A pond of clear water through which one can see straight to the bottom. It is neither large nor is it a small pond, but somewhere in between. In the day the water is a bright blue, at night it is a starry sky echoing the tiny diamonds found in the heavens. Here reflections of unicorns can be seen in the moonlight as they enter this groove, leaving behind the sanctity of their beloved trees with an evening drink. Faeries too can be seen, flitting about both day and night. Their wings iridescent in even the faintest of light. The trees, great oaks and maples are also in this mirror, sheltering and giving shade on the hottest of days.

Also in this clear water, there is seen a maiden of what seems to be her younger years. Though when her raven hair is pushed behind her ears, one can see the sharp points at the tips. This night she wears her hair loosely letting it fall to her mid-back, though in the past it has been up. Her eyes are a dark green, nearly black in color and flecked with slivers of silver. Boots of the blackest leather grace her feet, rising to her mid-calf. Her pants fit tightly against her skin, dark green in color, the same dark green as her eyes. At her waist is a belt of silver shaped like ivy. A small sheath with a dagger hangs off the left side. The hilt of the dagger is a silver material, emeralds carved as stars decorate the hilt. Her tunic matches the color of her pants, though it is not quite as skin tight. The silver buttons are ornately carved in the shape of tiny harps with tiny chips of emerald decoration. Even her tunic can be seen from between the tiny strings of the instruments. The top two are left unbuttoned, giving her tunic a v-shaped neck. Her short cut sleeves are embroidered at the edges with a fine line of leaves and flowers. At her throat lies a fine chain of silver. Upon this chain is a pendant of a wavy snake, the snake’s mouth biting onto the chain to hold it in place.

Every night for the past hundred years this maiden has come here, her silver streaked eyes reflecting the star light. Or has it been more? She can’t quite remember, this one. But at least a hundred it has to have been. Waiting….waiting… For what? She isn’t quite sure. Something has been calling her to this place. Once… once there was a time, oh about fifty years or so ago that she thought what she was waiting for had come. But it was merely a shooting star. Nothing more. And so she has continued to come and wait for this… whatever this is.

And from the sky comes this, a large white egg. It lands in the middle of the pond, causing a large splash over all of the hidden grove. The elf shakes the water from her raven locks, pushing them out from her face. Bobbing up and down in the pond is just what fell from the sky, an egg. A smile does not touch her lips, though she is certain this is what she has been waiting for. The maiden wades into the water, dragging the white object out onto the shore. Setting it inside of a bush, she sits. And waits.

It does not take long, perhaps a few days, for cracks to begin to appear in the shell of the egg. Soon a little snout apears outside of the shell. The maiden tilts her head to the right, perhaps in wonder at what exactly is supposed to be coming out of this egg. The cracks in the egg number so many that the shell collapses in upon itsef, leaving the body of a hatchling dragon exposed to the forest. The hatchling looks a bit comical, considering that there are egg shells pieces stuck to her scales. The maiden smiles now, perhaps for the first time since she began to come to this place.

Hesitantly, the maiden approaches the dragon, whom does not seem to be afraid or nervous about the maiden being there. She picks off all of the pieces of shell before luring the dragon into the pool, to wash the rest of the goop rom the inside of the egg off of the hatchling. That finished, they both exit from the glade walking through the forest, perhaps not as graceful as they could be. Words are spoken by the elf, words which have never touched the glade where the maiden waited for so long. They are long and melodious, in a tongue that could not be understand by most beings. "I am Meleni," she tells the little hatchling, who seems to be pattering along behind the maiden. "And I believe you shall be named Aliani."

This is Aliani as a hatchling.

Together they walked, Aliani pattering along besides Meleni. After only an hour or two, they came to a large clearing in the center of the wood. It sparkled with the starlight, the city found here. Made of crystal are all of the buildings. The streets are made of a similr material, but so clear it almost seems as if one is floating above the ground. The two, elf and dragon, hed toward a tall spire in the center of this great crystal city. Aliani's eyes wander over the landscape, but she continues to follow behind Meleni, whom does not give the buildings a second thought.

The tower of crystal, which resembles a closed tulip, looks as if a feather could destroy it. The two walk inside, well, Aliani bounds in after the elf.

Together, they walk up the crystal steps, hundreds of them it seems. Finally before them is a throne of crystal. Almost alive, it seems to be a vessel of flowing liquid. Its mate is seated next to it. Atop the pair are seated a male and a female of elvish descent. Both of them look remarkably similar to Meleni. "What have you brought, daughter?" the male inquires.

"A dragon of Cerulean Blue heritage. Aliani," the elven princess answers. The king nods, glancing over to his queen.

"Then it's time for your betrothal to come about."

"Very well, father." Meleni walks to the side of the room, exiting into what seem to be her own private chambers. Aliani follows her, knowing no one else around. "You must be hungry, little one," the princess comments, unveiling a great amount of food. "Come and eat with me. I am not certain how much time we will be able to have together in the coming months. Your coming means that it is time for my hand to be given away, and though I have a large part in picking to whom it will be given, there is still little choice I have in the matter."

From far and wide, nobility came. Princes, lords, even knights whom have all heard the news. For many long days and weeks, the maiden was entertained and the entertainer for these young nobles, though some were even older than she herself. Aliani saw little of her new friend, but she was fed well. And Meleni had even given her a golden blanket upon which to sleep, for it would not do much for the young dragon to sleep only upon the floor. Weary of the males, most of whom seemed to want nothing to do with her than the kingdom that would come to her possession, she tried as often as possible to get over to see the dragon, who had now grown into a much larger version of herself.

This is Aliani as an adolescent.

As Aliani matured, suitors of Meleni began to drop off. A water dragon is not the greatest asset to every kingdom. The king and queen were noticably upset, in private anyway, over this occurance. The decline of interested princes would give less of a variety for their daughter to choose from.

Meleni tried to keep the hard feeling away from Aliani, but even she worried. There were no sources of water anywhere large enough to hold a water dragon. Not around here anyway. This in the midst of having to worry about finding a suitable husband. Her attentions were pulled from the princes and she began to spend more time with maps, looking for a place that Aliani would be able to live in. For this would be as important as the husband.

Though, after finding a place, there came the problem of how to get there. They were surrounded by forest for miles and Aliani could not even stay in the palace anymore. She had gotten too big for the doors. What would the two of them do?

Finally, Meleni decided she had to think about her dragon friend first. A husband could come along at anytime so didn't matter nearly as much. So, after writing a note for her parents, she stole into a chamber where magic talismans were kept. She looked through them carefully, selecting one which would transport her and Aliani wherever she wished to go. But she also knew she would never be able to come home again, for there would be no way Aliani would be able to come through the forest.

The princess stole down the stairway and out the front doors to stand next to her friend. "We will be going from this place, Aliani. To a place better suited for you." The dragon nodded, knowing exactly what her friend was sacrificing for her and waited as Meleni said a few words in an ancient tongue. Then they vanished.

They reappeared on a sandy beach next to the coast. And in Aliani went. Meleni stayed on the beach and watched her friend happily swimming about in the water. A smile came upon her face.

Name: Aliani
Gender: Female
Parents: Tenkaosu and Kalaya
Clutch: #1
Breed: Cerulean Blue
Status: Adult
Type: Water
Adopted From: KelticRose Isle.

And so Aliani grew up into an adult. Meleni had found herself a small shelter in a cave near the water and the two remained there. For now.