The distress call came through loud and clear from the bride ship Breaking Dawn. It was his mate's ship. Sophia was in trouble.

“Prince Elait,” the pilot said over the long distance between Galaton and the ship, “our ship is in trouble. We've been attacked by the Mulgor. We need immediate assistance.”

“We were assured the Mulgor were not in that star system,” Elait growled. “Have you contacted the Draconian military?”

“I have, but they are a light year away from here. They cannot help us.”

“I will come to help you. But first I must ensure that my kingdom will not be overtaken by the unruly males of the Air Lands.”

“Perfectly understandable, Prince Elait. But please, come quickly. We cannot hold out very long. Our ship is damaged, and we've taken refuge inside a hollow asteroid within an asteroid belt. But the Mulgor jets are constantly patrolling the area. Eventually, they will find us. You must make haste or all will be lost.”

“I will leave Galaton by the end of the day.”

“Thank you, Prince.”

“Await my further instructions,” Elait said.

The pilot's face blinked off the screen and Elait sat back in his chair, letting out a rumbling sigh. His mate was in trouble and he was the only one who could save her.

Unfortunately, the males of the Air Lands had grown more violent in the last months. He’d had to fight for his life nearly every day since his son had been born.

The announcement that the Draconians were allowing Galaton to enter the mating lottery had not helped matters at all.

The males of the Air Lands brutally fought to overthrow his power, a power his family had held for a hundreds of thousands of years. It was always the same. As soon as the females began to die out, the males would rise against their leaders, seeking to bring in a new regime.

Every time they had attacked the princes they’d failed, but this time he feared he would lose his ancestral lands. If he had to leave Galaton now, there was no telling what would happen to the Air Lands in the time he was gone.

All he could do was ask the other princes to secure his lands for him, but they were busy enough protecting their own lands. However, they also awaited their brides. The princes had to work together to ensure the safety of the females.

It was essential that the princes were the first to mate, otherwise the overthrowing of their lands would be much easier. An heir for the succession was essential to maintaining the throne. The Earls and Dukes were working together now, trying to overthrow the princes. But Elait would never allow that to happen.

He walked out onto his balcony and looked down from the Crystal Palace over the lands of air. His castle was atop the highest mountain at the far north of the planet. White clouds puffed around the peak.

Elait jumped up into the air, shifting into his blue dragon form as he fell. He dropped down onto the landing pad and jumped onto his speeder. He had to travel to the Temple of the Four elements. As he took off, he called the other princes on his holocom and let them know to meet him there. He had much to ask of them and it was essential that they made haste.

When he set foot on the landing deck of the Temple, he got off his speeder and walked under the tall archway and into the Temple. Inside was a tall arching roof that rose above a brilliantly polished stone table. Elait took his place at the north end of the table. All four princes stood around the stone table looking at each other.

The Fire Prince was the first to speak.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked.

“I've received a distress call from my mate’s bride ship. They were attacked by the Mulgor in a system not far from Galaton. I must leave now to protect her. But if I leave my lands, the Dukes and Earl will surely overtake my throne. I have come to ask you all for your assistance.”

“Why should we help you?” the Earth Prince asked.

“Your brides will encounter the same dangers. I have so little time to negotiate this. Your cooperation is critical.”

“I offer my help,” said the Water Prince.

“Thank you,” Elait said.

“And I offer my assistance as well,” said the Fire Prince.

The Earth Prince spoke too. “If what you say is true, it is critical that we work together. Once we have our brides and open the mating lottery to the rest of the males, they will surely calm down. Everyone's mind is close to cracking. It is critical that we make this transition as peaceful as possible.”

“Then we are in agreement. The other princes will help the prince who must leave to ensure the safety of his lands and his throne.”

“It is agreed,” they all said at once.

They placed their hands over the stone table, making a mark that was a signature of their agreement. Any prince who broke the bond of agreement would be thrown out of the Princes’ Council. In times like these, their word was bonding. Without it, they were all lost.

Having secured the agreement of the other princes, Elait hurried back to the Air Lands and waited for the troops of his allies to arrive.

The dragons of the Fire Lands were the first. The Fire Prince had sent his strongest admirals to fight in the fighting pits on Elait’s behalf. Soon the earth dragons and the water dragons arrived as well. Elait had a force of sixty of the strongest dragons on Galaton to defend his throne while he was gone.

Satisfied that his lands would be secured in his absence, he readied for travel. He took a transport pod from the base of Galaton and flew into space to board his own ship, the Slipstream. Compared to a bride ship, the Slipstream was a technological marvel. It had a warp drive and weapons that the bride ships were not equipped it with. The bride ships were originally constructed to take brides from Earth to Draconia. His crew prepared for the journey and Elait took a seat in the pilot's chair.

As they maneuvered away from Galaton and accelerated into space, all he could think about was his mate and his child.

As they departed, he opened up his holocom and hailed the bride ship Breaking Dawn.

The pilot answered immediately with a dark look on his face.

“We are leaving Galaton now,” Elait said.

“We await your arrival,” the pilot said.

“We might have to push our warp drive to the limit, but we’ll be there in less than a week's time,” Elait said.

“I only hope that we will last that long.”