OOC:This thread is just for me and Dragonslayer4.

Daidrea was walking down a long stone hall in Dur Farthen. There was a meeting going to be held place about a supposed crisis. Since Nasuada could not be here herself because she is leading the Varden in Surda. A representative was sent in her place. The dwarves were hosting the meeting. Daidrea was the representative of elves, he didnt want to be there...but the queen was rather.. stern.
For several years he hasnt been on the scene of the events of the world. He disappeared into the Du Weldenvarden... until the queen herself found him. She said that it was of the upmost urgency. He wasnt sure why that she sent him...a Rider with no dragon...and a cripple to darkness.

Daidrea reached the end of the the hallway and stood before a large door. It was still locked. He realized he was early. Sighing, he rested himself against the wall. Why me?

OOC:Just pretend the ecounter at SE never happened between Daidrea and Ella. Like this is the first time she has seen him in years....just to make it interesting.

OOC:
Found it.lol And alright. So I'm the representative I'm guessing?

IC:
Ella ground her teeth as she walked beside Zeke, annoyed beyond belief at Nasuada. She'd rather be up in the sky upon her companion than below ground. Her partner of mind lowered his head and nudged her shoulder tenderly. I share your desires, but personal wants must wait until after we fulfill duties. he advised, huffing softly. She reached back to rub his snout with the palm of her hand, and smiled absently. I know my dear, but its hard not to dream. she murmured, turning her head to gaze into his ice blue eyes. She came to the end of the tunnel and paused. A man leaned against the far wall. She thought he looked familiar, but no one struck her mind. She scratched Zeke's jaw and smiled. You can go back to your nest, darling. The meeting members would most likely be intimidated by a dragon, and nothing would get done. she whispered softly, stroking one of his ivory horns. He nodded without responding, and watched as she approached the man.

Ella spied pointed ears beneath the hair, and felt delight blossom within her of seeing another of her race beside her sister. She touched her lips with two fingers and twisted her hand over her sternum,"Atra esterní ono thelduin, Vinr-Alfakyn (May good fortune rule over you, Elf-Friend)." she murmured, bowing slightly at the waist.

Ella relaxed visibly. She tossed her now completed braid over her shoulder and got up,"Zeke went on his name quest a few weeks ago. He came back a completely changed dragon, not in appearance or personality, just..different." she said, going around to sit cross-legged behind Daidrea. She hesitated before continueing,"Magic is dead. He..was killed about a month back by a Lethrblaka." she swallowed, remembering the horrible scene as if it were happening right before her. She shuddered,"He was trying to protect me and Zeke." she choked, a tear trailing down her cheek. She shook her head irritably,"I've been well enough I guess. I'm-" she cleared her throat,"I'm going to let Hannah have control so she can look at these scars," she murmured, letting the female shade out as she spoke. Hannah breathed in deeply and opened her eyes. Instantly she clucked to herself in dismay at the sight of the shade made scars,"My race has become savage over the years. I think myself and Zana are the only decent Shades left." she muttered hotly to herself.

The elder Shade got up and stood in front of him, fingering a scar here and there. She growled half to herself,"You seem to have a knack in finding the most powerful Shades and killing them. These wounds were delt with every intention of killing you, and yet you still stand here before me." she sighed,"Very well, I can heal them to a degree, but they will never fade completely. Even I can't do that. Now, do you have any that are more bothersome than others? I cannot heal them all, no matter how much I wish I could." she said, sadness creeping into her tone. Her gentle ice blue eyes scanned his scarred body as she pushed her shoulder length light brown hair out of her face.

Well, he shall just have to sit and deal with it, shan't he?" she murmured half to herself. Murmured some words in the language of fire, she placed her flaming hand on the scars he had indicated. She continued to mutter a stream of the strange tongue as she traced the path of each scar. Once she was finished, the two on his chest could only be seen as skin that was paler than the rest surrounding it. She went to behind him and studied the weal. She placed her palm over the scar and quietly began to heal it. Her voice was very gentle when she broke the silence,"She thought you were dead. When you disappeared, she searched and searched for even the smallest trace that you were alive and well. For months she combed over Du Weldenvarden, even visited your cottage frequently. She became very depressed and withdrawn when she finally gave up. I was the one in control most of the time, keeping the body alive and taking care of Zeke. She only recently has begun to come out again, maybe three years ago. I'm not telling you this to make you guilty or any such thing. I'm telling you this so you can understand why she is behaving the way she is right now. And do not think that I am angry, with her or you." she said, healing his scar as she spoke. She was finally done and stepped away to face him. Her ice blue eyes glittered with an unknown emotion.

"She is still healing from your disappearance. Be patient with her, and her cold, angry, and bitter persona will fade away to the easy-going, ready-to-smile elf that you probably remember." she said, before letting her host have control. Ella swayed and placed a hand to her temple,"I'm still not used to switching between us." she grumbled to herself, sitting unsteadily on the other bed. Her sapphire eyes blinked several times before they cleared so she could see. She shook her head, then leveled her cold gaze on Daidrea,"What do you plan on doing? To be honest, I'm quite clueless as to what should be done." she said, and was pleased to hear how steady her voice came out.

Ella nodded silently in agreement, then lay down on her side with her back facing toward Daidrea. She unbraided her hair and let the long tresses fall over her shoulder and down her side, like a black blue blanket. She calmed her heart and slowed her breathing, falling into the elven trance that replaced the deep sleep of humans.

OOC:
Bleh, basically pass. I'm just posting to pass the time.lol

Ella retracted her hand away from Daidrea, shocked at his reply. She did not follow him, but did tell Zeke what had happened, and what she suspected. She felt her companion take off from his cave above the Star Sapphire in search of the male elf.

---------------

Zeke retracted his wings and dove down. He pulled up to land behind the shape of the elf. He did not move forward or make any move to stop him. Do not listen to the voice of your inner demon, Daidrea. You have things to live for. Your friends, for example. Your death would hurt more than you realize. May I make a list of the friends you have made? he asked gently, crouching behind the prone figure.

Zeke leaped forward, but was too late to catch the elf. Daidrea! he howled, staring down. It was too steep for him to dive down and save him. A blur of motion flashed past his eyes. He was horror stricken to see his beloved Rider, Ella, lunging over the edge of the cliff.

---------------

Ella jumped out and angled herself face down so she shot down like an arrow. Her sapphire eyes flashed,"I lost you once already. I'm not going to do so again!" she shouted against the wind. She doubted he heard her, but her determination showed on her face. Darkness came quickly as she descended. Hannah, I need your help. Fuse yourself with me, she pleaded. She felt the elder Shade acknowledge her, and almost instantly felt a change in her. Nearly limitless energy coursed through her. She used Hannah's power of fire to shoot licking flames of amethyst from her feet. She rocketed forward like she had been released from a slingshot. Daidrea was still beneath her, but she was catching up fast. Fear showed in her eyes. She didn't care that he might see how he still affected her emotions. She was petrified she was going to lose him, for good this time. She angled herself to the side so she would pass him, then she would be able to catch him from above.

OOC: Man its been so long its gonna be difficult to get back into the swing of things.

Before he knew it, Daidrea fell into a deep slumber. For once the dark abyss of his mind did not torment him. For once he could sleep peacefully and not be fearful.
However doubt on his own side of his mind creeped about. Would it really be alright with Ella? His heart can almost take no more. If something were to happen.. the rest of his soul would be devoured. Nothing but a shell would remain.
How can anyone bear so much...?
Daidrea's mind became too weary to think about it anymore.

OOC:
Finally.lolol I've been bored out of my mind over here.

IC:
Ella laid beside Daidrea. His back was to her, so she put her arm around him and draped her blanket over him to keep him warm. She fell asleep shortly after.

OOC:
Gah, short.

Ella stroked the roan's nose, and smiled as the stallion nudged her hand. Her eyes shimmered,"Nuanen, nuanen (Beautiful, beautiful)." she murmured, rubbing his forehead. He nickered gently, his blue eyes shining with trust. The female elf pricked her ears and turned to Daidrea as he approached her. She had already changed her supplies over to the saddlebags on the roan's saddle, and had tied a strip of deerhide around her head to hold back her long hair while she traveled. She had left the horses bridle with her supplies. She swung up into the saddle and looked down at her companion. A smile broke on her face,"Hey, when did you get so short? A moment ago you were taller than me." she said with a laugh. Her stallion tossed his head impatiently. She patted his neck,"Huildr nuanen, huildr (Hold beautiful, hold)." she murmured soothingly. She waited for Daidrea to mount his black stallion, and then turned her steed to the exit tunnel, where her life companion was waiting.

OOC:
I go here to get Ancient Langauge commands. They come in handy.

Daidrea grinned slightly for a mere moment then he turned to his stallion and hopped onto it's back. They followed Ella to the entrance as they begin their long journey.

OOC:Short

OOC:
I'm going to do a small time skip to where we get out of the tunnel, cause it would be a little hard trying to write something that happened inside of it.

IC:
Ella stretched her arms above her head when she and her party emerged from the darkness of the tunnels. Zeke spread his wings and released a little roar of elation. He hated being cooped up for any period of time. Ella stroked her steeds silky neck, murmuring,"Blöthr, blöthr (Halt, halt)." and he stopped and stood, his blue eyes curious as he looked around. She looked back at Daidrea with a questioning expression on her face,"I know little of the mountains. Do you know of the place where we are supposed to be heading?" she queried. She soothed the stallion as he impatiently tossed his head.

Ella sighed, then started as Zeke growled softly in amusement. I understand that humans, elves, and dwarves enjoy conversing every tiny detail before taking action, but dawdling will get us no where, literally. So, please, can we pick up the pace and get a move on? he said, shuffling his wings and weaving his head back and forth. The female elf laughed merrily,"Hey now, what reason do you have for being impatient?" she teased. Her companion snorted affectionately. My fledging, you move so slowly I could fly to Du Weldenvarden and back without falling more than ten leagues behind. he said wryly.

OOC: Been a while...
Daidrea smiled slightly. "They wont bother us as long as we dont bother them. Its the way most animals are....they dont openly attack unless they feel threatened. Besides, I think we can handle it." Daidrea glanced at Ella with a calming smile.
Then he focused on the road ahead.

Daidrea watched Ella with concern. "Ella, whats wrong? You seem very bothered."

Short...

Ella couldn't suppress it any more. A peal of laughter rang through the air, and a wide grin stretched across her face,"No, your partually right. The lip biting is a habit, but at this moment, its to keep me from laughing. The shaking too." she said, her sapphire eyes gleaming with amusement.

OOC:
Meh, short.

OOC:I dont remember if I ever mentioned Erais in this thread at all or not, but whatever...I'll just go with this.

Daidrea's smile vanished. It bothered him that she mentioned that so called battle for his heart. The end result was for nothing. He began to speak unprovoked. "It was about 2 years ago. During my hunt for the shades in the Du Weldenvarden...I recieved a message from Nasuada that one of her spies was captured in a keep far north of the Empire. Since I was close to the area and I happened to the know the spy...I went to the keep." Daidrea's voice became slightly shaky. "Unfortunately I was too late...the spy was tortured and killed. After that I blacked out. By the time I regained consciousness... the keep was in ruins and I was covered in blood."
Daidrea stopped his horse, he hopped off and leaned against it. He ran a hand through his hair.

Ella sighed and laid her head against his chest,"If you say so." she murmured,"I am sorry, though. I know how you felt about her." she added.

OOC:
Bleh, short. My brain is fried.lol

OOC:
And here I come with one of my famous interruptions.lol

IC:
A ghost of a smile crossed Ella's face,"Of course," she murmured as he moved away. Her sapphire eyes glinted gently, then she swung up into Nuanen's saddle. She noticed with a jolt that she and Daidrea had almost reached the entrance to the mountains. Their horses must have some elven bloodlines to allow them such speedy travel. She mulled over her conversation with her friend, biting her lip in worry. She was contemplating whether she should ask a question that was prodding her at the back of her mind, when a strange, sweet sour scent floated across her nose. She stiffened instinctively, her hard gaze scanning the emmediate area around herself and Daidrea. Her upper lip curled back as the smell grew stronger. Nuanen jittered to the side nervously. She calmed him with a muted word, still on the alert. She kept her eyes riveted to the surrounding forest, her ears straining for any sound, as she reached for Daidrea's mind. Usually she wouldn't intrude on someone's private haven, but now, she didn't want to draw attention to her group. Do you smell that as well, or am I just being oversensitive? she whispered to him. The scent faded, then came back and hit her full in the face. Her lips peeled back in a silent snarl, and her muscles coiled and bunched in preperation to leap off her horse and shift to her wolf form, which had a sharper sense of smell than this one. She vaguely sensed Zeke drifting down lower in the sky, prepared to drop down if he was needed.