First Watch

"I am glad Smokey is feeling so much better, but his constant jumping is making me dizzy," Mairwen saw her husband's concerned face, and she amended her statement. "Not that kind of dizzy. Just jealous of his energy." 

Renat relaxed. 

"Reminds me of Colvyr when he has had too many cookies," Alaron sat next to them on one of the hills watching the baby dragon lolligag.

This hill had at least some of the green grass left, and the group of humans had decided to move their camp under the Mystic Spires. While some of them had been led by the elves to hunt for some food, others were helping the Fates get more comfortable.

Thanks to the sheets brought down by the Fates, the humans had constructed more tents for the ethereal beings to dwell. The two camps stood side by side in peace. 

All around them, Dragons lingered. Some chose to feast occasionally on meat from the pile of flesh under the Spires. A lot of it was putrid, but not all of it was rotten. 

Most of the dragons, though, sat and waited for another threat to come to Dew Mountain. On this day, there had been only one who had come, and the hoard of flying lizards had been able to chase it off without bloodshed. So now they along with the royals watched Smokey bounce around the landscape. 

The little one would dig in the deepest of the holes, find a little water, drink it, and then take off in a blaze of glory. Most of those looking on seemed amused. 

That is, until Hanna came out of her tent. 

"I have been trying to rest for over an hour. What is going on?" The Fate walked up the hill and peered over at the frolicking baby dragon. 

"Smokey is playing a game..." Alaron thought the answer was obvious.

"Is he drinking more of the water?! Didn't we tell him to stop? Any water found is supposed to be used for helping the Fates heal." Hanna looked indignantly at the little—big—baby with frustration.

"We have dug a well for the Fates. If Edger does not stop his son, I don't see any way that we will be able to..." Alaron's speech trailed off as Hanna marched down the other side of the hill toward Smokey. 

"Listen here, Smokey!" Hanna tried to get the dragon's attention. "You are not supposed to take any more of the water from the ground here. We will get you something to drink from outside Dew Mountain." 

Smokey bounced on the ground and then leapt into the air before landing on his mother. With a nudge, he took off in another direction. Hanna chased after him, determined for him to hear her warning. 

"Don't run away. I know you can understand me! We need you to help keep any reserves we have until we can fix the waterfall. If you drink it just to blow smoke rings, we will all be in trouble. I--" Hanna stopped as Smokey's next haphazard jump landed right next to her. 

She dove away, barely missing his dog-like roll in the grass. With her hands, she grabbed the baby by his nose. The sudden show of force surprised the child.

"Stop!" she screamed. Everything went silent. 

Smokey stared at her wide-eyed, unsure of how much trouble he was in. The Fate spoke her mind in a forceful whisper.

From their perch, Mairwen, Renat and Alaron watched the exchange. 

"What do you think Hanna is saying?" Renat asked.

"She is telling him how disappointed she is." Alaron shrugged. 

"And making sure he knows that he should do better in the future," Mairwen added.

"If that doesn't work she would normally threaten him, but since his is a baby, she will likely bribe him instead." The Guardian laid back with his hands behind his head. 

"That was oddly specific from both of you," Renat looked at the twins with great interest. "How could you possibly know..." 

"Did you hear that?" Mairwen looked around. "I could have sworn I heard someone calling for help." 

"I didn't hear anything," Alaron yawned. "But if you did, it was probably one of the Fates whining about the quality of care they were receiving. A few of them are very particular." 

Mairwen shook her head. "I don't think..." 

Just then, the ground rumbled with Smokey's laughing. The child bounced from the ground and took the skies with a happy squeal. 

Hanna marched back to them with a weary plod. She rubbed her head. 

"What happened?" Mairwen asked the Fate. 

"I told him I would give him a special treat if he stopped drinking the water like a good dragon. He liked that idea very much." Hanna looked aggrieved that she had needed to bargain with a child.

"What treat are you going to give him?" Alaron raised one eyebrow.

"I'll have to ask Edjer what the child likes. But I will come through on my promise, don't you worry." The Fate clicked her tongue softly. 

With the sun hanging low in the sky, the group began to discuss the nightly shift schedule. With the dragon's strength, more things were attacking at night to try and surprise the mighty creatures. 

"I'll take the first watch," Mairwen told them. 

"We will let the soldiers take the watches. You still need your rest." Renat tried not to sound like he was nagging.

"The healer said I should do what I am comfortable with. I am comfortable keeping the first watch. The moon will be out and things will be clear." 

"I think the healer actually said you could do things we are comfortable with. I am not comfortable with you staying out in the chilly air when you still have dizzy spells." Renat tried to reason with the princess, but it was no use. 

"You should listen to him, Mair. He really does have your best interest at heart." Alaron could see his words had also fallen on deaf ears. 

The Princess turned her back on the men and Fate as she crossed her arms. "You all are treating me like a child." She ignored that she was beginning to throw a temper tantrum. "The joke is on you, I already started the first watch and I have already spotted something you haven't." 

The two men exchanged weary glances. 

"That's very good, my love." Renat cooed. "What is it that you have spotted?" 

The man expected her to see a bird in a tree or a falling leaf outside out Dew Mountain. He would praise her, of course, but that would not change that she needed to eat and go to bed soon.

"The Palace White is waving at us," Mairwen said causally. "Should I wave back?" 

"What?!" Alaron, Renat and Hanna all spun around. 

Before them at the top of the Palace White, something was indeed fluttering in the breeze. 

"We should probably go and check that out," the princess shrugged. 

"You can stay here, and we will go and check it out." Alaron gripped his sword as he stood. 

"Over my dead body!" Mairwen scrambled to her feet and began walking to the large white structure. 

It was a short walk, but still exhausting for the princess, so by the time she had reached the stairs, a whole company of men had joined her along with the Guardian, Prince, and Hanna. 

They neared the top of the platform with extreme caution. The fluttering thing was actually a long pole tied with various garments. The strange banner was as curious as it was concerning. 

Mostly because it was sticking up from a crack in the Palace White itself. 

"The platform broke when I brought it down from above," Hanna explained. 

"Someone seems to be inside. Do you think they have been trapped there this whole time?" Alaron wondered what kind of monster might be able to live with no food for so long without any magic. Or maybe he had been using the residual magic under the mountain and had finally run out of food.

"There is only one way to find out," Mairwen chewed her lip. She called out loudly in the Ancient Tongue. "Hello?" 

"Your accent is terrible!" The response came. "Remind me to teach you how to say it properly later." 

"Reyan?" Mairwen blinked. 

"No, it's a stuffed pig. Of course it is me, princess. Now let us out!"