Fang and Grace [White|Kolath]

"Damn it, damn it all..." Sanae Tylandere muttered under her breath as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The trees moved as she whisked by them, the leaves catching the wind of her haste. Not just a few hours before, the castle of her kingdom had been invaded, not from any siege or invasion, but from within the very castle walls. Sanae's breath heaved with distaste as she witnessed her own uncle taking the royal guards of the castle, as many as he could corrupt to his power to march into the throne room where her brother had been and claimed that his kingship was devoid, and was slain at the spot. It was lucky for Sanae that she was not in the room at the time, but it was unfortunate that she happened to watch it all happen through the open silt of the doors.

With her brother dead, and most likely her uncle out to have a death warrant on herself, Sanae ran. Her elven feet dashed out of the capital gates and into the deeper parts of the forest and meadows, deeper north into dragon territory. Though the two races were not at the best of interest to each other, Sanae knew that she rather risk herself to the claws of a dragon than face any sort of humiliation back home. Even so, she knew that her uncle would not suspect her to travel into dangerous routes. Her blond hair flowed behind her as her pretty elven dress was torn at places when the branches clawed at her when she ran by. Somehow though, that was the last thing on her mind.

She just purely wanted revenge.

Jeric flew over the far southern reaches that the dragons roamed. The wind whistled past his wings, a slight mist springing from his nostrils at each breath. His long scaled tail whipped back and forth with the air currents acting as something a kin to a rudder. He was a dragon, out on the prowl for breakfast. The game wasnâ??t as hard to find here on the out skirts of the dragon lands. Here were forests still grew and, flame and acid didnâ??t seem to spring from the very ground. He spotted a deer in a wide open glade just happily munching on the grass. Slipping into a slow glide he began to descend. The wind around him was now silent as he dove downward as a falcon towards its prey. The deer never had a chance, Jeric struck with surprising grace, his single claw slicing cleanly through the animals neck.

Settling down in the glade, Jeric wrapped his tail around his body and his fresh kill. His wings folded down against his back and his massive imposing presence seemed to diminish. Dragons were not really as large as bards suggested that they were; but the size of the wings and tail, as both were used in flying, made them seem bigger. In truth Jericâ??s body was average size for a dragon being about twice as thick as a horse and about half again as tall at the shoulder.

Jeric began to eat slowly carefully his bronze scales glinting in the sunlight. His mind began to wonder back to what had occurred over the past month. He had challenged the very way dragons lived, he suggested that they shouldnâ??t hold to the belief that they are the ultimate creation of nature. That perhaps they were just one of many great species that were created. Needless to say that didnâ??t go over so well and he now was out on the edges of dragon land as an exile.

To be perfectly honest he couldnâ??t see how being in exile was such a bad thing. Granted he was apart from his kind and forced to be alone. He wasnâ??t that broken up about it, he had always been a bit of a loner and never really found a desire to socialize with his fellow dragons preferring to study and read. His rethinking the happenings of the last few weeks was suddenly disturbed by the scent of an Elf nearby, a female Elf and she was heading right for him. Tossing the carcass of the deer away he waited for her on guard but not trying to look too threatening.

Sanae had entered a sparse clearing. She didn't even sense the dragon up ahead, either that or she was too emotionally to smell the scent of one. Dragons had a particular air, even scent about them that made it obvious when one was close. However, Sanae was inarticulate to the presence of the dragon as she came upon the clearing, and was actually surprised to see the dragon inside forest grounds. Rarely did one trend even this far into the Elven kingdom, but it has been known to happen that one would approach just to steal some of the woodland creatures that roamed these areas. Most elves would run in fear, cower i the safety of the woods and call for help.

Even a brave warrior would fear a dragon if fought alone, let alone an elven maiden.

However, Sanae did neither of these things. She did not cower by his draconic presence, nor did she run back where she came from. Instead, she gave the dragon a hard look, her hand coming up to her hair where she pulled out a sapphire pin from her hair and readied it as if it was a dagger. Her cheeks were red and dry since she had been crying a little bit as she was running, but there was not a little girl in her red-eyes, but a strong-hearted princess. "Dragon... What are you doing here? These are Elven lands." She stated, as if it was fact, even though this was a borderline between the two countries. She wore no armor, so a single strike could kill her if the dragon made the effort for it.

Jericâ??s eyebrow raised looking at the young elven maid standing before him with nothing more than a hair pin. He barely suppressed a laugh, she couldnâ??t seriously think that she could stand against him if it came to a fight. He shook his head settling back down on his fore-claws. â??My dear lady, firstly you are mistaken. You crossed the boundary into the border regions nearly a hundred yards back.â? His head twisted to the side a little as he looked at her, â??And, in case you didnâ??t know the last king of the elves signed a treaty with the dragons allowing us to hunt here, and so far his son has honored that treaty.â? Finally allowing a smile to spread across his face, â??and finally I do not wish to fight, and if I did that pin of yours would do nothing but get bent on my scales.â?

The mention of her brother and father touched a bad nerve. Sanae glared at the dragon, though her anger was not meant for him, but for someone else. "I'm afraid to inform you, but the treaty might be voided soon. The son of the king, my brother, is now deceased. Lord Garilias now has claimed the throne." She had trouble saying her uncle's name. Even the mere thought of him is vile to her being. The hair pin was barely six inches long, and she knew it couldn't defense her if there was a fight, but this dragon seemed much more docile even though the smell of blood lingered in the air from an earlier kill. "Strange that a dragon doesn't want to fight. I am an elf after all." She sheathed the golden pin along her dress.

He was a bit shocked at the new of the son of the elven king had died. It seemed rather sudden and from what he knew there was no major plague going through the elven lands right now. He would normally have run across it in his travels as an exile; but there was nothing. It was then that the rest of what she said to him clicked over as to the meaning. His head inclined toward her in the nearest thing that a dragon could do to a bow. â??You grace it is a honor to have you here. But if I may ask what brings you out so far to the border lands? and can you please put away that silly pin as you can clearly tell I am no ordinary dragon I do not wish to fight because I do not take offence to other beings being able to speak like my fellow dragons do.â?

This dragon was different. Much different than the beast and killing machines she had growth to understand through the history of elves. Then again, she didn't need to understand why they were identified as such since Elves were rather bias in their discrimination toward dragons. She however, would rather face the dragon than become who knows what to the hands of her uncle. He was always a devious one, even for one of elven heritage. She approached the dragon until she was no more than ten feet away. She didn't know if she should lie to him or tell him the truth, but before she could think about it, her mouth had already begun to speak. "My uncle has taken the throne by force. His hands are now dirtied with the murder of his kin and now he is after me because I am the next heir to the crown." She said.

Jericâ??s eyebrow raised again as he watched her face as she spoke looking for any deception, he knew that he had to be careful this close to elven lands and this girl might be lying to allow a trap to be set. However there was no veiled lies nothing being hidden this was all trueâ?¦and it bode ill for the dragons. â??I am sorry for your loss my lady.â? He sighed looking down at her seeing she was still on edge, â??Please come back with me to the cave I call home at this time. I will be glad to give you shelter for the night as I have seen the winter birds beginning to leave and the first snow fall may happen at any time.â? He extended one clawed foot to her in a offer of friendship.

The dragon was sincere, something that she begun to realize about him. However, when he offered his home to her, she thought she would refuse, just as any sensible maiden would say, but Sanae was speaking before she could gather her sensible thought. She didn't have a home to go to, not anymore, so the idea of shelter for at least the night was too tempting. "That... would be nice." She said, her voice growing softer with every sentence. She felt her walls weakening, as she extended a hand out to him. However, before she could touch him, she withdrew her hand halfway. "Can I trust you?" she asked, growing cold feet. There was a sense to that, but she took a deep breath, and just accepted his offer.

He smiled nodding his head in a matter of fact way as she asked if he could be trusted. As she took his claw he gently slipped the rest around her slender body. Though a dragon wasnâ??t much bigger at the shoulder then a horse with its head up, there was still power there and that was shown as he lifted her up and placed her onto his back. â??Hold on princess I will try not to go too fast but I smelled a storm coming on I just hope we have time.â? He started to flap his wings to gain height before switching them to thrusting them forward. A dragon flying through the air is much like a human swimming in water except that they both have to keep themselves up as well as grabbing the air with their wings and pushing it behind them for thrust. He could smell the storm coming and knew they would be hard pressed to make it back to his cave before it started.

She would not dare tell him she was scared of heights. So when he lifted her up upon his shoulders and begun to fly, Sanae gasped from their rising altitude and clutched her arms around the base of the dragon's neck. Her hair waved in the wind, as she hugged her body close to his. Her eyes were closed as they took flight across the land. Now, the clouds began to form, and a light drizzle began to soak her clothes as they flew. She didn't complain for now, for she feared the wind will just catch her words, and she was too scared to move. Her heart pounded against her chest as they dove, turned, or even climbed up in the air. Elves after all, were not meant to fly.

Jaric growled deep in his chest feeling the rain beginning and knew that it would soon begin to get rougher. He put on a little extra speed and soon was setting down in a nice deep cave lit by torches at three foot intervals. â??Welcome to my home my lady.â? The rain was pouring down hard now and he himself was drenched but seeing as his scales would have the water draining off before too long it didnâ??t bother him but he knew she was probably in the same situation. Lowering himself far enough that she would be able to slip off his neck without too great a drop he waited.

"Thank you, dragon." She said, though the words still fumbled out of her mouth since she was not used to addressing one of his kind. Though, he was nice enough to shelter her from the rain, there was no other choice to be had. However, now, it was little concern for her as she stepped off from his back and now was upon dry floor. Her soaked body though, made it wet as it clung to her skin, and made the white fabrics of her dress almost transparent. She sighed as she gathered her wet hair, and Twisted it in a tight coil, as the rain water was wringed out of her locks. "I do not suppose you have other clothes or sorts of that nature..." She said. "But at least it is dry over my head, and I thank you for it."

He smiled moving over to the back wall of the cave after she had slipped off of his back. He smiled, and a very toothy smile it was too, â??My name is Jeric my lady, and I do happen to have clothes that you can change into.â? He touched a large stalagmite with his claw and it shifted slightly. There was a massive grinding sound and the rear wall of the cave moved up into the ceiling. On the other side of the hidden door was a expansive room, on the near side was what looked to be a drawing room setting with a table laid out with a nice tea set and two large arm chairs set to each side of it close enough for comfortable talking. Behind that was a large circular fire place with a few glowing embers still in it. Beyond the fireplace was three tunnels leading off in three different directions. â??Come right in my lady, the path on the right leads to the guest quarters it is well supplied with clothes for both genders. The middle one leads to the kitchen and the water hole, you are welcome to use anything in those two tunnels. The final one id my privet quarters so you will forgive me for asking you to remain out of them unless invited.â? He smiled moving around to the side of the fire and adding some large logs to it to get it going again so that soon there was a gentle warmth that would pass through the entire cave.

[[I apologize for the late reply. Busy life all of a sudden]]

"Jeric... I'll remember that... Sanae, is my name. Sanae Tylandere, princess of the elven kingdom." She introduced herself in a proper voice, though her attire and her state of condition was anything but proper. She looked around the caverns, impressed that such magics or whatever form that dragons used created such a place. She took his words in deep consideration as she nodded his head. "Worry not, Jeric. I dare not step beyond my boundaries. I'm more trustworthy than that." She said, though she had to admit she was curious about what a dragon had to hide in his own quarters. Skeletons of elves perhaps?

Sanae went toward the right tunnel, and welcomed herself into one of the guest rooms. True to his word, the dragon had outfits waiting within each room. Sanae was surprised to see that there laid clothing from simple to elegant, giving the elven princess quite a wonder how he was able to collect them. A few minutes, Sanae emerged from the guest room and into the main room wearing a flowy white dress with a crystal headdress resting on her head, even though her hair was still damp. "I thank you again Jeric for your generosity."

Jeric had slipped down the middle passage gathering some food for the evening. He quickly downed a large side of beef, minus the bones, just so that his appetite would be sated with the meal he was going to prepare for his guest and she didnâ??t have to see him eating as a dragon would. He gathered a hindâ??s side and some vegetables and potatoes for the soup. Returning to the central cavern he placed the side of venison on the spit and began its marinating and the vegetables were quickly cut up with his long claws and placed in the stew pot.

Hearing her thanks he turned looking over his shoulder. â??You are welcome princess Sanae, it is a pleasure to have you in my home and you need not worry I mean you no harm in anyway.â? He turned back to the food he was preparing his tail turning the spit. â??I hope you are hungry?â?


((no worries I understand I have been busy lately myself so don't worry I'm just glad you still want to continue this one))

"I trust you to keep your promises." She said to Jeric as she welcomed herself to sit by the fireplace. "And dinner... Sounds nice..." She said, a bit embarrassed to admit that she was famished. She looked down at the boiling pot, and allowed the simple aroma to fill her senses. "I wasn't aware that dragons could cook." She said, admitting to her inarticulate knowledge about them. She herself knew a little bit about the art, though once again, life as a princess made it limited to what she could actually do with proficiency. She seemed now a bit bitter as she thought back on her lost. Will she remain here with Jeric forever? Or will she find somewhere else to stay at later down the road? However, her mouth pursed since she desired not to live on, but to exact her revenge.

He continued the cooking pouring some sauce over the side of deer smiling at the princess. â??I do my lady always. And as for me knowing about cooking, it is true that we dragons do not need to cook our food as our inner fires do well for killing anything harmful in the food. However a few like myself have chosen to learn a few of the finer things of other races finding that dragons can in fact be as artistic as others though it seems to not be so.â? He poured some more sauce over the meat then stirred the pot before turning to her, â??My lady would you do me the honor of watching the food for a moment while I go change for dinner?â?

"Hmm? Oh, of course. Right." Sanae nodded her head, allowing him to leave as she was left alone for the time being. For a moment, she wondered what kind of clothing Jeric would actually dress in. After all, most dragons just go plain, correct? What kind of clothing tailors for a dragon anyway. She sighed, and pushed the thought in the back of her mind as she began to think about how she could rectify her uncle's traitorous actions. She tried not to think about the dragon.

Jeric wasnâ??t gone long just long enough to slip into his cave and quickly cast the spell that all dragons learned at a young age. He changed forms slipping down into a rather tall elven male dressed in a long deep rust cape and light brown tunic and breeches. Which went well with the bright red copper hair. He slipped back into the common fire room and moved over behind the princess, â??I can take back over now my lady.â?

Princess Sanae sighed, as she stared boredly into the pot. The stew was starting to thicken up in a soupy consistency. When she heard him return and ask for his place back, she turned and almost had a heart attack as she gasped. She recovered well enough from being surprised as she coughed to cover up her shock, and moved aside. "Ah... Yes, of course..." She stepped aside, but for some reason she couldn't keep her eyes off of the elven man in front of her. She knew it was Jeric, aside from the copper-tone hair, the facial structure was similar to his dragon form, so to speak. It was slight, but the details were noticeable. She didn't even realize she was looking at him so intently.

He smiled turning the spit and testing the meat with a fork, it was almost done but not quite yet. He could feel her eyes on him and his smile only widened. â??Do I have something on my face my lady?â? he chuckled lightly as he looked into her eyes. He knew that seeing a dragon taking the form of an elf was probably quite a shock to her and he had expected it to be. â??I thought that it might be easier if you could talk to your dinner partner without having to look up to the sky.â? His smile was genuine but he wasnâ??t sure how she would take his thinking.

Though her thin eyebrows were in a slight furrow. The hears underneath them looked at them with nothing but a deep intent. She heard of stories where dragons took the shape of humanoids, and even sometimes took lovers in that form. It was an old legend, and it was just suppose to be a legend, but right before her, told her that the story was true. She extended her hand out, and almost touched his arm before she pulled back a little bit. "... May I?" She asked. She meant if she could touch him, just to feel if this was truly a mere illusion, or if it was actual flesh and blood underneath the skin.

He was focused on the food he was preparing and hadnâ??t noticed that she had been reaching out to him. Had she just continued he would never have known till she had touched him. Turning his head he looked from her hand to his arm and smiled nodding holding it out to her. â??I promise I am real it is magic but it is not a illusion.â? He nodded after checking the meat a little more. â??It should be done soon within ten minutes care to sit and talk over a glass of wine?â?

She withdrew her hand, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her long ears. It was swift, almost like as if she didn't mean to even startle her curiosity about him, and practically regretted it. Not because she didn't want to, but because she was embarrassed that she got caught in the attempt to do so. "Very well, that seems good to me." She said, and looked away as if something from across the room had gained her sudden attention. She dare not face his smile or any look in particular for a while after he caught her trying to touch him.

((I apologize deeply. Life is being difficult now, so my time to roleplay is really, really, really, small. ;_; ))