Soft, lilting violin music played through the car's radio, and Sophie was happy to just sit and listen, the glow from the dash illuminating her and the man in the driver's seat. She tipped her head to the side, staring out the window. Night had fallen over the Scottish countryside, leaving a deep blue cast over everything. Soon, the sky above would be nearly black. Stars were winking down at them, so much brighter and so many more than she'd seen in the city.

It was very peaceful.

"Can't imagine why I chose to stay in New York so long with this waiting."

Sophie turned her head to look at her husband, smiling like she normally did whenever she heard his voice. 8 years of knowing him, and that British accent still made her grin like a fangirling teenager. Ian glanced at her, and one of his hands came off the wheel to reach for hers. "Actually," he corrected, a smile gracing his lips as well, "I know the reason."

"To show me up in the academy before we went on tour with our troup?" Sophie joked lightly, tracing a thumb over his forefinger. Ian chuckled, but said nothing more, leaving her to turn her attention back to the hills rolling past.

She'd been really lucky to find Ian at her dance academy. They'd started dating at the insistence of one of Sophie's roommates. Which had, of course, turned out wonderfully.

Their daughter, Ellie, was nearly three years old now. She was being taken care of back home, safe and sound, but Sophie found her mind wandering to her anyway. She smiled, thinking of the little bundle of blonde hair and blue eyes. Even so young, she showed so much energy that people compared her to her mother. Of course, their little family knew she had a quiet side. Ian was already spending nights reading brightly colored picture books to her. She liked the ones with fairies the best, something that made both of her parents smile. Sophie's reasons were probably different than Ian's, but that didn't matter much.

Whoever she needed to thank for the past few years, she gladly sent that prayer out now. Pitch she hadn't seen in years. The Guardians were stronger than ever. Her and Jamie's relationship had been healing since her break from Pitch. Her mother was the best mom in the world, still. Her family, as a whole, was perfect.

"Soph?"

She looked at Ian, blinking. "Sorry. Got to thinking..."

His head tipped toward her curiously. "About?"

"Just...life."

"Strange. You should really be thinking about how it's our 4th anniversary and how I'm the most wonderful husband you could ask for." He threw her a teasing grin, something that had been so rare when they first met.

He's changed so much. Sophie couldn't help but nudge his shoulder playfully and laugh. "Yeah, there's that. Scotland for an anniversary present. Gee, I wonder what I'll get for our 5th."

"Hopefully, a life here with Ellie and I."

The thought was enough to make her bounce in her seat. "Can you imagine? Living out here, having mom and Jamie come for holidays?" She wondered if she'd see North or Jack here. Bunny was a definite. "It's like some book you'd write," she told Ian, excitement swelling like a balloon on her chest. "Magical."

Vinzent twisted his blade in a way that disarmed the goblin and he plunged his blade into the monster's throat. It gurgled on his blade, using its last moments to slice its hands on his weapon in vain of pulling it out. It fell limp and Vinzent pressed his foot against the monster's body before pulling his sword back. He spun around in time to notice his brother fighting with a fae traitor.

The fae fighting style was far different from that of the elves. The woman was fast and tricky. Ialder was able to dodge and block her attacks for the most part but Vinzent knew he could only hold out for so long. Neither of them had really done real battle before. This was new to both of them. Vinzent could not let his brother fall in anyway, especially now that Ialder was the newly appointed king.

He began to run forward, his feet carrying him over the slain bodies of both allies and enemies. He tried his best not to look down. What if he saw Voron down there. Or Lilith? He swallowed hard as he sprinted. He had to keep thinking that they would all make it out of this alive. Even Lilith even though she treated him like a child. She was like the grouchy aunt he could annoy for hours on end. He couldn't lose that, could he?

He was pushed to the ground with a blast of heat and a defending screech. A zjarr had grabbed him and pinned him down and the only reason why he was not melting because it had him by the dwarven-made gauntlets. Vinzent kneed the creature as hard as he could and its grip loosened enough for him to break away. The heat waves emitting from the creature made him feel woozy. Vinzent grabbed for his blades in his dizziness but quickly realized that they had both been knocked away when that zjarr had crashed into him. The monster was crouching in front of him, staring at him with its glowing, yellow eyes. Slowly, he began to reach for the silver-lined bow on his back.

The zjarr jumped at him. Vinzent whipped out his bow with a single arrow notched in place. This was it. He would die. There was no way this single arrow would save him from a zjarr. If he was going to die here, he was going to give his monster a piece of his mind. He watched the monster come closer. His fingers tensed around the bow string. Let loose the string, he told himself. Do it. Now! 

A roar made him stop. The zjarr in front of him was an arms length away, suspended in mid-air when a giant talon snatched it from the air. The dragon's tail nearly hit Vinzent and his first reaction was to duck out of the way. He was frozen on the spot, watching the dragon morph into a humanoid girl with blond hair in the middle of the sky with the zjarr in her hands. When she lifted her arm into the air, he saw the sun glint of a Celestial Warrior's weapon.

His face lit up. "The dragons!" Vinzent yelled to the surrounding soldiers, "Back up has arrived!"

More dragons were swooping over head as Vinzent retrieved his blades and connected them by the hilts and turning them into a single, double bladed sword. In his scrimmage with the zjarr, his brother had slipped his mind momentarily. Remembering Ialder, he turned to see him stepping away from the lady fae who lay motionless. Had he killed her? It was on thing to silence a goblin or a zjarr, but the fae were so similar to elves. It would be almost like killing another one of them.

Vinzent sprinted toward his brother, dodging around dueling pairs and leaping over stilled bodies. "Ialder!" he called out, waving his free hand as he ran, "Ialder, the dragons are here!"

Ialder looked upward from his moment of rest, straight at his brother. When his words reached his brother's ears, Vinzent grinned at the smile on his face. What happened next nearly made his heart stop. A mountain troll had gotten away from the elf fighting it and was rushing toward his big brother. Vinzent opened his mouth to shout, but his voice seemed stuck. The troll's giant club was raised one moment and then it came down against Ialder's side. The crack that came from his brother was sickening to his stomach. For a moment, Vinzent stood planted in place, too shocked to move.

"No!" he yelled, taking a shaky step forward. His emotions took over. Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him toward the troll. It was bending over Ialder, sniffing him like he was a delicious meal. Vinzent bared his teeth and he jumped up onto the troll's back, grasping onto the folds of its leathery skin to keep himself in place.

He was really nothing but a tiny bug to the troll. It raised its arms and twisted its torso in attempt to shake him off. When that did not work, the troll tried swatting him with its bulky hands. Vinzent held on tight, climbing up the troll's back until he had his legs around the neck of the monster. For a split split second as he raised his blade, he remembered how, as a child, Voron would let him sit on his shoulders. The nostalgia was not enough for him to stop his blade from puncturing deep into the troll's windpipe.

The body wavered on the spot for a moment before beginning to fall backwards. Vinzent pulled his swords from the troll and jumped from its shoulders. He rolled to a stop and sat up, staring in awe at the giant monster he had just slain. He had done it, killed the monster that had hurt his brother. His brother...

"Ialder!" Vinzent yelled. He crawled quickly toward his brother and knelt next to him. Ialder's eyes were open and they flickered toward Vinzent with a look of panic. His expression nearly tore Vinzent in two right there.

"Vinzent, I can't feel my arm." Ialder said, his eyes wide. Vinzent glanced down at Ialder's arm and tried not to show his grimace, but it failed. His dominate arm was, putting it in the least gruesome term possible, not straight.

Vinzent tried to swallow back the sudden wave of emotion, he needed to be strong for his big brother. Like how his big brother had been strong when Vinzent had broken his leg as a child. "Yeah, because you're in shock. You're not supposed to feel anything when you're in shock." he tried to joke but his voice cracked.

"I don't believe you."

He tried not to look at his brother's hurt arm, instead he focused on his unblinking eyes, "Ialder, we need to get you to the medic. You're in no condition to fight."

"I must stay."

"No, you have to go get yourself looked after."

"I am the King now... I must stand with my people."

"A King cannot stand without being able to."

A screeching noise behind them interrupted their conversation. Vinzent looked over his shoulder and at a zjarr that had burrowed under the fighting to pick on the wounded. Vinzent turned around completely, grabbing his sword and holding it defensively in front of both he and his brother.

"Run, Vinzent."

"No."

"Save yourself."

"Shut up."

"Damn it, Vinzent. If I die today, you have to survive. You'll be the next king."

"That's why you need to live!"

The zjarr barreled down upon them. Vinzent braced himself for the attack but none came. Instead, a dragon morphed into their human form right above the zjarr and pulled out dagger that extended from his gauntlet out and killed the fiery demon with a single blow. He looked up at them, a bit of blood splattered over his pale face.

"You! What are you doing?" the man snapped, "You look able bodied enough to fight, why aren't you?"

Vinzent stared for a moment before answering, "My brother, he needs transport to the medic. He must live. He's the future of the elves."

"Oh? So you're the two elven princes." the dragon's lips curled into a smile, "I will transport him to safety. I usually don't have any interest in you elves, but for the sake of the war I will do it."

Vinzent stared at the man in relief as he turned back into a dragon as pale as his skin had been. He helped his brother up onto the dragon's back, "Hold tight." Vinzent told him.

Ialder grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Vinzent. What you said. I don't believe it. You would make a great king."

He smiled a little at the comment, but Vinzent knew better. He was not meant to sit in a castle all day and plot war plans. He could never imagine himself sitting on a throne and ruling over people. Vinzent reached up and squeezed his brother's good arm, "Not nearly as good as you, my brother."

Vinzent turned around as soon as the dragon flew off. Another one dropped down next to him, this one didn't even bother turning humanoid. He knew exactly who she was by the bladed gauntlets around her forelegs. As the sun was setting, he could see the beginnings of the weapon's shine. Its moon glow.

"Are you ready for more?" she asked, barely opening her mouth.

He tightened his grip on his sword. The truth was since the dragons had arrived the enemy's numbers had lessened. But there was a foul stench in the air, a horrible aura surrounded them. Vinzent stared ahead at the sunset.

"More are coming." he whispered.

"And more will fall." the Celestial Warrior titled her head.

A bead of sweat trickled down Vinzent's forehead, mingling with the dirt and blood. With Ialder hurt, he would be the one the elven soldiers would look too. He would be the one to lead him. He would be responsible for their deaths.

He blinked, he hadn't realized how dry his eyes had become, "Let us hope that they can stop this war before it is the end of us all."

Send two names and I’ll tell you who the muse have sex with.

Jamie’s my brother! I wouldn’t…What?!

Which leaves…

Sophie sat back on her heels, frowning. She couldn’t understand why he seemed to be so wavering. He hadn’t ever really expressed a desire to have children, but then again, he’d never seemed to be outright against it, either.

"This is good, isn’t it? I mean, it’s not bad…Ian, what’s wrong?"

Your muse just found a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom after my muse was just in there. Leave your muse’s response in my askbox.

(future!Sophie, married to Ian)

Sophie looked up, hands pausing in their task of writing a to-do list. She followed the sound of his voice into the bathroom. What could he possibly—

She froze in the doorway, taking in the sight of her husband. “Ian…?" Her eyes drifted down to the little white test in his hands. Oh.

It felt like an invisible force was squeezing her lungs, keeping her from breathing in. Shock she could have understood, but he looked…upset. She moved quickly across the bathroom, trying not to sound panicked.