In some Elven clans, it is a tradition to give a new-born princess a baby dragon…

… new-born Elven princesses and baby dragons are both vanishingly-rare, so this is a seriously-taken tradition. The princess’s parents have to give consent and, of course, the mother of the baby dragon must give hers, as well… but it is also a huge honour for everyone involved…

… because both these fabulous creatures live for thousands of years, they develop an unbreakable bond. Their bond becomes so strong that even the death of one of them cannot keep them from the side of the other, they are bonded for eternity…

… dragons are extremely dense creatures, they weigh much more than they should, it’s one of their many strengths. After a hundred years, her baby dragon, even though dragons grow very slowly, becomes too heavy for the young Elf to cuddle in her arms, even though, as a young Elf, her arms are very strong…

… this doesn’t stop her snuggling up to him or her at every opportunity…

… one of the many aspects of this bond that the princess’s parents have to consider, before giving consent, is that the bond becomes so strong, the dragon becomes the most important creature in the princess’s life… she will never love anyone, or anything, as much as she loves her dragon.

The Elves were genetically bred by the Golden Ones, a thousand years before they came to Earth. They were bred specifically to be warriors on ancient, alien battlefields…

… proud, and fiercely loyal to their rulers, the Elves have been at war for their entire existence…

… they have fought everyone, from Orcs and Neanderthals, to Vampires and Werewolves…

… they are literally fearless, emotionally indomitable creatures. They are are the size of an average human, with the golden eyes of their masters, but they don’t have the same effect on humans that their masters do, though humans still find them totally inscrutable, and largely humourless…

… they are vastly stronger, and spectacularly more agile than humans. Being bred for the battlefield, the original Elves didn’t need wings, they can jump several meters straight up, should they desire, and might as well have wings, given their physical speed and prowess, which makes them a match for any winged opponent… if that opponent can get close enough to harm them, an Elf can literally snatch them out of the sky…

… the Elves have, long ago, fought all their major battles on Earth, defeating all who opposed them. Today they fight far more asymmetrically… small, elite units, constantly battling Vampires and Demons. Many of them act as diplomatic protection for the Golden Ones, even some powerful humans have Elven bodyguards, their magic making them look like humans.