The ambush came at Wyrding Pass, of course. Why hadn’t she seen it coming? So obvious in retrospect. One moment, her honour guard was casually riding behind her, keeping their distance as Vanya liked them to, allowing her to converse privately with Aagon. She could take care of herself, after all! She and Aagon were the perfect team. The next moment, arrows were raining down and her honour guard were sounding the alarm. And everything turned to fire and shouting, falling rocks and clenched teeth, and then the blood.

It had been such a nice day. Wyrding Pass was near the south end of their lands of course, but still considered quite safe. Just a routine mission to the southern outpost, to shore up the morale. The silly southern J’eng Nation had been rattling their sabres again, making troop movements out on the southern Arnashi Plains. The perfect place to put on a show and raise some dust. Her own northern land of Shush Glorious Nation was far too strong to take such displays seriously, especially with deadly teams like her and Aagon fighting for Shush Glorious. But the common soldier at the southern outpost could use the morale boost, and those J’eng snakes could use the reminder. Which was why there were headed here. If J’eng wanted to march about and make noise, then she and Aagon would ride down with an elite fighting force of Shush Lions and roar at them. 

Aagon paced along, his soft speech rolling gently for her ears alone. When a pair such as they bonded, the conversations tended to stretch on for days. Aagon was telling her again of the way the rocks spoke to him, and she replied of the way fire called her name. A silly game maybe, comparing the solid dependable nature of stone and the surprising quickness of fire. Aagon’s crooked teeth made some of the consonants of his speech hard to decipher, but Vanya had been with him for more than a decade and a half now, and his voice was more familiar than her own. Every other pair in the Corp seemed younger these days, and she realized with a start that they must be the oldest now, after Shelia and Eeror had fallen last season. Another year, another bloody border fight between Shush and J’eng. Vanya thought uncomfortably of all the fire mages she had known, and how few were left alive. Were those J’eng snakes getting better at killing her kind off?  She shuddered, and lost herself in Aagon’s low rumbling voice. He soothed her like no one else. 

When she slept poorly, waking up from the inevitable combat soaked dreams, shaking and crying, she could feel the solid warmth of Aagon’s body beside her, hear his gentle words, his massive breaths. If she slipped up in the fog of sleep and her fire magic sparked out, his rough hide always deflected it. Aagon was her rock, and not just because of his own magic, charming the earth and tumbling boulders. He had been through it all with her, since her first blood, and since his hatching. Since the moment he rested his softly scaled head in her outstretched hands, and she met the dark depths of his softly shimmering eyes. In that moment, a bond had snapped into being, and their combined magics had joined them. Until death. 

Please. Let that not be today. 

Vanya and Aagon’s Honour Guard shouted as the first arrows rained down on the Shush Lion battle group. They kicked their specially trained horses up next to Aagon’s massive scaled body, one to each side. The red plumes on their helmets fluttered as they set their armoured bodies and shields between Vanya’s fragile human body where she sat astride Aagon and the incoming arrows. Exactly as they were trained. She heard one man grunt softly as an arrow slammed into a delicate elbow joint, but his shield barely wavered. They raised the oversized shields up, even as Vanya slapped her bare hand on the warm dragon’s shoulder just in front of where her legs gripped Aagon’s powerful torso. This is where the fire mage and earth dragon pair were vulnerable, when taken by surprise. Which was no doubt exactly why the J’eng swine had planned it this way. 

Vanya shut her eyes, falling back on her training. Her fire magic leapt to her hand, eager. She quested for the unmovable presence of Aagon’s magic. Gently, gently… there it was! Like two tails intertwining, their magic clasped. Strong, reassuring. The best thing in her life. The only thing in her life…. she lost the thought as she dropped into the bond.

Aagon threw his head up and roared, massive ribs swelling and flexing with the rush of power. Her mind and his mind, together. There was no spot she ended and he began. They were one. They were rocks and fire. They were power incarnate.

They could see the Honour Guard falling back now, their most important duty complete. The arrows were still coming down, but could not hide the men pouring into the ravine from the low side and the near end. Before them, they saw a rock slide had conveniently blocked the ravine, dust still settling. Silly J’eng, did they not know who they had caught? Vanya/Aaron let their tongue loll out, neatly avoiding sharp fangs. This would be fun, it had been far too long. They dashed toward the rear group of ambushers, all four eyes looking together, and flashing in the daylight. The J’eng archers shot at them, but fire consumed their arrows, and stones rolled out of their way. Vanya/Aagon leapt into the air, and landed with the force of a hillside. The archers who weren’t crushed outright were thrown off their feet. The dragon’s head and the woman’s head swept around the fallen men, moving in synchronicity.   A quick grin flashed on the human lips, a tongue lolled out the dragon mouth. They closed their eyes even as fire lashed out from the woman’s form, burning out the eyes of all within their range. They opened their eyes and were pleased to see an officer clawing at his face. Silly sod must’ve thought he was out of range, but a fire mage bonded to an earth dragon had a surprising range, when folded into each other. 

Dragon and woman lifted heads and cried out. Then, they leapt up the hillside to engage the attackers from the low side. Their claws flashed out, their tail swept its spiny length. Fire flashed and rocks fell. Blood flowed. 

In short order, the enemy was in retreat. It appeared to be quite the hasty one, with stragglers fleeing over the hill. Vanya/Aagon caught sight of a captain, surrounded by his own honour gaurd disappearing over the top of the rock pile they had penned the Shush Lions in the pass with. Vanya/Aagon laughed, and leapt halfway up the rocky slope, the treacherous loose boulders suddenly becoming stable when the dragon’s claws touched it. They made two more hops to the top of the rock pile, and saw the captain nearly at the bottom. The J’eng snakes must’ve fallen in their haste to get away! Vanya/Aagon coughed a draconic laugh and leapt grandly out, towards the scrambling captain. 

Thwack!

They shuddered in the air, pain lancing their side. What was this? How did the fire not defend them? They staggered in midair, landing poorly and rolling. Vanya felt herself torn loose from Aagon’s back, and fetch up against a rock with a painful thump. She dazedly rolled to her side, and beheld a horrifying sight. There, Aagon was staggering to his feet, the massive shaft of a red arrow protruding from his side. Right in the soft spot behind his front leg, right in the vitals. Even as she watched, stunned and horrified, another arrow sped into his ribs, striking not as deeply. Aagon roared his pain, and swept his tail around. The sharp spines minced the J’eng honour guard, and swept the captain down. Vanya heard bones snap. She staggered to her feet. Her own Honour Guard was calling from the top of the rock fall, but she had eyes only for Aagon. The dragon was groaning in pain, and staggering towards her. They had to be together again. 

Just as Vanya made it to his side, she heard the Honour Guard call out in clear alarm. She looked, but Aagon was faster. He always had been. Aagon shouldered her aside, half rearing up. Thwack! Another thick shafted red arrow sprouted from his chest. Vanya cried out. Aagon groaned and slumped to his haunch, leaning into her. Vanya slapped her hand to his neck, and her eyes flashed up. Looking to where the arrow had come from. There, a woman stood, manning a huge cranking bow. They could see two more hidden in the trees next tot he rock pile. A trap within a trap! The woman was hurriedly ratcheting back the heavy string again. Fire licked her fingertips as she worked. Vanya felt her lip curl. A rogue! 

Vanya groped for Aagon. He was shaky, but she felt his mind rise up, folding with hers again. They looked towards the rogue fire mage, and Vanya screamed. How dare she shoot them down?!? They threw power at her, fire exploding behind rock, all their hurt and rage lashing out. Vanya distantly heard Aagon gasp. The rock he had summoned flung forward on her column of fire, and obliterated the woman’s sweaty face. Her body collapsed. Vanya felt a small thrill of satisfaction, and felt around to share it with Aagon. But the dragon had dropped out of the mind fold. He lay panting on the ground beside her. Vanya looked down at her friend. The arrow in his side was in deep. She dropped to her knees. Her hands patted at his ferocious spines, helpless to stop the pain. They were born for war, after all. Not healing.

“Shhh shhh my heart, lay still and all shall be well.” Vanya gasped out in a rough voice.

Aaron groaned, and replied “You… are here…. at the end…. with me….”

“Hush, shh. It will be well, you’ll see. The healers will get the arrows out.” She soothed.

“You know…. as well as I do… that arrow hit the vitals.” Aagon panted. “You know… what happens to dragons…. when the gut is pierced. It is a… bad end.” He rolled his eyes up to her, and she could not look away, could not lie. They both knew he was gut-hit. Dragons did not survive that sort of blow. There had been many attempts, but the fearsome stomach acid of the dragon’s digestive system would eat through any stitches, burn through any gauze. His body would literally consume itself from the inside, and it would take weeks. Dragons pled for death before the end. Even the young ones who thought they would recover. Vanya and Aagon were no longer young. Not by a long shot, by warrior standards.

Tears flowed from the dragon’s eye, looking up at her.

“Please…..” He panted. “You know…. what must be done. I would have…. no other…”

Vanya shook her head, but her tears would not flow. She knew. They had been together, then knew each other’s minds intimately. She knew he would count her freeing him from this pain as the greatest blessing. She feared more for herself…. In the afterwards. 

Aagon sighed a breath out, knowing her thoughts.  “I will always… be with you, my little… tiger lily.” He whispered to her, and she felt the warm burn of his all encompassing love. For the last time.

Vanya stood. She drew her sword, so clean and shiny. Vanya placed the tip at Aagon’s soft temple, just behind the sculpted eye ridge. Aagon looked up at her one last time, and sighed out, closing his eyes. Vanya pressed down on the hilt of her sword. The last touch of his mind flowed out from her, and he was gone. Utterly. Vanya stood, empty. 

They had both died in this place, she knew. Her Honour Guard stood back respectfully, but they now guarded an empty body. She had gone with Aagon, flown free to the stars. Perhaps to beyond. Her heart was gone.