. : D R A G O N B O R N : . (a MCSM fanfic)

Chapter 14: Exile

The flurry of questions that met Jesse's arrival were abruptly drowned by Xann's furious roar.  Snarling, he leaped to his feet and with a powerful bound vaulted to the cave entrance, eyes flashing and teeth bared.

"Xann, no!" Petra yelled, leaping to her feet, but let out an abrupt cry as her right leg gave out, sending her crumpling to the floor.  Lukas dove forward, catching her before she could hit the ground, and with a snort Xann whirled to face them.

"It-- it's okay," she panted, shaking slightly with pain.  "Jesse... Jesse is a friend..."

Xann looked unconvinced for a moment, but lowered his head and slunk back to his place, giving a low growl of warning over his shoulder.  He plopped down and curled up sulkily, but kept both eyes firmly fixed on Jesse.  Occasionally his tail flicked with aggravation, and his ears remained flat against his head.

"Is-- is he--" Jesse stammered in shock.

"He won't hurt you," Petra murmured, "He's just... really protective.  Come on in..."

Jesse broke the corner of the barrier and slipped inside, guiding Lukas's horse in behind her.  Axel and Olivia followed with their own horses, and the trio quickly repaired the barricade.

"Lukas's horse showed up at our place riderless," Olivia explained.  "We figured something must have happened, and so we followed her back here."

Lukas looked immensely relieved.  "Thank goodness..."  He eased Petra up and helped her limp back to her spot near the fire.

Jesse winced.  "Petra, I... I am so sorry... I didn't know."

"I'm the one who's sorry," Petra breathed, trying her best to hide her pain.  "I... I should have told you long before now... I just..." She shook her head, and Lukas laid a hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

"I'm not angry," Jesse told her quietly.  "Just... very, very confused... How in the world did you get a pet dragon?"

"He's not a pet, he's a friend," Petra clarified sharply, then took a deep breath, calming herself.  "Sorry.  Xann... isn't just an animal.  No dragon is..."  She was thoughtful for a moment.  "Remember when the dragon egg went missing?"

Axel's eyes widened.  "But-- that was months ago!"

"Yes... yes it was," Petra murmured, averting her gaze.  "The egg... it hatched.  I... found Xann in the treasure room... at first I... tried to kill him, but... he was so small... so scared... I... I just couldn't do it.  I... didn't mean to raise a dragon.  I... thought maybe I'd just take him to the wild somewhere and let him go, but... he was too young to survive on his own... I didn't know what to do, so... I went to Soren, and... he gave me this book."  She drew the old tome out from under her cloak, laying it in her lap.  "Jesse... everything we learned about dragons... it was all a lie..."

"History is most often written by the victors," Soren interjected quietly, bowing his head.

"I... don't understand."  Jesse shook her head in amazement.  "What are you saying?"

"Dragons are a lot more like us than we ever realized.  They... they had their own civilization.  And a long time ago... they worked with humans to build an empire."

"But-- but that's impossible!" Axel stammered, "What about the Ender Dragon???"

"An unfortunate casualty of ignorance," Ivor cut in.  "In the early days of the Order, we received word of an aggressive dragon in the End.  It had blocked all passage to or from the place.  You... know how that story ends."

They nodded solemnly.

"It was only afterwards that we learned the reason for her aggression," Soren explained.  "She was protecting her egg-- which, may I add, we originally deemed nonviable.  But... it seems dragon eggs are much different than chicken eggs..." He bit his lip.  "I would have warned you sooner if I knew.  It... was many years after that that I found this tome and learned the true history of the dragons..."

"So dragons aren't the monsters we learned they were..." Olivia murmured.

"No," Petra said.  "They aren't.  They're... so much like us, when it comes down to it.  But their strength is in their minds-- not their hands.  That's what made our alliance with them so powerful..."

"Indeed," Soren added.  "Dragons are known for their telepathic abilities-- in addition to the variety of abilities that different subspecies possess.  And we, of course, have the architectural ability.  It was a nearly unstoppable alliance."

"If it was so powerful, then what happened to it?" Axel asked, frowning.

"It was betrayed-- taken down from the inside," Petra explained.  "An evil dragon called Molzroth wanted to be king of the dragons-- but the reigning king Amryrth refused to relinquish his throne.  Molzroth grew angry, and began to spread rumors among both species.  He turned them against each other, and a long and bloody battle began.  The dragons had force of might, but in the end it was the humans who won, thanks to their machines.  The dragons fled the land and disappeared... no one really knows what happened to them."

"What about Molzroth?" Jesse questioned.

"Alas, that's another question with no real answer," Soren replied.  "Most historians agree that he was struck down in the battle, but the humans scarcely bothered to identify their fallen foes, and of course the dragons have not been seen since... as I said before, history is almost always told by the victors."

"No kidding," Lukas murmured.  "I just wish more people knew the truth."

"Yeah, and about that..." Jesse grimaced, wrinkling her nose.  "We... basically got run out of town..."

"What?" Lukas gasped.

"Beacontown got tired of waiting-- they've got everyone out scouring the woods right now!  They're looking for the dragon..."

Xann gave a hiss of alarm, looking to Petra.

Petra flinched.  "Then Xann and I will have to get out of here..."

Lukas blinked.  "Wait, what?  You're leaving-- just like that?"

"Xann's hurt-- I can't send him off out there alone.  We... have to find a safe place, and... when we do, I'll find my way home..."

"But what if there is no safe place?  What if you go so far you can't come back?" Lukas protested.  "You can't just up and leave!  We're you're friends!"

Petra flinched at the hurt in his voice.  "At least they won't kill you.  But Xann?  If they find him, he's done for."  She hesitated, and then lowered her head, adding quietly.  "And if they kill the dragon... what will they do to his rider?"

Jesse bit her lip.  "Petra's right," she admitted, looking pained.  "To them, dragons are monsters-- and anyone associated with them a force of evil.  If Petra stays... she could be in just as much danger as Xann..."

"So that's it?  You're just going to let her go??" Lukas looked betrayed.

"Of course not," Jesse told him, taking a step forward. "We're going with her.  All of us."

Petra looked up.  "I can't let you do that..."

"You don't exactly have a choice," Jesse pointed out.  "And if you think we're just going to abandon you to flee for your life to who knows where, you're sorely mistaken.  We're a team, Petra.  And that means we stay together."

Petra lowered her gaze.  "I should have just let Xann go," she murmured.  "Then none of us would be in this mess... surely he'd have found someplace safe by now, and you wouldn't be caught up in it all..."

Soren gave her an odd look.  "Sometimes the path that's easiest is not the path that's best..."

"And sometimes the easy path will save your neck," she muttered, shaking her head.  "If you guys insist on coming, I can't exactly stop you.  But we need to get moving.  You've got a start on those dragon hunters because you tracked us directly-- but they can't be far behind..."

"You're right," Jesse agreed.  "Let's get everything packed and move out."