Trav and Conyac fly straight for the oncoming army of gigantic deformed humanoids. They look like orcs, trolls, or some similar creature from fairy tales and video games. Behind the vast army of horrid bodies, I see three giants of the same race. They are bigger even than Trav and Conyac in dragon form. They hold trees for clubs, and their footsteps are like earthquakes, shaking the ground. I gasp in fear.

Conyac unleashes his icy breath on the giants. Two of them are frozen solid in an instant. He lands on one with his claws and fangs bared, cracking the frozen monster into a million pieces. The ice falls and crushes the men around its feet. The army scrambles away as Trav breaks the second behemoth.

The third giant swings his club and nearly bashes Trav just before he juts away. Trav flies upward and arcs in the air, blowing his fire breath at the beast. The monster catches fire, screaming as the super hot flames lick his flesh. It tumbles to the ground, trying to roll out of the flames. But it's like an oil fire; nothing will put it out. The giant burns on the ground, igniting the Orgs who didn't make it out of the way in time.

The rest of the army continues toward Castle Warren. I gasp when I see how close they really are. Conyac and Trav swoop in behind the army, biting and clawing at the Orgs on the ground. They are a substantial foe with tooth and claw, but nothing compared to their full dragon power. Trav's men come in from the front, swords swinging. There is a cannon in the midst of the battlefield. A resounding blast sounds outside. I run to the window, just as the entire keep rumbles with the shock of the hit. 

"Oh no!" I yell. 

"Fear not, my lady," Gizmel says through clenched teeth. He isn't very convincing.

Conyac and Trav transform in the midst of the battle, fully clothed in their armor, their enchanted swords in hand. They fight like ninjas, taking out dozens of Orgs as they swing and dance in battle. I'm awestruck by their power and beauty. It is a sight to behold these men fight, even though it is brutal and bloody. They dodge the enemy with ease and make a path through the Org army toward the keep.

They fight with the Warren soldiers, side by side, until the Org army has dwindled to a much smaller number. As if by an instinctive command, the entire Org legion turns and begins to retreat. Trav's army continue to pursue them, taking out the rest of the Orgs they can catch. When I see Trav and Conyac returning, I hurry down the stairs to greet them.

I run down the stairs into the courtyard and find them both battle weary and bloody. As two sets of eyes fix on me, I stop. The men surround them in the chaos of post battle. Broken limbs and bloody gashes cover the soldiers. Trav and Conyac move toward me as one. I take a sharp breath in and hold it, not ready for what I know will come next.

Trav reaches me first, stopping short before me. He is covered in blood, his own mixed with that of his foe. Conyac comes behind him. He falls to his knees and puts a fist to his heart. Trav, seeing the gesture, joins him on the ground.

I look at them kneeling before me, confused. "My lady, I have fought to defend the realm. To prove my worth to you."

"I have fought bravely, and led my army to defeat the enemy that threatens us all. My sword and my fire are for you, lady," Trav intones.

"My ice and my sword," Conyac follows.

"Okay, okay," I say, embarrassed by the display. "Just get up. I want to go back to Skyland. Can someone please take me?"

"I will take you," Conyac says, standing.

"I will take her," Trav growls.

"But the Orgs are at your door, Warren. Shouldn't you stay?" Conyac says, a smirk on his lips.

"I will go where the princess goes," Trav snarls.

"Fine. Both of you take me back. I want to get home before nightfall and sleep in my own chambers. I don't like staying here."

Conyac gives Trav a triumphant look, and Trav snarls at him. I roll my eyes at them both. I'm so tired of this competition.

My inner dragon tells me I know how to end it, and I'm beginning to get the idea myself. I just don't know if I can bring myself to say it out loud, let alone consciously choose it and live it.

"Let's go," I groan. The princes lead me back to the carriage, and I sit beside Gizmel. "I am so tired of this," I tell Gizmel after the princes have shifted. Trav grabs the handle.

"The princes are overzealous, my lady, but they are right in being so...enthusiastic. What you saw today was a mere fraction of the Org army. It was a test, a shot across the bow, if you will. They are testing our readiness and our strength. Without the power of hilock, the Org will soon defeat us."

I sigh and look out the window. I know what is coming. I'm going to have to choose one of them. No one ever said I could choose both; even if I really wanted that, which I'm beginning to believe I do, it probably isn't an option.

My inner dragon begs to differ, but I still don't believe it. I don't want to believe it. The idea of being married to one of them, making love to one of them, fills me with anxiety, let alone doing it with two. How would that even work? I see a vision of exactly how mating with the two of them would work, and I squeeze my eyes closed and groan.

"What is it, my lady?" Gizmel asks.

"It's nothing. I'm just trying to come to terms with the whole hilock thing. What is that all about anyway? What exactly will the man I choose do again?"

"He will plant his mating seed inside you and give you the mating bite. You simply have to take him."

"And what would happen if both of them did that?"

"I don't understand, princess. Are you asking how both might make hilock with you?"

I blush, glad this didn't come up when the princes were present. I bite my lip and scrunch up my eyebrows. "Well, it could happen. They're always trying to get a piece of me at the same time."

"I suppose both could perform hilock at the same time," he says thoughtfully. "Then both would receive the king's power." A flash of inspiration crosses his face, and he smiles at me as if I’ve just discovered the cure for cancer.

"That's it!" he yells. We land gracefully on the ground in Skyland.