The End - Thirteen Years Ago
"My brothers, I welcome all of thee to my chambers. May this be one of the last times we meet in such humble arrangements. But I have not summoned the Brotherhood for trivial formalities. Today we must come to a decision." Thus, spoken were the words of an Ender (translated into human speech) that would determine the fate of an empire, in a poorly-lit but well-hidden room in a mysterious dimension that would be known to humans as The End.
Before the story goes on, a few details ought to be made clear. This tale was written by a human, but dabbles heavily into the culture and affairs of the Enders, of which the author has limited experience with. Therefore, some details may not be fully accurate. Also, names such as Ender and The End are human in origin, and would not have been said by non-humans. This is intended for convenience and because little progress has been made translating the language of the Enders, so terms like these are used for simplicity's sake.
"Oh, indeed?" questioned cloaked figure. "And why must our endeavors be decided upon at the present? For many years have we conspired and yet never has fruition arrived!"
"Hold your tongue, Brother Riolin," a second figure replied, indignantly. "Test not the patience of our leader! He is correct; for far too long has our order been idle. But look at our dimension! It is dying, Brother!"
"Brother Korenji, the Brotherhood has long known of your contempt for Brother Riolin," replied a fourth figure, tending the fire that the group sat around. "But perhaps you ought not to judge his remark too harshly. His words are true: for too long have we done nothing for our home. Each moment that passes only brings it closer to peril. Our good-for-nothing queen sits and keeps everything stagnant. However, I do not believe that it is dying just yet."
"All the more reason to take action, Brother Proliso," said the first calmly. "I will admit that our order has never had a great opportunity to save our homeland from wasting away, but have you forgotten that we have the support of a god now?"
"About that, Brother, I must admit my mistrust of it," replied Riolin. "Though we owe our existences to it, I cannot be alone in feeling the malevolence radiating off its mere presence!"
"I must agree. Whatever it is, it isn't natural," spoke Proliso.
"Natural or not, we owe a life debt to it, and are obligated to serve it until repayment is deemed adequate" replied Korenji.
"And we were given one task, which we wanted anyways; install a new leadership," added the mysterious leader.
"You three realize this is high treason, right?" Riolin asked quietly, more to himself than the others. Unfortunately, he was overheard in the quiet room.
"Of course it's treason!" he snapped. "What kind of group did you think this was?"
To his credit, Riolin flinched only slightly. "I thought it would be a peaceful revolution! That we would 'encourage' the queen to surrender power! Perhaps not legally, but with good intentions! But this is regicide! You propose setting that… thing upon the queen! How is that supposed to save a supposedly 'dying' world?! The world seems fine to me!"
At these words the leader's face became a cold scowl, and Riolin's nervousness caught up with him at that moment. "Very well," he said coldly. "If you don't want to see a new age for the land, then you have no place among us. You're dismissed from the Brotherhood, Riolin.
Riolin didn't know how to feel. The group had become too radical for his tastes, but now what did he have? He was a known criminal, as his former group had tried (and failed) several times to get their queen to step down. If he revealed himself, he would be executed for treason. He was no longer safe in this dimension. But something seemed… off. The group had had multiple arguments, and even a few ones that were larger than that. The fact that he was dismissed so easily for just this one didn't seem right. Something was definitely afoot. He looked to the other members of the group. Korenji looked indifferent to his expulsion, Proliso looked slightly pitying, but the leader remained cold.
Bewildered but dismayed, he left the room. He looked around him, taking in the scenery of his homeland for one last time. It was a massive, floating island, with a purple sky, lush flora and fauna, and luxurious houses with spacious yards. This description will almost certainly confuse modern readers, but this will be explained later. Anyways, it pained him to be no longer safe here; he had to find a new dimension to survive in for at least a few years, until he was hopefully forgotten. It was his only chance now. But what was he going to do there? That was second priority over survival. Without another word (except for a regretful sigh), Riolin teleported, not knowing when (if ever) he would return.
The Overworld - Eleven Years Ago
"Life here isn't bad at all," Riolin thought. (As one can see, he ended up in the dimension called "The Overworld" by humans, although he had no knowledge of the race.) Detailing his struggles for survival is unimportant; suffice to say in the time he had been here, he went from starting from scratch to reasonable comfort, except for when it rained, of course. Finding out that this world was surrounded by a liquid that could also fall from the sky and burned like one of the potions the alchemists could make was not a fun experience. He did admit that its forbidden nature only augmented his fascination, however. The life of this realm seemed to depend on it, which at first only worsened his initial anxiety for being in an alien world, but eventually he could tolerate its presence, so long as it didn't directly contact him.
Riolin was shocked to see how similar the flora and fauna was to his home world. He imagined that he landed in a spot that may have once been colonized by his race. But if that was the case, then why was there no knowledge of the existence of this realm? Was this information forgotten, vanishing from memory over countless generations, or was it actively suppressed? Inter-dimensional teleportation was extraordinarily risky. An Ender had to essentially 'lock on' to a foreign source of energy, with no knowledge of where it led. It was usually a risk for only the most determined or desperate.
Life was certainly tougher, sure, with none of his race around to aid him in any way, but in his secluded hut far from the prying eyes of any natives, he was fairly content. Plus, he had learned so much about things no other Ender had any knowledge of! Perhaps he would someday return to his dimension, and share his findings. Maybe his race would expand here in the future, and maybe set up colonies.
Eventually, Riolin went hunting, continuing to imagine establishing mercantilism here for future generations. He was passing through what us humans would call a "Savannah" (his camp being established in a somewhat nearby Forest that had been all but depleted of game) when he heard faint but heavy breathing in a nearby tree. Raising his arms defensively (he hunted barehanded; due to his race's teleportation and strength he could easily catch and overpower anything he hunted), he eventually spotted the source of the respiration: a red, scaly, winged beast nursing a wound on its abdomen, with what appeared to be a wooden shaft with feather fragments on one end sticking from it. It looked like a rather painful injury.
"Who are you? Have you come to claim me? I may be wounded, but I will not surrender my life for as long as I breathe!" Riolin flinched, as these words were spoken seemingly in his own mind, but not by himself. What sorcery was this?
"Hello?" he replied with uncertainty.
"Save your breath. I can't speak your verbal tongue, and you certainly won't speak mine. I will not give you my name, and I don't care what yours is. Make your move. I know you are hunting."
Riolin was at a loss. He was merely intending to get a meal that would last a day or two. And now he stumbled upon something he had never seen before that seemed to be able to penetrate his very mind!
"You're a rather poor hunter, you know. Never let your guard down around a physically superior being. If I wasn't currently burdened by this accursed arrow you would easily be dead right now."
Riolin felt offense at that. He thought he was doing rather well, utilizing his race's natural advantages to the best of his ability. He survived for two years, after all. Also, arrow? That must have been the feathered shaft in the beast's hide.
"Look, I don't know if you can understand my thoughts as language or just emotions or whatever, but if you can hear this, I'm not here to hurt you," he thought. "I'm hunting for prey, and you most certainly are not prey."
"Indeed, I am not, that's obvious." He could almost hear the snark in this telepathy, but he thought he could sense a modicum of pride from that response. "Telepathy makes the need for words unnecessary, as a practitioner can interpret the message from the very essence of the thought." Hmm… Perhaps flattering thoughts were the best course of action, but he shouldn't express them directly. Instead, he would pretend like his flattery were normal thoughts to avoid suspicion. Needless to say, he kept himself from thinking his strategy out loud, if such an endeavor was possible.
"Whatever it is, it is certainly a magnificent creature. I wonder what it is called?" He tried to pretend that this was not intended to be communicated to the creature. Hopefully it would think he was genuinely in awe. He was certainly impressed by it, of course, but he wanted to maximize the impression. If he buttered it up, it might reveal more about itself.
"Magnificent, eh? I haven't heard that term be used to describe one of my kind before, although it's certainly a deserved one. Usually we only sense fear or hatred from our prey."
"My kind? Prey? I'd better watch myself."
"As should all who challenge the Red Dragons. Why are your thoughts so quiet, anyways? I don't think I've ever had a sophisticated conversation with someone outside my own kind before. It would be a shame for it to be interrupted, although feasting wouldn't be unwelcome to me."
An involuntary shudder ran down his spine, but Riolin realized that he should also use direct mental communication as well, or else the being in front of him might also get suspicious of his 'quietness'. Unfortunately, trying to mask one's own thoughts is quite difficult to control, and he could not fully suppress it. This did not go unnoticed by the being in front of him, raising its head in interest.
"Ah, I see what you're trying to do. Rather clever, I must confess. However, I thought I made it quite clear that my kind is not to be trifled with!" Riolin was on the verge of panicking, but a small, rational part of his mind remained calm. "There's no point in overcomplicating your thoughts now! Do what you must to stay alive!" He wasn't sure how he would outlast a foe that could seemingly read his mind, but he would do what he had to do. But then he remembered that he could teleport.
"Make one move and you'll never see me again, dragon."
"Indeed, you could be digesting in my stomach in a single move." He tensed and prepared himself, with a brief thought that ironically, he was now waiting for her to make the first move, unlike when they met about a minute ago. "But I think not." He was somewhat confused by these words. "It takes courage to attempt to deceive a Red Dragon, especially unarmed. And you succeeded, albeit briefly, but still, I can appreciate the effort it took to attempt masking your thoughts. This arrow wound has soured my mood, but you have managed to raise it slightly. Most impressive, deserving of some reward, even. Very well, you shall live for now, at least, and I will give you information willingly. But this reward comes with a cost; you must tell me about your kind as well. I've hunted throughout this world for many decades, but I have never encountered your kind before. I thought you were a human at first, but your scent was wrong. But now it is your turn to speak."
Goodness, what an unexpected development, but one thing at a time. Was it wise to describe himself, his race, and all that he knew to this being? But then again, he didn't have much choice, it seemed. He was under the impression that he was only alive due to the 'generosity' of the dragon. Therefore, he began teaching.
For the sake of brevity (and privacy for respect), only a few details about the remaining conversation have been deemed important enough to warrant repeating. Riolin began by describing his race and homeland in The End. One might recall that The End was described as a lush, well-developed, single island. This was indeed true at the time. Unfortunately, future events would change the realm into the place that is familiar to the modern reader with knowledge of the dimension. But because such events had yet to happen in this tale no more shall be said about the matter until then.
Riolin answered many questions from the dragon, (such as what his species did to survive, which was mainly agriculture, particularly for delicious Chorus Fruits) mentioned what he could not explain (such as teleportation, which was still being studied by Ender scholars, with the most respected hypothesis being some sort of co-evolution with Chorus Fruits, whose seeds pass through the Ender digestive system and can spread far and wide from a teleporting host), and he was eventually convinced to tell about his backstory, which he was completely truthful about. Thankfully, the dragon didn't seem to care about his illegal activities in the Brotherhood he shared with Proliso, Korenji, and the nameless leader, claiming that if leaders can't adequately defend their authority, they deserve to be toppled. But he was far more interested in learning about the dragon, of course.
Riolin learned that the Red Dragon before him was a female. He asked what her name was, but she claimed that her kind had unique scents, making names redundant. Nevertheless, apparently a group of human warriors (from a village she would raid periodically) jokingly called her "Jean the Mean" (perhaps the condescending name would improve morale), which she found so juvenile and corny that she couldn't keep herself from using it as a joke, with the added benefit of giving her additional identity, even if one that no other dragon would care about, and likely not take seriously if they did.
After answering another round of banal (to him) questions, he then learned that she and her kind were being hunted to near extinction by a race called "humans", which were bipedal and sapient like him, but shorter, weaker, and unable to naturally teleport themselves. However, the dragon claimed that they were quite creative and skillful, compensating for physical disadvantages with tools and even limited use of magicks. Curious, indeed. They would require further study. However, he was shocked to learn that she claimed to be one of the last of her kind. He didn't know it was that critical for her. She knew not how many Red Dragons remained in her realm, but she said that they were nearly impossible to find nowadays, and lived far from each other, so breeding and repopulation would be almost certainly insufficient without external aid. However, she also revealed that she was pregnant; she and another dragon had mated some time ago, before he was slain, his head being brought back as either a trophy or bounty. While she personally did not fear death, with dragons believing in a benevolent afterlife of some kind, she feared the extinction of her species. She desired a place where her young could be safe to hatch, grow, and aid in repopulation. Avenging her species against the humans would be a bonus, but that was optional.
As the dragon continued to answer questions, Riolin noticed that her demeanor diminished in pride and began to grow somewhat uneasy. It was almost as if she was building up to something she did not want to discuss. It was soon Riolin's turn to answer questions again, but the dragon only had a single question. However, it was one that took him completely off-guard, and would change the course of history for three dimensions.
"Would it perhaps... be possible to take me to your world?" He was stunned. She quickly added, "I know it's risky and dangerous for myself and my young, and likely your people as well, but I cannot risk the endangerment of them from the humans, at least until our numbers grow again." Still he was speechless. It was difficult to discern from the dragon's face, but it looked to be a combination of solemn and dejected, but faintly holding onto hope.
"I… I don't know. There's so many factors to consider. No one will know who or what you are, which could lead to fear of you, and lead to being hunted again. There's so much that could go wrong, and I don't even know if it's possible. Not to mention that I doubt I'm safe yet there. If something goes wrong, I could easily be blamed, and then investigated, and if I'm recognized and remembered, then I will likely be summarily executed for treason. I've tried to so hard to put my past behind me."
The dragon gave him a pleading look. "Please, at least let us try. Surely we could think of some way to aid us both?"
"You do know you're asking for me to bear a massive burden, right? Why must I? Why should I gamble my efforts of atonement away to help someone who just an hour ago had no problems with the idea of killing me?" Perhaps that was too blunt; Riolin truly wanted to help her, but this was something he wasn't sure he would be able to do. It would endanger both of them, putting both of them at great risk.
"Would you bear the blood of a species on your hands, an eternal burden of the mind you would bear after making no effort to prevent it? To forever see the faces of an extinct race staring at you, not with anger or sorrow, but disappointment? If that is a burden you would truly bear, you may depart from me, but be warned, Ender Riolin, it will not be in whatever kinship we have forged, but instead doomed to an eternity of spiritual regret for your inaction. I implore you to consider if that is worth risking over temporary suffering for the good of another in only the direst of need. I know what I ask of you is impossibly large, but the hope I hold for it is all I have."
Those words hit him harder than any blow ever did. For but a moment, their minds were united, and Riolin almost couldn't bear the sheer devotion and desperation she had for the survival of her race. The willpower she demonstrated was staggering, an amount he never saw in anyone before. He did not know what moved him so deeply; perhaps it was the nature of her surprisingly philosophical reply, or perhaps something else. Words did contain great power indeed, evidently! But at that time, he knew that he must do something for this creature.
"How low could one be to do nothing after the soul of one so noble was displayed so majestically? I know not exactly what to do, but I swear upon my name that I shall aid you however I can." It was done. He had pledged his assistance to the dragon, and there was no backing out of his oath. "Hopefully someday we will be able to do so. But until that day, let us focus on survival. Your offspring will almost certainly perish if you do not survive. Therefore, let us find a place to remain safe and hidden from the humans, where you may regain your strength, and I investigate this tremendous undertaking."
The dragon closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I thank you, Ender Riolin. Forever shall I and my kind be in your debt if we succeed."
The Overworld - Four Years Ago
It took nearly seven years, but at long last, Riolin and the Red Dragon had a plan worked out. It was not an easy journey, but it was finally complete. Between nursing the dragon back to health, hatching and caring for her young (four in all, hatching about two months after their initial meeting), and working towards finding out how to teleport non-Enders to his dimension, Riolin was quite pleased with himself and the life he remade since his departure from his home world. Soon he would return, and share his collected knowledge with his people. He could potentially go down in history with a good image!
He left his experimentation chamber, which he dug out near a human mineshaft. From the looks of the copious collections of spider webs, it appeared long-abandoned. Returning to the surface, he saw the Red Dragon and her young resting peacefully. With a smile he watched them relax. Over the years, he and the dragon had grown quite close. They weren't lovers, but they both forged a powerful relationship beyond that of mere associates. Finally, Riolin would be able to try to give her what she wanted for so long: a place safe from the humans.
The humans… he had been studying them. They truly were remarkably similar (outside of appearances and the lack of teleportation) to the Enders. He didn't see any unusual malice in them, and neither did the dragon, but he suspected that most of them were ignorant of their devastation of the Red Dragons, although it was almost certain that some truly wanted to hunt them into extinction. No species was perfect, after all.
Riolin shrugged. They probably wouldn't encounter them anymore, anyways. He got the dragon's attention, and she turned to him with a smile. She appeared ready to give this her best shot. But internally she was hesitant. This truly would be a massive undertaking; she was going to a completely different world without any other Red Dragons. But every day she remained in this world, the risk of being attacked potentially increased. Dragons weren't exactly stealthy creatures, after all.
"Are all preparations satisfied?" she asked mentally.
"Indeed, they are. The portal is complete, and I confirmed that it will return us to my homeland. Are you absolutely certain that you wish to stay there? There's no shame in backing out from such an endeavor, as no one should have to do what you intend to do. We could probably remain safe in this world if we move periodically."
"I am sure. I don't want to take any chances with such enormous stakes. If I and my young are truly among the last of our kind, then I cannot be certain enough that they will be safe in this realm."
If Riolin was to be completely truthful, he thought that leaving her own world behind with limited knowledge of what lay on the other side of the portal was rather foolhardy, but then again, he supposed that she was a clear apex predator, and he imagined she thought she was ready for anything his world had to offer. But it was her choice after all. Besides, it would give him an excuse to return to his world and experience what he missed all of these years. Was he comfortable with this? Absolutely not, but he did admit he was rather excited as well.
Nevertheless, it would be prudent to be as cautious as possible. "Let's go over the plan one last time. We will enter the realm near the outskirts of the island, near a cavern system that I know of. You and your young should be safe there until you and the population are adjusted to each other in my world. Due to your status as a sapient creature, you're protected under law."
"Very well. I am ready when you are. Lead the way, please." With those words, she gazed upon her young and communicated with them in her draconic tongue. Wordlessly, they walked behind him, wings folded, and followed him into the depths of the earth. The mature Red Dragon gazed sadly upon the world, which she knew she would always long to return to. Her young were dragons, and young dragons are still formidable, but many of her more mature, stronger companions have fallen to human arms. She reckoned that they still needed about three more years to mature before she felt comfortable returning. By that time, they would probably also be able to communicate telepathically as well. With one final sorrowful look, she turned and followed the only companions she had in this world into a whole new one.
The End - Four Years Ago
With a quick shake of the head to clear his disorientation, Riolin looked about at his surroundings. Before him stretched that purple sky he had known for almost his whole life. He couldn't help but laugh with relief. He was home for the first time in years.
The big question was, what about his companions? He had entered the portal first (he could have simply teleported, but he could have ended in a completely different area), so hopefully his companions would arrive shortly. He moved a short distance away and sat down, waiting expectantly but somewhat nervously. His worry was quickly undone, however, by the arrival of a juvenile Red Dragon, and then another, another, and one more. Mere seconds later, their mother arrived. The five dragons gazed curiously at their surroundings, and Riolin hoped that they had favorable first impressions.
"Welcome to my home world. May it provide comfort and safety for the duration of your visit." Riolin tried to add some humor to the air, but he didn't blame their lack of response. He understood only too well what committing years of your life to a new dimension felt like.
"So far, it seems almost too good to be true. Other than the unnatural sky, I would almost not know I was in an entirely different dimension. This is better than I could have hoped for!"
Oh... well then. He admired her optimism, but there was still so much to do. Arriving here safely was only half of the battle. They still had to establish themselves, and Riolin still wasn't sure if he could rejoin Ender society after his past. But if he didn't do something, he would likely procrastinate indefinitely.
"Alright, follow me once more, please. I know exactly where we will establish ourselves. Only my former Brotherhood members ever went there, since it was a mine that was eventually depleted of ore. It is spacious, so it should make a good nest for you and your young."
"What are you going to do after?"
"I am uncertain… Maybe I'm sure I'll think of something."
"Do you think your Brotherhood group is still around?"
That was a good question. Riolin didn't take the group very seriously, but the others did. While he did some things he wasn't proud of (mainly slandering the queen, whom he didn't truly dislike), he didn't consider himself a true member, either. It was mostly what he considered the only option at the time. His life was in shambles, and he was promised glory and respect. He was so naive to believe that, but at least he considered himself as having made up for it by now. Anyways, he had no information about what had happened in his home world since he left, so he had no idea how successful the group was. But he didn't fancy their chances at having done anything productive, since the group was indeed idle for so long.
He snorted. "They didn't do anything for the couple years I was a member. We did more surviving outside society than anything treasonous. It was all the leader's ideologies that we were to follow, and he never revealed his name. I guess as leader, he didn't want to have any chances of being identified. Personally, all I cared about was having companionship during a low point of my life. It was stupid of me to join, but I daresay I've made up for it. But I cannot answer, because I have no information about them that is up to date. I do hope Proliso is doing well, though. He was almost a friend to me. Everyone else seemed indifferent or disliked me, even when our ranks were larger, but like me, he didn't feel like he had any other options, so we could empathize with each other."
The Red Dragon gave no response, so they continued their trip in relative (mental) silence. After arriving, they found a nice and cozy section carved away from the main entrance, where they set up camp / the nest. For four days they lived there, surviving on Riolin hunting creatures that were somehow also in her old world, while she educated her young. They couldn't go out until they were known by Riolin's people, so the four dragons were antsy and impatient to be free. But Riolin simply couldn't muster the courage to go out and do so. He was too cautious and afraid to. Despite near-constant reassurance that all would be fine, he simply couldn't do it. If she were in his place, she would have done it immediately. Weak-willed Ender. As a matter of fact, why couldn't she?
When Riolin was out hunting on that fourth day, she informed her young that she was going to scout out the land, but forbade them from leaving, which they were obviously displeased with. She sympathized with them, but now was not the time for such matters. She envisioned a fairly similar life to what was offered in her old world, not hiding in a cave because of some other sapient creature's shyness! Leaving the cave, she built up some speed, spread her wings, and rose into the air. Ah, the feeling of flying was unparalleled! With a graceful roll, she set off toward the center of the island, where she vaguely remembered being told where the queen of the island resided.
Within mere minutes, she saw a magnificent, if oddly designed, towering structure, which overshadowed the surrounding buildings. Many Enders were gazing at her, astonished by her presence, but she ignored them. Noticing guards stationed in front, she landed directly in front of them, with them backing up in alarm. Before they could do anything else, she focused her mind at both of them. "Greetings. I mean no harm, so please relax. I come bearing a message from an Ender named Riolin."
"What is that?!" both thought simultaneously. However, the unified thoughts diverged right there, and become too quick-paced for her to keep track of simultaneously.
"I said to relax, Enders. Clear your thoughts, now!" Being intimidating was probably not wise, especially considering what her mission was, but she was not in a great mood. Thankfully, the guards mostly calmed their thoughts, but looked extremely uncomfortable. She took her mental focus off one of the guards, focusing on the other one exclusively. "I wish to talk to the leader of this land. This is a matter of importance. I have not come for malicious purposes."
The guards were bewildered, especially the one who she severed her mental link with, but the other tried to speak. "Save your words, as verbal communication is useless. I can communicate telepathically; through the mind, words are needless. Just think what you want to communicate. Please keep the other guard informed, as doing this with two beings is quite difficult."
The guard still looked very uneasy, but his guard training taught him to always be rational, so he forced himself to be calm. "I shall try to do what I can. What business do you have with our queen?"
Well, the queen was still alive, so the Brotherhood clearly failed. Pathetic, good thing her favorite Ender left such a worthless group. But that wasn't the point. She had a task to do.
"I am a Red Dragon from another realm. My kind has been hunted to the very brink of extinction by a race called "humans" in my old world. In order to prevent my kind from being wiped out, I and my four young have fled to this world with the help of Ender Riolin. I wish to bring this information to your queen, and I sincerely hope that she will give permission for us to remain until my young are strong enough for us to return to my old world."
The muted guard said something to the guard she was talking to, and he responded in the Ender tongue, so she knew not what they said. They talked for over a minute, so he was probably explaining what he knew so far. She continued to monitor his thoughts, which were quite confused and conflicted, to say the least. Eventually, he stopped talking, and his thoughts returned to her.
"We have discussed the matter and have decided that this is a matter worth bringing to the queen's attention. But be warned, Red Dragon, if you have lied about your claim of no malicious intentions, you will suffer the wrath of the queen's personal guard, and your head will become a symbol of warning."
She resisted a snark-filled retort that she could probably take them all on without shedding a scale, but that would be poor diplomacy. The mute guard turned and knocked on the door, and another guard appeared, recoiling at the creature before him until he was calmed down. The new guard was told something, probably to summon the queen, before he retreated inside. Three minutes later, the queen of the Enders appeared, surrounded by guards.
"We are the queen of my people, and we welcome thee to our kingdom. We have been informed of thy desire to live amongst our people. Our people have not remembered about thy kind in countless generations, or of humans. Such names have been long-irrelevant for the Ender Kingdom. If thy heart be true, thy request shalt be granted. Thou shalt be judged immediately."
It was the Red Dragon's turn to be bewildered. Her kind was known here? She would be judged? What was going on? But before she could process all of this, the queen closed her eyes and chanted softly in her tongue, the surrounding guards bowing. The dragon felt a somewhat icy essence in her mind, which lingered for about a quarter of a minute. It then dissipated, and the queen opened her eyes again.
"We have judged thy claims, and have found thee true of heart. Naught may deceive this judgmental force. With thy heart pure, we grant thee our blessing to remain in our kingdom, under these conditions. Thou may not assault our subjects or ravage our lands, excepting necessary hunts. Failure to comply shall warrant formal trial by the royal judge. Thy Ender companion, Riolin, is to report daily on both of thy doings. Failure to comply shall warrant an investigation and formal inquiry. And lastly, thou and thy companion are to obey all laws of our land. He may inform thou of them. Failure to comply shall warrant arrest for him, and a formal inquiry for thee. But if thou and thy companion remain lawful, I wish thee prosperity, and both of thou shall also be protected under the laws of our land."
The queen turned to leave, but the dragon had one final question that she couldn't let go unasked. "Your highness, my companion, Riolin… he has spent many years in my former world, and has accumulated much knowledge that he wishes to submit. He has worked very hard to atone for his past, and I humbly request his name to be pardoned."
The queen turned to face her again. "We admire thy concern for thy companion, but whatever dost thou mean? Riolin may have been slanderous towards us in years past, but so have numerous other parties. His actions have caused no distress for us, so we do not consider him a criminal. However, we shall publicly declare thy companion to be free of any charge if thou wish for reassurance." With those words, the queen returned inside, and the door was closed. The dragon was stunned. She was given permission to remain. She was safe. She was actually safe to raise her young to maturation! Her exuberance was interrupted by the first guard's thoughts, saying "If your business here is concluded, please depart. It will still take time for your presence to be widely accepted, so I recommend still laying low for some time."
Fair enough, and she wanted to race back and tell Riolin the good news, anyways. She forced herself to mentally thank the guard for everything, and then she returned, flying as quickly as she could. By the time she returned, Riolin wasn't home yet. She immediately went to the nest to inform her young, who were ecstatic at their good fortune. But in her excitement, she forgot about the queen mentioning that she knew about Red Dragons and humans.
When Riolin did return, he was suspicious about the grins that the Red Dragons couldn't keep off their faces. "Okay, what happened? Don't bother denying that something didn't happen. After spending years with you, I think I can recognize your excitement."
"Indeed, something did happen. Something of great importance. I visited the queen!"
"You WHAT?!"
"I did what I said. She granted us permission to live here!"
Riolin couldn't believe it. His head swam with questions, but the Red Dragon anticipated this. "Allow me to answer your questions," she projected.
For the sake of brevity, Riolin and the Red Dragon were engaged in a Q & A session for the next twenty minutes. When his questions were satisfied, he was almost speechless.
"All these years, I've dreaded returning to my home, but they were in vain. But you know what? I'm not angry. Nay, my fear was a blessing, as it led to our meeting, and all the events that led up to now, which are letting us turn our lives around. We did it, 'Jean', we actually did it!"
"Indeed we did, my Ender friend! But let's not get ahead of ourselves; one step at a time, first. Here we're safe from humans, but we could still be attacked by those who would defy laws. Also, I do wish to return to my world once my young are mature, and… I wish for you join us."
She thought that was a very serious proposal, so she was surprised when Riolin actually laughed. "Of course I will! I can teleport between dimensions, remember? That almost certainly mean that I won't be with you constantly, but I'd be delighted to dedicate much of my life to being with you. I never would have gotten to this point without you, and I owe you that much, at the very least. After all we've been through these many years, my most faithful of allies, you have been there every step of the way. You have more than earned my loyalty and devotion."
He didn't say it, but he didn't have to. She knew. Now that their troubles were over, he was comfortable professing his love for her. She squealed in a most undignified way, but she didn't care. From that day onward, despite the unusual circumstances and interspecies differences, they considered themselves as mates.
Oh, if only all such stories could end so happily! Tragedies are enjoyable at the theater, but nobody wants them to occur in reality. Sadly, this was not a theater, and this story does not end happily. The reader can be forgiven for simply wanting to see Riolin enjoying the rest of his life with his draconic lover in a way that warms the heart, but the story of Riolin is a mere prologue to yet another story, one that arose directly from the consequences of Riolin's story, a story about an unrelated Ender, and her own lover, but this one being a human. So as the narrator of this story, if you wish to pretend that Riolin's story is a happy one, you may do so; you could even write your own story, a "fanfiction", as modern humans call it, that makes it so, but it is my duty to tell the events as they actually happened. If you are prepared for this light tale to darken, let us continue with the tragic tale of the Enders.