Chapter Two

Ice blue eyes stared at me through the silver surface before me. To an untrained eye, they betrayed nothing. But they definitely portrayed the grief I felt at the loss of my brother. Not even the fear of going through the battlefield that was Arkonas Cove to request an audience with the remaining Yongs could find its way into my eyes at that moment. And to be honest, I didn't think it ever would.

" Steile. It's time." Vaxitas said as softly as he could. He was the only one of the Hatian Guard who I allowed, though never publicly, to call me by my name only.

With a sigh, I allowed my demi form to emerge. The open backed shirt allowed easy access for my wings. The shirt itself was clasped around my neck with a gold band, the only contrast against the garnet red fabric. My upper arms bore two thick gold bands each; common attire for a royal Drakkan who was seeking a meeting with members of the royal Yongs. White scales spread from the golden neck band and down my arms like sleeves, stopping at my wrists. But even as I stared into my own ice blue eyes, trying to understand my own thoughts and emotions, Vaxitas lowered a white cloth onto my head which trailed down my back and was fastened by yet another gold band.

" Gold bands. Why does everything have to have gold bands?" I asked with a sigh, trying to keep my mind from depression.

" Because that's what you're expected to wear." Vaxitas smiled.

" And the cloth?"

" You are relinquishing the throne. It is compulsory to show that you are requesting a peaceful audience with your opponent. You must also show your people that the war is over and that they can go home to nurse their pride and wounds and mourn their personal and royal losses."

" Maybe you should do this job, seeing as you know so much about it."

" I don't have the pleasure… or the blood."

" You do know…" I started slowly.

" That you have people to meet? Yes, I do. It just means having to get you out there to do your duty." He interrupted, a wiry smile tugging at his lips.

" Vax."

" Your people need you, my Kor. At your leave?"

" Granted."

Slowly, the midnight blue of Vaxitas' scales covered his skin. His bat-like wings folded against themselves neatly behind his back. With his left hand clasping his right wrist, he was ready to accompany me to Ryuu's Den. The only problem was I didn't want to go. I knew it was my duty (and it was that which initially got me to leave my room) but, like with the throne, I wished that I could just destroy it. A soft sigh escaped my lips before I allowed my Head Officer to lead me to Ryuu's Den.

On our way out, we passed the studio or, as I like to call it, Kryner's room. The room itself was supposed to be an extension to the library but that was years ago. Now, Kryner was often found working his days away with many artworks accessible only to his mind's eye. And, personally, I think that his artwork has gotten better since his accident. As usual, he was waving his paintbrush around as easily as if he were slashing a sword through his enemies. But now he had a garnet red blindfold over his eyes in exchange for his usual amethyst blindfold.

" You're actually going through with this, Steile?" he asked, not even faltering in his artwork.

" I'll see you when I return." I replied, not bothering to answer when he already knew it.

" If you come back."

" I will."

I left him to his work and continued on my way out of the Nest, Vax following quickly behind. Two stable-hands were waiting with horses for us just past the gates, but I walked past the animals. I was just as vulnerable as my people and I was determined to prove that. Vax dismissed them with a wave of his hand. My belief was that if I made myself as vulnerable as I possibly could, it would help with the whole 'I come in peace' thing. People may think me as crazy, but I'm telling you; I would do absolutely anything to end the civil wars forever.

Being down in the markets made me sick. Dragon and ryuu bodies were everywhere. Turn a corner, there were the soulless bodies of the dead. Blood stained everything. Vax and I were careful not to step in any of the pools of blood. The stench itself was horrifying. I made sure to walk everywhere, though. My people knew that their Kor Istavan was plague-ridden, so by me walking amongst them in the mourning colours of garnet red, they would know that he had passed. They would also know, thanks to the white cloth on my head making me feel like a fool, that the war was over. They would begin their return home.

On more than one occasion, I had to actually stop one of my subjects from fighting a ryuu enemy. Vax did a more practical approach by using his sword as a barrier to both sides while I used more of a verbal approach; I would have done the same as him if I hadn't purposefully left my own weapon back at the Nest. By the time we had managed to walk our way to the centre of the marketplace, all the fighting had stopped and the citizens were visibly watching as I made my way to Ryuu's Den.

Almost instantly, my mind was crowded with the voices of some of the merchant I had visited during the quiet times of the war. It was only recently, but merchants were already trading information and wares with the avians and serpiente as well as their usual traders. And almost every one of them knew of my efforts to try and end this supposedly endless stream of civil wars. This, in turn, meant that they tried to help me figure out ways to stop the civil wars. So even before Istavan had told me to go to Wyvern's Court, I had been hearing tales of it and its people. I never realised I had stopped until I felt the smooth scales covering Vaxitas' hand lightly brush against my own arm.

" Milord?" He asked gently, pulling me from the past.

I blinked, only just realising that I had stopped in front of an abandoned stall from the night before. It was a familiar one to me. My brother, Istavan and his twin brother Elija, often took me to this particular stall and treated me with the various pastries that the chef sold. I especially loved the strawberry and cinnamon flavoured pastries which the chef seemed inclined to always make due to the random nature of my visits. When Elija was killed during the war, Istavan stopped taking me so I usually found my own way to the pastry stall. Now, I guess, there will be no more visits to the pastry man… for anyone.

Bowing my head to the abandoned stall and muttering a few prayers of thanks, peace and safe passage, I waited a moment before continuing the journey to Ryuu's Den. Though our trip was quickened by the need to no longer search for any remaining fights, it still took us a good hour before we reached our destination.

Ryuu's Den was a marble tower built into the eastern wall of the valley which was Arkonas Cove. Its surface, however, was painted very roughly with a coat of grey. Daylight onlookers would believe that the tower was incomplete, but that was not the case. I have seen, as the sun rises, the silvery gleam that the tower produces as the sun comes up behind it. Most of the stairs leading to its doors were fashioned out of white granite, except the top two. Like the tower, the top two stairs were made of marble. Unlike the tower, their white colouration was not marred by grey paint. In fact, those two stairs were the tail of the white marble ryuu which coiled itself around the tower. The tips of the ryuus scales were graced with diamonds, making the beast shine no matter what time of day it was. With the way the tower was built, it also looked like the beast had tunnelled through the rock in order to continue its trek upwards. Its fur-lined spine was the result of thousands of shaped lapis lazuli gems. At the top of the tower, the beast's head loomed high and proudly; assessing all who entered the Court of the Ryuu. Golden topaz made up its eyes and rubies made up its teeth. Some people would think that its claws were as sharp as diamonds; the reality was that its claws were made of diamonds. But as I looked up into the silver Ryuu's face, I could have sworn that it was smiling at me – whether menacingly or knowingly, I could not tell.