Elegy of Emptiness
Chapter One
Sixty-five bearded men in silk garments were assembled within a magnificent palace with marble floors. The door beheld the figure of an enormous dragon and windows were creased with emerald gems. They were the originators of a new realm of draconians that were the very Utopia of human virtue and happiness. The door of the dwelling flung open from the outside and there appeared an ancient draconian with his wings outstretched. He emerged into the sunshine, the cool winds from the east blowing through his ebony black hair.
He held in his arms, an infant boy, who winked and turned aside its little face from the too vivid light of the sky."Congratulations, Your Highness," he said. "It's a boy." The eyes of the old bearded draconians dimmed and bleared in sunlight that served them to pore over with ponderous looks. The ancient draconian's face darkened with a powerful emotion as he stepped gracefully into the palace with the emperor's child. The emperor's attention jolted toward the draconian that held the essence of a new draconian life. Carefully, the emperor stood and received the baby. The young newborn stirred within its father's arms and started to whimper loudly. The emperor glanced at his son's face a long time.
"He has his mother eyes"... the emperor said laughing heartily. What the ancient draconian servant was about to say next would most likely shatter the emperor's world. He bit his lip and hesitated for as long as he could but knew he had to say it. "I am sorry your highness but your wife has passed away " the ancient draconian said as he fell to knees. The emperor's heart shattered into a thousand pieces within seconds. "Our sincerest apologies, Lord Emperor" the multitude of elder draconians said in unison. The Emperor closed his cerulean eyes and tears seeped out between his eyelids. Reluctantly, he handed their child to the royal guard and went to his chambers.
"Highness, Are you all right?" the queen's personal maidservant said as she ran up to the emperor's chambers. The emperor rubbed his forehead and then his eyes, the urge to cry a burning sensation behind his lids. He looked down at his deceased wife. God, she was so beautiful, he thought, looking down into her face. He had an intense desire to embrace her. He was going to spend the rest of the day at his wife's bedside. He inhaled a deep sigh of relief. Relief that almost caused the maidservant to cry aloud when she entered the chambers of the emperor. It still hurt to know she was no longer in the world, that she could never see her first child. The emperor's voice was tremulously sweet, rich, deep, and broken.
The feeling that it so evidently manifested, caused it to vibrate within all hearts. Even the emperor's son at the maidservant's bosom, was affected by the same influence. So powerful was the emperor's grief that the people could not believe the queen was dead. The emperor's wife had borne, that morning, all that nature could endure; and her spirit escaped from the intense suffering of a draconian in gaea. The infant, during the latter portion of her ordeal, pierced the air with its wailings and screams. "Will you give the child a name?" the maidservant's request broke the silence in the room. "Lucius" the emperor answered leaving his wife's bedside to once again hold his son. "Why not announce thyself openly, and cast me off at once?" the maidservant began watching the emperor's movement closely. "Will it please you, therefore, to tell me, have I name him rightly?" the emperor said cuddling the young infant. "Yes" the maidservant said as she hurried off to the royal court.
15 years later- The Draconian Royal Court
The emperor's son was tall, a figure of perfect elegance. He had dark curly hair so abundant that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam and a face that reflected the essence of his deceased mother. He wore a red silk robe with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread. It was so artistically done that the gorgeous luxuriance of his apparel sparked jealousy upon the highest of officials. His skin was finely tanned and he emitted a delicate scent that revealed the purity of his young body.
His curly hair was soft and combed painstakingly, the top being curly and the back cut down lower. A crowd of eager spectators lined the streets of the palace awaiting his arrival from the castle. Eight distinguished horsemen who were the emperor's royal bodyguards traveled alongside the emperor's son. The scene of the emperor's son was never without a mixture of complete awe. From his intense self-consciousness of being the object of universal observation, Lucius, the emperor's son buried his face into his father's cloak. "Lucius, you mustn't hide from the people" the emperor smiled. "You must know that you are the son of a irreplaceable draconian, by birth, from depths of heaven."
Involved in his own thoughts Lucius scarcely heard a voice behind him, until it had repeated his name more than once, audible to the whole multitude of people. "Lucius, Lucius!" the voice cried from balcony of the draconian palace. Men bowed as the emperor and his son approached the steps of the palace. Suddenly, a young cat-girl came running down from balcony and embraced Lucius. She bowed courteously to the emperor and to Lucius. There was a murmur among the dignified occupants of the balcony. "Why dost thou smile so at me" Lucius inquired the young cat girl, troubled at the expression of her eyes. "Because I will not encounter the dishonor of not being at your side" the young cat-girl answered.
"Well...you will not be dishonored my friend only missed" Lucius chuckled slightly. The cat girl nodded and stared at him, his eyes sparkling with happiness. There was something special about her looks, wisps of golden red hair escaped her long braid were a shimmering halo of fire around her face, emphasizing her creamy complexion and the intense green of her eyes. Lucius's breath became shallow as he inhaled her fragrance. He looked up, meeting her eyes. Lucius was overwhelmed by the girl's resourcefulness, intelligence, and courage. Uneasiness weakened her limbs, numbed her mind. She slumped against Lucius in their embrace. His face creased with an expression she could only read as fatigue, but she suspected there was something more there. "Lucius, how did you let yourself get so caught up in all this?" the emperor asked. Lucius only rubbed his head embarrassingly.