felt the warm sun on my face and my eyes fluttered open. I yawned and wiped them, stretching my arms out to their fullest extent. I dipped my hands into a bowl of clear, sparkling water and drank from the pool in my palms. It was cool and sweet and refreshing and woke my inner spirit up- I could feel its presence humming softly in my chest. My long, chestnut-coloured hair looked sleek and shiny as I ran my fingers through it, breathing slowly and calmly.

'Erm- Misses?' Came a sound, followed by a little tap at my oaken door.
'Enter!' Rang my singsong voice, which had frequently been compared with birdsong. A small figure opened the door and waited hesitantly in its wake.
'Yes? What is it?' I asked pleasantly, smiling. The little guy looked nervous, and was shifting from foot to foot. He had a bark scroll in his hands and was twisting it anxiously. Suddenly I realised that his tiny size was due to his age-, which was about six centuries or so. Why had a mere child been sent to me? Why did he look so apprehensive?
'Are you ok? What's the matter?' The little elf began to talk, but his words stumbled and slurred. 'What? What was that? Please- if it's important you must tell me!' Finally, the young elf took a deep breath and began to talk.
'You father sent me- he wishes to see you.' He paused. 'Our Dragon egg has been stolen.'

All of the Eleven Council had been called to the centre of the tree. It was a vast room, with ornate furniture and a lush, leafy carpet. Plenty big enough for at least five hundred elves- a thousand if we squeezed together tightly. However, there was only roughly about six hundred then- and everyone could freely shuffle about. I was standing next to the throne, where my father was sitting uneasily, tapping his fingers together, waiting for silence. But silence didn't come- so he stood up and cleared his throat, clapping his hands together loudly. Eventually, the noise stilled as if a blanket had smothered them.

'Friends, Councillors, Citizens, we have terrible news.' He began and instantly a bee's drone of talk returned. 'One of our most sacred possessions have been stolen.' Once again, the noise dimmed. The air felt tense- electrified- the hairs on the back of my neck began to raise like the hackles of an angry cat. 'Our Dragon egg.' My father's voice cracked, and I knew it was breaking his heart to talk about it. For it was he who had found the egg in the first place. That diamond-hard sphere had earned him his Knight-Ship and, later, his King-Ship. And now it was gone- almost as if someone had taken a chunk of him away. I rested my hand on his shoulder, but his tense muscles made me pull away again. I found I was trembling. My father took a deep breath and continued.

'That Dragon egg was the symbol of trust- of love and peace and serenity and everything that is good. Now that egg is gone, our luck will surely fade. And although that egg has not hatched in all that years we have had it, it has seemed like a living creature to us. Glowing brightly on the darkest of nights. Warming all those who touched it. Giving luck to all who needed it. Whole armies have placed their hands on it before going to battle- and have never lost. Families praying that a lost one would come back, brushed their hands against it and their returned. Plants more beautiful than anything we have ever seen before blossomed around it all year round. Now. It is gone- and those plants have long since withered. Our warmth is gone. Our light is no more. Our hearts ache from its loss, so we must do the brave and honourable thing. We must retrieve it. Of course, not all of us can go- only a select few. Brave warriors who will serve their King and their People to the fullest extent. People who will risk their lives to return our sacred charm. People strong of heart, and of mind- someone who will face any danger head on and come battling through courageous- the egg in their gauntleted hands! Now! Who wishes to join this great and noble quest?'

Magic words. Everyone's hands shot up. I watched the eager faces of the young and the old. The knights and the mages. The strong and the weak. All of them willing to serve my father. Find the egg. Save the peace. My heart ached to join them. My hand trembled- willing me to put it up. But I commanded it to stop. The wind found its way through a half-open window. It blew around me, whispering, whispering. I closed my eyes, listening. Listening.

'Go. Find the egg.' It said, blowing my hair and whipping around my ears. I breathed deeply. 'Go. Goooooooo.' I opened my eyes. The wind dropped gone. I raised my hand.

'Father, please. Let me go.' Everyone turned to look at me. My father. The three people he'd picked already. The crowd. Everyone.
'What?' My father said quietly. I swallowed nervously.
'Let me go- with them I mean.' I repeated quietly, the crowd gasped.
'Princess Aria? Accompanying those three? Never!"
'It's impossible!'
'Crazy!'
'Insane!'
'What? What'd I miss?' This last comment was from a councillor who had been fast asleep and had only just awoken due to the noise.
'Please father, please let me go. I will retrieve the egg. Please- it calls to me!' My father's face was blank, stony. Emotionless.
'Please.' I thought silently. 'Please let me go.' My father closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. I was about to touch him when he spoke.
'Everyone, lower your hands.' He breathed deeply, uncertainly. 'The fourth person in the party has been chosen.'
'Princess Aria? Princess Aria? Princess Aria!' Someone knocked loudly on my door. I awoke with a start and jumped. Hurriedly, I draped myself in the elf's equivalent of a dressing gown and opened the door.
'Hello? Yes? What is it?' One of the chosen ones was standing at my door- he was a mage, with long, flowing, green robes and a little hazelnut wand tucked in his belt. Instantly, the alarm bells in my head began to ring- he looked too snooty, too. Snobbish for me to trust. He looked at me disdainfully- how dare he?! He had no right!

'What is it?' I snapped, far too grumpy for pleasantries. He just sighed. 'We're all waiting for you in the centre room.' He yawned, sounding bored. 'We've been ready for hours- you'd better not sleep like this when we set off! Otherwise we'll just leave you behind!' I was right, far too stuck-up. I frowned at him and scowled, tapping my foot on the floor.
'Give me a minute.' I growled, slamming the door on his face and pulling some clothes out of my drawers. I quickly dressed myself and then picked up a leather rucksack. I began filling it with a few clothes, a water bottle, my good luck charm- a seashell- and a map. On second thoughts, I also picked up my wand and my ornate dagger, slipped them into a velvet bag and then placed them in the rucksack. I picked it up and heaved it onto my shoulders. Surprisingly, it wasn't very heavy at all. Possibly some elf magic had been rubbed into the animal hide to make it tough, endurable and as light as a feather.

Now, equipped, ready and with my heart full of joy, wonder and excitement, I once again opened the door. The rude mage was no longer there- but I guessed he'd be in the centre room, so I headed off down the corridor that lead there. Torches were, of course, hazards in trees- so we captured fireflies and put them in jars- hanging them on the walls to light up the corridors with a green, glowing light. When the egg had been here, the fireflies had glowed at their brightest- but its disappearance seemed to have had an effect on the flies, for now their glow was not much brighter than darkness. Keeping my eyes open, I travelled along the quiet, twisting passageways and corridors- not meeting a soul on my way. Either they were all asleep or gathered in the centre room. Waiting. For me. I increased my pace and began to jog along. Left, right, another right, left again, right. Finally I was there. I pushed open the great doors with some difficulty- for trolls, and large ones at that, had built them. Pushing them open was like asking a ridiculously weak human to budge an elephant. But, somehow, I managed it and was soon standing in the company of my father and my three companions.

'We're certainly going to be an odd group.' I thought, looking at my escorts thoughtfully. For along with the mage there was a knight- dressed in typical redwood bark armour with a glittering sword incrusted with jewels hanging in a scabbard on his side- and a mysteriously small, hooded figure, whose face I couldn't make out.

'Ah! Aria! There you are! Where've you been? We've been awake since dawn!' My father cried, stepping closer to me. 'Have you met you're companions yet? No. I don't suppose you have. Well- this,' He said, indicating the mage. 'Is Ramelan- an able wizard, highly trained, first-class magic user- studied at the Elven University for seven years, so I think he just might know what he's doing. And this is Sir Ryder,' He smiled at the knight. 'Fresh out of the Academy, he is. Strong, brave, loyal and true. No magic whatsoever but has more talent with his sword than dragons have with fire. I'm sure he'll keep you all protected. And lastly.' He hesitated. 'We have Nanooka.' The smallest figure pulled its hood down and I barely restrained myself from gasping. It was a female ice faerie, the rarest of all faeries. I had only seen pictures of them in books- but now, standing, face-to-face with her, I felt my heart tremble with anticipation and wonder. She had long, quivering ears and downy, pale, ice blue fur. Her long, whiplash tail had elongated fur at the tips that stood out like icicles- brilliant for defence, though they never used them. For ice faeries were peace-loving creatures and saw no need in violence. Instead, they had specially developed psychic abilities such as levitation, mind reading and thought-speak. Their long, spiky tails were only used for clearing ice drifts out of the way- and had never been tipped with blood. Her eyes were fairly large, for long, dark arctic nights- and were such a deep, penetrating blue filled with such knowing, wise sadness that my heart ached whenever I looked into them. She removed her cloak and allowed me to see her beautiful wings. They were like paper-thin sheets of blue glass. Delicate, shimmering and sparkling like the sun on the sea. I smiled at her and she looked up at me, her big eyes staring into mine.

~Hello Aria.~ Her quiet thought-speak voice rang out, clear in my head. Even though it wasn't a true sound as such- it ringed with sadness and worry, the two feelings that these delicate creatures held in their hearts all through theirs lives. For, though their mind-reading capabilities were a gift- they were also a great curse, for they could not turn off their abilities, and only had to look at someone to begin searching through their thoughts, sifting through their memories. And when they hit the most awful memories, they stuck- never to leave them until they died. I felt instant pity for her, and wanted to pick her up and hold her close in my arms. I wanted to enfold her with love and peace and relieve her head from all of the terribly thoughts of others.

'Hello, Nanooka.' I replied to her greeting, and held out a hand to her. She placed her paw in mine and we shook, instant friendship blossoming between our fingertips. Ramelan scowled and tapped the floor impatiently, folding his arms and growling. I frowned at him and stood up straight, for I had had to bend to shake hands with Nanooka, and looked at my father.

'Are we ready to go?' I asked quietly. My father looked at the others.
'I've been ready for hours!' Grumbled Ramelan.
'Ready, and willing to go.' Ryder smiled, touching his great sword with anticipation.
~I am ready.~ Nanooka's ears trembled as she spoke- they were listening for everything, every thought in the room.
'Good, everybody is ready. I suppose it is time.' My father sighed and we all walked towards the staircase that led to the ground. I was a little excited- for I had never been on the ground, as my whole life had been led up in the tall canopies of the tree. I placed my hand on the wooden railing, took a deep breath, and began the long descent down the tree.

The sights! The sounds! The smells! I was bombarded with a whole new range of feelings that I didn't even know existed. The trickling of the stream. The cawing of the birds. The scents of the beautiful flowers. I was overwhelmed- it was so wonderful that I could nearly cry.

~I am sensing that you have never left your treetop home?~ I nodded, still spinning slowly around, still gaping at all of the wonders of the ground. The ice faerie came closer to me and smiled, a rare thing.
~It is a pleasure to me too- your highness.~ She said, fastening her robes around her and putting up the hood. ~For out in the arctic, there are no such things as trees- these things called 'plants' are not in our vocabulary, animals as bright and vibrant as these birds high above us are mere figments of our imagination back home. And the heat! Oh, I would gladly bathe in this heat! It is so warm and caressing that the word cold has become insignificant.~ She paused, and a paw delved into her hood. When it came out a crystal dewdrop of water was hanging onto her blue fur- she was crying.
~Yes, Aria, I am crying.~ The faerie thought quietly, drying her paw on her black robes. ~For this land is so different from my own- so beautiful with all of its greens and its browns- that it drives me to sentimentality.~ She breathed deeply, and I found that I had slipped my hand into her paw. I wanted to let her know that she was not alone in her awe. I heard Ramelan scoff somewhere behind me.
'Ridiculous females, the both of you.' He spat. Then he turned to me. 'Why couldn't your father have picked someone who doesn't go blubbing over a few trees and some grass- preferably males-?' I felt myself grow hot with anger, and Nanooka squeezed my hand gently.

~Calm your emotions, Aria.~ She soothed, speaking to me and me alone. Ryder came up behind Ramelan and touched his shoulder lightly.
'Calm yourself man- can't you remember what it was like when you first left the trees? Give the ladies some space, they deserve it.'
'Don't touch me- filthy knight scum!' Ramelan spat, brushing Ryder's hand aside angrily. His face had gone purple from some unexplainable rage and- before I could stop her- Nanooka's paw left mine. She stood in front of Ramelan and raised both her paws. Her large eyes went blank and she spoke in loud, clear thought-speak.
~Control yourself Ramelan Romulus.~ Her ghostly voice rang. Ramelan just growled and grabbed his wand, uttering a string of words. Nanooka raised one of her hands and he dropped it to the floor.
~We are barely away from the tree and your heart is set on betrayal. Anger poisons your blood like a Mamba's poison. You seek revenge. But for what? Who do you seek.~ Ramelan had gone pale, and changed the words he was mumbling. Nanooka trembled, and her hood fell down. Her large ears were quivering like leaves in the wind. Finally, her eyes cleared and her paws dropped.
~You have powerful magic, mage, to stop a faerie.~ She said, looking at him directly. ~But it will not protect you for long. Either you will come with us peacefully to find the dragon's egg- or we will abandon you to the forest. Look ahead- we are near the edge of the forest. Soon we will reach the Deserts of Drought- and then, The Misty Mountains. That is where the egg will be, I can feel it in my bones.~ She trembled and it was then I wondered just how old she was. ~Behave until then and we will treat you like a person. I may be incapable of causing a living creature's death- but my two companions aren't. If you become a danger to us, they will dispose of you. I can assure you that much.~ Then, she fell silent- for the mage's wand was pointed at her throat. Ramelan looked furious, but lowered his wand again and tucked it into his belt. In a second though he said a single word and the faerie fell to the ground.

'Nanooka!' I cried, rushing to her. Ryder walked over to her too. 'What did you?' He growled, grasping his sword. Ramelan raised both hands. 'She is merely asleep- to give me some peace. If she keeps on rambling on like that I swear I'm going to explode.' He turned to me. 'Aria- you carry her. From now on I'm officially appointing myself leader of this quest, any questions?' Ryder stared at him for a moment with a face of thunder, but then relaxed.

'Whatever.' He said, re-sheathing his sword. Ramelan looked at me. 'And you?' I shook my head and picked up Nanooka. 'No, no questions.' I said, but my heart was leaden. Something was not quite right about Ramelan- and I was going to find out what it was.

Ryder gave a great battle cry and raised his sword, swinging it from one gauntleted hand to another. He leapt and brought the sword down, hard. The creature screamed and lashed out with bloody claws, but its slash fell short and the creature sagged visibly. With one last screech, it fell to the ground. Dead. Breathing heavily, Ryder wiped his sword on the creatures flank and yelled out to us.

'Aria! Nanooka!' He paused and said the last name with disgust. 'Ramelan! Come out! It's safe now!' Nanooka and me cautiously peeked our heads out from behind a thorny tree. Ramelan leapt out from behind a ruin, dusting himself and muttering curses angrily. 'Could've taken that thing on my myself.' He grumbled, looking at the slain creature. Ryder grinned. 'I doubt that my mage friend. That was a Sand Serpent- immune to all magic- right down to the last fireball.' He turned to us and smiled warmly.

'You two ok?' He asked, and we both nodded. I checked my backpack and cried with dismay. 'Oh no! That creature ripped my back clean in two! My clothes are shredded, my water bottle is useless and my shell. Oh no!' My good luck charm was snapped in half! Nanooka opened a paw.

~May I?~ She asked, and I placed a piece into it. She examined it carefully, and suddenly blew on it. The shell glowed and the other piece flew out of my hand. It clipped itself onto its other half- whole again! Except for.
~That hole is a blessing in disguise.~ Nanooka said, smiling. She dug a hand into her pocket and pulled out a piece of black string. She threaded the string through the hole and tied a knot at the ends.
~Here you go.~ She said, handing it back to me. I took it thankfully, and placed it over my head.
'How did you.?' I began.
~Magic. I am, after all, a faerie of sorts.~ She smiled.
'Thank-you.' I said, placing a hand over my heart. Nanooka's eyes looked down at my bag again.
~What else is in there? Oh, hang on. Don't tell me. Ah, good news- your wand is still intact, as is your dagger. Very lucky.~ I laughed.
'Must be my shell.'
~Must be.~

'Come on ladies- we haven't got all day! We must cross this desert otherwise we're never going to make it to those ruddy mountains!' Ramelan cried impatiently, and began to walk again. Ryder beckoned us and began to follow him, his great sword swinging back and forth in its scabbard. I knelt down and let Nanooka scramble onto my back. Her little paws constantly sank in the sand- so I helped her whenever I could. We trekked on through the desert, sweating like over-worked donkeys. I watched the sun set under the dunes and sighed. No matter how hot the great fiery ball got, it always managed to dazzle me with its beauty and splendour.

'Tell me Nanooka, will it still be this hot all night?' I asked. Nanooka laughed.
~Good heavens no! Soon it will be as cold as my home! I shall be equipped for its searing coldness- but you elves should soon be thinking about finding a place to stay the night.~ She raised her head. ~Did you hear me Ramelan?~ Ramelan laughed.
'Ha! This is the desert! It's never cold! We press on- we'll reach the mountains quicker that way. Come on- don't dawdle!' I frowned, something was not right. Ramelan was an alleged mage, they were supposed to know things like this weren't they? Surely he would know about it? Now it was Nanooka's turn to laugh.
~Suit yourselves! You press on- and then we shall see who is right!~
I clenched my teeth and shivered like mad. The intense cold burned my skin worse than the heat. My fingers were numb and I couldn't feel my toes. Nanooka had pressed her warm, furry body against mine to try and keep me warm, but she couldn't do much more than that.
~So- Ramelan, the wizard who is never wrong, the desert never gets cold- eh?~ She laughed weakly and Ramelan stopped.
'Fine faerie- you have won this time.' Ramelan cried out to us. 'Where do propose we go?' The faerie sat high, looking around.
~Over there, in the shelter of those dunes. I can sense a stream close by to it, so we may drink. I hope someone has brought food and shelter?~
'Of course.' Said Ryder, taking a heavy-looking backpack off his shoulders. The funny thing was, I hadn't noticed it until now.
'Where'd you get that?' I asked him, he smiled. He seemed to do that a lot.
'Basic Academy equipment.' He said, opening it as he walked. 'Standard equipment includes this backpack, a tent that turns itself and everything in it invisible, a crossbow and quiver and this sword.' He tapped it lovingly, he was obviously very proud of it. 'I've also got a rather large supply of vegetables, dried meat and a cooking pot, so I can whip up a proper meal for you guys.'
~First things first, Ryder, lets get to our shelter.~ Nanooka said. So we quickly ran over to the lee of the dunes and huddled together. It turned out that Ryder had equipped himself very well indeed- well, much better than any of us at least. He had also packed a small supply of firewood and now was trying to set it alight. Eventually the sparks from the flint caught on the wood and it began to burn brightly. Ramelan came back from setting up the tent and looked at it, a smirk plastered on his face.
'See- I'm not completely useless am I?' At his words, the tent collapsed. Me, Nanooka and Ryder looked at each for a split second before bursting into laughter. Ramelan fumed silently, his face turning red with embarrassment.
'Here, I'll sort out the tent.' Ryder said with a laugh. 'You can cut these carrots. On second thought- maybe not, you might cut yourself. Here you go Aria- lets see how well you can cut.' He handed me a few carrots and a small knife and I began to chop up the carrots, putting the slices into the big bowl. Ramelan fumed in a corner, folding his arms and shooting us looks of evil and disgust. Next I opened a packet of dried meat and began to slice that up too, putting that in the pot along with the carrots and the leeks. A wonderful smell of stew began to waft from the pot, enticing all who smelt it. Ryder came back and smiled at me.

'Good work Aria- that stew smells gorgeous. Well, let it cook for a few minutes and then we'll eat. Here,' He handed out a few wooden bowls and spoons to everyone. We all held them eagerly- waiting for the stew to fill our bowls. Even Ramelan was eyeing the delicious-looking food hungrily. Finally, Ryder informed us that it was done and poured some stew into our bowls. Instantly, we began to wolf the delicious food down and a warm feeling entered my cold body- not just from the stew, but also from the feeling that I had been the one who had made it. I sat close to Nanooka and we talked quietly. Ramelan informed us that he was going to bed and that he wanted one of us to keep on watch. Nanooka volunteered- after saying that her kind did not sleep much due to the evil dreams that haunted them. So, when we had all fallen asleep, she sat outside the tent, her ears swivelling back and forth. Listening for any possible danger. But the night was quiet and still and nothing happened! . Despite herself, she felt her big eyelids droop.
~No, I must keep awake.~ She told herself, but she couldn't ignore the immense tiredness that soon overpowered her, and soon fell asleep.
~No!!! I can't believe it! No!~ We awoke to the sound of Nanooka screaming shrilly in terror and disbelieve. We all immediately left the tent to see what was the matter.
'Oh no.' I gasped, turning pale. The campsite had been ruined. The pot had been tipped over- with its contents spread around in the sand. Ramelan's backpack had been split and emptied of its contents. Ryder's was very much the same, save a small supply of food. His crossbow was snapped in two and his quiver had large- what looked like- bite marks on it. The tent was, of course, still ok- as it had been invisible during the night.
'You!' Ramelan fumed, picking up Nanooka by the scruff of the neck. 'Either you did this or you fell asleep, either way you've let us down!'
~No!~ Nanooka's thought-speak voice squeaked in terror. ~It wasn't me! I swear!~
'I don't believe you.' Ramelan growled, but I noticed a hint of a triumphant smile. 'Ryder, get the rope out of the tent!'
'But.'
'No questions man- am I in charge or what? Just get the rope and give it to me!' Helplessly, I watched Ramelan tie up a squirming Nanooka.
~Help me Aria!~ She cried, but Ramelan pointed his wand at my throat.
'Move one inch and you're history, princess. Just do what you're told and you'll be fine. Now! Pack up the tent, the both of you. I don't care if there are no bags! You'll just have to carry it! Hurry now! I can see the mountains in the distance! We're not stopping until we get there! Now, move!' We scrabbled to do Ramelan's bidding and packed the tent up. Ryder said he'd carry it, and I gratefully thanked him- as it was much, much heavier that anything I'd ever carried before. Ramelan placed the trussed up Nanooka in my arms and instructed me to carry her. She attempted to talk to me, but Ramelan used magic on her and her thoughts fell silent.
'Peace at last.' Ramelan scoffed and it was then I decided that I really, really did not like Ramelan one little bit. Why was he doing this to us? Why did he instantly jump to conclusions about the helpless fairy in my arms? Did she know too much about him? Did he not trust her? Or did he just merely not like her? I remembered Nanooka saying that his heart was set on betrayal- did he intent to kill us all and return with the egg by himself? And what was the revenge Nanooka had hinted about? How was it connected with us? Theories danced madly around my head, but their endings never made sense. As we marched along, the sun rose and the sand became unbearably hot once again. I touched my charm for luck and tried to smile at Nanooka. But her terrified face made me even more scared- and it infuriated me when I thought of the possibility that she could know something and couldn't tell me. I trudged along, trying to put on a brave face. Ryder shot me an encouraging smile from time to time, but under all of that false hope was a face confronted with fear, anger and strain. I held Nanooka close to me like she was a child, for even though she could not speak to me I felt her pain more clearly than mine. If she was terrified, it was for a good reason. The sun was now at its peak in the sky and I felt exhaustion pull at me. I stumbled, but by some hidden magic that Ramelan had failed to silence, Nanooka gave me a little strength and I pressed myself to go on. The mountains never seemed to get closer, but soon the sand under my feet began to change colour and sharp stones were popping up everywhere. Finally, the sand just gave away completely and we were now standing on a rocky terrain. The sun had long since disappeared, and eerie shadows were cast everywhere- making me shiver even more, if possible. Another change in the atmosphere was the famous mist that gave the Misty Mountains their name. It wasn't whitish grey like normal mist, but a fiery red. It seemed to pour from the peaks of the mountains like a water fountain, cascading down to swirl around us. Somewhere up there was the egg. But where?

'You, fairy, I will release your power bond for an instant- but only so you can tell us where to go. Don't try any tricks, otherwise I'll just finish you off now.' He waved his wand and Nanooka began to speak, slowly, trembling.
~There is a hidden path behind that boulder to your right. All of you together may be able to push it out of the way. Follow the trail up and up, as high as it will go, but when it stops you must climb up higher. You will come across a hole, which leads deep into the mountain. Go down here and it will open up into an old dwarf ruin. In the middle of this ruin is a pedestal. That is where the egg will be.~

'Very well.' Ramelan smiled wickedly and silenced her once more. 'Come- everyone! Let us find this egg! And I- I mean, we- will return home victorious!' I placed Nanooka down carefully and helped Ramelan and Ryder push the boulder out of the way. Nanooka had been true to her words, and there was indeed a passageway up to the mountains. Ramelan practically ran up this path, with Ryder and me jogging exhaustedly behind him. Nanooka did not weigh terribly much, but running uphill with her was extremely energy taking. Ryder had a worse burden, but he had had training in this sort of thing and was way ahead of me, the bundle that was the tent slung over his shoulder. We jogged long and hard for about half-an-hour until the trail suddenly stopped, just like Nanooka had said it would. So, we began to slow down a little and started to climb. Nanooka was freed from her bonds so that we could both climb, but I ended piggybacking her again because she began to slip constantly. Ryder was having a hard time, pain was shooting through my body, Nanooka was exhausted and scare, trembling like a leaf on my back. The only one who seemed full of any energy was Ramelan- who was so eager to get the egg that it gave him the strength to go on. Suddenly, he tripped over and fell head first into an opening in the ground. Ryder grabbed my arm with his free hand.
'Come on!' He hissed. 'Lets get out of here!'

'I wouldn't think about going if I were you.' Ramelan's voice called sweetly out to us from below. 'With one word I can kill you all! Now, slide carefully down here- and hurry up about it!' Gently I lowered Nanooka down the hole and then, even more gently, let her go. Then I lowered myself in and slid down after her. She only just managed to get out the way as I came skidding to a halt at the bottom. But I myself didn't get out of the way of Ryder, who crashed into me. 'Owch!' I cried in pain. I heard a sigh. 'Come on! Get up! Let's get moving!' Growled Ramelan. An orb of light was hovering above him, obviously the result of a spell. Wincing, we stood up and brushed ourselves down quickly. I grasped Nanooka's paw and we began to follow Ramelan down a deep, dark tunnel- lit only by his glowing orb. We tripped over constantly, and Ryder dropped the tent after a particularly nasty fall.

'Leave it!' Ramelan hissed. 'We can get it when we come back!' So we left the bundle behind and went on. Ryder could now keep up with us now he didn't have such a burden, but the three of us made sure we were always a few paces behind Ramelan. Suddenly, the tunnel opened out into a humungous cavern! Strange green light glowed from the walls, which were incrusted with diamonds and rubies and emeralds bigger than my fist! They twinkled and glowed in reaction to Ramelan's orb, which he soon extinguished.
'There it is.' He laughed greedily, pointing to the centre of the room. The three of us stepped forwards in awe, but Ramelan swung round immediately with a sudden fury.
'Get back!' He spat and raised his wand. He uttered a short string of words and we were flung onto the wall. Ryder was knocked out from the force and slumped to the floor. Nanooka and me were still conscious and landed on our feet, pain lashing my spine and my head. Ramelan laughed.
'It's over now.' He said evilly, taking at step closer.

~I know what troubles you.~ Nanooka said suddenly, obviously the magic on her thoughts had worn off. Ramelan shot her a look of evil.
'Go on then!' He scoffed. 'Tell Aria what 'troubles' me!'
~You're brother was killed.~ Nanooka said. ~By three people. They were the closest friends in the world. They did everything together. Even killed. And when your brother- who was also a mage- threatened that if he wasn't immediately appointed King, he would destroy everyone, they could do nothing else but destroy him. So they did.~ I noticed Ramelan tremble a little.
'That's all well and good, but who killed him?' He said softly.
~My mother, Ryder's father and the next heir to the throne. Aria's father.~ Ramelan was shaking visibly now.
'Shut up.' He said.
~That is why you transported the egg here in the first place- to give Aria's father a reason to send someone on a quest to retrieve it. That is why you used magic again to then force the King to pick us three- and, later cause the wind to tell Aria to go. You wanted to make sure the one's who killed your brother suffered- not by killing them, but by removing those dearest to them. Their children.~
'Shut up!' Ramelan repeated, louder now.
~That is why, as soon as you've got the egg, you're going to kill us. That is why, you must be stopped.~
'SHUT UP!' Ramelan yelled, pointing his wand directly at Nanooka.
'No! Nanooka!' I cried, trying to protect her, but he held me back with his hand.
'I was going to save you for last, you impudent little fairy- but now you've really ticked me off, so I'm going to finish you off now!' A blast of yellow light bashed poor little Nanooka against the wall again. She slumped to the floor, a trickle of blood pouring from her head.
'Nanooka.' I said, tears falling from my eyes. 'You monster!' I cried getting up and stomping towards Ramelan. But he pointed his wand directly as my throat and uttered a word, rending me immobile.
'You stay there!' He snarled and turned around, walking towards the egg. 'At last!' He breathed and placed both hands on it. A deadly mistake. The ground began to rumble and tremor. Veins of red crackled along the floor, surrounding Ramelan in an instant. The ground glowed red-hot for a moment, and then began to crumble away. The egg flew out of his hands and landed at my feet, miraculously still in one piece. A great roaring came from deep below our feet and bright hot sparks began to erupt out of the hole. A great scaly beast smashed through the floor, roaring with fury and, with one snap of its wickedly sharp teeth, swallowed Ramelan whole. With a flap of leathery wings the dragon freed itself from the hole and stood, facing me, a great anger flashing in its brilliantly red eyes. The magic Ramelan had used on me disappeared and I could move again, not like it did me any good. The dragon took a step towards me, and the egg gently bumped against my foot. It was then when it hit me. I picked the egg up.

'This is yours, isn't it?' I said to the dragon, when its great scaly face was merely millimetres away from mine. The anger suddenly vanished from its eyes and a great sadness entered them. The sadness of longing.
~It never hatched.~ A sudden voice said in my head, and I realised it was the dragon's.
'Why not?' I asked it breathlessly.
~It needs Elven magic.~ The dragon sighed. ~When it first did not hatch I gave it to a great King of a land far away- I told him that it would give him immense luck as long as it remained un-hatched, but if he ever used magic in front of it, it would hatch and return to me. Of course, he never used magic near it and- in my sadness and anger- I killed the one dearest to him.~
'My mother.' I gasped, and the dragon gave me a long, hard look
~You are the daughter of the King?~ It asked me slowly.
'That I am.' I replied, equally slowly. The dragon looked at the floor.
~Would you do me a favour?~ She asked, looking at me with pleading eyes.
'Of course.' I said, smiling.
~Only the relatives of the King can hatch this egg- and you are a direct relative, so can you. Can you.~
'Hatch the egg for you?' I asked and the dragon nodded.
~Please, for I wish for it with all my heart.~ I nodded.
'Then I will do it if.' I turned and looked at Nanooka sadly. 'If you bring my friend back to life.' The dragon nodded too.
~As soon as this child hatches, it will kiss your friend. Then she will return to life.~ So, with a sudden glee in my heart, I took my wand from my belt and pointed it at the egg. I uttered a chant, a very powerful chant, one that was full of love and hope and trust. A pink and silver beam of light hit the egg directly in the middle for a second, and then faded. All was still and quiet for an instant as we waited for something to happen. At first, nothing happened and the egg just sat there, not moving an inch, but then. It happened. The egg rocked gently, and then began to rock faster. It rolled around on the ground towards Nanooka and lay still once again. And then- suddenly- a bright flash of white light! The eggshell exploded into a million tiny pieces that floated to the ground as bubbles. I looked to where the egg had been and there, sitting- looking rather dazed- was a gold and silver baby dragon. It blew a puff of smoke out of its nostrils and then, flapping its tiny! wings, hovered over the fallen Nanooka, it lowered its head and kissed Nanooka very gently on the forehead. Instantly, the limp body inhaled and opened its eyes weakly.

~Aria?~ A weak voice called out. I ran over to her and knelt down beside her.
'I'm here Nanooka, I'm here.' I picked her up and held very close to me, breathing in her icy scent. Her paws clutched at my robes weakly, and tears dotted her eyes. 'I'm so glad you're ok.' I said, smiling with utmost joy.
~You did it.~ Nanooka said proudly. ~You reunited the mother with its child. That was the true meaning of this quest, not revenge, but bringing a broken family back together to make a whole one. I knew you would do it. I knew it.~ We sat, hugging each other joyously in the middle of the immense dragon cave. When we stood up we saw the baby dragon and the mother hugging also, tears running down both of their cheeks. We smiled at them, thinking of how we had accomplished this. Thinking of how we had been the ones who had brought them together at last. Thinking about our own friendship.