The White Dragon
The Lost Chapter Three
Dilandau looked at the two men sitting at the table. Allen looked the same as he ever did, despite the fact he had trimmed his hair significantly. The boy, on the other hand, was the consummation of the word "pretty boy"; he had long, light blonde hair, large blue eyes, and a perfect light skinned face. Dilandau noted his complete resemblance to the Duke of Freid.
Celena tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for a response from her husband. He stood in silence, condescendingly sizing up his visitors. Keeping his glare focused on Allen, Dilandau sat at the table, glass of water in hand.
Suddenly, the door swung open, breaking the silence. Wilder ran inside, instantly spotting her father. The little girl jumped up onto Dilandau's lap, somehow making sure not to knock over his drink as she hugged him. "Chesta is a little late, he's brushing his hair," she announced. Dilandau nodded.
"He's got some sense, after all," he replied, patting the girl on the head before lifting her up into a better position on his lap. He seemed completely unaware of the two pairs of blue eyes on him from across the table; that, or he didn't care.
Wilder leaned forward on the table, inspecting her relatives. She directed her attention to Allen, who was frozen in shock at Dilandau's open display of affection with his daughter. "You're my uncle?" she asked. Allen nodded. "Then you're mama's brother?" Another nod. Wilder smiled widely. "Then you must have all kinds of stories about mama," she reasoned.
"Now Wilder," Dilandau addressed, "they just arrived. Let your mother have some speaking room." Wilder nodded, sitting back against her father's chest and yawning.
The door opened once more, drawing everyone's attention to the boy who walked slowly inside. Chesta closed it behind him, ignoring everyone in the room as he walked over to the ice box. Almost exactly like his father, the boy took out a glass of ice water before even bothering to notice his guests.
"Chesta, say hello to your uncle Allen and cousin Antonio," Celena instructed. Chesta looked up with a vacant expression, brushing some of his curly white hair out of his face.
"Hello," he said quietly, sipping his water. Putting the glass on the table, he walked over to where Dilandau sat. Chesta took Wilder's hand in his and tugged the confused girl off her father's lap, walking out of the kitchen with her in tow. Dilandau and Celena shot each other confused looks.
"Please excuse him. He just hasn't been himself lately," Celena apologized, staring at the still swinging kitchen door. Allen nodded, while Antonio stared at Dilandau. He looked away whenever the albino looked at him, but he couldn't seem to pull away. The man looked so evil and formidable, but was such a family man around his daughter and wife.
"I'll get you some more tea," Celena said, taking their cups and breaking the silence.
Wilder tilted, grabbing the top of the cupboard for support as she regained her balance on the chair she was standing on. "Mother, can you pull up that side?" she asked, pointing to the bottom of the wreath of flowers she was attaching to the top of the china case. Celena nodded, lifting it up with one hand as her daughter tied it to the small clips she had attached earlier.
"When are Chesta and father going to be back?" she asked, smoothing back her long, unruly dark blonde hair. Celena shrugged.
"They shouldn't be long now," she replied, helping her daughter off the chair. Wilder looked to be about ten years old, her hair having grown out and become more curly and smooth. Her eyes had become more of a deep amber, turning away from both the blue and red of her parents' colors.
The room was covered in flowers, and most of the tapestries Celena owned had been unrolled and now hung from the walls. A huge meal had been prepared, and the two women waited with patience as the sun went down for their men to arrive.
Dilandau was the first to walk into the room. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, surveying the room. "Well, you two sure went all out," he commented, inspecting a wreath hanging from the door. Celena nodded and hastily waved him towards her.
"Is Chesta coming in?" she asked. Dilandau nodded.
"He's putting the horses away," he replied. Wilder "shh"ed at them, watching the door intently.
It opened within seconds, a tall, white-haired boy stepping inside. He looked around curiously, before Dilandau, Celena, and Wilder all shouted at once: "Happy fifteenth birthday!" Chesta blinked, a slight smile tugging at his lips. He walked to where his family stood around a table, which was covered in wonderful foods.
"Thanks," he said quietly, taking a seat beside his sister.
Wilder yawned, nibbling on a piece of grass in her mouth. She lay on her back, arms crossed under her neck as she watched the waning sun in the distance. Chesta sat beside her, legs bent and elbows propped on his knees.
"Chesta," Wilder addressed, getting her brother's attention. "Do you ever wonder what else there is? What things we don't know, what places we haven't seen?"
Chesta furrowed his brow, before sighing and lying down beside her. "No. We have all we need right here, don't we?" he replied. Wilder stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.
"Don't you ever want to go places and see new things, meet new people?" Chesta shook his head. "Then what do you want?"
"I never want to end up like father," he replied. Wilder looked over at him.
"What do you mean?"
"It's so obvious. You remember all the stories mother told us about the Great War? How she never mentioned father, then suddenly became close to him five or ten years later? Mother never talks about when she was younger. You know why?" Wilder shook her head. "Because she doesn't know, she doesn't remember. Something big happened, and we will never know what it is. I've been hunting with father; he isn't a normal man. He's a killer. He knows how to kill, both with his sword and with his guymelef. You and I have both seen him fight."
Wilder looked at her brother, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. "Papa is not a killer! Papa loves us very much," she argued, her lip trembling. Chesta watched her with a neutral expression.
"He does, I suppose," he replied, looking back up. "Remember how father said he was in the army?" Wilder nodded. "He was. He just wasn't on our side. He fought for Zaibach."
"How do you know that?" Wilder asked, sniffling. Chesta looked at her, his face serious.
"I was going through the attic, and I found his Zaibach jacket. I know enough history to know; he wasn't just a soldier. He was a general." Wilder let out a sudden cry, grabbing onto her brother's arm. She sobbed into it, trembling all over.
"Father isn't a killer! Father is a good man and he loves us!" she cried between sobs. Chesta sighed, sitting up and pulling her into a hug. Rocking her back and forth, he didn't know what else to say.
Chesta disappeared that summer. Dilandau wanted to hold a funeral, but Celena refused to give up hope. Wilder's once buoyant and childishly happy personality disappeared. Her parents tried to comfort her, but they were too distraught themselves to be much of a pillar of support.
When Wilder turned thirteen, there came word that Palas had been destroyed. No one knew by what; someone called them the invisible giants. One night, Dilandau took Wilder into his study and tried his best to tell her his story. From having no memory before the age of seven or eight to his command of the dragonslayers to the war and his and Celena's marriage, he tried his best to keep the shock at a minimum.
Wilder seemed no worse for the wear. All the survivors of Palas and many of the country inhabitants of Asturia were evacuated to the nearby country of Fanelia, even at Celena's violent objection. Dilandau assured her that he would avoid the palace at all costs.
The virus of the invisible giants was spreading. Rumor of a "Black Dragon Clan" as causing the destruction grew rapidly. Chezario was destroyed in the fall of Wilder's thirteenth year.
Rather than staying in Fanelia's capital with the rest of the refugees, Dilandau and his family were invited to stay with Allen and Eries on their country estate. Marlene had died of an unknown sickness only a year or more before, and the family was still struggling with their loss. Wilder, in need of a brother figure, instantly gelled to her cousin Antonio, and he the same to her. It was to him that the girl revealed all of her and her family's secrets.
But Wilder was constantly curious. She had heard stories of Fanelia before; the king was a tall, dark man, who was the hero of the Great War. It was widely rumored that he had married a woman who came from the Mystic Moon and was the savior of Gaea. Using this information as a motive, Wilder decided to pay the palace a visit.