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

Chapter 20: Uncertainty

The powerful she-dragon stopped in front of them with an annoyed glare, glowering down at them.  "What in the name of Amryth's mighty claw are they doing here?"

Fauth ducked his head and gave a sheepish grin.  "Hey Rhaxis," he murmured, grimacing a bit.  "I... I didn't expect you to be here..."

She gave an irritated huff.  "I'm the Captain of the Guard, Fauth.  It's my job to be here."

Fauth gave a nervous laugh, but Rhaxis just squinted harder.  "You'd better have a reasonable explanation for this, or your guardian days are over.  No human has ever set foot in Arathael, and if you don't give me a good reason as to why that should change--"

"Rhaxis," Fauth said quietly, reaching out with one wing and gently nudging Petra forward, "This is the Dragonborn."

Rhaxis opened her mouth, as if preparing to respond to an inadequate answer, and then stopped, blinking down at Petra.  "You're joking."

Fauth shook his head quickly.  "We found her wandering the mountains with her party-- and they found the last Ender Dragon!"

Rhaxis's gaze shifted to Xann, who was peering uncertainly out from behind Petra and Fauth-- evidently uneasy at suddenly being in the company of so many other dragons-- and then back to Petra, and then to Fauth again.  "You're telling me that this-- this child-- is the hero we've spent our whole lives waiting for?"

"Rhax, I know it sounds crazy," Fauth told her, "But she's the one... I can feel it.  She's the first rider this world has seen in centuries... she found the last dragon of a race we thought had gone extinct.  She may be young, but she's hardly ordinary..."

The she-dragon surveyed the group for a long time, and then snorted, holding her head high.  "So you brought humans to Arathael without asking any of the rest of us what we thought was wise."

"We didn't have much choice," Fauth explained, "She and some of her party are wounded and exiled."  He shook his head.  "Their town chased them out when they found out they were associating with a dragon..."

Rhaxis seemed to consider this for a moment.  "I understand your decision," she conceded finally, "But I am not so easily convinced.  They will be held in custody until their identity can be confirmed."

"What??" Ivor snapped, stepping forward, but Fauth gave a warning growl in his direction.

"We will comply with your command," he told her, lowering his head in submission.  "What must they do to prove themselves?"

"I will bring this matter before Amryth," Rhaxis told them.  "Our king sees all... he will tell us what we must do."  She took a step back.  "All of you are to follow me.  As of now, you are under the custody of the royal guard.  Tomorrow, I will present your case to Amryth. "  She eyed Petra. "If you truly are the Dragonborn, he will confirm that.  But should you prove to be false..."  She struck one claw across the ground, leaving an ominous scratch in the stone.

Lukas flinched visibly and glanced uncertainly at Fauth, taking a step closer to Petra.  But there was nothing any of them could do now but hope the young dragon knew what he was doing...

Rhaxis turned to address the gathered crowd.  "Return to your homes.  The king will deal with this."

As the crowd dispersed, she led the little party up the spiraling streets toward the castle on the summit.

***

"From exile to imprisonment," Soren muttered, shaking his head.  "I can't say I call this an improvement..."

"It could be worse," Jesse pointed out, "They could have put us in the dungeon instead of just in one of the palace rooms..."

"Feh.  What difference does it make?  We're still being held under lock and key!" Ivor huffed.

As the others debated their situation, Lukas slipped quietly away from the group.  Petra was sitting a little ways off, leaning against Xann, who had curled up in the corner.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, approaching, "You look exhausted..."

She shrugged.  "For someone who was just told she'd be executed if she didn't turn out to be a prophesied hero," she muttered, "I'd say I'm doing remarkably well."

Lukas looked down, exhaling-- trying to conceal his own doubt.  "We'll get through this," he murmured, "We always do..."

"How?" Petra questioned, "We're literally inside a mountain-- there's no way out from here!  There's no way three dragons and a handful of humans could take on a castle full of trained warrior dragons!"

"It always seems impossible..."  Lukas exhaled.  "But we have faced worse... surely this can't be as bad as a command block-fueled, world-eating monster..."

Petra went quiet, staring at the ground.

Lukas hesitated.  "...Alright, it's pretty bad," he admitted, sitting down beside her.  "But it's not over yet."  He bit his lip.  "Fauth wouldn't have brought us here if he wasn't confident you were the Dragonborn..."

"But what if he's wrong?"

Lukas took a deep breath.  "We don't know that he is..."

"And we don't know that he isn't," Petra pointed out, shaking her head.  "Lukas," she added quietly, "You... you said that no matter what happens, we'd still have each other.  But if Fauth is wrong..."

"If Fauth is wrong, then we'll find a way to escape," Lukas said with conviction, clenching his fists, and then added quietly, "I'm not about to lose you now... not after everything we've been through.  Even if Fauth is wrong, we'll find a way..."

Petra was quiet for a long moment.  "And what happens if this time there isn't a way?"

"There is.  There has to be."  Lukas exhaled, and then shook his head.  "Why don't you try and rest?  If Rhaxis is going to bring us before the king, then you can't be this exhausted."  He put a hand on her shoulder.  "I'll talk to the others and start working on a backup plan, just in case..."

He moved as if to rise, but almost frantically she caught his arm.  "Lukas, wait!"

Frowning slightly, he turned back to her.  "What is it?"

She hesitated a little, seeming to want to say something, but then lowered her gaze again.  "Good luck," she whispered.

He watched her for a moment, seeming thoughtful, and then dipped his head.  "Thanks," he murmured.