Yang the Golden
Princess Blake of Menagerie swallowed thickly and wiped more sweat off her brow. The sheer heat that emanated from within the volcano was so intense that it was hard to think about anything else. Thick clouds of noxious fumes rose from great rents in the earth. She would have succumbed to those long ago, if not for the purifying magic woven into her clothing.
Upward she climbed, picking her way past rivers of molten rock, chasms of fire, and jagged fields of newborn obsidian. The light cast by the runes on her clothes had gone from a dim glow to a bright, steady radiance as they drew on more and more of her magic to protect her.
If her kingdom's plight had been any less dire, she would not be here. She would have tried any of a hundred other schemes or plots to save her people. But time was of the essence, and there were few things so deadly in battle as a dragon. Menagerie might be surrounded with its forces in disarray, but there was a reason that no kingdom had launched an assault on the Golden Peak in centuries despite the fabulous wealth that its ruler was said to have amassed.
There was a vast field near the base of the mountain where nothing grew. The land there had been scorched into black glass, and there were countless pools of melted metal scattered about the scorched plain. That charred field was all that remained of the last army to have marched on the Golden Peak.
Three hundred thousand – the full might of an empire – destroyed in a single day of fire and ruin.
If Blake could convince the dragon to aid her people, then that same strength would ensure the complete obliteration of their enemies. The dragon would surely demand a heavy price, but it was better to empty their treasury than to suffer death or slavery at the hands of their enemies.
Finally, Blake reached the top of the volcano. There, at the edge of the crater, she lingered. How could she not? For before her, in all its fabled glory, was the hoard of Yang the Golden, greatest of dragons and wealthiest creature in all the world.
Countless gems were scattered about the crater like leaves on the ground in autumn. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and so many more made for a glittering carpet whose worth was beyond that of any kingdom. Priceless relics of terrible power were heaped in great piles. Rolling hills of silver and platinum pushed against the sides of the crater, and chests of treasure were piled up into small mountains.
But what drew the eye, what dwarfed the worth of everything else, was the immense lake of molten gold that filled the centre of the crater. The Golden Peak was the highest mountain in the world, a volcano that rose ten miles above the plains around it. The lake at the centre of the crater was two miles across, and all of it was gold.
For several long moments, all Blake could do was stare. How deep was the lake? Was it all gold? By all the gods, how could even a dragon have accumulated so much? Menagerie was a wealthy kingdom, but their treasury could be multiplied by a thousand times and not even come close to filling the lake. Gods. Every kingdom in the world could combine their gold and still it would not be anywhere near enough.
Yet... where was the dragon?
Where was Yang the Golden?
She was famously possessive of her hoard. It was said that she could tell if even a single coin was missing, and none who had tried to steal from her had ever survived. The few who had seen this and lived had been allowed to leave, for like most dragons, Yang was proud.
What use was a hoard if none knew of it?
She wanted the whole world to know that her name was well earned, that there was no one – no human, no Faunus, no elf, no dwarf, no dragon – richer than her. And if anyone tried to take what was hers, then she would slay them and take their wealth as recompense.
The mountain shook, and Blake reached out to steady herself. Reflexively, she glanced up at the sky, half-expecting some titan shadow to fall over her. But the sky was marked only by clouds of smoke and ash. There was no beating of gigantic wings, no roar that split the clouds, no fire that burned hotter than any forge.
And then the lake of gold quivered. Great waves of burning metal rippled across its surface, and Blake realised where the dragon had gone.
Yang the Golden emerged from the lake, as beautiful as the first dawn and as terrible as the last dusk. Rivers of gold flowed down scales brighter and more glorious than the sun. Wings that could darken a city spread, and droplets of gold fell like rain upon the shores of the lake. Eyes more brilliant than amethyst opened, and jaws that could swallow a ship whole parted to reveal the teeth that had once ripped the great spires of a long-dead empire to pieces.
A young dragon might reach a hundred feet in length.
Most adult dragons were somewhere between a hundred to five hundred feet in length.
Elder dragons were at least a thousand feet long.
Yang the Golden was more than a mile long from the tip of her snout to the end of her tail.
Yang was no mere elder dragon. She was ancient, one of only a handful who could remember the days when dragons had fought alongside the gods to drive the Grimm from the world. The gods and dragons had both paid a steep price for their victory. Of the twelve great gods that had once ruled the world, only seven remained. And of the countless dragons that had flown into battle alongside them, only a handful endured.
Shaking herself from her stupor, Blake began her climb down into the crater. She had not even managed to get more than a dozen feet before a voice echoed through the air with all the force of a thunderstorm. Magic that could crack continents stirred, and a fire that dwarfed the heat of the volcano flared to life.
Yang the Golden had noticed her.
"Who is this?" Yang rumbled as she stalked out of the lake of gold. "That dares climb the Golden Peak?"
"I am Blake, Crown Princess of Menagerie." Blake steeled herself and turned to face the dragon head on. "And I have come to bargain with you for aid."
Yang laughed, and the mountain shook. A sound like bells rang out as the mountains of treasure shifted, and the hills of coins tumbled into new shapes. The carpet of gemstones quaked, and Yang leaned forward.
"Bargain? For what?"
"I..." Blake gulped. "My people need your aid. Our enemies have surrounded us, and –"
"What are the petty squabbles of mortal kingdoms to me?" Yang asked. "I was there when Ozpin fell. He boiled an ocean in his death throes, and to this day, it remains a desert. I was there when Salem was torn limb from limb, and her screams turned mountain ranges to dust. I have slain more Grimm than there are stars in the sky. So tell me, princess, what could you possibly offer me?"
"We have money –"
"Look around you," Yang replied. "What can the wealth of a single kingdom compare to what I have here?" Her eyes gleamed, and she bared her teeth. "You must offer me something I do not have."
"I..." Blake wracked her mind for something, anything, that she could offer. "I..."
"If you have nothing, then I will kill you where you stand." Yang spoke the words without pause, for what was the life of even a princess to a dragon? One enormous claw rose, and Blake saw her death in the shadow that it cast.
"I..." Blake blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I will give you myself!"
The claw paused. "Oh?" The heat pouring off Yang's scales abated ever so slightly. "And why should I want such a thing? What use have I for a princess?"
"You..." Blake let out a shuddering sigh. "You are alone on this mountain. None dare approach it, for fear of your wrath."
"As it should be. Only the truly brave or the truly foolish climb these slopes. You are both."
"Are you not lonely? Surely... surely even a dragon desires company from time to time? I will stay here with you for... for... for however long you wish. If that means for the rest of my life, then so be it."
Yang lowered her claw, and then she began to laugh. "Hah! I have never heard such a ridiculous thing in my life!" She shook her great head from to side in amusement. "But... that is not enough."
"I..."
"But... it is a start." Yang chuckled again. "Yes, it will do for a start, and it has been a while since I have burned a kingdom to the ground. Tell me, princess, these enemies of your people... are they rich?"
"They are wealthy," Blake said.
"Hmm..." Yang nodded once, more to herself than to Blake. "Go back to your kingdom. I will think on this matter... and consider what else you must give me."
"How... how will I know if you are willing to aid us?"
Yang's smile was wide and full of teeth. "You will know, princess. Believe me. You will know."
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Author's Notes
When I don't know what to do… I just throw in a dragon and hope for the best.
Oh well. Blake better start thinking. A crown princess is pretty valuable, but she's going to have to sweeten the deal a little. The world's mightiest dragon will demand a very high price indeed. If it was Ruby, she could just offer her unlimited cookies or something. She'll need to be a bit more discerning for Yang.