At the End of the Day

DragonFable. At the end of the day, Elbereth is just any other rogue. There really isn't that much about her that's different. Then, in Falconreach, she meets Artix. And things start to change. Suddenly, there's battles to fight, quests to take, lives to save, and with Artix and her trusty baby dragon, Altariel -- who's always at her side -- Elbereth is going to try to raise to the challenge. But, oh, if she'd known what awaited her in Falconreach -- evil moglins, strange goblin things called sneevils, a probably insane, pet loving young girl, a treasure hunter, a priestess, a witch in training who's only in it for the power, a thief who's only in it to help the poor -- she would have stayed home. But, now, she and her friends must fight Sepulcher's undead armies and save their world. Can they? Because at the end of the day, Elbereth's only a rogue, and her friends are only human.

Disclaimer; I play DragonFable. I do not own it. Elbereth, Fern, Iris, Darion and Altariel are the only things that belong to me.

To Falconreach

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Elbereth tucked a strand of wavy brown hair behind her ear, as she wandered along down the wooded path, Altariel flying awkwardly beside her. The baby dragon really wasn't that good at flying yet, but she was such a trooper, that Elbereth didn't have the heart to leave her at home with her sisters and her brother. She was going to Falconreach, a town to the east of Oaklore. It would take a few days to get there, but Elbereth was certain she could do it. She'd said good-bye to Fern, Iris, and Darion barely three hours ago, and she was confident that nothing would go wrong.

Three days later...

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Elbereth slashed at the sneevils, trying her best to force them all back. There must have been a good fifty of the little buggers. And while they were smaller, and so, easier to pick off, they were great at offense. Finally, she managed to slice a hole through their lines. Grabbing a frightened and surrounded Altariel, Elbereth bolted forward as fast as she could. The sneevils had hurt them both badly. Altariel licked at a wound in her small wing, as Elbereth took stock of their situation and the extent of their injuries. Nothing too serious, but Altariel was just a baby, and would need as much help as Elbereth could get for her.

So, after about an hour of running from sneevils, and hidding in the brush, Elbereth and Altariel came to a small town. A boy stood against a building, just glancing around.

"Excuse me," Elbereth called, walking over to him. "Do you know where I can get help? My dragon and I were attacked by sneevils, and Altariel's just a baby, so...?"

The boy pointed down the road. "There's an old woman at the end of town. She deals with pets. I'm sure she can help your dragon. But you'd better get that arm seen to, as well."

Elbereth nodded. "I will," she said. "And thank you." She headed off down the road. Altariel comes first, she told herself. She'd been hurt, too, but she was grown -- eighteen, now -- and Altariel was just a tiny baby dragon who needed to be protected.

After a few minutes, Elbereth found the place the boy had mentioned. Inside, there was an old woman, and a young girl.

"Excuse me," Elbereth said softly. "My dragon's hurt. I was told you could help her?"

"Of course, dear," the old woman said, taking Altariel into her arms. The baby dragon at once started squawking and struggling, looking pleadingly up at Elbereth. The rogue bent down to eye level with the baby dragon.

"It's okay, Altariel," Elbereth told her softly. "I'm right here. These people are going to help you, alright?" Gently, Elbereth stroked Altariel's small head. The infant dragon cooed cutely, and raised her head to be scratched under her chin. Elbereth giggled at how cute she was. "I'll be waiting for you, little one."

Elbereth waited patiently with the young girl.

"My name's Aria," the girl said brightly, looking up at Elbereth. "What's your name?"

"Elbereth," Elbereth replied simply, before returning her focus to the door to the back room, behind which Aria's grandmother was healing Altariel.

"That's a pretty name," Aria said. Elbereth smiled. The girl was sweet. The door to the back room oppened, and Aria's grandmother walked out, Altariel in her arms. The baby dragon squawked when it saw Elbereth, and lept from the old woman's arms, landing lightly on the ground, and troddling over to Elbereth as fast as its little legs could carry it. Elbereth bent and scooped the little baby dragon into her arms. There was only one bandage on the little thing, and that was around her left wing.

"She shouldn't fly for a week," the old woman said. "And I suggest you stay here, in Falconreach, for a while. The woods to the east are growing dangerous."

"This is Falconreach?" Elbereth sighed in relief, but her eyes narrowed in worry when the rest of what the old woman said registered in her brain. "What about the woods to the east?" she asked, unconsciously tightening her hold on Altariel.

"There are monsters," the old woman replied. "Undead, and other demons. It is not safe to travel there. Amityvale was one of the first places to fall to the undead under Sepulcher."

"Who?" Elbereth asked, cocking her head to one side.

"The leader of the dark forces," the little girl pipped up.

"Yes, but you needn't worry about that for now, dear," the old woman said dissmissively. "Falconreach has some of the best Dragon Lords and Paladins around. We also have an inn just back down the road where guests of the town can stay the night."

"Thank you both," Elbereth said with a smile. "Perhaps I will see you soon again, as I intend to stay a while. Good bye."

"Good bye, dear," the old woman replied.

"Bye Elbereth," Aria yelled, waving. Elbereth turned and waved back, a small smile crossing her face.

"Now," the rogue muttered, "to see about that inn."

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Well, that's the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. By the way, there will be a pairing, I'm just not gonna tell you all yet.