We were going back to Drakaupi. Only Nanoria and Fergus had come from the elf city, as the rest had stayed behind to rebuild their fallen empire. Fergus sat on my back, timidly playing with the frayed ends of his shirt, listening to the flaps of my leathery wings. I was still questioning why Nanoria had chosen him as the Elven representative, the shy boy being only a couple years older than me and the rest of the gang. We were certainly the youngest Representatives in history, the previous ones of our species having died early. I glanced over at Saoni, who was in the middle of multitasking; by that I mean having a discussion with Arvid while pretending that Nanoria wasn't on her back. The elf queen glanced at me, raising one eyebrow and smiling in an amused fashion. She obviously didn't get the argument they were having. I smiled. Apart from Arvid and Saoni, she was instantly my favourite royalty.

Walking into the city, Saoni and I sure turned heads, both having an Elf on our backs. The king himself came to meet us. 

"Glycon, who have you brought with you?"

I gave him a quick bow before continuing. "This is Nanoria, the Elven Queen, and Fergus, the Representative."

"Elves?" He whispered to himself. "But... how could this be? Nanoria, we haven't seen you in Millenia. My father was the only one aside from me who remembered the tales about you. Now I'm the only living one."

Nanoria glanced solemnly at the ground, her flawless skin turning pale. "I'm sorry. About everything. The humans, the Valkyrie... the war..."

 We trekked up the volcano, Nanoria's words playing over in my mind. The war... did this mean that she, and the entire race of the elves, was responsible for the war that Saoni hated so much? The one that the Pegasus Queen despised with a passion? I gulped. They were going to have a hard time reviving the Valkyrie with this much beef between the rulers. It was probably bad of me, but I was interested in how this would all play out.

As we reached the top, a glorious sight awaited us. Lolinami and her dragon were soaring high above the volcano, the golden light sparkling on her glossy feathers and his shiny scales. Saoni's eyes lit up at the sight. With this, she launched herself into the air, her stark white coat turning orange. I laughed despite myself, and followed suit. Arvid was already springing off the edge when I soared into the air. I got there and had to turn around instantly. The two Pegasi were in a heated discussion with Nanoria when us three returned to the rim of the volcano.

"So you're telling me," Lolinami yelled, "that you were what kept me and Hireo apart all that time?" There was scorn and sadness in her voice. The other dragon ran to her side. "Shhh, Lolinami. She meant no harm. In fact, it wasn't the elves, it was the humans. As she explained, it was them that were jealous, and them that caused the dispute of whether to save the elves from their wrath or not."

"Please, queen Lolinami, we need you to rebuild the Valkyrie!"

"No!" 

"But we'll be doomed otherwise!"

"You, maybe! Not us!"

Saoni stood in the middle of all the confusion. Her face was expressionless, but tears seeped slowly out of her violet eyes. She mumbled something incoherently. I noticed Mary plucking nervously at her down, Ponte was nowhere to be seen, and Klyo's eyes were clouded over. Fergus was standing back, looking just as terrified as Saoni. Goizu clutched onto Arvid's leg, and showed a look of fear as he moved away from him. He approached Saoni, leading her gently away from the chaos and towards me. I could hear what she was mumbling now. "Stop... Stop..." 

For a moment, I panicked. But after that moment, everything was normal. "Guys?" I said. "Guys!" When they still didn't respond, I decided to use the tactic that meant stooping the very lowest. I roared. "GUYS!!!"

This caught everyone's attention. "Lolinami, in the war, was your side for or against saving the elves?"

She paused, before saying the answer that I feared most. "We... we were against..."