They were a twisted hybrid looking species of human and reptile, with arms and legs that ended in sharp, clawed extremities, and a thick long tail protruded from their lower backs. They stood armed and armored on the path to the cave. Camlhach and Valruin stopped right in front of them, their shiny slitted eyes fixed on the princes.
“We mean you no harm,” spoke Camlhach, raising both hands for the lizard people to see. Silme flew back swiftly towards the Erathiel and sat on the prince’s shoulder, giving the lizards an ear-piercing screech.
“Your friend does not seem to think so,” uttered a short and stocky lizard. His voice was raspy and low, vibrating and slithering words into the air. Dark green scales covered his body and only in some parts did he bear armor, unlike the rest of his people who were more brown or yellow colored and taller than he. He eyed Silme with a curious smile, revealing sharp, needle-like teeth.
“Silme is an excellent judge of character,” responded Valruin crossly, to which the lizard laughed dryly, causing the rest of the lizard folk to join in. It was thanks to Silme that they could all understand each other, for his cry had magic in it and made all languages understandable to the company.
“A bird is only food to us, not a wise man,” the lizard replied, licking his lips with his forked tongue.
Valruin grimaced, but Camlhach gave him a discouraging look.
King Thinidiel finally reached them, his people close behind. Though the conversation had felt heavy and long, it had only taken him seconds to reach his sons. He dismounted and bowed before the lizard people, his manner tranquil and courteous. “Well met. I am Thinidiel, King of the Erathiel. These are my sons, Camlhach and Valruin. We come in peace and with the hope of finding a new home. We mean you no harm.”
The same lizard eyed Thinidiel from head to toe. He spoke out, but did not bow, “King? You? There is only one King and it is not you. Who invited you? Who gave you permission to invade our lands, False King?” He began to pace and crack his knuckles impatiently, his people hissing and fidgeting as well.
“We are not invading your lands,” clarified Thinidiel kindly. “We are only passing through until we can find land to live on, land that belongs to no one. Please, there is no need for us to quarrel. Let us pass; you need not see us ever again.”
“Everything belongs to our King, all of the land. Why would he share with you?” The lizard’s eyes fell from the people that were almost behind Thinidiel. A wicked smile crept across his face as he closed his eyes and listened to a short violent wind that suddenly came between them. When he opened his yellow eyes, the smile was wiped from his face.
“You are no King! There is only one King under the fire and darkness, and he wants you dead!” He drew his weapon, a crooked sword of dark blade, and pointed it at Thinidiel. The lizard people drew their blades also and looked ready to strike, hissing and slicing the air with malice.
Just when the princes were about to draw their weapons, their father raised his hand to stop them. He did not look at them, but instead spoke to the lizard leader once again, “Please, let us pass. No one needs to get hurt. You do not want to do this.”
“Oh, but I do,” replied the lizard with a wide, terrifying smile as his body tensed. He raised his crooked sword. “Attack!”
Thinidiel avoided the lizard’s attack, turning swiftly away from the blade and stepping aside with the greatest of ease. The lizard stumbled forward almost falling down from the strength of his blow. Thinidiel watched him silently, steadily as the scaly foe found his ground.
“Attack me, False King!” he demanded, brandishing his sword with ferocity.
Thinidiel did not move or answer, his cool silver eyes fixed on the heated reptile. The lizard plunged once again to strike him, his twisted blade aiming straight for Thinidiel’s chest. But instead of drawing his longsword and meeting his foe’s dark blade, he used his hands to immobilize him. He could hurt no one like this.
“Coward!” he hissed, struggling to break free.
Thinidiel’s eyes met the lizard’s and for the briefest second his squirming stopped as the Elven King spoke firmly, almost tenderly, “I will not have a bed of corpses be the foundation of our new home.” The lizard was paralyzed, but Thinidiel had loosened his grip.
Suddenly, he broke free and aimed his sword straight at Thinidiel. The Elven King moved effortlessly away from the blade and took a step back, ducking every now and then, in response to the lizard’s attacks. The small reptile seemed exhausted from his effort and the frustration behind his attacks seemed to tire him even more.
“Do you surrender, friend? Will you tell your people to stop?”
The lizard’s eyes fell on his people who like him had failed at making the elves fight. The Erathiel would evade their attacks and use the reptiles’ own strength against them to disarm them. His people, though agile and skilled, were not a match for the foreigners. It was not a sight he was proud of, it made his people look weak. The lizard’s calm expression vanished as he replied odiously, bearing his sharp teeth, “Never.”
Thinidiel’s jaw tightened and for a second his kind silver eyes turned grey as he replied, “So be it.” He let the lizard go and turned to his sons. “Come, we will not stop for this.”
Valruin looked at his father with surprise, whereas Camlhach agreed and signaled the company to continue.
“As you wish, Father,” said Camlhach.
The reptile stared at Thinidiel in disbelief as he walked away, “You will not turn away from me! Face me! Face me and fight me, coward!”
“Father,” spoke Valruin only loud enough for the King to hear him, “We cannot walk away from this. We must fight them.”
Thinidiel did not turn to face the lizard, but instead approached his son and spoke with decision, “Not all fights must shed blood, my son. Remember that.”
Valruin did not know what to reply, but his father’s words rang in his head.
Suddenly, the leader of the lizards cried out. The mantle of night had fallen and the moon was high in the sky. Something strange began to happen to the lizard people. They began to hiss loudly and spasm, falling to their knees, their bodies bending and cracking under the moonlight. The Erathiel grew worried and stopped as they saw how the lizards suffered, but as the reptiles’ bodies began to grow and gain a more muscular shape than before, their concern became another. The lizards stopped squirming. They rose to their feet, matching the elves in height, some even taller and wider than them. Their eyes had turned bright red.
“Now, False King,” chuckled the once small lizard that now stood taller than the Elven King, “you will fight me.” He raised his dark blade.
Thinidiel was quick and like a silver shadow drew his sheathed longsword as if it weighed no more than a leaf and raised it high to meet the giant lizard’s black one. He struck harder than the Elven King had expected, but the strength of his mighty blow did not shake him. He had faced stronger foes. He tried to strike the beast in points that would immobilize it, but the lizard did well defending himself.
Thinidiel jumped high into the air and flipped over the lizard’s head, striking the back of its skull hard. The lizard screamed and whipped his tail ferociously as the Elven King landed on his feet. It was thick and fast, but he managed to duck and roll before it got him. As he did this, he managed to strike part of the lizard’s back leg, causing him to limp. He had to stop him, but he would not kill if he could help it.
Just then, a small, semi-transparent ball of air passed over Thinidiel’s head, hitting a lizard that was running towards the Princes, straight in the chest. It opened its mouth to cry out, but the very force of the blow left it speechless as it fell to the ground. Thinidiel smiled as he saw Nimtar standing only a few steps behind him. She had not waited for an order, she did not have to. The Elven Queen raised her shining staff to the skies, shooting out a beam of light that spread across the desert, blinding the lizards as the company advanced.
A wild lizard attacked her. She struck it across the face and swept it clear off the ground as she manipulated the wind with her staff. The lizard was three times her size, but did not stand a fighting chance against her magic and strength. When it tried to stand once again, she hit the ground with the bottom of her staff to jump high into the air and fall hard on the lizard’s back, striking it with enough force to render it unconscious.
She made her way towards her husband and sons, Telwen running behind her with her two friends, Enora and Sûlmen. She was a furious and beautiful sight to behold as she struck the enemy with wind and staff, blocking and avoiding the lizards’ attacks, containing her inner fire. Telwen and her elven friends struck the reptiles with sheathed swords together, following the Queen’s steps. Once united, the three girls formed a circle, back to back.
“Look out, Telwen!” cried out Enora as she blocked a blow that went straight for her friend. She raised both her short swords, unsheathed them in seconds, and cut the scaly foe, but not deep enough to end its life. Her bright blue eyes passed quickly from the lizard to Queen Nimtar as she struck it in the head and it fell to the ground; the Queen did not say a word, but her eyes showed not amusement. Enora did not care she was the first to spill blood on the desert sand.
Telwen listened to her friend but did not look at her. One second of distraction could cost her life. It was strange, but she did not feel entirely threatened by the lizard folk. Perhaps it was because she was so well-guarded. Nevertheless, she kept her own and fought well against the lizards with the help of her friends.
Close by were Bazur and Nurunn. Each of them proudly fighting with axes, forged by their forefathers. Bazur would strike mighty blows while spinning his axe to hit even more targets and Nurunn would do so as well. Suddenly, Bazur lunged directly towards a scaly foe that had wrapped its tail around Nurunn’s feet and made her fall. He used one of the enemy’s unconscious bodies to gain higher ground as he jumped and hit its head with his mighty axe. Their skill was such that they did not kill the lizards with their strikes.
“Are you alright, Nurunn?” he asked as he helped her to his feet, her golden braids about her delicate face.
“Yes, don’t you worry about me!” she said with a smile as she charged towards the lizards bravely.
Bazur smiled while fighting off more lizard people. “That’s my wife you are fighting!” he shouted proudly, striking one enemy after another, “My wife!”
Valruin was riding his wolf as he fought the enemy. Faana pushed and flung lizards to the side as they made their way across the battlefield, though she did not kill a single one. Valruin, against his own wishes, struck the lizards without cutting them, but that did not stop him from jumping off Faana’s back and striking a lizard clear across the face, leaving it unconscious on the desert sand. Camlhach shot arrow after arrow, occasionally using his own bow to strike, as he rode on Tinwe’s back. She circled the enemy with valor in her heart as Camlhach managed to pin the lizards’ clothes to the ground, keeping them from getting up. They were not men, not elves, or like any foe they had encountered before. At times, they would blend with the sand and appear from behind to catch them off guard, but the elves’ reflexes were sharp.
Nearby, the mighty Lothar fought against the strong lizard people. He struck the enemy with bare hands, refusing to draw blade to fight. Their hides were rough and cold to the touch, but it did not cause him much trouble when he gripped them before rendering them unconscious. Turion fought near him and even in the face of danger, he would not desist from teasing him.
“We are proud, aren’t we?” said Turion to Lothar whilst fighting. “As daring as a rose’s thorns, sweet blossom.” He grinned as he punched a lizard across the face with no effort or regret whatsoever.
“I—am—not—a—blossom!” cried Lothar as he crushed two enemy skulls into each other. Turion, who had not refrained from his self-amusing mockery, paused to grant Lothar applause.
Though it was a battle, they had not much to fear, for much worse had they seen in their old home. Still, they could not let their guard down. It was not long before they had stopped all but one, whom King Thinidiel held at his mercy.
“It is over, my friend,” spoke the King calmly, “will you now desist?”
“Never!” choked the villain, though it was his squirming that caused this.
“You can retreat now. We do not need to fight,” said Thinidiel with patience in his voice. “Why did you attack us?”
“We answer only to the Dark One and his will,” replied the creature with a twisted smile, his eyes falling on Nimtar and then on Telwen. “We kill all that is bright and good.”
Valruin’s blood boiled as he followed the lizard’s eyes. He quickly drew his blade and held it against the lizard’s neck. “Who is your master? Who is the Dark One?”
Before the King or Queen could draw their son back, the villain let out a horrible laugh as he instantly shoved his neck deep into the prince’s blade. Valruin’s eyes widened as he met the lizard’s eyes. King Thinidiel looked at his son as he let the body down on the floor, slowly. It only took a few seconds for the lizard to stop moving, his blood stained the sand. Camlhach approached his brother, put his hand on his shoulder, and pulled him gently to his side.
Suddenly, the lizard’s face and skin no longer looked as before, it changed before their very eyes from scales to skin, from sharp teeth and claws, to hands and feet. The lizard was now a young man, dead before their eyes. The other lizards were gone.
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