Chapter 5 An unlikely friend

The beasts swarmed out of the mountain by the hundreds and hurled themselves at the waiting legions as the flanks swung forward blocking off the escape of the beasts. And then came the trolls and wolves. "Hold ranks! Archers kill the trolls!" Eol bellowed. The archers within the legions fired over their comrades heads and slowly began to fell the trolls. The elves aided from the wings and slowly the combined army of men and elves began to gain the upper hand. On and on came goblins and orcs who hurled themselves at the shield wall only to be cut down. "Front line reverse!" Eol bellowed as the stream of beasts began to slow. The front ranks switched with the second ranks and then the third ranks so they could have a respite from fighting. The battle went on for the entire day until finally the beasts stopped coming. Eol however was confused he had known the number of beasts in the army must be twice that of what came out of the mountain. An expedition inside did in fact confirm that the mountain was empty. But where were the rest of the beasts? Eol lead his cavalry in a scouting mission all along the countryside but there were no more enemies at hand. Eol soon returned to camp and called an assembly of the army. "You all fought well today I could not ask for a better fighting force. But I extend honor specifically to the first and second legions. You have been the backbone of my army from the very beginning and you have always taken the brunt of the enemy from our very first battle to the one we have just won. For that I bestow upon you the elven title of Regis legiones The King's Legions. You shall wear the finest armor, wield the finest weapons and live in the finest homes available. You shall live on forever!" There was a roar of approval from the first and second legions as they pounded their spears into the ground or sword on shield and began to chant. "EOL EOL EOL EOL EOL EOL EOL EOL EOL!" some of the other legions were slightly upset with such favoritism but knew that their comrades had earned it since they were in the front ranks of every battle. Eol enlisted the help of the elves in forging more armor and weapons so his Regis legiones could wear the finest armor as he had promised. All of a sudden there was a huge gust of wind as Thileas the dragon landed in the clearing. The army took several steps back to avoid being hit with his wings and the horseman had trouble managing their horses. Thileas turned to speak directly to Eol. "Long was I your father's companion and we fought many battles together with he astride my back leading his armies. I would be honored if you would assume his former position as my companion" The dragon essentially offered most generously and sincerely. Eol was shocked. He had never expected to be offered the chance to have a dragon as his mount. He was a little hesitant though for his horse had always been his closest friend and he did not know if he could be parted from him. "I can sense your hesitation because of your loyal steed King Eol and I promise you if there is ever a time where you prefer to ride him rather then I then I will fully understand I wish not to sever such a bond only to further the bond that I have with the men of your family. It was your father you led the elves to me when I needed healing." The dragon explained. Thileas lowered his neck to show a fine gold engraved saddle upon the great dragon's back. Eol bid farewell for the current time to his steed and assured his men he would return shortly that he needed to be alone with the dragon and he quickly climbed up the dragon's back and strapped his legs into the saddle and clung to the pommel of the saddle as the dragon hurled itself into the air and began to glide with minimum use of his wings. "My armies will be dismayed if I am not fighting in the front ranks with them Thileas." Eol pointed out to the dragon. The dragon let out a rumble in his chest that was actually laughter. "Eol you can just as easily fight from my back as you could from your horse from either in the air or on the ground I shall help you fight. Although you should probably know your father more often then not rode his horse and only called on me when he felt there was great need for him to be in the air. Other then that I just lounged in the home that had been made for me above the city" The dragon pointed out. "Who exactly was my father?" Eol asked the great dragon as the countryside zoomed past underneath them. The dragon remained silent for awhile before answering. "Your father was a great man who made a critical mistake that cost him his country. Who he is exactly I dare not tell you for fear of your reaction" Eol was a little annoyed the dragon would not tell him who his father was but chose not to argue. They flew on along the countryside conversing like this for a few hours before returning to camp. Eol had decided unless it was a crucially important diplomatic mission or something of the like he would not ride Thileas refusing to break the bond he had formed over many years with his horse Elpina. He had determined however for word to be sent to the dwarves of the Obsidian Mountains to create such armor as to protect Thileas in battle.