.Elementals.

-80-

The dragon queen landed, their land was shared with people of all races who were chosen to be the caretakers of the places, most dragons living in the cavernous part of their land but the castles and libraries around were looked after.

I slipped off her back and took a few steps before falling on my knees and hands, lip in between my teeth as my fingers scratched against the marble ground until they were balled into fists, glaring at the ground with tears in my eyes.

I heard soft crying, I lifted myself and sat back on my ankles.

Em looked lost, sitting on the dragon with a distant look in his eyes, Amalia was the crying one in Leo's arms as he was masking his distress in forced anger, both kneeling on the ground, Calypso had silent tears down her face as she covered her mouth, leaning against a railing and falling to her knees, we all had just lost our mentor and stand in mother.

Tears ran down my face as I couldn't hold them in.

Why?

Why me?

I lost my human parents.... I lost my real parents.... I lost Belladonna.... Who else will I need to lose?!?!

"Mystery keep calm." Belladonna turned my head away and made me look her in the eyes. "Keep calm dear, we get out of this alive and then we cry okay?" I nodded jerkily. "Deep breaths, now." I did so. "First we live and then we cry."

"First we live and then we cry." I repeated to convince myself to not just lose it because of all the stress and the new loss on my shoulders.

"First we live and then we cry." I whispered, wiping my face off and getting to my feet. "Stop your whining!!" I yelled at the others, the royal family whom let us have our moment almost jumping at my harsh tone.

All their eyes was turned to me I knew it without ever having to face them.

"Stop whining and get up." I said, chocking back a sniffle. "This is not what she taught us!!" I took a deep shaky breath. "If we don't stand now.... What she did for us will have been for nothing.... Aurelius taking over everything and killing all against him... Do you want her sacrifice to be in vain?!" I yelled as my voice was weakening but I won't shut up. I spun on myself to finally face them. "First we live and then we cry.... She said first we live and then we cry.... If we don't fight now we won't live.... So stop fucking whining and stand to fight.... For humanity.... For the innocent.... For our home.... For us.... For her." 

I guess Belladonna also passed on her talent to do speeches onto me along with everything else she taught me.

"She's right." Calypso said, wiping her face with a sigh and getting up from the ground. "We need to live today to be able to cry tomorrow and if we give up now there will be no tomorrow for many of the innocent in the path of that man."

"I'd follow you to the end of the world and you know it." Em said, finally getting off the dragon queen.

"He needs to pay for what he has done" Amalia said through heavy sniffles as Leo helped her stand, nodding to her words, nothing more to add.

"In that case don't cry but fight." I said while looking off to the side. "Isn't that was she taught to the very end? To fight and go down with a smile? Knowing you did all that you could?" I looked back at them. "Right now we are the last chance for everyone against Aurelius so we can't give up."

"As depressing as times these may be." We all turned to look at the queen, hurt in her eyes, she and Belladonna were once like us and the royal siblings, not lovers like I and Audrey or Em and Eleric but friends, she was the only mage at the time with her own mentor and the queen was an only child so they became friends, this was losing her right hand woman or maybe sister if she saw her as such. "But as long as her teachings and her memory live on deep in your hearts she'll never be gone forever, she'll always look after you and, even tho I am sure you all know without it needing to be said but, she did talk of all of you as her children."

I closed my eyes which forced two tears out of them which I wiped away.

"Mages!"

"Yes your Majesty!" We all answered like taught but missed one of voices that had echoed it with us.... Forever reduced to five instead of the six of us.

"If you can't fight for me then fight for her memory, to regain her home, protect her people and defeat her enemies do I make myself clear?"

"Yes your Majesty!"

"You've all had a long day, the ground keepers will soon be here to show you to your rooms." The dragon queen said. "And do not let despair weigh your heart down children, one day you will see her again, maybe not in the near or far future but you will." And she walked away.

"Majesty!" I said as the some elves had came to guide us away, leading everyone in a different way.

"Yes mage Myst-Arianwyn?" She said, turning back to me as everyone stopped to listen in.

"Please Mystery is just fine, it is a name she gave me and that I wish to keep, my real name a secret to remain but now kept by many of us."

"As you wish mage Mystery, what did you want to say?"

"Before now I'd have not wanted this.... But she's gone.... And I don't want her dream for me to go unfulfilled.... Your Majesty I accept, I'll become the head mage so that the dream she always had for me becomes reality.... I'll be the head mage for her."

"Then so be it, she might not be here to witness this moment but I am sure she'll be very proud of you.... Head mage Mystery."

"I know." I whispered more to myself then to the queen. "I know she is."