Warriors in love

Bèta’d by the ever loving and very patient Vittani.
Sweetie, you are a pearl!

To my reviewers:
Vittani: Well, it is as good as it will ever be. I’m not going to change anything anymore.
By the way, I was only joking about the mead, love, you know that. And erm…GAGA?
HarryDraco4life: Will you stay out of my head already…I am not done yet, hahaha
Thrnbrooke: It is because of people like you, I keep on writing.

I know I left a lot of people out, but I lost track, sorry.
Still, thank you all for your reviews, you guys and gals are the best!


Encounters of the worst kind


Draco left right after Harry.
He knew he couldn’t stay, he had something to do, but what…?
As he ran into the Forbidden forest, he knew he was being watched.
Without hesitation he drew his bow, spanned the cord taut and laid on an arrow, just in case.
He felt more, than heard, the arrow that was coming straight at him.
Draco fell on a knee, the arrow missing him by just a few inches and shot his arrow, hitting it’s target dead on.
“Lle holma ve' edan” came a hissed remark, from behind a bush.
Draco could only laugh…he smelled like a human, did he?
“Auta miqula draugrim” he hissed right back.
Well, going and kissing wolves was kind of nasty, so Draco found it a proper ‘salute’.

It remained quiet for a moment and then a bark of laughter filled the air.
“My prince, you have quite a nasty temper. I hope to never get on your bad side” the voice said and with said comment came a young female elf into view.
Although she still had to find Draco’s good side.
“I was sent by Gabriël to accompany you to the battlefield” she said.
“Battlefield, is that where I am needed? Because as far as I’m concerned, there shouldn’t even be a war” Draco answered coolly.
He noticed the other’s limp, but wasn’t going to say anything.
She attacked first, so why should he?
“I am Ishtar and don’t say anything about my name, if you please” her voice was a bit strained.
Why would he? But it did sound familiar…Ishtar? Wasn’t she a Goddess or something?
“Yes, she was and I asked you kindly not to comment on it” the woman said angrily.
“Well, excuse you for having no manners. I did not project my thoughts, so that means you were searching my mind” Draco spat at her.
How was he going to survive this day, with her around?
Ishtar blushed a deep red, but didn’t apologise.

They started to run in a certain direction, although Draco didn’t understand how he knew
where to go.
After a few minutes of silence, she asked curiously, “Why don’t you want to go to battle,
my prince?”
He didn’t seem like the cowardly type to her.
And fighting amongst the warriors of the Realms was a great honour.
“Will you stop with the ‘my prince’ thing already?”
“My name is Draco, I suggest you use it”, exasperation, thy name is Draco Malfoy.
He chuckled inwards when the thought entered his mind.
“I do not see what the big deal is. So two princes were destined to be together, one kills the other, because the other wasn’t man enough. Isn’t that the whole point of this mating stuff? To find a worthy mate?” he was getting tired of this whole situation, although they kept a steady pace, while running to their destination.
He heard her gasp and turned around to see what was the matter.
“You don’t know?” she asked.
“Know what? That the prince that was killed, was from our Realm? Of course I do, but it doesn’t matter. Those are the rules and we have to abide by them” he said.

Suddenly he turned around and ducked behind a tree.
“Dina!” Draco hissed, he needed her to be silent.
She ducked behind a tree too, knowing the ones that were watching were not friendly.
Draco guarded his mind and sent her a command “Mallen pelu e' n'alaquel en' sen”
“Circle around them”, Draco figured that way they stood a good chance of getting away.
Draco cautiously sent out his mind and ‘touched’ about fifty-six of them.
They were outnumbered.
Draco wanted to make a break for it, when he was attacked from behind.
He fought with all his might, but after a nasty blow to his neck, he felt darkness coming to claim him.
He remembered what Gabriël had said and sent the elf an image, showing fifty-six enemy warriors against the two of them fighting.
Draco heard a roar and saw a group of elves appear, before he passed out.

By the time he came to, there was a large number of elves standing around him, watching him intently and with pride.
All around them were the bodies of the enemy warriors.
It was not fifty-six, but a vast amount anyway.
That did it, Draco just had to know what that look meant.
He groaned, stood up on shaky legs and asked why they were looking like a bunch of kids that saw Christmas had come early.
Gabriël stood next to him and explained that the warriors were proud of their Prince, because he had fought so valiantly.
It was clear to them he was a “Beleger goth a gothsen”, a mighty foe of their foes.
It was the highest of praises one could receive and Draco felt humbled by it.
Draco could only thank them, “Diola lle” he said sincerely and bowed his head towards the others, hoping it was enough to say just “thank you”.
They all grinned and started to run towards the battlefield.
They were near, that’s why the enemy had found them.

As they approached, Gabriël showed them a way to skirt around the battle, so that they could get to their tents without being seen.
Draco had other plans though and separated himself from the group.
Luckily Ishtar had trailed behind, so she saw what he was up to.
Draco was planning on entering the enemy’s camp.
She sent him a question, asking why he was going there.
Draco answered that he just had to know, who he was up against.
If Draco had learnt one thing, being the son of Lucius Malfoy, it was to know one’s enemy.

Poor Draco wasn’t prepared for what he saw, when he entered the biggest tent, stealthily.
There was his godfather and by the looks of it, he wasn’t pleased.
Nope, the dark haired man wasn’t pleased at all.
Draco also sensed a familiar presence in the vicinity, but before he could react he received a thought from his godfather.
“Mankoi naa lle sinome, Draco” his godfather sent, although his back was turned to him.
“What do you mean, ‘what are you doing here, Draco?’ Why are YOU here, godfather?” Draco sent back, rather shocked.
“Leave, leave now Draco. They will sense you soon and they will kill you. GO! NOW!”
Severus pressed into his mind and Draco, feeling his godfather’s surprise and fear, fled as fast as he could.

When he reached their own camp, he noticed a very familiar platinum blond head. It was his father's.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Draco asked.
He didn’t know what to think anymore.
“Draco, I am glad to see you. I received an image of you sneaking into the enemy camp. I must say…it was a bold move, my son. It could have gotten you killed” Lucius said, but there was pride in his voice.
“Can you tell me something useful?” he asked.
Draco just stared at his father.
“Useful? Dad, you are fighting against Severus. How can that be useful?” Draco asked incredulously. What were they thinking?
He noticed his father’s back going rigid.
“Severus? As in my oldest and dearest friend, your godfather? That Severus?” the eldest Malfoy asked disbelievingly.
“Euh…yeah. That Severus exactly” Draco answered stunned.
Hadn’t his father known who his own enemy was?
Come to think of it, Sev had seemed surprised as well.
What the hell was going on here?

“Dad, didn’t you know? Although Sev renounced the throne, his father died and he had to accept it. But I don’t think he knows he is fighting against you. Can’t you stop this?”
It was worth pleading for, Draco felt it with all his heart.
This was a stupid war, although all wars were stupid.
Lucius thought about it and sent an image towards his friend.
He hoped it would buy some time.
“Draco, I need you to gather the ones that came with you. You are going to be our liaison,because I can’t go over there. They would kill me on the spot. No, don’t interrupt me. You are new to them, so they will tread carefully around you” his father said with conviction.
“They know Severus has a son too, so they won’t know if you are mine or his”
Draco thought about it for a moment and answered sarcastically “And my hair won’t give me away, will it dad?”
Lucius chuckled and waved his hand towards Draco, stating “Not like this” and then the man started laughing out loud.
Draco conjured a mirror and was shocked to the core. He looked like that effing Weaselby.
“Ha ha, very funny ‘Father’” venom dripping from every word.
Lucius narrowed his eyes a bit and pressed “Dina, Helkaer” into Draco’s mind.
Be silent, icy one? Could his father have insulted him more? Draco didn’t think so.

He huffed and wanted to step outside, but his father called him back.
“Wait son, I haven’t gotten…Never mind, go ahead, but be carefull” Lucius said, his eyes sad and remorseful.
Draco hugged his father, although the remark had hurt, Draco knew his father only wanted to keep him safe.
The, now red head went outside to find Gabriël and the rest of the elves he had arrived with.
Draco explained the situation and they all vowed to protect the young prince.

*******************************

At the same time

After a good cry, Harry felt good, alive and humming with energy.
He was sad that Draco had to go, but he had meant what he had promised.
Harry would wait for Draco, no matter how long it took.
Without knowing why, he found himself returning to the dungeons again.
Somehow he felt at home there, ever since he’d had his first talk with the potions master.
He entered the classroom and walked further to enter the study.
He didn’t even notice the wards that were placed there to keep intruders out.

Sitting down on the sofa, Harry started to think about all the information he had received and of course about his change.
He had to admit he looked very handsome and very much like professor Snape did.
Harry wondered if he could ever come to call the man ‘father’ or ‘dad’.
It was as foreign to him, as thinking of his mother as a queen.
Although it seemed to fit her, somehow.
Harry was still coming to terms with his new image and life.
It didn’t bother him that much anymore that he was intended to have a mate.
Harry knew it had to be Draco.
There were other men in the castle, but they held no attraction for Harry.
So, to him, it was quite simple, Draco was his mate and that was that.

These thoughts did surprise the green eyed youth, though.
Maybe his change had altered his perception of certain things too?
The thoughts became more irregular and Harry slowly drifted off to sleep.
After a few hours he awoke, startled by a sound.
There were footsteps in the hallway.
The hallway? How come he heard them then?
He was in the study, of all places.
By the footfalls he deducted it was Professor Snape coming and he relaxed.
He straightened up again, when he heard another pair of footfalls, softer and lighter.
He knew it was his head of house.
Only she could walk more silently, than the potions master, her animagus form being a cat.
When the professors walked into the classroom, Harry received a question in his mind, asking where he was.
He answered he was in the study and he chuckled when he felt the surprise in his head.
“How come you could enter my study, without lowering the wards?” professor Snape asked, curiously, after they entered the study.
“There are wards? I didn’t notice” Harry answered truthfully.
The black haired man looked at him surprised.
“You didn’t know there were wards? They are designed to cause severe physical damage to anyone who enters without my permission. I must admit I am intrigued”
Harry looked at the man and grinned “Well dad, maybe the wards feel I am permitted, seeing as I am your son and all” a mischievous glint evident in his emerald eyes.
“What? But..but…” the dour man stammered and Harry fell off the sofa guffawing at the look on his father’s face.
Even professor McGonagall had a hard time concealing her grin.
“Do not encourage him, Minerva” Severus admonished her, but he was hard pressed not to smile himself.
He had heard his son call him ‘dad’ for the first time and it did wonders for his ego.
He could get used to that quite easily.

When the three calmed down a bit, Severus asked if he and Harry could have some time to themselves, to talk.
Now she knew that her charge was in capable hands, the transfigurations professor bid them a good day and left.
Harry looked at the man in front of him, with a questioning look on his face.
Why did he get the feeling he wasn’t going to like this?
The professor took off his glamours, after he had put them on in the infirmary.
The whole school did not need to know about this.
But in front of his son, he would not hide himself anymore, ever.
“Oh oh…this is going to be serious” Harry thought to himself and removed his own glamours.
“Harry, I need to tell you something. You know we are at war. I am needed on the battlefield, right now as a matter of fact.” His father said in a serious voice.
Harry could not believe this…first Draco, now him?
What was wrong with them?
Didn’t they just have a war?
Hadn’t they all suffered enough to last a few lifetimes?
“No!” Harry said angrily.
“No?” Severus asked surprised “What do you mean by no?”
Harry was shaking so hard, he felt his teeth rattle.
His magic was spiralling out of control, fast.

“No means exactly that, NO” Harry spat.
“Why do you need to go to war? What is the purpose? Didn’t you tell me you didn’t believe in it? I know that the king died and that you had to accept the throne. But why not stop it?
I know you can, you just have to want to” Harry said, getting more agitated by the minute.
His magic was really lashing out now.
Thunder was rolling and the energy sparkled around him.
“Harry, control your magic. We could get hurt. Please son” Severus pleaded.
Those last two words calmed Harry down instantly.
“Amin hiraetha Atar” he said, ashamed of his outburst.
Severus felt as if he won a jackpot.
Those three little words, “I’m sorry Father” made him feel the luckiest man to be alive.
“N'dela no'ta” he said, what else could he say, but “Don’t worry about it”?
“Still, I have to go and I want you to come with me. The Elders requested to see you, remember?” he asked and Harry looked at him with fear and excitement in his eyes.
Fear, because he knew what war was like and excitement, because he would get to meet more of his own people.
He nodded his agreement and they stood up, to prepare for battle..

Severus informed the headmaster of his plans and then gave Harry some traditional royal battle gear and garments to put on.
The short sword felt light in Harry’s hand and Severus informed him, that it felt like that, because Harry was royalty.
Any other person wouldn’t even be able to lift it, no matter how powerful or strong that person was.
Harry was pleased, it meant he couldn’t get killed with his own weapon by anyone, but his father and he didn’t think that that would be an issue.
Severus agreed and told Harry to shield his thoughts from now on.
They were going to apparate, because the headmaster hadn’t changed the wards after Voldemort’s death, so Severus could still apparate from his chambers.
He held Harry close to him and within seconds they were in a big tent.
Severus led Harry to a group of elves, that looked at him appraisingly.
He bowed his head ever so slightly towards them and greeted them with the words
“Aa' lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha” , that roughly translated to “May the leaves on your lifetree never turn brown”
The group of elves were very pleased with the greeting and as one answered
“Aa' menealle nauva calen ar' malta”, meaning “May your ways be green and golden”
Harry smiled softly and went to stand next to his father, who had a puzzled look on his face. A moment later that look turned to shock and was quickly followed by anger.
“It can’t be…can it?” he murmured and then turned his gaze to Harry.
“Harry, I will be back in a minute” he said, before leaving the small tent.

Harry could hear his father’s voice coming from the main tent.
Harry heard rapid elvish, in a quiet deadly tone, he couldn’t make out the words but he knew his father was angry with someone and was questioning their action.
Harry could feel the man tense up, but didn’t tense up himself because of the threat. If it even was a threat. No, but a strange feeling had come over Harry.
There was something off.
It was quite familiar actually, that giddy feeling he had.
But before he could investigate, it was gone again and Harry chalked it up to the excitement.
Severus walked back in the smaller tent, but looked stricken suddenly and the look in his eyes was a bit haunted.


“I have a favour to ask of you, my son. Feel free to reject, but hear me out first” he said.
Harry nodded and wondered what the man wanted.
The answer to that question came quickly.
“Harry, I need you to be our spokesperson. It seems we might get a chance to stop this nonsense, but when the warriors of the other Realm see me, I will be dead, before anyone can blink. Do you think you could do it?” his father asked softly.
As if he needed time to think about something like that.
Of course he could and would do it.

“What do I have to do?” was his answer.
“Well, I will call for an official guard, to accompany you. You need to bear a silver pole. That is a sign that you are willing to negotiate.”
Harry’s mind was working fast.
“Sir, I don’t want to upset you, or anything. But I look very much like you. Wouldn’t they attack me, because of that?” Harry asked surprising the entire group of people.
They hadn’t thought of that.
A soft chuckle was heard and Harry saw the potions master wave his hand towards him, feeling a tingling sensation come over him.
“Not like this…they wouldn’t know who you are, looking like that” the man said and Harry had a nasty premonition.
He asked for a mirror and gasped when he saw his best friend, Ronald Weasley, looking back at him.
That was so…so…so NOT funny, although his father seemed to think it was hilarious, judging by his guffawing.
“DAD! Is this necessary?” Harry asked, quite miffed.
“Yep” was the only reply, before the man doubled over in stitches again.
The Elders seemed to be in a shock and Harry took the pole to walk outside.
He was met by a large group of elves that looked to him like they meant business.

********************************

Around the same time, two large groups of elves started to walk towards the middle of the battlefield.
When the two groups drew closer, most of the elves had stopped their fighting.
They couldn’t believe their eyes.
There would be negotiations?
After a good twenty minutes, the two groups met in the middle and entered a tent.
The two ‘negotiators’ looked at each other and yelled simultanously.
“Weaselby?” “Ron?” and then the strangest thing happened…their bodies started thrumming and the spells were broken, to show one platinum blonde elf and a jet black haired one.
“Draco?”
“Harry?”
The other elves looked on, not quite knowing what to do.
Were they supposed to fight?
“Stand down men” Draco ordered and the elves relaxed a bit.
Harry gave the same order and they talked about what they wanted.
It came down to a full stop on this war, but how were they going to manage that?
“Harry, do you remember what started this war?” Draco asked, thinking deeply.
“Yes, but what does that…oooohhhh” the meaning behind the question dawned on him suddenly, so Harry smiled and said he was okay with what Draco was thinking.
Draco acted fast, grabbed Harry’s hand and ran out of the tent.
The guards were momentarily taken aback by the quick departure of their princes, but followed a heartbeat later, drawing their respective weapons. They were a little surprised to find both boys standing still, surveying the battle and realised that the situation wasn’t threatening to either prince. But to be on the safe side they all kept their weapons drawn.
They were just starting to get a little agitated when Draco spelled his throat with a ‘Sonorus’ and started to speak.
His voice carried over the entire field.
“We all remember what started this war. We are here today to say, that that reason is why we are stopping it as of right now. This…” he said, pointing at Harry “is the prince of White Elm. As our tribe knows, I am the prince of Blue oak. We are destined to be mates and we will make it this time. So stop your fighting” Draco spelled his throat again and gave Harry a kiss that sent the two young men soaring.

There were two audible pops and Severus and Lucius were standing next to their sons.
They shook hands and hugged each other tight for a moment.
It was about time someone did something about this bloody war.
The two boys weren’t really aware of what was happening around them, they only had eyes for each other.
All of a sudden things changed very rapidly.
They heard their fathers yell and the boys were grabbed by a group of angry looking elves.
They were warriors from the Blue Oak Realm and they were hissing angrily towards the young men and their fathers.
“You will not stop this war, because of some green sprouts, that claim to be mates. Even if they are the princes from both Realms, the one of White Elm needs to be sentenced to death.
It is only fair that he should die, as ours died at the hands of his ancestor” one of the warriors said fiercely.
Harry didn’t need to hear more.
“Malae, tua lye” he sent out to the dragon.
“Malae, help us” was the only thing he could think of at the time.
Within seconds Malae and Gabriël were there.
It seemed Gabriël had picked up on Draco’s panic as well.
The elf rushed towards his charge and challenged the warrior that had spoken to the rest.
His eyes turned a violent purple and he was at the throat of the other elf within a heartbeat.
Malae, on the other hand, flew low over their heads and whisked away both princes.
She would bring them somewhere safe.

FeyholdMairn was the safest place she knew, because only elves with good intentions could find the magical birthgrounds of the founders of the Realms.
It was for the best, she knew.
This way she also made sure the two mates would be separate for the obligatory two months.
This was, in Malae’s mind, a win-win situation.
She sent the information to Severus and then turned her attention to Harry’s mind.
“Young prince, have you given thought to your wish?” she asked him.
“I have, Wise One, but right now I do not feel very well. Can we speak of this some other time?” Harry asked politely, although his stomach was churning.
“Of course” Malae chuckled.
It sounded as if the dragon had swallowed thunder, the way she sounded.
She informed both of them on where they were going and why and it made Harry blush to his roots, although he was pleased to have Draco for himself for two whole months.
It would be paradise, he just knew it.
Little did the green eyed youth know.