Cyrus's eyes glowed as the magics were awoken from within. The three thugs were stunned into stopping as purple lightning erupted from the crystal and danced along his scales. Cyrus unfurled his wings and sprang into a fighting stance. His heart beat rapidly as purple flames erupted from his nostrils.
"Is that… Convexity?!" The water dragon exclaimed.
"Oh, you better believe it!" Cyrus bellowed. He spat purple flames from his maw and burned the grass around him. "I'll show you what happens when you fuck with a BLACK DRAGON!"
Cyrus charged forward at ramming speed toward the head thug, a trail of purple flames in his wake. The earth dragon surrounded himself with a barrier of stone just before the black dragon smashed against him. The force was great enough that the thug was sent flying backward to crash against the other two. The trio groaned in pain while Cyrus dashed around in an arc about them.
"He had Convexity this whole time?!" The water dragon yelled in surprise.
"Nobody said anything about Convexity!" The earth dragoness shouted.
"Well, I'm saying it NOW!" Cyrus screamed the last word. The scream was coupled with ripples of purple energy that crashed against all three dragons. They howled as their ear frills were assaulted by augmented fear wails. Once again the thugs were forced onto their paws as Cyrus glowered down at them.
The earth drake was the only one to force himself back onto his paws. He groaned in pain as he struggled to stop his head from spinning. Once he was standing again, he looked around at his two friends, who groaned and whimpered on the grass.
"Kass… Mora…" The earth dragon sighed. "You two stay down. I'll… handle this myself."
"You want more of this, do you?!" Cyrus screamed.
The earth dragon finally turned around to face the prince. He reached within his cloak and pulled out a switchblade, which he flipped around to extend the blade. Cyrus smirked; he'd already thought of three different insults to mock the seemingly-redundant weapon.
But that's when Cyrus realized that a good half of the drake's mask had broken off and lay in pieces on the dirt; perhaps from the initial ram attack. The earth dragon realized this and cursed his bad luck as he reached up to feel the edges of the three nasty scars that darted along his face.
"Wait… those scars…" Cyrus narrowed his eyes to squint for a better look. "I know I've seen them before somewhere."
"Doesn't matter where you've seen them!" The earth dragon snapped as he flipped his switchblade around in the air. "Doesn't change the fact that I'm not scared of you, even IF you have Convexity!"
"Oh, you WILL be…" Cyrus spat more purple flames from his maw. After scorching the ground again, the prince lunged forward to attack; he'd teach them all a lesson they'd never forget.
~~…~~
Tyrrany assaulted the dark-yellow dragoness with a series of earth blasts. She wasn't looking to kill this bystander; she wasn't the target. So, why not unleash her opposite element in full force? For the most part, they did the trick; Tina was struck with a multitude of earth bombs that pushed her further and further away. But what Tyrrany hadn't counted on was the dragoness eventually evading her magic blasts by fanning out her wings and just up and levitating into the air. Tyrrany had to blink to make sure she was seeing things; did this girl have Psionic magic? Where had she gained such power?
Tyrrany shook her head and put on an angry face to avoid looking vulnerable. "Come down here, you coward!"
"What's wrong?" Tina asked slyly. "Can't fly in that getup?"
Tired of wasting earth bombs on the dragoness, Tyrrany instead switched to spewing out icicle spears to skewer Tina's wing membranes. But the dark-yellow dragoness simply lifted herself left and right to evade the attacks in ways a dragon couldn't normally swerve to avoid. It burned Tyrrany up inside; if only she'd anticipated such an agile target in her training days.
As Tina evaded the ice attacks, she swooped down to claw at Tyrrany with her talons. Tyrrany ducked and dodged several times, but the last few attacks managed to make contact. Tyrrany hissed as she heard fabric getting ripped apart and scales slashed at her back. Tyrrany collapsed onto all fours and looked herself over: To Tyrrany's relief, the fabric of her cloak magically mended itself in seconds, even though the wounds under her garments were still aching from scratches. Tyrrany quietly offered thanks to her father for giving her such a useful item… but soon her anger was back, as she snarled at Tina and rose.
"I'm getting sick of you!" Tyrrany snapped.
"Likewise!" Tina huffed.
Tyrrany decided to change how she fought; why use just one element when she could use any element? Fire, earth, ice, wind… she spat out whatever element she could think of off the top of her head. Tina yelped as she struggled to avoid being hit by the multiple attacks.
During the onslaught of magical blasts, Tina didn't notice Arthur floating up out of her field of view. He spun around her head and suddenly screamed in her face. "BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!"
Tina yelped in surprise and tried to swat him out of the way. But just as the dragonfly flew out of Tina's reach, an earth bomb came hurtling toward her face. Tina screamed and tried to swerve out of the way, but was too slow; the earth bomb collided with her chest and knocked her out of the sky.
Tyrrany smirked with satisfaction as she watched the yellow dragoness collapse in a heap on the scorched grass. She'd done it; she'd taken out one of them. She marched forward toward the moaning dragoness and prepared to deliver a blow to the head to knock her out…
And that's when a horrid growl came from across the way. Tyrrany looked up and saw the black dragon standing proudly over Jonathan and his two thugs. Cyrus's forelegs were bleeding; several gashes and cuts were dealt to him via Jonathan's switchblade. The weapon was even buried halfway through Cyrus's left wing membrane But the prince didn't care; he just focused his eyes on Tyrrany.
Purple flames erupted from the black dragon's nostrils and he stomped menacingly toward her. Purple energy arced randomly across the prince's back, and his talons left nasty scars on the ground.
"Get away from Tina…" Cyrus growled. "You BITCH!"
Tyrrany couldn't believe her eyes. She thought she'd heard the thug shout something about Convexity earlier, but she figured that it was about her own. She put on a brave face and growled… but something felt very wrong. She knew that black dragons had access to all the elements of magic… but Convexity? Tyrrany thought that was exclusive to only purples and whites. And yet here the prince was, more powerful than ever and ready to strike.
She wouldn't let herself be afraid... she couldn't! Not after coming this far! She had to keep fighting; she still had some of her own convexity remaining. She could use it to fight back; she filled her being with her purple magic and prepared to face off against the powered-up prince…
But Cyrus was through doing anything remotely fair. In the blink of an eye, the prince stopped time again and charged forward at ramming speed. Between blinks, Tyrrany got a faceful of black dragon head. Something cracked. And in another blink, Tyrrany was several feet away, writhing in pain on her back beside the bush.
"ANNIE!" Flame and Arthur screamed in horror. They turned their backs on Cyrus and rushed over to help the dragoness. That was a mistake; Cyrus froze time yet again and sent the both of them flying to crash into the grass beside her.
With his opponents finally all downed, Cyrus returned to normal time. He stood over the injured Tina and rolled her over onto her paws.
"Cy…?" Tina asked worriedly.
"I've got you, Tina. Don't worry…" He said soothingly. The prince used the last of his convexity to conjure up healing water magic. The magic flowed over Tina's body and tended to her wounds, scrapes, and a few dented bones.
"Ugh, my head…" Tina grimaced. She pulled herself up onto her feet and stretched out her wings. "Back in mostly-top form. Thanks, Cy."
"You're welc…" Cyrus began to say. But as the last of his convexity magic finally ran out, every bit of pain he'd gotten throughout the fight came back all at once. He howled in agony and collapsed onto Tina's back. He clutched his injured forelegs and writhed about as similar pain erupted across his back. And every time he shook his left wing about, more pain flared through as the blade cut more and more. "By the ancestors, my WING!"
Tina grunted as she struggled to support his weight. She stood up and turned to inspect his wing for herself
"Oh, ick…" Tina grimaced as she touched the end of the handle."
"Don't pull it out!" Cyrus protested. "You'll make it worse!"
"Don't worry, Cyrus," Tina replied. "I studied up on first aid. I'm sure we can…"
She looked at his face and blinked. The bulk of Cyrus's forehead, where he'd rammed into the dragoness, was a bright purple. The same purple as the dragoness's scales.
"What in the…?" Tina ran a talon along Cyrus's forehead; it was purple goo. She shook her talon in disgust and looked over in the direction of the downed dragoness.
Flame and Arthur struggled to pick themselves up, but they were in too much pain. This allowed Tina to carry Cyrus over to Tyrrany. The cloaked dragoness's hood was forced back from Cyrus's initial blow, revealing her pitch black mane. She moaned wearily as she struggled to lift herself off of her back; she was too disoriented from the bleeding head wound.
"Ugh…" She wrinkled her nostrils at the smell of her own blood. She instinctively reached up to wipe the blood from her face… and wiped at a patch of white scales that were quickly staining with blood.
"Annie…" Flame groaned nearby. "Your makeup."
"My what…?" She mumbled. But soon, she looked down at her purple-stained talons, and her eyes lit up in horror. "Oh no…"
Cyrus rubbed his eyes and looked at the horrified dragoness; with her hood down, he finally realized that her four horns were identical in shape to his own. He forced himself off of Tina's back and, ignoring the searing pain in his flanks, forcibly rolled Tyrrany over onto her belly so he could grab her cloak.
"No…" Tyrrany protested. She struggled to crawl away; to keep her cloak from being ripped off. "Don't…"
But it was in vain; Cyrus pulled the cloak off of her chest and tossed it off to the side.
Cyrus and Tina looked down in surprise and alarm at Tyrrany's white scales. Her purple makeup was revealed. But most importantly, and to Cyrus's complete shock and alarm, he could see the red möbius signs that glowed on Tyrrany's sides.
"It can't be!" Tina exclaimed.
But it was. Cyrus blinked several times; many things ran through his head at once. He had gone talon to talon with a white dragoness and came out the victor. He would also cause some serious trouble if word got around about this. But most importantly, he had a worrying realization.
Cyrus lumbered forward toward Tyrrany's face. He ignored the pain in his neck as he leaned down to whisper to her.
"Are you…?" Cyrus asked slowly and carefully. "Hope?"
Tyrrany blinked. What in the world did that mean? She blew smoke from her nostrils and tried to snap at him, only for her headache to become all the worse. She snarled and struggled in vain to re-orient herself enough to get some healing magic going.
Cyrus, meanwhile, felt a sick feeling in his stomach that almost hurt worse than his wing. This was bad. This was very bad. He struggled to scrounge together just enough reserve magic from within himself to cast it out upon this dragoness. But he was quite interrupted when a red dragon struck him in the side.
"Leave her alone!" Flame hissed. The dragon looked like he was still considerably tormented from just moving around. But despite this, he grabbed the cloak from the ground and quickly fumbled to pull it over her body. He then walked in an arc around the dragoness and hissed at Cyrus and Tina. "Get away from her!"
Cyrus would have hissed at him, but the stinging in his body flared up once again. He could feel his wounds burning as blood reached down toward his ankles. All he could do was use his last reserves of magic to numb the pain and back up slowly from the enraged red drake. Tina backed up along with him so he could lean against her to stay standing. Meanwhile, Arthur finally picked himself up off the ground and carefully floated around his friends' heads.
"We are so screwed." The dragonfly mumbled.
"We'll get you out of here, Annie." Flame whispered to the dragoness. The dragoness mumbled something in response that he didn't quite understand.
Cyrus grimaced; he had so many questions for this dragoness… his half-sister. Why did she attack him? Where had she been all this time? Who were those thugs in the white masks? He just didn't know where to begin…
And he wouldn't, judging by the feint sounds of clanking armor outside the garden. With every second the clanking grew louder and louder.
"What the-?" Arthur asked.
"Soldiers!" Flame cried out. He whirled around, only for pain to shoot through his spine. "Damnit!"
Across the way, Jonathan finally forced himself up onto his feet. His head was wracked with agony, and all his muscles ached. The black dragon really knew how to give a beating when he was angry.
"S-Soldiers…?" Jonathan said aloud. He slowly shambled over to his two thugs; they barely moved as they mumbled in the grass. He tried with all his might to roll his friends onto their paws. "Come on, get up!"
Tyrrany took several breaths as she shambled across to the bush, where her violin and bow still lay in the grass. She picked them up, stuffed them in her case, and fumbled around inside the pocket as she glared back at Cyrus and Tina.
"This isn't over…" She scowled toward the prince. She took the deepest breath of air she could as she pulled Flame toward her. Arthur flew down to land on her snout as a tiny purple aura surrounded all of their bodies.
"Hey, wait!" Cyrus shouted. He stepped forward to grab at the dragoness, only for his paw to flinch as pain shot through it; one of the bones was broken in his talon. He collapsed into a heap on the grass. "Damnit…"
As the prince nursed his injured forepaw, he watched as the two dragons and dragonfly vanished into a shadowy portal. Seconds later, a squadron of six feline soldiers and four dragon soldiers rushed into the area.
They were swiftly followed by General Grail, who gasped upon seeing Cyrus and Tina on the grass.
"General?" Tina asked, confused.
"What in the flying blazes happened HERE?!" Grail demanded.
"It's a long story…" Cyrus said. He suddenly winced as a sprain in his hind paw flared up. "Oww…"
"I go looking for you, and I find THIS!" Grail exclaimed.
"Looking for me?" Cyrus repeated curiously.
"Yes, looking for you!" The General declared. "Your brother was nearly killed by the Sons of Culmubrae not an hour ago! We were dispatched to find you and escort you back safely to the Dragon Spire…"
The General cast his gaze toward the three downed dragons across the clearing. A growl escaped his throat as he saw their white masks. "Well, it looks like someone's tried to kill YOU, too."
"No, they wanted him alive," Tina said. "I don't know why, though."
"I see…" Grail growled in his throat. "Let's get a better look at those three."
The General stomped forward toward the three thugs. The water dragon and earth dragoness just lay still on the grass; they were barely conscious enough to know he was there. But the earth drake, however, froze in terror when he saw Grail approach. He clutched at his face and backed up as far as he could before bumping into a cheetah soldier. The soldier pointed a knife at the earth drake's throat, which made him freeze in place. He clutched at his face and began hyperventilating.
"Hmph, I haven't even used my magic yet…" Grail snorted. He reached down swatted the earth drake's paws away and snatched the mask from his face. Grail's eyes then widened in surprise. "You?!"
Jonathan immediately tried to attack with some small scrap of magic, but all that managed to come forth was a tiny green spurt. Grail snarled; with a wave of his forepaw, he had the cheetah guard apply a metal muzzle to Jonathan's face.
"No!" Jonathan screamed. He struggled to get away, only for a few more cheetah guards to grab his wings and pin him down.
"I can't believe this…" Grail snorted. "Prince Jonathan, launching a sneak attack on Prince Cyrus."
"Prince Jonathan?" Tina repeated.
"Name rings a bell…" Cyrus grunted.
"Oh, you and your friends are in some grave trouble now, Prince Jonathan." Grail scowled down at the earth drake, which flinched back.
"They weren't the only ones," Tina said. "Three more got away just before you arrived."
"Three more?" Grail repeated as he turned around.
"Yeah," Cyrus answered. "There was a fire dragon, a dragonfly, and a purple dragoness. Only, she wasn't really purple: She wore a disguise. She was actually… Well…"
"Well, what?" Grail demanded.
Cyrus leaned up to try and whisper into Grail's ear frill. The General just snorted and leaned down to listen.
"I think it was my sister."
Grail's face immediately turned pale. He stood up tall and gazed down at the prince incredulously. "…Are you sure?"
"Positive." Cyrus nodded. "Come on: We've got to tell my Mom and grandfather about this. Immediately!"
~~…~~
The sun was close to setting.
After Rune and Albanion stopped to get some nourishment at a small restaurant, the two returned to Dragon Spire. As they flew home, Rune looked over the jade necklace he had bought from Bergan's magic shop.
"You know, I can't help but shake the feeling that I've seen that somewhere before," Albanion said.
"Me too," Rune replied. "It looks familiar."
"Whatever the case, I'm sure that whomever you gift it to will appreciate it greatly." He smiled.
"Well, I might give it to Helianne," Rune said. "Even if she doesn't forgive me easily, there's no reason I can't give her an early Day of the Bonds gift… right?"
"Perhaps… if she's calmed down some," Albanion said. "Though Rune… are you hoping to have a relationship with the flowery princess?"
"Well… We've sort of… almost…" Rune sighed as he shook his head. "If I'm being honest… I don't know anything about romance."
"Dragons can't help who they love, Rune." Albanion nodded. "It can be hard to describe; the more you spend time with a particular dragon or dragoness, the more you may want to share experiences with them. You may bond with someone who you share traits with, or you'll inexplicably be attracted to someone who is your complete opposite."
"Does it matter if the dragoness I'm interested in is a princess?" Rune asked. "A princess... that's furious that I beat up her brother in the arena?"
"Hmm, I wouldn't know; that's not how I came to love Elza." Albanion snorted. "In fact, she was the dragoness I faced in the arena all that time ago."
Rune blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I'll tell you about that story when you're older." Albanion snorted. "Now, come. We've got to speak to the queen."
As Albanion and Rune came to a landing at the steps of the Dragon Spire, something was amiss. A large gathering of citizens had mobilized before the front garden. Most of them were chattering about some spectacle, and a few were attempting to file inside. Apella, Rose, and several soldiers were standing at the front gates, doing their best to keep everyone calm.
"Everyone, settle down please!" Rose shouted out with an augmented voice. Her voice's waves rippled against Albanion and Rune as they came to a landing. "There's no need to panic! The worst has already passed us by!"
"Oh my…" Albanion grimaced as he rubbed his ear frill.
"How likely is it that this is related to the Order's attack against us earlier?" Rune asked.
"Quite likely, I'd wager," Albanion grunted. "But let's find out either way."
Albanion pushed past the crowd, leading Rune up the steps and toward the gates. Albanion came to a stop in front of Apella as she was speaking harshly with several lagomorphs. The golden dragoness had her hilt in her jaws as she blocked the doorway.
"…Now is really not the time for wanting time for mediation." Apella snapped. "We're in the middle of a…" She glanced in Albanion's direction and sighed. "Ah, you're back." She turned and put her sword in her scabbard. "There's been some trouble, and Prince Rune is needed inside."
"What's happened?" Rune asked. Rose stepped up and crouched down to whisper into Rune's ear frill.
"Prince Cyrus and Tina were recently attacked while you were away."
Rune's eyes lit up in horror. "W-What?!"
"They're not critically injured…" Apella said. "Although they've been rushed to the infirmary. They're being treated by Cerulean as we speak."
"Was it the Sons of Culmubrae?" Albanion demanded.
"We don't know," Rose replied. "All we know was that there was a commotion in the north-western gardens, and Grail rushed to investigate. That's where he captured three teenage dragons who tried to capture the prince. There's an emergency trial being held by the queen as we speak."
"Well then, looks like I'm headed for the throne room." Albanion wracked his talons on the stone floor. "Come along, Prince."
"Got it!"
Without wasting a breath, Rune pushed past the Deep Shadows to head for the medical ward.
"Hold your horses, Your Highness!" Albanion shouted. "The queen will want to see you!"
"I need to check on them!" Rune called back toward the Deep Shadows. "I'll head for the throne room later!"
"Will you just…?" Albanion stopped himself as Rune vanished deeper into the Dragon Spire. He sighed and rolled his eyes before turning back toward Apella and Rose. "I guess I'll head for the throne room on my own. I wish the both of you good luck in keeping the crowd under control."
"I'm sure we can handle all of this…" Apella snorted. "Just keep an eye on Prince Rune; I don't want him having another episode due to all of this stress."
"Hmph, fair enough…" He nodded again and ventured deeper into the Dragon Spire.
~~…~~
"OUCH!" Cyrus cried out.
"Oh quite your bellyaching, Your Highness," Cerulean demanded. "It'll only sting for a few moments."
Cerulean and Cyrus were in the middle of the medical ward. The prince was lying on his back on a bed while the doctor applied a healing salve to the prince's wing membranes and flanks to clean the wounds. Across from them was Wraith, who stood tapping his talons on the tiled floor on Cyrus's side.
"What in Cynder's name possessed you to go traipsing around unsupervised?" Wraith demanded. "For crying out loud, this is EXACTLY WHY we assign bodyguards to you princes outside the Dragon Spire!"
"S-Sorry…" Cyrus winced. Wraith was about to yell at him again but was stopped when Cerulean flicked him on the muzzle.
"Snapping at the patient won't help him relax, Wraith." Cerulean scolded. "Let me do my job."
"Bleh, fine…" Wraith rubbed his muzzle and grimaced.
Tina and Chalice stood on the other side of Cyrus's bed; they couldn't help but snicker at the way Cerulean applied the salve to Cyrus's rump. The switchblade was removed from Cyrus's wing membrane, and it was held in place via several straps so the doctor could operate without causing further injury.
Tina's patches weren't nearly as severe; her knicks and cuts were tended to, but she was otherwise unharmed.
"Geez, that stuff hurts..." Cyrus complained as Cerulean applied another layer. "It's like I'm being set on a million tiny little fires."
"That only means it's working," Cerulean replied. The water dragon wiped away the white foam on the wing membrane with a cotton swab. "You should consider it lucky that your wing bones were unharmed. I would have had to put a cast on it."
"Gee, that's a relief," Cyrus said halfheartedly.
There came a frustrated groan from across the way. "Oh, quit complaining."
On the other side of the medical ward, Lantel lay on his back upon his own cot. His sides were bandaged from neck to tail tip, and his face was partially bandaged from where Rune's convexity scalded his scales. Lantel was sitting up and scowling as he tried to read from a book.
"All you ever do is…" Lantel groaned in pain as he shifted. "Complain. At least you WON your fight."
Cyrus snarled across the way, which made Wraith groan and shake his head. He stood up to grasp the sheet beside Lantel's bed and pull it across to block off the golden prince from view.
"Hey!" Lantel snapped. He proceeded to yell a few angry things in between his bursts of aches and groans, which made the crimson dragon roll his eyes.
"Cyrus, you should consider yourself lucky that you're not DEAD," Wraith said in exasperation. He held up the convexity crystal that Cyrus had on his necklace. The surface was now completely pale; hardly recognizable as purple at all. "Did you seriously use all of this stuff at once?"
"Well, yeah…" Cyrus shrugged. "It's not like there was much of it to use."
"Need I remind you that it's for emergencies only?" Wraith demanded.
"I'd think having my life be in danger is a pretty big emergency." Cyrus snapped. "That crystal protected me from-"A spike of pain nearly made him jump out of bed. "OUCH!"
"Hold still: I need to apply stitching to your wounds." Cerulean scolded.
"What?!" Cyrus exclaimed.
"Oh calm down." The water drake demanded. "It will only take a few minutes."
"Thanks a lot." The prince complained. "Couldn't you just use your healing magic to fix it?"
"It's a pretty basic wound." The doctor replied. "No need to waste magical energy on something that can be 'fixed' with conventional methods."
Cyrus picked up a pillow and growled into it. This only made Cerulean roll his eyes.
"To think I quit being a Guardian for this…" The blue dragon huffed. He glanced at Wraith and raised an eye ridge. "Is this what he was like as a dragonling?"
"Nah; he was a lot smaller and cuter back then." Wraith snorted. "But I've definitely decided against us ever having kids of our own."
"Like that would ever be a problem for us…" Cerulean chortled.
Wraith, Tina, and Chalice watched as Cerulean got to work stitching up Cyrus' flanks. The prince grunted and groaned in annoyance the whole while.
"Why does it have to be so itchy?" He demanded.
"There's nothing I can do about it, Your Highness." Cerulean snapped. "Please, just let me do my job."
"I'm trying, but it doesn't make it easy to d-ACK!" Cyrus flinched in place, which made Cerulean grumble in irritation.
"So bloody delicate…" Lantel mused from behind his sheet. "You should try having stitches all up and down your sides, and THEN start complaining."
Cyrus fumed again. He turned to glare at Cerulean. "Any reason, in particular, you felt like putting me right next to HIS bed?"
"Convenience on my part." The water drake huffed. "No reason for me to go traipsing up and down the medical wing to treat my high-profile patients when I could just put them in the same spot." He got into position with the needle once again. "Now quit complaining already."
After a few minutes, Rune came running through the doorway on the other side of the room. Cerulean was caught off guard, nearly dropping his needle.
"Confound it!" He yelled.
"S-Sorry." Rune stammered as he approached. To Cyrus's relief, the very presence of his brother made Lantel suddenly go quite silent. Rune only briefly looked in the direction of Lantel's bed; just long enough to feel regret. He then shook his head and trotted forward.
"Rune, you're okay!" Chalice exclaimed.
Rune came to a stop before Tina and Chalice and panted heavily. He looked between Cyrus and Tina with a grimace. "Are you guys okay?"
"We could ask the same thing about you." Chalice said.
"Wait, we could?" Tina raised an eye ridge.
"Yeah, didn't you guys know?" Chalice looked at her. "About an hour before you arrived, some soldiers brought some of the Sons of Culmubrae into custody! They were caught trying to kill Rune!"
"What?!" Cyrus nearly sprang up in surprise. Cerulean forcibly put the shorter prince back down and started on the stitching again.
"Hold still…" Cerulean grumbled.
"We'll fill you in on the details later, Cyrus." Wraith patted the shorter prince on the head.
Rune looked at the wounds on Cyrus's body and grimaced. "Who did this to you, Cy?"
"It was a bunch of petty thugs," Tina answered. "Five dragons and one dragonfly. One of them was a purple dragoness in black robes… except that she wasn't really."
Rune blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, bro…." Cyrus sighed as he looked at Rune. "You're not going to believe this: it was her."
"Her?" Rune raised an eye ridge. "Her who?"
"Our sister." Cyrus declared.
Rune fell silent and his eyes widened. He let his brother's words bounce around in his head. It was a word he didn't use much, outside of describing his foster sister Nellie down in Glenhaven. He took a deep breath and fell back onto his haunches.
"Are… Are you sure?" Rune asked.
"Very su-ow." Cyrus flinched from the stitching. "Look, It was definitely her: I had a look at her face, her horns, her birthmarks, her scales… everything."
"By the Ancestors…" Rune said under his breath. He then cleared his throat and stood up. "So, where is she now?"
"She got away with a few of the other thugs as Grail and the soldiers arrived," Tina said. "But they were lucky enough to capture the other three."
"Mom is dealing with them right now," Cyrus added. "Personally, I hope she gives the green one - the jerkwad who called me a PRINCESS- the axe."
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Rune asked.
Cyrus gave his brother a flat look. "It was Prince Jonathan."
Rune was silent once again; Jonathan. Of course, it would have to be JONATHAN. All at once, memories came flooding back of the schoolyard bully who used to torment Rune when he was growing up as a kid in Glenhaven. Rune dug his talons into the floor and thought back to the last time he'd seen Jonathan; when his father was exiled from a majority of dragon cities for siding with the Order of Culmubrae.
"Okay, I get it now." Rune snorted. "Jonathan can go straight to the Underworld."
"Rune!" Wraith shouted in disgust. "Just because someone's a pain in the arse doesn't mean you should delight in seeing them KILLED."
"Oh, so he should just get off with a verbal warning?" Rune snapped.
"Of course not; he tried to abduct Cyrus here." Wraith huffed. "The point is that you need to be BETTER than your enemies, not worse."
"Enough shouting already," Cerulean demanded. "I've finished with the last of the stitches. It should be a few weeks before they need to be removed. But, since you're so insistent…"
Cerulean waved a forepaw over Cyrus's body. The talons glowed a bright blue, and a bit of magic flowed from his digits and to various spots on the prince's body. Cyrus sighed in relief as the bulk of the pain was relieved.
"There, that should keep you going for a while." Cerulean snorted. "Now, get out of my medical ward and get your arses to the trial! The lot of you!"
"Uh, thanks, Sir Cerulean…" Cyrus got off the cot and carefully stretched out his wings. "Let's head for the throne room."
"Right…" Rune nodded.
The four teenagers made their way out of the medical ward and into the hallway. Wraith sighed as he watched them go. He leaned back and scratched the back of his head with a wing-thumb.
"Those two sure have grown up fast…" He said.
"I suppose they have." Cerulean snorted. "Now, quit belly-aching and go make sure they make it to adulthood."
"Oh, fine…" Wraith rolled his eyes. He leaned in to plant a kiss on Cerulean's muzzle. "I'll come by later tonight."
"Hmph, you better be on time for once." Cerulean leaned against the cot and smirked. "We're having lamb chops at nine."
Wraith grimaced and then snorted. "Ah, of course. My favorite."
"Oh, don't be a hatchling." Cerulean chortled. "Dragons eat meat. It's what we do."
"Sure…" Wraith sighed. He held out his forepaw, snapped his talons, and vanished in a cloud of smoke. Cerulean just sighed and turned to pull the sheet back to expose Lantel again. The golden prince grimaced at the sight of the doctor.
"I really didn't need to hear any of that lovey-dovey crap." Lantel snorted.
Cerulean just snorted. "Don't make me stitch that big mouth shut, princey-poo."
~~…~~
Elenar found herself seated upon her throne once again. It seemed like she'd just gotten done condemning the dragons that had attacked her son Rune… and now, she was doing it all over again to deal with dragons that were caught attacking her other son. Urobos and Dona were in their usual spots on either side of her. But she also had Grail and Aegis beside the others this time.
Elenar gazed down at the three teenaged dragons, all locked in iron muzzles. The crowd was murmuring uneasily as they watched the Queen. And off to the side, Albanion was lurking in the shadows.
Elenar shut her eyes and growled internally. Grail had relayed the information Cyrus and Tina had given to him about the encounter straight to Elenar as soon as he arrived. But she couldn't help but wonder if they were true; could dragons so young really be guilty of such a thing?
"We'll need to see what happened for ourselves this time…" Elenar said; everyone quieted down as she spoke. "As there were no other witnesses besides my son and his friend, we'll need to peer into the minds of the accused…" She turned to Aegis with a serious expression. "Aegis, if you would?"
"Err… As you wish, Your Grace." He bowed his head. The dark-brown drake lumbered toward the three culprits and held out a forepaw.
Soon enough, all three of them flinched and shook as Aegis forcefully scanned their memories. He wasn't a Deep Shadow for nothing; the drake's mastery of Psionics enabled him to not only see the culprits' memories for himself, but he projected them outward onto a sphere for all to see. Elenar felt sick to her stomach as she watched the young dragons' battle unfold. But while the crowd watched the splendor in awe, Elenar felt worried; Grail had mentioned a particular detail that she didn't want the crowd to see. And when the signs were getting close that it was coming…
"Stop! That is enough." Elenar bellowed.
Aegis flinched and halted the memories. He retracted his presence from the culprits' minds and shuffled off to stand beside Urobos without a word. As the queen took a breath, she looked across at the other Deep Shadows and wracked her talons together.
"I trust that the truth is now clear to you all?" Elenar asked.
"Of course, it is, Your Grace!" Grail exclaimed. "These three cretins have launched an attack on your son. They're all as guilty as can be, and we need to track down the rest of their little gang!"
"That's easier said than done, my friend," Albanion said from the shadows. At Elenar's nod of approval, he stepped forward. "The rest of them could be anywhere in the city if they're even in Warfang at all."
"Then what are we to do about these three?" Aegis asked.
"Perhaps we should pry them for information," Dona smirked. She locked eyes with earth drake in the center. "They might divulge the location of the rest of the group if given the right… persuasion."
The two other culprits shivered a bit under Dona's glare, but the center drake merely took deep breaths. Elenar looked into his eyes and studied his features. It had been years, and he was significantly older, but Elenar remembered that face quite well, as well as those nasty scars.
Elenar rose from her seat and stepped forward toward the chained earth drake. The council of Deep Shadows all held their breath as the queen loomed over the teenager.
"This isn't how I expected to meet you again…" She said coldly. "Prince Jonathan."
The earth drake still refused to speak; he just glared up at her. Elenar just strolled around to his side, grabbed his cloak, and pulled it off of his back. She exposed the glowing green birthmark on his scales to the whole of the crowd. Everyone began murmuring uneasily once again.
"Prince Jonathan?" Aegis repeated curiously.
"Aye… Prince Jonathan." Grail said with a snort.
"What's he doing in Warfang?" Albanion wondered.
"That's a wonderful question," Elenar stated. "She walked around to face Jonathan before glaring at him.
"I could ask why you've come to Warfang… but I have the feeling it involves getting revenge on my son Rune," Elenar said. "You weren't able to find him, so you instead attacked Cyrus." She narrowed her eyes. "And that's not even the only reason, is it?"
Jonathan just snorted and said nothing. Elenar rumbled in her throat as she glared at him.
"From what we've seen on the screen, your intentions weren't to KILL Cyrus, but to capture him." Elenar continued. "Were you planning on abducting him? Did your father put you up to it?"
Jonathan still didn't answer, but Elenar could see a small twinge of unease in the prince's eyes.
"How many other teenaged dragons are in your little group?" Elenar demanded. The prince still gave no reply. Elenar could feel her anger seething by the second.
"I'm losing my patience, Jonathan." She snapped.
"Alright… I'll tell you something," Jonathan said. "Let me just… whisper it to you. I can't say it out loud; not in front of my friends."
Elenar raised an eye ridge; maybe there was still hope of reasoning with the young dragon. She lowered her head down and opened an ear frill to what he had to say. She tapped her talons on the floor as the prince spoke.
"… Go fuck yourself." He said before spitting in her ear frill.
Elenar flinched and leaned back with disdain. Immediately Grail and Albanion snarled in anger and were upon the young dragon. Grail extended his talons and held them up to Jonathan's face, while an aura of poison formed around Albanion's maw. It didn't take long for Jonathan to fumble about fearfully in his chains.
Elenar shivered in disgust as she struggled to clean out her ear frill. Once that was done, she stepped between Albanion and Grail, who put away their talons and magic before backing up. Elenar locked eyes with Jonathan once again.
"I was going to give you a modicum of a chance to make things easier on yourself, Prince Jonathan…" Elenar scowled. "But now I know that there's no reasoning with you."
She motioned toward the water drake and earth dragoness with her talons. "To start off, these two are sentenced to ten years in the dungeons for attacking Prince Cyrus."
"Ten years?!" They exclaimed in horror. Jonathan flinched again but tried to hide his worry.
"As for YOU…" Elenar snarled down at the earth drake. "I'm going to personally see to it that you are escorted to Glenhaven in chains."
"What?" Jonathan's eyes lit up in shock.
"Oh, yes…" Elenar scowled. "Since you were never officially exiled by your grandfather Telus, what you've done to Cyrus is an act of treason. But obviously, Telus never commanded you to attack my son, so I'll leave it to him to decide what your fate is."
"No!" Jonathan screamed. "You can't do this to me!"
"I can, and I will." Elenar declared. She returned to her pedestal and glanced at Grail. "Take these three to the dungeons and lock them in separate cell blocks. Jonathan is to be held in the deepest layer until a mobile cage is prepared to escort him directly to Glenhaven. I have spoken."
"As you command, Your Grace." Grail bowed his head. He then turned and fixed his eye on Jonathan, who shook in fear. "You're spending the night with ME, boy."
"NO!" Jonathan screamed. He writhed and shook in his chains to no avail.
Grail approached the prince and struck him upside the head to shut him up. He then signaled several soldiers to approach and help escort the three prisoners straight to the dungeons. The soldiers took the trio by the chains on their collars and dragged them off toward the doors. All the while, Elenar watched as Jonathan fought madly against his restraints.
"Damn you!" Jonathan screamed. "I fucking hate you!"
"Shut it!" Grail struck him again. "You make it too easy to not pity you, boy!"
As Jonathan was being led away in chains, he glanced toward the doors as they opened up across the chamber. At that moment, four young dragons walked in, with Prince Rune at the head.
~~…~~
For a brief moment, Rune was stunned into silence as he locked eyes with Jonathan. The memories of his life in Glenhaven flashed through his mind yet again. That coupled with the news that Jonathan had attacked Cyrus, made Rune scowl. He blew little flames from his nostrils and made to follow Jonathan and the soldiers… only for Chalice to grab his foreleg.
"Hey, let go," Rune demanded.
"Not again, Rune." Chalice scolded him. "Don't lose your temper."
"But he-" Rune began to counter, only for Chalice to bop him on the muzzle.
"You already made your mom mad after the Lantel incident." Chalice said forcefully. "Don't make it even worse."
Rune sighed heavily. He forced himself to look away from Jonathan and the soldiers until they were finally gone from the chamber. After that, he took a few deep breaths to relax.
"Okay… I'm fine." He said.
"Well, that's a relief," Tina replied as she appeared on his right. She lightly nudged him on the shoulder. "Nobody wants to see you blow your top."
"Yeah." Cyrus nodded. "At least the creep is being hauled off to rot in prison where he belongs."
After that, Rune and his friends waited as the crowd began to disperse. Many of the dragons awkwardly stepped around the princes on their way out. Perhaps a few of them were still skittish around Rune after his fight with Lantel. In any case, once a good number of people were out of the way, Rune led his group across the chamber to where Elenar sat on her pedestal.
The queen sighed in slight relief as the two princes approached. "Hello, boys."
"Hey, Mom…" Cyrus replied. He stepped up, only to flinch as his bandaged wing flared with pain. "Oww…"
"Be careful, Cyrus." Elenar scolded. "You look like you just got out of the medical ward."
"I did…" Cyrus smiled awkwardly. "Cerulean's stuff works like a charm, I have to say."
Elenar's mood wasn't fully relieved. She returned to the chamber floor and reached out to pull both princes in close with her wings. She shut her eyes and struggled not to break down.
"G-hey!" Cyrus protested. "Not again!"
"My boys…" Elenar shook a bit. "Both of you were attacked on the same day… I can't stand this!"
"Uh…" Rune grimaced. "Are you still mad at me?"
Elenar flinched for a bit. She then glared at Rune despite being on the verge of tears. "Of all the times to go wandering around the marketplace, why NOW?"
"I… I didn't want to stay locked up in the Dragon Spire." Rune frowned. "Not with everyone hating me."
Elenar sighed in exasperation. "By the Ancestors, I don't know what to do with the two of you." She glanced between her sons. "But until further notice, you're not allowed outside the Dragon Spire's walls."
"What?!" Both princes exclaimed. Elenar withdrew her wings and backed up to frown at them.
"There are just too many attacks within the city lately," Elenar said. "The Sons of Culmubrae, the extremists attacking white dragons, and now these thugs going after you…" She took a deep breath. "It just isn't safe for either of you anymore."
Rune shivered in worry. He almost asked about his trip to Glenhaven but held his tongue for fear of being yelled at. Elenar seemed to pick up on what he was going to ask and sighed again.
"Well, Guardians Hontus and Voden will be here soon," Elenar said. "I can't just turn them around and shoo them away just like that…" She flapped her wings. "No, I'll need to speak with them before I decide on that…" She then glanced off in the direction of the door that Jonathan and his thugs were taken through. "But they definitely won't leave empty-clawed."
Rune wasn't sure what that meant, though he hoped it meant he could leave to head to his southern home. He seriously needed some time away from all this stress.
"Your Grace…" Albanion said, drawing Elenar's attention. "Now that the trial is over, it's imperative that I tell you more crucial details about the latest attack by the Sons of Culmubrae."
"Oh, what more is there to tell me?" Elenar demanded.
"Well, I think you'll want to know who helped the prince and the apprentices," Albanion replied. He made his way across the chamber floor and leaned in to whisper into Elenar's ear frill. And what he said nearly made her collapse against her pedestal. "Bergan is in Warfang."
Elenar stood in silence, leaving Rune and Cyrus feeling uneasy.
"Mom?" Cyrus asked worriedly. He tugged on the sleeve of her regal robes. "Mom, what's wrong?"
In seconds, the pieces fell into place in Elenar's mind. The caravan came from Faeshrine. Bergan was lurking in Warfang. Cyrus was attacked by a dragoness who…
"No…" Elenar whispered. She turned and leaned against the pedestal for support. "No, this is wrong. This is very wrong!"
"Mom?" The princes asked in unison. They stepped up to support her, while Urobos stomped up to pat the queen on the back.
"Elenar, keep calm." Urobos urged. "Don't put all the weight on yourself. If you need help, just lean on me and the Deep Shadows." He patted her on the neck. "You're in charge. We'll help you."
"Alright…" Elenar turned and took as deep a breath as she could before exhaling slowly. "Dona, Albanion, Aegis… I have orders to delegate."
Rune and Cyrus scooted out of the way as the three Deep Shadows made to surround the queen. She fell back onto her haunches and took her regal pose.
"I need some of you to quietly and discreetly inspect the caravan from Faeshrine." She declared. "Keep an eye out for any signs that more of the thugs are lurking around in disguise as traders. But don't make it obvious that they're being watched."
"Of course." Aegis nodded his head.
"Are you sure you want to completely restrict your sons to the Dragon Spire?" Dona asked curiously. "It's not THEIR fault that people are trying to kill them."
"The alternative would be to have them surrounded by bodyguards at all times," Urobos said. "At least four regular soldiers and one Deep Shadow each."
"Hmm…" Elenar wracked her talons together. "I guess that would allow them some freedom to go where they wanted to."
"If we're not allowed any privacy like that, then I'd rather just stay in my room all day." Cyrus snorted.
"Well, if that's what you'd prefer…" Elenar declared.
Cyrus gasped. "I was being sarcastic, Mom!"
"Well don't get snippy with me, Cyrus!" Elenar exclaimed. "These are serious times!"
The prince yelped and lowered his head sheepishly. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry…"
Elenar sighed in exasperation and stood up. "It's for your good, Cyrus. I can't risk you being nearly killed by letting you wander aimlessly through Warfang. Your choices are either heavy surveillance or confinement to the Spire. There's to be no in-between until all of the trouble is gone."
"Fine…" Cyrus just sighed and flapped his wings indignantly. Rune grimaced and reached out to pat his brother on a spot on his back that wasn't injured; it wasn't easy.
"Alright, next order of business…" Elenar flapped her wings and glanced around. "I want the guards on the outer walls to be doubled in number. But again, be DISCREET: don't make it obvious." She clacked her talons on the floor. "When Grail gets back, inform him that he's to take charge of recruitment and dispersal of soldiers."
"Should we summon forth crepsculi to aid in patrolling the walls?" Dona suggested.
"NO." Elenar scowled.
"And why not?" Dona tilted her head. "I've seen first-claw how effective crepsculi can be. All we need to do is gather up enough gems to power the magic, and we'll have a self-renewing supply of dark fiends to keep things orderly in Warfang."
Albanion and Aegis looked at Dona incredulously, while the queen glowered.
"No, no, no no, NO!" Elenar snapped at Dona. "Those beasts have sent fear into the hearts of Light dragons ever since Baneth's assault on Warfang! I won't have bouts of PTSD flaring up all across my city just because you want effective guard dogs!"
"Alright, alright, fine…" Dona stuck her snout in the air. "But don't blame me if the city guard becomes spread too thin, Your Royal Most Extreme Highness."
Elenar's eye twitched, but she shook her head and looked away from Dona. "This meeting is adjourned."
"But what about Bergan?" Albanion asked.
Elenar was silent for a time. The others grew uneasy for a time as the queen tapped her talon on the floor. Urobos up and placed a forepaw on the queen's shoulder.
"Elenar…?" He whispered cautiously.
"Bergan…" She said quietly. "If he's in Warfang, and she's in Warfang… and she attacked Cyrus…"
"Elenar?" Albanion frowned. "Should we send soldiers to persuade him to come to the Dragon Spire?"
Elenar sighed and shook her head. "Bergan is Bergan, Albanion. You know what he's capable of…" She locked eyes with the poison drake. "Send any obvious signs of trouble, and he'll see it coming days in advance. He can't be ordered to come here, nor can he be threatened, bribed, or manipulated. He'll talk to me if he wants to talk to me."
"So that's it, then?" Albanion asked incredulously. "We leave him to his devices?!" He unfurled his wings and glared at her. "From what I understand, his daughter… your daughter… launched an attack on Prince Cyrus! Something is very wrong, and we need to find out why this has happened!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Elenar screamed. "You think I don't care that my eldest child attacked her own brother?!" She dug her talons into the floor. "Of course, I want to get to the bottom of this! But if I TRY, then Bergan and my daughter will be GONE by the time I get to the marketplace! Bergan has eyes and ears in places that none of you would scarcely imagine!" She glared around at the Deep Shadows. "You can't get the drop on him! Nobody in all the dragon realms can get the drop on Bergan!"
Elenar came to a stop and panted heavily. Albanion looked at the queen uneasily, while Aegis and Urobos exchanged cautious glances. Rune and Cyrus grimaced at their mother's anger… and Dona loomed in the back, wracking her talons on the floor.
"All of you… just go." Elenar sighed. She turned around and draped her tail about her legs. "I… I have a lot of thinking and planning to do."
Everyone else was silent as they turned to leave the chamber. Rune and Cyrus were the last ones to leave; they frowned at their mother and exchanged worried glances as they tried to think of something to say.
"Boys…" She said sadly. "Please, just go. I have nothing else to say."
"Okay…" Rune's voice was barely over a whisper as he turned to leave. "We'll see you later, Mom."
Cyrus bit his lip and sighed; he slumped his shoulders and walked carefully to follow his brother through the back doors.
Soon, the queen was all alone in the great throne room; the only sound was her erratic heart and sniffling nostrils. Elenar just took a deep breath and struggled to make sense of things. All she could do was think about how things had come to this…
~~…~~
Four years prior…
Elenar never wanted to keep secrets from her sons. But for the longest time, she had no choice. She thought she'd paid dearly after her death meant her secrets died with her… but being brought back to life put a new perspective on things. It was time for a change.
It was on the evening after Elenar was crowned the High Queen of Warfang. She sat upon the golden cushion in the throne room, with Urobos standing at her side. Rune and Cyrus, still thirteen years old, sat on their haunches before them.
"Boy… There's something important I need to tell you." Elenar said sadly. "I wanted to tell you years ago, but that was before I… died." She shivered; it was still such a strange thing to say as fact. "Still… our family is mostly back together again…" She just snorted and shook her head. "No, it was never complete."
"What do you mean, Mom?" Rune asked. He and Cyrus exchanged uneasy glances. They just sighed and looked up at their mother as she took a deep breath.
"What I have to say might be hard to hear, but it's the truth…" Elenar lowered her head to look her sons in the eyes. "About a year before I married your father, I… I had a child with another dragon: a purple drake named Bergan."
The news hit her sons like a ton of bricks. They looked at each other as if each one was checking to see if the other was in on some sort of prank their mother was playing. But no, they were both shaken, and they looked at Elenar in disbelief.
"We… we have a half-sibling?" Rune asked uneasily.
"An older sister, to be exact." Elenar sighed.
"But… how could you go behind Dad's back like that?!" Cyrus demanded.
"I didn't, Cyrus." Elenar shook her head. "Things were difficult back then."
"If we have a sister, then where is she?" Rune asked.
Elenar took a breath. She then proceeded to tell them the story of their sister's birth, as well as the precious name Elenar picked for her…
~~…~
The queen blinked and found herself standing in the middle of the audience chamber once again. It was the present, and she had many problems stacked atop each other.
Bergan… She sighed as she turned toward a window. Please… come to me. Tell me what it is you want. Why did you send our daughter to attack my sons?
~~…~~
Night had fallen once again.
Tyrrany shivered as she gazed at her father's back. Bergan was gazing out the blinds on his window. From the way he took deep breaths, she could tell he wasn't happy.
After the unsuccessful attempt to capture Prince Cyrus, the three teenagers had no choice but to flee before the authorities captured them. Tyrrany, Flame and Arthur stood in the middle of Bergan's carriage, where they'd teleported thanks to the last reserves of the white dragoness's magic. Her scales were a mess; her makeup was smeared, and Flame had to apply a bandage around her forehead. Tyrrany struggled to keep her composure as she sat on her haunches before her father. And after recounting the whole story, Bergan was far from pleased.
"Tyrrany…" The purple dragon said as he rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. "You have a knack for acting without thinking."
"Dad, I… I'm sorry." Tyrrany stammered. "When I saw the black dragon, I couldn't help but follow him."
"Following would be one thing. Spying during your recon would be another…" He turned to glare at her. "But to launch an attack, unprovoked, and drag Jonathan's thugs into the mix?"
"Uh…" She shivered. "I lost my temper. It… It finally sank in that the prince was my… my half-brother."
Bergan shut his eyes and blew purple smoke from his nostrils.
"Tyrrany… you have three half-brothers who have lived with you for years back home." He turned around and glowered at her. "How are two more, whom you KNEW ABOUT, by the way, any sort of a difference for you?"
"I…" Tyrrany's lip quivered as her father's shadow fell over her. "I guess I wasn't thinking?"
"Damn straight you weren't thinking!" Bergan slammed his forepaws on the table in the center of the carriage, making the teenagers jump in fright. "There were so many ways you could have handled this! You could have crept up quietly and knocked the prince out and teleported back in a flash. OR, you could have introduced yourself to the prince and worked to gain his trust!"
"Wh-what?" Tyrrany blinked.
"But NOPE! You figured that the best course of action would be to leap into BATTLE!" Bergan shouted. "You might as well of screamed 'HEY WARFANG, LOOK AT ME! I'M A WHITE DRAGON ATTACKING YOUR PRINCE!'"
"I…" Tyrrany shrank down again; her mind drew a complete blank. "I…"
"Do you ever listen to anything I tell you, Tyrrany?!" The purple drake bellowed. "All of the combat training I've arranged for you was so you would be prepared to defend yourself should anything go wrong! It was NOT to go randomly attacking dragons in broad daylight, where a thousand eyes could see you!"
He gestured to the torn cloak at the dragoness's side. "Just look! You've gone and destroyed your disguise! Now I have to set to work making you another one! You'll have to stay hidden until it's done!"
Tyrrany shivered as she followed Bergan's gaze. The purple drake leaned his head up and took a deep breath.
"In the meantime, Jonathan has gone and taken the fall for this little escapade." Bergan snorted. "This is something I would expect from him… but now any hopes of you lulling Elenar and her sons into a sense of security are GONE." He scowled at her. "Elenar has seen your attack on Prince Cyrus."
Tyrrany's eyes flashed with worry. "W-What?"
"She knows what you've done, Tyrrany." Bergan's eyes narrowed. "And now, in just a few hours, the outer walls will be crawling with city guards. And on top of that, the Deep Shadows will be skulking around looking for any signs of the rest of the Crazy Aces."
Flame and Arthur flinched with worry, but didn't question how the purple drake knew all of this; after all, he saw many things that others didn't see.
"You were always going to be guilty of something in this city, Tyrrany." Bergan declared. "But now, Elenar is on her guard; she's looking for you. And she will lock you away if she finds you… if she doesn't just outright execute you for hurting one of her sons."
Tyrrany shivered; she'd failed. She'd acted rashly and ruined her best chance of getting her revenge. She instinctively reached for her violin case to use it as a wall between herself and her father.
"Perhaps I was wrong…" Bergan shook his head. "You're still not ready."
"I am ready!" Tyrrany shouted frantically. "Please, I worked so hard to get to this point!"
Bergan shook his head. "No, you're not. You're still letting your anger get the better of you." He unfurled his wings to cast more of the carriage in shadows. "One of these days you're going to get so lost in anger that you make a grave error. And I won't be able to save you from yourself, Tyrrany."
"Father, please!" Tyrrany's eyes teared up as she looked up at the purple drake. "I'm sorry that I let my anger get in the way of the mission! I won't let it happen again! Please, give me another chance!"
As Bergan glared down at her, Tyrrany felt incredibly small; she felt as though she may shrink down into the fabric of the carpet at her feet. She scolded herself over and over again in her mind for letting things come to this; Elenar was aware of her presence and was out to capture her. Jonathan, albeit an annoying prat, was locked away in the dungeons below the Dragon Spire. If Bergan refused to help her, Tyrrany didn't know what she would do.
But eventually, the purple dragon sighed in pity.
"Tyrrany…" He began to say more softly. But as Bergan reached out to pat his daughter on the head… he coughed.
Bergan's nostrils wriggled in discomfort, and he coughed again; there was smoke nearby. He wiped his forepaw down and looked around the carriage for the source. "What in the…?"
Bergan blinked as more smoke rose around him. The purple drake coughed harder as he stumbled backward... into a stone building. Confused, Bergan looked behind himself; where had the carriage gone? Why was there so much smoke?
And that's when Bergan realized what was happening: a vision.
"Oh, no..." Bergan coughed a few more times as he tried to figure out where he was.
There were many buildings surrounding him, but it wasn't Warfang; it was too humid. And instead of the great Dragon Spire in the center of the city, it was a palace atop a mountain. And everything was burning.
Bergan coughed as he scrambled down the city street. His ear frills picked up nearly a thousand panicked voices as citizens fled to find safety. There were hisses and shrieks as black-hided monsters emerged from the shadows to lash out at anyone in their path.
No, no, no…! Bergan's thoughts became panicked.
Soon, the purple dragon arrived at the base of the mountain and watched as the palace rumbled. The structure creaked and groaned as parts of the roof collapsed, all under the gaze of more of the beasts. Dragons and non-dragons fled from the building in any way they could…
And there, in the center of the crowd, was a blue dragoness, who screamed as she fled from a hoard of monsters. Bergan watched in horror as the dragoness was attacked on all sides, and her wings were torn asunder. The dragoness wailed in terror as she plummeted toward the distant ground. Bergan's eyes went wide with horror, and he spread his wings to try and fly to her. The smoke burned his throat and eyes, but he couldn't just watch. He had to save this young dragoness! He had to-
"Dad!" Tyrrany yelled frantically.
Bergan felt his foreleg being shaken as a sobbing dragoness grasped him. He blinked several times as he panted wearily. The purple drake's body shook, but he calmed down when he realized he was still in his carriage. Bergan took several breaths, and his eyes teared up as he looked around.
No matter how many times he'd gone through this, it was always as panic-inducing as the very first vision he had as a dragonling. Bergan did his best to keep his shuddering under control, as his mind tried to piece together what happened in the vision. As he did so, he looked down at his daughter, who watched him with a worried face.
"Dad…?" She asked with a raised paw.
Bergan cried, and he quietly pulled Tyrrany in for a hug. Bit by bit, his mind put together a plan.
"I… I guess I can never stay mad at you for too long, my dear." Bergan said as he wiped his eyes. "I'll… give you another chance."
Tyrrany nearly broke down in tears. She scooted up close as she accepted a hug from her father. "Th-Thank you, Dad. Are you…?"
"I'm alright." He said calmly. "I just… need to think of a plan."
Bergan shut his eyes to think: it was Glenhaven that he'd seen. Saul was planning to launch an invasion to take back his city… but the palace was crumbling, and the streets were on fire. Just how far was the General going to go for the sake of reclaiming his title of Earth King?
And that blue dragoness… it was the daughter of the Guardian Hontus, no question. She was being mauled by crepsculi. But if those beasts were attacking in Glenhaven, then that meant…
Bergan shuddered; Things were going to go very wrong in Glenhaven. Something had to be done… and he needed Tyrrany to do it. The purple dragon shut his eyes once again and took a deep, long breath. It was time to push away his worries… and play the role of the crafty magician.
"Okay, I have a plan…" Bergan spoke calmly. "What you need to do, my dear, is find a means of atoning for your crime without being sentenced to prison or death. You'll also need to find a way to clear Jonathan's name in time for your wedding ceremony." He snickered. "That will be a bit tricky."
"Wh-What must I do?" Tyrrany looked up at him; the remains of her makeup were running at this point.
"Hmm…" Bergan stroked his beard. Eventually, his eyes widened and he snapped his talons. "Ah, I've got it!"
Bergan patted Tyrrany on the shoulder so she would rise onto her haunches. He then pulled her close with a wing and lowered his head to whisper to her.
"In a short time, your brother Rune will be leaving Warfang to travel south to Glenhaven. He spends about six months out of a year living there. He'll be visiting his foster family, who-"
"Foster family?" Tyrrany tilted her head.
"Don't you remember? Rune's foster parents are Guardian Hontus and his wife Seraph." Bergan snorted. "They also have two other children, one of whom is a girl named Nellie."
"Okay…" Tyrrany blinked. "What's so important about this Nellie?"
"She doesn't know it yet, but Nellie is in for a bit of an… accident." Bergan bit his lower lip and tried not to think about the vision.
"What kind of accident?" Flame asked from across the way.
"One that leads to a life-or-death situation," Bergan answered. He returned his gaze to his daughter. "Now, suppose the situation was too severe for Rune to handle on his own. That's when you, Tyrrany, swoop in to lend him your aid." Bergan pulled Tyrrany in closer. "He'll likely be aware that you attempted to capture his brother by the time he sees you next."
"If that's so, then why should I help aid this Nellie?" Tyrrany asked.
"Rune's more compassionate than Cyrus." Bergan snorted. "If you help rescue Nellie, then he might be grateful enough to let you explain that the attack on Cyrus was nothing more than a severe misunderstanding."
"But it wasn't." Arthur grimaced. "Doesn't one of the Deep Shadows have the power to-?"
"Please don't interrupt." Bergan snapped. The dragonfly grimaced and flew behind Flame's head. Bergan cleared his throat and continued. "Eventually, you two are to return to Warfang together, and he'll explain to your mother what really happened. Perhaps she'll forgive you, and our original plans will be right back on track."
"Well, I guess it could work," Tyrrany said glumly. "But wouldn't I have to travel to Glenhaven, then?"
"Oh, it'll be quite the large detour, I know." Bergan nodded. "But that's what happens when we have to improvise, Tyrrany." He patted her on the back. "Now, please try to keep your temper in check so we don't have to improvise again before you return to Warfang."
"I'll do my best, Father." Tyrrany bowed her head.
"You'll have to…" Bergan said in a more serious tone. "Because you, Flame, and Arthur will need to leave Warfang before the night is out. With patrols about to increase, there's almost no time for you to escape."
"Do we have time to gather our supplies?" Flame asked.
"Yes, but not much." Bergan snorted. He turned around and opened one of the drawers in a cabinet.
Within the cabinet was a series of purple crystals of various sizes. Bergan briefly shuddered as his talons traced along their shiny surfaces; each one was only to be used in emergencies… which this might as well have been. He pulled out a decently-sized crystal and placed it down before his daughter.
"Add this to your supplies. Then, board a wagon at the end of the caravan; it's slated to head west toward the Prime Temple. Once you're far enough out of detection range, use this crystal to teleport yourselves as far south as you can get. And from there, make your way to the Shining Talon; there will be an FTC ship docked in Ninn, waiting to transport you across the ocean."
He leaned back and sighed. "Once at sea, you'll be on your own to figure out how to help this Nellie. Is all of that understood?"
"Yes, Father." She nodded. She grabbed a quill and a sheet of paper on the table to start taking notes.
"That's my girl." Bergan patted her shoulder. He then turned to glare at Flame and Arthur. "And just what are you two dawdling around for? Get started!"
"Yes, Sir!" They exclaimed in unison. Immediately the dragon and dragonfly scrambled to get started preparing for their journey south.
"Good." Bergan snorted. "And remember to pack some maps of the dragon realms; you'll need them to make your way through the desert."
"What do we do about Jonathan?" Flame asked. "And what about his gang?"
"Oh, don't worry about the Crazy Aces: I'll keep them calm and under control," Bergan replied. "As for Jonathan… he'll be fine; no executions are in his near future." He clapped his forepaws. "Now, hurry up and get going!"
It wasn't much longer before Tyrrany, Flame and Arthur were ready. The dragoness had patched herself up with healing crystals and used a rag to wash herself down before applying a new coating of makeup. Meanwhile, Bergan used his magic to mend all the damage done to her cloak so that it was good as new. He also had the coachman for his carriage pilot it casually across the streets to evade being spotted by any patrolling dragons; just in case.
Bergan stood at the doorway as the trio prepared to step out into the air. Flame and Arthur looked ready to go, but Tyrrany had a moment of hesitation; she gazed out the doorway… out at the empty streets where dragons wandered around.
"What's wrong, my dear?" Bergan asked.
"This… This is going to be the first time I've traveled without you, Dad…" She looked up at him. "I… I never expected it would happen like this, if at all."
"Well, this is where fate has led us, Tyrrany…" Bergan stepped closer and put his forepaw on her shoulder. He took a deep breath and lowered his head down to her level to whisper to her. "You'll be okay. I promise that you'll be okay."
"Th-Thank you, Dad." Tyrrany bowed her head. She moved to step out into the light… only for Bergan to suddenly pull her into a hug.
"I love you." He whispered to her. "Even when I'm mad, and no matter what happens out there… I'll always love you."
"I… I love you too, Dad." She replied with a blush. She reached out to hug his foreleg. Neither one of them wanted to let go. But unfortunately, they'd never get anywhere if they just stood around hugging. So Bergan lightly pushed his daughter out into the light.
"Goodbye, Father…" Tyrrany said as she lugged her violin over her side.
The dragoness turned and strode forward toward the carriage that was geared to travel to the Prime Temple. Flame and Arthur hurried to follow after her. Bergan stood in the doorway and watched as the trio vanished into the carriage. And he watched as the carriage roared to life and traveled off toward the western gate of the city. Bergan didn't take his eyes off that carriage until it finally disappeared around a corner.
"Goodbye… my little girl," Bergan whispered. He then turned around and closed the door before taking a deep sigh. The purple drake struggled not to break down. He had work to do… so much work to do. And so many lives to save. And he couldn't let a single moment of weakness bring him to ruin.
Tyrrany's blunder might prove useful, in the right ways… Bergan thought. He approached his cabinet and fished through his supplies. He didn't stop until his talons scraped along the surface of a particularly large crystal ball. Ah, here it is. Safe and sound.
Bergan gently sat the crystal ball down in the center of the carriage. He also closed the blinds and went to the other side of the room to gather a few more items. First was a set of candles, which he neatly arranged around the side of the crystal ball. After lighting each candle with a tiny purple flame, Bergan rummaged through a bookshelf along the back wall.
Out of said bookshelf, Bergan pulled out an ancient tome. The old pages were bound together in faded purple scales, and the cover was marked with a symbol of a golden dragon.
The tome was but one of two surviving copies to be found in all the dragon realms; the Order of Culmubrae saw to that. But they didn't know all of Bergan's tricks; he hid his copy in a special place, and it had been his favorite source of reading material all this time. It was called the Lilac Grimoire.
Bergan placed the grimoire down on the table before the crystal ball and opened it to a bookmarked page. Immediately the air in the carriage grew cold as he started reading.
So much work to be done… Bergan thought again. He turned a page and ran his talons delicately along the surface of the page They were coarse and rough; they almost stung his talons as he read the surface carefully.
Alright, Chrisala; share with me your next big secret.
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
What plans does Bergan have for Warfang? Will Tyrrany make it to Glenhaven undetected? What's going to happen to Nellie? And will Rune be able to keep his more negative emotions under control? Find out in Act 2 of The Legend of Rune: Forsaken Blood!
Tenebra ecce Veritas