Act III:

Isabella did not mind the addition to her house. Yerana, the little child, was amusing enough, if not confusing for her. Her mother did as she was told, cleaning up and making sure every evening there was a hot and nice meal standing in wait. Every night something different, Isabella could not help and laugh at the requests Ada placed at the daily delivery crew.

Her cooks had never been so bold before to dare to serve her something that she did not know unless she asked for it. It was an uncommon refreshment between the daily routine of what has become her life. She looked down the stairs to Ada cleaning the rosewood rail of the stairs with a satisfied smile on Isabella's face. The other women looked happy enough with her new job. She no longer has to worry about food or not having enough money to buy clothes.

Slowly turning around she looked to another set of stairs leading up into the attic. A new stronger lock was shining on the door. While she wanted to trust the latest addition to her household, she did know that sometimes suspicion is better than trust. At least when your deepest secrets are locked up behind those doors.  With a sigh she returned to her study, she had promised to visit Orlena today, but she could skip a day right?

Her mind pondered a bit, wondering about a matter that recently drawn her attention. Something was driving humans and their dragon counterparts. With the worries on my mind, she sat down on the air and traced her clawed fingers over a hidden compartment. With a soft click, it opened, showing a suede inlay with a single looking glass. With a soft breath, she infused the golden looking glass with her magic. 'Orlena' she whispered.

Soon enough a picture appeared, at first a dark shape of a dragon, slowly the background came into view. The dragon's body was filled in with colour like a painter painting a dragon. Orlena's picture was real like she was small enough to fit inside a looking glass. Without a breath she watched the dragon fly over the mountains. Her wings beating powerfully into the wind. Apparently, she was on a hunt. Trough what Isabella could not see it was, she could look at the mountains, but it was hard to find the actual place she flew towards. Slowly Isabella turned the looking glass on its side like one would do, studying an ant. In the background, the coal smoke from the city was visible clearly.

Isabella gave a sigh, relieving to see the city in the distance, she could not have gone too far. Trough a pang of fear filled her for a moment, looking through the looking glass she feared that she saw a human farm, it could not be, between the forests. Any way she oriented the looking glass she could not see the far, yet where did Orlena get that cow from?

A small ember of worry started to spark in her mind, growing and spreading. Sure her clan had the concept of property and was taught how humans and elves managed theirs. Isabella was not sure if Orlena actually realised that the lands around the city did belong to farmers. Isabella peaked to see if she could spot a cow tag or anything to compensate the farmer who owned the cow. Just when she thought she had any idea of who owned the cow, the mirror turned to black. Isabella jumped up, nearly dropping the glass.

Hastily Isabella rushed to her wardrobe, shoving the cloths aside and opening a hidden compartment. Inside was a hard leather armour that clung to her curves, giving her freedom of motion. The top layer consisted of 'scales' made of light metal that was only recently discovered. She only knew it under the name of 'shine steel', but it was perfect for lightweight armour. Her weapon was a crossbow made from brass and traditional bone and wood. The bolds sharp enough to crush dragon scales. Images flashed through Isabella's mind of where the last seen Orlena.

“Miss? Where are you head…" Ada wanted to ask politely but stopped when she saw Isabella's battle attire. “trouble Ada" Isabella replied. With the last command, she rushed out of doors "Close the windows and bar the doors, only open for me." Her wings spread wide, and the emerald dragoness took into the sky.

Isabella blamed herself for not training her flight after she started living in the city. She strained her muscles to fly faster than she ever did. The town shot away under her, and the clouds of black coal smoke left blackened patches on her scales and skin. That instance she realised why dragons never flew inside the city, it was unpleasant. The trough that would not kill her, the people looking up at her would not kill her, and that bird that nearly collided with her would not kill her. The glass visors of her aviator's goggles kept her eyes clear or the black sooth. Her gaze fixed to the horizon, to the mountains she saw Orlena last.

Suddenly, a roar silenced the noise of the city. The buss of the machines, the chatting of the people stopped. A shiver ran trough Isabella's spine, that roar, that roar of pain and agony. She knew the voice behind the roar. She bared her fangs, no longer caring if she showed signs of ancient dragons. If she was not civilised like Anthro dragons should be. Her mind was filled with furry.

Not known to her, Riders rode out of town. It was a convo of elven and human knights, the rode in a cloud of dust towards the origin of the roars of pain and furry. Their swords are drawn and their mindset to bloodlust for some reason or another. Ropes draped over their horses back, strong thick ropes to bind something strong. Their horses made short work of the distance between them and their target.

Not as fast as the wings of the dragon who was an angry trough. Isabella shot through the sky like an arrow. Another pained growl followed, and in the distance, a small jet of flame shot up from the ground. Isabella could see the dragon shape on the field taking form, slowly Isabella's fears got confirmed.

Orlena was struggling on the ground, her wings were tangled up in a net shot from a ballista. Her scales were bloody with cuts and her left-wing sloped on an odd angle. She tried to defend herself from a growing assault of knights and farmers who used everything at hand to calm the dragon. The ground was scorched by fire all around. Isabella folded her wings, and with a heavy thumb, she landed between Orlena and the growing group around it. Dust flared up, and some horses that weren't spooked of the pained dragon got spooked from Isabella landing with a heavy thumb.

An arrow whistled by as a sole nervous young knight let loose of his tensioned string. The poorly aimed arrow missed Isabella and landed an arm's length next to her. Isabella's eyes almost seemed to shine a golden hue, combined with her expression it made her look ominous and mad. “Who dares to attack a dragon without reason?" she hissed, her anger was not well surprised. The knights looked at each other not knowing what to do with the new dragon on the field. Not recognising her until.

“Isabella?" A confused and annoyed women's voice came from the crowd of knights. It was Amanda who supervised the torture of Orlena within the steel nets. “Yes," Isabella said in a short hiss. “And you Amanda have a few seconds to explain why you are here torturing a dragon." Most of the Knights took a step back, not knowing what to do. The orders came from the whole council right?

“Capturing a rogue dragon is not torture, you should know that Counsellor," Amanda said not shaken by the appearance of Isabella. Her voice was calm, and was that a tiny hint of pleasure under her breath? Isabella narrowed her eyes to mere slits. “This is no rouge dragon Counsellor Amanda. She is staying on my lands."

“Why would you house a rogue dragon?" Amanda shot back. She took a step forwards breaking out of the line of knights, closing the distance between herself and the angry anthro dragoness. “She is not rogue, I granted asylum to her on my lands."

Amanda looked suspicious at Isabella she knew the dragoness was up to something but what? Looking at the two dragons in front of her. “And you vouch for her?" She got an annoyed hissing yes. “Very well you can free her." Amanda called to the guards. “if the rouge promises not to kill any of us."

Once freed from the nets, Orlena spread her wings to stretch them out. Isabella approached slowly, looking up towards the angry dragoness in front of her. “Can you wait in the sanctuary?" She asked kindly, suppressing her own anger. “Why?" Orlena asked short.

“because Orlena I need to work something out. I will talk to you when everything is sorted. Pray you not to be angry at me." Orlena snorted at Isabella's explanation, but her facial expression softened a bit. “I trust you, Isabella." She spread her wings. “But please don't leave me waiting for long."

Isabella looked at the council with a hard stare. “I have two options, one fair for dragons but no human will become a rider or one that is not so fair for dragons but ensured everyone can be a rider" Isabella started, naturally Amanda was first to be protested. “Why would a human never be a rider?"

“because" Isabella started to answer Amanda. “Humans live a short life. No ancient dragon has yet to be observed to die from natural age. After that, We, The anthro dragons live the longest lives. The first hybrid is still alive, old but alive. Then elves and dwarfs. You humans with about sixty years have an incredible short live span." While talking about how she lived short frustrated Amanda, she kept her anger to herself for now and focused on the most important question on why that was important. “The bond is more than just a few words." Isabella slowly started “It's bond that is forged between souls if one dies the other one will feel like part of their souls are ripped from them. Maybe the second option wouldn't be the worst case scenario for both."

“Why would it be a worst case scenario?" Orrian, the elven counsellor, asked, He could not hide an excitement on whatever his draconic counsellor had thought of.  “I have sought for long to have a way to lengthen the lives of humans bonded to a dragon. But you cannot see simply extent someone lives with magic. That is not how it's designed however I gotten inspiration from the books of ancient dragon culture." Everyone knew Isabella spoke of the draconic gods, those outlawed in the city, but so long she did not mention them directly, they could do little. Orrian pulled a small smile like he always did when Isabella managed to hint to the old gods, enjoying how the dragons never gave up their gods and culture. “You can take a life but not generate new life out of nothing, Humans were designed with a certain lifespan. I have thought of a way to equalise it. However, it will make the bond mortal to both when one dies. It will make the life of a dragon is considerable shorter even when an elf bonds."

A long silence fell over the group of councillors when the gravity of the situation started to dawn, that there was a good chance no dragons would even want to short their lifespans for something as a rider. “I still believe the second opinion is the best" Isabella continued after her pause. “But I cannot make this call, none of us can. We have to ask the clan leaders of all the dragon clans, the president of the dwarfs, queen of the elves and king of the humans to come."

“What about the anthro dragons?" Orrian asked, missing them in the equations. “The anthro dragons, we have no clans nor leaders. It's a weakness in these kinds of situation. I have to act as one for now." Orrian nodded, agreeing without words. “I will send word to my queen" he bowed to Isabella, followed by Finoc the dwarven councillor. “And I will ask our president to come, I am sure he will come for such an occasion." Last was Amanda who made a sour face. “I will ask our king, I am not sure he will agree, but when he hears all the species are gathered for this, he has little choice." A cheerful agreement from the humans.

“I need about three weeks to finalise a rite to follow, some structured way to become a rider." Isabella wanted to steam on but was interrupted again, this time by Finoc who choose to remain silent for the discussion until now. “Who will be the first to be bonded?" He asked, wondering. They only knew three dragons who made up resident here, four if he counted the refugee that Isabella took under her wing.

“Orlena has offered to be the first," Isabella answered, waiting for a big discussion to erupt. “And who would be the 'rider'" Finoc laid his head in his big hands, gazing at the dragoness now. “I will." Isabella said simply. “why!?" Amanda erupted instantly “You are the only one who knows the magic, and you should not be taking part to any experiment! You are a counsellor, you should…" Isabella cut off the raging human. “Because I am a councillor, you decided I speak for both species of dragon, even when I do not. If I have Orlena as bond, she will be a councillor too, and I will speak for both."

“why would she be…" Orrian asked wondering the implication. “New laws have to be implemented." Isabella looked at Orrian then her eyes scanned the luxurious oak room of the council chamber. “two in a bond should be considered a single entity when it comes to legal actions. This is why I need your leaders, everyone needs to agree to this law. I want to hold a single diplomatic event where every species signs the new proposed law, and it became universal, a law that transcends our laws. This will be something that is more than our induvial species, and I hope that it will bring peace and understanding."

Isabella looked around the room again, giving a good long stare in each of the councillors. “Furthermore, I was thinking to have Everhill castle declared neutral ground for now. The castle is large enough to house a few dragons and their companions." Thinking she would easily win over at least two of the council, she was quickly enveloped in a long-lasting discussing over the old castle. Most notably Orrian who had planned some kind of observatory or school in the castle, while Amanda was taking it as an excuse to kick up more dust of the plan. Isabella could do very well without the human ranting on, convincing an elf to give up a plan was about as hard as convincing a dragon to share some of their gold.

She was tired by the time she got home, it dragged on for far too long. She should have gone to check if Orlena was doing alright now that she was exposed. She should have, but her mind just wanted a hot meal and a warm bed. Though she was lucky with her servant bringing her a hot lunch on her warm bed. Isabella did not know if she had the strength to eat and then walk up the stairs.

A grey dragon growled, his scales once black had dulled over time and his claws had seen many a bloody fight. “How you mean she is gone?" he shouted at a smaller dragon who still had his black scales, maybe not for long if he did not get an answer. It has been well over a few months now since his daughter had been lost. She flew off to god knows where and her new mate was getting restless. “We have sought the clan lands of all the clans and could not find her. She might be hiding in one of the clans…or flew off to the new lands inhabited by the humans." The smaller dragon defended himself weakly.  “Then fly to those lands and…" He was interrupted by another dragon, an emerald green dragoness with red eyes. A daughter of his sister who bowed low. “News for you sir," she said politely. With a wave, the grey dragon dismissed the black dragon with a growl. “Esmeralda" he began “Please do tell, is it news from my daughter?" The dragoness shook her head “No, but you have been requested by a two-legged one by the name of Isabella."

“Why that so?" his voice betrayed his surprise, the statement of Esmeralda did nothing but to increase that surprise. “She has summoned all the dragon lords and the leaders of the bipeds. She has something she wants us to agree with." The grey dragon growled softly “If the other lords come I can't afford to stay behind" he growled to a servant “Fetch to wings, We will be flying out tonight."