Mallyra charged forward, an expression of determination plastered onto her face. Pippin lunged forward, reaching out for her hand,
"MALLYRA DON'T!" he yelped, his hand swiping at empty air. He was too late. The furious mop of wavy brow hair was now storming in the direction of the looming black shadow. Ignoring her trembling legs, Mallyra scowled up at Vasuka,
"How dare you!" Mallyra cried, pushing her hair from her face with the palm of her hand. "You coward. This involves me and you, NOT them! Now let them go!" A look of pure hatred had spread across Mallyra's face. The large skeletal head of Vasuka peered down at the hobbit, his sunken red eyes burned furiously. For a minute, there was silence.
Uryté stepped forward slightly, her unease made apparent. The shift of the dragon's weight made the ground tremble beneath the party, but still no living thing made a sound.
The silence was cut sharply by a deep grumble in the back of Vasuka's throat, which escaped his jaws in the form of a throaty chuckle, which then developed into sneering laughter. Rivers of green acid left Vasuka's lips as he laughed, dribbling down his neck and onto the blackened earth beneath him. Mallyra stood dumbfounded, not knowing quite what her next move was.
"You are quite inexperienced it seems, halfling. Is it truly cowardice to manipulate your victim? I think not." The black dragon began to pace, before digging his claws into the ground and whispering to himself. The earth shook just for a moment, catching Mallyra of guard. She was flung to the floor, dirt smearing her face. When she looked up, her eyes widened. Vasuka had created two small cage like structures from the earth that surround her parents. Her father grasped at the bars separating him and her mother, an attempt to break free.
The rest of the hobbits watched in horror, as their friend stood alone against three dragons. Pippin's heart was in his throat, as he relayed plan after plan in his head. Surely he could think of something to help. He felt Merry place his hand on his sholder, which offered him little comfort. Even Frodo and Sam shifted their weight, clearly uncomfortable with the situation that fell in front of their eyes. Two seconds passed before Pippin swallowed the lump in his throat and charged forward to stand by Mallyra's side, shortly followed by his fellow hobbits. However, their act of bravery was abruptly interrupted by Aiwendil holding out his arm, signalling them to stop. The elf did not shift his gaze from Mallyra.
"This is her fight. Not yours." He said calmly. Pippin stood, bewildered for a moment, before struggling to contain his anger.
"Are you telling me, that I have to stand and watch the girl I love get eaten by a dragon?" He muttered through gritted teeth. He then attempted to pass Aiwendil, but again the elf fought him.
"Do not be foolish Peregrin. Now is not the time." The elf growled. "I cannot allow you to jeopardise Mallyra's fate." And with that, the elf turned his attention to the silver dragon by his side. An infuriated Pippin fiddled with his scarf, scowling up at the elf, and then looking back at Mallyra. She was stood, alone, whispering to herself.
"You're mad. You're absolutely mad." She repeated over and over to herself, before drawing her sword. Her hands were trembling, and her hair was whipping around in the wind. She didn't care. Her parents needed her. She had gotten them into this mess, and she had to get them out of it alive.
"What do I have to do to make you let them go?" Mallyra blurted, her eyes colliding with Vasuka's. The dragon frowned, the question obviously unexpected. He reared his head, and snorted loudly, clearing his lungs.
"You're a little too late for that, miss Flintwater." He smirked. "You're passed the point of negotiations." He continuted. Mallyra frowned, taking a step forward. She heard Pippin yell name again as she did so, but she had to know what the dragon meant.
"How so? I've come this far, and for the moment I have no way to defeat you. Surely you could let me leave with my parents without me having to fight you?" She questioned. At that moment, Mallyra's father called out,
"Mallyra please, the world is more important than us. You need to stop him. Forget about us!" He cried, his face pressed against the rock of the cage. Mallyra swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Etani isn't here yet, Vasuka. You can still walk away from this." She continued. The dragon snorted, lowering his head to look the hobbit in the eye.
"That is where you are wrong, halfling, so I'm going to have to keep your parents." The dragon's words left Mallyra confused, her brows furrowing as she looked up at the reptile in front of her. Vasuka's gaze shifted to the party behind her, and his lips curled into a grin.
"What do you mean?" Mallyra asked, glancing over her shoulder towards her friends. Vasuka took a few steps forward, until he stood a few feet away from the party. Vasuka's head lowered once more, until his snout was only inches away from Aiwendil's face. The dragon's huge red eyes stared, and pointed teeth peered through his grin.
"He's been here the whole time, haven't you, Etani?"