During his slumber, Ridley began to have another nightmare. Though not as bad as the one he had earlier, he was still suffering from the sudden flashbacks. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he decided to wake up. When he tried to lift his head, he noticed it felt heavier than normal.
"Why does my head feel so heavy?" he asked himself. He looked into the pool of water next to him and saw something rather odd about his reflection. He noticed something was on his horn. When he got a better look, he could tell that Zephar was sleeping, perched to his silver horn. He immediately thrusted his head and threw the bird onto the rocky floor.
"Ow!" the phoenix said angrily as he got up, "What was that for?"
"My head is not a perch!" Ridley said with an intimidating expression.
"You said we could sleep anywhere that's comfortable."
"Anywhere, not anyone!" the dragon said with such resentment in his piercing red eyes. He suddenly broke eye contact and looked around. He noticed that Alicia was nowhere to be found. "Where's the fairy?"
"Sleeping on your back." Zephar said with a scorn, "Apparently, I'm not the only one who finds you comfortable enough to sleep on. "Ridley turned his head to his backside and saw Alicia sleeping comfortably, using his wing like a blanket. He thought to himself for a moment, then gently picked her up with his tail spade, and set her down on his soft, grass-like bed. "How come you're delicate with her and not me?" the phoenix asked.
"Because, unlike some people, she's the only one who's been good to me."
"You're not much of a gentle giant yourself." Zephar replied with an irritated expression. Ridley looked at him for a moment, then finally sighed. He stood up and stretched out his body, popping some of the joints that felt stiff. After his stretch, he walked out of the cave. "Where are you going?"
"I just need some air," he replied.
"But it's raining," the phoenix said concerningly.
"And?"
"Aren't you worried you'll catch a cold?"
"My curse makes me immune to illness," the dragon answered, "And the rain calms my nerves."
"Oh," the phoenix replied.
"Don't worry so much about it. The immunity is about the only thing I like about the curse." Zephar chuckled slightly at his reply. After their chat, Ridley finally left the cave and into the rain. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and laid down with his front paws crossed. The rain felt refreshing and pleasant bouncing off of his body. He bent his neck back to allow the rain drops to hit his chest and the underside of his neck. He tilted his head forward and gave a relieving sigh. He closed his eyes and appeared to be meditating.
Alicia woke up several minutes later. She immediately noticed she was alone with Zephar.
"Where's Ridley?" she said, rubbing her eyes.
"He's outside," he gestured towards the exit to point out the dragon's whereabouts. "I guess you could say he's having a morning shower." She fluttered to the cavern entrance, but was careful not to go out so she wouldn't get wet. She saw Ridley sitting alone and turned to Zephar.
"What's he doing?"
"Meditating, I think. I wonder if he does this every morning?" he said looking at the fairy from the corner of his eye.
"We could ask him," she said cheerfully.
"I don't think we should," he answered nervously.
"Why not?" she raised a brow to him.
"We almost got burned last night when we disturbed his slumber. I don't want to actually get burned."
"Technically," she said with a dismissive hand,"we didn't disturb him." She continued after lowering her hand, "He woke himself from the fright of the nightmare he was having." While they were arguing about whether or not to go out, Ridley woke from his relaxed trance. He stood up, spread his wings, and took flight. Alicia and Zephar stopped their conversation and saw the dragon fly down the mountain.
"Where is he going?" Zephar asked. They moved to the cliff and looked down to see Ridley land at a smaller cavern near the center of the mountain. Its entrance was rather tight, but just large enough for an adult sized dragon to fit through."What do you suppose he's doing down there?" the phoenix asked without averting his attention from the lower cavern.
"Maybe he just needs some space to think. Somewhere he can be alone." She turned to Zephar who looked back at her, "We are, after all, the first people who've earned his trust in a very long time."
"Good point. How long do you think it's been since he's been acquainted with outsiders?"
"No idea. Years? Centuries? It could even be since he was cursed," she added as she suddenly felt sad thinking about it. Her stomach suddenly growled.
"Why don't you go find some breakfast?" Zephar chuckled.
"Good idea," she said laughing with him. "I forgot I haven't eaten yet." And with that, she flew off to find some fruit to bring back. She fluttered down the mountain and found a berry bush. The berries were a pale pink, which made her think they were sweet. She collected leaves from a nearby tree and weaved a leaf pouch, and started to pick the berries and stored them inside it. She was too distracted to notice what was coming from behind. She was, without warning, grabbed by a large, scaly hand. She yelped in surprise by the sudden grip around her body. Alicia's eyes grew wide when she saw the face of who had her. What really gave him away was his yellow, snake-like eyes. It was the Urkrai commander who had chased her in the forest. She started to pant heavily from his gaze and squirmed to try and free herself. She knew she could change forms to get free, but she was too scared to think about it.
"What do we have here?" he said as he studied her. His pupils turned into slits when he realized who he had. "Hey, I remember you. You're that fairy that eluded me in the Moonlight Forest." An evil grin spread across his face along with a sinister chuckle. "You know, you caused me a lot of embarrassment the other day." He extended a raptor-like claw with his free hand."Never once had any creature got away from me. I could catch just about anything you can think of. I'll be damned if a little pixie breaks that rep."
"I'm a fairy!" she snapped.
"Does it matter?" he said as he placed the lone claw under her chin, "You only have seconds of life left, anyway." Alicia gulped and closed her eyes, knowing full well what was coming. Darkness suddenly flew over them. Alicia and her captor both felt a cold chill. The Urkrai commander slowly turned around when he heard something land behind him. He drew his blade, readying himself if he was attacked."Who's there?!" he stated, "Show yourself!"
"You can put your blade down." a familiar voice answered, "You won't need it with me." A black figure revealed itself from the surrounding trees. When the commander realized who it was, he lowered his blade and dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully. When Alicia realized who it was, she calmed down and sighed in relief.
"Lord Ridley," he said without looking up,"What are you doing down here?" He looked up to meet Ridley's piercing red eyes, "Is there something I can do for you?"
"I thought I heard a scream." he lowered his head to meet the Urkai nose to nose, locking his eyes with the lowly troop, "Any idea where it came from?" The commander swallowed hard as his heart began to race. Ridley's eyes made him feel like he was looking into his soul.
"That would be this fairy." He lifted his hand to show Alicia to the dragon. "I found her fluttering down here."
"You're not going to kill her, are you?" Ridley asked, trying not to look nervous.
"She is trespassing in our land and must pay dearly for it." The warrior said, looking down at Alicia.
"I can see through your lies, Nephiline," the dragon stated, "That's not why you want her dead." The commander looked away for a brief moment, then finally sighed as he realized he wasn't going to fool the Hellfire Dragon.
"You're right. I have my own reason for wanting to kill the pixie. She made a fool of me the other day when I couldn't catch her."
"A personal reason, huh?" Ridley replied as he tried to think of something. "I don't think you want to do that."
"Why not?" Nephiline asked with a puzzled look.
"Because," the dragon tried to say, "bad things happen to those who intentionally kill fairies." He continued with whatever came to mind. "You could end up dead yourself in the end. Is this grudge really worth such a risk?" The commander thought to himself for a moment.
"I guess not," he said disappointingly as he released Alicia. "I'll cause no further trouble for her. I have more important things to deal with, anyway." With his last word, he took a last respectful bow to Ridley, then walked away, eventually disappearing into the cavern at the base of the mountain. When she was sure he was out of earshot, Alicia began to speak.
"Thanks, Ridley," she said cheerfully, "I thought I was..." she was interrupted when the dragon before her gave her a disapproving look.
"What the hell were you thinking, Alicia?!" he snapped, startling her with his tone.
"I'm sorry?" she puzzled.
"You could've gotten yourself killed," he added, still with anger in his voice.
"I was hungry. I just came down looking for something to eat. How was I to know I’d get ambushed?”
"Next time, don’t come alone. If the land doesn’t kill you, the Urkrai certainly will. Just about anyone who isn’t one of them is fair game."
"I'm sorry," she said, hoping for his forgiveness. Ridley realized he was getting too upset and took a moment to calm down. He finally sighed and replied.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." It was then he noticed the pouch she was carrying. "What's in the bag?"
"Some berries I was collecting," she said as she lifted a berry. "Would you like one?"
"Alicia," he said, staring hard at the fruit, "that's a boggler berry."
"A what?" she replied as she looked at it too.
"A boggler berry. Those things cause all sorts of head problems."
"Like what?"
"Hallucinations, splitting headaches, confusion, and dizziness," he explained without averting his gaze from the berry, "I suggest you get rid of those." Upon hearing the results of consuming the berry, Alicia immediately threw them away. "If you want a proper breakfast, try the bushes near the cavern at the center of the mountain."
"Okay." she said looking up towards the mountain.
"And again," he continued, "make sure you're with someone when you decide to come down here.”
"Will do," she replied with a smile. "Can I get you anything?"
"No thanks." he answered dismissively, "I've already eaten." Ridley turned around and spread his wings, preparing to take off. "I have something I need to do. I'll meet you at the peak later." Alicia watched as he took flight and ascended Mt. Chronicle. She noticed he landed at the place he had pointed out, and went into a nearby cave. When he disappeared from view, she flew up to collect the fruit he had mentioned, and found several bushes of blueberries. She gathered as many as she could carry, and then went back to Ridley’s den.
---------
When Alicia returned to the den, she told Zephar what had happened and why it took so long.
"Wow," he said in shock as he swallowed a berry, "It's a good thing Ridley showed up when he did."
"No kidding," she replied as she bit into a berry as well, "I thought for sure that Urkrai was gonna kill me."
"So, is it true?" the phoenix asked as he grabbed some more fruit, "Does that really happen when someone kills a fairy?"
"I have no idea," she answered and placed her hand on her chin, "It's never happened before, so far as I know." She took another bite, "But Ridley looked serious when he said it."
"He was probably just trying to convince the Urkrai to let you go."
"Maybe," Alicia replied as she continued to wonder. As they were finishing their meal, a voice came from behind them.
"Well, what do we have here?" Zephar and Alicia both jumped at the sound of the new voice, and turned around. "Ridley told me that he had some rather new company. A phoenix and a fairy is definitely new to us."
"Who's there?" Zephar asked nervously. A figure came into light, revealing an Urkrai. His scales were a lush green, and his eyes, unlike most of the others, were blue. His scales looked a bit withered, showing that he may be an elder among his kin.
"There's no need to be afraid." he assured, "I mean you no harm. I simply wanted to meet you in person." He looked at the fairy. "You must be Alicia."
"How'd you know that?" she asked. She felt less threatened by this Urkrai, and felt a sort of gentleness coming from him.
"Ridley's told me about you. A kind and gentle fairy, but also a little stubborn." He gave a chuckle when he remembered how Ridley explained how stubborn she really was. Alicia thought about how Ridley had the time to tell someone about them. She then remembered the cavern entrance near the mid section of the mountain.
"You live in that cave at the center of the mountain?" she asked.
"That's correct. I live there with my two brothers. It's divided into three rooms: a private study, a magic training ground, and an armory, as well as an infirmary." He turned his attention to Zephar, and his comforting smile disappeared. "You're Zephar, right? I think I remember you. You gave Ridley a hard time during your first visit."
"Was it that obvious?" the phoenix asked, trying to avoid eye contact.
"The entire mountain heard his outburst," he said as he chuckled once more, "We wanted to see what was going on, but Ridley usually prefers to keep to himself. Most of the Ukrai here are forbidden from entering his den. My brothers and I are the only exceptions."
"So, who are you, then?" Zephar asked.
"My name is Jaxl Vallemon. Just call me Jax. Everyone else does."
"Why did Ridley tell you about us?" Alicia asked.
"I'm his personal guard. It's my duty to know what goes on with the Hellfire Dragon. Plus, among all the Urkrai, I'm the one he trusts the most." He came closer to them and sat down with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. "My family has protected Ridley for the last five centuries. My grandfather was the first guard. My father took his place when he retired. My brothers and I decided to keep the tradition alive, but Urkrai law limits only one guard to any leader."
"You don't seem like the others." Zephar added as he took note of Jax's personality.
"I know. Neither do my brothers. We've always been different from the others, as were my father and grandfather. Although I'm a warrior, I don't share the same brutish nature of my kin. Rishk, the middle brother, is the only one who can use dark magic, or any kind of magic for that matter. And Vixl, the youngest, dislikes fighting, and prefers a more gentle lifestyle. His obsession with plants has allowed him to create powerful medicines and remedies. Because I'm the only one who prefers to learn the way of the sword, I was chosen to take my father's place."
"As Ridley's guard?" Alicia asked.
"Yes."
"So he tells you everything?"
"Every detail." he answered calmly, "For friendly chats, personal problems, or advice. I don't mind it though. I rather enjoy his company, and it does my heart good to help him when I can."
"Why are you so loyal?" Zephar pressed on.
"My great grandfather was the first to make contact with Ridley shortly after his curse. Ridley was afraid of him at first, but my ancestor was determined to befriend him. He gained Ridley's trust with kind and gentle words, and Ridley slowly warmed up to him, eventually enough to tell Jaxl I, my great grandfather, what had happened." Jax looked at Alicia and Zephar back and forth, noticing their looks of interest. "My great grandfather happened to be our leader at the time. Being a kind and noble hearted Urkrai, he refused to leave Ridley in his current state. He offered him a place in his home, and welcomed him in open arms. At first, Ridley was against it, but decided it was better than being alone for the rest of eternity."
"Why didn't he just return to his own people?" the phoenix asked.
"His people slayed dragons for fame, glory, and wealth. What do you think would happen if he returned home in that form?" he answered with disgust in his voice, "They would've attacked him on sight, and he would have been forced to kill them all, both his friends and family." Alicia and Zephar nodded to show they understood. "As I was saying, Ridley couldn't return to his own people. So he accepted Jaxl’s offer, and followed him to the Urkrai homeland. When they arrived, the others were shocked to see the Hellfire Dragon. They all drew their weapons and took a defensive stance. Jaxl immediately stopped them, and explained to them about what had happened. His people weren't very happy about it, but they could not deny their chief."
"They despised him?" Zephar interrupted.
"Very much. Some because he used to be a human, and others because he was a dragon. The only ones who didn't mind his presence were my grandfather and great grandfather."
"So, is your family close to him?" Alicia pondered.
"Very. Over the years, Ridley began to change, in personality and in spirit. He practiced his fighting skills almost every day, and often unlocked new powers he never knew he had. But then a time came when Jaxl realized his time in the world was coming to an end. He needed someone to take his place as leader of the Urkrai. Originally, his son was next in line, but he thought Ridley deserved it more. My grandfather agreed. Since then, my family has changed from a noble family to a royal guard, and we swore to defend Ridley to the best of our abilities." He reached in his cloak and pulled out a pendant, and began twirling it. "My father, grandfather, and myself all took the sword and said the family oath. 'I will give my body and soul to serve and protect my lord. I will serve with pride and diligence, and remain loyal to the end. Should the time come, I will lay down my life to keep my lord safe.' This oath remains active today, and will continue for generations to come." He looked out the cave entrance and gave a weak sigh. "Our family is always ready to protect him, even if it kills us in the end."
"What end?" Alicia interrupted.
"The Urkrai don't fancy him overlooking us. They don't share the same loyalty and respect as my family. “If and when his curse does break, they will do everything in their power to kill him. Our general wishes to slay Ridley and become the next Hellfire Dragon. And it doesn't stop there. Anyone who stands with Ridley will be considered an enemy of the Urkrai, and will be killed on sight."
"Why haven't they done it yet?" Zephar asked. Alicia gave the phoenix a displeasing look. "What? I'm just wondering."
"Ridley is, without a doubt, too powerful for any lone mortal to take on, for the moment at least. The curse makes him impossible to kill. They can't do away with him now. There's no use in it. They have to wait for the right moment." Jax stood up as he finished his lecture, "I must be ready to protect him when that time comes. Me and my brothers." He gave a respectful bow and departed. "It was a pleasure to meet you. If you need anything, please, come see me." With his last word, he left the cave and descended down the mountain. When he was gone, Ridley flew down and landed near the entrance.
"What took you so long?" Zephar asked with a rather rude tone.
"I've been busy," he answered with a dirty look, "Now come with me. There's something you need to see." Without a second thought, they followed the dragon down the southern side of the mountain. Eventually, they came across an empty cavern. Alicia and Zephar looked inside and were surprised by what they saw. There was a nest big enough for Zephar sitting on a ledge at the wall, and a small bed underneath. There were some torches for light, and a small fountain to the other side of the cave.
"Is this for us?" Alicia asked when she turned to Ridley. He nodded slowly to her.
"If you're going to stick around, you'll need your own room. I like to have my privacy." He chuckled at his little joke. "The Urkrai never come back here, so you should be safe. At least this way, I won't have to worry about your safety."
"Thanks, Ridley," Zephar said with a joyful tone.
"Just try to stay out of trouble." the dragon replied.
"We'll do our best." Alicia said in a joking manner. She, Ridley, and Zephar all laughed for a good moment. It was also the most joy Ridley had felt in his heart in a very long time.
