Fiona was about to witness his fury, the total retaliation of the enemy's poor treatment of Tiamat.
They should have killed him when they had the chance, now any pleas for mercy would fall on deaf ears.
His soldiers had the caves completely surrounded and had already dispatched a few of the stragglers but the majority of the enemies still were inside of the cave unaware of the danger that lurked outside.
The soldiers were patiently awaiting the command from the dragon lord to make their next move.
Tiamat looked over at Fiona, he already experienced her kind heart, he watched her eyes widen as she realized what would happen next.
He expected hysterics but instead was surprised by the serene and peaceful expression on her face.
"My lord Tiamat, we've put all the evil doers in one place, will you give the signal or must we stand at attention all night?" asked the soldier.
Curiosity won out and Fiona edged around the dragon, to get a better look. Now she had a name to go with the face, it was Tiamat and the name suited him.
It was obvious to Fiona that the newcomer was related to the dragon shifter. He had the same silverish hair, even though a bit shorter he had the same muscular build.
Anyone would be overwhelmed by the sight that greeted her, the aftermath of a small skirmish with blood and dead bodies everywhere.
She instantly clung to his tunic out of shock, but he did not shake her off, in fact he was a little pleased by her reaction.
Yet his face gave no such indication, she might as well have been invisible. Both he and his men acted like she was invisible.
Speaking to only Tiamat the soldier directly asked him, "well cousin?"
Something clicked for Fiona, the newcomer's impudent speech made perfect sense now for she wondered why the dragon did not eat his vassal where he stood for his audacity.
He was family, a younger cousin from the looks of him. Unlike Tiamat, he didn't look battle hardened with scars to show for his experience, his gait was arrogant, and he looked fresh faced and eager for bloodshed.
When he thought Tiamat wasn't looking, he boldly gave Fiona a look that made her want to step a few steps back and hide behind their master.
It was a look of scorn and hatred; she didn't understand they had only just met why was he staring at her with such disdain.
"It's obvious their leader isn't here, and they refuse to give his name, preferring to be tortured to death than admit who sent them," the young man told his cousin.
She too was curious about what Tiamat's next move would be as she watched the drama unfold all around her.
Fiona felt pity for the men and asked, "will you give them a warning and set your enemies free?
The young man took a few steps back at her bold comment, he didn't want to be in range of Tiamat's hand expecting him to slap her and put her in place for her cheekiness. Imagine daring to suggest such an act in a time of war.
To both their surprise Tiamat paid neither of them any mind. She nudged Tiamat and was about to repeat her question when the young man shouted at her.
"Spy, get your filthy hands off our master," he growled at her.
Tiamat was about to snap at the younger man for his impertinence but just then he felt the warm embrace of Fiona's hand as she desperately held onto his own hand.
It was obvious she was afraid even though her facial expression was calm her hand trembled in his and he was startled by her touch, Tiamat didn't know how to respond.
"Gritzl, cease your prattling and maintain your composure," reprimanded Tiamat.
Gritzl immediately fell back into position with the other men, even though he was family and Tiamat doted on him he sometimes needed to be reminded who was in charge.
"No one touches this woman; she belongs to me."
Tiamat's voice sounded loud and booming to her own ears, while the soldiers looked upon their leader with awe and respect. As Tiamat gave his command with his hands on his hips and two legs apart reminding Fiona of a proud pirate.
Whether or not Gritzl liked it, Fiona was now Tiamat's captive and under his protection by putting Gritzl in his place, Tiamat was making this decision pretty clear for all his men to see.
He turned to glared down at her, barked at her to stay put then let go of Fiona's clasp while shouting orders at his men. Gritzl was perplexed by Tiamat's surprisingly tender care of his enemy.
"Now that you're done here, you don't have to be responsible for me," she exclaimed. "Just drop me off by the nearest city and I'll complete what I came here to do and make my own way home. It is stupid of you to feel responsible for me because I returned the favor by saving your life that makes us even, so we're equals now."
"Equals, you say?" he murmured in an offhand manner.
Tiamat shouldn't be shocked anymore by the stupidity that comes out of his captive's mouth.
Now he was even more curious about the strange land his captive hailed from: did they teach their women to be so insolent and bold.
The truth is, she was naive and didn't even realize how much her words brought him low and insulted his intelligence, had she been a man she would already have been struck down where she stood for much less.
Fiona didn't understand the reason Tiamat's face was getting mottled, nor to be honest did she care.
She was used to doing things her own way and would not be cowed by his gruffness.
"You must think I have value then; I can assure you that is not the case," she implied.
"You believe you have no value," he responded quizzically.
Fiona saw the expression in his eyes change to one of mirth, it felt like he was laughing at her but doing his best to contain himself.
One of his men hurried over to him and gave him a huge sword that looked very heavy, but Tiamat took it from the man like it weighed nothing and thanked him profusely.
He was relieved to be back in possession of his sword that he treated like another part of his body.
Instead of explaining himself to Fiona he just turned and walked away. When he stood directly facing his soldiers, he raised his sword in the air, and roared "no mercy."