Hearts of the Sy Intertwine

Elana sat on the floor of her office, leaning her back against Neheil's front shoulder. Neheil had his head in her lap, and she stroked the scales above his eye. A low rumble, almost a catlike purr, emanated from Neheil's chest, giving off a comforting vibration that radiated through his shoulder for Elana. They both watched Azurina, who had fallen to her knees in front of the flight balcony, with concern. Her head was bowed, and it was clear from the set of her shoulders that she fought very hard not to cry.

I'm worried about her, Neheil. She hasn't moved since Ariana left.

She's hurting, my love. It will take a long while for the pain to dull.

Why is she hurting?

Think of it this way, my love. Neheil explained.

You know how close we are.

Yes. We are two hearts that beat with one rhythm, two minds that share almost every thought, two halves of one soul.

Now imagine suddenly finding that one person that completes you, just to have them ripped away. Elana stared at him with a blank look on her face, so Neheil tried a different tactic.

Okay. Say I was the one that was whisked away by that spell. How would you feel?

I would be crushed. Like part of me was suddenly missing. I wouldn't be able to function until you were able to return to me.

Precisely. And that is with over 750 years of being together, first as partners in battle, then as mates. Neheil paused, considering how to word his next thought.

Now put yourself in Azurina's place. Imagine being alone for over fifty years, thinking you're a monster, only to find out that there are more of your kind. Imagine finding the one thing you never knew was missing, and feeling the beginnings of the bond that we share...

Just to have it ripped out of her hands. Elana gasped, realization finally coming to her.

Exactly.

I have to go comfort her. It's the least I can do. Elana said, giving Neheil's head one final stroke before he lifted it. She braced her hand against his shoulder, using him as a leaning post to stand

You need to do more than just console her. You need to bring her out of her catatonic state, and bring her down to the practice field

Why?

She has much to learn before she is ready to lead our troops into battle. Neheil answered, standing up.

Even though we never intended to, we started the war. Azurina must take her place as queen of the dragons. Only she will be able to end it.

Will she be ready?

With us as her advisors, and with a desire to save her true mate, she will be. But she needs training first. In blade, in claw, and in magic. Now, BRING BACK OUR QUEEN! With that, Neheil carefully walked around Azurina and took flight, angling his flight towards the practice field, where he would search out the trainer of the blade and prepare him for a new student.

***

For the longest time, all Azurina heard was a deep rumbling coming from Neheil. At first it made her nervous, as she thought that it was caused by his anger. But when it did not abate, but continued on steadily, it began to have a soothing effect on her.

She just sat there, listening to that soothing sound and stroking the pendant around her neck, trying to figure out how she was going to save Leihiel. She considered just flying after Ariana, but she threw that thought away immediately, knowing that Ariana would just capture her also. She thought of trying to summon Leihiel back with magic, but she then realized that she did not know enough to even try. And through all her thinking, she felt a little tickle at the back of her mind, almost as if she could feel a small connection to her love. But knowing that it was impossible, she ignored it as just a wish.

She was so absorbed in her thinking and planning, she didn't notice that the rumbling behind her had stopped until Neheil carefully edged his way past her and took off. She watched him go, wondering where he could possibly be going, and jumped when she felt Elana place a hand on Azurina's shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"I miss him, Elana." Azurina said in a weak voice, wiping away a tear. "I've only known him a few hours, but...." she trailed away, not sure how to finish her sentence.

"It feels like you aren't complete, like you're missing half of yourself?" Elana asked, sinking down to kneel next to Azurina. She rubbed small circles on the young dragoness' back, hoping to sooth her frazzled nerves.

"Yes." she said, her voice trembling and tears coming to her eyes as she looked at Elana... "How did you know?"

"I feel the same thing when Neheil is miles away from me."

"What is it? Why do I feel this way?" Azurina cried, burying her face into Elana's shoulder and letting go.

"It's the bond of true mates." Elana soothed, stroking Azurina's back and hair.

"T-t-true mates?" Azurina stuttered, sniffing. "What's a true mate?"

"A true mate," Elana explained, beginning to rock back and forth. "Is essentially the other half of a person's soul. You see, all creatures have a true mate. Most animals find their mates easily, as they are more often than not close to each other. Some beings though, like dragons, elves, humans, and the rest, have to search for their true mate. Often times, it takes years to find a true mate. Sure, we have relationships before we find them, it's normal. But once we find the other half of our soul, all other possibilities disappear. We still notice the beauty of other creatures, but they do nothing for us."

"And what about the pain?" Azurina asked, lifting her head from Elana's shoulder after she stopped rocking.

"That is part of the bond. It connects the two souls together. Most true mates tend to stay close to each other, as being apart tends to be emotionally, and sometimes even physically, painful."

"Did you ever find your true mate, Elana?"

"Of course I did, sweetie. Where do you think Leihiel came from?"

"Oh. Where is he then? I've seen no other male elves around the house besides Leihiel."

"Let me explain something to you, sweetie. Think back to earlier, about how a girl finds her dragon."

Azurina thought for a minute, wiping her face. "You said that girls are brought to the hatchery, and told to open their minds to the eggs."

"And do you know why that is?" Elana asked. Azurina replied with a shake of her head. "It is because when a girl opens her mind, she is also opening her soul, allowing the dragonets to touch her soul. Most of the time a dragon rider's true mate IS her dragon, and her dragon recognizes it. That is why they form such a strong bond. The rider will not realize the truth until she is ready for it. Some riders never realize it, take mates from amongst their race, and release their dragons."

"What happens then?"

"Well, the released dragons live with their wild sisters, helping to keep the dragons alive. The riders, on the other hand, suffer emotionally from being away from their true mates. Most s......"

"Stop!" Azurina whimpered. "I don't want to know any more." she started to cry again, and she buried her face back into Elana's shoulder.

"Shhh. It's all right." Elana soothed, and started rocking back and forth again, stroking Azurina's hair. She continued the motion until Azurina calmed down again. "Feel better?

"Yes, thank you. What do we do now?"

"Now," Elana said, standing up. "You begin your training."

"Training?"

"Yes, you have very little knowledge of aerial battle, and no experience with the blade. We need a strong leader."

"But you are already a strong leader, Elana. Why would the troops not follow you."

"The Riders will follow me into battle, but none of the other races will. Do you not remember the prophecy?

"Not really."

"We'll go over it later then. Let's get you to the practice field. Your teachers will be waiting for you."

"Teachers?"

"Yes, one elf to teach you ground combat, like swordsmanship and archery. Another elf to teach you the use of magic, and a dragon to teach you aerial combat." Elana held her hand out to Azurina. "Come, it will take your mind off Leihiel."

"Ummm....." Azurina hesitated, glancing down at her floor length dress. "I am not dressed for battle training."

Elana looked Azurina up and down, guessing her size. She then closed her eyes and focused, willing a complete set of clothes, including boots, into her right hand that were appropriate for battle training. "Here, try these. They should fit."

"How did you do that?" Azurina asked, staring wide-eyed at Elana.

"You'll learn how from your magic teacher. For now, though," Elana explained, snapping her fingers and making a screen appear in the corner of the room. "Let's get you ready."

Taking the clothes from Elana, Azurina stepped behind the screen and stripped off her dress. She pulled on the light blue leggings, feeling the soft cotton sliding up her legs and hugging the curve of her hips. She picked up the dress portion and slipped it on over her head, letting it settle into place. It fell to her lower thigh, just the right length for running and jumping. She grabbed the boots and stepped out from behind the screen.

"How do they fit?" Elana asked.

"It's a little loose around the waist, but I am use to that. It is hard to find dresses that fit in the shoulders, chest, and waist all at the same time with the size of my boobs." Azurina answered, sitting down on the couch and pulling on the soft, black, flat bottomed leather boots that laced up the front.

"Do you prefer gold or silver?"

"Silver. Why?" She replied, glancing up from tying her boots.

Elana pulled a silver belt and circlet set from the closet and handed it to Azurina. "This should keep the dress in place, and the smaller band goes around your head."

"Why?" She inquired, standing up.

"To show that you are someone of importance. I wear a circlet because I am the leader of the Drache Reiter."

"Then why do I need a circlet?" Azurina asked, clipping the belt around her waist.

"Cause you're the only female offspring of a dragon and a rider. That, combined with the fact that you're betrothed to Leihiel, makes you the most important person right now." Elana paused, placing the circlet upon Azurina's head. "You should really wear gold."

"If I wear gold, it would clash with Leihiel's pendant."

"It's your pendant now. Leihiel offered it of his own free will, and you accepted it the same way. That, combined with you being true mates, created the beginnings of a bond that cannot be broken. And that bond is all that will keep you sane in the next couple of months until we can get Leihiel home."

"Sane?" Azurina squeaked in a small voice.

"Oops. Maybe I should have stayed quiet about that. Look at it this way. Once you can control your magic, you'll be able to grab hold of that bond and follow it to where Ariana is keeping Leihiel."

"Wait a second. Are you telling me that there is a real connection between me and Leihiel, that I wasn't just imagining it?"

"Nope. There really is a bond between the two of you."

"Then what are we waiting for? We need to get down to the practice field so that I can begin my training." Azurina said, taking three strides towards the door before stopping and turning to Elana. "Uh, how do we get down from here, and which way to the practice field?"

Elana suppressed a giggle behind her hand. "I was waiting for you to ask that. Follow me, please." she said, leading her out of the office and towards the elevator to take them down to the ground.

***

They reached the training field about ten minutes later. Azurina looked wide-eyed around at all the elves training, knowing that she would never have that same grace that others had with the blade. The one time that she had held one, when she was a tiny girl, it was so big that when her mother had let go of it, the tip fell right to the earth and she was unable to lift it on her own. She grew nervous as they approached the silver dragon sitting along the back edge of the field. Another dragon and two elves lounged nearby, chatting.

Azurina studied the dragon as she walked. It appeared to be much smaller in length then Neheil, only about ten feet long, and about the height of a large draft horse. It's scales were an interesting color, being a shade of deep purple with a hint of blue along the edges fading to a light bluish purple on it's stomach. The head had a definitive feminine quality to it, with eyes that glimmered like aquamarines. It flexed a forefoot, showing off sharp claws that had webbing between the fingers. Azurina quickly realized that it might be a water dragon, although she couldn't be sure because of it's coloring. She looked around that little group for it's rider, but did not spot her. She did see two male elves, one with hair the color of flames, and one with hair so dark blue that it was almost black.

Elana strode purposefully up to her mate, who nuzzled her shoulder in greeting, and stroked his cheek. She surveyed the group quickly before turning back to Azurina. "I would like you to meet your trainers and bodyguard. Lady Azurina, may I present Gormlaith, the most powerful water dragon in the riders. Her rider, Ayden, is the blue- haired lad over by the tree. And the young male with the red hair sitting next to Ayden is Rhohedran. He is the son of one of my Lieutenants and her dragon. He is one of the most powerful shifters here, next to Leihiel."

Azurina looked at Ayden, slightly confused. His face was smooth, without wrinkles, but his eyes shown with the wisdom beyond his years. His pointed ears stuck out of hair pulled back in a tight braid. "Lady Elana, I thought you said that only females could be riders."

"All I said was that girls were presented to the dragon eggs."

"Now, I don't mean to be offensive, but how is it that a gentlemen became a Drache Reiter."

"Elana didn't tell you that I prefer males, did she?" Ayden said, tucking a loose strand of his glossy dark blue hair behind his ear.

"No, she didn't." Azurina said, slightly ashamed.

"There are always young lads who discover that they prefer males over females." Elana explained. "When his parents discover that information, they go to the leader of the riders, and the young lad is led into the hatchery."

"I was one of those lads." Ayden said. "I was much older when I was finally led into the hatchery."

"How old were you?"

"I was Twenty-two. When I was dragged in, there were dozens of eggs lined up in multiple rooms. I was drawn to one particular egg, stored in the backmost room and covered in dust. When I touched it, my dragon hatched right away and looked at me like 'well, it took you long enough'. We have been partners ever since."

"So, how old are you Ayden?"

"I just passed my 70th birthday. Yes, I know that I am young, but I have studied with many riders. I will teach you everything that I know so you will become a master, one that is even stronger than I am."

Azurina turned to look at Rhohedran. "And what will you be teaching me, Master Rhohedran."

"First off, Lady Azurina, please call me Rho. All my friends do. Secondly, I am not here to train, but to guard. I was hand picked... well, claw picked if you want to get technical... for this mission by Neheil himself. I am purely a body guard, and when needed a sparring partner."

Azurina looked at Neheil with astonishment. "Oh, come on! Granted, I may not be as well trained as some of the elves here, but my teachers don't need a guard from me. I am not dangerous."

The protection is not for thine masters, My Lady, but for thou. Thou art our only hope if we are to survive this upcoming war.

Gormlaith said in a warm, velvet soft alto voice that wrapped comfortingly around her.

Thine protection is of the utmost importance.

"I still don't understand why I am so important. I am just a female who can shift forms. There must be many like me around."

There are not, My Lady. Thine kind almost never came to term within their mother's womb, and those that did passed shortly after. Thou art the only one that survived the curse.

"Curse?" Azurina asked, shocked "What do you mean, curse? Are you saying that I was never supposed to live?"

No, little one. Just know that thou are treasured beyond any gem within thine mother's treasury.

"You know my mother? Is she all right?"

Calm, My Lady. I meant thine mother-to-be, Lady Elana.

"Oh, knock it off, Gormlaith. I know, as well as everyone else, that you do not speak like that. Will you stop with the Thee's and Thou's, and just speak normally. Your confusing the poor girl." Ayden scolded.

But...

"No buts, Gormlaith. Enough."

All right, Ayden. I will stop with the arcane speech. It is just so much fun.

Gormlaith said. Her shoulders rose and fell in a deep, chest rumbling chuckle.

"I know it's fun, but we need to focus. We have a lot to teach Lady Azurina, and not a lot of time." Ayden turned his head to look at Azurina. "We will first need to test you, to determine how your training will flow. Now, do you know your element?"

"You know, I have no clue. I've lived alone since I was 30. I do know that my scales are a sapphire blue to match my eyes."

"You are most likely a water dragon then. It is unheard of for a dragon to have magical abilities that do not match their scale color. Twist for me."

"Excuse me?" she demanded, crossing her arms across her chest and glared down at Ayden.

"I need to see your flexibility. How far you can bend and twist, in both human and dragon form. Now, twist." he said coolly, clearly unafraid of Azurina

"Oh, is that all you want?" Azurina asked. She turned her body almost clear around and bent, grabbing her ankles from the back, practically bending herself in half.

Ayden winced as he watched her. "All right, Azurina. Please stop. Just seeing that is making me hurt." He instructed, cringing as she unfolded herself. "Now, could you do a flip or two for me?"

Thankful that she had the short dress and leggings on, Azurina started off with a cartwheel, turning it into a series of five back hand springs. She landed nimbly on her feet and strode over to where her masters sat in the shade. "Is that all, Master Ayden?" she asked sweetly, loving the shocked look on his face.

"Uh..." Ayden said, shaking his head to clear it. "Oh, yes. That is fine, Azurina. More than fine, actually. That was amazing. Where did you learn to do that?"

"It's something that my mother taught me before she left. She told me that flexibility and agility are the two most important keys to wielding my true power. I had no clue what that meant, but I have faithfully done all the exercises that my mother taught me every morning before I leave any camp I am at. That is, until this morning. I can already feel the tightening of the muscles." she answered, bending forward to grab her ankles again to stretch the muscles in her upper legs. She then unfolded herself and stood calmly.

"I am certainly impressed"

Indeed. You have the makings of being a truly powerful dragoness.

Gormlaith said, standing up and stretching.

Now it is my turn to test you, My Lady. Come, shift forms and fly with me.

Azurina shifted into her dragon, enjoying the sun on her scales. She stretched out her wings, taking up all the room available to her. Elana raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glare that shone off of Azurina's scales. "Wow, Azurina. Do you polish your scales or something? Even Neheil doesn't shine like that." she joked.

I love to swim in my dragon form. The water just seems to call to me.

Large wing span.

Gormlaith commented drawing Azurina's attention back to why they were at the training fields.

Excellent for long distance flying.

She mused, pacing around her.

Lean in muscle, built for speed. How long can you fly, My Lady?