Rescuing Dragons

Alfred lay sunning comfortably in the clearing outside the cave he shared with his family. He reveled in the feeling of the light warming the azure and gold scales that covered his massive frame. His leathery wings were spread wide to soak up the rays of light as well. A gentle breeze caressed him and made the forest sing its natural lullabye. A contented hum rumbled up from his chest as he stretched his body to settle in a new position for taking a nap. At that moment all was perfect in the world.

"Allffrreedd…"

The sapphire dragon's entire body cringed at the whiney tone that called out his name and shattered his tranquility. He had never hated the sound of his own name so much.

With a tired sigh the reptile lifted his large head and cracked open one azure eye to look at his companion.

"What is it Matt?" The large lizard asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.

The amethyst and gold scaled dragon laying beside him bristled with indignation.

"Don't take that tone with me, you asshole," Matthew groused and glowered at his brother.

"This is the third time you've woken me from my nap. I'm allowed to be a little cranky," the wheat fringed beast said rolling his eyes in exasperation unfazed by the violet eyes boring into him.

"Well excuse me for thinking that my brother would be more sympathetic to the fact that I'm pregnant and extremely uncomfortable," the periwinkle lizard said with a pathetic huff and settled his features into a pout. His massive form shifted slightly in a futile attempt at finding a more comfortable position for his swollen abdomen and aching frame.

"There was no way I was this whiney when I was pregnant," Alfred muttered with another roll of his eyes as he stretched. He knew that there was no way he would be allowed to return to his nap with Matthew so upset.

"I heard that," the purple reptile hissed. "And no. You were much, much worse,"

The blue dragon shot his companion a scathing look.

"Funny, bro," the azure beast retorted sarcastically as he pressed up onto his feet and nudged his siblings snout with his own.

"Come on. Get up and I'll help you find a way to relax,"

Matthew eyed his brother wearily. He had just managed to find a pseudo-comfortable position and didn't feel like getting up. The sympathetic look that his brother gave him, however, showed that he really had no mischievous intent. He just honestly was trying to help. Sighing tiredly the slighter dragon rose to his aching feet.

"Where are we going?"

"To the river. I use to sit in it in my human form. The water makes you kind of weightless," the blue dragon explained unable to suppress the grin that sprang to his face at seeing his brother perk up at the word weightless.

"That sounds amazing, Al," the pregnant dragon said wistfully.

"Thought you'd like that," the darker fringed lizard said with a fond smile as he led the way to the river.

The purple reptile awkwardly waddled along beside his brother as they made their way the short distance through the woods to the river.

"When did Gil and Arthur say they would be back?" Matthew queried. He had still been asleep when the two humans had set out with Penny to procure some provisions for their little family early that morning.

"Shortly after midday," Alfred responded with a chuckle. "That is if Franny hasn't managed to piss Artie off too much,"

The violet eyed lizard couldn't help the small sigh of defeat that escaped him. Shortly after Gilbert had come to live with Matthew the albino knight's friends, Antonio and Francis, had followed suit settling in North Ameland. As soon as the blonde wizard had been introduced to the newly relocated blonde knight they had taken an instant disliking to each other and their squabbles tended to end rather violently.

"Well hopefully Gil will manage to keep them from killing each other. Especially since they have Penny with them," the amethyst reptile said not believing his own words as the sound of rippling water soon greeted the pair.

Matthew couldn't help the hopeful smile that spread across his face. At that moment he'd have walked across a bed of nails if it would bring him any relief from the discomfort his body was in.

The dragon siblings quickly moved toward a small pool that had formed near the river bank and looked into the clear depths.

"Let's see how cold it is before we jump in," Alfred suggested as he dipped a claw into the swirling waters only to instantly jerk it back out as if he had been burnt. "Shit! It's fucking freezing,"

The periwinkle reptile couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at his brother's reaction which earned him an irritated glare.

"You know being dragons we have an easy fix for the cold issue," the light gold fringed lizard said as heat built up in his throat and flames burst from his maw. As soon as the flames met the cool waters steam formed and rose up into the sky.

Matthew cut off his flame and dipped a claw into the heated water.

"Much better," the violet eyed dragon sighed as he withdrew his limb and swirling fire engulfed his massive form. Moments later a pale, blonde man stood where the beast had been.

Eager to find relief from his aches and pains the lemon blonde swiftly as possible moved into the pool of water. A rapturous sigh escaped his pink lips as he sank into the shallow depths. Once he was settled into the glorious, buoyancy inducing liquid he turned purple eyes on the cerulean dragon.

"Are you coming?"

Fire swirled around Alfred just as it had his brother and soon the blue dragon was replaced with a tanned, wheat blonde man. The slightly larger man quickly moved into the pool to settle next to his brother.

"Didn't I tell you this would feel great?" the blue eyed man asked while an appreciative sigh escaped his lips and he reclined against the bank.

Matthew simply hummed in response as he let his body relax into the warm liquid surrounding him. This was the first time in the last few months that he had felt this comfortable. The water made his tense muscles turn to goo, the sun warmed his face, and made him a little drowsy. The complete silence of the forest…

Wait! The forest was never silent. Every fiber of the periwinkle eyed man's body instantly tensed at the eerie quiet that hung in the air.

"Al?" the pale blonde whispered tensely as his eyes drifted toward his brother.

"Yeah, I noticed it too," the straw blonde said tension evident in his glowing blue eyes and the slope of his shoulders as he slowly turned to scan the area around them. Dragons who were not always alert didn't live very long as the siblings had learned long ago.

"What can you see?" Matthew asked as his own eyes began to glow a deeper violet using his dragon sight to see what was causing the silence in the forest.

"Nothing," Alfred responded with an anxious edge to his voice. "Matt we gotta get out of here. There must be a wiz…"

Suddenly, the oppressive silence was broken by the most beautiful singing the siblings had ever heard. It seemed to come from everywhere and yet nowhere all at once. It was a haunting, hypnotic sound that swept over the pair like a tidal wave. They instantly felt their limbs grow heavy as if wrapped in lead and their minds became addled with drowsiness.

"Mattie...change into your dragon form. We have to...get away from here," the larger man said in between yawns as he unsteadily rose to his feet and reached out to help his brother.

Matthew tried valiantly to rise. His body just felt so heavy and he was so very tired.

"Alfie," he said turning half-lidded, fearful eyes upward to his brother before slumping against the embankment.

"Mattie! Mattie wake up!" Alfred cried desperately shaking his now unconscious brother's shoulder, but the lemon blonde remained asleep.

Fear gripped the cerulean eyed man's chest as he was finding it difficult to control his movements and the edges of his vision darkened. His fight or flight reflex kicked into high gear at this point.

"Dun worry, Matt. I'll get us outta here," the dark blonde slurred as he sluggishly moved to climb out of the pool.

He had barely gotten half way out of the pool when the singing grew in volume and Alfred felt his body double in weight causing him to collapse on the bank.

'No! I have to fight! I have to change form and get us out of here!' the azure eyed man thought frantically as he tried to draw up his magic but found he could not.

The tanned man fought valiantly against the tiredness that clawed at him but to no avail. Just as sweet oblivion came to carry the blonde away the singing stopped. Alfred lifted his head weakly and watched as a young man stepped into his line of sight.

His frame was small and effeminate clad in blue pants and loose white shirt. His head was crowned with short, pale blonde hair held back by a clip in the shape of a cross.

His face was drawn into an expression of complete indifference. His violet eyes, however, held the most heartbreaking look of remorse and sadness the tan man had ever seen.

Upon seeing that Alfred was still conscious the smaller man quickly made his way to the downed man. He knelt beside the wheat blonde and placed a slender hand on his forehead. Alfred raged internally at himself to move, to struggle, but he was so weak now.

"I'm so sorry," the pale blonde said his soft voice coated in regret. "So very sorry,"

Then the world swept away into blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of a child's desperate wails rang out loudly in the forest as a dark, wooden cart pulled by a large black mare leisurely moved along the well worn trail. The reins were firmly gripped in Gilbert's pale hands as he sent a silent prayer skyward for his niece to quiet her crying.

"Penny, poppet, please calm down. We'll be home soon and you'll see mummy then," Arthur hopelessly pleaded with his distraught daughter. The infant had been sound asleep safely wrapped in her father's loving arms when she had suddenly came awake and started screaming for her mother.

"Liebling, look what Gillie has for you," the albino knight crooned from beside the blonde wizard as he produced a sweet from his tunic in hopes that it would appease the child. He held the candy out for the child to take, but the babe only continued her caterwauling.

"I just don't understand it. She has never behaved like this before," the peridot eyed man said as he gently bounced the little girl making soothing noises to ease the little one's distress.

"We should be home any second. Don't worry Art. Sometimes kids just want their mutters," Gilbert said encouragingly returning the sweet to his tunic. His words did little to comfort the other man.

Arthur hadn't wanted to say anything, but ever since Penny had begun her tantrum a feeling of foreboding had settled in his stomach. His link with Alfred should have been growing stronger yet as they approached home it had seemed to grow weaker. The wizard was unsettled and wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

A relieved sigh passed his lips as the cave the small family shared came into view. The red eyed man deftly maneuvered the cart to the mouth of the cave and both men descended from the vehicle quickly.

"Love, we're home," the sandy blonde called out as he walked determinedly into the cave with his still crying child held securely to his chest. When no response came trepidation again consumed the wizard. Moving swiftly he dashed from room to room searching out his mate and brother in-law. Panic gripped his chest as he found neither man.

"Gil, the boys aren't here!" Arthur cried anxiously as he burst back into the clearing with Penny clutched protectively to his chest. The girl's wails having faded into sniffling hiccups.

"I figured as much when Al didn't come running when he heard Penny crying," Gilbert said from the other side of the clearing where he was crouched observing the ground. "I found tracks leading toward the river,"

Without another word the two men were off in a flash dashing through the forest. The knight's hand instantly going to his sword and the wizard clutched his baby to him.

The nervous aura Arthur was radiating made the albino's own nerves stand on edge. He did not have the same understanding of magic his companion did but he did understand that he could not feel Matthew as he should through their bond. Anxiety for his mate and unborn child spurred the knight forward easily outpacing the wizard.

As soon as the river came into view they both knew something was amiss. Gilbert could see tracks of boot clad men and a cart cut into the soft earth of the riverbank. While Arthur could feel the remains of magic in the air.

The sandy blonde raised his right hand palm out and murmured softly. Instantly, green light filled his palm and little tendrils of light eased out to touch the air. Sparks of purple colored electricity flashed near the wizard's hand and he hissed in pain. Though little burn marks now dotted his skin the emerald eyed man continued to feel out the foreign magic.

Closing his eyes Arthur opened himself to his magic and images flashed against his eyelids. He saw Alfred and Matthew in dragon form approach the river before turning human to lounge in the soothing waters.

He watched in abject horror as panic filled Alfred's eyes and the brothers' collapsed. Rage boiled up inside him as he watched a figure approach his mate. He did not know who this man was, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to rip out his still beating heart.

The wizard observed as his lover's attacker straightened his form and turned to face him squarely.

Arthur dispelled his magic and recoiled in shock with a gasp as he beheld the man's face.

"Arthur!" Gilbert shouted as he rushed to the smaller man's side and placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "What is it? What did you see?"

Emerald eyes were wide and cycling through a menagerie of emotions; Fear, anger, confusion.

"He helped them take them," the wizard muttered still reeling from his shock.

"Who? Who helped take our mates?" the albino knight asked anxiously giving his companion's shoulder a small shake.

Distraught viridian eyes rose and locked with worried, angry vermilion.

"Lukas,"