A note from the author: just to clear some questions that you might have. First off, The house is not made out of the tree. instead it is built into the branches of the tree
Second, there are a couple of phrases that might not make any sence to you. I have included a translation for everyone at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
******
Leihiel froze. That screech could only mean one thing, that Ariana was conning to try and take him as a mate, again.
Well, she's out of luck
he thought to himself.
"Shit!" he muttered, stepping away from Azurina.
"What's wrong, Leihiel. And what was that noise?"
"That noise, beautiful one, was the screech of Blood-talon, the mount of the eagle riders leader."
"If she is a rider, like your mother, why are you cursing her arrival?"
"There is no time to explain. I need to go to my mother's study." Leihiel said, turning to sprint down the hallway.
Azurina caught his arm before he could step out of her reach. "What is going on." she asked, getting scared
"I'll explain later. Please, my love, stay here. This is something I need to deal with."
"No. I will not stay behind while you face something that has you so scared. We're future mates. We face these things together...."
"That's just it, that rider out there has tried to take me
her
mate for the past six years. When she finds out that I have found you, my true mate, she will go into a rage! Who knows what she will do at that point."
Azurina's face went pale. "You mean that I almost lost you before I even met you?" she asked in a weak voice.
Leihiel took her in his arms, wrapping her in a tight embrace. He felt her arms circle around his waist, trying to hold him to her. "You would of never lost me, my love. The first time I met her, I knew that she wasn't the one for me, there was no spark, not like us." He loosened his hold on her, and stepped back.
"I've got to go. I need to be at my mother's study before she lands. I beg you, stay here." Leihiel turned away again, only to have his arm caught once more. He turned back to face Azurina.
"You will never have to face this alone. Rider or not, she does not scare me." she said, a small smile on her face. "After all, who is big enough to ever scare a Dragoness? I will stand by your side for the rest of my life." Azurina told him calmly, placing her free hand on his face.
"Is there any way I can talk you out of this?" Leihiel asked, looking deep into his loves eyes. He reached up and placed his hand on top of hers, pulling it to his lips and kissing it.
"Not even Wild Horses can drag me away."
"Then lets go." He said, taking her hand and pulling her into a run.
Maybe with my mother and father there to protect Azurina, Ariana won't try anything. I can only hope.
***
Elana had just finished re-lacing her dress and putting it on when her office door slammed open, Leihiel and Azurina barreling in.
"You heard it too? Elana asked, pulling a bone handled come out of thin air and began running it through her silver mane, removing all the knots.
"Yes, mother, We did."
Elana turned to look at Azurina. "Let me guess. He said that he needed to deal with this himself?" she asked, throwing the comb into the air, making it disappear.
"Yes, revered one."
"Oh stop that. You're my son's mate. You can call me Elana or mother, whichever is more comfortable for you."
"Yes, rav..... I mean mother. He asked me to stay in my room. And I proceeded to tell him that he will never have to face this woman along ever again."
"That's sweet of you, but you should of stayed behind. This rider has a temper."
"I don't care. I love Leihiel, and I will stand by his side through thick and thin." Tears welled up in Azurina's eyes, and she wiped them away quickly. "I will not lose him, especially since I just found him."
"But..."
Let her stay
Neheil said.
She deserves to be here too. Their love is strong, and they need to be near each other until their mating is finalized.
"What do you mean?" Azurina asked, slightly lost.
Before Neheil could say anything, Leihiel crossed the room to stand in front of his love. "I want to give you something," he said to her "Incase anything goes wrong."
"What?"
Leihiel held up a pendant on a silver chain. "Every male dragon who can shift his form has a betrothal pendant. Each one is different, the shape of it fitting the dragons personality, and matches the color of both his scales and his eyes. They are not given to a female lightly, as it is a promise of the future. But through it, every betrothed can feel where their mate is." He paused, and took a deep breath. "I want you to have mine." He said, laying it down in Azurina's open hand.
Azurina studied the pendant for a second. It was a front view of a silver dragon, it's wings meeting at a point by one front claw. The other claw was at the top of a stone that matched Leihiel's eyes. Set in the eye sockets of the dragon head was two smaller stones the same color as the larger stone. The way it was shaped, it looked like the wings cradled the large stone with the head and claw keeping it in place, and the silver was carved so that the dragon looked like it had scales. Azurina looked up from the pendant, tears re-emerging in her eyes.
"Leihiel, I don't know what to say..."
"Do you accept it?" He asked, worry clearly apparent in both his voice and his face.
"Of course I do." she said, closing her fingers around the pendant. "Did you honestly think that I would say no?"
"Let me put it on you then." He said, taking hold of the chain and lifting out of Azurina's hand. Stepping behind her, he moved her hair to the side and secured the chain around her throat, letting his fingers caress the back of her neck. The pendant settled into the hollow of her throat. She expected it to be cold, but instead it was almost the same temperature as her own skin. She stroked it with her fingertips, feeling the silver of the pendant, thinking that she could make out the scales in the silver.
Azurina jumped slightly when she heard talons scraping on the landing balcony. Leihiel shifted how he was standing so that he stood in front of her. Just as he stopped moving, the cover on the balcony opening snapped open, and there stood the most beautiful Female Azurina had ever seen. She was short, standing about 5'2" to Azurina's 5'11". Her white blond hair, bound in a tight braid, hung past her waist, and her eyes were a beautiful golden color. On her arm sat an eagle, apparently her mount in his smaller size. Azurina honestly didn't know how such a delicate creature could be scary.
"Ah, Lady Elana. So good to see a sister rider." The female said, her voice a sweet soprano that flowed like silk. She rushed across the room and gave Elana a hug. Her eagle flapped away to land on one of Neheil's spikes.
"Lady Ariana. What a surprise. We weren't expecting you for another week." Elana replied, barely returning the hug.
"Oh, I just had to come early, to see my darling Leihiel and his family." Azurina felt her anger flash, and she had to take a deep breath to calm it. "Speaking of Leihiel, where is he?"
"I am over here, Lady Ariana." he said, the anger in his voice barely controlled.
"Ah, Leihiel!" she said, turning and walking towards him. She paused mid-stride when she saw Azurina peaking around Leihiel's shoulder. "Oh, how rude of me!" Ariana said. "I see you have a guest, and a timid one at that. It's ok sweetie, I won't hurt you. I'm Ariana"
Timid my ass!
