Underland Chapter 4

Daniel's eyes opened in the pale light of morning. This in itself was an unusual occurrence. Even with calamity hanging over his head, he had always been one to fight sleep, and gradually awaken with gentle prodding or more recently, a loud knock on the door. Blinking, he sat up, shoving a hand through his hair. Aedon lay next to him on the pillow, her eyes still closed, breathing evenly. The house was completely silent, and for a moment Daniel had the wild thought that the world seemed to be holding its breath.

Cautiously, Daniel placed his bare feet on the cold wooden floor, longing a little for a soft rug to chase away the chill. The predawn light in the room was less green in the morning, he noticed. It was much more warm and yellow. He decided he liked mornings here in Underland. Taking care not to make any of the boards creek, he made his way to the window, staring out across the field surrounding the Bronzebottom home. He rested his forehead and hand on the glass, smiling faintly.

There, across the field, was a figure, darker than the darkness under the trees. It was tall and thin, so very thin that Daniel's thought a strong breeze might take it across the moor.

It came on him suddenly, that the glass of the window was frosting over, and he couldn't move his hand. There was a feeling, a terrible, horrible feeling that started in his belly, where dread sat like a stone. It crept all over his body until he wanted to sob aloud. He body ached, his head ached, but it was nothing compared to this absolute feeling of hopeless doom.

A voice whispered along his mind. It was cold and unfeeling and so cruel that it took Daniel's breath away.

I will be waiting.

Daniel tore his head away, finding himself easily freed of the frost and turned his eyes back to the window, where the figure in dark had disappeared. He stared for some time more, his heart thumping heavily in his chest, his hand trembling against the window seal. A warlock.

Daniel sighed and rolled over and leaned against the wall. A warlock, a dragon, a princess, a magic sword, a group of dwarves, a blood mage, and a talking cat. Not to mention I was buried alive, and survived.

Talking in your thoughts Daniel, Aedon's voice echoed through his skull.

I thought you were sleeping, Daniel responded, calming himself.

Aedon nodded, I was, I'm a light sleeper though. And you are apparently a heavy breather.

Sorry, I thought I saw something outside.

Aedon fluttered from the pillow over to the window and stared out it for a moment. She looked from the window to Riddel and back.

What did you see?

Someone, or something, standing out under the trees.

There was a noise above them and Daniel jumped, but he soon recognized it as the boots of heavy Benwyn stomping around. It wouldn't be long until he was waking them up, hopefully with Bruntilda already cooking breakfast.

Daniel sucked in a breath as he felt Aedon delicately explore his mind, brushing over his memories with her feather-light mental touch, soothing his frayed nerves as she went. There was only the smallest hesitation when she withdrew, and from the bed, her dragon eyes looked large and frightened.

He was here?

Daniel nodded, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his elbows on them. "Yes. I … I woke up with a strange feeling, and I looked outside… and there he was." He rubbed a hand over his face, barely registering that it was considerably rougher than it was before he had arrived. "I've never felt so … hopeless. It was like dying, I think. I really can't say." He lifted his head, eyes burning intently into Aedon's.

"He must be destroyed.

Daniel jumped at a beating on the door, "Boy ye best be gettin' ready, Thrushcross'll be here soon."

"Of course, Benwyn, I'll be out in a moment," Daniel called back.

He stood from his place against the wall and proceeded across the room. Aedon leapt up and landed on his shoulder as he opened the door and proceeded out. Bruntilda, unfortunately, was not cooking. In fact she was not to be seen in the kitchen at all. He turned around the corner to the living area and found the two dwarves sitting side by side, Bruntilda humming a gentle song and Benwyn puffing smoke from his pipe in tune with the little lady's music.

"That's beautiful," Daniel commented softly as he took a seat across from them on the hearth.

Bruntilda smiled and continued her humming. There was a knock at the door but before Daniel could stand Arthur was inviting Thrushcross inside, who also walked in and stood before the hearth, admiring Bruntilda's humming. After a moment, he broke into a song in tune with the humming and the clouds of smoke.

Daniel watched, smiling a little sadly. He couldn’t sing, and he didn’t know any of the happy dances like the village folk. His life was all stiff formal dances and piano lessons. Still rattled from his experience, he struggled to smile and listen to him, but it was hard. His insides were still frozen and tears were still not far away.

You should tell him. Aedon nuzzled his neck. Thrushcross, I mean. He knows and I do not like the idea of his laughing at us. You should tell him. Tell him NOW. She bit him on the tender skin where his neck and shoulder met, not drawing blood, but bruising.

"Thrushcross," he whispered hoarsely. The singing and humming continued, even Arthur purring and wrapping his cat body around the chair legs of his companions. "Thrushcross," he said again, a little more strongly. There was no response.

"THRUSHCROSS!" he bellowed.

The music came to a halting stop. They all turned to him in unison, mouths agape and eyes wide.

Daniel rubbed his face over his hands. "We all need to talk."

"I'll have you know it's not very often we sit around and enjoy ourselves like this, and with such an intense training regiment ahead of you I would expect-"

"That's why we have to talk, Thrushcross!" Daniel interrupted

Arthur shaped back up into his dark clad form, "Then what is it that's so urgent you would interrupt this moment of relaxation?"

"The warlock was here."

There was a pause, and a sudden paling of cheeks, even in the hearty dwarves there appeared a dread transformation. A gasp escaped through the lips of Bruntilda and suddenly Arthur body leapt up onto his toes.

"When I awoke this morning he was outside, across the field."

Thrushcross clapped a slow solemn clap, "Then he's found us out and he's waiting," he smiled a grim smile, like a masochist on his death bed, "So then we have as little time as we expected and a threat."

Arthur nodded, calming back down to his heels, "Right, little is changed then, eh Thrushy?"

"I do wish you wouldn't call me that," Thrushcross turned to Benwyn, "Master Bronzebottom, wouldst you please gather Mr. Riddel's armor, Riddel, come with me, Arthur and I have much to show you."

Thrushcross stood with his back to Daniel, his arms held out wide as the wind blew past him. Arthur stood at his back, a loose blade of grass hanging from his mouth, a rapier at his side. The two seemed so relaxed it was strange to Daniel, who felt in preparation for combat. He was now covered from his shoulders down to his ankles in red dragon scales, and his feet were covered in form fitting leather boots.

"Shall I make the first move, Thrushy?" Arthur asked.

"Please do."

The blade of grass dropped from Arthur's mouth and suddenly he was sprinting across the open field at Daniel, rapier drawn and teeth gritted. Without warning his blade came up at Daniel's throat, a blade scarcely repelled by Daniel's own sabre. A swift step back gave Riddel room to work with as he parried a second and third jab, an aggressive kick and further lunge from Arthur kept Daniel moving defensively.

You must throw him out of that Daniel or he'll just keep going, he's a cat warrior.

Hearing Aedon's guidance Daniel dropped under Arthur's next jab and shoved his sabre upward, nearly catching Arthur's leg as the cat man leapt over him and landed gracefully on his feet.

A gentle clapping noise came from behind Daniel, he turned to see Thrushcross standing with a devilish grin, "Good, now dodge this."

Thrushcross flung his arms forward and two streams of blood flowed from his wrists, suddenly shaped into needle sharp points the two projectiles flew right at Daniel's face. He barely ducked under the projectiles as Thrushcross flung another four in his direction, two of them lower now. A sidestep brought Daniel away from the impending danger, but a new sensation sparked, Arthur was upon him. The cat warrior's sabre barely whisked past his face as Daniel dodged another two shots from Thrushcross.

"Damn," Riddel rolled away from Arthur and prepped his blade again.

Strike at the weaker foe first, if you can stop Thrushcross's onslaught you can handle Arthur.

Daniel heeded Aedon's thoughts and rushed at Thrushcross, ducking under oncoming bolts of blood as Arthur closed in behind him. As he closed in he felt Arthur hot on his heels and at the last moment he dove to the right, barely dodging a bolt of blood headed for his abdomen, from there he rolled, the earth digging into his shoulder, and regained his footing facing Arthur and Thrushcross together.

It's no good, Aedon, they're too fast.

Then be faster.

"I'm not playing with you Riddel, if you can't dodge, we will kill you."

The threat would have seemed hollow coming from Benwyn or Arthur, but Thrushcross seemed too serious, and acted as if he had more than everyone else at stake in this, and for that reason alone, Daniel did not doubt Thrushcross' meaning. Another series of bolts came at him, and Daniel gave in to a passive defense, ducking and dodging each bolt, occasionally deflecting a shot. He heard Arthur growl and slightly ducked under the blade, bringing his own up into the cat man's path.

Thrushcross smirked and fired a new wave of bolts, his skin went abnormally pale as he dumped two dozen waves of blood at Daniel. The first shot hit Daniel hard, shredding the flesh around his shoulder, a second cut deep into his chest, and a sudden awareness of mortality and danger settled in his mind. His vision went dark, and his body moved on it's own. For only a moment Daniel was without control, but then it was over, Arthur was on his side, a footprint on his coat. The blood was slowly seeping back into Thrushcross' body, the man gasping for air, Riddel's blade was at the bloodmage's throat.

He felt a whince within his mind, he felt as if Aedon shrunk away from him, during the darkness he had saved himself but repelled everyone around him.

Aedon are you still there?

There was a pause, leaving Daniel with a feeling of dread. He immediately withdrew his blade, wiping it on the leg of his breeches and sliding it back into its sheath.

I … I am here.

Relief washed over him when he felt her warmth curl around his being as she comforted him from the inside out. He felt the concern and worry flow through him as she hovered around his consciousness.

Benwyn's face was dark and cold as he looked at him, though Daniel got the feeling it was not really him the dwarf was angry with. Feeling awkward and small, he knelt in the grass, helping Arthur into a sitting position and gently brushing the dirt from his clothes. Thrushcross had a hand on his chest as if it hurt, but his color had started to return. Bruntilda's face was stoic and completely blank as she walked forward and picked up Arthur as he shrank back into cat form with a slow magical sizzle.

Daniel stood to the side, feeling terrible and clammy all over.

Aedon, what happened?

There was that silence again, and the impression of her emotions flowed through him a rapid pace. She seemed to be searching for the correct word or phrase to explain it, but he had the feeling it wouldn’t be that simple at all.

Aedon! Answer me! he pleaded silently, staring at his feet.

Aedon made a noise, something akin to a whine that sent clammy shivers down Daniel's back. Aedon? he questioned into the darkness of her mind. Aedon, please…

Daniel whirled as he felt warm breath on his neck, turning to see Aedon's pale eyes staring down at him with some unknown emotion. She gently laid he jaw on his shoulder, breathing slowly. He placed his hand on her neck, trying to breath in time with her to settle the crazed feeling in his chest.

Aedon closed her eyes. It was … truly frightening, the way you looked at Thrushcross. Arthur was batted to the side like an insect in your mindless wrath. You were so fast, you were all but a blur. You only stopped when… when I pulled away from our link. I believe it was the sudden shock to your psyche that stopped you. She cooed gently at him, like a mother comforting an infant. Daniel, we must do something. Our connection has made you so strong, but this is dangerous. You can't slip into this darkness every time you fight. It will get you or one of our comrades killed. Or worse.

"Worse?" he asked hoarsely, pulling back to look at her face. She would not meet his eyes.

At a loss for words and tears threatening to spill over, Daniel turned away, one hand on Aedon's sun warmed neck. Benwyn hesitated for only a moment, but slapped Daniel's tiredly on the arm as he drug Thrushcross back into the house. Some of the tightness around his heart eased, and so he followed his friends into the house.

Thrushcross brushed himself off once Benwyn finally released his grip, attempting to smoothe his clothes as best he could. Daniel stared at the man, who bore a broad grin on his face, "You tried to kill me, good show Mr. Riddel."

Benwyn whacked Thrushcross across the back of the head, "You were trying to kill the lad."

Arthur spoke up from the floor, "We were ensuring he had it in him. Up till now we've not seen Mr. Riddel in action, with his life truly on the line."

"Well ye had no right to try an' hurt the boy," Bruntilda stated angrily from the doorway, "Look at 'im, 'e's all shook up."

It was true, Daniel was still slightly uneasy due to the recent events. He scratched his leg with his foot uneasily and looked Thrushcross up and down, "It's fine, they did need to make sure I was ready."

"Ha!" Thrushcross chuckled, "You're not ready. You've just got the necessary instincts to draw blood."

"Thrushy's not gone all out yet, and the necromancer won't be calling on a single type of magic," Arthur added.

I'm liking this less and less, Daniel sighed inwardly.

"First you must master yourself, to free yourself from his illusions and bodily torture," Thrushcross stated, "Today you've proven capable of dodging, so any projectile spells should prove little threat."

Daniel gripped his shoulder, suddenly reminded of the sharp pains there, "Right, no trouble at all."

The rest of the day continued on like this, with Daniel dodging all manner of projectiles, both mounted on Aedon and on foot. He slid through dirt, bruised his hands and back, and rounded everything else off with plenty of gouges and scrapes. Aedon rolled through all of it with him, their minds firmly linked. To their credit, Thrushcross and Arthur took just as many bruises as they gave.

Thrushcross kept him out on the green until well after the sun had faded and twilight filled the little glen. Daniel was dripping with sweat and bleeding steadily from a cut along his scalp, but the grip on his sword was still tight, even though his sides were heaving. His opponent nodded, and flicked out a hand. Daniel batted the red ribbon aside, running forward, nimbly turning on his toes when a blast scattered the rocks he had just nearly stepped on. He feigned left, then whirled, blade snapping out like a solider at attention. The flat of the blade just barely caressed Thrushcroft's collar bone.

Daniel, panting, just stood there, waiting for a reaction. Thrushcross glanced up at him, then at the blade. Daniel withdrew, stepping back. He was still within striking distance, but he thought, perhaps, they were done for the day. Thrushcross's eyes were tired, and his face was worn and more lined than usual. The mage waved away Daniel's proffered hand, getting to his feet on his own.

"I think," he wheezed. "Some supper is in order."

And with that, they walked into the house.

Arthur was piled up with Chess in the corner of the room, sleeping off his exhaustion from the day's earlier training. Daniel sat across from Bruntilda, quite exhausted himself, with a well done steak set before him, half-eaten. Thrushcross was positioned next to him, his steak finished, the bloody juices left behind swirling around the plate in different forms and patterns. Across from them sat Bruntilda and Bewnyn, Benwyn taking long sloshes of ale down after eat bite he took of the steak, Bruntilda slowly chewing on her own half-eaten slab.

"Ye made good progress today lad," Benwyn stated between gulps, "I watched, and I was impressed."

"Aye, but I do wish they would be a little gentler on ye," Bruntilda added.

Thrushcross didn't speak, his justification lied in the ends of his acts. He was satisfied to continue manipulating the plate of blood with his magics. Daniel glanced down at his bandaged shoulder, and smiled.

"If they were gentler, I'd never get out of my set ways. Underland has changed me, and they've helped unleash it," Daniel pushed away from the table, nodded to Benwyn and Bruntilda, and turned away, "If you'll excuse me, I believe I'll be going for a walk, I still have much to think about."

"Be careful out there lad," Benwyn called after him.



The sounds of the forest settled gently around Daniel, a beautiful setting in the evening sunlight, the green leaves and needles of the trees were illuminated with the dimming green light of Underland's sun. Daniel stared out beyond the forest, taking in the beauty of the world, a beauty he had been so quick to dismiss not long ago. Aedon stood behind him, nuzzling his hand laid on the stone of his seat.

We must suppress this tendency of yours to beecome so violent.

"Of course Aedon, but how?"

I don't know yet. Her thoughts seemed uncertain, his blood was chilled.

Once again, Daniel found himself strolling through the lovely pale night of Underland, listening to sounds that at once were familiar, and yet foreign. There were clouds tonight, he noticed, something he had not yet seen in Underland. He wondered if it rained.

There was a faint crack somewhere in the distance and almost immediately, the strangest rain began to fall softly, almost like snow.

Standing there, in the clearing on the path, Daniel looked up and his mouth opened in the mindless gape of amazement. Rain fell in soft sheets, a little warmer than he expected. When he held his hand out, the drops stayed in their semi-solid form for just a scant moment, before dissolving in his palm like sugar. Again he looked into the sky, and a simple ray of Underland's mysterious moon light happened to catch it, and a spread of colors Daniel had never been able to imagine stretched across the sky.

It's like … a fairy tale, he thought in wonder, spreading his hands, palms up, to the sky. The rain was gentle and silent it seemed, and there was only the lightest of breezes to sway their direction. It was rather like a cleansing, he decided, and tilted his face to the sky, smiling faintly.

Aedon watched him from her place in the trees, unwilling to get her delicate wings wet. Rain is a rare occurrence here. And it's rarer still for anyone to see it. Most of Underland is snug in their little beds. She shuffled back on her tree branch, pressing her wings tightly to her sides. You're special, Daniel. To me, to our comrades, this world. You must contain your rage, and use it to your advantage.

Daniel said nothing, simply tilted his head to look at her, dark hair plastered to his forehead, and smiled the saddest, sweetest, most bitter smile the dragon had ever seen in all her days. "I will," he said, and closed his eyes.

Another light crack, closer this time, caused Daniel to whip around, his blade instantly in hand. A few yards away Lolita stood, her black hair slicked with rain.

"You'd point your blade at a girl, Master Riddel?"

Daniel blushed and put his blade away, "I've been a bit on edge of late."

She smiled and approached Daniel slowly with a swaying walk, "Of course, anyone would be in your situation."

"In my situation?" Daniel returned.

"The savior of the land, under the apprenticeship of the knight who failed and the fanatical blood mage who was cast out of the court for his mad sacrifice of the king's men, armored by the blacksmith who was removed for his faulty armor that caused the death of the prince. Why wouldn't you be on edge, or, hell, I would be terrified."

A sudden realization occurred to Daniel now, with Lolita's provocation. He knew nothing of his comrade's past except they had all had positions in the royal court, and now they all lived in this forest. The royal blacksmith, the court wizard, who had already been put to death in England for his crimes against god and country, and the mysterious cat-knight. How had it not occurred to him before to question their current positions.

Lolita sighed and sat on a rock beside Daniel, he looked down at her, her pale skin nearly glowed in the beautiful moonlight of Underland, "Mr. Riddel, will you save the princess, and restore us all to our rightful place? Mr. Thrushcross and Arthur didn't do anything wrong. And Mr. Bronzebottom justifies his actions, saying that the armor the prince wore would have been lost forever. The armor you are to wear."

Dragonscale, it's true, it is a unique material, Aedon reasoned, voicing her thoughts to Daniel, But even that does not justify ill-equipping a man who would risk his life.

"So Benwyn knowingly sent a man to his death," Daniel thought aloud.

Lolita nodded, "For us, for all of Underland, they knew a champion would come to save the princess, and they knew the prince was not that champion."

Daniel was uneasy now, such an imbalance in his body that refused containment. Arthur, the knight of the princess, had denied his role as the princess' protector, allowing others to try to save her in his place. Thrushcross, in his mad attempt to save the princess and secure their positions sacrificed other knights to the warlock. Benwyn, of all people the most trustworthy of his new acquaintances, had sent the prince to die in order to preserve some armor for a legend that may or may not take place.

"Are you okay Mr. Riddel?"

Daniel's stomach rolled over on itself as he realized, he was the legend, a new weight settled on his shoulders, those men died so that he could succeed, "I don't feel well."

Lolita gasped as Daniel collapsed into her lap.

Daniel, some place in the back of his mind, knew what was happening. He felt the slow glide of his body as he slumped forward, felt the impact of his shoulder against soft, giving flesh. In his mind's eye, he could see in exquisitely, torturous slow motion the breath of shock that expelled from her mouth, the widening of her eyes, the startled fluttering of her hands.

He lay there for a moment, struggling to breathe. In and out. In and out. Aedon's gliding form becoming larger and larger. Was she growing, or simply coming closer, he wondered.

There was a roaring in his eyes, and for all his life, he couldn’t decide if it was real or not. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t be sure at all. He was sinking, Aedon's voice a dull pang somewhere in his mind. He kept falling, tumbling down a long dark path.



Daniel's eyes opened with a start. A figure bent over him, tugging the coverlet up to his neck. "Master, you've caught quite the chill. I should think you'll be more careful next time you take Renegade for a ride in the rain."

Renegade? My … my horse?

Daniel turned, his dark eyes squinting in the bright yellow sunshine blazing from the window.

He was home.

"Applebee," Daniel groaned as he looked up at his bulter's face, "Applebee how long have I been asleep?"

Applebee looked grim, "You've been asleep for near four days master, it was all we could do to keep you hydrated. The doctors said that if we could keep you warm you should be okay, but to be honest we were all very worried about you sir."

Daniel threw his feet over the edge of the bed, "Thank you Applebee. I must say I'm very glad to have such trustworthy friends in my employ."

"Master Riddel," Applebee nearly blushed, "Well it's very good to serve such a generous master."

Daniel smirked, "Will you bring me some tea Applebee, and cancel any appointments awaiting my attention, say that I'm still not well."

"Of course sir," Applebee responded obediently.

As his butler left the room, Daniel placed his feet on the floor, grateful for the lush rug placed near his bed. His dressing gown was draped carefully over the end of the bed, and he shouldered into it, leaving it loose. He looked around, enjoying the colors and complexity of his room for a moment, basking in the softness of his expensive carpeting.

It was when he touched the cold stone floor, his heart wrenched and he knew without a doubt that something was terribly wrong.

Jerking backwards, Daniel gasped for air, scrambling back onto his bed. The floor was moving, roiling like an angry sea. There were faces in the stone, pressing up to the surface as if they were trying to escape. Their mouths gaped open as if screaming with all their might. Two great pillars of fluid stone began to flow slowly towards him, the formless mass of rock slowly became a crude arm, then a hand, with cruelly detailed claw like fingers, grasping his legs and scraping at the bones in his ankles.

Even through his terror, Daniel could see the details of the faces now. They were Thrushcross, Benwyn, Bruntilda, Arthur, Lolita, and a face he did not recognize. A woman's face.

Aedon's face.

It was her hands, steadily dragging him back into the liquid stone. He flailed, clawing at his bed clothes, screaming hoarsely. He landed on the floor with a thud, scraping the floor with his nails until they bled. At long last, he was pulled under up to his shoulders. Daniel shoved his head back as far as it would go, dragging in a breath to his screaming lungs before he was yanked under the surface of his bedroom floor.

He fell for what felt like hours, then saw what he believed would be his bedroom floor, suddenly give way to the furniture setting on it. He braced himself as his bed flew past him, followed by a dresser. Daniel spun as the dresser flew past him, slamming his arm hard into an outstretched root. With a sudden painful crack Daniel slammed into a hard wood floor, feeling as if the walls around him had closed in he struggled against an invisible barrier in what was now utter blackness.

Daniel awoke slowly, feeling abnormally hot and weary. Cautiously, he opened one eye, then gave a loud, pained groan.

Arthur's grinning face was staring back at him.

There was a shift of weight on his chest and Daniel groaned as Arthur leapt onto the floor, "I think he's awake!"

"Ye know ye ought not sit on people in yer human form," Benwyn grumbled as he walked into the room, "Ye awake boy?"

Daniel leaned up painfully, "Yes. I am awake."

"Do you feel well, Master Riddel?" Lolita was standing behind Daniel, a rag in one hand and a tea tray in the other.

Daniel swung his legs over the side of Benwyn's couch, planting his feet firmly on the ground and assessing his surroundings in short quick spasms of his eyes. Arthur was now sitting on the hearth across from him, licking the back of his hand. Thrushcross had his back to Daniel, his hands crossed behind his back. Benwyn and Bruntilda were in the doorway, studying Daniel slowly. Aedon was curled at the foot of the couch, her eyes intent on Daniel's.

"I'm fine," he groaned again as he stood, "Quite fine."

"You passed out in the forest, Aedon carried you all the way back," Lolita stated whiping Daniel's brow and offering him a freshly poured cup of tea.

Riddel gratefully took the cup and swallowed it's contents quickly, "How long?"

You've been asleep for a whole day Daniel, we were all very worried.

"Of course you were all very worried, how would you ever use me to serve your own purposes if I died."

Benwyn made a noise like a mix between a sigh and a grunt, "And what makes you think we're serving our own purposes, we do this for the betterment of Underland."

"For UNDERLAND?!" Daniel turned on the Dwarf in a heartbeat, "You do it to restore yourself to the position of Royal Blacksmith, Thrushcross just wants to get back into the royal court, and this is what, some ridiculous attempt to reclaim your honor Arthur?" Daniel stamped over to the fireplace and breezed past Thrushcross, ice cutting from his eyes, he held out his hands and warmed them by the fire. Everyone stood in silence for a moment. It seemed to Thrushcross as if everything might fall apart, desperately he sought for some way to turn everything around.

"Daniel-"

Daniel wheeled on Thrushcross, but halted as his eyes had caught those of Bruntilda, Lolita, and Aedon, "This world is not without it's kindness, and it is not without honesty. Bruntilda, I feel I must thank you, you ushered me to make this decision for myself. Lolita has been the sole source of light in this dark underground world. And Aedon, dear God Aedon."

Daniel could speak no more, he walked over, petted the dragon, and then walked to the kitchen, giving Bruntilda a brief hug before proceeding to the spare room and lightly shutting the door.

Daniel leaned against the door and exhaled, closing his eyes. His shoulders sagged a little, then he turned to the bed. It was a bittersweet feeling, looking at that bed. It was tiny and cramped, but initially, it had been given out of kindness, and yet it was a burden. In order to be set free and return, no matter how kind they were, it was all in order to save their kingdom. Did he really believe that they had done this for their own selfish reasons? Part of him said yes, and yet…

Daniel?

He pushed away from the door, settling on his belly on top of the coverlet. He picked at the loose threads around the threadbare but clean patches on the blanket, winding the strings around his fingers. He knew Aedon was calling for him, but he couldn't work up the will to answer. For that brief moment, he had simply been so relieved to be home that he had forgotten everything here. Even if it was a dream, it strengthened his resolve that he would, indeed, go home and live the life he was meant to.

Daniel?!

Aedon's growing panic finally thrust him out of his dream world. He crossed his arms and cradled his head on top. Yes, Aedon. I'm here.

There was a hesitation, and then he receive the impression of relief and worry. With her warm presence curling around his brain, he laid there for a long time, basking in the comfort of a friend.

Thrushcross and Arthur have both gone, Aedon offered, as if to ease him in some way, Lolita remained behind, Thrushcross argued with her after you left.

Daniel frowned, causing trouble was not what he intended, What were they arguing about?

Lolita took your side, as did Bruntilda, Aedon paused, They're both in the living room now, sitting and chatting.

Daniel didn't reply. He merely laid there, Aedon's warmth engulfing his mind. It was good to know he could trust the three who remained, but it didn't change the fact that he had relied, and would still have to rely, on Arthur and Thrushcross for preparation for the future.

Daniel, may I come in?

Daniel rolled over, and after stretching for a moment he got up and opened the door, letting Aedon in.

She fluttered through the door. He shut it behind her gently, turning toward her, feeling suddenly very weary. She watched him through pale, gentle eyes from the bed. He shuffled forward, slumping onto his knees and resting his forehead on the bed. Aedon moved forward, her warm breath ruffling his hair.

Daniel, I was so worried. She rubbed her chin again the crown of his head, making a deep humming sound in her chest. I thought you would leave us all then and there. Benwyn is so upset … Bruntilda won't speak to him and told him he could sleep by the forge.

Despite himself, Daniel chuckled into his arm.

Encouraged, Aedon continued. He said it would be a bloody site warmer than sleeping next to her. But … he was very sad, Daniel. He'll want to talk to you after he's slept. Thrushcross will, too. I'm sorry about … about everything. None of them meant to hurt you… I know it was selfish, but they're in a unique situation… and even blacksmiths and mages can be wrong. Please, Daniel, give them a second chance.

A blaze was sweapt away within Daniel's heart, a sudden, malnourished thought, with no reason to exist. He nodded and clung to the dragon's head for a moment, before crawling over into Benwyn's guest bed and curling up.

Aedon it's time for bed, he muttered mentally, And I am so, so tired.