I walk through a labyrinth of hallways to the courtroom. my stomach has been churning at the thought of this meeting, I have to speak with two mortal monarches that never saw eye to eye of how I run my empire. Multiple letters have been delivered to me in secrecy threatening my country with war if we do not over our advancing resources. My country is by no means normal, I have fought hard to make sure everyone lives in paradise, though they are war starved warriors who have not adapted well to an era of peace. If there has been even a whisper of war my people will overthrow me for having a weak hand and continue the ways of old.
My sister will probably be at the front of the line, bile begins seering the back of my throat. Her magic nearly incinerated the planet had I not sealed it properly. She can easily summon the full heat of the sun in an instant. The entire royal palace believes her to be a literal God, she had tried to overthrow my kingdom by killing her father, my guard, and any citizen that has sworn loyalty to her father all because he deemed me to be an heir because of a sword. Its almost laughable, but the dead bodies in the covering the streets weren't. needless to say I'm trying to stop an impending slaughter. I walk upon two massive oak doors gleaming from its glossy finish. I take a breathe, nerves calm, resolve firm like steel. I open the doors where flowing conversation dimmed to hushed whispers. I immediately carve a glimmering rune of silence into the air which should last for around five minutes.
The doors slowly slammed shut silencing the room. I looked up at one of the foolish monarchs sneering down at me from one of the court tables. " take a seat." I grip the hilt of my sword. " I've nearly sacrificed the entire world for peace to give my country rest. I've killed my sister who could easily turn your seas into scorching deserts. And you threaten this peace for political gain?" I look into his sea green eyes. " not only have you put me in such a danger from your anger but also put two entire countries ripe for domination." And that was it, like a match to a fire the court erupted into choas.
The young king slammed his hands on the table as he stood hastily, his face bright with anger. " This" He yelled " is what happens when bastards becomes a ruler!" Everyone in the courtroom gasped in shock at the insult. "That's right." He said a nasty smile that would have made my sister proud spread across his face, " I know you're your fathers illegitimate son you bastard." Anger boils my heart, i bite down the urge to beat that smile off his face. "The reason we refuse to give you our resources is because it is not for your safety but for ours.
You all did not bleed and die for my land. until a year ago you weren't aware of our existence yet you think you are entitled to our resources?" A young women with a voice of midnight silk answered " but why not secure your nation across the waters? familiarize yourself with your neighbors, so we may know if you are a friend or foe?" Ah, a sweet talker.
I grip the hilt tighter strengthening my resolve. " we are already secure, what strength can any of you offer me? We don't need wealth nor military strength." The young man took a breathe before saying " no entity should have the power to destroy the entire earth. Such a threat whether it is a nation or a single being must be befriended or eliminated immediately. You cannot stay a secret with such strength." Ah. those words tickled my memory of past traumas. Those exact words have been haunting me my entire life.
" the people of my country are far from the norms of regular civilization, we are the last of the blood of fire. I am their shield. no one on this earth will step foot in my kingdom, in fact no outsider in the history of our existence has ever laid eyes on our lands. So why would I let in war hungry mortals filled with dark intentions?" Before the woman could answer the doors slammed open. My heart froze as a woman with black hair and gold cat like eyes strode by, she was clothed in traditional Dralgearryn war armor. She was carrying a bloodied squirming sack, her gold eyes lazily locked in with mine.
" As your general I must reprimand you for traveling without your guardsmen." The room fell silent, death was near like a predator locked in a room filled with prey. No one dared breathe less they draw her attention. Rumors... of her strength had been spread far and wide. Rightfully so, I brought her out of my country once just once and not only had she killed four drunk mortals but then single handedly destroyed their civilization.
Her gaze drifted to the court before us, " why do you insist on playing with mortals brother?" Her gaze snapped back to my eyes, I can smell her bloodlust. It must be making her skin crawl being away from combat for so long. " Have you not learned from your childhood the disruption they cause? You are following the mistakes of our f-" " enough." I say my voice tense, one wrong word, one small miscommunication error, and she might ruin any peaceful relations we might have with this world.
Then it will be back on fire for conquest. "Whats in the bag?" I ask grimly. She smiled revealing her sharp teeth, she pulled the string and effortlessly yanked the bag revealing a small bloodied girl, her hands and feet were tied. Her face had runes of silence scarred into her flesh. I can feel the color leave my face, " this mortal girl was by our borders, she was trying to sneak into our kingdom." Her gaze: became murderous, " Brother I have fought you all your life to tear away your sympathy. You need to listen to me, kill the girl. if you spare her life every single backwater draconian citizen will challenge you for your position as emperor. You'll be putting a quarter of our population to death."
" We must not treat life so cheaply." I shot back "Cheap?!" She raised her brow. "She is the first mortal to even lay eyes on our lands in history, she played an expensive game. Which she now has to pay an even steeper price. Just look at her doesn't her nationality look familiar." I glance at the queen who five minutes was filled with confidence is now pale and sweating. Ah, must be one of her citizens.
"This is a ploy and you are falling right into it, it was not you who gave up her life but her country, all for selfish gain." I grit my teeth, I can't spare every one in the room, I don't have the energy to fight off my sister again, but i cant let her kill these people. "Surely you don't need to be reminded about the dangers should outsiders start coming into our home?" I glance at her hand gripping her dagger ready to strike me down. I need to act now there's no more time left for plotting. I look to the two scared rulers standing proudly.
"You both will be sentenced to death for your third act of aggression against my country. The girl is coming with u-" the only sound of warning was the whistling of her blades. I ducked watching gleaming daggers fly over my head. I get up and turn around ignoring the sound of bodies collapsing on the ground. I watch my sister aim her hand out at the girl. "No!" I shout, getting in between them. " I refuse to take a child's life, know that I will die protecting her should you continue." Golden orange fire started blooming in the palm of her hand.
The heat from her fire sharply licked my face. The air in the room became dense, the child gasped from the searing heat. She stared at me unbothered, its almost as if we were kids again. She was always quick to put her citizens to death. "We." She said with a chilling calmness.
"Are not children anymore. You are a world leader, and I am a general. My job is to keep our nation safe. even from our own leaders." I grit my teeth even though it's been a year since we fought I still haven't been able to recover my magic reserves. I had to stop the world from incinerating with each blow she threw.
She is fully capable of creating fires hotter than the sun itself. Though I don't know if i have the heart to kill her again. I get into the stance the first Dralgearryn taught me when I was child, I slowly begin drawing the long blood red blade which cursed me with the seat of leadership. " I refuse to be like the mad kings of old putting children and innocent lives to death out of paranoia of being discovered." She closed her hand into a fist snuffing her apocalyptic fire, she closed her eyes before sighing.
" I understand why you won't kill her but I don't think you understand why you need to take her life. Where will she go? Back to our home where our citizens will kill her immediately or act worse crimes upon her?" I pause, I almost can't believe what I'm hearing, for the first time in my life instead of trying to kill me she's trying to talk to me. " keep her locked in the palace?" Anger twisted her face before submerging under her cool mask, "the palace where all the lords of fire can see her? They will incinerate her without question, or worse make her death into a ceremony. She can't go home, not with the information she has. U need to use that blade to good use."
" she's coming to the palace under the guise of a scandal, a half Dralgearryn daughter of mine." She scoffed " she is clearly a Tination, a native of the azure isles. She does not have anything similar of our features." "She does have tan skin, thats enough of a simbalance." She scowled her eyes flickering to the terrified child before us. "What about the barrier? If the dark doesn't kill her our guardian will. Only those with the blood of fire can pass through."
" I'll handle it when we get there." She jammed her palm into my stomach knocking the air from my lungs. My blade clattering to the floor as i I fall to my knees gasping for breathe, "You're still no where near your full strength and you think you have the capability to guide her past the barrier?! You'll be lucky if you even have the strength to keep the darkness at bay." I sheath my ancestors blade into the scabbard.
I look up at her, I can tell her godly reserves are nearly overflowing with power. The Pride of the Dralgearryn House "But you do." She crouches down in front of me her face darkening, "so whats to stop me from killing this child?" I panickly start staggering to my feet, she immediately kicked my legs out from under me. I collide jarringly onto the floor. "You should have stayed in the infirmary.
" She spat, " you have no magic, no strength and I can see your life energy flickering out." She slowly starts walking around me, " you already have a foot in the grave, seems to me by the way things look our battle has taken more than a toll on your body. You're dying." I slowly stood back up, propping myself with my sheathed sword. "I didn't bring you back from dead to start killing children Azalia! By the Gods above you would have burned the world down after you killed our father! there was nothing in the world that could stop you from world domination you would have become a tyrant!" I spat, "leading us all straight to hell instead of paving a way for peace and prosperity for us! You are too selfish to become a ruler. Even if I do die you will never be fit for the throne!" She flinched. Wait she flinched? Never mind that now i have to tell her this now, from the way things are going i wont have much time left." I sacrificed my entire life's reserves to stop your damnable tantrum that would have killed every living thing."
I stare into her eyes," you better pray to the god that blessed your strength that I do not die, I have been the only one keeping the old ones at bay. You disintegrated the only barrier stopping them from invading our home. Everyones home. your wandering why I haven't recovered from our fight? Because a week later as soon as I awake from my coma I have to sacrifice all my energy to keep this broken barrier closed to make sure we don't return to the dark ages." For the first time in my life I have seen her face pale, she is no stranger to the tales of old. The Old Ones are beings of unknown origin perfectly capable of swallowing stars, blotting out the very sun itself. Immortal and nigh unkillable horrors waiting in the vastness between the stars. "Please take this child across the barrier so I can clean up this mess and focus back on keeping us safe." Without word, or retaliation she scoops the child over her shoulder before walking out the doors.