Frevanth and Athelayna

The villain's nimble fingers were tangled ever so carelessly into the roots of the hero's fiery hair. The wind rushed over the pair, biting through their torn clothes and open wounds.

"Open your eyes," the villain cooed, a deep and frightening joy embraced deep in their voice. "Open them. I want you to watch the fire consume everything you've fought so hard for."

However, the hero was persistent. Her eyes remained closed as she could not bear to watch the world perish due to her careless mistakes. No matter how hard she tried, she could not break free. The smell of everyone's homes burning lit a flame inside her. She knew she had to be set free. She had to save the citizens, but she didn't know how—every battle between the two dancing through her distressed mind.

"What have I done to you?!" the hero screamed at the top of her lungs. "Why are you doing this to me?!". The Villian chortled at the thought that she did not know what caused their feud. "How can you forget the very reason we are fighting." he snarled.

She struggled as she begged the townspeople to leave her there and to go to safety. "Admit you know why you are here." he roared. "Athelayna!" he howled, "answer me!"

"Frevanth, I refuse to entertain such ideas." Athelayna snapped back as she finally broke his grip. Frevanth had become angry half a century ago when Athelayna's father forbids them to get married. When she did not question his reasoning, Frevanth became furious and made it his quest to end her and her family. He never understood why the elf laws bound Athelayna since she is only half-elf.

Frevanth, however, is a Dragonlord. Athelayna's father is head of the elf council and had banned any Dragonlords from their land because one of them had killed his wife. So Athelayna is only allowed to love a full-blooded elf to pay for the mistake her father made by falling in love with a human from a colony that had put the elves' land in dire danger.

"Frevanth, it is not my fault. You know the laws of the elves. You know they will kill me should I disobey them again." she stated. "I don't care! You know I could protect you if you would trust me. But you won't because of a mistake that happened four hundred years ago!" he snapped back.

Suddenly there was a massive flash of green light. "What was that?!" Athelayna yelled in a panic. "I....dont know." Frevanth replied, confused. A muscular orc approached far off in the distance. "Do you know him?!" they both asked, frightened.

Kur'vurg approached the two with haste. "He doesn't look friendly!" Athelayna trembled. The two darted off, trying to make more distance between them and this unknown orc; however, their efforts were pointless. His stride was ten times greater than theirs.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, terrified. "Oh, now you need me," Frevanth snapped. "I hardly feel like this is the time for that kind of behavior." she replied, angered. "Right." he mumbled.

The two found a cave and ran into it, moving several boulders in front of the entrance to provide enough time to come up with a plan. Athelayna played her magic flute in hopes her father could hear her; however, the boulders blocked all noise inside the cave. Frevanth sat on the ground and closed his eyes as he hummed a tune Athelayna recognized.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I hardly see how we have any other choice." he pleaded. "My father told me he would cast me out if I came in contact with Ydil!" she cried. "Athelayna, please. Trust me! We need my dragon. Ydil is our only chance." Frevanth implored, hoping to change her mind.

Suddenly there was a loud THUMP! THWACK! CRACK! Leaving the two to tremble while wondering if it was Ydil or the furious Orc inching closer to their demise.

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The loud bang of the boulders after flying through the air and hitting the ground echoed through the forest. "We do not have much time Athelayna!" Frevanth yelled. It got down to the last bolder when Kur'vurg let out a massive roar.

Athelayna trembled in fright as her heart danced in her chest like a bird trapped in a cage. Suddenly Ydil soared through the sky. "Let's go!" Frevanth demanded. "I can't!" she snapped. "Athelayna, you can either listen to me, or you can be ripped apart by an orc!" Frevanth growled. "Death by an orc or death by my colony?!" Athelayna cried.

"I do not think this is up for debate. Surely your father can convince them that this was a life or death situation." Frevanth said, trying to reason with her.

"Fine." she sighed as they climbed upon the giant beast. Ydil soared off into the sky, leaving the orc confused. "ATHELAYNA!!" snarled Kur'vurg. "Wait!! You mean I saved you, and he knew you all along?!" Frevanth stapped in disbelief. Athelayna could hear the sadness in his voice. "I swear I dont know him Frevanth." she replied.

Ydil flew for what seemed like hours as Athelayna stared at her beautiful scales. The way the emerald green and periwinkle danced in the moonlight. She understood why Frevanth loved Ydil. Such a gentle, loving creature. She couldn't understand why her father would banish the dragons and the dragonlords over a mistake that happened 400 years ago.

"Frevanth...." Athelayna mumbled. "What?" he answered, trying not to sound upset still. "Why has my father banished your family? What do you know?" she questioned. "He never told you?" he asked in disbelief. "No." she replied, more puzzled than before.

Frevanth and Athelayna return to silence as Ydil soared through the sky. Kur'vurg had been tracking them with the other orcs. Amidst the confusion and heartbreak, a rain of arrows fell from the sky as their tips gleamed in the moonlight. Frevanth panicked as Ydil let out a terrifying shriek and began to turn limp. Kur'vurg's shot Ydil with an arrow that was laced with a sleeping potion. No matter how hard Frevanth pulled at the reins he could not gain control.

"FREVANTH!!!" Athelayna screamed out as she began to fall from Ydil's back. He tried to catch Athelayna however he lost his footing which caused him to fall off Ydil. When Frevanth hit the ground, Athelayna was nowhere to be found. The orcs were gone, and Ydil was fast asleep. Frevanth checked Ydil for wounds when he saw an arrow sticking out from under her wing. Suddenly it hit him! "Where is Athelayna? How does she know Kur'vurg? Was she telling the truth when she said she didn't know him?" he wondered.

Frevanth tried calling another dragon; however, he saw a silver substance on his hands when he looked down. Perplexed, he pulled out a canister from his tattered midnight black trench coat and washed his hands clean. Little did Frevanth know, but the potion that made Ydil go into a deep sleep caused Frevanth to lose his powers to speak to his beloved friend.

Frevanth walked to a nearby creek to fill his canaster. While walking, he hummed the song of the Dragonlords to call another dragon. However, nothing happened; this worried him because he thought something happened to the other dragons, like what had happened to Ydil. Once he reached the creek, he spotted someone off into the distance. The same green light was shining off in the distance that he saw when he was with Athelanya.

He rushed back to where Ydil was to see if he could wake her; however, she was already gone. Frevanth felt conflicted because he did not know where he should go. He felt betrayed by Athelayna because Kur'vurg knew her name, and he wasn't convinced she didnt know him. He remembered when they first saw the orc, and she seemed as surprised to see him as Frevanth did; however, Kur'vurg looked like he knew her all too well.

Perplexed, Frevanth began to collect his things and fashion himself a weapon out of a tree branch while thinking about where he should go. However, he knew no matter the road he chooses, the danger was just around the corner.

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"I will be back for you, I promise." Frevanth whispered into the wind. At this moment, Frevanth knew he had to find Ydil so he could figure out why his enchantment failed. But, unfortunately, he didn't know what that meant for Athelayna, nor did he know how to find her. All he knew was that Ydil was in trouble. But, as a Dragonlord, he knew that he could not abandon his companion no matter his love for Athelayna.

Frevanth followed the green light he found off in the distance, hoping that this could give him some answers. But, unfortunately, the light was gone, and the sounds of Orcs had faded. Frevanth wondered how long he was gone at the river. He knew that this part of the woods is full of magic, and a few minutes could mean days or even years. Frevanth clutched his weapon as he walked through the woods. He knew that he could run into anyone, Orcs or even fairies.

Suddenly the green light approached him from what seemed like miles away. However, it was approaching fast. Frevanth's heart pounded as the light got closer. Frevanth's knuckles began to turn white as he clutched his weapon as hard as he could.

"What do you think you are going to do with that Frevanth?" the stranger asked with a chuckle. Baffled, Frevanth squinted, trying to see who it was. But, unfortunately, he did not recognize the stranger's face or voice. "Who are you?" he asked as he shrank down in fear. Not many knew this, but Frevanth was not as tough as he leads others to believe. Ydil was his strength, and without her, he felt helpless.

"Where's Ydil Frevanth?" the stranger questioned. "Did you lose her like your brother did before it costs his life?" Frevanth was angered by this question and snapped back, "LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!" "Have I hit a nerve?" the stranger asked. At this point, Frevanth could only see a grin gleaming in the dark. "Who are you?" Frevanth demanded. "I hardly see how that matters Frevanth. Shouldn't you be worried about Ydil? Or how about Athelayna?" the mysterious stranger asked in a rather aggressive tone.

"You shouldn't whisper empty promises into the wind. You never know who you will attract here in Byburn. Or is that what you want?" the stranger asked. At this point, Frevanth could feel his blood boiling as he got madder. "You don't know what you are talking about! I know where Ydil is!" he snapped back. However, Frevanth has no clue where Ydil is, nor does he know how to save her.

"Oh, Frevanth, you aren't saying the right words. You can't get help it you are so aggressive." the stranger replied as if Frevanth's attitude hurt them. "Who are you?!" Frevanth demanded again. "That is not the right question Frevanth." the stranger replied. "What is the right question?" he asked, perplexed.

"Only you can figure that out." the stranger replied. Then, suddenly, the green light was gone as fast as it had appeared. At this point, Frevanth believed that this must be an illusion from exhaustion. "I should rest." he thought to himself as he began to fashion a hammock high between two trees.

"Where is Athelayna?" he thought to himself. "How do I save her without Ydil?". Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted. He heard crackling off in the distance. "Have I been followed?" he asked himself. He clutched his weapon again as the sound got closer. It was slowly inching from the field below. He wouldn't tell if the object was small or large. All he knew was that it was getting closer.

Until, THUMP!! Frevanth hit the ground floor.

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Frevanth woke feeling hazy. "What happened?" he mumbles to himself when he notices a gigantic shadow bellowing over him. "Who's there?" he snapped in a demanding tone. "I am not joking! Tell me who you are!" he snarled.

However, there was no reply, just someone moving towards Frevanth at an alarming rate. "Get back!" he yelled as his voice trembled. "I have a weapon!" was all that he could squeak out. If you remember, Y'dil gives him his strength and power. Since she was nowhere to be found, Frevanth was hopeless. He could hear the words ringing in his ear, 'Failure!".

Frevanth's father has been hard on him since his brother died. He constantly yells "Failure" at Frevanth and reminds him that he should have died instead of his brother Zhoron.

Zhoron was the first elf to be born into the royal family of la Cour de la Lune. However, when Frevanth's father found Zhoron, he spent all his time with him teaching the elfling how to become a Dragonlord. This led to a lot of jealousy between Frevanth and Zhoron. Frevanth always felt like he was cased out once Zhoron was found. As a result, Frevanth grew up watching the ancient history of being a Dragonlord and the spells he needed to learn off in the distance.

When Frevanth was old enough to be a Dragonlord, his father disowned him, not seeing the burning rage in Frevanth's eyes. Frevanth moved away for nearly two hundred years until he received a letter from his father that Zhoron was due to marry and take the throne. It was Frevanth's duty to escort his brother to his wedding. This wedding was prearranged before Zhoron was ushered into the family nearly one hundred years after his arrival.

Frevanth never met up with his brother like he was supposed to because they got into a fight about who Zhoron was set to wed because neither man knew who he was supposed to marry until after Zhoron's death. At Zhoron's funeral, Frevanth met who he believed to be his true love...Athelayna. However, their love was forbidden. The council informed Athelayna's father that Athelayna was not grieving her fiance.

Athelanya loved Frevanth from the moment they laid eyes on each other. However, shortly after meeting Frevanth, Athelayna was kidnapped by the council. Frevanth blamed Athelayna for her disappearance and held a grudge against her, and she believed that Frevanth did not save her because he no longer loved her.

While laying there, Frevanth dazes out and replays every moment in his life as anger and guilt fill his heart, completely forgetting about the shadowy figure approaching him. "Hey! Don't ignore me." the shadow demands.

"It cant be!" Frevanth snaps. "You're..." he says before the shadowy figure cuts him off. "Dead?" replied Zhoron with a massive grin. Frevanth sits there as pale as a ghost staring at his dead brother. "This can't be!" he mumbles under his breath.

Frevanth did not know that he's losing his powers would bring his brother back from the dead. "Must feel pretty powerless big brother." Zhoron snickered. To add salt to Frevanth's pain Zhoron begins to call Y'dil. "Oh did I mention your pet is my prisoner?" Y'dil approached with a gigantic metal collar around her neck. Frevanth did not know what this was. All he knew was that it was the work of the humans.

He had seen this kind of evil before, but he was not aware of the pain she would feel due to his actions. "Get up brother. I want you to meet my bride." Zhoron grinned with confidence. "No!" Frevanth growled. "I knew you would behave this way. That is why I brought back up."

At a push of a button, Y'dil drops to the group and lets out the most heartbreaking noise as the electricity courses through her veins. "Oh how I enjoy that sound!" Zhoron cackled. "Please. Stop. I will go with you." Frevanth pleads, "Just please dont do it again."

"This is too easy big brother." Zhoron grins, "Wait until you see my bride! I hope your heart breaks and turns to coal like my mother's did when our father chose your mother over mine.".

At that moment, Frevanth understood why his father acted the way he had when he was a young boy. However, now he has more questions than answers.

"Who was Zhoron's mother? How can I save Y'dil? Is his bride to be Athelayna? Is this why she can't love me? Or won't?" Frevanth let out a small whimper, "Does she love Zhoron? Did she lure me in to get him back?".

Frevanth realized he was in more trouble than he anticipated.