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Golden scales and blue eyes. Aurelius stood big and proud at the end of the cliff. The sun made him look like a dragon statue made of pure gold. He smiled, looking up at the sky. His fellow dragon soldiers waited for his orders. His body was strong, but worn from battle. He was the perfect dragon, strong and proud with no fear for anything.

Myself, on the other hand, I'm not the best dragon. I'm not beautiful, nor am I a fighter and my skills are limited. The thing I am good at is watching over others, over the eggs especially. And those are not my eggs as you would think, no, I'm watching over everyone's eggs.

Cassia, Aurelius right hand, came to his side. Her scales were a beautiful black color, her eyes as golden as the scales on Aurelius. She was strong and proud, as he was, and they made a good team. They always fought back to back.

I must say I envied them every time they went to battle. They brought glory and honor to the rest of us, and I wished I could be the one at Aurelius side, fighting with him. Of cours they never asked me to help them in battle, I wasn't a fighting dragon. I was a nursing, I watched over the sick and the weak... and the eggs.

Aurelius looked at Cassia and spread his majestic wings. They could have been a great couple, which was of course, only if Aurelius wanted her. I would have given anything to be Aurelius mate... but someone like me, a dragon with scales of silver, was never going to be accepted anywhere as likewise as the others.

A dragon is not only beautiful for its personality, but the color of the scales is as important as the actions. Having silver scales is like snow; boring and cold and makes everyone think you are less than them. Everyone has colored scales, except me. One could say I am an outsider of some sort.

They flew up in the sky together and went to the other dragons. I looked at my own small wings and wished I was like them. Wishing I could be as beautiful and strong as everyone else, or at least as Aurelius so he would notice me.

I waited for the return of the soldiers all day and all night, they finally came back the following morning. Wounded and sore from battle, but as proud as ever. My heart raced as I tried to find Aurelius in all the chaos of the dragons returning. Had he fallen in battle? No, he was too strong. At last I saw him landing on the cliff as proud as ever. A smirk lured around his muzzle.

Okay, Lucilla, this is it! I though to myself. Dragon up and go talk to him. Ask him if he is alright? Just talk to him, ask him anything at all... No, he'll just ignore you because you aren't beautiful enough... My own thoughts made me back down. Taking a step back I accidently bumped into Cassia.

"What do you think you are doing?" She asked with a voice full of authority, it made me want to flee of fear. I was scared of confrontations and of other dragons. Especially someone I knew wouldn't mind tearing my throat out just for fun.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" She broke me off as she pushed me out of her way with one of her wings.

"You have nothing to do here, Lucilla; you are and will always be an outsider. So get out of my way!" The tip of her wing pierced under one of my scales, making me bleed. I would have cried and fled, but that would only satisfy her.

She was as beautiful as she was cruel, and she was the most good- looking dragoness here. I envied her beauty, but her cruelty... She was a very special dragoness.

"What did you do to that poor dragoness?" Aurelius asked Cassia as she walked up to him. He looked worried.

"What? She stood in my way and wasn't going to move. I had to do something." Cassia answered trying to seduce him, but to no avail. He just wasn't interested in her. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"I'm sorry for my friend here, she doesn't know her way around other friendly dragons." He suddenly said, walking towards me. I had forgotten about the pain Cassia caused me.

I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to say something? Oh! He didn't ignore me! _He_was the one who started to talk to me! I wanted to scream of both fear and happiness. I had dreamt of this too many times.

"I-I didn't-" He stood before me, all mighty and proud. It scared the shit out of me, and still he was so seductive at the same time.

"Cassia! You made her bleed! She is one of our own, and you hurt her. Here let me take you to the nurses." Aurelius spread his huge wing protectively over me and made me go with him to the nurses.

"It's really nothing, it doesn't even hurt." I muttered, fearing that his beautiful blue eye was watching over me.

"You should listen to the outsider; she probably doesn't feel anything at all. Just look at her! She looks like the dragons we just fought against, light colored, boring. Is she a spy?" Cassia said walking in front of us, making us stop.

"You're an outsider too Cassia, you should know how she feels." Aurelius said trying to get her out of the way. He was irritated.

"I'm... I'm not an outsider." I fluttered. We came to an halt.

"I was born here, and I have always lived here. I have been caring for the eggs as long as I can remember, and some of the eggs are yours, Cassia. You should really come visit them more, they miss you." Cassia grew fearsome. I had never experienced someone else that the other nurses talking to me, and here I was. Talking to the mother of the eggs I was caring for and the male dragon I fancied.

"Ah yes, I may have seen you around here." She said, taking a step back so we could keep walking. "And since you are a nurse, you should be more than able to take care of yourself. Let us heal our own wounds, my Aurelius." Her words stung worse than I would have imagined. It was like she was going to _make_him her new mate. I wasn't sure if I would be able to live on in the tribe if that happened.

"I can take care of your wounds, if you would like. I am, as you said, a nurse." I somehow managed to pull myself together and dragon up, at least try to be as strong as they were.

Cassia gave me a fearsome glance, it made me shrug. She had always been cold and aggressive, and I had always feared her. Aurelius seamed to have noticed the tension and my shrugging and pulled his wing off of me. I would have done anything to keep it there...

"Yes,"

"Lucilla. My name is Lucilla."

"Lucilla then, my wounds need to be tended to. Would you be so kind as to help me? I mean, since you are a nurse, and not as wounded as I am." He smiled with his eyes. My heart stopped.

"Y-" I couldn't even finish my one word before Cassia made a scene by hitting the dirt with her tail, making the ground below us shake.

"Leave us, Cassia. You are as always childish and immature; go find yourself a prey to torture." Aurelius was stern, but still talked to her like a dear friend.

She left and Aurelius let me tend to his wounds at a place he wanted; on a secret cliff on the other side of our tribes nest. I used my magic to heal up his wounds as skilled as I could, but it was hard. He was more hurt than I would have imagined. It was a miracle that he could stand, let alone fight in the condition he was in. With shaking muzzle I tended to him. I would never have dreamt of this day.

"There is something between us, Lucilla." He said finding my eye when I tried searching for more wounds to tend to.

"You and I are similar. I see you are scared of talking to me, but do not fear. I am not as grotesque and evil as I must seem. I just have a duty to take care of _all_the dragons-"

"-As I have a duty to take care of the weak and wounded." I said. His energy made me relax and want to be with him. I knew I was safe when I was with him. He made me something I didn't know anyone could make out of me. He drew the fear in my heart out and filled it with lust and love.

"Exasctually!" He went quiet after that. I didn't mind not talking, it was rare someone else that the old nurses talked to me. A wounded soldier here and there, but I hadn't talked so much in one day as I had today.

"It's important that I take care of all the dragons, you know. That's why I have to be so stern and so evil towards my enemies. The thing I'm doing is making history. The eggs you are caring for now are going to remember me as Aurelius the Great!" He exclaimed as if he was trying to imply that everything I was supposed to do was sacrifice myself for him.

I was so madly in love at the time that I would have done it... But he had triggered something in me that made my blood boil in my veins.

"Are you saying that nursing isn't as important as fighting? All you do is fight and hurt your soldiers as often as you can!" I burst out and sat right in front of him, so he couldn't get away.

"Are _you_the one defending and fighting for glory for the tribe? How could you _not_say it more important than nursing? Do you not think my soldiers crave for blood?" He looked at me with confusion and something more... something I couldn't really set my paw on.

"I am doing whatever is in my power to help the tribe be safe. As you see, my body is fragile and not well build to fight... I'm sorry I don't have a body like Cassia, but not everyone is born strong or beautiful or handsome like some of you." I shut my muzzle and bit my own tongue to make myself shut up.

We sat quite a while, both of us looking for the right words, none finding them.

"You know, your scales are stunning." Aurelius suddenly said. I was in a mild shock. No one had ever given me a compliment, if it hadn't had something to do with nursing... I hid my head behind my wing, embarrassed. My scales shined in the morning sun, making them look everything else but silver.

"Really, are you from here or are you really a spy? I wouldn't mind if you were a spy, it would only be a little awkward. You know... with me being the general of this tribe and everything." He made me smile.

"Lucilla, why haven't we met before? You make me feel like I'm not all mighty, and I haven't met anyone capable of making me feel like that... ever. Not even my right hand, Cassia, is able to make me feel like this." He made a pause while observing me. He walked around me and sniffed my scales, becoming more familiar with me. I liked it.

I loved the way he made me feel like I wasn't as fragile and small as I actually am. How I could stand up to the strongest dragon in the tribe and say my meanings and listen to his.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" He said standing before me again. I nodded, not knowing what it would mean.

"Can you meet me here after every battle? No, every sunset? I need someone like you, someone who cares to say whatever is on their mind to me even if I am capable of tearing their heart out with a single blow." Aurelius had a pride mine on his face and his pose was full of grace, but in his eye I could see something shine; something strong and beautiful. He hit his paw hard on a rock to show how much he cared.

"Sorry, the soldier in me is talking. But would you be so kind as to do so? Be _my_nurse and friend?" His voice was soft and sensual.

My heart raced in my chest, making it hurt a bit. I swallowed and looked at his beautifully handsome face. Behind the face of a stern commander lay a caring dragon I would fall in love with again and again.

I made a friend, and he would always care for me. He hurried from meetings and back from battles just to be with me. I soon began loving him, but I was never sure if it was likewise or not. He would never say anything about it, about who he would choose as his mate. A leader needed a mate for life, and I knew he would be damned if he chooses Cassia for her strength and beauty...

***

It was an early morning when Aurelius suddenly showed up at the nursing nest where I watched over the eggs. He came to me with a friendly face, looking for advice.

"You see, my dear Lucilla," I loved the way he said my name. "I need help, and you're the only one that dares to take their own personal stand against me. Will you hear me out?"

He sat down beside me and burrowed his nails in the dirt, obviously concerned by something.

"Tell me, Aurelius, what is on your mind?" I said sitting beside him and looking at him with big eyes.

Taking a deep breath and expanding his chest to get the courage he started telling me about his soldiers. How they wanted their leader to take more territory and expand our tribe. The problem was that there were both other wild dragons in the area around our mountains, and there was another tribe not far from ours. They were known for their skilled fighters.

"There three things you can do, Aurelius. The first is telling your soldiers that you cannot expand the tribes territory because it would be the fall of our tribe and they would surely lose their lives." He looked at me with unease.

"The second thing is taking the risk and expanding, leaving everyone exposed to the other tribes and making our tribe fall to the ground. Now, I understand that if you do not expand, your soldiers will go against you... so there is the conflict." I thought to myself some time.

"The third option?" He asked looking at me in wonder.

"You could fuse our tribes? Making yourself the commander beside this other commander and everyone would be safe..." I bit my own tongue wishing I had never come up with the idea in the first place.

"Great! So how do I do that?" He waited for me answer a time.

"You would need to make a proposal." I said.

"A proposal?" He asked confused.

"Yes, something they would care about, something to take their attention. By fusing our tribes both will gain territory, but they need something only some dragons here are able to give them. They need good, strong new dragons... They need you, Aurelius." I wanted to fly away, but I could do nothing else but look away while he came to his senses.

"I need to make a mate with someone from the other tribe?" He didn't ask me as much as he told me. Confused he puffed a small flame out of his nostrils.

"I will need to think about the things you have said and discuss the matter with Cassia." He got up and turned around to walk out of the cave with the eggs.

"Will you come to the cliff tonight?" I asked running after him as he walked away from me. Oh, how could he be so cold!? I hated that he had to talk to Cassia about everything considering the tribe... I hated it.

He didn't answer, for he was in his own mind most likely thinking about his soldiers and the task before him. I didn't want him to make a mate in the other tribe, even Cassia was better than someone from the other tribe!

I waited for him at sunset, but soon found out that he wasn't coming. A sky full of our tribes dragons flew towards the enemies territory. My body filled with adrenaline and I couldn't stand still anymore. Why would he leave me behind? How could he leave me before saying goodbye? I thought to myself. My curiosity was overwhelming, and I knew I wouldn't get any sleep if I didn't know the reason why. So I raised my silver wings and flew up in the air, letting the wind press against my scaled body.

They flew faster and more skilled than I did, and they never looked back. So I had no problem hiding behind clouds and trees. For some reason they flew all the way up to the other tribes territory and I could see flames bursting out of the mouths of the ones in the first range. It felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Was Aurelius really going to attack the other tribe? I wondered how he could do so, when I told him what would happen. He usually always listened to me...

In the front range I could see the black scales of Cassia as she fell down to the ground to attack a non- flying dragon. Our clan had attacked at the right time, if there is any, for the other tribe was unaware of the happenings. As soon as I saw Cassia fly up again and behind the other dragons I flew as fast as I could to her side. She was shocked to see me.

"Where is Aurelius?" I asked in panic. She looked at me with big green eyes.

"And why would I tell you?" She spit out a flame, obviously irritated. But she saw how desperate I was and how strong I felt about it, and even if she wouldn't mind tearing my throat any day, she still felt empathy for me.

"You know he will never love you, right?" She said with a straight mine.

"He has loved and lost, there is no hope for a dragon which cares only for himself and none other." I rolled my eyes.

"You haven't seen Aurelius the same way I have, he cares so much he would never do anything to harm the tribe or anyone he cares about." I said defending his pride, and my own for that matter.

"You don't know, do you?" Cassia said tilting her head to one side. I looked at her in confusion.

"He is the one attacking this tribe, making himself the history. He told me just a few hours ago that we needed to attack because they were becoming a threat to us. I told him it would be good to listen to the soldiers, but not this_much. Yeah, I don't care about anyone but myself... but if we all die here, Lucilla. Who will take care of my eggs? Who will _tell the story of us here, of this fight?" Her voice was trembling. I could see the fear in her eye and a chill ran down my entire spine.

"I need to talk to him, Cassia. Where is he?" She poked her nose in a direction and told me to be careful before she let me fly to the core of the war.

I had never seen anything like it. So majestic and grotesque at the same time. Fellow dragons fell before me. One less beautiful soul. I thought looking at the corps around me wishing I had stayed at home. The home Aurelius now threatened to destroy by his arrogance.

I moved my body with swift and fast movements through the warzone until I could see Aurelius golden scales shining in the woods a little away from the actual fight. He was surrounded by three big and angry dragons, but somehow, Aurelius managed keeping them at pace. Why wasn't Cassia at his side, fighting with him? Why was she so behind?

"Aurelius!" I cried flapping my wings faster and faster until I lost control.

"Why are you doing this!?" I screamed as I directed my body to one of the dragons that he was trying to keep away. My body felt like it was going to burst as I hit the giant and fell off him like a fly.

"Lucilla, what are you doing here? Go, run, get away from here!" He cried blinding the dragon I had just crash landed on with his flames. The dragon screamed in pain and was even more frightening than before.

"Aurelius, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you're attacking. Spit it out, what do you think you are doing here?" I ran to his side trying not to get myself killed by the blind dragon while it flew hysterically into a tree and knocked itself out.

"I'm doing this for you, Lucilla, I don't want you to let me be with someone else. I see no hope in anyone but you. Now leave! Leave and never look back, for all I do, I do for us!" I was the most happy dragon ever at that point, nothing in my life had been so important as hearing those words come out of him. I imagined how our lives would be when this war was over and everything was as it should be. When I had my perfect mate, and he cared about me as much as I cared about him! He made our whole tribe go to was for our sake, and it made me even more happy.

But in life there has to be balance. I was too happy...

My chest suddenly felt empty and I looked down. I had been careless and gotten myself hurt. Aurelius looked at me, his eyes went big with fear and rage.

"No!" He roared and in a swift killed the dragon that had hurt be, and turned around to the last dragon standing. The last dragon understood the situation and left with no further complication.

As I laid at my side thinking of how fun life was. How I had lived my whole life in the same tribe as my one true love and only now had I understood what he meant to me. He meant everything, my life.

"No, no this is not happening!" He tried stopping my bleeding wounds, but to no use. I took his paw in mine, tears of happiness fell down my face.

"Aurelius, if what you said was true--"

"It is!" He roared at me in frustration. I leaned my head to his.

"A dragons true mate dies within a night of the others death. Do you think you are my true mate, Aurelius?" I felt his jaw work.

"I hope not, I hope you live forever in this dreamland. You have given me strength and hope, you have made my life a purpose, Aurelius... You have made me grow. You have made me happy, something I didn't think I would ever feel. I have fallen in love so madly with you. Yes, now on my deathbed I confess my love for you..." I coughed as the blood began filling my longue.

"No, don't leave me!" He whispered with fear in his voice, like a young dragon would beg his mother.

"Listen, you must finish everything before it is done for you too. You have to save our tribe." I took a deep hard breath. The pain made my eyes wet even more.

"How? My love, you need to tell me, I am desperate! I need you to guide me and tell me what I am to do to make this right again." He took his wings around my torn up body.

"I have never felt so alive as I feel every time I am with you." I continued.

"I only wish we could have told each other a long time ago, I wish we could have spend more time together, Aurelius." I wanted to be with him so badly, to make the pain go away and be happy.

"My love, my beautiful love... How wish so too. Close your eyes, my love, and set your soul free. Let your scales become the surface of the unreachable gold orours; the moon. Imagine how we would fly up to the moon together, so high no dragon has ever been there. Close your eyes and I'll be with you soon." I felt his tears fall to my muzzle. They calmed me.

He laid me down on the grass and laid his head beside mine. Covering my entire body with his massive golden wing. My pain went away slowly as his body covered mine.

He held his paw over my wound and began murmuring sweet magical words. He promised the most wonderful things and made my last thoughts be about us. I knew I had doomed both him and the tribe by getting myself hurt like that. Went I passed away he would only have until the next moon to live and then...

"You need to go and make history now." I said taking deep painful breaths, but he made the pain go away by whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

"I need to make sure my true mate is sleeping in well, so I'll be able to sleep well tonight." He licked away my tear and cuddled with me. I would have loved to open my eye again, look him in his beautiful eye and tell him we would live forever.

"I promise, I'll be with you soon. And then we _will_find each other again, in the new world." He whispered with his sweet voice. I took a deep breath. At least I knew we would find each other again...

I closed my eyes and let my fantasy run loose. As Aurelius noticed me slipping away he held me closed to himself, like he wanted me to stay with him even if I couldn't.

I never thought I would die in so much pain, and yet with a smile.