Artibain and Jurah were sound asleep around the smoking ash of the fire from the night before. Azareth had woken up when she heard one of the horses step on a twip, snapping it in half. She laid there looking up at the sky. She couldn’t help wondering where the white dragon had flown off to. The wind blew through the tops of the trees as the sun rose higher in the east. The sky was turning a pale violet colour as the sun chased away the darkness. Stormlight walked over to Azareth and looked down at her, lowering her head. Stormlight nudged Azareth’s head with her wet nose.

“Good morning,” Azareth said. She was careful to keep her voice low. She didn’t want to wake the two sleeping men. She stretched her arms up and rubbed Stormlight’s nose. Sitting up, she gently pushed Stormlight out of the way. She looked around and took in her surroundings. The leaves and grass still had morning dew sprinkled over them. The river was still, none of the creatures stirring the waters below.

“Time to get up,” She said to herself. Pushing off the ground she stood up, stretching one last time. She was getting used to sleeping on the ground, but she did miss her bed back home. Azareth stumbled towards the water, kneeling when she reached the edge. She splashed the water on her face and felt a large silver run through her body. Cupping some water in her hands, she brought them up and took a sip of water. It was so quiet and peaceful. Silent, the air was still around her. No one was arguing or threatening her life. It made her remember, as she stood up from the river’s edge. She was remembering the lullaby her mother would sing to her.

“You are my fire,” she started to sing softly. She walked over to the horses and began to run her hands over Stormlight.

“I want to keep you burning, it is my only desire. For us to stay together, my dear.” Jurah’s eyes fluttered open, he looked around and saw Azareth with the horses.

“You are my delicate red flower, I’ll forever keep holding.” Artibain rubbed his eyes as he sat up off the hard cold ground.

“I stand afar and admire, watching you grow and reach for the sky.” The two men looked at each other and then back over at Azareth.

“With you my heart never tires, it does not cry out. Searching.” Azareth’s hands were now running over Foxtail’s neck and up to his ears.

“Seeing you, my flower, you really do inspire. To care for you and love you evermore, my red flower.” Azareth stopped singing and looked up at the sky. Holding back tears of longing, yearning to be home. Wishing everything had never changed.

“Where’d you learn that song?” Artibain asked. Azareth jumped, whipping around to look at both of them. She saw them sitting up watching her.

“When did you wake up?” she asked.

“Around ‘keep you burning’,” Jurah said. He stood up and walked over to the river.

“Where did you learn that song?” Artibain asked again. Azareth shook her head, looking at the ground.

“My mother sang it to me, many years ago,” she said. Artibain nodded and got up himself. The three of them moved around the camp in silence as they all prepared to start the day. Azareth was looking around the small little clearing and then over at the others. It seemed as though a lifetime had passed since she started on her journey.

“Azareth?” Jurah asked. She blinked, focusing her gaze on him. “You alright?”

“Of course, are we ready?” she asked.

“Yes, everything is in order. We’ll need to find some good hunting soon, we’re nearing the end of our rations,” Jurah said.

“Alright, Artibain, do you know of any good hunting around here?” Azareth asked. Artibain looked at her, nodding once.

“Yeah, a few hours down the trail. Deer like to graze in the fields where the river cuts through,” he said.

“Excellent, let’s go then,” Azareth said. She pulled herself onto Stormlight and headed off in the direction of their destination. The men looked at each other, sharing a confused expression.

“What happened last night?” Jurah asked. Artibain looked at the ground, he didn't want to meet Jurah’s gaze.

“I told her about my people’s past, she took it well. At least I thought she did.”

“Are you kidding me? She’s been sheltered her entire life, of course, she didn’t handle it well.”

“Hey!” Azareth called from the trail. “Are you two coming or not?”

“We’re coming,” Artibain said. Artibain went to climb onto Dewdrop, but JUrah grabbed his arm.

“She may trust you, but I don’t, so watch what you say to her. She doesn’t see it now, but I know you up to no good.”

“Maybe I’m just trying to survive like the two of you,” Artibain said. He shook his arm free from Jurah’s grip. They both climbed onto their horses and tried to catch up with Azareth. She was a ways ahead of them now, but she slowed down when she looked behind her to see how far behind they were. She could see the tension between them as they grew closer, she wasn’t sure what happened but knew it couldn’t be good.

“Are we getting closer?” Azareth asked. She was getting tired of riding, she wanted a break. She was growing more excited about the idea of hunting. Though Jurah and Artibain both agreed she should not join them on the hunt. Azareth disagreed, she felt she could be of use.

“Yes, but the more you talk the more likely the deer will be scared off,” Artibain told her. She scoffed at him and let out a light laugh.

“Oh Arti, you’re so funny. I can be quiet,” she said. Jurah choked on the water he was swallowing. Azareth turned and narrowed her eyes, he wiped the water off his chin. Jurah smiled at Azareth, but she shook her head at him.

“Please don’t call me that,” Artibain said. Azareth smirked, riding up next to him.

“No can do, Arti,” she said. “I think it suits you.”

“How much further?” Jurah asked. His jaw clenched as he watched the two of them talk. His fists were clenched around the reins, feeling frustrated. “We should get the hunt done soon, so we can keep moving.”

“Oh, well the fields are only a few minutes to the north,” Artibain said. He stopped and the other two followed him. “We can leave the horses here while we go ahead.” The three of them climbed off their horses. Azareth walked off the trail, she tried to head in the direction of the fields.

“Wait a minute,” Jurah said. Azareth paused mid-step and looked over her shoulder at him. “I thought we all agreed you would stay with the horses.”

“Are you serious?” Azareth asked. She was growing more frustrated by the second. Her hands curled into fists at her side. The two men took their saddles off the horses, they weren’t sure how long they would be. Azareth walked back over to Stormlight and started to undo her saddle.

“It’s for your own safety,” Artibain said.

“For once we agree on something,” Jurah said. Artibain grabbed his bow and quiver, then the two men left Azareth alone with the horses. She groaned loudly as she sat down on an old tree stump. She hated being treated like a child-like she couldn’t handle herself.

“Stupid boys,” she said. The horses were eating the grass along the edge of the trail. She watched as they moved around in harmony, neither one caring the others were there. Sighing, Azareth stood up and grabbed her dagger from her saddlebag.

“I’m not going to just wait around,” she said. She headed off in the direction Artibain and Jurah went in. She walked quietly so as not to disturb the deer and ruin the hunt. Stepping lightly over branches and tree roots. She moved through the thickening woods towards what she thought was the field. She stopped when she heard something move from behind her. Slowly she turned around and peered through the trees. Azareth took a deep breath in, nothing was there and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

“Hello?” she asked softly. Nothing happened. She gripped onto her dagger tightly and took a step forward/. Without warning, something hit her right thigh, confused she looked down. She saw an arrowhead coming through the front of her leg.

“What?” she asked, not believing her eyes. She poked at the arrowhead and felt a surge of pain go through her leg. “Oh, gods!” She picked her foot up and felt herself lose balance. She fell to the ground knocking into a bush.

“Help!” she screamed. She was holding her leg and staring at the arrow, her breathing growing rapid. Blood was seeping through her pants and creating a large circle around the exit wound/ There was the sound of people running towards her. Full of pain and fear, she grabbed her dagger. She held it up in front of her, hoping to fight off whoever was coming towards her.

“Azareth!” Jurah said as he and Artibain came into her sight. “What the hell happened?” he asked, dropping down next to her.

“I’ve been shot with a fucking arrow!” she screamed. They looked down at her leg and saw the blood and the arrowhead.

“Shit!” Artibain said. Jurah grabbed him by the shirt caller and got right in his face.

“Was this you? Did you shoot her in the bloody leg?”

“I-I don’t, maybe, no! Of course not!”

“Pull it out!” Azareth yelled. The two men stopped and looked down at her, tears falling from her eyes.

“Not here, we need to get you back to the horses,” Jurah said. He gently moved his arms underneath her, lifting her slowly off the ground. Azareth let out a cry and gritted her teeth as they stood up. Jurah began to carry her back, but Artibain stopped in his tracks. He turned around and caught a glimpse of someone moving in the woods. He turned and ran after the others, not believing what he saw.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Jurah said, laying Azareth on the ground. “How can I help?” Jurah had no idea what to do, his heart was beating so hard in his ears.

“Cut the end of the arrow off, we need to pull it through the rest of the way,” Artibain said, as he ran up to them. “Once it’s out, we’ll need to stop the bleeding and bandage her leg.” Azareth was breathing heavily as she stared at the arrow in her leg. How did this happen?

“Az, I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt,” Jurah said. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. She nodded and gripped tightly onto Artibain’s arm. Artibain lifted her leg so Jurah could see the end of the arrow. Jurah took his knife and sawed through the arrow. With every motion, Azareth let out a scream.

“Stop, please stop!” she cried. Jurah didn’t stop though, he knew he had to get through the arrow before he could truly help her.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. Just hold on,” Jurah said. As Jurah was cutting through the last little bit, Azareth’s scream stopped. He looked up and saw she had fallen over. “Azareth?”

“It’s okay, she just passed out from the pain,” Artibain said, holding his fingers to the side of her neck. “She still had a pulse.”

“We need to finish before she wakes up,” Jurah said. He sniffed and finally cut through the arrow. Taking a deep breath he gripped the head of the arrow and looked up at Azareth. Her face was pale and tear-stained. He pulled the arrow through the rest of the way.

“Good, now we uh, need to bandage her,” Artibain said. They both stared at her pants and then back at each other. Jurah took his knife and cut through Azareth’s pants, leaving her right leg bare from the top of her thigh down.

“Her saddlebag, there’s a medicine bag,” Jurah said. Artibain rested her leg down and pushed himself off the ground. He rushed over to Stormlight’s saddle and dug through Azareth’s things.

“Got it,” he said. He spun around and quickly handed it to Jurah. Jurah dug through it and found everything he needed. As he was cleaning the entry and exit wounds, he glanced over at Artibain.

“How did you know what to do?” Jurah asked him. Artibain was gently dabbing Azareth’s face with a damp rag.

“You think this is the first arrow wound I’ve seen?” Artibain asked. “I grew up hunted. Because of all the kingdoms, several of the men were shot. My parents taught me very young how to deal with injuries like this.”

“I see,” Jurah said. He was finishing wrapping Azareth’s leg with a large bandage. “Can I ask why you panicked when you saw the arrow this time?” Artibain shook his head and looked at Jurah.

“Not until she’s awake, you both need to hear it.” The two of them went silent as they cleaned up the bloody rags.

Azareth felt a stinging sensation in her thigh. Her hand gently ran over the area and that’s when she felt the bandage around her leg. She gently dropped her hand to her side, letting her eyes open slowly. There was a small fire burning just off the trail, Artibain and Jurah sat next to her in silence. She wanted to sit up but felt her head spin as she looked between the two men. She watched and saw the two of them looked worried, their eyes focused on the fire. Azareth looked at the sky, seeing it was dark now, how long was she out?

“Water,” she croaked out. Jurah and Artibain whipped around and looked down at her.

“Here,” Jurah said, grabbing his canteen. Artibain helped Azareth sit up, leaning her against his chest. Azareth took the canteen and slowly began to drink from it.

“How are you feeling?” Artibain asked her. Azareth nodded her head and handed Jurah his canteen back. She tried to sit up a bit more, Artibain shifted her so her head was resting on his shoulder now.

“A little dizzy, but I’ll be okay.” She looked between them again and gave a small smile. “Thank you for helping me, both of you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jurah said. He stared into her golden eyes and felt himself relax finally. He could finally breathe easy again. Once Azareth was sitting up on her own, Jurah gave Artibain a knowing glance.

“Alright,” Artibain said, raising his hands in defence. “There’s something I should tell you both something about that arrow.” Jurah and Azareth looked over at him, seeing he looked nervous. Artibain was pulling on his fingers and then looked up at them.

“Arti, if you shot me with the arrow, it’s okay,” Azareth started. “I mean, it wasn’t like it was on purpose, right?”

“It wasn’t me,” Artibain said. He looked hurt but knew that she didn’t mean anything by it. Jurah crossed his arm over his chest and looked at him confused.

“If it wasn’t you, who was it?” Jurah asked. Artibain felt his hands grow sweaty, as a queasy feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. He was trying to think of how to say what he was thinking.

“My father,” he finally said. Azareth and Jurah stared at him blankly.

“What?” Azareth asked him. “I thought, he should be dead.”

“I know, I thought that too, but-”

“But what? What aren’t you telling us?” Jurah snapped. Artibain rubbed the back of his neck and groaned loudly.

“A few nights ago when I was patrolling, I thought I saw someone following me. So I decided to go and check it out, but I lost the trail. Today just after you were shot, I heard someone in the woods. When I looked around I thought I saw my father’s cloak, or what was left of it, running away.”

“You think your father lived, now he’s trying to finish what he started?” Azareth asked him. Artibain nodded and looked away from her.

“I’m so sor-” Artibain was interrupted when Jurah’s fist connected with the side of his jaw.

“You bastard!” Jurah yelled. “You’ve known for days that we’re being followed and you didn’t say anything?!”

“Jurah!” Azareth exclaimed. Artibain fell back against the tree, he rubbed his face and glared at Jurah. Azareth could see both men were full of rage and ready to fight. Jurah was standing up looking down at Artibain. Azareth watched as Artibain stood up.

“I didn’t know for sure,” Artibain said. Jurah went to punch him again, but Artibain ducked and Jurah punched the tree behind him.

“Fuck!” Jurah yelled, gripping his hand. “You should have told us anyway.”

“Enough!” Azareth said. The two of them backed away from each other and Azareth took calming breaths. “Look, what’s done is done.”

“But-”

“Jurah, shut up.” Azareth glared at him for a moment. She relaxed her face and looked at them. She chewed on her thumbnail for a moment trying to think about what was going to happen.

“If your father is alive, what can we expect?” Azareth asked Artibain.

“If I know my father, he’s probably gotten ahead of us with the help of the orcs,” Artibain said. “Also with the time he gained from wounding Azareth, he gave himself a huge head start. Knowing him, they have set up a trap on the edge of Lake Criwar.”

“An ambush,” Jurah said, he was still rubbing his hand. Azareth noticed his knuckles were scratched up, but he was still able to move his fingers. Artibain nodded his head, sharing a looked with Jurah.

“Exactly, probably at least a dozen of his men. Maybe more orcs.”

“So how do we plan to get around them?” Azareth asked them. They both looked down at her confused. “Don’t look at me like that. We have had one goal this entire time, get me to the island, to the kingdom of Berlar so I can learn to be a dragon lord. Now, how the hell are we going to do that?”