"He's back."

Vadir's voice is a cold, crisp symphony in the giant's mind, causing him to jerk up his head from his grazing. What? Confusion taints his handsome features as he looks upwards, higher and higher until he can just make out the golden queen circling in the clear blue sky. Even when she's this far away, she is massive, her bulk unrivalled and her body a gleaming mass of gold that reflects the sunlight until she appears like a gem in the heavens. She is the Indomitable's pride and joy, yet she also possesses as many flaws as he does - her great sense of entitlement, vanity and arrogance, to name just three.

"HIM." The warlord is granted an image of Amaris' golden bonded, and the realistion causes him to unleash a mental ahh. The joy of meeting with Amaris again had been somewhat tainted by Vadir's inelegant slam into the ground, courtesy of the fact neither she nor Dramyrth had wanted to back down from their duel for royal dominance. It seems golden pride isn't specifically a trait of Vadir's - it's a curse of everybody of her unique scale colour. The queen had mercifully avoided any broken bones, although she'd obtained so many painful bruises that she hadn't been able to fly properly for days.

None of this has dented her desire to be the ultimate gold; if anything, it's only enhanced it. Of the golds in Helovia, Vadir has already asserted her authority over Babel, and the young male seems to have accepted his place readily. This has earnt him her favour, bordering on her obsession. She does not acknowledge the existence of Abraham's companion, because any gold that willingly bonds to a man who has sullied his mind with a white runt is unworthy of being recognised as a sister of hers. That leaves Dramyrth, and Vadir has taken his fightback as a personal affront. He might be large and devilishly handsome, but he is a male and he needs to learn his place. If he is to be seen as a suitable mate for a queen like herself, then he must achieve a mixture of deference to her yet defiance to all others. He must submit when she demands it yet display his strength and worthiness as a sire; this may seem like a contradiction, but queens like Vadir want mates that can exhibit raw golden power whilst also respectfully accepting their place as second-class citizens compared to females. That, after all, is why they are made smaller.

Only once a male has achieved that tricky combination will Vadir consider acknowledging him as an equal. Breeding is not on her mind yet, but crafting Dramyrth into her vision of perfection just in case certainly is. Volterra doesn't bother trying to stop her as she barges determinedly forwards, knowing that any attempt to prevent her actions will be utterly futile. That's another of her flaws, probably gained from him - bull-headed stubbornness.

The titan moves swiftly behind his golden queen, keen to keep an eye on her and meet up with Amaris again. His stride is a fluid canter, hardly affected by the considerable heat - he's used to it now, his body grown hardy by these difficult living conditions. Vérzés rides on his back, his claws dug deeply into thick flesh to anchor himself against his bonded's stride, his long red tail blowing in the wind as he screeches his pleasure. Amaris is second only to Isopia in his eyes for none-Volterra horses that he likes, and he especially adores when she generates dragon-spirits for him to speak to.

Volterra is soon in front of the dragonmare, a broad grin upon his handsome muzzle. "To what do I owe the pleasure again, Amaris?" he questions, realising for the first time that she is not alone. He glances politely at her travelling companions, a question in his eyes as he looks between them.

In the skies, Vadir searches for her quarry. "Why he fly so high?" she wonders, more to herself than to Volterra. Concerned that hunting down Dramyrth may lead her into a trap, the queen unleashes a blast of flame and thunder, calling him down to her. Round two of their battle beckons, and this time she's determined that the ground won't ruin their splendid duel.