e,” said Jaarand.  “Besides she called me by my name and it was a very friendly tone of voice.”

      “What language was she speaking?’ inquired the Major Elven Prince.

      “As I remember it was Dark Elven, your highness,” replied Jaarand.

     “Is she then Dark Elven?” asked the Major Elven Princess.

     “When she is an Elven Princess, yes,” said Jaarand with a smile.

     The King smiled, “Meaning she is a wolf when she is a White Wolf and a spirit when a spirit,” said the King.  Jaarand merely smiled.

     “Must she not be one basically?” asked the human young Princess.

     “Apparently not,” said Jaarand, “That is why she is the White Wolf and head of the clan.  Apparently she favors the White Wolf character as that is what she is known as.”

     The young human Prince then asked, “Is she beautiful as the Dark Elven Princess?”  Jaarand laughed then thought for a moment.

     “As I remember, very beautiful although I knew she was the White Wolf,” said Jaarand with a smile.  “I am not sure that really registered as at that time I was in awe of the fact she was the White Wolf.”

     The young Elven Princess smiled, as she said, “I didn’t think you were ever in awe of anyone or anything, Prince Jaarand.”

     Jaarand smiled, “I was a young impressionable youth at that particular time and it was shortly after she had told me I was a member of her clan,” he told her.  “Perhaps that is just an act on my part, to confuse people.”

     “I do not think so,” said the Major Elven Prince.  “I have never known you to be in awe of even the most legendary of monarchs,” then he added, “To the great surprise of many.”

     “But I always give their rank its proper respect,” said Jaarand.

     “With wonderful charm, but you don’t mean it, rank means nothing to you,” said the Major Elven Princess, “ but you do it so wonderfully no can find any reason to object.”

   Jaarand did dance all of the dances, but he sought out some of the young women who he thought might not be asked to dance, because they were daughters of minor Lords or perhaps were shy and did not push themselves forward.  The young Elven Princess watched him with a smile and noted who he was asking to dance.  The following morning he went out to seek another fine Inn to have his morning meal.  He found one a little nearer the Palace.  He went in and surveyed the room.  It was almost full with high ranking nobles and rich merchants, both human and Elf.  There were even two Dark Elven families.  Jaarand thought they were from the local forest so they wouldn’t know him.  He saw an open table between the two families and moved toward it.  He gave them both a bow of his head and a friendly smile in greeting.   He got a bright smile from both of the young women in the families.  When the maid came to get his order, Jaarand gave a small nod of his head and a ring of sorcerer’s fire of varied colors appeared and drifted over to above her head.  Because of the smile on Jaarand’s face she knew it was him so with a smile she said,

     “Behave yourself, my lord, I don’t think I deserve a halo, even if it is only sorcerer’s fire.”

     Jaarand laughed, gave her a little bow and said, “But My Lady, you might deserve one for putting up with a wizard rogue like me this morning.”  The ring then drifted out in front of her and turned into a coin, which she saw was a small gold coin.  “That is yours for the good service you will give me, I wish your best fare and a glass of your finest wine.”  She gave him a bright smile and a thanks and hurried off to get him his glass of wine.

     “You are a Dark Elf are you not,” said the father of one of the families, speaking to Jaarand as if he saw him as of at least equal rank.

     “Yes, but from a far forest,” said Jaarand speaking in the same very friendly tone.

     One of the young ladies then asked, “Are you here for the Festival, Sir?”

    “Yes,” answered Jaarand with a smile at her.  “I do love Festivals,” he added.  “because everyone tends be very open and friendly.”

     The mother said, “Yes everyone seems to enjoy festivals,” then she added with a smile, “especially the young as there tends to be more balls.”

     Jaarand laughed at the way she said that and how she looked at her daughter.  He said, “Balls do add a more festive air to Festivals.”

     “An apt observation, my Lord,” the young man of the family said with a smile, and Jaarand laughed.

     The father of the other family, who Jaarand thought was a High Lord, asked, “Is there a particular reason you are so far from your home?”

     Jaarand smiled and replied, “I claim I am fleeing responsibility and therefore became a wanderer.”

     The mother of that family, recognizing that Jaarand’s reply was a rather light-hearted one said, “but can one ever completely flee responsibility?”

     Jaarand laughed.  “A very good question, my Lady.  One always must take responsibility for oneself’ eventually mustn’t one.  Someone always insists.”

     With a laugh, the father of the other family said, “That always happens eventually doesn’t it.”

     The mother then asked, “From what forest do you come?”  Jaarand smiled.

     “I come from the forest of the Mystic Dark Elven Sea Lands,” he said.  He immediately got a more intensive looking over by the two Elven families.

     “There are many strange stories about those lands,” said the man who Jaarand thought was a High Lord.

     “Actually there is nothing really mysterious about them,” said Jaarand,

  “they are just a group of large beautiful islands in the middle of the ocean.  Most who come from the islands are no different really than other Dark Elves.”

     One of the mothers laughed, “You are not including yourself in that group?” she asked.  Jaarand laughed and gave her a little bow of the head.

     Her daughter then said, “Oh mother I don’t think he seems strange.”

     Jaarand smiled, “Your mother uses different criteria for judging, young lady,” he said.

     “A tall handsome charming young very learned gentleman cannot be strange,” said the mother of the other elven family, with a broad smile, “especially to a young lady during a Festival.”  This brought a smile from everyone.

     With a smile, the young lady from her family said, “Well I don’t think he is strange either.  He seems just a nice Dark Elven gentleman.”  Jaarand gave her a bow.  The father then said,

     “Well you have two votes in your favor, sir.”

     “Which I gratefully accept,” said Jaarand with a broad smile.

     The young man from one of the families smiled and said, “Those are the votes that count most to us, are they not.”  That brought another smile to everyone’s face again.

     The High Lord then said, “You do not take yourself too seriously, do you.”

     “I see no reason to do so, Sir.  I find life much more enjoyable when I do not,” said Jaarand.  About that time, Jaarands meal arrived and he concentrated on his food.  The families gave him a nod when they left.  When he finished he went back out and wandered the city.  As he was walking a small girl suddenly dashed out from across the street toward him.  He saw horses coming down the road and he quickly dashed out and swept the girl up in his arms and jumped out of the way of the horses.  The girl looked at him with wide eyes.

     “You’re an Elf,” she said.

     “But I am a good Elf.  Is that alright with you,” Jaarand said in a very friendly voice and a smile as he held her in his arms.  She studied him for a moment then a smile came on her face and she nodded her head.

     “Then do you think we can be friends?” asked Jaarand as he walked over to the lady he thought was the girl’s mother.  The little girl looked at him again and then gave him another bright smile and nodded again.  As he came to the girl’s mother he gave her a smile and a bow,

     “Has not the young lady ever seen an Elf before, my lady?” asked Jaarand in a very friendly voice.  She looked at Jaarand in surprise as he was speaking to her as an equal, yet she was sure he was a very high ranked Dark Elven noble.

     “She only saw one other Dark Elf a couple years ago, My Lord,” she replied.  “She is a very curious child so apparently she wanted to see you for herself.”

     “I deem that a very good quality for a young person, my lady, I would encourage that not discourage it,” said Jaarand.  Then he said to the girl, “Remember, we are going to be friends now, aren’t we.”  She gave him a nod of her head and a bright smile.  He then set her down, gave the mother a bow and continued on his way.  An officer had been watching him with smile on his face.  Jaarand saw him and gave him a smile and a bow of his head in greeting.  The officer gave him a bow back.  Jaarand continued wandering the city until time for the mid-day meal then went seeking another fine Inn, this one nearer the University to see if there would be some senior scholars having their meal in the Inn.  He went in and seeing an empty table near a group, he thought were possibly scholars, went and took a seat, nodding a friendly greeting at them.  He thought he would pose the question he had heard discussed by some people who lived near the mountains.  Apparently some one thought they saw what they thought looked dragon like.  Stories from centuries ago said there were dragons then.  Many people now thought that was just stories made up by people.  Jaarand thought he would see what the thinking on this was by the scholars of the University.  When the maid came up, he nodded his head and a small coin floated in front of her.  She looked startled for a moment then she got a bright smile on her face.

     “You are an unusual wizard, my Lord,” she said.  You did nothing to cause that to appear.’

      “But it is not an illusion, it is real and is yours, my Lady, bring me the best of your fare and a glass of your very finest ale,” Jaarand said.  She took the coin, gave him a smile and a curtsey and hurried off to get his ale.  One of the men, Jaarand thought was a senior scholar smiled at Jaarand and said,

     “I would agree with the young lady that you are an unusual wizard, however you do not dress as a wizard, Sir.”

     “I do not see myself as a wizard, but rather as a kind of wandering scholar,” said Jaarand with a friendly smile.  “Which reminds me of something I have been curious about and you gentlemen might help enlighten me.  When I was in an area of this kingdom near the mountains, I heard reports someone claimed they saw something above the mountains that looked like they might be dragons.  I know there has been always the discussion as to whether at some time in the distance past there were such things as dragons or if they are only myths.  How do you gentlemen hold on that subject?”

     The group of senior scholars looked at each other for a short time, then the one Jaarand thought was probably the most senior said,

     “There is some difference of opinion among us, but I think the general opinion is that at some time there were such creatures.   However as to whether there are still some in existence there is a great variety of opinion,” he said.  With a smile he said, “It varies from definitely not to yes there are.”  Then he looked at Jaarand.  “And you sir, what do you hold.”

     “Actually, I am inclined to believe that in some of the highest mountains, there may very well be some dragons still in existence.  However why they might show themselves at this time I have no idea,” Jaarand said.  “That is what I am most curious about.”

     “You think that those are real dragons they are seeing, but are at loss why they would wish to appear at this time,” said the eldest scholar.

     A younger scholar said, “I am of your opinion sir, that there still are such creatures.  Could it be that they are hoping to communicate with someone about some concern.”

     Jaarand smiled.  “Which brings us to the question.  Did they at sometime have the ability to talk to humans or Elves?”

     Another scholar joined in the conversation, “Many old stories say that the dragons had a language and could converse with Elves.”

      “So it may be that they still have that ability and are now seeking someone to talk to, or perhaps they are looking for a particular kind of persons with whom they wished to communicate,” said Jaarand.

     “How could one find that out?” asked the younger scholar becoming interested in this idea.

     Jaarand laughed.  “I guess the only way is someone to try to communicate with them to see if they cannot find out.  I wonder if one of the dragons could be a wizard or a sorceress.  Wizardry tends to be a universal language to a degree.  That way someone might find out what language they can speak and thereby find out who they wish to speak with.”

     “Do you think that you as a wizard could possibly communicate with them and set up a meeting with the dragons?” said the elder scholar.

       Jaarand thought for a moment then said, “I don’t really know, but it might be interesting to see if I could,” he said with a smile.

      Then with a smile the younger scholar asked, “Would you be willing to meet with dragons.”  Jaarand laughed.

     “If I could determine if they were friendly, I might.  It would be an interesting experience.  I have never seen a dragon and to meet one would be a rather exciting experience,” he said.

     With a smile one scholar said, “You are much braver than I would be.  I do not think I would have any wish to meet a dragon face-to-face.”

     “How could you determine they might be friendly before you actually meet them?” asked the senior scholar.

     “That is an interesting question, to which I really do not have a good answer,” said Jaarand with a smile. “I suppose one might see if the initial contact gives some indication that they intend it to be a friendly meeting.  As a wizard I do have some possible protection against dragon fire if they prove unfriendly.  I guess I would agree to a face-to-face meeting if I felt the initial contact really indicated it was intended to be friendly.”

      “But in that case, you would try to arrange a meeting, sir,” said the senior scholar.  “If the king feels something should be done about these apparent sightings, I am sure he would be interested in your ideas on the situation.”

     “Have you heard that he has taken an interest in these reports?” asked Jaarand.

     “There have been recent reports that he has sent for some persons who have reported they saw such a thing to hear about it first hand,” said another scholar.  “Would you allow us to tell his majesty of this conversation we had with you?”

     With a smile, Jaarand said, “I have no objection, sir.”  Then Jaarand added, “I am staying at the Inn of the Silver Dragon.”  His meal came and he concentrated on eating.  The scholars gave him a bow of their heads when they left.  Jaarand wondered if the king would ask him to pursue this matter.  After he finished his meal, Jaarand wandered the city and then decided to return to his Inn for the evening meal.  The next morning, Jaarand came down prepared to go out into the city and seek another Inn for his morning meal.  He found the Captain waiting for him.  With a bow to Jaarand and a friendly smile, which Jaarand returned, the Captain said,

     “My Lord, his majesty asks if you would do him the honor of presenting yourself at the Palace later this morning and then have the mid-day meal at the Palace?”

     “I would be honored to do as his majesty asks, Captain,” Jaarand said very graciously.  The captain gave him a bow and left.  Jaarand went out to find another fine Inn.  He found another a somewhat farther distance from the Palace.  He walked in and was startled to find an old friend from his forest.  Jaarand knew he was now a high ranked High Lord.  He was seated with a group of Elven men, all of about Jaarand’s age.  He was seated with his back to Jaarand.  Jaarand walked up to him and with a signal for the others to remain silent, put his hands on the man’s shoulders to prevent him from rising and said, “Aren’t you a little far from home.  Haven’t any of the young ladies captured you yet and insisted you quit your wandering, Lord Karzaan?”

Recognizing the voice, he tried to rise but found himself held down by a powerful grip.

     “Prince Jaarand, I would recognize that voice anywhere,” said Karzaan, “I heard you were enjoying wandering so much I thought I would try it.”  Then he said, “these are all friends from the University.  Two are from the local Dark Elven forest.”  Then to his friends he said, “this rogue is Prince Jaarand who is the twin brother of the young King who sits on the throne of our forest.  He also is a very powerful wizard and I will give you all a friendly warning, do not ever challenge him to a duel, he has no peer as a swordsman.”  The men all rose and bowed.

     Jaarand laughed, “The bow was not necessary gentlemen.  I never claim my Princely rank as Karzaan knows.”

     Karzaan smiled, “I hear there are a few nobles of both human and Elven rank who have asked their monarchs to put a price on your head.  Of course you neglected to tell them who you were when you managed to acquire their anger at your actions,” he said.

     One of the other men smiled and said, “Who would be so stupid as to put a price on the head of a Dark Elven Prince whose brother was the King of the fabled Mystic Sea Lands.”

     Then Jaarand, who had come around and took the offered seat at the table, said, “I may have an interesting adventure that I could invite you to participate in.  You always had a sense of adventure.”

     “Knowing you, my Prince, I think I will wait to hear the details before committing myself,” Karzaan said with a smile.

     “Are you saying Prince Jaarand sometimes gets himself in to a little too exciting adventures?” one of his friends said.

     “For the Prince, no, but I am not a great wizard nor as fine a swordsman as he is, so it could be a little too exciting for me,” Karzaan said.

     With a smile Jaarand said, “You mean you wouldn’t be interested in meeting a dragon face-to-face?”

     Karzaan looked at Jaarand, “Why am I not surprised to hear you would consider such a thing interesting.  Do you know if they will be friendly, your highness?”

     “That is what I would try to find out first.  However, I am waiting on the King’s decision as to whether he is interested in seeing if the dragons can be contacted,” said Jaarand.

     “That has to do with the supposed sightings of dragons over the northern mountains,” inquired another of the men.  “Do you think it really was dragons that were seen?”

     “They were seen by both Elves and humans several of whom were mountain trained so have exceptional vision.  I do think there is a very good chance that it was actually dragons they sighted,” said Jaarand.  “However why they have appeared I have no idea.”

     “But it would be interesting to you to try to find out?” asked Karzaan.

     “Don’t you think that would be an interesting project?  Do you have something very important you must be about.  You know I never attempt anything I do not feel I can safely complete,” then he added, “And you know I would never order you to do something as your Prince.”

     “That I am sure of with you, Prince Jaarand, I did not see that as an order, but rather as an offer to join you if I should wish,” said Karzaan with a smile.

     One of the other young men said, “To actually see a real dragon face-to face would be an experience of a lifetime.”  Karzaan looked at him with a smile.

     “Do you know the size of those creatures?” said Jaarand.  “You would look like a little rodent compared to them.”

      With a smile Karzaan added, “and you hope it didn’t breath fire while you were facing it.” Everyone laughed at the way he added that.

     Jaarand looked at Karzaan, and with a smile Karzaan said, “When do you think the King would want us to see if we could determine why the dragons have put in appearance?”  Jaarand smiled at the fact that Karzaan had said we.  Another young man asked, “Do you have need for another recruit, your highness?”

     “We might have need for one more.  Would you like to see if you could meet a dragon face-to-face?”asked Jaarand.

     “As Karzaan knows you and is willing, I thought it would offer me a chance of a life time, Prince Jaarand,” the young man said with a smile.

     “You think you have a good chance of coming out of the meeting alive?” said Jaarand.

     “You are not known for taking foolish chances, my Prince, therefore I see the chances as very good and well worth the risk,” the young man said.

     “Well we will now wait to see if we are summoned by the King,” said Jaarand.  Karzaan and the young man, named Drevel, gave Jaarand the Inn at which they were staying.  Jaarand said he would let them know if they were summoned by the King.  When he got a message to present himself to the King, he sent a note to Karzaan and Drevel to meet him for the morning meal at his Inn on that morning.  When they came, with a broad smile Jaarand told them,

     “We have been summoned.  Prepare to meet dragons face-to-face.”

     With a smile Karzaan said, “First we must meet his majesty.” 

     “That is the easy part, Karzaan,” said Jaarand.  “We know he will be friendly and we will have a good idea what he will wish to discuss.”

      Drevel, with a smile at Jaarand, said, “After that we do not know and can only guess, your highness.”

     Jaarand smiled and said, “If we are going to meet dragons together, we had better be on a first name basis.  The name is Jaarand, Drevel.”  Drevel bowed his head in thanks.  It was a great honor to him to be on a first name basis with a legendary Major Prince.  They sat down and ordered their meal and began to discuss what they might have to do to find out how to meet the dragons.  They lingered over their meal as they didn’t wish to arrive at the Palace too early.  Of course as they would walk to the Palace they could wander the city.

     As they were walking, Karzaan asked, “Would the King provide us with some gold for our travels and for supplies we may need if we must go into the mountains?”  Jaarand smiled at the question.

     “As he does know I am a Major Prince, if he were to ask if we would do this for him, I am sure he would be ready to provide ample coin.  Besides you know I would have ample coin,” Jaarand replied.  “As I have asked you to do this with me I do intend to pay for all of us.”  Drevel smiled at this as he figured Jaarand would stay in the finest Inns available and eat the finest food they could find.  They came to the Palace and entered it.  The guards had been warned that Jaarand would be coming so they directed them to a small audience room where there were several nobles and the King’s mage who had just come in to the room.

     “His majesty will be here in a moment, your highness,” the senior noble said.  He then introduced himself and the other men.  Jaraand introduced both Karzaan and Drevel as Elven Lords and old friends of his.  He knew that they assumed Karzaan and Drevel were both High Lords.  In a few minutes the King appeared and gave Jaraand a pleasant nod and a smile.

     “I have been informed that you are willing to risk meeting dragons to see if you can determine for us why dragons have suddenly appeared.  Do you think it is really dragons who have appeared, Prince Jaraand?” the King asked.

     “As I have been informed several of persons who reported this are mountain trained Elves whose eyes are very keen, I do believe it really is dragons that were sighted.  However saying that I will admit I am at a loss to explain why,” said Jaraand.

     “But you would be willing to see if you could find out,” said the King.

     “I thought it looked like an interesting project and my two good friends agreed to join me in the attempt,” said Jaraand with a smile.  “I merely asked them if they would be interested,” Jaraand added.  That brought a smile to the group’s faces

     The King then said, “I know the Prince is a powerful wizard.  You two gentlemen knew him well enough to know he would never lead you into danger he could not handle.”

     It was Karzaan who replied, “We know Prince Jaraand is not foolhardy, therefore saw the prospect of possibly actually seeing the legendary dragons close up would be a very interesting experience.”

     The senior noble then said, “But it still takes great courage, we think.”

     Drevel with a broad smile said, “But we are young, your Grace.”  The Duke laughed at the way he said that.

     The King then said, “Do you think you can contact the dragons and arrange a meeting?  Would you need to go into the high mountains to meet them if they will agree to meet you?”

     “I do not really know if I can find a way to contact them,” said Jaraand, “That will be the first step.  Yes, if I can get them to agree to a meeting, I am sure we would have to go high into the mountains.”

     “How will you know if they will be friendly?” asked the Duke.  Jaarand smiled.

     “That is an interesting question.  My interpretation of their appearance is that the dragons wish to contact some person or persons, therefore any attempt to assist them would be looked on as a friendly gesture,” said Jaraand.  “Who answers my attempt to contact them and how they answer should tell me much.  In addition, I should have a warning of danger if there is grave danger and I will know if they are evil or have evil intent.  How the conversation goes after I establish contact should also give me a strong indication.”  Then with a smile Jaraand added, “I will have to be sure they are going to be friendly before I lead my two friends into any danger.  If it was me alone I might risk it.”

     “I am willing to give you whatever gold and equipment you feel you need, Prince Jaraand,” said the King.  “You can work that out with his Grace.  You will be doing us a great favor by attempting to find out why the Dragons have suddenly appeared.  Will you keep us informed how you are doing?”

     Jaraand then met with the Duke and made arrangements to get what Jaraand thought they would need and how they could get additional supplies if they found they needed them and Jaraand and the two left the Palace.

     “What is our first step, Prince Jaraand?” asked Karzaan.

     “Head for the northern mountains where the dragons were sighted,” said Jaraand.  “There is a good sized city where we can find a fine Inn for our headquarters.  Then we need to find out if there is a high plateau with some kind of buildings on it.  I think we would need some place like that from which we could start our attempt to make contact with the dragons.”

      Drevel looked at Jaraand, “Do you think we would have the best chance of getting an answer if it looks like we indicate we are willing to meet them half-way?” he asked.

    “I think we would have the best chance of getting a quick answer in that way,” said Jaraand.  “It would indicate we are trying to be friendly.”

     “Do you think you can find a way to make contact with the dragons?” asked Karzaan.

     “At this time I haven’t the slightest idea,” said Jaraand with a broad smile.  “I do have a couple of ways to try in mind and that is all.”  Then after a few moments thought added, “I am hoping one is a wizard or a sorceress, as I am going to try a message sent by wizardry.”

     “And when would you send that?” asked Drevel.

     “As soon as we get to the Inn near the mountains and know of a place in the mountains that I could suggest as a meeting place,” said Jaraand.

     “When do we start?” asked Karzaan

     “Tomorrow,” said Jaraand with a smile.   It was early in the morning that the three packed their things on the fine Elven horses that Jaraand had gotten for all of them and to carry their baggage.  The two joined Jaraand at his Inn for the morning meal and set out for the northern mountain area.  Although they had fine steeds, Jaraand did not plan to travel fast.  They would talk as they rode. Drevel found that Jaarand did truly treat them as an equal.  As they rode, Jaarand thought over how he could use his wizard power to see if he could contact the dragons, find out who they were and from where they came.  They did find good to fine Inns on their way much to the delight of Karzaan and Drevel.  They found that Jaarand did truly love fine things when available and was very willing to share.  They also found he was a wonderful traveling companion.  It took them two weeks travel to reach the city and the Inn that Jaarand had chosen.  It was a relatively large city on a main road skirting the forest and the Inn proved to be a very fine one.  Jaarand got them all a fine room and they saw to the stabling of their horses.  As it was about mid-day they decided to have the meal at this Inn to get an idea just who was stopping here.  Jaarand did propose to become familiar with the people and the area.  As they all came down, they looked around the room.

     “There are quite a few Dark Elves here,” commented Karzaan to Jaarand.  “Is there a Dark Elven forest close by here.”  It was answered by Drevel. 

     “There is supposed to be a small Dark Elven forest according to our friends from the other local Dark Elven forest,” he said.  “They never said why there would be another so close by.”  Then he added, “Of course the other is on the other far border of this Kingdom and a good four weeks travel away.”

     “Are these Dark Elves different from your friends?” Jaarand asked Drevel.

     “I think they are mountain Elves and are taller and more stocky built,” replied Drevel.

     “If they are mountain Elves we should try to talk to them about what is in these mountains and if they know of a high plateau clearing that might have some buildings on it,” said Jaarand his interest aroused.

     “Are you going to try to make contact with the dragons before we talk to them, Jaarand?” Karzaan asked.

     “Actually I think we should talk to them first about what the mountain forest is like to see if I can find a place fairly high up to start my preliminary attempt to contact them,” said Jaarand.  “I do not want to reveal why we are here yet.”  Then he added, “Let us first establish ourselves as friendly Elves before we start to ask questions.”  Karzaan and Drevel nodded in agreement.  With that he gave a friendly smile and a nod of his head to a group of young Elves sitting close by.  He got a smile and a nod of the head in return as they saw Jaarand as a high ranked Elven noble.  With a smile, Jaarand asked,

     “Are you from the local forest?”

     “Yes, My Lord,” the eldest of the group said, then with a smiled added, “but we are not ones who reported seeing the dragons over the mountains near our forest.”  Jaarand laughed.

     “But you do think they really are dragons that were sighted?” he asked them.

     “Yes,” said the Elf, “One who sighted them is known for his keen eyes and is not one to make up stories.”

     “I am curious.  I had not heard where the persons were when they sighted the dragons,” said Jaarand.  “Were they somewhere in the mountains where they could also have a clear sight of the skies further up the mountains?  I have wandered some high mountain areas and there are usually few places where one can see much of the sky.”

    The second oldest of the group answered, “There are a series of plateaus in these mountains in which you have a fairly clear view of the sky.  There are even some higher ones that have some buildings on them in case a mountain group needs shelter.  I believe that one of the groups who sighted the dragons were at one of those areas.”

     “Are those high plateaus that have the buildings fairly clear then of trees?” asked Jaarand.  “We were interested in going into the mountains to do some exploring and wondered if there were some places high enough up to use as a type of base camp to go higher into the mountains.  Of course the other question would be, did the dragons stay very high above the highest mountains?”

     The oldest Elf smiled.  “You would prefer not to have dragons visiting you while you were doing your exploring?”

      Jaarand laughed, “Exactly sir.  We would prefer any visitors be much, much smaller, if we had any.”  Karzaan smiled at Jaarand’s small lie.

     “From what we have heard they were sighted at a great distance high above the highest of the mountains and nowhere near them,” was the answer.  After a pause the man added, “Of course that does not guarantee they would not become curious and decide to drop in on you.”  Jaarand laughed.

     “You are saying that if we are going to be exploring in those mountains at this time, we should be prepared for that possibility,” said Jaarand.  Then with a smile he added, “As I am a wizard, I had better be prepared to keep a watch out for such a possibility.”

     “You sound a very learned man, sir.  Have you some knowledge of dragons?” the elder Elf asked.

     “Only from what it was said in some ancient tomes,” said Jaarand with a smile.  The elf laughed.

     “You say you are not personally acquainted with any of that variety,” he said with a broad smile.  Jaarand smiled then waved his hand and a small golden dragon appeared.  The Elves looked startled.

     The eldest’s eyes narrowed.  “You sir, must be a very powerful wizard.  I have heard of the enchantment of the golden dragon.  Only the most powerful and most learned of the wizards can do that enchantment, and you produced it with a mere wave of your hand,” he said.

     Karzaan said, “Jaarand does all his enchantments that way.”

     “That, sir,” said Jaarand, “is the only dragon I am acquainted with.  I have wondered if there were dragons still in existence.  I have known some scholars who believed they were.  Apparently they were right.”

     “Do you think that is a cause for us to worry?” asked one of the younger Elfs. 

     “I have no idea,” said Jaarand.  “I have not heard that anyone thought they seemed threatening, but rather just appeared.  Have you heard if there is any attempt to discover why they have appeared?”  Jaarand wondered if there was any report of interest by the King that had reached this area.

     “There has been much speculation, but no report of any one doing anything about finding out why the dragons have suddenly reappeared and in this area,” said one of the men.  “We are a small forest and do not think we have any scholars knowledgeable about dragons.”  He said this last with a broad smile on his face.

     Jaarand laughed, “If they did they might not want it to be known at this time.”  That brought a laugh from all.

     “Are you interested in the reason the dragons have appeared?” asked the elder Elf.

     “I guess I would be interested to find out if anyone solves that problem,” said Jaarand showing moderate interest.

     “How could they be communicated with?” asked one of the younger Elfs.

     “That is a very interesting question,” said Jaarand.  “I had been thinking about that since I heard the reports of their appearance.  Some of the old stories said they had a language and that some Elves were able to communicate with them.  But those are stories and nowhere that I have read is it stated how they were able to communicate.”

     Rather thoughtfully, the elder Elf said, “Our discussion of wizardry caused me to wonder, if any of the dragons could possibly have wizard talent.”

     “That is a thought I also had,” said Jaarand.  “If they did, it might be able to communicate by wizardry, which is a universal language.  Through it you might find out the language with which you could then communicate on a face to face basis.”

     With a smile the Elf asked, “Would you be willing to meet a dragon face to face?”

    “That is another interesting question, for which I am not sure of the answer,” said Jaarand.  “If, it could be determined they definitely were friendly, I might consider it, as it would be an experience of a lifetime.”

     “And how do you determine they are definitely friendly?” asked the man with a grin.

     Jaarand just shrugged his shoulders and smiled.  “How do you determine anyone is friendly without meeting them face to face?” asked Jaarand.  Everyone was thoughtful for a while then one said, “By what they say in their communications to you and how they emphasize certain words, perhaps.” 

     “And what they seem to imply as to why they are communicating with you,” added Jaarand.

      Then another of the group said, “It would still take a very, very brave man to agree to meet them face to face as would it not have to be more in their territory than his?”

     “That is the big problem, that I could see,” said Jaarand.  “I am sure they would wish to meet in an isolated place high in the mountains where it would be easy for them to land and where it would be difficult to gather a large number of people.”

     “You are saying that although they may trust you, others might not be so trustworthy.  If they want a friendly meeting they would wish to eliminate any danger of it being disturbed by others,” said the elder Elf.

     “That is the way I would see it, and if I were the one meeting them, I would want exactly the same thing,” said Jaarand.   The elder elf smiled.

     “You seem to have this well thought out, my Lord,” he said, “I think our King should ask if you would not try to find out why those dragons have appeared over our mountains.”  Jaarand looked at him.  Jaarand wondered if he was not a high ranked high lord and on the King’s council.  He sounded familiar with court affairs.

     “You sound sir, as if you are sure your King is interested in finding out the reason,” said Jaarand.  The elf smiled.

     “I have not been in the court for several weeks so have not heard.  However as a friend, I am sure he would be very interested and would like to explore the possibility of your taking on such a task if you were so inclined, my Lord,” he said.   Then he added, “He has a lodge high in the mountains that has a clearing sufficiently large for dragons to land.  Would you be willing for me to approach his majesty on such an idea?”

     Jaarand thought for a few moments, then said, “Yes I would be willing to discuss this idea with your King.  I will now confess, my friends and I have come here drawn by this story of the appearance of dragons.  With permission, we would consider working on this problem.”  Jaarand saw that it would be advisable to have the permission of the Elven King of this forest as it extended into these mountains.  He had not realized there was an Elven forest here.  Besides, if the king, had a lodge in the mountains, that would be an ideal place from which to launch his attempt to contact the dragons.  It was a lucky happenstance that they had begun a friendly conversation with this group of Elves.  It was also lucky that Drevel knew of the existence of this small Elven forest.  The Elf said he would get in touch with the King and would get back to Jaarand and his friends as soon as he could.  Jaarand said that they planned to be around for a number of days and so they would wait until they heard from him.  Karzaan thought the Elven King would also provide them with whatever they thought they might need.  He saw Jaarand’s wisdom in getting the Elven King’s cooperation in this.  It is possible that it could be an Elf the dragons wished to communicate with.  Jaarand decided to use this time to do some exploring in the mountains.  Perhaps he could get an idea where the King might have his lodge and figure out how they could get the supplies they needed to the lodge.  The King of this Kingdom had furnished them with enough gold to live well while they were exploring.  Jaarand was still trying to figure out how he might try to make contact with the dragons.

     “What are your plans while we wait for word from the Elven King, Jaarand?”  Karzaan asked.

     “We can use the time to do some exploring of the mountain forest as we said we planned to do,” said Jaarand.  “Also we will see if the dragons put in another appearance so we can have a chance to see what impression we get from their actions as the soar over the mountains, that may give us some hints that will help us in our attempt to make contact with them.”

     They made plans to set out the next morning to do some exploring up the mountains, but be back to the Inn before sundown.  As they got farther up the mountain and found a clearing where they could rest the horses and prepare their mid-day meal, Drevel suddenly said,

     “Look, those are not birds way up near that mountain peak.”  They all looked.  The specks started to come down the mountainside sweeping the top of the trees on their way down but still a long way off.  Jaarand saw they were huge dragons, and they looked like they were silver, but they were still a great distance away and then they began to soar again.  They rose and then disappeared into the mountains.

     “They must be huge for us to see them at that distance,” said Jaarand.  “Were my eyes playing tricks with me or were they really silver?”

     “That was what I thought they were,” said Karzaan, “I didn’t know there were such things as Silver Dragons.”  Jaarand was thoughtful.

     “There is an old legend about a huge Silver Dragon that was supposed to be a sorceress and was a shiftchanger,” said Jaarand.  “Most scholars dismissed it as myth.”  Drevel laughed.

     “Mayhap we might prove it was no myth,” Drevel said, “Wouldn’t it help if one was a sorceress.  You might be able to contact her by wizardry, Jaarand.”

     “That would be interesting, and it might be possible to contact a sorceress by wizardry and find out why they have appeared and if we can be of assistance,” said Jaarand.  Then he said, “We got our wish and our proof that they really are dragons.”

     Karzaan said, “Could they really be silver and does that mean anything?  You said the myth said the silver dragon was a female.  Could Silver Dragons be only female?”

     ‘I can’t answer your questions, Karzaan,” Jaarand said with a smile, “but we may find out.  I think it time to return to the Inn.  Let us try another section of the mountains tomorrow.”  They did return to the Inn in time for the evening meal.  The Inn was again full and there were some other Dark Elves there.  Apparently others had seen the dragons, as there was a buzz of conversation throughout the room and dragons were being mentioned regularly.  There was one family of Elves and Jaarand thought the father was a major Prince, but not from this forest.  They had selected a table nearby and the family had looked Jaarand and his friends over as they were seated.  The Prince said, looking at Jaarand,

      “You are not from this area.”

      Jaarand replied, “Drevel is from the forest on the other side of the kingdom.  Karzaan and I are both from distant forests.”

     “You mean you and Karzaan are from different forests,” said the Princess.

     “But we are long time friends, but Drevel is a friend of Karzaan,” Jaarand said.

     “Did you see what appear to be dragons that appeared over the mountains today?” asked the Prince.

     “Yes, we did as we were exploring the mountains, and they definitely are dragons,” said Jaarand.  “We were all agreed on that.  There were three of them as far as we could see and we are sure they were huge dragons, however they did not seem to be acting in the least bit threatening.  The three of us were discussing this as we were returning to the Inn.”

     “So you can definitely say what is being seen are dragons,” said the Prince and everyone close by were listening interestedly.

     “Yes,” said Jaarand, “They are definitely dragons, however none of us can think of a good reason why they should suddenly appear now as they seem to keep to high in the air above the highest mountains.”

      “You think they are just trying to attract attention for some reason?” asked the Prince.

     “My thought is now that they wish to talk to someone about something that is of importance to them,” said Jaarand.

     “But how would you talk to a dragon?” asked a young man sitting nearby.

     Jaarand laughed, “That is what both of my friends asked me,” Jaarand said, “There are some old stories that said that Elves and Dragons did talk together.  Those hinted that the dragons were very intelligent and hinted there were wizards and sorceresses among them.  I am a wizard and I think it may be possible for a wizard to contact them by wizardry.”

     “And then what?” asked the Princess with a smile on her face.

     Jaarand smiled back at her, “That is the real problem that I would see.  Someone would have to meet them face to face and it could only be on a high mountain plateau in their territory.”

     The young man said, “That would take an extremely brave person, Sir.”

     “That is exactly what the three of us were discussing,” said Karzaan. “As Jaarand is a powerful wizard, we decided if, there were some way to determine they would be friendly because communications with someone was important to them, it would be a very interesting experience to meet those huge creatures face-to-face.”

     The Prince looked at them, “And you would be doing a great service to everyone by assuring all there was no danger from them.”

     “That is what we thinking also, because we would like to know why they appeared also to be assured we did not have to fight these huge creatures,” said Jaarand.  “We would greatly prefer to find them friendly.”

     “You and all the rest of us,” said the young lady of the family, “But that would still take very great courage on the part of the three of you.”

     Drevel with a smile said, “But we are young and foolish and the two of us have great confidence in Jaarand’s wizard power.”

     Jaarand laughed, “Foolish young men,” he said.  That brought laughs from the people sitting around them.     

     “Are you planning to attempt making contact with them?” asked another man.

     “Another Dark Elf from this forest discussed this with us and said he would contact his King and see if he wished that attempted,” said Jaarand.  “If he so wishes, we would try to make contact and see what we could find out.”

     “That would be your first step,” said the Prince.

     “And hopefully we would get an indication of their friendliness as well as the reason they have appeared and to whom they wish to talk, if they know,” said Jaarand.

     The young man then asked, “Would you try to contact them by wizardry from here?”

     “No,” said Jaarand, “I would wish the message to come from in the mountains.  They would be more apt to trust a message from there and therefore would answer it.”

     “You have obviously thought this problem out, Jaarand,” said the Prince with a smile, “You have obviously dealt with unusual problems before.”  It was clear that the Prince’s respect for Jaarand had risen.

   “It is a matter of putting yourself in the other person’s situation and then figuring out what you would wish,” said Jaarand.  The conversation died down and the three were able to devote their attention to their meal.  The next morning they were up and on their way again to the mountains.  They did find another path up the mountain that proved a little easier and they were able to reach a higher clearing, but the dragons did not appear. Jaarand was thoughtful.*

     “Do you think I should try to see if I can make contact by wizardry.  We are high enough up to make a first attempt,” said Jaarand.

      “You don’t think you will get any reply from the first attempt anyway and we are sure the reply from the Elven King will be positive,” said Karzaan.

      “That is true,” agreed Drevel.

      “Okay,” said Jaarand, “I will ask who they want to communicate with and say we are Dark Elves.”  Jaarand concentrated and the rest were silent.

     “I sent out three messages to the dragons who have just appeared,” said Jaarand.  “Let us have our mid-day meal while we wait.  We have our tent so we could stay if necessary.”  The other two nodded and they began to get things ready to eat.

     “It is a good thing we have a wizard with us,” said Drevel with a grin as food began to appear on the table that was set up.  As they were finishing up, Jaarand suddenly said, “I am getting a reply and it is in old Dark Elven,” then he said as if repeating what he was hearing,

     “I am Synagalyan, a silver dragon and a sorceress.  Who are you?”

     Jaarand was silent as he concentrated on his reply.  In the same old Dark Elven language, “I am Jaarand, a Dark Elven Prince.  My companions are Karzaan a Dark Elven High Lord and Drevel a Dark Elven Lord.  Only Drevel is from this area.”

     “But as a Prince you can easily communicate with authority in that area,” was the reply.

     “Yes, I would have no trouble in communicating with whomever you wish to communicate with and we would be most happy to be of as much assistance as we can be,” replied Jaarand.

     “We would be grateful if you would do that.  Could you be available to discuss this further in three days?  I would have much more detail at that time,” the dragon said.

     “We will return here at that time and await your message,” said Jaarand.  Jaarand was very quiet for a while and the other two waited for him to speak.

     “The dragons are silver, and female.  The one is a sorceress.  She speaks in an old Dark Elven language.  You know that language do you not Karzaan?” asked Jaarand.

     “Yes,” Karzaan replied, “We could be the interpreters if necessary.”

     “I know it enough to be able to follow the conversation also,” said Drevel.

     “Good,” said Jaarand, “Let us return to the Inn and await word from the Elven King and I will send word to the human King’s mage to let them know I have had contact with the dragons and I am sure they are friendly.”

     They put together their things and returned to the Inn.  They made it back just a short while after sunset.  The Inn was fairly full and Jaarand noticed the elder Elf there. He gave Jaarand a big smile when he saw Jaarand.  Jaarand moved toward him.

     As Jaarand came up the Elf said, “My message caught the King at the nearest Major Prince’s castle and he replied immediately.  He said he would be most pleased if you would attempt to contact the dragons and that his lodge would be at your service.  He said he would be sending some gold to cover you and your companions’ expenses.”

     With a broad smile, Jaarand told him, “You can send him a return message that not only will we do as he wishes, but that we already have made contact with the dragons and we are sure they  are friendly.  We are to learn more in three days when they promised to contact us again with more detailed information.”  The Elf looked surprised and Jaarand laughed.

     “We are as surprised as you,” said Jaarand.  “I decided to take a chance and sent out a message using wizardry.  Luckily one of the dragons is a sorceress and she replied and we established that we were friends and wished to help.”  Then he added, “Hopefully we will get an idea exactly what they wish and can then proceed from there.”

     “So your idea to try wizardry was exactly the right thing,” said the Elf.

     “I did luck out when one happened to be a sorceress and might have been listening for any message from a mage,” said Jaarand.  “It is obvious that what they want is to be able to communicate with some person or persons most likely with authority.”

     “When will you have some idea of that you can bring that person or persons together with the dragons,” said the Elf.  Then a thought came to him, “What language were they speaking?”

    “An old Dark Elven language that both Karzaan and I are familiar with and Drevel also has some knowledge of,” said Jaarand.  “We will there for the meeting and be able to serve as translators if necessary.”

     “That indeed is a very good stroke of luck,” the elder Elf said.  “I do have some knowledge of an old Dark Elven language, but I cannot say I am fluent in it.”  Then he said, “I will send an immediate message to his majesty on this good news.  I know he will be very pleased.”

     Jaarand turned to the other two and said with a broad smile, “Well we will just have to enjoy our fine rooms and the good food at the expense of two Kings.”  The other two laughed at the way he said it. They were sure he had the money to have paid for that anyway.  They were planning to enjoy the next two days, because they did not know what the future after that would hold.  They knew it would be exciting.  Jaarand was trying to figure out how he would arrange to meet the dragons after he found out what they basically wanted.  The two days went surprisingly fast and Jaarand had received a purse of gold from the Elven King and the directions to the lodge in the high plateau.  Jaarand was surprised to find there was a direct path to it from this area.  He had begun to plan how he would supply it for a group of people in case it would require several high ranking persons from perhaps the Elven forest and the human kingdom at least.  Jaarand, Karzaan and Drevel left the Inn early for the mountains.  They wanted to be ready to receive the message from the dragons.  Jaarand could arrange for the other two to receive the message, as he did.  They both would be able to follow the conversation as they knew enough of the language in which the dragon was talking.  Jaarand did remember that at one time it was said the dragons and the Elves had a treaty of peace and cooperation.  He knew there were a couple of mountain areas where Elves and humans were banned from going higher than a certain height.  Those mountains were very rugged at those heights.  He wondered if this would be dealing with something like that.  In that case, he was sure the dragons would be friendly.  They arrived in the same clearing and set up to wait for a message from the dragon.  Short time later, the voice of the Silver Dragon came,

     “We think we need to speak with authorities of the local Elven forest and the Kingdom that borders these high mountains.  We have had a treaty for many years and it needs to be revised and resigned.  We have some suggested changes we would like to see and would like to discuss it with those who have the authority to speak for those countries.  We are sure they may have a few changes they would think best.”

      Jaarand replied, “We will discuss this with the bordering countries and forests and see if we can’t come up with a group to meet with you.  We have been told the local Elven King has a lodge on a high plateau where we might meet.  Could you meet with us with the copy of the original treaty and your suggested changes that we could then take and discuss that with the proper authorities.  That might speed the process.”

     With a voice that had a touch of humor in it the Silver Dragon said, “You three would be willing to meet with us.  We are very large creatures.”  Jaarand laughed.

     “As we have never met with dragons before, we do admit to a slight hesitation, but yes we would meet with you if we can help accomplish your purpose as we think you would be friendly,” said Jaarand.

     “As we are sure you are trying to be helpful to us, yes we do feel friendly to you,” said the Dragon.  “Still I think it take a very brave person to be willing to do that.  I am sure we look rather formidable to people.”

     “I would say that is an understatement,” said Karzaan and Jaarand caused that to be sent to the dragon.

     The dragon said, “And you are not a powerful wizard like your friend Jaarand,”

     Drevel said, “But we trust Jaarand not to lead us into total disaster.”  With a laugh Jaarand caused that to be transmitted to the dragon.  Jaarand thought the dragon probably smiled at that.  The dragon said she would return in a week and a half and that she knew where the lodge was and agreed to meet there.  The three of them gathered their things and prepared to return to the Inn.

     “Are you going to send word on what the dragons have said and what we are planning to do to the Elven King and the human King, Jaarand?” Drevel asked.

     “Yes, I plan to do that right away when we return to the Inn,” replied Jaarand.  “They can have research done on the possible treaty and hopefully review it if it is found.  That also would help to speed up the process.  They should know who else might be involved and transmit the information to them also.”

     They reached the Inn shortly after it had gotten dark, but it really didn’t bother them as they were all Elves.  They quickly stabled their steeds took their things to their rooms and came down for their evening meal.  As they were eating their meal Karzaan said,

     “Is this promising to be more complicated than you might have thought?”

     “That depends on how many more countries prove to be involved and the monarchs of those countries,” said Jaarand rather thoughtfully.  “However, if they prove as cooperative as the two we have contact with it might not prove so.”

     “Are you having second thoughts about volunteering your services?” asked Drevel.

     “No,” said Jaarand very positively.  “It still will be an interesting experience that few others will ever have.  It will also give us some knowledge of these legendary creatures that we would never have had the chance to gain otherwise.”

     With a grin Karzaan said, “Few of our friends will be able say they met with a silver dragon face-to-face and lived to tell about it.”

     “And parted friends,” added Jaarand.  The other two laughed.

     Jaarand decided they would spend the time further exploring the mountains and finding the area where the King had the lodge.  This time he was sure only the three of them would meet with the dragons unless the Kings sent someone who they thought it might be valuable to have in on these primary discussions.  Actually the elder Elf who had first talked to them said that the King suggested he might also meet with the dragons, if Jaarand agreed.

     With a smile Jaarand asked, “Would you wish to meet with dragons?”

     With a smile the Elf said, “Seeing as you three seem to be perfectly willing to do that, I have decided to put aside my fears and say yes I am if it is alright with you.”  The Elf, High Lord Schannan, looked at Jaarand.  Then he suddenly added, “I am somewhat familiar with a couple of old Dark Elven languages.”

     “In that case you could prove helpful and an indication to the dragons that we are really trying to help them,” said Jaarand.

     “Which should make them feel even more friendly,” said Karzaan.  Lord Schannan decided he would go with them in their trips into the mountains as he did have an idea where the King’s lodge could be found.  Jaarand felt that would be helpful as he was a mountain Elf.  They made an appointment to meet for the morning meal and then set off for the mountains.  Jaarand had sent messages to the two Kings about what he had found out and what their immediate plans were.  He also asked if they had any idea who else might be involved in this.  He would discuss, how they should supply the lodge for their meetings with the dragons, with Lord Schannan.  He might have an idea of how they could get supplies to the lodge and how large the lodge was.

     They were able to reach the lodge and found it was a large and very nice lodge.  They also found a reasonably good path up to it so they could move supplies for a number of people to stay for several days.  They were able to move supplies for their first meeting to the lodge in time for their first meeting.  They then planned to be there a day early so they would be available whenever the dragons came.  On that morning they were out on the plateau to see three huge Silver dragons come sailing over the mountains and after two passes over the area, they came sailing in and gently settled down in front of the four men.

     “We also have with us this time a representative of the Elven King,” said Jaarand.  “He is also familiar with the language you have been speaking in, which is an old Dark Elven language.”

     With what Jaarand thought was a friendly smile, the dragon said, “Apparently he also trusted you Jaarand.”

     With a smile Lord Schannan said, “One tends to trust a Dark Elven Major Prince.”  Then he added, “Especially when he is a powerful wizard.”

     The Silver Dragon then said, “I was able to get a copy of the original treaty and we have included the suggestions we have for changes we would like to see made.  Of course these are subject to negotiation.”

     “We have communicated what we had discussed the last time to the two Kings and asked if they knew of anyone else who might be involved.  We also asked that they look at the old treaty and get together any suggestions they might have for changes.  We also asked that they decide on who they might send with the authority to agree to a new treaty,” said Jaarand.

     “We greatly appreciate what you three are doing to help us resolve this as quickly as possible,” the huge dragon said.

     Jaarand replied, “As you are proving very friendly, we are finding this a very interesting project.  One which we would never have thought we would ever have.”

    “Besides,” said the Silver Dragon with a touch of humor in her voice, “it should make for interesting conversation with your friends.”

    Drevel haltingly said, “That is what I told Jaarand.”

     Lord Schannan slowly said, “We also are indebted to Jaarand and his two friends for attempting this.  I do not know of anyone else who would have had both the courage and the talents to have accomplished this.”

     With what everyone interpreted as a smile the Silver Dragon said, “Trust a Wizard Prince and his two good friends to rise to the occasion.”

     With a smile Jaarand said, “Well when you are young and foolish, you think you are up to any challenge.”

     With a smile at Jaarand, Lord Schannan said, “and sometimes, surprisingly you are.” 

     Jaarand said to the dragon, “Perhaps it would be best if I contact you after we have given this information to those involved and get an idea who we should bring to meet with you to discuss this.”  The Silver Dragon agreed that would be the best idea.

     “I will await word from you, Jaarand,” the Silver Dragon said and then she and her companions departed.  The four men watched as they rose into the sky and disappeared over the mountains.

     It was Lord Schannan who broke the silence, “They are formidable looking creatures until you begin talking to them.  Then they are still huge, but are no longer formidable looking,” he said thoughtfully.  Then with a smile after a short hesitation he added, “I am still thankful I was with you when I met them, Jaarand.”  

     “One often has that feeling when one is involved with Jaarand’s projects,” said Karzaan with a smile.

     Jaarand laughed and then said, “Well we can get back to the Inn and get the information off to the two kings and await word from them.  We have done as much as we can for the moment, gentlemen.”  They started to pack up their things and started down the mountain.  They had to camp near the base of the mountains as it had grown too dark to go further.  The next morning they returned to their Inn.  Jaarand immediately made arrangements to make several copies of the material the dragon had given him.  As soon as he got those he sent the material off to the two kings.  Now they would just wait until they got word from the Kings.

     “Be prepared to wait for at least two weeks I think,” Jaarand told the rest.

     Lord Schannan said, “I wonder if my King found the old agreement and who he will send with the authority to sign the agreement for him.”

     “A Major Prince perhaps,” said Jaarand.

     “There is one that he would trust to do such a thing,” said Lord Schannan, then he added, “I think you would like him Jaarand.”

     “You mean a maverick like me?” said Jaarand with a smile.

     “Well he definitely is his own person,” said Lord Schannan, “I think you two would make good friends.

     “I’d be happy to meet him,” said Jaarand.

     The next two weeks they planned how they would provision the lodge and when and how they would get it to the lodge to be ready for everyone.  They did also do some more exploring of the forests and mountains, although they enjoyed the fine rooms and food.  Lord Schannan proved enjoyable company also.  Jaarand learned much about the local Elven forest.  Apparently it had been started many centuries ago by a group of Elves whose forest had been destroyed in a huge upheaval.  They had wandered a long way before the found this mountain area and established their forest here.  Jaarand received word that there was another Kingdom and another Dark Elven forest that bordered on these mountains and would sending representatives.  Prince Showlan, the man Lord Schannan mentioned did arrive and said that Lord Schannan would join him in representing their forest.  Jaarand discussed what might happen when they met the dragons.

     The Prince, with a broad smile said, “You really mean to meet with and discuss this with several huge dragons.”  Then he turned to Lord Schannan and asked, “You met these huge dragons face-to-face.”

     With a smile Lord Schannan said, “We kept Jaarand between us and the dragon.”  Jaarand laughed.

     The Prince then said, “What was it like talking to a dragon, Jaarand?”

     “After you got over the idea you were talking to a huge Silver female dragon, it was like talking to any person,” said Jaarand.  “She is a very intelligent and articulate creature, who incidentally has a sense of humor.”  Then with a smile he said, “She made much better sense than a lot of men I had to talk with.”  The Prince laughed.  They decided they would thoroughly discuss this with all the representatives together before Jaarand made an appointment to meet with the dragons.  His Grace the Duke of Harnkon arrived next as representative of this Kingdom, and then the Earl of Sendingly from the Kingdom just beyond the local Elven forest.  They both had been briefed on the situation and the present treaty and what changes the dragons were suggesting.  They both had full authority to sign the agreed upon treaty for their King.  This was proving better than Jaarand had hoped.  If the representative of the other Elven forest was as well informed and prepared, it should take less time to reach an agreement.  The differences of the positions of these men were very minor.  This was discussed by the group and they reached a list of things they would discuss with the dragons at the first meeting, and they reached an area of agreement among themselves.  Two days later a Major Prince arrived from the other Elven forest and Prince Showlan found it was one he knew fairly well.  In fact when he came and then went to get himself settled in his room in the Inn, Prince Showlan said to Jaarand,

    “You will like Caartulat, he like you and I tend to be easy to get along with, besides being definitely his own man.”

     In discussions later, the two Elven Princes agreed with practically every one of the dragons suggestions.  As the other two had only minor questions about those it was agreed that they would all agree with those suggestions.  Jaarand thought that would make reaching an agreement much easier and would establish a generally friendly feeling with the dragons.     After they had reached this agreement Prince Caartulat turned to Jaarand and said, “What think you Prince Jaarand?  How do you think the dragons will react?”

     “If we immediately inform them of this, I am sure the meeting will be a very friendly one,” said Jaarand.  “I am sure they will then be ready to work with you on the rest of the points of difference.”

     The Earl of Sendingly then said, “I have never seen a dragon.”

     It was Karzaan who said, “Be prepared to see huge formidable looking silver creatures.”

     “Silver?” questioned Prince Caartulat, “I didn’t know there were Silver Dragons.”

     “This one is a female and a sorceress,” said Jaarand.  “I didn’t know there were Silver Dragons either, until we saw these.  They are very intelligent and well educated creatures.  This one has a sense of humor.”

     “This could be a very interesting project,” said the Duke. Then after a short hesitation he added, “As long as you are sure they are going to be friendly, Jaarand.”

     “If we all indicate a willingness to work things out, I am sure they will be friendly,” said Jaarand.  “If we are all agreed we will provision the lodge for a stay of a week, just in case and I will send word that we are ready to meet with them and I will tell them with whom they will be meeting and that you all have authority to sign an agreement.”

      They all agreed they were ready so Jaarand, Lord Schannan and the Duke arranged to supply the lodge and Jaarand sent a message to the dragons.  Jaarand found he could get the lodge provisioned and get the group up to the lodge a day before the day the dragons agreed to meet with them.  Jaarand informed the group of this and they all agreed this would be a good idea so they all prepared to be ready to leave.  They were all furnished with mountain trained steeds.  As they left to climb the mountain, Jaarand put a shield on the paths leading up to the lodge, preventing anyone from following them.  That evening before the meeting as they were having their evening meal the Major Prince said,

    “You realize, gentlemen this will be the first known meeting of humans, Elves and dragons in centuries, and we will be the participants of that historic meeting.”

    The Earl of Sendingly said, “Let us make sure that it is a highly successful one so we can tell about it with pride,” then with a grin added, “and brag about meeting huge Silver Dragons face-to-face.”

     With a broad smile at Jaarand, Karzaan and Drevel, the Duke said, “And these three gentlemen can brag about meeting them first, before it was assured they would be friendly, and were the ones who then arranged the meeting.”

     “I don’t know about the other two, but I had grave doubts about my  sanity when I first saw that huge dragon settle down in front of us, until Jaarand talked to her like he was talking to an old friend,” said Drevel with a wide grin.

    “Well, let us see what tomorrow brings,” said Jaarand.  They were all up early and had a good morning meal.  The dragons came shortly after they had cleaned up and all gone outside to wait for the arrival of the dragons.

     As they came sailing in, the Earl turned to Drevel and quietly said, “I see why you said you had grave doubts.  They are formidable looking creatures.”

The one came in and landed in front of Jaarand who gave her a bow.  With what Jaarand thought was a smile, the dragon said,

     “You do have such lovely manners, Prince Jaarand.”  Jaarand laughed and the group all got smiles on their face and they began to relax.  Jaarand then said, “the group has agreed to most of your suggestions and would be willing to discuss the others.  I will tell you what their suggestions are and those suggestions of yours they would wish to discuss with you.  They have all this written out so you may take them back with you.”

     The dragon said, “Let us discuss what you tell us and then perhaps I can go and have a suggested draft of a new treaty and you can do the same.  After our discussions today we both should come up with a treaty we can then work into an acceptable one and sign it when we return in a few days.”

     Jaarand turned and looked at the group and got an immediate nodding of heads in agreement.  So Jaarand gave the dragons a detailed description of what he had and after the three dragons held a short conference they began discuss the suggestions.  Everyone seemed to be in a very cooperative mood and the discussions went very well.  Jaarand felt that the treaties each would come up with could be easily negotiated.  The discussions lasted until late afternoon, then the dragons departed. The Major Prince said,

     “Let us discuss this and arrive at a suggested treaty that would satisfy all of us and also satisfy what the dragons seem to wish.”  There was a nodding of heads in agreement and they retired to the lodge to work this out.  With some gentle prodding from Jaarand, by the end of the second day they had a treaty draft they figured they could easily negotiate a final treaty with the dragons.  Jaarand agreed.  The next day Jaarand got a message from the dragons that they would arrive the next morning.  The group was up early and decided the Major Prince would speak for the group.  He was familiar enough with the old dark Elven language the dragons were speaking that he could converse directly with them now.  The dragons came circling in and rather gently settled to the ground.  The Silver Dragon said,

     “Shall we go over the treaty section by section and have Jaarand and Karzaan take down what we agree on and then read the suggested treaty we seemed to have come up with and then I assume among you, you could produce enough treaties for all of us to sign.  Do you think you gentleman could also reach an agreement on the final treaty?”

     The Major Elven Prince speaking for all of them said, “We are ready to also do that and we agree that is a fine idea so let us proceed.”

     The treaty was actually a rather simple document so things proceeded very well and by mid-day they had a treaty they all felt they could sign.  The dragon said, “We will return in about the turn of the hour glass, is that sufficient time?”  That was agreed upon and the group retired to the lodge to prepare multiple copies of the treaty.  Several of them began preparing copies of the treaty and they all had the seals of their Kings so they could stamp them after they signed.  They decided to wait and sign them in front of the dragons.  They had enough copies so everyone including the dragons could sign.  The Earl said,

   “How is the dragon going to sign?”  Jaarand laughed, but then said,

     “I think she has that figured out, so let us see.”  They set up a table outside where they could all sign and apply their seal to each treaty.  When the dragons appeared Jaarand said,

     “Let us have Prince Showlan begin the signing, shall we?”  It was agreed and then each signed the appropriate number of documents and then with what they all thought was a smile the dragon said,

     “If Jaarand will loan me his right arm and hand I will use it to sign the teaties and then I too have a seal to apply to them.”  The men looked questioningly at Jaarand who with a smile said,

     “I can allow the dragon through wizardry use my right arm and hand to produce her signature on the treaties and then we will put the treaties on her side of the table and remove ourselves back far enough so she can then apply her seal.”   That was done and the dragon signed and sealed the treaties which were then distributed.

      Prince Showlan said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have just accomplished a very momentous historic occasion.  The meeting of humans, Elves and dragons to produce and sign a treaty.  I for one shall remember it for many a year and also remember the three gentlemen who made it possible.”

      The Silver Dragon said, “Prince Jaarand, Lord Karzaan and Lord Drevel, we for one are very much in your debt for your great effort to bring this about.  We are sure it took great bravery to reach the decision to meet dragons face-to-face for the benefit of others.”

     “Ah but think of the great stories we can spin for our friends,” said Jaarand.  They all laughed and it was the Duke who said, “Why, am I not surprised to hear that kind of remark from you, Prince Jaarand.”

      The Silver Dragon said, “Because it takes a man with that kind of attitude toward life to be willing to attempt things like this and then to bring them to a successful conclusion.  We are appreciative of all of you gentlemen’s effort to bring this to a successful conclusion.  We shall now depart from your sight, however, Jaarand, you know now how to reach us if you ever have any need for our help.”  With that the huge dragons departed and disappeared over the mountains.

     It was Lord Schannan who said, “Prince Jaarand, it seems you have made a very powerful friend for life.”

     “Ah but who will believe me if I say I have a huge Silver Dragon for a friend?” said Jaarand with a smile.

     “They will when they see huge Silver Dragons come sailing over them ready to join you,” said Prince Showlan with a big smile.

     The other Major Prince said, “That would be a formidable show of force, would it not.”

     “Well gentlemen, let us gather our things and prepare to rejoin ordinary people and get back to our ordinary lives,” said Jaarand with a smile.