and had been beaten countless times.

She jumped a little in his arms as she felt something scratching at her bare feet. Judith looked down though she couldn't see anything at all. "The dragon followed me," she whispered to Rhyldrin. The little dragon let out a quiet chirp to confirm his presence in the cell. "I don't know why he did, probably because you always tell him to stay with me." the little dragon went to Rhyldrin's leg and began to paw at it.

Judith felt a little surprised when Rhyldrin brought her on to his lap, she had not expected that from him. "I'm not going to protest this," she said then laughed quietly. Judith leaned against him bringing herself as close to him as she possibly could. "I'll try to sleep though I doubt that I will get much." she closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh. "I think that I'm getting sick from all of this, I don't feel too well." she whispered to him, though she mumbled most of it really. Exhaustion had taken over her body and she could no longer stay awake. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, being with Rhyldrin helped with this.

------

"How are my pets?" Anna asked one of the guards outside of where they held prisoners. "Are they playing nicely or has there been a blood bath?" she laughed, a wicked smile across her face. Marcus stood by her she had requested his presence today. Though he was too weak for any interrogations today, he had become ill. He had told her that he wanted to rest but she had convinced him to venture out of his home today. He couldn't really say no anyways, she was so demanding and despite him being bigger she was rather intimidating. It also didn't help that she was more powerful than him.

He drifted off into his own thoughts until he felt Anna grab his arm and pulled him towards the cell. He had no interest in her conversation with the guard. His eyes wandered around the cells, he couldn't understand how Anna could spend almost every day in here bothering the prisoners. Though he brought his eyes to Anna as she abruptly stopped. He flinched as he felt her grip become tight on his arm. "Hey," he mumbled quietly as he brought his eyes to her. "Let go of my damn arm!" he hissed.

Marcus brought his free hand to her hand and pried her hand from his arm. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, his eyes then drifted over to the cell. He peered inside and became aware of why her mood had suddenly changed. He couldn't tell if she was upset or confused. Her face was twisted with some sort of emotion. "Look at this," she said with a blank expression on her face. "How odd!" she laughed then looked up at Marcus. "Isn't that cute?" she asked in a mocking tone. She approached the cell then kicked it hard. "Wake up!" she screamed at them.


------

Bryon had come up with a plan though he was rather nervous about it. He knew that Rhyldrin had gone alone and it was very wrong to ask the poor man to do something so dangerous without any aid. He had not slept very well as he tried to come up with a better plan than what he had first thought of. Though he simply couldn't. It had to happen, he had to return the necklace to the Dragonkin King. There was absolutely no way, he would trade it for Judith and Rhyldrin if the man had become captured as well. Bryon would have to ask to have audience with the King, he wondered if the King would allow such a thing.

He wouldn't be alone when he went, he would go with his top-men. He wouldn't try to be the hero and go alone. He knew that doing such a thing would be absolutely dangerous. Then Bryon thought of something else, he had planned to ask for peace between the Light Elves and Dragonkin while he was there. He would ask someone else to come with him to the Dragonkin Capital. A woman who he had not too long ago settled things with. The Dark Elf Queen. Bryon planned to go to the Dark Elf Capital himself to ask her to come with him, it would take some time to get there, he hoped that Judith and Rhyldrin would be alright once he arrived at the Dragonkin Capital.

"You got quite the attitude, don't you?" she asked mockingly, she was amused that Rhyldrin had come straight to her only bars separating them. "How did you sleep, sweetie?" she asked then tilted her eyes. Anna's eyes remained on Rhyldrin, she had no need to look at the Light Elf. Though she was going to taunt him about what she had just seen. "Is that your little girlfriend over there?" she asked with a wicked smile. "I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't find one of you dead, I'll have to get my hands dirty." she sighed, Anna crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward. "Though I would have gotten my hands dirty anyways, from touching a Dark Elf." she hissed.

Marcus' eyes wandered down to Judith who had brought herself to one of the farthest corners from the entrance of the cell. She sat with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. This was one of the reasons why he had not wanted to come to see the prisoners with Anna. It had to admit that it was rather interesting to see a Dark Elf and to especially see the way that he had been holding her. He had to hold himself back from asking questions, one day his damn curiosity would get the best of him. It also seemed as if Anna had not really thought too much about what she had just seen, she probably just assumed that the Dark Elf had been doing things to the Light Elf. It was better that way, if she thought that something was up between them then he was put them in separate cells. She would probably do horrible things to the Dark Elf to get information from the Light Elf, even if it was obvious that the poor woman knew nothing. If she didn't do that then she would probably torture the woman and make the Dark Elf watch. Why was his sister so cruel?

He really didn't want to stay for too long, he couldn't stop Anna from doing what she wanted to do and if he did anything rash then it would make him suspicious. He didn't feel like being branded as a traitor because he wanted to save a couple of Elves that he didn't know. A sudden question popped into his head and before he could think it over it spilled from his mouth. "Who sent you?" he brought his eyes to the Dark Elf. He really didn't expect to get an answer from him. "No Dark Elf would come here alone, it's too much of a risk. You're asking to get yourself killed if you do that."

-----

Despite the current circumstances Bryon had taken his time as he travelled to the Dark Elf Capital. It would do him no good to make himself exhausted and the last thing he needed was to become ill. Once he reached the Capital he asked to see the Queen, he was brought to her almost immediately. Bryon told her of what had happened, he was absolutely terrified that she would not come along. Though he was relieved that she wanted to come with him.

He spent a few days at the Dark Elf Capital allowing her and some of her men to prepare before they left for the Light Elf Capital. When they reached the Light Elf Capital Bryon's men waited for him, they had been prepared to leave when Bryon returned from the Dark Elf Capital. "Let's go!" he told him men, they didn't hesitate to leave. It would take a week to reach the Dragonkin Capital he wondered if he would be too late.

Anna had brought the two other men with her this time instead of Marcus. One being Alec who she had told Rhyldrin wielded magic. The other's name was Talc, he didn't have a weapon either though he wasn't a magic wielder. He fought with his bare hands and used anything in his surroundings to his advantage. They were both rather odd looking men and eerily quiet. They were almost zombies, listening to Anna's demands and following all of her orders without hesitation. It was probably a reason why she had brought them instead of Marcus.

"Alec take the girl," she hissed at him with a wicked smile. "Talc you can come with me, we're going to have some fun with the Dark Elf. I wonder what we shall do today?" she asked then brought her eyes to Rhyldrin. "I wonder how much you can take before you finally break?" she laughed then waved her hand at Talc to make him come stand beside her. "Restrain him then meet me in the usually room." she purred to him. When she left the two men Talc opened the cell's door then took hold of Rhyldrin, though of course they struggled for a moment. Alec then went to Judith, he forced her to her feet and made her walk with him. He was taking her elsewhere to interrogate her once again.

Talc brought Rhyldrin to a small room, there was much in it other than a long table that he was forced to lay down on. Talc strapped him down to it, his wrists, ankles, across his chest and neck. "As you wished for, Anna." Talc said then bowed slightly. He took a step away from the table and watched the woman as she circled around Rhyldrin. "I'm running out of ideas," she said then breathed out a sigh. "Though I don't want to get rid of you yet, you're too fun." she laughed. There were a few shelves in the room, on them were tools used to torture prisoners. Anna wasn't quite sure what she would use on Rhyldrin.

Judith was brought to another small room and thrown on to the ground hard. "Are you finally going to tell me something useful?" Alec asked her, he slammed the door behind him and watched her for a moment. "Or are you just going to keep lying?" he hissed out the question. Alec leaned down and grabbed Judith by the back of her head, taking her hair in his hand. "I don't know anything, you bastard!" she cried, Judith had become so tired of this. Alec dragged her over to a large bucket of water, he turned her making her face the bucket. "Well, if you aren't going to say anything then I might ask well do something while I wait for Anna to finish up." he threw his shoulders back into a shrug then slammed Judith's face forcefully into the freezing water. He held her head under water for some time then lifted it. "Going to say anything now?" he barked, when she remained silent he slammed her head back into the water.

Alec pulled Judith's head back up from the cold water, violent shivers ran through her body. She breathed in heavily though she didn't get much in before her head was slammed back into the water. If Alec didn't stop soon she was afraid that her lungs would fill with water and she would drown. He didn't seem to be really paying attention to her, each time he held her head under water a little bit longer than the last. Though she told herself that he wouldn't let her drown. He wouldn't let her die, not yet anyways. Anna would probably kill him if she found out that Judith had been killed. Judith remembered her warning the two men about such a thing, she didn't want Judith to be killed. She still wanted to see if she could get any useful information out of her. Though all she knew was that Judith knew the King and it seemed that he had a thing for her. They had been cutting off locks of Judith's hair and sending it to Bryon as a reminder that they still had her. Judith feared that soon they would move on to something else. Anna had threatened to cut off her 'pretty ears' the other day.

She breathed in heavily as her face was lifted from the water once again. If she didn't drown then she would certainly get sick from this. They had done this before, she would be kept like this for some time as they asked questions. Then once they became tired of her they would throw her back into the cell still wet and cold. Judith was surprised that she wasn't terribly ill yet. Though she did feel a little odd and had began to cough. She began to have horrible coughing fits as well, it felt as if they would never end sometimes.

"Are you going to speak now?" Alec asked, he kept her head from the water allowing her to breath steadily. Though she doubted that this kindness would last very long. If he didn't continue this then he would find some other way to harm her. Judith feared that Alec would rape her really, it had only crossed her mind a few times. She tried not to think of that, she wouldn't know what to do if he tried anything. She really couldn't do anything anyways. The way he looked at her was odd, his face had no expression on it a majority of the time and it was hard to tell what he was thinking. "I don't know anything," she breathed out heavily and prepared to hold her breath. "I really don't, you ask kept me here for so long. You have the same damn things every day and I answer every question with the same response." she flinched as she felt him pull her head back forcing her to look up at him. "I don't know!" she yelled, Judith kept her eyes on him. She looked into his own though it seemed as if he was nothing but a shell of a man.

The silence in the room was eery, Judith was wondering why Alec was now choosing to keep his mouth shut. It was worse than when he spoke to her, she wanted him to speak. "If you really know anything then you should just tell me," he hissed at her then pulled on her hair. "I know that any living creature couldn't stand this shit for as long as you have. You're going to reach your breaking point eventually and then guess what happens after that?" he spat the question, Judith flinched she didn't say anything. "You die, they put you down like your a damn animal but not quickly." he tilted his head as if he was observing her. "They take their time with you because for some reason they get a real kick out of causing pain." he threw Judith to the ground hard. "They will probably cut you up real good then let you bleed out, they hate showing mercy." he smiled weakly then leaned down looking down at her. "Now, tell me do you have anything that is useful?" he asked. Judith looked up at him, she knew she was going to regret saying this. "No!" she spat.

------

Anna was in the midst of torturing Rhyldrin, she had already used quite a few tools on him. Though she wasn't satisfied by any of his reactions, she was disappointed in herself for not trying hard enough. She turned around though as she heard the door to the room swing open. Anna's eyes landed on Alec who seemed a bit on edge. What the hell was he doing here? Then she suddenly realised, was something wrong? The woman was no longer with him and anger quickly consumed her.

"Did she escape?" she asked, her voice was higher than it had been before and her hands shook. Talc had brought himself to one of the walls in the room and was leaning against it as if he were at home. Alec took a step into the room, his eyes wandered over to Rhyldrin for a moment then he brought them back to Anna as he began to speak. "No," he laughed though it was a nervous laugh. Despite being taller and much bigger than Anna due to his gender it didn't mean that she couldn't do some harm to him.

"Then where the hell is she?" she asked then took another step towards him. Alec stood still with his shoulders back, his hands behind his bad. He appeared to be very formal. "Did you fucking kill her?" the tool that she had been using dropped from her hand, her body trembled with anger. Alec's expression remained the same, he smiled at her warmly. "Of course not," Anna breathed out heavily relieved by his answer. "Then what made you come here?" she asked then raised an eyebrow. "I think that I broke her or she's at least close to breaking. I think I pushed her too far." he flinched as Anna slammed her fist against on of the walls. Talc jumped a little as well, he lifted his head then looked over at the two.

"I told you not to go too far with her! She's important!" she hissed, it took a lot to stop herself from hitting Alec. "Put her back in her cell!" she barked at him. Alec hesitated to leave though he slowly nodded then left the room quickly. He didn't want to remain any longer seeing as Anna was furious. When the door slammed shut behind him she turned back to Rhyldrin with a wicked smile on her face. "I just got a wonderful idea," she laughed then looked up at Talc. "Bring me a few things, on the shelf besides you."

Judith had been thrown into the cell and had remained against the cold floor where she had fallen. It felt as if every bone in her body was broken, the pain was unbearable and her head pounded. If she breathed too quickly a sharp pain filled her chest, she breathed heavily as if she had been running. If she stayed here any longer then she doubted she would be alive for more than another day or two. Judith rolled over on to her other side, she looked around the cell and listened carefully.

It had been hours since she had been returned to the cell. Where was Rhyldrin? Awful thoughts clouded her mind. They didn't need him. They didn't know why he was here and they didn't know the relationship between them. What if they had decided to kill him? Judith came back to reality of the cell door swung open, she closed her eyes and cringed as she heard Rhyldrin fall to the floor. She waited until the cell's door was closed before dragging herself to lay beside Rhyldrin. Judith reluctantly reached out her hand and brought it to his own. She didn't know what to say.

------

It had taken Bryon a very long time to reach the Dragonkin Capital and by now he feared the worst for Judith and Rhyldrin. If he learned of their passing then he would still go forward to try and bring peace between the Dragonkin and Elves. The odd group of Light and Dark Elves were stopped outside of the Dragonkin Capital. Bryon told the guard that he wished to have audience with the King. He went off to speak to the King immediately. When the guard returned to them they were told to get off of their horses and to travel on feet to the castle. Bryon was relieved that the King was allowing him to speak to him, though that didn't calm his nerves.

The group received quite a few odd looks as they walked to the castle, it didn't make Bryon feel any better. He avoided looking at the Dragonkin who whispered and stopped to watch the group. He was afraid of giving them any reason to do any harm to them. When the reached the entrance of the castle Bryon was stopped from entering. "There's too many of you," he hissed, his eyes wandered over Bryon then over the other's that surrounded him. "Only four of you may enter, the rest can wait outside." he smiled weakly at Bryon. Bryon let out a heavy sigh then called a man over to him, it was Kane. "You will come with me," he told him, Kane nodded. Bryon told the Queen to come with him and allowed her to bring one of her men.

Though they were stopped again as they tried to enter. "No weapons," the guard hissed. Bryon nodded a little though he hesitated for a moment to hand over his weapons. He gave them to the guard, then Kane did as well though he didn't need much to defend himself if things spiralled out of control. The guard finally let them enter once they were all unarmed. Two guards greeted them inside and escorted them to the King's chambers.

Judith quickly took her hand away from Rhyldrin's as the cell's door opened suddenly. She breathed out heavily, she could hear her heart beating in her ears. Judith flinched as she felt someone's hand upon her, though the touch was not rough. It was gentle, Marcus stood over her. "Don't struggle with me," he hissed at her, though he doubted that Judith could do anything. He took hold of Judith's arms in his hands then lifted her to her feet. Judith's knees felt weak and she fell against him. Marcus frowned a little before lifting her into his arms, he held her bridal style. Judith trembled in her arms, she didn't even want to think about what was going to happen to them.

Rhyldrin was not as lucky as Judith. Anna gave Marcus an odd look, she didn't know why he was being so kind to the Light Elf. He should have forced her to walk, instead he was showing mercy by carrying her. She breathed out a sigh as she leaned down, she took hold of on of Rhyldrin's arms. "Get up," she hissed at him with a wicked smile. "Or else I'll drag you!" she added them pulled him to his feet. Anna forced Rhyldrin to walk with her, Marcus followed behind carrying Judith in his arms. He looked down at the girl for a moment, her eyes opened and she looked up at him. "What is happening?" she asked him, her throat burned as she spoke. Marcus looked away from her, he looked ahead of them. "A very good thing hopefully." he mumbled quietly.

They came two doors, two guards who stood by them opened them and held them open for Anna and Marcus. Judith was suddenly in a room that she had not been in before. Her eyes were all over the place, she found it impossible to keep them in one place. Then her eyes fell on four familiar faces, her heart throbbed in her chest. Bryon looked at her though it was only for a brief moment, his eyes went back to the king. Anna brought her lips close to Rhyldrin's ear and laughed quietly. "Be a good little boy in the presence of the king." she hissed, she pushed him to make him walk faster.

Marcus flinched at the sudden commotion, he was more impressed than anything else really. It surprised him that the Dark Elf had so much energy still in him and even the will to live. He knew that Anna had been doing horrible things to him since he became captured. He hissed under his breath as he felt Anna take the sword that rested on his side. "Stop it!" he hissed, he was telling both of them to stop. "Put down the damn weapons! You're in the presence of the king!" he barked. He hesitated to pry the weapons from the Dark Elves hand or his sister's. He still held Judith in his arms, he backed away from the two looking for a place to set the woman down.

Bryon jumped a little as he suddenly felt something burning against his chest. his hand dove into his shirt and he brought out the emulate that he had been wearing. Bryon quickly lifted the chain over his head, taking it off. He held it in his hand then closed his fingers over it. The emulate was glowing brightly, it had never done this before. The little dragon climbed out from the bottom of Judith's shirt, he fell on to the ground with a quiet thud. The little dragon chirped as he went over to Bryon, he felt an overwhelming urge to go to the emulate. He brought himself to sit in front of Bryon then let out a loud, high-pitch whine. Bryon watched the little dragon for a moment then his eyes went to the emulate that he held in his hand. It felt hot as it glowed as if it was calling to it's right owner. He hesitated at first, what the hell was he doing? He brought himself to his knees and reached out his hand that held the emulate. Bryon opened his hand, the little dragon sniffed at it then snorted. It pawed at the emulate and chirped happily.

Judith sat watching in complete shock, she was too tired to even try to understand what was happening. Judith stood from where she had been placed, she forced herself to walk despite the pain. Marcus looked up, he went to her catching her as she stumbled. "You're an idiot, look at you. You're in no shape to rest!" he hissed at him, Judith pulled away from his touch, Marcus allowed her to go though he followed closely to make sure that she didn't collapse. Judith brought herself to Madaes, she looked at him then at Rhyldrin. "You shouldn't push yourself so much," she whispered to Rhyldrin though she doubted that he would be able to respond. "Idiot, what would I do if I lost you?" she didn't care if Madaes heard what she had said. Kane kept to himself, his eyes rested on Judith. He easily noticed that she was in horrible shape.

Marcus paused, his eyes went to the young boy who had stopped everything from going horrible wrong. He turned his head, he looked over at his father who slowly stood from his seat. The king walked slowly to the boy then brought one hand to the boy's shoulder. "My son," he said aloud a smile crept on to his face. "You have returned!" Bryon stood for a moment and bit his tongue, he wanted to speak to the king about bringing peace between the Elves and Dragonkin. He stood slowly unsure if he could even bring himself to interrupt a moment like this. He watched the king, waiting for the right moment to finally speak. The king looked up from his son and brought his eyes to the Light Elf King. "You may have your friends back," the Dragonkin King took a step towards Bryon then stopped in front of him. "Though I know that that is not the only thing that you want. You have other desires." the king looked over at the Dark Elf Queen and smiled warmly. "Come, we will discuss things together." he turned and began to walk, he was leading them to a room.

Judith tried to understand, she really did though she was starting to feel light headed again. For a few minutes it felt as if she was about to fall asleep, she stumbled a little then brought herself to her knees. Marcus flinched as he watched her nearly lose her balance again, he was ready to rush to her to prevent her from slamming her head against the floor. Her eyes rested on Rhyldrin, it had been dark in the cell so she had not seen how badly he was. When they had been walking she had only seen him for a moment but now she was able to see how much damage was relly done to him.

She jumped a little when the dragon approached her then spoke. Judith's ears fell a little and she didn't hesitate to give him her hand. "What is your name?" she asked, she was a bit surprised that she could even bring herself to speak at the moment. She fell silent as he began to chant, she listened to his words though she couldn't understand any of them. She looked up at him when he had finished. "I feel a little better, thank you." she whispered to him. Her eyes ran over the child who stood in front of her, Judith was still a little shocked from everything that had happened.

------

Bryon's stomach was twisted up in pain from being so damn nervous. He had not expected the Dragonkin King to allow them to enter the castle and now the Dark Elf Queen and himself were being brought to a room to discuss peace. Bryon wasn't even quite sure what to think of this evening, his mind kept going back to Judith. He was terribly worried about her though he trusted Kane and the other man who the Queen had brought to watch over her and Rhyldrin. He had only looked at her once when she had been brought into the room with Rhyldrin, he couldn't bring himself to see her in such terrible shape. It was his fault, he should have pushed himself to get her sooner.

The room that they entered was what seemed to be a large library, it was a study room more than anything. They did not have seats, though the Dragonkin King sat in one facing them. "I don't expect much guests like I have right now," his eyes shifted from the Light Elf King to the Dark Elf Queen. "I apologize for not having any seating arrangements for you, I will be better prepared in the future." he paused for a moment, trying to think of how to bring light to the subject of peace. "Now, don't be afraid to speak to me. I don't bite." he laughed weakly. "You brought me the medallion, I gave you your friends but you also brought me something that I owe you quite a bit for, my son. Perhaps we could work something out." he smiled.

-----

A few days passed and the group remained at the Dragonkin Capital, the Dragonkin King insisted that they stay and rest. They had travelled so far and needed energy to travel back. The castle is where they stayed, the King wanted them to feel at home and wanted them to be closely watched by his guards. He knew that their presence in the Dragonkin Capital was unwelcomed by most of his people. Though they would have to get use to the presence of Dark and Light Elves with the new alliance that had been formed. It would take a very long time for his people to accept the alliance but the Dragonkin King looked forward to the future despite the challenges that waited for him.

Marcus had insisted on being assigned to Judith's room, he wanted to keep a close eye on her. He knew that Anna wasn't too pleased with the new alliance, though he hoped that she wasn't as reckless as she seemed to be. Hopefully she would keep to herself and not try to break the new alliance by doing something incredibly foolish. Judith had slept a majority of the time in the room that she was given, only a few people were allowed into the room. One being Marcus, his brother Vrine, Bryon of course and the medic who checked her wounds daily.

Judith was awake rather early, she had been given clothes by a servant since what she had worn earlier was ruined. Her body was still sore and not fully healed. She quickly dressed and reluctantly ate the odd breakfast that was brought to her. The others were prepared to leave shortly, when she opened the door Marcus stood by it. He smiled weakly at her though she spoke before him. "Where is Rhyldrin's room?" she asked, Marcus let out a quiet sigh then shook his head. "You will see him shortly, leave him alone, he needs to rest as much as he can before you all leave." he brought a hand to Judith's shoulder and began to walk with her. "If you have everything then you can wait with the others." Judith crossed her arms over her chest, she smiled weakly then nodded. She was worried about Rhyldrin, the last time she saw him he was in horrible shape. Marcus led her downstairs and to the main entrance of the castle where the other's stood. Though some were missing and Rhyldrin was not there yet.

Judith jumped a little as Madaes grabbed her hands, she couldn't tell if he was being serious or just simply teasing her. Though her question was answered when he received a punch from Rhyldrin, Judith pulled her arms away from him. "That isn't funny!" she hissed at him, she curled her fingers and made a fist. Judith punched Madaes in the other shoulder as hard as she could then crossed her arms over her chest. Judith brought her eyes to Rhyldrin, she took a step towards him then smiled weakly. "I'm glad to see that you're alright," she told him, Judith looked back at Madaes, she shook her head a little bit. "I should do far worse to you then punch you!" her ears fell then she looked away from him then she looked back up at Rhyldrin. "I was terribly worried about you!" she laughed though it was a weak one.

Bryon looked at Sinestra, he smiled then brought himself to speak. "It's nice to see that everything has worked out," he said, he breathed out a happy sigh. "Everyone is here now, right? We will leave shortly then." Bryon looked away from the Queen and his eyes wandered over the other's that surrounded him. The group of Dark and Light Elves fell silent as the Dragonkin King entered the room. He walked towards them, two guards followed beside him. He stopped in front of the group and smiled at all of them. "I see that you are ready to go now!" he paused for a moment before he spoke again. "I have some things to give to you, some herbs." he looked at the guard to his left then the one to his right. Bother took a step forward, bowed quickly then extended their hands to Bryon and Sinestra.

When they took the gifts the guards lifted themselves then returned to the Dragonkin King's sides. The King looked over at Rhyldrin, then his eyes went to Judith. "I have a favour to ask from you two, my son wishes to go with you two, he does not want to remain here." he looked over at Vrine who seemed a bit nervous then his eyes went back to the other two. "Take care of him, promise me that you will keep him safe." Judith smiled warmly at the king, she bowed then lifted herself. "I will, I promise." he waited for Rhyldrin to say the same, he was satisfied with their promises. "You may go now, I wish you well on your travels!" Bryon bowed before leaving, his men followed him outside. They were given their weapons back, he waited for Sinestra before walking to the entrance of the Capital. There they were given back their horses, they left without hesitation.

Once they reached the Light Elf Capital Bryon told him men that they could return to their homes for some much needed rest. He was rather tired as well considering the events that had happened in the past month, it was almost too much for the poor man to handle. Bryon looked forward to getting some rest himself. Then after that he was tend to a few other problems, it seemed that he would never have much time to relax. He was afraid that so much lack of rest and constantly being stressed would cause him to fall ill one day. He hoped that that would never happen. He lifted himself off of his horse, his back was sore from riding it for so long.

Byron looked up at the Queen who was still on her own horse. "Do you wish to rest here for a few days?" he asked her, Bryon smiled warmly at her. "I don't mind, you can stay in the castle for as long as you wish. My men will care for your horses and your men, I'll provide food for every one of you." he smiled at the men who she had brought with her. "I can escort you back to your Capital once your are rested enough, mi'lady." he bowed. Bryon waited for her answer, if she said no then he would be surprised though he would not try to convince her to stay. He would feel bad if he allowed her to travel back without his presence, she had gone all the way to the Dragonkin Capital with him. Bryon would insist on escorting her back to the Dark Elf Capital.

Judith brought herself beside Rhyldrin as Bryon spoke to Sinestra. Her eyes went to Madaes for a moment, she hesitated to speak to Rhyldrin but then brought herself to speak. "Rhyldrin?" she looked up at him, her ears perked up a smile crept across her face. "You must be rather tired," she whispered to him, she didn't care if Madaes heard what she was about to say. The man could think whatever he wanted to. "You should stay at my home for the night to rest." she brought a hand to Rhyldrin's and ran her fingers against his hand lightly.

"No!" Bryon laughed as the she told him that he didn't have to escort her. "I insist, I really don't mind. I feel that it is my duty to ensure that you arrive at the Capital safely, mi'lady!" he smiled at her then extended a hand to her. "Come, my men will take your horses to the stables! I will show you and your men to your rooms, my castle is big enough for all of you to fit comfortably." Bryon helped her off of her horse, he brought her hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. When he brought his lips away from her hand he spoke once more. "I will tell my men to prepare a grand meal for all of you!" he waved a hand at a few guards who stood near by. "Get some other men, bring the horses to the stables and care for them and get someone to prepare food for our guests." the guards nodded then ran off to get some more men. He turned to the queen a smile still on his face. "I hope that you will enjoy your stay here, mi'lady!" he began to walk bringing her with him, her men followed.

"That's fine," she whispered to him with a smile. Judith turned when she heard the group moving, she brought herself to Rhyldrin's side and walked beside him. "I would let you in like I do with other guests but.." she went a little quiet, Judith looked up at him. "I'm afraid of my father seeing you." she laughed nervously. Judith jumped suddenly as she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder, she stopped walking and turned to face the man. "Judith, you're alright!" he said then pulled her close, her wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her, it was her father. "I was so worried about you." he whispered softly, he let go of her to look her over. He frowned seeing the shape she was in though she was much better than she was a few days ago. "I'm fine, don't look at me like that." she said to him, Judith managed a smile though it was weak.

She looked over at Rhyldrin wanting to stay with him. Judith's father looked up in the same direction, his eyes landed on Rhyldrin. Judith looked back at her father, her ears fell a little when she noticed that he was watching Rhyldrin. She became nervous. "He saved me," she finally brought herself to speak. Her father looked down at her, he seemed a little shocked. Judith watched her father as he walked over to Rhyldrin, he extended his hand and smiled though it was weak. "Thank you," he waited for Rhyldrin's hand to give him a good handshake. "What is your name? If I may ask for it." Judith fell silent, she was surprised.

Judith's father stiffened when Rhyldrin told him that he should be thanking Lord Bryon for returning Judith home. He smiled weakly as he brought his hand back from Rhyldrin's, Judith watched the two she could tell that it was rather awkward. "My name is Geoffrey," he told Rhyldrin. Judith would have never thought her father would be speaking to a Dark Elf like that or even shaking a Dark Elf's hand. Considering what had happened to her mother only months ago and then her brother. She chewed on her lower lip nervously, Rhyldrin had been the one to end her brother's life. It made her nervous despite there being no way her father could ever find out. She wouldn't let that happen. "Well," Judith's father cleared his throat a little. "I still think that you deserve to be thanked for going out there even if you were hired to do so." he smiled weakly then looked down at Judith who had brought herself to stand next to her father.

She didn't look too much like her father, her face was soft like her mother's, most of her features came from her mother. She was small like her, fragile like her though strong like her as well. Her skin was fair like her mother's and her eyes as white as snow of hers. Judith's father had dull brown hair with a few greys that had began showing, his eyes were an icy blue color and his skin was a bit darker. He was rather tall for a Light Elf and built from working every day of is life. At first it was hard to tell that they were related at all, though they had a few similar features.

Judith looked up at her father, she smiled as he brought as arm around her shoulder then she looked up at Rhyldrin. Though before she could speak her father spoke again, he looked down at her. "I was about to..." he spoke softly to her, he was trying to tell her without getting too emotional. "I was about to visit your mother." he said, he squeezed her shoulder with his hand and smiled weakly. Judith's ears dropped, she looked back at her father. "I'll come with you" she told him without hesitation. He pulled away from her, walking away from the three. Judith looked up at Rhyldrin, she smiled weakly. "I'll come visit you later, I promise." she turned not wanting to make her father wait, she followed him to her mother's grave.

Judith had crept out from her home once her father had finally fallen asleep in his room. Judith waited for a brief moment before closing her front door making sure that her father had not been woken by her walking through the house. Though she hardly doubted that anything could wake him, he had retreated to his room when they had returned from her mother's grave. The only thing he had brought with him was plenty of alcohol, Judith knew that nothing would be left in the morning. His drinking had become worse when she had been taken away. She was the only thing that he had left and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her as well. It was awful to see her father slowly destroying himself. She had tried before the pry the alcohol from his hands but it was useless, Judith left him alone. The alcohol probably helped him sleep anyways, the poor man was going slowly mad from his thoughts and constant worrying.

It was a cold, crisp night. The moon glowed in the darkness that surrounded it. Judith breathed in heavily, she loved when the weather changed. She loved the colors that came with the new season. Fall was her favorite season of them all. She shivered a little as she made her way towards the inn, Judith had bathed and found herself some new clothes. A simple, white dress that was long enough to be considered appropriate, she wore a pair of boots on her feet. Over her dress she wore a long, thick jacket that kept her warm. Judith stopped outside of the inn, she wasn't too sure what room Rhyldrin was staying in and was not about to knock on every single one to find him.

Movement caught her eye, she looked to her left and smiled. "Madaes!" she said, when the man looked she waved her hand and waved rather awkwardly at him. "Can you help me?" she asked him, she waited until he stood in front of her to ask the next question. "Do you know what room Rhyldrin is staying in?" she smiled nervously hoping that he would tell her, if he didn't then she was bother him until he did. He let out a heavy sigh though he told her where Rhyldrin was staying. "Thank you!" Judith said before disappearing into the inn, she avoided looking at anyone as she made her way to Rhyldrin's room. Once there she stood for a moment before finally bringing herself to knock.

Judith laughed at Rhyldrin's comment about it being too late, she smiled at him warmly as he allowed her into the room. "I can't sleep anyways," she began to unbutton her jacket, once done she tossed it at a chair that stood in one of the corners of the room. "I told you that I was going to come see you though I know you would have protested if you could have, I tried to rest." she looked up at Rhyldrin, she smiled weakly. "Though I couldn't, I kept tossing and turning. My father was being obnoxiously loud until he fell asleep, even after that I still couldn't sleep." she breathed out a quiet sigh then brought herself to stand in front of Rhyldrin who was now sitting on the bed. "I won't stay for too long if you don't want me to, I know that you need your rest as well." Judith tilted her head to the right a little, her eyes watched Rhyldrin curiously. She was use to him being rather quiet, he had been that way even when they were just children. Though she could tell that he was a bit lost in his own thoughts.

Judith brought out her left hand slowly to Rhyldrin's face, she brushed his hair away from his face. She smiled warmly at him then ran her hand gently down the side of his face, down his neck then rested it on his shoulder. "I never got to thank you for helping me," her smile became weak, she kept her eyes on him. "Don't tell me that you don't deserve to be thanked, you do." she laughed nervously, she brought her other hand to his other shoulder. She almost made a joke about how he turned down her father's thank you but she held it back. Judith fell silent, she really didn't have anything else to say. She brought herself to sit on Rhyldrin's lap, her legs spread with him between them. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear. "All I ever do is cause you trouble, don't I?" she laughed a little then buried her face into his neck.

Her heart throbbed in her chest, all she wanted to do was stay with him for the night though she knew that she could not. If her father woke up without her presence in their home he would go looking for her. She knew that he appreciated what Rhyldrin had done, it was too bad that he didn't know how much he had done for her really. Though she doubted that he would be pleased to find his daughter at the inn, in bed with Rhyldrin. She couldn't even begin to imagine her father's reaction, probably a mixture of disappointment and anger seeing as he didn't know how long they knew each-other for. He didn't know anything, she breathed out a heavy sigh. It would stay that way until she somehow could bring herself to tell him. She closed her eyes and kept her body against Rhyldrin's, the warmth from him was something that she had craved for a very long time.

Judith melted into Rhyldrin's arms as kept her close. She fell silent despite wanting to speak to him. It was difficult to think of anything to say besides I love you. If she didn't say that she felt as if she was about to get incredibly emotional. She didn't want Rhyldrin to see her cry, though she wouldn't be crying because she was upset. Judith was actually happy, it was overwhelming. She shifted slightly in his arms. Her lips pressed against his neck, she kissed up his neck. Then she kissed his cheek and planted another kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, Rhyldrin." she whispered softly. She pressed her forehead against his, her lips lingered closely to his own.

Judith opened her eyes, she drew back her face from his for a moment to look into his eyes. An unstoppable smile crept on to her face, she held back a giggle. Judith ran one hand from his shoulder to under his chin. She then brought the same hand to his hair and began to play with it between her fingers. An odd feeling grew in her stomach, she felt nervous but she knew that she couldn't be. Rhyldrin didn't make her feel nervous, he made her feel safe. She brought her body against his, Judith brought her lips close to his ear. "I love you," she whispered quietly to him, her lips brushed against his ear.

Judith raised an eyebrow when Rhyldrin looked away from her, her smile grew wider as she realised he was slightly blushing. She bit her tongue preventing herself from teasing him, she didn't want to upset him or annoy him. Judith watched him for a moment, her ears fell a little as she listened to him speak. "I know," she whispered softly, it was nice to hear him say those words. It made her stomach fill with butterflies and her cheeks burn. Judith had been with other men before though she had never felt this with any of them. She had always thought that she was in love but eventually she was proven wrong.

She kept her body pressed against his, Judith made Rhyldrin fall back against the bed gently with her still on top of him. She kept one hand in his hair, his hair tangled between her fingers. She used her other hand to keep herself above him, though she highly doubted that putting her entire weight on him would cause him much trouble. "I'll leave a little bit before sunrise," she told him, Judith leaned down bringing her lips close to his own. "Though I really rather stay here with you." she laughed quietly then pressed her lips against his roughly.

Judith kept her lips against his for as long as she could. She pulled away then breathed out heavily. She pressed her hips against him, her body quivered with excitement. Judith closed her eyes as she kissed down the side of his face, she stopped allowing herself to linger by his ear. She smiled wondering if this was one of Rhyldrin's weak spots, the way he had reacted earlier might have been because of other reasons. Judith brushed her lips against his ear teasing him, then her lips parted. She nipped at his ear gently.