Chapter 2 - The Gathering of Kings

A gathering among the dragons.

The young woman struggled to find a good balance between cradling the egg and gripping on with her knees, so much that the male she rode on finally let out a slightly irritated sigh. He began speaking to her in a rough but not unkind tone. "Grip with your knees like on a horse, feel for the grip and my movements. Sway with my turns." He silenced once they had found a silent rhythm that worked for her.

The dragons were silent in the travels until the sound of wings beats nearby was much too loud to ignore. They hovered, mid-air, forming a protective triangle. A rumbling laugh sent a shiver down the male's spine that even she could feel. "Well, now, this is a sight!" A dragon was grinning before the leader. His scales a dark brown with a burnt look to his scales on the right side.

"Russet," The leader growled a greeting. "Why are you in our path?"

"I happen to be doing no such thing!" The other grinned, baring his teeth. "I am merely on errand to have to let you know a meeting is being called."

"A meeting?" The leader huffed a sigh. "On whose authority?"

"The Ice King." The other dragon shrugged.

"Of all the times," the leader frowned.

"Ah, yes." The brown dragon drifted closer to the human. "Have yiou brought her as a pet?" The male dived suddenly, pulling her and the egg out of reach, as well as below the cloud bank. Russet followed, giving chase, much to the irritation of the first. He sped up his dive and weaved his way into the valley around the resting figures of the gathered dragons below. Russet grinned and snapped at the male's tail, as they were forced to land into the center pad of the stones that formed their gathering place. The male carrying her carefully and quickly tucked her and the egg both against his chest, before transforming into human form. This caused Russet to overshoot his target and crash into a wall beyond them. "Damn you, Keir," Russet grumbled, turning into his other form at last. He rubbed the side of his head.

Russet was a messy haired brown top in human form, with a goatee just as unruly. His clothes were surprisingly refined, despite this. She looked to him with mouth agape. "I take it you have never seen us transform them either?" The voice spoke from behind her. She turned her chin to find herself facing a young man with spiky black hair in soft tufts and striking pale orange eyes.

"Um, well, no." She smiled sheepishly, but admitted her honest answer.

"Better question is what is she doing here?" A stern voice spoke up. This, she found, belonged to a feminine dragon with dark blue scales. "Have you no manners?" She asked further, impatiently, when the human did not bow.

"Sorry, mam, but I don't know who you are to know which to use.'' She told her openly.

"So you can tell I'm a woman, how quaint." The dragon answered sarcastically and transformed into a tan woman dressed in the same dark blue as her hair. The girl fell silent, sensing it would be better to not speak further, as she soon realized she was surrounded on all sides.

Her sudden trembles did not go unnoticed with so many eyes upon them both, even as her own gaze lowered with the landing of the others from before. Onya had arrived along with her father. "She was brought as a matter of necessity." The leader explained to the woman.

She regarded him with some tension. "Surely, brother, nothing could be so necessary as to warrant a human being brought to our gathering?"

"She is of no danger to anyone," Onya scoffed slightly, almost resently. "Save for the young she so stubbornly holds!"

"I am not out to hurt the egg!" The young woman yelled out suddenly.

"Enough!" A strong voice called out over all the others. "The fact is, she is here. What is to be done with her, remains to be seen." This voice, it turned out, was carried out by a dragon with scales so dark they seemed endless.

She quieted once more, as even the dragons fell silent. All that is, save for the blue haired woman. "Nelzar.." She began.

"You have a right to speak your concerns, of course, as a queen," He gave a small nod. "But not right now."

"I believe I have a right to," A low growl could be heard. A pale blue dragon stepped forward. "Regardless of necessity, why would a human be brought to a meeting of such importance?" He was muscular and study. With a cold aura, she hurried to bow in realization of what dragon it was.

"Now she bows?" The queen spat in annoyance.

The dragons peered over at the girl. Regarding her carefully, the blue dragon lowered his hand before her as he transformed. Motioning her to look up, she did so slowly. "Where are you from?" He asked in a softer tone.

"I was from Oarth." She told him quietly, nervous.

"I see," he smiled a little, amused.

"And this is relevant because?" The queen questioned.

The ice king growled at her with a glare. "Enough! This child is under my protection. You will respect her as you would my own."

"Why such an action, Frost?" The dark scaled king spoke up. This surprised them.

"Speak the oath." Frost commanded of the girl child.

"To serve to the best of our ability, to protect with all our power, dragon kind and dragon friends, in any time or hour." She spoke softly, trembling.