Sterre & Elke nummer zoveel

This conversation really wasn't interesting at all. It bored Morgayne to the point that she thought she would actually fall asleep. Something prevented that however, because a certain someone had the guts to touch her tail. She opened one of her eyes and saw that the little girl was stroking her tail, complete lack to what Raphael had said. Her father was deep in a discussion, so he wasn't paying attention either.
People were too busy with the discussion, so they didn't notice that Morgaynes tail sometimes moved a little bit. The little girl immediately went after it, grabbing her tail when she could and if she lost it again, she made sure to grab it right back. Morgayne had told Raphael that she didn't like to be touched, but that was always as a human, she had to admit that nobody had ever dared to touch her as a dragon. This girl was the first. She didn't mind it as much as she thought she would. After a few minutes of playing, the girl grabbed hold to one of her spikes and certainly didn't plan on letting go. Well, if she wanted to play like that, Morgayne would enable her. Slowly she lifted her tail into the air. The girl still didn't let go. This however did get the attention of others in the room, she could hear them holding breath. Suckers.
'Morgayne please, set her down,' it was the lady, Raphaels mother. They all thought she would hurt the little girl, even though that particular girl was laughing all the way while hanging on her tail. Morgaynes head went up and she looked the lady right in the eyes, while her tail started moving. When the girl finally felt she could stand again, she was standing on Morgaynes back. Screaming of happiness that she was actually sitting on a dragon. Everybody else in the room still didn't seem to be sure of what to do, but they also didn't know if Morgayne was going to hurt the girl. Of course not, she wasn't that bad.
''This girl has more balls than all of your army commanders. They are such wimps.'' She reached out with her thoughts to Raphael, before she laid both her head and tail back on the ground. The little girl was still playing on her back and it didn't seem like she was going to come off anytime soon.
Apparently Raphaels mother decided that she wasn't going to convince Morgayne to put the girl back on the ground, so she decided to leave it at that.
'We can not go to their estate to wipe them out there. They will have left traps coming here, it is what we would do, so we would need to send quite a large group and we can not lose the numbers here. Not even with a dragon in our midst.' She didn't have to say the words out loud to think what everybody else was thinking. They might have a dragon for now, but if something upset Morgayne, she would leave. Without looking back.

Raphael was done eating his breakfast. He really didn’t like talking about murdering families when he was having food, thank you very much. Although he was still hungry, his appetite had completely disappeared. Of course, it was war and it was necessary for them to do things like that, but murdering a family didn’t really appeal to him at all. Well, he had agreed to it when they talked about the dragons. But that was different, no children there really. With Morgayne being the youngest, he didn’t feel like it would be murder at that time. Of course, that opinion had changed a little bit since then. Maybe slightly because he got to know them, and because he was starting to get to know Morgayne as well. Whatever. He just didn’t feel like eating anymore.
Morgayne seemed to have calmed down, her emotions and rage not all over the place. He didn’t even look at her, because he knew everything was all right. That’s why he was surprised when his mother spoke to Morgayne and when he looked at her, a faint smiled appeared on his face. She seemed calm because she was calm, even with the little girl now playing on her back. Not everyone seemed to find it funny, but Raphael was relieved that this was it. Also, his smile got even brighter when Morgayne spoke to him. He decided to not repeat her words to the commanders, although she was right. This girl was the first in quite some years to sit on the back of a dragon. And that without a bond.
A silence had fallen while commanders were thinking of other ways they could surprise the enemy and turn the tide to their favour. They would have to surprise their enemy, which was no small task. The griffins had almost won because their attack surprised the hippogriffs. This time, they had to be the ones surprising them.
‘What about an attack by night?’ someone else suggested, ‘we have a dragon who is nearly invisible on our side and many of our shifters have dark colours as well. It would be an advantage, after which we can send in the rest of our forces.’
Raphael stopped listening. He wasn’t gonna participate anyway, even if Morgayne had allowed him to. His feathers were too white for this mission, if the lady of the hippogriffs even agreed to it.

All of this talking was really, really boring to her. There was a reason she never went to the meetings her sister and the rest of her family were having, she just wasn't interested in them. To show her disdain, she yawned once, showing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. That certainly got the attention of some people. However, it was time for her to make sure she had a say in all this and that really wasn't an option with a little girl sitting on her back. The problem was that she was a dragon of course, but if you could blame somebody else, you should. That was practically Morgaynes motto.
She lifted her tail and made sure that the little girl grabbed her spikes again, after which Morgayne put her back on the ground. The little girl was sorry, but she did run to her father, ecstatic about what just happend. Morgayne however went up, shook her head a little and shifted back into an actual human. She looked at the rest of the room, who were now all looking at her.
'She asked for a dragon, I deliver and you're all looking at me like I killed somebody? I would hardly call that fair.' She was even really sweet to the little girl, although everybody knew she was only sweet to the girl. None of the grown ups in this room should've had the guts to touch her, that would've ended without a few limbs. Maybe even worse. Morgayne decided that she was going to sit next to Raphael. It was still quiet in the room. Did they have more problems with her as a human? Perhaps. She wouldn't blame them, like this, she could talk back. And she planned on doing so.
'Look, it's all very nice that you think you can use me in any way you want, but you can't. Period. If and when I fight, I decide how that is going to happen.' One person already opened his mouth and she immediately shushed him. 'Now, I am not even sure if Raphael told you guys that I, indeed, was the dragon that killed all the Foxes, but you are missing some points. I did research for that. I knew exactly where to strike to make sure a building collapsed, I knew where to start, I knew to hit to armories and so on. Besides that, they didn't think a dragon would come for them and although very irritating, they weren't creatures of war. Now, the griffins on the other hand already know that a dragon is fighting for you so they will have send word home and they love war, so their home is prepared for it as well. On top of that, I am not going in without doing research and there isn't any time.' She knew very well that she was right and so did the commanders, if they decided to use their brain.
'So, I suggest we, or you I don't really care about that, are going to come up with a plan to keep this castle, it's citizens and soldiers safe, without going after somebody else's home. Because honestly, I care about two people being alive in this castle. I am one of them and the other is sitting to my right.' Obviously, Raphael. 'Oh, no wait, I care for three, I like her too,' she nodded to the little girl, who already lost her attention for Morgayne after she switched back to a human. Didn't matter. She still liked her.

As the little girl was put back on the ground, the room seemed to relax a little. As if they had thought Morgayne would hurt the kid or maybe keep it hostage until she got what she wanted. How stupid they were, the only thing Morgayne seemed to want right now was for both of them to stay alive. And the girl, of course, with who she seemed to have become friends.
'We know about war, your grace. We can't stay on the defense, we have to attack them to show them who is boss.' Although Reina did show proper respect to Morgayne, the tone of her voice suggested that she was getting annoyed with Morgayne already. Before the dragon could answer, their mother stepped in again.
'What Reina is trying to say, and I do admit she has a fair point, is that we cannot just defend. Of course it is important to make sure our home stays safe, but if we don't make a point, they will keep coming at us.' The lady looked at everyone in the room again, not really expecting any new ideas, then let her eyes rest on Morgayne and her son. 'The problem is, we are not used to fighting with a dragon amongst our ranks. It is well-known that dragons are strong opponents and not easy to beat in combat, but how do we use that to our advantage? Do we just let you fight in the frontlines, or is there another tactic you would prefer, princess Morgayne?' Most of what she said had been directed to all officers in the room, but this last bit had been aimed specifically at the princess. If she knew so well what not to do, the lady of the hippogriffs hoped she would have an idea on how to proceed the preparations for the coming battle as well. Obviously, her son was not trained well enough to actually take control of his dragon, so they had to do this another way.
Raphael really didn't want to be here anymore. Since he was gonna be excluded from the battle anyway, he was most likely just gonna be bored and he would have to stay with the little kids and women who were unable to fight. Maybe Reina would have to stay in as well, although Raphael doubted it. They would need to protect the heir of the house, but at the same time they needed her to fight, to keep morale up for the troops. That, and she was a very able fighter. Raphael was too, but he had no choice in this matter. Which he didn't like. Not because he wanted to die so badly, but because he didn't like not being able to do anything. He wanted to be of use and since he was no tactical planner, he would not be of use in this fight. God, he'd almost wish he was back at the palace so he could do something at least. Like, seduce Marian. Become king, or kill her. That would at least have some use, instead of having to sit back and wait. He hoped Morgayne would not sense his annoyance, she would surely not be too happy about it.

'Yeah go ahead, attack their keep and get your own people killed, that will show them!' Morgayne didn't care about proper etiquette, even though Reina obviously decided that she did. Well, the female tried at least, Morgayne didn't even intend to do just that. The queen also decided to pitch in, but Morgayne still didn't think attacking was the best way to go.
'Honestly, listen to what you're saying. You would put more people at risk by attacking them, then by going on the defense. You would put the people here at risk because there would be fewer to defend your castle and you would put the people going to their castle at risk of traps. You can't have both. Even though I truly understand that you want to. If you're going to do both, then at least make sure to fight them off here and after that chase them back and destroy their home.' That next question was a bit harder. Harder because she knew the answer, it just wasn't an answer she was ready to give.
'Us dragons, you can't fight with us in an army. We are solitary creatures, which is why my sister and I keep trying to kill one another, and that is how we fight too. I explained bloodlust to Raphael yesterday, it consumes us when we enter a fight. It is why no fox is left alive, once I start, I do not stop.' Well, at least she had the easy part down. It was already known to a lot of people that you didn't want to fight against a dragon because they didn't usually take prisoners, Morgayne just confirmed it.
'Great, so what good are you then, nothing?' One of the generals decided to speak his mind and he got a very intense look from Morgayne. She would remember his face.
'I didn't say that, I was just dreading what I was going to say next.' She snapped at him, after which she looked at the lady again. They were all looking at her. Waiting for whatever it was that she didn't want to say. Morgayne sighed softly.
'The problem in war with a dragon in your ranks is that you can't communicate with that dragon, so you can't effectively use the dragon wherever it is needed most.' Her eyes went to Raphael. If he had payed attention, then he knew very well this information didn't apply to them anymore. 'But Raphael and I can communicate. So he can tell me where to attack, what legion to hit, where my fire will do the most harm once the battle starts.' That either meant that Raphael had to enter the fight with her or he needed a place to view the battle. She knew very well that the best place for him to be was her back, but she wasn't about to let that happen. Or even make it an option.

Of course Raphael had let his thoughts drift off, because whatever was being discussed here was not of his concern anymore. He wondered if word of this war would reach the castle and if Marian would be worried. Rather, would she still believe that he had just went home for the wedding? He could spin a story saying that he got caught up in the fighting when he was actually there preparing a wedding, but even if Marian bought it and he could explain why on earth Morgayne had joined him, she would certainly not let him out again. It was gonna be a complicated situation and he would have to be very careful not to lose his position in the palace. Maybe he should write a letter explaining what was going on. He had promised her he would be back in three days, now he thought that might not actually be the case. He would have to let her know anyway.
Suddenly, his attention got pulled back to the conversation. Some sixth sense that told him he had to pay attention, for whatever reason. He caught Morgayne's look, showing that he was indeed listening and understanding what she was saying, although he did not completely understand it yet. Of course, she made a fair point. Now that they found out that their communication was rather smooth, he could definitely steer her in the right directions in the midst of a battle. For that to be possible, however, he'd have to be able to overview the battlefield. And the best place to do that, was in the sky. Now their bond was a lot weaker when he was transformed, so he doubted they would be able to communicate like that. In other words: He'd have to be on her back to be able to point her. It would also help calm down her bloodlust, making it easier for her to think. However, one look at Morgayne told him that she was definitely not planning on suggesting it. He couldn't blame her, she had just stated it was most likely way to early for him to actually ride her back. On which he kinda agreed.
'So you want to make Raphael your instrument to communicate with us?' one of the commanders asked, most likely to be double-sure.
'We could probably do that,' the lady of the house replied, 'but you said before that he was not well enough to enter the battle again. If he needs to be the beacon of communication between you and the troops, he needs to be in the field. Or does your bond consist of more than I am taking into acount right now?'
Raphael shook is head in response to his mother, but left the talking to Morgayne in this case. She had been dominant in this conversation, voicing her idea and her opinion on him being in the battle before, he did not want to take that over and ruin whatever idea she might have had about this. He noticed of course that she wasn't all too comfortable with her proposition in the first place, that's why he decided to follow her lead on this. If she decided against what she said earlier, they would do that. She knew better how to deal with her dragon form than anyone else in this room, even though every officer present would like to make it seem different.

'I still don't think that he is well enough to enter the battle, so he will just have to find a tower from where he can see everything.' Everybody knew that this idea might not be good enough, that it would be ten times better if she would allow him on her back. Morgayne was part of that 'everybody', but she just wasn't ready to admit it. If she decided to let him on her back, if she managed to work with him like that, it would change everything. She already wasn't in control, this would just be the next step. It had to be on her own terms.
'You might not be able to-' Morgayne shushed the commander that started to talk, who looked really irritated that she did. Slowly she stood up. Something was coming. It was some kind of whistle, as if...
'Hide!' She yelled the words at whoever was listening, right before she turned into a dragon, shot up and spread her wings. At the same time, a giant boulder crashed through the ceiling. The boulder was stopped by her body and the ruins that now fell down were falling on her wings, but she wouldn't be able to keep the entire ceiling in place. It was doomed. On the ground people were running around, trying to get away from the falling ceiling. She didn't care about most of them, so she fixated her attention on the one person she had to keep alive. Raphael. She couldn't exactly reach him with her claws, so she wrapped her tail around his body and lifted him in the air. Trying not to squish him. That would be a bummer.
''I don't like this.'' But she had no choice, not if she wanted to stay alive as well. ''And you better hold on, because I will let you fall.'' She roared while she pushed the stones on her body back up, throwing the ceiling to the courtyard. A place that not everybody had cleared yet, but they managed to get away. Without hesitation, there just wasn't any time, she threw Raphael through the air and made sure he landed on her back. Stupid bond. Stupid griffins.
She didn't know exactly what Raphael could feel from her emotions, but she was angry. Really angry, she felt the bloodlust come to her with every second that passed. It didn't take her long to figure out how the boulders came to them, down on the ground of the griffins army there were towers that managed to hoist them up into the air. This wasn't the only boulder coming to them. She roared again, but this time it was a battle cry, before charging one of the towers. She set the world on fire when she reached it. Soldiers were falling from the post here and there and when she turned, the tower was still standing. It wasn't made of wood, it was steel. How on earth did they create that?
''Like I said, hold on,'' Morgayne wasn't one to be thrown of her game that easy. She charged the tower again and this time she didn't light it up. No, she crashed right into it with her body, throwing it over the field before flying up again. Which was a good thing, because spears and weapons were coming her way, just like some flies. Griffins. But they looked like flies to her.

A tower. As if that would wo-
Morgayne sensed something, so he did as well. Immediately he tensed up, felt that she was as well. The boulder crashed through the ceiling and for a split second Raphael thought it would be over. Morgayne was faster than the boulder though and before he knew it, he felt the weight of the gigantic rock on his back. But it wasn't his back, it was hers. She held up the ceiling for now, giving the people in the room a way to escape or shift and fly through the broken roof. Raphael didn't know what to do just yet, but his choice was made for him when he felt something grab in and before he could do anything, he felt the ground beneath his feet disappear. Glad he was used to being in the air, although not usually in his human form.
It only lasted for a short while though, as he landed on her back. Yeah. He did that. Her skin felt odd, the scales cold to the touch and at the same time, warm and comforting to touch. Not that he had a lot of time to be surprised about that, he only had a split second to grab something to hold on to when she used her power to throw the boulder away.
He could definitely feel her anger and he shared it. They attacked his home. Not their lands, not the farmers living on those lands, but his home. The castle in which he grew up. The people that had raised him. They would have to pay for that and now that he was on the back of a dragon, Raphael felt like they could actually do something.
The bloodlust inside of Morgayne was scary and Raphael was glad he had felt it before and she had told him what it was, because that made him able to deal with it a little bit better. Just a little, because in their current state her bloodlust influenced him as well. He wanted to make these people suffer and just as he could feel Morgayne's anger, she must be able to feel his hatred towards these creatures.
"Burn them." It wasn't really a command, at least it felt different when she was in her dragon form. It was just a funneling of her bloodlust, combined with his hatred towards the griffins. And of course, they would aim their spears and arrows at the dragon if she didn't burn them. It was really the only solution, especially since there were no hippogriffs here who could accidently get burned.
A quick look around told Raphael that there were three more towers standing, all loading giant piles of rock to shoot them at the estate, which was unable to withstand all of this. The building was old and had withstood a lot, but the constand hammering of rocks on the older materials would definitely make it collapse eventually. They had to avoid that. Raphael was certain people were trapped inside and he would not allow them to die like that.
One of the towers was under heavy attack from their own forces. They would not be able to knock the steel structure over as Morgayne had done, but they could murder everyone on the tower to make sure nobody could operate it. That was one less thing to worry about.
"That one is gonna be our next target." His eyes had fallen on the tower furthest away. Morgayne was the fastest of their forces, and none of the hippogriffs had aimed for that one yet, so it would be wisest to steer her that way. She could do the most harm to it without harming the forces of the hippogriffs.
Meanwhile, Raphael adjusted himself in a more comfortable position. He was still not really used to sitting on a dragon, but it felt rather natural. All of it felt really natural to him, probably because of the bond. This must have been how people and dragons fought together thousands of years ago, complimenting and helping each other to beat their enemies. It was crazy, insane even. He hoped Morgayne would not get mad afterwards, because Raphael felt like this was what was supposed to be happening.