Gone without a trace -16y

[hagvar]

"Wake up were almost there" Gidion heard basics resonate voice in his head and did as he was told when he spoted the low lying mountain (which was more like a large hill) he sat up right where here he said to Mel and andromeda basil landed to the side of the hill Gidion jumped off his back and walked to the base of the hill. "Do you remember whet it is" Gidion said to basil. "It's just beyond the side" Basil replied. When Gidion went around the side and found a boulder at the foot of the hill he placed his hand on it chanting some words in the ancient language when he stept back he didn't think it would work. Then a star blazed on the stone and at the foot of the hill a large door opened he walked in side. He found the torch in side the door lit it and walked further in whe he got to the opening in the center he put the torch in what looked like a railing it lit on fire frome the torch it was rally a canal with oil in it which lit up the vast room all the books and scrolls and artifacts where all over the place he turned to Mel and andromeda an said " Home sweet home.

OCC: srry for taking forever

[Melantha]

Andromeda backed off slightly as Basil descended giving her some distance and time to find a spot to land.
'Mel wake they have landed i'm about to descend to land.' Andromeda called out to her rider as she circled a spot close to where basil had landed.

Melantha woke feeling more tired than she did before she had fallen asleep.
She sat up strait and yawned, wiping the sleep from her eyes she looked around at the mountainous scenery and spotted Basil and Gidion bellow.

Once her rider was awake she proceeded to land, gliding in wide a downwards circle aiming for the spot she had picked out on the ground. She ran forward a few paces to absorb the impact of the ground.

Melantha climbed down from Andromedas back and the two of them walked over to where Gideon and Basil were standing.
She watched curious as Gideon muttered words in the ancient language most of which she understood. she wasn't surprised when the spell revealed the door.

She gave Gidion a small smile when the room beyond the door lit up. she could imagine the amount of effort Gidion and Basil had put in to create their hideout.


occ: thats ok i did on the last one

[hagvar]

Gidion walk in and put his riders blade on a long table with intricate wood work that looked like vines wrapping up the legs. "It's not much but it's all we have I never realy felt like I should have a simple house like everyone else so I made this place" he said running his fingers over the long table he sang from a tree. "If you want to rest befor dinner or clean up some your room is down that hall he said pointing to a large corridor made for dragons. I hope you find it comfortable if you need anything my friend will help" he's said pointing to Dana who just came around the corner she was dressed in a dark blue dress with a cloak to match. He then took his leave to his own chamber wich was very spacious he got a warm bath then dressed in a simple forest green tunic trimmed with gold. "I best see to dinner" he said to him self.

[Melantha]

OCC: im going to assume the dragons fit inside

Melantha followed Gidion into corridor which opened up into a large room with large wooden table clearly carved by magic.

"You made all of this yourself?" Andromeda said surprised by the size of the room and other large corridors which she assumed lead to other rooms. It was very impressive the shear size of the room was large enough to accommodate both Basil and herself.

Melantha nodded "Thank you" she said sincerely just as Gidion and Basil left the room
Andromeda and Melatha nodded greeting to Gidion's female friend.
"hi" Melantha managed to say in a small voice.

[hagvar]

While he was preparing dinner he ask Basil to find Andromeda and go hunting because he didnt have enought meat for the two dragons. He then started to set the table for the first corse wich was a cold soup of leeks peas carrots in a cool creamy cheese sauce.
To drink he brought out one of his finest wines he'd been brewing for close to 2years and put it on ice. After that he went to Melantha's room knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
*****
Basil did as Gidion said and went to find Andromeda. He went to the main hall and reached out with his mind to Andromeda "Come meet me outside we must go find us some food"He said then went to the door sent a stream of smoke at the door and it opened he steped outside and watied for Andromeda.

[Melantha]

**** skip?****
After convincing Andromeda that she was going to be okay Melantha removed the bags from Andromeda's Saddle and took them to the room Gidion had allowed her to stay in.

"are you absolutely sure" Andromeda said again hesitant to leave her rider by herself.

"Yes go, your hungry you need to eat, don't worry about me ill be just fine" Melantha said as she set down the bags at the foot of the bed. She looked through the bags for a change of clothes, most of her clothes were riding clothes pants and shirts nothing very famine.

Andromeda gave a mental nod and headed back through the hall as the smoke cleared she found Basil waiting for her at the entrance.

Melantha folded and unfolded the clothes as she pulled them from the bag. Living out of four large saddle bags was tough but she had gotten use to it over the past months.
Seeing Gidion's home had made her realise that she didn't really have a real home anymore. Her old home in Ilirea had been destroyed during the battle and while she had a room in the castle it was not much of a home to her, staying there gave her nightmares she preferred to live outside the city and sleep under Andromedas wing .

Finally she came across the small pile of non riding clothes. She smiled as memories came forth into her mind as her eyes rested on a simple purple dress. A wave of emotion washed over her as she remembered the last time she wore it.

one of the days leading up to the final battle Seth had given it to her as a present and insisted she wear it. He surprised her with dinner in a quiet corner of the Varden camp. It was a big effort in such an uncertain time which was what she appreciated most, The way he had gone around camp to find, borrow and trade for the table, the chairs and all the other small components that were borderline impossible to get within the Varden camp. Seth had managed to do all of it for her.

Melantha stumbled over to the basin and splashed her face with water to clean the fresh tears from her face. She heard a knock at the door and quickly dried her face on her sleeve

"Just a moment!" she called out to who she assumed was Giddion.

She retuned to the pile of clothes and picked out a black dress with simple red patterns and quickly changed. She quickly put her clothes away and opened the door.

[Crown]

The battle, it had nearly killed him. The opposing riders were ruthless fighters but Seth and Abaddon had held their own. In the midst of the battle, when the ruble collapsed over then, Abaddon was locked in combat with an Empire Rider. To Seth and Abaddon’s benefit a cave system underneath the city collapsed in, swallowing the four combatants into a pitch black abyss. When they hit the cave floor the fight was instantly on, Seth could not tell if they fought for minutes or eons but eventually they slew their enemy, getting out of the cave was the hard part. Abaddon had grown so large they had to dig their way through the smaller sections of the tunnels. Even more ages seemed to pass as they clawed their way free from the earth. Seth had to be sure Melantha and Andromeda were well. Seth would cut his arm and form a pool in his own blood to conserve his water so he could scry them. Thankfully Seth knew exactly where to find them when Abaddon finally broke through a wall and sunlight streamed into the opening. Seth was almost afraid he had gone blind completely but finally his eyes adjusted to the light and they made for Andromeda and Melantha’s last location, the Varden’s last camp. They must have arrived late, the signs of their passing were almost faded, time had moved so strangely in the cave that he had not the slightest clue how much time had passed.

Seth did his best to follow and it was late in the night when the massive purple dragon, his black armor reflecting the moonlight with his grim faced rider descended to the hill. Seth’s extra bulk, a product of his strange birth malady, caused the hillside to rumble and shift. Seth had gone through his rations quickly after they left the cave. Strangely he had hardly felt hungry or thirsty while making his way free of what he was sure would be his tomb. Seth could feel Melantha around but his mind was fiercely shielded. “Shall we make the signal?” Abaddon asked as Seth dismounted, he had lost allot of weight, his face was gaunt and his usually blazing blue eyes seemed dim and the blond hair under his black helm was lank. Seth looked to his bond, the great lilac eye staring back at him. “Yes, let us hope she sees it, I feel she is close.” with that Abaddon turned his maw to the sky and let loose an earth shaking roar, birds for miles took flight and an enormous pillar of amethyst fire illuminated the night like a second purple dawn. Abaddon maintained the blaze for almost a minute before he fell silent, the echos of his mighty roar traveling for who knew how far, probably well into the depths of the desert. Abaddon and Seth remained silent for a minute waiting for a response. Abaddon let out a shriek of frustration, a sound that reminded Seth of claws on slate and a legion of mirrors breaking. Seth trudged over to Abaddon drawing Sundavar, the wine colored katana like blade, from its sheath and plopped down rather ungracefully to lean against his bond’s massive front leg. Seth looked into the reflection of his blade, his face looked strained and grim as he waited for some signal that Melantha had noticed his signal.

[Melantha]

occ: Wow i thought you had forgot about this site Welcome back. ill make a second post just to speed things up a tad before Hagvar's turn.

Andromeda stepped out of the entrance and greeted the waiting Basil.

A familiar sound filled her ears and out of nowhere her whole body went ridged. A strange tingle spread from her head to her tail and her neck instinctively stretched to the sky so that her head pointed to the sky. She stood frozen in that position for a whole minute before turning to Basil.

"Did you hear that too? it sounded like another dragon." Andromeda was trying to rack her brain where had she heard that sound before.

Something inside her compelled her to answer the roar with her own, as she did the answer hit her like a ton of stones. Abaddon!
Her roar was like a shout of joy filled with the desire to be reunited. It was so loud that it had startled the birds in the near by trees who fled in a swarm.

As Melantha opened the door a rumbling noise vibrated through Gidion's cave home. She looked at Gidion confused as to what it was until she realised the noise was a dragon roar and it had come from outside where Andromeda and Basil where.

[hagvar]

" Yes I did and by your reactions you know who it is. If I may ask is it the Dragon you'd have been searching for? Said basil"
I think we should go see what's going on said Gidion on his way out he strapped on his sword belt and Cloak, Dana followed closely behind now in a tan shirt black leather pants with her two swords strapped to her waist and the same midnight blue cloak.

[Melantha]

"yes, i believe it is." she said excitedly sharing the feeling with her rider.

Melantha followed Gidion and Dana out the door through the hall past the wooden table and to the exit. Andromeda's emotions hit her hard and at first it was hard to make sense of it all, "Whats going on?" she asked Andromeda as she stepped outside.

Andromeda looked at her Rider wide eyed unable to form the words in her mind she managed to reply "I heard him."

It only took Melantha a split second to then decipher what Andromeda was trying to tell her and the news made her body tense up. "Are you s....." An Idea popped into her head and with out finishing her sentence she ran back inside tears streaming down her face.
She rushed back to her room and started rummaging through the saddle bags until her hands closed around what she was looking for

Melantha unwrapped the cloth that was around the ornate oval shaped mirror.
Her hands shook as she gripped the silver handle firmly and held the mirror up to her face, she took a deep breath in and out thee times before she spoke the words "draumr kópa" into the mirror.

Andromeda followed Melantha with her mind, she was going to try and scry for Seth again. Every other time she had tried it hadn't worked but she had a feeling this time it was going to be different
She stayed outside hopping Abaddon would Roar back in reply.

Melantha stared into the mirror, her heart beat harder and harder soon enough an image formed. Through her tears she saw a man, his face was thin and gaunt and almost unrecognisable, but his eyes. She cried harder as Seth's eyes stared back at her. "Seth.... Seth.. where... i...." she stammered un able to form a proper sentence through her sobs. She looked closer into the mirror trying to make out his features, she could barely believe it was him.

Andromeda let out a trumpeting roar when She saw Seth's face in her riders mind.
She turned to Gidion, Basil and Dana her heart still pounding"They are alive!" she roared with excitement

[Crown]

Abaddon heard Andromeda answer in reply. Once again he ignited the sky in a purple dawn, his roar echoing for miles. Seth heard movement from the other side of the hill, he struggled to his feet and rushed to the crest of the hill, looking down to see Andromeda and Melantha just in time for her to rush back into the hill, which was apparently a cleverly disguised dwelling. Abaddon looked over the hill and locked those lilac eyes on Andromeda and surged down the hill, his extra bulk making the whole hill rumble under Seth’s feet as he launched in the air with a powerful stroke of his wings letting out a roar of joy before he accidentally collided with the black dragon, for once in his life he was anything but his usual graceful self. Seth likewise took a running start and slid down the hill on his heels, sheathing Sundavar as he surfed down the hill stumbling to a stop at the foot of the hill shouting after Melantha as she rushed back into the hill “Melantha! I’m here!” Seth surged to his feet pouring every last bit of his energy out to rush into the hill, paying no heed to the other rider or his companion. Seth heard her voice coming from the door of a hall and nearly blew it off its hinges as he rushed into the room, running over and wrapping his arms around his fiance.

Seth was raised to cap his emotions as much as possible but with the hell he had been through all that emotion poured out, tears stinging his eyes as he buckled to his knees, pressing his face into Melantha’s chest, his sides heaving from his ragged breathing “I thought... I lost you”. Abaddon rushed to disentangle himself from Andromeda, careful not to step on wings or limbs as he rubbed snouts with her, a deep grinding pur, like two boulders being ground together, radiating from his chest. Seth was slowly losing consciousness, he didn’t have to keep fighting anymore, he didn’t have to keep looking. Seth fought to stay awake as his breathing slowly evened out, the tears still trailing down his dirt streaked face. “Did we win? Did we defeat Galbatorix?” Seth honestly had given that very little thought during the time of him looking for Melantha but it was probably important to know. He had promised if they both lived through the battle they would be wed, he had a horror struck moment to wonder if she still had the ring he had given her to show that promise.

[Melantha]

occ: so Hagvar pmed me and told me to skip ahead and post.

Andromeda heard Abaddon’s roar and saw the night sky light up in a blaze of purple flame just over the hill. She eagerly roared back sending a jet of glowing hot flames into the air.

Melantha focused on the mirror but a second later Seth’s face disappeared from sight.
“Seth!”she cried as the spell broke and her heart sank “no…” she gasped still holding the mirror in her lap.

Andromeda spotted Abaddon flying launching himself off a hill, Seth skidding down the hill in toe .
She watched rooted in position as the purple dragon flew towards her at full speed. He wasn’t slowing down and by the time she realised, it was too late.
Andromeda was knocked off her feet as their bodies collided, the two dragons tumbled several meters their limbs tangled.

Melantha looked up startled as she heard Seth’s voice coming from the hallway it was like music to her ears. The door swung wide open with a loud thud revealing the tall bulky figure of Seth. She was stunned at the sight, still in his armour just like she had last seen him only much more worn, covered in dirt and dust.

Melantha’s chin bumped against the cool hard metal of Seth’s chest armour as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Her heart pounded harder and faster and the tears streamed down her face wetting her cheeks. She took in a short sharp breath in as she felt his arms around her and in return she slid her arms around his lower torso.

She felt Seth’s body shift “Seth!” Melantha gasped trying to get a better grip as he put his weight on her. She tried her best to support him but she had no chance he was more than twice her size. She watched helplessly as he slid to his knees with a loud clunk.

She could see it in his face, hear it in his voice and his breathing he was exhausted. She held him close to her body trying to hold him up as she brushed her hand through his hair and poured her energy into him. She used up a gem and a half worth of energy that she had conserved in the engagement ring he had given her.
She kissed his forehead several times “I never stopped searching for you.” She said between kisses.

Andromeda was pinned under Abaddon their tails and wings tangled she waited for him to remove himself before she finally rose sniffing nuzzling Abaddon back. She circled him playfully like a kitten about to pounce on a ball of yarn.

Melantha Andromeda shared their emotions and images with each other and let each wash over them.

Melantha pulled away slightly so that she could see his face. She smiled at him through her own tears she could see he was crying too, something she had never seen him do before.
Melantha pressed her forehead against Seth’s and smiled “We won.” She said remembering the promise he had made her if they both survived the war he promised to marry her.
She placed both her hands tenderly on his cheeks and kissed him softly on the mouth.
After a short while she reluctantly pulled away.
”You need your rest. Melantha said putting her hand in his, She helped Seth as much as she could to his feet and led him over to the bed behind them.
“Sleep now regain your strength, we can celebrate later.” As much as she wanted to just hold and kiss him she knew there would be time for that later.

Melantha kept her mental link with Andromeda though she sensed Andromeda tended to shut out the kissing. By doing so she hoped to gain a better idea of what had happened to them without posing more questions to the already exhausted Seth but she got the feeling Abaddon was just as bad.

Andromeda played, nuzzling and moving with Abaddon affectionately when she noticed his movement was unusually sluggish. ‘Are you okay? I’ll get Mel to take a look at you if your hurt’. She said paused in her movement as she inspected the bulky figure of Abaddon.
‘Where have you both been all this time’ She asked, Melantha sharing in her concern.