It was getting late, the sun was descending in the west and the sky was alight with beautiful reds and oranges. For one soul none of this mattered, she barely saw the beauty and the only thing the setting sun meant to her was that it would be getting cold soon. Merenwen had been floating through the water for hours and what she cared about most in relation to her current environment was that the waves were choosing to move gently. She was barely managing to hold onto the plank of wood she had grabbed and her body quaked with pain. If the waves had not been moving so smoothly then she would surely have lost her grip and/or be in much more pain. If she didn't come across land soon she would faint and her body would slip into the water anyways. In that case the ocean would become her grave. Just as she was thinking this she saw an island off in the distance and was lucky in that the waves were moving her in that direction. She had somehow managed to keep all of her stuff with her and soon she would be on land.

Her eyes were having a hard time focusing on the island but if they had focused she would have seen immense beauty. The beach was covered in sand that had not been damaged by the vagaries of humans and beyond that trees rose up to meet the sky. As the ground rose spectacular palm trees swayed in the breeze and the island seemed to be its own little paradise.

When her body washed up on shore the impact with the land sent more pain throughout her. She was sure she had some broken ribs and her whole body was bruised. The ship she had been traveling on had been attacked by a Kraken and she had been lucky to get away. The Kraken had caught her in one of its tentacles crushing her and she had frozen the tentacle. When it unfroze she was dropped into the water and managed to grab hold of the plank of wood. The Kraken had become distracted by all the other people who had landed in the water around it and she floated away.

She did not have the powers needed to heal herself and could only hope that someone would find and help her. If someone who wanted to do her harm came along then there would be little she could do to stop it but if no one came then she wasn't sure if she would be able to survive. She forced herself to crawl up the beach to where the trees began and with each pull her body ached more. When she got to the trees she collapsed and within minutes she had passed out.

Arthur had been on the island for a good week now having heard rumors of an Evil Dragon on the island which head had found true for he had slain it about 2 days ago and he was still thinking of what to take from its horde. He walked along the beach toward where the cave of the dead Dragon was and saw a body on the shore and he realized it was a young woman in desperate need of attetntion. HE approached quickly and saw that she was badly heart and he said," This girl is lucky Iam here even if I do only have minor healing capabilities". He put forward his hands and laid them on her back and said," Minor Heal". Soon her body mended at least partially. He said," Well she might be out for an hour I can at least keep minor healing till then I guess I'll take her to the cave". He then lifted her up and began to walk toward the cave whistling a little tune on the way.

Arthano Vemerald stood silently upon a cliff, his yellow eyes gazing out across the sea towards the sun that was slowly but surely slipping beneath the horizon. The sky was turning red like the color of blood and Arthano could almost taste it in his mouth, not because he was a murderer, which he most definitely was not, but because he knew what blood felt like regardless, and had tasted his own due to injury. There was no comfort in his life and he knew it, deciding to come to this island simply because he felt that perhaps he could find a lead here. And yet that had always been what he thought, and he was still lost after all these years.

Arthano sighed softly, looking straight down at the rocks below, water raging around them like a whirlpool of death, waiting for him to leap to his own doom. But he would not die now. He could not die until he had exacted his revenge for what had been done to him and his family. Arthano looked slowly to his left to see the beach, and upon that beach he could see what looked to be a man carrying a woman towards a cave. Arthano coughed a bit, small amounts of blood falling from his mouth to the waters below him. Another soft sigh left his mouth and he began to dash down towards the beach meaning to cut the two off. The fact that he had even made it to the island surprised him simply because of all the creatures that lurked in the waters that surrounded it. He began to wonder if that was what had hurt the girl who looked so helpless in the mans arms as he carried her.

Arthano stopped suddenly in front of the two, staring at the man with intensity as though searching desperately to see if he had red eyes like the one that had ended his world. He didn't, but for all Arthano knew he was lying. Despite that he couldn't make any accusations yet for the sake of the girl. "What are you doing with her?" Arthano spoke coldly, almost as though he felt a sense of urgency to protect the stranger. He already felt that ache to fight, that ache to prolong his lifespan by taking life himself, but why take the life of the innocent when one can take the life of the evil?

Arthur smiled at the man and said," What does it look like Iam taking her somewhere that I can heal her wounds shes badly hurt". He looked the man up and down and said," You don't look to good yourself maybe you should come to I have only minor healing skills but it should help". He looked around and said," Theres a cave up that way its got a nice fire going and some nice fresh dragon meat on the fire I was gona take her there". He laughed a little and said," Now thats weird serving Dragon Meat I gota write that down on strange things I have done". He then said," You wanta help carry her or are you gona stand there like a knot on a log".

Arthano looked at the girl, his gaze falling upon a being of untold beauty. From that alone he felt she had to be an elf, despite the bruises that covered her body. She was very small and looked to be light, so he didn't know why such a man would need help carrying her. He supposed he just wished for Arthano to move out of his way, which he did promptly. Arthano coughed a bit, a few drops of blood dripping from his mouth. He wiped his mouth quickly, trying not to show any signs of weakness in front of the man.

"My pain is not something you can cure." Arthano spoke softly. "Take her were you will. I shall gather the necessary herbs for her injuries." He spoke up, his voice growing just a little louder as he made his point. Arthano then proceeded into the jungle, his eyes searching for the necessary plant life to mash together and put on the elf's bruises. As he moved through the jungle he could only wonder what such a being could be doing on such an island as well as the man who looked anything but normal. Arthano couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he wasn't normal. The cursed man shrugged at his own questions, snatching a few flowers from the ground and stuffing them in a bag without even noticing what he was doing. It was funny how one could do something that was seemingly so important and not pay any mind to it, yet still get the job done just as well.

Even as Arthano moved he could feel his lungs burning. It was an on an off pain that the curse caused, sometimes nothing but a tingle. Other times so painful that Arthano thought his end was coming. But it never did. Arthano always felt something inside of him, some sort of power that pushed it away, some sort of determination inside of him that kept him going. He was pretty sure there was at least one thing that he had control of that had to do with it.

Revenge.

Arthano sighed softly, picking up the last necessary root and heading towards the cave that the mysterious man had indicated.

Arthur got to the cave and laid down the girl nect to fire which was roaring. He sighed and said," well the fire should dry her". He looked at her and now that he did he realized her beauty and couldn't help but feel amazed by it he sighed knowing the immpossibility of a Half-Dragon with such a being. He laughed a little at his naive thought and said," Arthur you need a girl to get your mind of such things". HE laughed again and worked on the fire which had the Dragon Meat on it. HE wondered when the strange man would return he knew there wasn't something right with him but couldn't guess what.

Arthano walked slowly through the underbrush, his gaze darting from place to place in search of danger. It seemed that lately he was in a lack of action and he was almost hoping that some bandits would happen upon him so that Arthano could slay them. He would have to quench this thirst of his eventually, but for now he restrained himself, wondering where this bloodlust came from. He slapped his head as though telling himself that he was an idiot, for it was obvious where it came from.

The curse.

Slowly Arthano approached the cave, finding the fire easy to spot in the darkness. He wondered whether they should move farther down but shrugged off the spot, not really finding himself to be in any real danger. Overconfidence could sometimes be the end of one who had far too much of it, but Arthano didn't care. Even if something did kill him, it would only be ending this lifelong pain. It was almost a win win situation when it came to life and death. Sad... but true.

Arthano sat down and leaned against the cave wall as he grinded herbs together in a small bowl. As they mashed together and combined, they formed a sort of purple cream that smelt rather good. Arthano smiled faintly, closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy it before getting on his knees next to the slumbering elf. Slowly he began to rub the cream over each and every bruise that he could find, not finding himself uncomfortable despite the fact that he was touching a being who could very well kill him as quickly as he could blink.

Why should he care?

Arthur watched the man carefully and said," Forgive me for not introducing myself Iam Arthur Pendragon the Dragon Slayer and if you were wondering what Iam doing on this island well I was hunting an Evil Dragon and all that remains of him is on that fire right there". HE smield and then said," How I got here lets just say some wings flew me here". He laughed a little avoiding the truth of what he was he knew the man probably wouldn't care but he always had to be cautious. He looked at the girl and said," She will be dry and waking soon she may even have a kiss for saving her". He laughed and said," A little music always help the healing process I think I'll play little tune".

He took out his musical instrument and plucked a few cords and began to sing,"

Iam is as fierce and strong as any storm of the mountains! My sword is sharp and can pierce any mail! I can outrun, outsmart, outswim, outclimb, outjump, outkill, outfight, outhunt any man, woman, child, or beast on the face of Arda! I can conquer armies and tear down nations!
The trees shake and the mountians quake as my might makes even the God's tremble in my presence! I go under the name Arthur the Dragonslayer!".

HE then noticed the girl started to move a little and he smield and said," Ha I knew it would work".

Merenwen began to shift as in her mind she was fighting the Kraken all over again. All of a sudden her conscious mind began to take over as she realized she wasn't on the sand anymore. The ground beneath her seemed to be some cold stone yet the air around her was fairly warm and she couldn't feel the any ocean breeze. Her senses kicked into high gear and with them a small amount of fear. Her fear wasn't too great because if whoever had moved her had wanted her dead she would probably be that way already and she thought the person must be helping her as she was in a lot less pain then before. There was still some pain and she didn't think her ribs had fully healed yet but they now felt more fractured then fully broken.

She shifted a little and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was in a huge cave that looked as if it probably belonged to a dragon. The cavern seemed to be nearly thirty feet in height and forty feet in diameter. A short distance away she could see a mountain of treasure and she wondered how many people the dragon had killed to protect his hoard. She wondered why there seemed to be no dragon in residence and what made the person who had found her feel safe in the cave. As she was thinking about this she noticed an interesting smell that was actually very relaxing. She had to take her focus off the smell because it was making her sleepy and she needed to know more before she fell asleep again.

She shifted slightly towards the sound of someone speaking and saw that there were two men in the cave with her. The one closer to her seemed to have used some substance that she thought was probably meant to lessen her pain and help her heal faster. He was very close and she wondered how she hadn't sensed him next to her sooner. She knew her mind was a little slow from the pain but it wasn't good to be caught so unaware. The second man was a little further away and was holding an instrument in his hand. He was near to the fire that she realized was what was keeping her warm and over the fire she saw some meat cooking. She had no idea what kind of meat it was but even though she didn't often eat much meat she thought it looked pretty good in her weakened state.

As everything began to set in she became a little frightened. She had never met either of these men and though they seemed to be kind in helping her she was never comfortable in a situation where she had no control and didn’t know the other people around her. She moved slightly so she could see the men more clearly and said, "Who are you and where exactly are we?" She knew it was rude not to first thank them for their help but she was confused and frightened. She would thank them when she was more comfortable but for now she needed information.

Arthur looked down and put down his instrument and said," Well your awak thats good and as to who Iam, Iam Arthur Pendragon, and we are still on the island in a homey cave". HE looekd at her and said," Try not to move it could worsen your injuries I may be no medic but I know what can cause injury so try not to move dear lady". HE laughed a little and said," You've only been out by near an hour I found you on the beach and this guy right here helped me heal you at least minorly". He smield at her.

Arthano sighed softly as the elf began to awaken, his eyes gazing upon her pointed ears to confirm his suspicion. As she began to wake up he gazed into her beautiful eyes, not surprised that they were such simply because she was an elf. He continued to slowly rub the bruised spots of her body, wondering how such a delicate being could take such punishment and still be conscious this early. But he was not one to complain of such good fortune and was simply glad that he had finished cooking up this little drink of his earlier.

It was obvious that she had hurt her ribs simply from how delicate they seemed, yet he hadn't dared push to hard for fear of her awaking in pain. As she opened her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, he knew the man was wrong about the little 'kiss' part. From his small amount of experience, elves were proud folk who often thought themselves better than humans. Though not all of them showed it, it was obvious that they thought it simply from the way they looked at them. Arthano began to wonder if this elf would be ashamed of being saved by humans, despite the... mysterious characteristics of the two of them.

Arthano smiled a bit, something that he didn't do often. "I am Arthano Vemerald. A... wanderer. And this is Haudhiaur Island... just the place you don't want to wash up on." Arthano smiled faintly. "Now drink... and rest. You need it." He held the cup up to her lips, wondering if she would accept such an invitation.

Merenwen was glad to know their names but she was still a little confused. She had to accept that Arthur was right and she shouldn't move too much as even the small movements she had done thus far had brought much of the pain back. She lay back down on her back as that was the position she was finding to be least painful and knew that she would have to trust these men. That was hard for her to do as she had always had difficulty trusting others. The second man, Arthano, made a comment about this being just the place you don't want to wash up on but in this case she wasn't sure if she could agree. At least she had been found by people who were willing to help her.

When Arthano held a drink up to her lips she was a little hesitant but decided that she would do as he asked. She had to sit up a little again so as not to choke on the drink but was glad to have accepted because the drink seemed to be helping. He seemed to know a lot about plants and how to make mixtures to help in reviving her. After she had taken a drink she lay back again and said, "Thank you, both of you. I am glad that you found me. I am Merenwen." She wasn't sure what else to say and she was still very fatigued. Even with the lessening of pain she knew it would be a while before she was fully healed. She didn't want to sleep yet as she wanted to know more about these two.

Rather then sleep she decided to try to get to know them. There was something different about each of them and they didn't really seem to know each other either. She was also interested to find out why they were both on this island. Though she had many questions she decided to start by saying, "would you mind telling me a little about yourselves? I am very interested to know more about my saviors." She hoped they would be willing to talk. If she wasn't so fatigued she would be willing to tell them more about herself but as it was she felt the need to at least rest.

Arthur smield and said," Gladly". HE said," Well me Iam pretty simple as well Im a Dragon Slayer by Proffession, but Iam also Half-Dragon by birth and some people think my proffession strange, but I only kill Evil Dragons and thats why I was here there was rumor of one here and well the only remains of it sit on that fire". He smiled a little and said," I must say I find it strange for an Elf to wash up on shore here, but my life is strange". He laughed a little. He then laid back and said," Well when your hungry the meats just about ready".

Arthano's smile lingered at the elf drank from the cup. He was glad that she was trusting enough to drink the mysterious liquid, but wondered if he would do the same in her position. When she revealed her name, he said it softly under his breath as though it were a song. "Merenwen..." he spoke so softly that he was sure nobody but the elf, with her keen ears, could hear him. His yellow eyes gazed at the wall across from him as he lost focus for a moment, almost lost in his own little world. He pulled himself out it rather quickly, though not without trouble.

Arthano's smile faded as the elf asked him and Arthur to reveal a bit more about themselves. He sighed, leaning back against the cave wall and giving her some space. He let one leg sit bent upwards while the other lay against the cold rock, his left arm hanging off his arched left leg. He brushed his dark black hair back, strands of hair randomly falling in front of his eyes as though it were determined to stay there.

"I am... just a wanderer. Nothing special. No story to tell." Arthano spoke softly, his voice grave and uncaring as though he himself was useless. And perhaps he was, for his only goal was revenge. How could that benefit anyone but himself? How could his rage benefit even himself? For all he could gain was satisfaction, but possibly he could find a cure for this curse, a way to get rid of it and be free from this eternal pain.

But how?

Arthano wasn't surprised that the elf wanted to know more about the two of them. He was only curious if she was trying to figure out if she could take the two of them on or if they had intentions that were.. less than honorable. He shrugged at his own thoughts, his gaze falling to the rock below him. A tear of blood slowly began to streak from his right eye, for occasionally... Arthano cried tears of sorrow, tears of death, tears... of chaos.

Merenwen saw the smile fade from Arthano's face and wondered if he was bothered by her wanting to know more about them. She had an insatiable curiosity that she was always trying to sate but the question could have been taken wrong. As she was thinking about that she heard Arthur responding to her. She had to agree that it was a little odd for a half-dragon to be a dragon slayer but was glad to know that the dragon wouldn't be returning to kill them.

Before she had a chance to answer she heard Arthano speaking and she turned her head in the direction he had moved. She thought there was probably more to his story but she understood the need to keep things to yourself and so did not bother him about it. She noticed what looked like blood running like a tear down his face and this brought her curiosity up higher but she chose not to comment on it as she was beginning to realize that this was a man who liked to keep things to himself.

They had both fallen quiet and she remembered that Arthur had mentioned that the meat was almost ready. She hoped she wouldn't be left with only meat to eat for too long but she wasn't going to complain. The half-dragon was helping her and she was glad that they were both being so kind. She looked back at him and said, "If the meat is ready then I would be very grateful for a small piece of it. It is going to take me a while to completely heal and food is essential to healing."

She turn her head a little again so that she could see both of them and said, "Maybe after we have all eaten a little I can tell you a little about myself as you were both kind enough to do so for me. It seems that between the two of you I am already feeling much better then when I washed up on the beach. Even so I'm not sure how much I will be able to tell before my fatigue catches up with me but it is only fair that I share some about myself as both of you have done."

Arthur smield a little and said," Don't wear yourself out talking it slows down the process of ehaling but if you must you must". He took out a small knife that he had found here on the island and planned to leave here when he left, HE cut 4 peices of meat off and put them in coconout bowls that he had made for only temporary use. He then whislted and soon there was a loud screech and a beutiful eagle flew in and dropped by one of the bowls and Arthur said," Im sorry I don't have any betetr bwols but I have to make do with what I can find in the wild, oh and this is my friend Mandrab say hi Mandrab". The Eagle looked up and gave a screech and went to the Dragon Meat.

Arthano continued to stare blankly at the rock below him, rubbing his right hand against it and picking up many specks of dirt as he did so. He could feel a sort of darkness growing inside of him, a sort of evil, corruption, that wasn't... natural... and he didn't know where it had come from. The natural assumption was that it was the curse, and the fact that he had felt just a hint of this for many years now seemed to confirm it. He sighed at his own thoughts, wondering whether he was just going insane... or if he had already gone insane and just didn't know it.

Looking up a little bit, Arthano saw that Arthur had a pet bird as well that had come to feed from the meat. He suddenly lost what little appetite he had and looked back down at the ground, wondering why the man was so... nice. It seemed odd that a dragon hunter would be such a likable guy. One might think that he had gone through many harsh trials but Arthur just continued to move along as though he had not a problem in the world.

Turning his gaze so that he could gaze upon Merenwen, Arthano was actually surprised to find that elves ate meat. He figured that they were far too in touch with animals to actually eat them, but perhaps he was wrong. After all, he didn't have much experience with the elven race. Arthano coughed a bit, wiping the blood from his lips and reaching into one of his pouches. He pulled out some bread that he used for long journeys and began to plop it into his mouth, breaking off small pieces and eating without much of a mess, his mind still concentrated on another place.

He was beginning to wonder why he was still here.

Merenwen watched the eagle fly in and thought that it was a beautiful creature. Arthur had mentioned that the meat was ready and so she had sat up, though very unsteadily. It hurt for her to sit up but trying to eat while lying down would only cause her to choke and she knew she would need to eat a little.

She took the bowl that was offered to her and knew that she wouldn't eat all he had given her. Being an elf she didn't tend to eat a lot and most of what she ate was either plants or bread. Meat was something that she would eat once in a while but she would rather other kinds of food in most cases. She was looking at the meat and knew that she would eat a small amount because she needed food to regain her strength but she wished there was something else for her to eat. On the other hand, these men were being nice to help her and she wasn't going to complain.

As she took a small bite of the meat she noticed that Arthano's mind seemed to be in another place altogether. It looked as if he didn't plan on eating any of the meat and she noticed that he was actually munching on some kind of bread. A part of her wanted to ask if he had more that she could maybe have but she didn't, it would have been rude and she couldn't bring herself to ask him. When she was healed to an extent that she could go out she would find plants and berries to eat but until then she would accept what was given to her.

She took a few small bites of the meat and then set the bowl aside. The pain was increasing again so she laid back to relieve the pressure on her ribs. When she was back in a position that relieved the pressure she decided to tell them a little about herself.

She started by saying, "I will only tell you a little now as I am beginning to get tired again but I feel that you deserve to know at least a little about me since you have both been so kind as to help me. I have the last couple of years traveling, wandering across the lands and seeing what there is outside of my home. It may seem odd for me to be adventurous as it is not that common of elves but I felt like the world was calling to my heart and telling me to explore."

She paused as she decided on what else to share with them at this time. She thought that what they probably wondered most was how she came to be in the situation she was now in so she decided to tell them a small amount about what had happened.

"The reason I am here and injured so badly is that I was on a ship headed to the desert and it was set upon by a Kraken. The Kraken managed to catch me in one of its tentacles and tightened its grip which cause me a great deal of injury. I managed to freeze the tentacle and get away floating on a piece of wood from the ship. The waves carried me to this island and now I have the two of you to thank for coming to my rescue," she said.

Talking had taken most of her energy and she was now very close to falling asleep. She wasn't likely to sleep very long but she needed to at least rest. She looked at both of them and said, "If you want to know more at some point then I will tell you more but for now I'm afraid I need to take some time to sleep. Thank you for the food and I will talk to you both again when I awake. She settled herself as comfortably as she could and prepared to sleep.

Arthur smield and replied," Sleep Miss you don,t need to tire yourself out it slows the healing process". HE sighed and looked at Arthano and then went back to the Dragon meat chewing thoughtfully wondering on the prospects of what could now happen with htese new people. HE laughed at some of his thoughts and asked Arthano," May I ask why were you here in the first place I can understand the girl but you Im having a hard time". He smiled and then said," I hope you don,t mind me asking that".

Arthano continued to look at the ground, his hand reaching out to grasp a small rock and begin to play with it a bit. He tossed it up and down a few times, spinning it in mid air with his nimble fingers as the half dragon talked to him. He was beginning to get annoyed just by the mans voice and felt the urge to sleep come upon him. He sighed softly, wiping his mouth as a few drops of blood leaked from it.

"Why I am here is of none of your concern. Be satisfied that i am here to search for something and that is that." Arthano spoke coldly before laying down upon the hard surface of the cave floor and making himself as comfortable as possible, even though that was next to impossible. He coughed a bit, wiping his mouth once more before he felt a wave of drowsiness hit him.

"Now.. i sleep." He spoke softly, his eyes closing without much soft, one hand resting on his sword, the other on his stomach as though he were ready for battle even in sleep. It was a sad thing to see one so protective of everything. Of their life, of what they had been doing, of their family, but Arthano had to be secretive. Everything about him had to be unknown to all but the most trusted of his allies. And the fact of the matter was...

He didn't have any allies.

Arthur sighed and said," I guess I shall stand watch nothing better to do". HE sighed and looked about the cave but said nothing. HE then began to play his musical instrument in a soothing melody that would put anybody to sleep. HE sighed as he played wtaching the others sleep. He laughed an thought," What can come of such people what do we all amount to in the end". HE chuckeld sliently and continued his melody.

Merenwen had fallen asleep but in her sleep nightmares came to her. It began with her on the ship and was the same up to the point where she froze the Kraken's tentacle. In her dream the tentacle would not freeze. The Kraken pulled her under water and continued to tighten his tentacle around her. She could feel her ribs breaking and piercing into her organs but for some reason she didn't pass out. She was also beginning to suffocate and just when she thought all hope was lost she jolted out of the dream.

There was no scream because in her dream she hadn't been able to get any air but there was a gasp and she sat up quickly. She was shivering but not so much out of cold as out of the remnants of her dream. She had been told before that all dreams have a meaning behind them and hoped that it wasn't true. She didn't know what the dream would be said to mean but she didn't think it could be anything good.

As her body started to relax she looked around. She noticed that Arthano was sleeping and Arthur seemed to be standing lookout. She slowly sat up and found that though there was still some pain it was greatly lessened from everything they had done. She also realized that she was a little hungry but she didn't really want any more dragon meat. She was craving the fruits that this island held but thought to herself that she was unlikely to get any until she was healed more then she was now.

She didn't think she would be able to go to sleep again for a while and didn't want to risk falling into the nightmare again so she looked over to Arthur. She wasn't sure what to say but thought it might be nice to hear the story of how he had killed the dragon that had resided into this cave. He had mentioned doing so but never really shared any details. With that thought she said, "Arthur, would you mind telling me the story of your fight with this dragon? I don't think I can fall back asleep just now as I had a nightmare that I don't wish to return to just yet but I love to hear of other's adventures." She didn't want to tell him what had happened in her nightmare as she didn't fully understand the meaning herself so she hoped he wouldn't ask her to speak of it.

Arthur smiled and said," That is actually an interesting story to hear". HE then said," It going to take awhile so no interuptions". HE then said," I came to the island about 5 days ago I can fly so I had no need of a ship so, I had heard rumours of an Evil Dragon Residing here and being the way Iam I came here to see if they were true. For three days I searched the island until I found what I was looking for its treasure hoard as their were loads of treasure in here and lots of dragon presents if you get my meaning of littered bones and stuff. Well I knew he would be back soon so I went outside the cave and waited in the woods nearby. It wasn't long till this big black dragon came in with its kill for the day it also brought in some more treasure and so I figured it must have killed more than something for food. Well knowing Dragonsong I waited till the dragon had set its kill and new treasure down and began to sing Dragon Song to identify its nature and sure enough it sang back evil. Its the only way I can really tell besides goign up and asking it which isn't to smart. So knowing this I challenged it to a Death Match, Mono e Mono, Half-Dragon Dragon Slayer, To Evil Dragon. AT first I did not Transform but fought him in my regular state. The fight was long and grueling me dodging his tail and feiry breath getting a few close shaves from his talons.HE doing the same with my sword. Well finally the Dragon got tired of me and cheated well by blinding me with sand he had kicked up in the fight. The Dragon held me down about ready to eat me. When again I sang Dragon Song this time peircing his Ears with painful noise allowign me to escape his grasp. It was then I transformed into my Dragon state in which I grow 4 feet taller and gain about 200 pounds. THat was when the real fight started two Dragons colliding in an epic battle. At first we were guite equal until I had had enough of a warm up and gained the upperhand. Well I blew my BReath Weapon at him knocking him back I then procceded to kill him by Driving my sword into his evil heart. The dragon then died speaking curses of revenge upon me. Once he was dead I cut off his head and hide and hung them out to try so I could mount them or sell them. I then began to eat my kill as thats what dragons do when they kill an evil dragon is eat it to gain its knowledge. I didn't have to worry about the Curses though being Half-Dragon I was taught counter curses by my father so as the curse wouldn't affect me. Then I stayed here a couple days eating the Dragon meat and wondering what to with its Horde. Thats when I found you and here we are.". He then finished his tale and then said," So are you feelign any better".

Arthano drifted off into the world of sleep where his defenses were that of marsh mellows and his mind was covered in darkness, for the curse slowly took a hold of him more and more every day. With every thought he wanted to feel somebodies blood, whether it was his own or another's. And yet he held back these feelings, these soft desires for deaths. He ignored the whispers in his ears that told him to kill the half dragon and the elf, and even when they came to him in his sleep, trying to brain wash him so that he would kill them withuot even knowing, Arthano didn't give in, his subconscious strong enough to resist the darkness.

But how long could one resist darkness that was in constant pursuit of their heart? How long could a heart resist the shadows that attacked at every angle, with every opportunity they had? It was a never ending battle that could only end with his death and rebirth as a demon, or simply with his death. One way or another, Arthano was going to change. He was going to go somewhere that he would have never expected to go, and it was all because of some evil that had corrupted him, some darkness caused by chaos that had changed him into this beast.

There lay Arthano on the hard rock ground, with no blanket but his cloak, his face only showing peace yet the inside of his body in turmoil, a turmoil that could end his life right there. He fought it with everything he had and more, and slowly he awoken, only to hear the story of Arthur Pendragon and how he had killed a dragon. Though it was a mostly uninteresting story, it at least kept him awake, away from the shadows of his own mind, and sometimes that was good enough.

Merenwen had to roll her eyes a little when he told her not to interrupt while he told her the story. She had asked to hear it and wasn't planning to interrupt unless she had a really good reason to. She made herself as comfortable as she could and waited to hear the story. She hoped it would be as interesting as he believed it to be and that it would clear her mind of the last remnants of her nightmare.

As he told the story she tried to picture everything that happened in her head. She had always been fairly talented at picturing events in her mind. She found it interesting that he had chosen not to turn into his dragon form earlier in the fight but decided not to worry this too much. She was glad that he had been able to do so and had not been eaten because if he had been eaten then there was a chance that she would still be laying on the beach.

It sounded like the dragon had been fairly powerful, though not as powerful as some that she had been told about in her childhood. She also wondered what Arthur's breath weapon was because she knew that different dragons had different breath weapons and he had not mentioned what his was. She also hadn't realized that a half-dragon would actually be able to handle a sword when in dragon form. She had thought that being in dragon form would take away any ability in weapons use but obviously she had been wrong.

When he finished telling the story she was thinking heavily about everything he had said. She was jolted out of her thoughts when he asked if she was feeling better and she looked at him again. "That was an interesting story and I actually learned something from it. I am feeling better, though I still have some pain coursing through me. Thanks again for helping me, I had feared that no one would find me and I'm not sure if I would have survived on my own," she said.

At this point she glanced back at Arthano as she owed him as well. She couldn't tell for sure but it almost seemed like he wasn't sleeping anymore. She decided not to bother him in case she was wrong but wondered if his sleep had been any better then hers. She had noticed earlier that something seemed to be disturbing him in his sleep and wondered what it was.

She sighed, she doubted he would tell her what was bothering him, and turned her thoughts once again to how nice it would be to have some fruit to eat. She also found that she was a little thirsty and felt that this was something she shouldn't wait to deal with. She looked back to Arthur and said, "You wouldn't by chance have any water would you. I'm afraid I don't have any and I'm feeling a little thirsty."

Arthur smield a little and said," Thats what I am here for to make peopel learn". HE sighed and said," Water I should have some around here somewhere". HE jumpled around a little till he found a canteen and said," Here ya go it may taste a little minerally but mineals are good for ya". He smiled and said," Now that I think of it I think I'll take that Studded LEather Armor over there along with a belt and some boots as my old ones are worn". HE smiled and thought of himself in all that and chuckled and then said," Yeah thats what I'll do yall can take whatever ya want I don't really care I don't need mutch of the stuff in here".

Arthano listened to the words of the elf, smirking at the fact that she was once again requesting the help of another. If it were him, he probably would have been gone by now, but perhaps thats what separated him from everyone else. The fact that he was going to die alone, in the shadows of chaos, in the flames that consumed people without a thought, and she would live forever, for even if in death she would most likely ascend to a higher plane, somewhere Arthano would never meet. But why was he doomed to such a fate when he wished to fight against those whom had caused him so much pain?
Because, he could never be forgiven for what he had done.

Arthano slowly got to his feet, walking towards the mouth of the cave. "I'm going to get my own food." Arthano whispered even though his voice seemed to reach the ears of both of them. He could already feel himself transforming, his body losing everything that was human about it, for now he felt somewhat superhuman, as though he would soon become what he knew he shouldn't be.

Walking through the forest, Arthano didn't dare draw his sword, fearing that he may scare off the deer that he hunted. His feet were silent against the soft grass, for any crackle that he happened to make would be heard and he knew it. And so when his yellow eyes finally gazed upon his prey, he slowly drew his katana, making sure not to make a single sound. When he had finally moved up far enough, he threw it, watching as the blade flipped through the air before finally reaching the hide of the animal. It inserted itself into the deer's flesh with a sickening crackle, and yet even as Arthano felt its life slipping from it, flowing across the ground to become one with nature, he could only smile upon the death that he had inflicted.

Slowly he dragged the deer back to the cave, finding his own corner away from the other two and building a fire large enough to cook it. He then proceeded to cut the deer up, separating that which was edible from that which was not.

Merenwen took the water and hoped that she would be fully healed soon. She hated to be stuck depending on others but didn't think she would be much longer. She could feel that some of her power had returned from the rest she had taken and thought that the use of her spell should manage to almost fully heal her the rest of the way. When Arthur told her that she could take whatever she wanted from the treasure she thought that once she had cast the spell she would begin to look around. She felt a little odd about taking anything but if she could find some nice armor she might just take it.

As she was thinking about this she noticed Arthano getting up. He made a comment about going to get food and with that he walked out of the cave. When he was gone it was silent again and she prepared to use her spell. She cast it and found that very little pain was left in her body. She was still a little sore and hurt but felt like she would be able to move around more.

She got up slowly and headed toward where all of the dragons hoard lay. When she reached it she looked for a nice set of armor but before she found that she came across a nice pair of gloves. They looked like the climbing gloves that she had heard about and though she was good at climbing she decided that she would take them as they would make the task easier. After she had picked them up she noticed a glow coming from just under where they had been. It looked like some kind of metal and she thought it might be just what she was looking for.

She moved everything off from on top of it and found that it was in fact a very nice set of armor. She couldn't be sure but thought that it may have been Cantrum's, and if that was true then it would do a great deal to make her life easier. It would not only protect her but would also give her the ability to change her form while still wearing armor. She decided not to say too much about it and picked it up. She took it and the gloves back with her to the spot she had been resting in and saw Arthano walk back in.

He was carrying a deer and he went to a corner far away from her. He began preparing the meat and she thought about her own returning hunger. Since she was feeling okay she decided that she would go out and collect some fruit. She stood up again and said, "Thank you for allowing me to take some of the treasure Arthur. I think the only things I will be taking is this set of armor and gloves as long as that is okay." She paused and then said, "I'm thinking I will go out and gather some fruit, I'll leave my stuff here as I don't want to carry any extra weight." She waited for his response and wondered how long she would stay in the company of these two.

Arthur smield and said," Yake what you please its mine to give I don't neeed it anyway I have no use for sutch trinkets except for that studded armor thats all". HE smield ans aid," Go get some food then as for em I'll finish the Dragon Meat". HE got p and went over to the pyle and picked up the LEather armor and slipped it over his shirt and wehn he looked at him self in a stream in the cave he looekd very intimadating and he laughed. HE then cut some of the Dragon meat and said to Arthano," You'll need fire for that you can use mine if you like of course the juices of Dragons MEat and Deer meat will mix in and make a finer meal". He smield a little and said," I wonder what it is like to face sutch a monster as a Kraken maybe I will ask her when she gets back because thsoe things are supposedly as formidable as Dragons".

When Arthur had responded Merenwen stepped out of the cave. She wasn't in any hurry as she didn't expect to be attacked and she wanted to see more of the beauty of the island. She could see some berry bushes and banana trees grew up over them. She decided that she would start by climbing one of the banana trees and realized that she should have brought her new gloves with her. It would have made things easier but she thought she would be okay with out.

She found one of the trees that seemed to have a lot of branches that she could use to climb and made her way up. She got fairly close to the top and then stopped to look up into the sky. The stars were twinkling like they were telling stories to one another and laughing at what each had to say. She looked out and saw the beach where she had washed up a short distance away. She looked all around from her perch and saw that this island was lush with vegetation. The light of the moon gave her something to see by and the greens of the trees melded together.

As she sat looking about she heard the coo of an owl in a tree near to her and the movement of wildlife on the ground below. She was at peace looking over this land and was able to forget about the pain that was still throbbing dully within her. She brought herself back to the task at hand and picked a few bananas that were in her reach. She didn't want to pick more then she would eat over the course of the next couple days because she hated waste and knew that the animals of this island likely ate them as well.

After picking the banana's she climbed down slowly and looked back at the berry bushes. She decided to pick a small amount of berries to go with the bananas and when she had done so she headed back to the cave. She had been gone longer then she had meant to be do to losing herself in the islands beauty but wasn't worried about it. She walked slowly back into the cave and went back to where her stuff was sitting. As she sat down she carefully laid the fruit out and decided that she would start with a banana. She peeled it and ate it slowly as she thought about what she would do after tonight.

Arthano sigh softly as the meat cooked over the fire he had made for himself. "I'm fine Arthur. Thank you for the offer." Arthano spoke softly, his meat impaled on a stick and roasting. The smell of hot meat was overwhelming for it had been many hungry nights since he had eaten a cooked meal. One simply didn't have the time to make a good meal when they moved about as Arthano did.

Arthano took a big whiff of the meat as it sizzled over the fire. When he felt it was ready, he let it cool for a while before beginning to eat it, almost as though he were ravenous. He didn't know where this sudden rush of hunger came from, but he devoured a large portion of meat that he otherwise might not have been able to consume, especially as quickly as he did it. When he was finally finished, he felt as though he would be full for the rest of his life.

And that sad part was that could have very well been true.

"I am going to sleep until the morning. Once that comes we can go our separate ways." Arthano spoke without emotion, laying down once more as he attempted to revisit his dream world without all of the pain that it normally brought. Slowly he began to feel more and more comfortable, and as the idea of the sun shining upon him with all of its glory came to the forefront of his mind, he drifted off into the clouds.

Arthur shook his head in understanding and said," Then I hope you fare well in your ventures and may what ever it is you seek I hope you find it". He sighed and took a bite out of the dragon meat and looked at Merewen and said," So whats your pla hmmm you leaving tommrow to". HE smiled a llittle and said," If you need a lift off the island I'd be glad to oblige Iam big enough in Dragon form to carry two people". He laughed a little and took another bite savoring the taste.

When Arthano made a comment about separating in the morning Merenwen wondered if she had done something to upset him. She didn't mind separating as she had never been bothered by being on her own but she hoped she hadn't done anything to upset him. She watched as he went to sleep and thought about everything that had happened.

As she was thinking she heard Arthur speaking. She had to drag her mind out o the past so that she would catch what he had to say. When he asked what her plan was she began to think about it again. She really didn't know what she would do and her wants were pulling her apart. There was a large part of her that wanted to spend some time exploring the island but another part of her reminded her of where she had been heading. She could put off going to the desert and explore the island or she could get back to the mainland and continue with her previous plan.

She thought it was nice of him to offer her a ride off of the island but it was another thing she would have to think about. She was grateful to him for his help but she wasn't sure if she would be comfortable riding on his back. For now she said, "I haven't really decided yet what I will do. Thank you for the offer and I will think about it but first I need to decide what I want to do. For now I think I am going to sleep a little more. Though I feel better I am still a little fatigued." She set her fruit aside and laid back down on the ground. She had thought it would take her a long time before sleep would come but within minutes she had managed to fall into a light sleep.

Arthur shook his head in understanding and started to gaze into the cave wall thinking of what he would do himslef he had to leave but when he could lleave tommrow but as he htought he noticed the others fast asleep. HE sighed and said," Arthur just rest for once in your life just rest". WIth that he started to hum a little tune his mother use to sing to him when he couldn't sleep. Soon he was in a deep peacefull sleep full of adventure and glory. As he slept a smiel crept on his face and one knew everything was right with the world.

Merenwen was sleeping and this time a happy dream was running through her head. She was picturing herself as a child running through the forest with her best friend Fëanáro. It was early one spring morning and the sun was shining through the trees. Beautiful flowers were blooming and the air smelled rich with the spring breeze and freshness. The two had run off when they were supposed to be practicing their spells because it was such a nice day and they hated to waste it.

They climbed up into one of the trees and looked out across the forest. Just then they heard Nessa calling out to them from below. Merenwen teased Fëanáro because she knew that he liked Nessa. She glanced down and saw Nessa walking under where they sat and decided to jump down. She landed behind Nessa and said, "Did you come out to play with us?"

Nessa turned and said, "You left me at our lessons, I want to get away as well." This surprised Merenwen as normally Nessa hated the idea of running out on her lessons. As she thought about it she realized that Nessa must like Fëanáro as much as he liked her. She wasn't going to say anything to give either of them away as it was something she felt they should figure out on their own so instead she looked up and smiled at Fëanáro.

She gave a big grin and said, "Okay, let’s play hide and seek. Fëanáro, your it first." With this she ran off to find a spot to hide. She thought that if she ran off first they might actually talk to each other but in the end they didn't tell each other how they felt. She found this out later in the day but as for the dream, this was the spot in which it faded out.

As Merenwen woke she thought about the dream and wondered if it was a sign that the two had finally told one another. She knew that the dream could have been just her reliving a happy time but somehow it felt like it meant something more. She sat up and glanced at the entrance to the cave. The sun was rising and the world was coming alive. She saw that the others were still asleep and decided that she would eat some of the fruit she had picked last night and wait for them to wake up. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do but thought that it might be very nice to explore the island instead of leaving right away.