Arsenic followed her brother down the corridor to the throne room.
Dreaming, she stared at the marble columns, and then at her claws with an empty gaze, betraying her intense reflection.
Since her adoptive father had revealed Tourmaline's death to the rest of the royal family the day before, she and Zenith had been meditating on the inevitable return to war that the loss of their sister would bring. Unable to sleep after hearing the news, they had been conferring all night long to decide what they could do to remedy the current situation, or at least contribute to it. Both knew that the country had been very weakened over the past ten years by the Bloody War, which was thought to be over because of this arranged marriage, which had become a fiasco. During this decade of misfortune, the Rathiens forces had not succeeded in defeating the Nordics, and have been struggling to push them back. However, motivated by the desire to tip the scales in their favour, in order to re-motivate the troops and put up greater resistance to the Rakurians, the two elders wanted this time to enlist themselves in the army, still counting on the fact that the will and hope of the Rathiens seeing their involvement could help them to win. Indeed, the two heirs had each been trained as warriors, since their earliest childhood, by Generals Astalian and Tinarg themselves. A preventive measure against possible offensives on the castle, said Khryselios, who everyone knew was terrified at the thought of losing one of his precious children.
We know how to fight," said Zenith, "why should we give up using our skills? It would be foolish to let the troops die slowly when we can help them face Rakurai. »
She had agreed, of course, but had pointed out to him that their parents, and her father in particular, would certainly refuse to let them make such a commitment.
I don't care what Khryselios will think," he had replied, "as long as it's my future kingdom being in danger we're talking about. »
They planned to announce their decision to their father that evening and to tell him the next day.
- What are you thinking about, sis?" the Dreadking asked lightly,, looking over his shoulder.
She raised her head a little, and laid her amethyst eyes on him.
- ... You know what I'm thinking about," she frowns slightly.
He turned around and grazed her with one of his wings in a loving gesture.
- Do not worry about that. He won't be able to stop me. You know me, I'm far too stubborn," he reassured her.
That was precisely what was worrying her. Nevertheless, she tried to return a shy smile.
- As for you, you know that he doesn't have the legitimacy to tell you otherwise ...
She received this word as a pinch in her heart, despite its truthfulness.
- Let's go in," he said, as the Seltas guards opened the Golden Claw's door.
Arsenic nodded and followed him.
- Father! I must speak to you!" the Dreadking spoke in a loud voice as he stood up, letting his echo echo reverberate throughout the room and amplify the power of his words.
A few seconds later, the ruler of the Rathlands appeared, greeted his two children from the head and sat on his throne.
- Good morning, Zenith. Good morning, Arsenic. What do you wish to tell me? Khryselios asked, redirecting his gaze to him.
Arsenic could then feel her brother beside her swelling with courage and determination.
- I've come to tell you that Arsenic and I have decided to join the army as soldiers," he proclaimed with a certain ferocity.
Khryselios shuddered and froze for a moment.
- It's not possible, my son. I don't want you to get personally involved in this conflict," he replied calmly.
In front of him, Zenith was still forcing himself to contain his raging anger, ready to impose his choice.
"He considers him responsible for the death of our older sister ... But does he need to go to that extreme? To provoke his own father, to challenge his orders? Does he want to run away from him by accomplishing this...?"the Dreadqueen pondered, her eyes glued to her brother's glowing irises.
- We've undergone royal training since we were ten years old. We can fight and support our army. We can win this war if everyone puts their heart into it, starting with us. Phoenix is still too young for that, but Blast would be willing to join us if we can get your agreement," he said.
Arsenic shivered. The intensity with which he supported his "us" was almost frightening.
"More and more, I can feel it. That fierce desire to take over, to lead the kingdom... The frustration of not being able to act... It's palpable. You almost believe he'll be able to overthrow his father tomorrow. »
The king looked astonished when he saw Zenith's fierce will.
- It's far too dangerous, Zenith. You're not going to fight. Not you, not Arsenic, nor Blast. I don't want anything to happen to you. Your presence would have no real effect on our chances of victory. It's useless, believe me.
The Dreadqueen Rathian then felt her brother's rage, letting out a threatening growl of resentment.
- I want to fight alongside my people, grumbled the Dreadking Rathalos, as do all other nations. Even this dog of Rakurai fights among his troops, and allows his sons to enlist ! So, if you want to keep sitting on your throne, you shall know that your sons and daughter may not agree with this.
There was a silence during which the father and son settled down with tension. Arsenic then took the floor.
- We believe that our commitment will greatly motivate the troops, and therefore increase our chances of success. Most members of the royal family have extraordinary abilities. It would be selfish to deprive the army of such a resource, she said calmly. I understand your apprehension, but it's time for us to choose what we want ourselves. We are no longer children.
Khryselios seemed cornered and helpless, his wings drooping until he touched the ground.
- I can't let you go, the king finally let go after a moment, shaking his head. The survival of the kingdom is at stake. What would I do without heirs, tell me ?
Zenith, still beaming with anger, hastened to reply.
- You won't need heirs if you don't have a kingdom anymore," the Prince of the Rathlands spat. And you're not the one stopping us from doing our will.
He then glanced at the Rathian with determination.
- We're leaving, Arsenic," he announced solemnly, without deigning to observe his father's reaction.
And without a word, she followed him out of the throne room.
- Let's go ask Knart to make some armor pieces for us," Zenith whispered quietly in her ear as he left the castle before heading to the forge.
She nodded silently.
"How will he be convincing Knart we had Khryselios' agreement ? Knowing Zenith, he must already be up to something ..." she thought as they walked along the pavement of the capital.
Ignis, despite the impending return to war, seemed quite calm this morning. The stalls were just beginning to open, like flower buds at first light, and the market was not yet crowded. Everything still seemed to be asleep and calm. The blue countryside in the distance was not yet awake. The only thing betraying the renewal of the warlike agitation was the presence of metallic noises rising in the azure sky, coming from the roaring and glowing forges where armours were already being made and polished. The hammer blows could be heard in the morning silence at least a kilometre away, clearly and regularly, like a carillon announcing the hour of awakening, not only for the inhabitants, but also for the armourers, soldiers and mercenaries. In the distance, the white stone walls of the royal enclosure were beginning to be bathed in the chilly sun, as were the red or green roofed houses.
Arsenic and Zenith had been advancing through the city awake for about ten minutes when they reached Knart's forge, who immediately noticed them and abandoned his task to come and meet them.
- Greetings, my lords! To what do I owe your visit so early in the morning?" the Agnaktor asked with a gracious curtsy.
Her brother smiled. He was very fond of Knart, even though he often reproached him, like many others servants, for his excessive zeal towards members of the royal family.
- Good morning Knart, so motivated first thing in the morning? You always impress me! And no need for titles, dear friend, laughed the King-Enfer.
The Dreadqueen felt the outline of a smile on her face.
- I don't think our good old friend will ever get used to the idea of being on first-name terms, if you ask me," she said, stepping forward to stand by his side.
The volcanic leviathan suddenly looked distressed.
- Forgive me, my lords ... I wanted to offer you my condolences, for Lady Tourmaline ... he said, whispering his last words, his eyes filled with sincere compassion.
Brother and sister looked at each other with painful embarrassment.
- Thank you, Knart," thanked Arsenic in place of his brother, somewhat upset by the name of his deceased sister, and absorbed in his thoughts. We came to ask if it was possible to get three dragonite breastplates with lightning protection, as well as three light visorless helmets and two caudal armors forged for us, as soon as possible, please.
The Agnaktor blinked several times in disbelief.
- What do you mean ? Y-You're going to the front? B-b-but! It's very dangerous, you know! He panicked. And ... If y-you don't have your father's approval, I'm sorry to tell you that I won't be able to grant your request ... he added then, forcing a tense and anxious smile, for fear of angering the two elders.
Zenith seemed to come to his senses at that moment.
- We have our father's agreement, I swear by Teostra," he said with conviction, raising his right wing as a sign of promise. And we know what that means. We want to take part in the fight to enable the Rathiens to win this war; we are capable of it. Isn't it the duty of a prince to serve his people?
Arsenic smiles inwardly.
"Well done, Zenith. Knart, despite his great loyalty to the king, takes our word for it and won't dare ask Khryselios for confirmation... and if our father ever finds out... he certainly won't have the heart to question it. He knows it would serve no purpose, except to tell his people how helpless he has become... even to his own children. "she thought with a hint of sadness.
- W-well then, if you have the king's consent..." repeated the Agnaktor, looking down. I'll start working on your armor right away! They'll be finished in three days, at the most, depending on the arrival of my metal shipment... We're starting to run out of metal, you know...
Zenith nodded. The war effort that had been going on for ten years was beginning to run out of steam, and mining resources were increasingly scarce ... Thus, due to budgetary restrictions, each soldier had only one iron breastplate as armor, which covered the central part of the back and the thorax, which was provided by the army. If they wanted more protection, it was up to them to pay for their equipment. A few exceptions, such as the two generals Tinarg and Astalian, had the privilege of owning equipment entirely financed by the royal family itself. As for Zenith and Arsenic, they had no problem acquiring such things, thanks to their pocket money.
The Agnaktor started counting on its webbed fingers.
- Mmmh ... With all you're asking me here, we'll get a total of 800 Rathdors," he said, "is it in your budget?
The brother and sister nodded simultaneously, and Zenith placed a leather pouch in the Agnaktor's palm.
- Thank you, my lords," he said, bowing. I'm honoured to do business with you.
- And so are we," replied Arsenic.
The magmatic leviathan made a final curtsy before returning to his work.
- Good. Now that's done," the Dreadking sighted.
Arsenic elbowed him lightly.
- Hey, don't make that face, as if lying really bothered you," she teased him with malicious eyes.
Her brother looked falsely offended.
- Me, lying? All I did was tell the truth! If Knart doubts the truth of what I said, he can ask Father, and Father will say...
- We know, we know, he will answer yes out of defeatism," the Rathian said, looking up to the sky.
Zenith smiled sideways.
- See ? I didn't lie !
- Missed! Try to aim lower so you don't miss your target!" Astalian cried, blocking Arsenic's hooded tail with his caudal clip.
Arsenic clenched her teeth but quickly recovered. She had been training for three hours and had only managed to hit the Astalos ten times. Growling to get her motivation back, she threw an umpteenth shot with her tail at the head of the royal spy, which grazed her.
- Lack of speed !
The Dreadqueen Rathian followed with a bite, which the Astalos avoided by flying away.
- That's not bad. But don't leave so much time out when you do this, the Astalian advised. Come on, one more try and then we'll move on to shooting, motivated?
- Of course I am!" roared Arsenic, suddenly in a frenzy.
- That's perfect. Try a sweep again then, faster, and then continue with a turnaround, she asked him.
Arsenic returned to her initial position, then performed the indicated sequence. Transfer of support on right leg, rotation, sweep of the tail, targeted low, transfer of support on left leg, then back-flip tail strike, targeting higher, taking off to add power to the strike.
- Touchdown!" she exclaimed as she felt her metal tailcap hit the Astalos' helmet.
- Excellent! If I didn't have anything on my head, I certainly would have been knocked out," she congratulated her. Shall we move on to shooting now? Unless you want to work on your poison first?
The eldest rested on the ground.
- I prefer shooting first. I still lack precision, I think.
- Oh, believe me, you're still doing better than Phoenix!" Astalian answered. I think he still hasn't grasped the concept of 'aiming,'" she lamented.
Arsenic laughed at this evocation. The youngest of the siblings had difficulty controlling his flames, and often ended up burning everything down while training.
Tinarg and Astalian already explained to him that concentrate a part of these flames to hit the target was enough, but the Firedrake Rathalos turned a deaf ear, claiming that as long as the target was destroyed, it was good,, to the great displeasure of the generals.
- I'm going to look for targets, take a break in the meantime," said the female Astalos as she flew away.
Arsenic nodded imperceptibly. She stretched out her wings for a moment, then approached the water trough to drink, then dipped her sweaty, shiny head into it.
"Brrr. I shouldn't refresh my head like this, I'm going to have difficulty producing flames after ... But never mind. It helps me concentrate. "she thought before she took her head out of the water.
She took a deep breath, warmed the inside of her throat, and then tried to spit out a flame, successfully.
- I'm back!" announced the Astalos, putting three wooden targets on the ground. We don't have many left, so I only took three ... I hope it's all right.
- It'll do the job," the Dreadqueen replied, shrugging her shoulders.
- Good ! For the first shot, we'll try a flame-throwing jet from ten meters away, can you do that?
She mused about this for a few seconds. Possible, but not easy.
- We can always try, but it might be difficult.
- It would be to re-evaluate your power distance, don't worry," Astalian explained as she went to place the target at ten meters. Ready when you are!
The Astalos retreated several steps back and looked at Arsenic until she made up her mind. She took a step back, slowly inhaled the oxygen needed for combustion, then used her fangs to create the spark that ignited her jet of orange flames, which she then blew with all her might towards the target. The target was only licked by her flames, despite the effort of the Queen Poison, who gave in a few seconds later, coughing because of the overexertion of her throat.
- Nine meters and sixty centimeters! You've progressed since the last time," said the general.
Arsenic sighed.
- I wish I could have made it to ten meters anyway.
Astalian came up to her and tapped her shoulder amicably.
- It's not given to everyone to even hold eight meters, you know... Well, second try, we'll try to refine your accuracy at a distance of thirty meters, I'm going to change the target," said Astalos as he executed the shot.
Scraping the wet sand under her talons, the Rathian reconcentrated.
- You can go!" Astalian shouted to her.
Visualizing the target in her head, she concentrated her combustion gas in a precise point in her mouth for a few seconds. Then, with a very sharp reaction, she ignited her sphere and spat it straight at the target. Bull's-eye.
- Perfect!" she said, extinguishing the flames with her wings. One last one at forty, would you like that?
- Why not!" the Rathian shouted at her from the other end of the field.
The general changed the target again and moved it back another ten meters.
- Go on!
"I can do it. I can do it. It's just a matter of concentration. »
Determined, she filled her lungs with air and then spat out a flaming sphere again towards the wooden panel. Bull's-eye again.
-Good job !" Astalian smiled as she returned to her. I think you've assimilated the trick.
- Thank you," said Arsenic, herself satisfied with her performance.
- A small sword duel to finish?" proposed her coach who picked up her sword with her pincer.
The elder's eyes filled with motivation.
Although she was not as fond of sword fighting as Astalian, she liked the idea. Indeed, only Astalian fought with a weapon, and this one was special. Instead of having a leather hilt like the vast majority of swords, her sword was made entirely out of metal. This allowed her, thanks to her natural production of electricity, especially through the tail, wings and crest, to electrify it for fighting. Of all the kingdom, only she knew how to handle the blade perfectly and enjoyed fighting with it. As for Arsenic, she enjoyed these untimely duels, but did not really enjoy handling the sword.
- Let's go," accepted the Queen Poison.
Astalian pointed to her tailcoat with her weapon, which she held in her tail-clamp.
- Take that off, so you can practice.
Without a word, she undid her silver tailpiece, letting her highly venomous tail appendage release volatile toxins into the air.
- Here we go!" the female Astalos growled as she flew away.
Arsenic began by slamming her tail to the ground, causing several small toxic purple crystals to form. She picked one up as a weapon with one of her talons and flew away. Seizing the opportunity to make the first movement, Astalian swooped on her with her claws out. Arsenic avoided her, but immediately retaliated with a fiery bite to prevent the Astalos from continuing with a sword blow.
"I'm beginning to know your techniques now, you know," she chuckled inside.
Frustrated, the dragonfly charged her wings with green electricity, then released a bolt of lightning towards her target, who took it without pain, and retaliated with a blow from her crystallized poison that struck the void.
"This rubber-coated breastplate is really effective, I didn't feel a thing," Arsenic thought.
Leaving no respite for the spy, she continued to try to hit the Astalos, in vain.
- You're not going to get me by multiplying random blows," cried the general.
The Rathian gnashed her teeth. True enough.
"Concentrate again, Arsenic, you're getting distracted. "she ordered herself.
Astalian then tried to strike a vertical blow with her sword, but only touched one end of her opponent's right wing, which trembled and moved several meters away because of the electricity that painfully irradiated his wing limb.
"Ouch. I really need to avoid getting hit in the wings by lightning... "
Grumbling at the throbbing sting, she rushed to catch the dragonfly wyvern with her claws, but Astalian dodged by rising a little higher in the air, receding sharply, and then summoned another bolt of lightning, which this time missed its target. The Rathian took advantage of this time out, and once again threw herself sharply at the Astalos, which did not react quickly enough to free herself from Arsenic's claws, and ended up pinned to the ground, with the poisonous blade a few centimetres from her throat.
- I think I've won," said theDreadqueen, removing it and letting the warrior stand up.
- It was well done," she confessed with a smile.