Everywhere was fire. What once lurked in rich nature was now burning to the last crisp. Smoke filled my vision. People were screaming and running for their lives. Evelyn was sprinting to her house to find her mother desperately searching for her. „Oh, Evelyn!“ She reached out and placed her hands around her daughter’s arms. „Are you okay?“ Evelyn only nodded, sweat forming on their foreheads from the heat radiating off the fires that were still raging around them. „We have to get out of here!“ Just as she said this, they felt a strong wind blow off a dragon landing beside them. They looked up to see Ivy, her feathered tail anxiously swishing from side to side. _„Move fast.“ _She rushed Evelyn in her mind. Quickly helping her mother on Ivy’s back, she jumped behind her. „Bring us to Elbarona!“ she shouted over the chaos around them, stroking the dragon’s scales in comfort. Ivy took no time to jump up and fly off to the directed location. Evelyn looked back to where their home was; fire was not only erupting in their small town, it was spreading like wildfire across the whole of the mountains. „Oh dear Celdraria, save us..“ she shuddered under her breath. - - - - - At the break of dawn, they arrived in Elbarona. Swiftly landing on the fine gravel path in the centre of the city, they dismounted Ivy. Not many people were outside at this time, but those who were, were looking at them questionably. It was not every day that people came to their city uninvited, especially humans. A soldier walked towards them, regarding them with kindness. „Can I be of any help to you?“ He looked at their tired forms; any eye could see that they both looked completely and utterly out of it. „Please,“ Evelyn began, trying to steady her voice. „We request a meeting with the King and Queen.“ The soldier only nodded, gesturing them to follow him. When they reached the royal halls, stopping infront of large doors, the soldier told them to wait for a few seconds before stepping out of view. Not long after, he came back to announce that the Queen was ready to hear them. As they stepped into the room, Evelyn was awestruck by the beauty of it. If it were any other occasion, she would‘ve probably been eager to express her thoughts on the beauty of the architecture. Today, however, wasn’t the day for that. The queen looked at them with a soft smile, years of wisdom flowing in her eyes. The king was nowhere to be seen. They both bowed in her presence. „Greetings, your majesty.“ „Welcome, Evelyn and Victoria,“ the queen regarded them. „Tell me, what is troubling you?“ _She had something comforting about her_, Evelyn thought as she straightened her back. „We‘ve come to you in search of help. Just a few hours ago, the Eastern Mountains were burnt down. I do not know the extent of it, we had to flee,“ Evelyn explained, sorrow underlying her steady voice. She looked at the queen with pleading eyes, who in return locked her gaze with hers. „Please.“ For a moment, the queen lowered her head. Then a sincere smile painted her face. „I‘m glad you both are okay. I will grant you a place to stay.“ - - - - - After the long night, Evelyn and Victoria had gotten a warm meal, a bath and a place to sleep. To say they were exhausted was an understatement; the moment they had laid down, they fell asleep. The next morning, Evelyn had set a plan to go out flying with Ivy to see the destruction that was caused the previous day. She was anxious; she didn’t know what to expect. A few minutes after telling her mother she would be back later, she was already sitting upon her dragon’s back. The flight was filled with crippling anxiety. Neither Evelyn nor Ivy spoke a word to each other, just soaking in each other‘s presence for comfort. When the Eastern Mountains came into view, they were shocked. Everything was burnt down to the last crisp. No tree was still standing, no grass was in sight and only ashes remained. Softly landing on the burnt ground, remaining heat crept up their bodies. Although it had been at least a day, it was still oddly warm. Tears were forming in the girl’s eyes, her heartbeat being faster than usual. „No..“ she breathed out. „Everything is gone.“ _Those weren‘t the Eastern Mountains anymore_, Evelyn thought. She shared a look of inner trouble with Ivy. _No, they were more like Fire Mountains now._