Ceremony in Merthras (Shadow)

"Then climb onto my neck." The dragons voice resonated in Shadows mind, as the dragon lowered its entire body, and lay down so that Shadow could climb onto its neck. Its scales were armoured, and on the end of its tail was a rather formidable club like appendage, the whole of its tail was lined with spikes.

-Sorry about the speed of my replies, I'm cooking stuff for Christmas at the same time ^^ -

Shadow used one of the spines running the crest of the dragon's neck and back to help herself climb painfully onto the creature's back. She sat sidesaddle because of her dress, and she hung on grimly to the spine, afraid of falling.

OOC: No worries

BIC: The dragon stood back up to its full height. "You need better clothes, you'll fall off..." The dragons voice stated in Shadows mind. The dragon took a few steps, before leaping into the air and flapping its mighty wings, providing lift. The Dragon took flight, and glided down to a small mountain town. It landed, and the villagers cowered. "Tell them you mean them no harm. You just need some warmth and clothing. And that i will provide them any service they need." The Dragon's voice resonated only in Shadows mind.

Shadow nodded and spoke to the villagers in the language of the dimension. One of them, seemingly the leader, moved forwards, speaking. Shadow slid off the dragon's back, patting its neck to say that it was alright.

The Dragon looked at the villagers, a puff of smoke escaped from its nostrils. The dragon lay down on the ground, moving the snow as to be most comfortable. "There are not many who will stand against a Dragon or its rider." The voice stated in a factual tone.

"And thank the goddess for that," Shadow replied quietly. One of the other villagers approached the princess, saying something timidly. Shadow nodded. The villager gently moved the cloak from Shadow's shoulder, placing one hand as a bracer against her chest and the other hand around the bolt lodged through the muscle. The villager said something, to which Shadow nodded just before the bolt was ripped from her shoulder. Shadow let out a cry of pain, the villager immediately trying to reassure her.

The dragon didn't move, it just looked at Shadow as she cried in pain, but did not do anything. The Villager was trying to help. The dragon put its head down once, resting it on the snow. "Dragons exist in every dimension, and are feared. The shear sight of one is enough to terrify villagers. They need to know i won't start eating cattle or destroying things. Reassure them and they will welcome us more warm heartedly." The voice spoke, no particular sound to it, the words just seemed to be popping into Shadow's head.

"They know you're not going to start rampaging. THey said that dragons with riders rarely do," Shadow murmured through short breaths as the villager started to bandage the wound.

The dragon moved its head slightly, moving its claw in the snow to become more comfortable. "Merthras will not be so ready to attack Aspheri if there is a Dragon on your side. They won't risk the destruction I would cause." The words appeared in Shadows head, obviously not meant for the villagers ears.

"I hope not," Shadow said, leaning lightly against the dragon's shoulder, the villager having hurried off back to the village. The demoness closed her eyes. "A lot has happened today..."

The dragon made a grunting noise that could be accustomed to laughter. The voice spoke again in Shadows head. "Indeed it has, but we will need to be quick to prevent Merthras from attacking. Once you are properly dressed we take flight. Just the sight of us should scare them off..."

Shadow nodded as a villager arrived with a pair of trousers, which Shadow put on under her dress before creating a rip in the skirt up to her hip. She adjusted her cloak before bowing to the villager, thanking him in the language of the dimension and climbing, with some difficulty, back onto the dragon.

The Dragon stood up, opening its wings to its full wingspan. It leapt into the air, flapping its wings in order to get into the air, some snow beneath it was thrown around, but nothing else was effected. The Dragon was in the air, and it started to fly around the mountains. "Are you yet accustomed to riding a Dragon, it is somewhat more difficult than a Pegusi..." The voice spoke in Shadows head.

Shadow, still hanging on grimly with her eyes shut,yelled out into the wind that she was ok, and that she was getting used to it. She opened her eyes a little, looking at the ground below her before shutting them quickly again. A little voice inher head was laughing at her for being afraid of flying on the dragon.

The Dragon stopped mid air, using the wings on its arms as brakes. It hovered in the air, flapping its independant wings. "You will get used to it, you must be before we go anywhere near the palace." The dragon spoke, hovering still in the air.

Shadow opened her eyes in alarm.
"We have to go back there?" She asked, her voice rising slightly in her hysteria. Her palm stung with just the memory of the ceremony that had ended in bloodshed and pain.

The dragon laughed again, as the voice spoke. "Where did you think we were going to go? We must strike fear into their hearts to ensure Aspheri's safety, or rip their hearts out." The Dragon spoke in a determined tone, as it started to descend to the ground below.

"No," Shadow said quietly before her voice took on a firmer tone. "No, it's wrong to attack them now. They will be burying their ruler. They will not attack for sometime." The demoness gripped the spike, half expecting the dragon to try to throw her off if it got angry.

The dragon shook its head. "Not attack, observe. If we fly overhead they will notice us. They will come to choose a new ruler, and with a Dragon present, they will not be foolish. We will convince them against attack. Only if that fails will we attack." The Dragon spoke fluently, it had already worked this plan out.

Shadow nodded and shut her eyes again, hanging on to the spike for dear life.
"Ok then, let's go..." The voice in her head was still laughing at her for being scared but Shadow ignored it. After all, everyone's scared of something. A thought nagged at the back of her mind. What was Be'lakor afraid of?

The Dragon landed, flicking its tail in the air. "Take time to rest, we will give them some time." The dragon lay down, allowing Shadow to climb off of it. Another puff of smoke escaped its nostrils as it exaled, due to the cold.

Shadow thanked the dragon as she slid off its back, landing with a thud on the ground. She started to pace, her cloak floating slightly behind her as she walked. She pulled off her mask, tying it to her belt, her face a picture of confusion mixed with fear anf fury.

The Dragon looked around, swinging its tail and knocking down a tree. It looked into the air, there was a wall surrounding them, a wall of mountains. The dragon let a stream of hellfire escape from its maw, warming the area up. It then looked to the ground, lying back down.

Shadow savoured the warmth for a moment, her expression changing to a calmer one until she began pacing again. Her broken arm pained her, her wounded shoulder also. She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't have to fight until she got back to Aspheri and could call on the services of her medics.

The dragon closed its eyes, its voice seeping into Shadows head. "You need not dismount during our visit here. You will be too high up to attack, unless you want the crossbow..." The dragon spoke, opening its eyes again.