After days of travel, Rune's caravan had arrived at the southern fishing village where the Guardians' vessel was docked.
Rune tapped his paw impatiently as he waited on the guard rail. He kept glancing over at the dock as dragons loaded various cargo onto the sailing vessel. Hontus was across the way, discussing all sorts of matters with the mole captain of the vessel. And in the opposite direction, Voden was paying for some water skins whilst standing around the local well. Dona stood beside him, while Riven road atop her back.
The village hadn't changed much in four years. The temple still loomed over the other buildings, though its exterior wasn't as lavish as it was before. The few villagers went about their business, keeping to themselves most of the time.
Rune supposed that it was a good thing that things were uneventful during the ride south. The only thing that got a bit out of hand was the discussion Dona had with Voden and Hontus regarding her alleged new queen status. There was no inauguration of any kind: no fanfare, no praises sung, and most importantly, no shadow dragon subjects had pledged their fealty to Dona. It was all completely out of the blue. And yet Dona still insisted that she hold the title, even if she had no crown.
And there Dona was, standing tall and proud with her white dragonling daughter riding atop her back, to the continued shock and awe of the surrounding light dragons. Riven seemed so happy to be out here; she looked around at all the buildings, the people, and the fluffy clouds in the sky. Rune should have been happy for her; after all, Riven was extended family. He wanted to put her on her back and take her for a little tour of the village square. Rune sighed as he looked out at the clouds; he could have easily taught this little girl the basics of how to fly.
But… it was dangerous. He feared for Riven's safety, as well as his own; there weren't the most savory characters in this village…, especially that temple.
If anyone causes shit, we can take them! Runefor declared.
I'd rather not get into a fight while we're here. Rune snapped. I just want to make sure that Riven is okay.
Hmph… Runefor grumbled lowly as the prince glanced at the dragonling again. Rune couldn't help but get a bit frustrated at his other self.
What? Do you hate Riven now, too?
Excuse me? Runefor snapped. Do you think hurting a baby dragon is worth my time? What do you think I am, a monster?
YES.
Well, fuck you, too!
Rune could feel another internal fight coming on. So, he just forced himself to turn around and look out at the sea. He fell back onto his haunches and took deep, calm breaths of the salty air. He wouldn't lose his temper again; he'd stay in control… stay, in control…
Rune's concentration was interrupted when he felt someone shake his shoulder. He looked up to see Hontus looking at him with a frown.
"Are you alright, kiddo?"
"I'm alright, Hontus…" Rune sighed. He shook his head and rose onto all fours. "Everything's under control."
Hontus didn't look entirely convinced. "Well, I'll be right here for you in any case, Rune."
"Alright…" Rune looked around at the fishing village again and grimaced. "Though if you don't mind me asking: Why do you always dock your ship here?" Rune flapped his wings "Wouldn't it make more sense to dock in a larger port town?"
"Well, this village is due south of Warfang, kiddo." Hontus shifted in place. "It saves time on our trip; to get to Ninn, we'd have to ride around hills, valleys, and a few other small villages before we got there."
"I guess that makes sense…" The prince sighed. "It's just… I don't exactly have the fondest of memories of this place."
Hontus frowned and patted Rune on the shoulder. "I understand, kiddo. But just remember: that so-called Guardian is locked away in the dungeons for what he did here. He can't hurt you anymore."
Rune clicked his tongue and nodded his head, but he wasn't fully convinced. Whenever he looked in the direction of that temple, he could still see the false smile on Odynne's face. The lightning dragon had lulled him and his friends into a false sense of security but turned vicious when the five of them tried to sneak out that night. Rune placed a forepaw on his cheek; sometimes, he could even still feel where the Guardian had smacked him upside the muzzle for defending Lady Cynder.
The sooner we get out of here, the better, Rune thought with a grimace.
Luckily, it didn't take much longer for the ship to be finished. Most of the sailors on the vessel were moles, sent to aid in the Guardians' voyage from Crossbolt. They eagerly extended the gangplank and waved for the prince's entourage to make their way aboard.
The very first person sent onboard was, of course, Jonathan. The disgraced prince sat in his cage and scowled as he was forcibly moved up and onto the vessel. Several guards stood around him, making sure he didn't try anything to escape. Next were Dona and Voden, with Riven riding on her father's back as they went aboard.
"I'm not sure I like being so close to him." Voden glowered. "I don't want Riven getting too near, Dona."
"Oh, don't worry about it." The dragoness shook her head. "Prince Jonathan wouldn't DARE to say or do anything to our daughter…"
Dona shot Jonathan a slight glare, which made the earth prince flinch and look away. Dona then grinned and leaned down to plant a kiss on Voden's cheek. "Let's get Riven into her place to nap, my love."
That encounter made Rune scratch his chin. Not that he suspected that Jonathan would say anything awful to Riven… but there was an odd look in Dona's eyes. Like she knew something that the others didn't.
Well, whatever the case, Rune didn't feel like pressing for information just yet. He still needed to get used to being on a boat again; he followed Voden and Dona up onto the vessel, with Hontus just behind him.
Rune sat himself down on the deck and watched as more people stepped aboard. A few of the villagers had packed up supplies in town, and they marched forward to make their way onto the gangplank to find a place to relax. A few of them had been part of the voyage north and were waiting in town for the Guardians to return so they could return home with northern goods. Most of them were moles and cheetahs, though a select few were dragonesses. They glanced at Rune one by one, and then shut their eyes to look away without saying a word.
Before long, everyone who was to set sail had arrived on the vessel, and the sailors were ready to get the boat out to sea. As the vessel took off, Rune allowed himself one last look at that temple with a glower. Then he turned his eyes toward the surrounding landscape and the long road that led to the north. He'd already said his goodbyes to his family, but whenever he left the continent… well, it felt as though he were leaving a whole world behind to set sail for another.
Would things be okay up in Warfang? Would the extremists or the Sons of Culmubrae finally be caught? Would anyone figure out what Bergan was up to? It was eating away at Rune's mind: He had to find out, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing, except sigh in defeat and wrack his talons on the guard rail.
Goodbye… Rune thought as the boat took off across the waters. He then turned his head toward the south and sighed. Here's hoping that everything is alright, while I'm gone.
~~…~~
"Okay…" Tyrrany said quietly as she sat herself up straight. "I can do this… I just need practice…"
Tyrrany had spent the last few days cooped up in her bedroom. She stepped out just long enough to grab meals from mole servants but otherwise kept herself secluded. It was the only time when she could avoid wearing her makeup and dark robes for the most part. This confinement also freed up her schedule for some much-needed practice. She looked her reflection in the eyes and put on what she hoped was a bright smile. She twiddled her talons and struggled to get her wings comfortable. The unfortunate downside of not wearing her clothes and makeup for so long was that once she was back into it, she felt completely out of sorts again.
She double-checked that her outfit was on correctly, and then faced forward to take a deep breath.
"Uh… H-Hello." Tyrrany said in the sweetest voice she could muster. "I'm Tyrrany. My friends and I… uh… are from out of town. Are you Nellie? It's nice to meet you." Her wings attempted to flutter beneath her heavy cloak. "I hope that you and I can be…" Her lip quivered. "Good… Friends?"
Tyrrany tugged her lips back and made her smile as big as she could… and her fangs filled her with disgust. A growl rose in her throat as she tried to keep smiling, but ultimately she snarled and shook her head in frustration.
Damnit, she couldn't do this! She couldn't act all sweet and sugary like some stupid little tart! How was she supposed to befriend this stupid Nellie girl if she couldn't keep a smile for more than five seconds?! Damnit, of all the things that her father Bergan taught her… why didn't he teach her how to pretend to be nice?!
Tyrrany just sighed in defeat and walked across her cabin. She climbed into her cushion by the desk that sat beneath a porthole. The dragoness pulled back her hood and sighed as she gazed out at sea.
Tyrrany didn't know why, but looking out at the ocean water calmed her somehow. It wasn't anything like the rain: instead of countless little drops with no seeming end in sight, the ocean was one large mass of the stuff. And at least it was all beneath her, where she could keep herself out of it. It was just a shame that the smell of salt tickled her nostrils in such a peculiar way.
Speaking of peculiarities… something tickled at her ear frills.
Tyrrany picked her head up and turned it toward the porthole. It sounded like…. Music. And not just any music: a cheerful jig accompanied by stomping and clapping.
"Huh…?" Tyrrany blinked. She stood up, pulled her hood back over her head, and turned to head for the door. Sure enough, once she unlocked and opened it, the music got louder. And naturally, it was coming from the deck.
Tyrrany pushed the doors open and curiously peered out at the deck. She wasn't quite prepared for the sight she saw:
A great multitude of dragons and non-dragons were gathered in a great circle. The sailors who weren't keeping the ship steady were happily playing the instruments. There was quite a bit of happy clapping from the moles, avians, and lagomorphs as the dragons danced around. There was laughter and merriment, and generally, a great time held by all.
Tyrrany sheepishly poked her head a bit further and looked around in awe; the music sounded so lovely. She couldn't help but feel one of her paws tapping to the beat. Her face flushed red and she retreated further into her room before anyone noticed her.
"Ah, Miss Annie!" Cried the voice of Harlon.
Damnit… The young dragoness carefully tugged her hood tightly over her horns as she heard the dragon approach. She looked up to see the leader of the nomads smile down at her and flutter his wings.
"We were wondering when you'd join us out here, young lass." Harlon smiled.
"What's going on?" Tyrrany demanded.
"A party, of course," Harlon replied.
"A… Party?" Tyrrany raised an eye ridge. "In the middle of the ocean?"
"What you need to understand," Harlon leaned his head down to get on her eye level, "is that some of the sailors won't be able to make it back home in time for the Day of the Bonds."
"Well, that just figures." Tyrrany grimaced. "This is one of my father's boats; he's taught me quite a bit on their long merchant voyages."
"Well the point is, to make it up to them, we're taking some time out of the busy day to put on a little show for them." Harlon nodded. "Our tribe has a flair for certain traditions around this time. So, we wanted to let the sailors experience the feelings and joys they'd otherwise miss by not being on the mainland."
"I see…" Tyrrany said dubiously. "And… you want me to be a part of this?"
"Well, everyone on the vessel is welcome to it." Harlon spread out his wings and tapped the desk as he listened to the music. "But your friend Flame other there was especially hoping you'd come around."
"Flame…?" The purple dragoness turned to look across the way.
Sure enough, the red dragon was having quite a swell time dancing in time to the upbeat music. He swayed his head and stomped his feet as he danced with a dragoness close to his age. Flame's eyes were shut, but the way he moved made it seem like he'd been dancing this way for years. Tyrrany sighed at the sight; he had such grace and natural talent. Tyrrany stepped a bit further out of her room; she felt a decidedly warm feeling in her chest as she continued to watch.
"Well, don't keep him waiting." Harlon declared; he reached out and patted the dragoness on the back with a wing. She yelped, and immediately started to growl… but she quickly bit her tongue and sucked in a deep breath.
"Did I strike a nerve?" Harlon frowned.
He's not trying to hit you, Tyrrany… She told himself. He just wants you to have fun, like everyone else here.
"N-No…" Tyrrany said quietly as she trotted fully out from behind the door. "Let me just… take my time."
"If you say so." Harlon nodded.
Tyrrany tried to look casual as she strode forward toward the crowd. Her first instinct was to skulk by the edge of either the port or starboard to not draw nearly as much attention to herself. But that was quickly shot in the heel when several of the moles turned toward her and gestured out toward the bulk of the deck.
"Don't be shy, lassie." One particular mole chuckled. "We're all out here to have a great time; no judgment."
"Uh… okay…" Tyrrany grimaced.
She took several nervous breaths as she carefully made her way through the dancing crowd. Along the way, Tyrrany spotted Harlon's daughter Lillia smiling and dancing as she danced around with a red-hided boy close to her age. Tyrrany blushed a bit at the cute little couple, but that blush spread all the further across her cheeks as she wandered off toward where Flame was.
And when she got close, she could finally see the perfect smile on Flame's face. He laughed and cheered as he danced around. Several more of the younger dragonesses had come to join Flame; they formed a perfect ring around him as they danced and skipped in time to the music. And as Flame danced in place, the light of the sun caught down into his yellow mane, casting radiant blooms all across it. His red scales sparkled brilliantly as well, making his body glow like a radiant star.
Tyrrany could hardly believe what she was seeing. She fell back onto her haunches and felt her cheeks blushing more and more. Why, she'd never looked at Flame this way before. Even after all these years of their friendship, Tyrrany had never realized that she… she…
"Hey, Annie!" Cried the voice of Arthur.
Tyrrany shook her head and snorted; she was downright thankful for the surprise. She took a cool breath and looked up to see the dragonfly glide down to land on the edge of her muzzle.
"Glad to see that you're finally out and about, Annie." Arthur smiled at her.
"I just… felt like investigating the music." She snorted again. She used a forepaw to lightly nudge Arthur further back so he didn't obscure her view of Flame. The dragonfly flinched at this but gradually relaxed against the side of the dragoness's face.
"Watching Flame dance, are we?" Arthur asked.
"I guess…" Tyrrany scrunched up her muzzle; she tried to play it cool, but the longer she watched Flame dancing about, the more she blushed again.
"Hey, why don't you go join him?" The dragonfly suggested. "You could use some fun out there."
"I… I don't dance." Tyrrany shook her head lightly. "You know that, Arthur."
Arthur grasped onto her muzzle to steady himself and then moved his head in front of her eye to lightly frown at her. "Why not?"
"Because…" She scrunched up her face again. "Because I say so."
"Okay..." Arthur frowned. "I guess watching is as much fun as joining in for some folks."
Tyrrany just sighed as she did just that. Flame was laughing and smiling as he danced around with the dragonesses. The fast-paced song finally began to reach its end as Flame nudged a green dragoness to spin around beside him. The surrounding dragonesses all applauded Flame as he gave a pleasing bow. And as the musicians began to start up the next song, the dragoness all lined up to have another go with Flame on the dance floor.
Tyrrany felt something stir in her chest. Something about the scene reminded her so much of a few times in Faeshrine. During those fleeting moments when Flame didn't have to work, he allowed himself to enjoy some dancing during Bergan's balls and feasts. And there were always dragonesses who were eager to spend time with him. And why wouldn't they? Flame was quite the catch for any dragoness… at least the pretty ones.
Suddenly, Tyrrany felt miserable again. She sucked in a breath and looked away, to gaze out at sea. Arthur frowned; he shifted to look into one of her eyes.
"Annie, what's wrong?" He asked.
"Just go enjoy the dancing, Arthur." Tyrrany sighed. "I'm fine here."
"You don't seem all that fine." The dragonfly tilted his head.
"Just go." Tyrrany insisted.
"Okay…" With a sigh, Arthur flapped his wings and took off to go spend some time with the others again. And Tyrrany made her way over to the bow; she didn't want to interrupt Flame as he had a good time.
~~…~~
After that, several sailors and nomads tried to convince Tyrrany to come and join the dancing. Everyone always insisted that the dragoness deserved to have a good time just as much as anyone else on the ship. But time and again, Tyrrany refused to budge; being out in the sun was already more than enough of what she'd need.
Eventually, most of the dancing died down as sailors returned to their work and the nomads went back to their cabins. But some of the last few dragons left were Lillia and a few of the dragons she was dancing with. Lillia approached Tyrrany from behind and lightly rested her forepaws on the railing beside her.
"Uh… Heya, Miss Tyrrany." Lillia said. "You missed all the dancing."
"It's fine." Tyrrany shook her head. "I'm alright just sitting here."
"Flame was hoping you'd join in." Lillia continued.
Tyrrany blinked. "He was?"
"Yeah…" Lillia frowned a bit. "You should have seen the way he kept glancing in your direction as he danced with us."
"Well… I don't dance." Tyrrany shook her head. "It's how I am."
"How come?" Lillia tilted her head.
"I just don't, kid." Tyrrany snorted. "Stop pressing me over it."
"Oh, come on, Lillia." The red-hided boy insisted. "Why are you wasting your time talking to this stick in the mud?"
Tyrrany's eye flinched, and she gritted her fangs.
"Well, you don't have to be rude, Rallo." Lillia snapped. "I just wanted to be friendly."
"Thanks, but I'm fine." Tyrrany huffed. "Please… just leave me be."
"There, you see?" Rallo stamped his foot. "We're wasting our time here. Let's head below deck: My mom's making us Meatballs and Lentil soup."
"Fine…" Lillia pouted. She looked at the cloaked dragoness and frowned. "I hope we can talk some more later, Tyrrany."
"We'll see." The purple dragoness snorted.
And that was that: Lillia and her little gang of friends walked away. And Tyrrany was left alone again. She almost felt… bad about it. Tyrrany was mad that she was called a stick in the mud… but was she upset with that boy, or herself? Maybe a bit of both?
Tyrrany shifted her wings under her cloak and sighed again. She turned her eyes toward the distant clouds and the shimmering colors of the sunset. She took cautious breaths; the scent of sea salt tickled her nostrils. She wagged her tail lightly and bit her lower lip.
Her clothes… they felt so much heavier than usual today. Her talons wracked at the deck as she shifted in place. She shut her eyes and spread her wings as wide as she could beneath the dark clothing. She took several deep breaths and straightened out her tail as she stepped up to the edge of the mast of the ship.
As Tyrrany closed her eyes, she let her mind wander. She imagined the wind in her mane as it spread about wildly. She imagined soaring up, down, and all around through the sky. Higher than she'd ever flown above the realms. Higher even than the storm clouds that always tormented her at the back of her mind. No worries, no obligations, no machinations to help her father accomplish… she was free. Free to fly as far across the world as she wanted, and free to fly with anyone she pleased. She cried tears of joy as she reached out for the distant horizon…
But then Tyrrany's back ached; she groaned as she opened her eyes and found herself trapped at sea. She may not have been on land, but she was still bound to it. Tyrrany lowered her head and silently sniffled.
And as the dragoness cried quietly, Flame approached her from behind. "Annie?"
Tyrrany sucked in a breath and forced herself to straighten up as the red dragon came to stand beside her. Arthur was curled up on Flame's back; the dragonfly had eaten so much that he'd passed out. It was almost… cute.
"You don't still want to be alone, do you?" Flame asked.
"No, it's fine…" Tyrrany said quietly. She attempted to make herself look stoic and stone-cold as usual; no need to try and be amicable when she wasn't in the crowd anymore. But Flame wasn't convinced; he scooted up just a bit closer to Tyrrany and looked her up and down.
"Did something wrong happen today?" He asked. "Did I… Did I hurt your feelings by dancing with those other dragonesses?"
Tyrrany flinched. She immediately looked at him with a frown. "No, Flame. I wasn't offended or anything; I just… wanted to be by myself, like usual."
"Okay…" Flame took a breath. "I… I was worried."
"Don't be." Tyrrany put on a smile. "You're a very good dancer, Flame."
"Th-Thank you…" Flame scooted a bit closer. "So are you, I'm sure. I just wish I could have gotten to see it."
Tyrrany didn't immediately respond, which left Flame feeling glum. He just relaxed on his haunches as he sat with the dragoness as they gazed out at the sunset.
With everyone leaving the deck mostly barren, Tyrrany could finally hear the sounds of seagulls in the distance. The waves were brisk as they splashed against the hull of the ship, whose wooden frames creaked and groaned. The sun was turning a brilliant shade of red-orange on the horizon. The world was so peaceful… so why wasn't Tyrrany?
Why did she feel so much regret? Why did she wish for another chance to dance with the other dragons? To play her violin and show everyone the lovely music she liked to compose? Didn't she know better than that? She couldn't let herself get too close to anyone; she couldn't risk anyone seeing the real her… the monster that skulked about amongst them.
"Annie…" Flame said very cautiously. "I need to get something off my chest."
"You do?" Tyrrany turned to look at the drake. She flinched back as Flame looked her right in the eyes; he was struggling not to cry as he smiled.
"Even if you don't feel the same way, Annie…" He took a deep breath. "I just want you to know that I…"
Tyrrany lifted a talon up to Flame's lips to stop him. His eyes widened, and he looked at her with a hurt expression as she shook her head. Tyrrany sighed and frowned at him a bit. She knew what he was going to say; she could see it in his eyes. It had been something on his mind for ages, even if he didn't think she knew. But she did. Of course, she did; she wasn't stupid. And there wasn't anyone else, in all the realms, that she'd rather feel those feelings about her… But, business was business, and Tyrrany couldn't let anything get in the way of that. Still… no reason to be cruel to him.
"Flame…" Tyrrany took a breath and bit her lower lip. "You need to understand that I'm betrothed to Prince Jonathan."
Already the heartache was present in Flame's eyes, and his face drooped in defeat. Tyrrany grumbled internally; not at Flame, but at herself. Why was it so hard to be delicate?
"In case you're wondering… No, I don't love Jonathan." Tyrrany continued. "But my father thinks he's a good match for me. And once all of this is over, and we all return to Faeshrine, I'm going to become his mate." She moved her forepaw from Flame's face. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Flame, and I'm… flattered that you feel that way about me. But… We can't be together; my father won't allow it."
Flame's face sagged even more. He sucked in a harsh breath and looked off toward the mast. "Oh… Okay."
Flame was silent for a time, much to Tyrrany's unease. He turned around and made to walk back toward the other side of the ship; maybe he thought that Tyrrany needed some space after his near-confession. Her heart sank at the way his tail was low between his legs, and how his limbs lightly shook. Oh, damnit; she must have built up his confidence all day today by watching his dancing. This was his one moment to finally admit how he felt about her.
"Wait," Tyrrany called out to Flame.
The red drake stopped and looked back at her curiously. "Y-Yeah, Annie?"
Tyrrany made her way over and brushed against his side. She fell back onto her haunches and lightly patted the spot beside her with her tail.
"I've had plenty of time by myself today," Tyrrany said warmly. "Just because I have to turn you down, doesn't mean that I don't…"
Tyrrany stopped herself and gulped; she could feel her face flushing again. Flame looked at her in awe; he seemed hopeful that she'd say it. But no… no, she couldn't say it. It wouldn't be appropriate; she wasn't allowed that. Tyrrany took a deep breath and struggled to take on a commanding tone.
"You're my bodyguard," Tyrrany said coldly… only for her face to flush again. "So… sit down, and guard my body. That's an order."
Flame gave her a puzzled look for a moment. But then he took a calm breath as he stepped back over to Tyrrany and sat on his haunches beside her.
"Of course…" Flame carefully spread a wing out to hug it around Tyrrany's back. "Anything for my boss's daughter."
Tyrrany flinched a bit at the feeling of his wing. She blushed again and shivered lightly as she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. Flame then leaned his head to brush against hers, and the two of them sat together. That warm feeling welled up in her chest, and she tried to keep her composure.
She wanted this. She wanted him. But she could never let herself say it out loud. There was simply too much on the line. Tyrrany had to focus on her mission for revenge. She had to be prepared for the changes that Bergan and Saul sought for the whole of the dragon realms. She had to prepare to marry Jonathan, and one day bears him heirs.
So… all she could do was shut her eyes, and pretend that there were no dragon realms. That the two of them could sit here, at that moment, sailing on an endless ocean… together. Where they could dance the night away under the stars to her heart's content.
What she would have given to be any other dragoness. What she would have given, so she could in turn give her heart to Flame.
~~…~~
Rune's trip along the ocean was rather calm. With each passing day, the skies were clear, and the waves were steady. The atmosphere was so pleasing, in fact, that he decided to head up onto the desk to read some of his books out in the light of the sun. Unfortunately, on the second day of the trip, a whole new distraction came in the form of Riven.
As Voden and Dona were enjoying their time together out at sea, they allowed the little dragonling to run and play to her heart's content out atop the vessel. It was surreal seeing Riven's white scales glistening in the sunlight as she giggled and dashed around in delight.
On one paw, Rune was happy for the little tyke; she finally got to see some new places outside of that dark bedroom of hers. But on the other paw, it really would have been nice if Riven would have stopped tormenting Rune with each passing nautical foot.
"Come on, Rune!" Riven exclaimed as she tugged on his tail. "Come play with me!"
"In a minute, Riven," Rune said; he didn't even look up from his textbook as he turned a page.
"But that's what you said a minute ago." Riven pouted.
"Alright, alright…" Rune sighed and nodded. "Let me just bookmark my page."
He pulled out a small sheet of paper and stuffed it between the pages before shutting the book and storing it away. He then stood up and stretched out his wings before looking down at the dragonling as she wagged her tail.
Rune felt just a little silly as he played with Riven. First, she wanted him to play tag by lightly chasing her around the deck. Rune had to deliberately slow himself down; even with her boundless energy, Riven was still just a little dragonling. Several moles and a few of the dragonesses gave him funny looks as he trotted after Riven.
Riven's second game was a bit more relaxing. They sat on their haunches together and passed one of her little orange toy balls around on the floor. Rune couldn't help but hold a little smile every time Riven send the ball toward his paw.
At one point, Riven smacked her ball a little too hard, and it veered off-course to smack against a wall. Rune watched in surprise as the ball bounced again, zoomed past them, and hurtled toward the opening where the gangplank usually went. Riven gasped as her ball rolled out into the ocean.
"My ball!" She yelled. Riven was just about to cry, but Rune quickly sprang onto his feet and patted her head.
"Don't worry; I'll get it back." He said soothingly. "Just wait right here."
As Riven wiped her eyes, Rune dashed over to the other side of the deck and looked around for the ball. Luckily it wasn't hard; its bright color and buoyancy made it stick out like a sore thumb on the ocean water. It was quickly being swept away by the tides, so Rune had to think quickly; he held his forepaw out and called upon his water magic.
A sphere of seawater surrounded the ball and lifted it into the air. Rune grunted as he brought it up a short distance into the air. He kept his forepaw held out until the ball was almost close enough to grasp…
And then Rune felt Riven's little talons dig into his back as she climbed atop him. The prince grunted and groaned as he felt his water magic slipping out of control. The ball fell through the water and plummeted near the tides again, but Rune just barely managed to regain control.
"Wow!" Riven chirped as she looked down his back at the water.
"Riven…" Rune gnashed his teeth as he pulled the water back up. "I told you to wait."
"But…" Riven pouted as her ear frills drooped. "I wanted to see you get my ball."
"Alright, alright…" Rune used his magic to pull the ball up to him, and he gently grasped it with both forepaws. He then turned to place it down on the deck, where he lightly patted it. Rune even used his magic to remove as much of the saltwater as he could from it.
"Here you go; safe and sound," Rune said as he pointed at the ball.
"Thank you…" Riven nuzzled the back of Rune's head and hugged his neck. The prince groaned, but once again he couldn't but find her cute. He crouched down so Riven could hop down, but the dragonling stayed on his back.
"Was that magic, Rune?" She asked. "When you got my ball?"
"Yes." Rune nodded. "Water magic."
"Can… Can I do it, too?"
"Well…" Rune began. "Maybe."
Riven looked down at her ball and held her little forepaw out. She scrunched up her face as she tried to copy what Rune did before. Rune raised an eye ridge; was she trying to make water out of nothing? After nothing happened, Riven pouted and cried a little.
"I can't do it." She said sadly. "I can't make any magic."
"Aww…" Rune turned to look at her. "Don't be sad. You're only a little girl, Riven. Lots of little dragons don't start learning to do magic until they're six years old."
"R-Really…?" Riven wiped her eyes.
"Just be a little patient, kiddo." Rune smiled at her. "I'll bet that, when you're a grownup, you can do any kind of magic you want."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up.
"Yeah, really." Rune chuckled. "But for now… be careful with your toys, okay?"
"Okay…" Riven nodded and hugged Rune's neck again. "Can… Can I have a pony ride?"
Rune scrunched up his face; already she'd gotten bored of playing ball? Well, there wasn't any point in arguing…
Rune held Riven carefully on his back as he lightly trotted around the center of the deck. He swayed back and forth and even reared back on his hind legs to swing his forelegs about like he had hooves.
"Make way for Princess Riven!" Rune declared as he pretended to whinny.
"I love my pony!" She chirped.
This got more than a fair share of funny looks from the sailors. The random civilian on the ship moved to get out of the way; the dragons in particular gave Rune funny looks. Rune flushed with a bit of embarrassment… but as long as Riven was having fun, who was he to get upset?
After almost an hour of playing with Riven, Rune found that he was growing quite increasingly tired. He trudged over to his original spot on the deck and nearly collapsed as he panted heavily.
"Aww, don't stop now." Riven pouted atop his back. She lightly kicked at his sides. "Keep going."
"I can't, Riven." Rune grimaced. "This pony has run all out of energy; I need to stop for some breath."
Riven just pouted at him again. She hopped down from his back and rubbed her forehead against his upper foreleg. "Please?"
"Come on, Riven." Scolded the voice of Voden from across the way. Rune and Riven looked up to see him and Dona approach.
The scholarly Guardian came to a stop and bowed his head toward his daughter. "Here, come ride on Daddy's back for a while. This pony here needs another carrot or two before it can get back to trotting speed."
Immediately Riven cheered happily. She scrambled to climb up Rune's back with gusto as she made her way over to her father. Rune flinched in discomfort; a few of her little toe talons aggravated his back scars. But he made no outward objections as he called upon his healing magic to soothe himself a bit. At the very least, Voden had come to rescue the prince from Riven's little badgering.
"Let's go to the end of the boat, Daddy!" Riven cheered.
"Of course, of course." Voden laughed as he turned about carefully. "Anything for my little princess."
Riven squeaked happily, much to the amusement of her parents. Rune had to admit; when she wasn't stomping all over his back, Riven was kinda cute.
"Thanks for the save, Sir Voden." Rune smiled. "Or… should I be calling you Shadow King, now?"
Voden's eyes widened at that, to which Dona gave a proud grin. But the scholar simply chuckled and shook his head.
"I'll always be your humble teacher, my boy." Voden declared heartily. "Sir Voden will do just fine."
Dona immediately grumbled at that. She watched as Voden shook his back playfully to make Rive giggle. But as the scholar marched off, he noticed that his wife wasn't following.
"Dona, are you coming?" He asked as he glanced back at her.
"No, it's fine, love." Dona shook her head. "I think I'll just relax back here for a bit; get some fresh air as I talk to my…" She eyed Rune oddly. "…Family."
"Well, if you insist…" Voden turned back around and marched forward.
And that was that; Rune found himself under the frustrated gaze of the shadowy dragoness. Rune gulped as he cautiously stood up tall and faced her. He'd spent so little time with Dona, his… what was the term… first cousin once removed? He really needed to take some time to examine his family tree. In any case, he felt like he barely knew her back when he was a child in The Hive, and still hardly knew her better after returning to his home in Warfang. And now here she was, sailing away from Warfang with him as she began her campaign to gain power as the new shadow queen. Speaking of which…
"You and I need to talk, Dona," Rune said forcefully.
"Oh?" Dona raised an eye ridge. "And what I might I do for the proud and handsome future high king?"
Rune winced at that; that was a topic he'd think about during a different time. He took a quick breath and then glared up at the former Deep Shadow.
"For one thing, clearly you've had something on your chest regarding this shadow queen stuff for a long time." He tapped his talons on the deck. "Why else would you be standing here, looking at me that way for the last minute?"
"Hmm…" Dona sneered down at him. "Actually, I just wanted a brief moment away from Riven. I love her to pieces, but even a mother needs a break now and then." She shut her eyes and took a breath. "And besides, I want her to spend more time with her father anyway. Surely there's no harm in that, is there?"
"You could have your break anywhere… but you chose to spend it glaring at me." Rune sneered back.
"Perhaps…" She said with amusement.
"Look, I get it: you hate my mom," Rune said with a serious face. "But do you really have to hate ME, too? What did I ever do to you, Dona?"
Dona snorted. She suppressed a laugh and rolled her eyes as she turned to look down at Rune.
"You think I hate YOU?" She asked incredulously. "No, you stupid boy; I don't hate you. I tolerate you and your brother just as much as I tolerated your father…" She flapped her wings and clicked her tongue. "And Urobos, too, for that matter. Even Elza had her moments where she made me smile. No… It's just Elenar who is a thorn in my side."
"Then why are you always being so nasty to my mother?" Rune demanded. "She's given you positions of power, and favors left and right. And yet you STILL act as if she betrayed you in some strange way." Rune stamped his paw. "What did she DO that makes you hate her so much?"
"Be born." Dona declared. She then turned back toward the ocean and gave a little growl. "Her very EXISTENCE has brought about more frustrations than you could ever know."
"What, did YOU want to be the one to marry my dad way back when?" Rune demanded. "Did YOU want to be the High Queen of Warfang?"
Dona's eyes widened, and then she gave a shrill laugh. "Marry Baneth? As if; everyone who was anyone knew that he wore his heart for Elenar on his sleeve way back when." She flapped her wings. "And even if we were arranged, I wouldn't have been interested: Baneth was never my type, nor do I have any interest in ruling over ALL of the dragon realms." She snorted. "Too much responsibility."
"If that's so, then why the insistence on the title of shadow queen?" Rune wracked his talons on the guard rail.
"Because it's my birthright." Dona snapped. "The title was mine, but it was taken from me."
"So you're older than my mother," Rune said curiously.
Dona scrunched up her face. "Don't you know that it's rude to ask a dragoness her age, boy?"
"Tell me about your parents, then." Rune declared.
For the first time, Dona had a look of surprise and alarm (at least in the prince's presence). She looked down at him as if he'd spoken in some sort of forbidden tongue. "Excuse me?"
"Your parents," Rune said again. "Who were they? And how did they relate to my grandfather Alexander?"
Dona gave the prince a dour look. "Do you REALLY care? Or are you just trying to make excuses to be snippy with me over my dislike of Elenar?"
"I just want to know why the title of shadow queen is your birthright." Rune insisted. "And besides, you and Riven… you're my extended family. And that means that your parents were my family, too." The prince puffed out his chest. "But I barely know anything about you, even after all this time. The least you could do is try to help me understand why you are the way you are."
"Well, fine then…" Dona blew smoke out of her nostrils as she sat back on her haunches. "If our dear prince wants a story, then I suppose I can enlighten him."
Rune groaned in frustration; Dona was such a pain sometimes.
"My father was a shadow dragon wizard named Draven. And my mother was Queen Catherine." Dona said with a sigh. "I was their only daughter, and next in line for the throne."
"Uh-huh…" Rune nodded.
"They loved me, as I love them to this day. I was taught from a young age about the responsibilities I'd face as a queen someday." Dona sighed again. "I thought that my life was on a set course; everyone loved me for being the future of the shadow dragon line. I… I thought I'd make them so proud."
For the first time, Dona looked happy. She fluttered her wings and wracked her talons lightly against the railing. And at that moment, Rune could see the resemblance Dona had to Riven; those cheeks, the expression, the way their brows tilted at a certain angle…
But suddenly, Dona's ear frills dropped, and she sucked in a harsh breath and forced herself not to cry. She wrapped her tail around her hind leg and forced herself to look strong.
"Of course, it wasn't to last." She said stoically. "When I was eight years old, my parents suddenly… died."
Another emotion spread across Dona's face that the prince had never seen on her before; misery. Dona bent her head low and took steady, deep breaths. Rune felt his heart sink. Of all the things for the two of them to have common ground in, it was the loss of a mother.
Rune stepped closer, and almost put a paw on her side. "What happened to them?"
"A disease happened to them." Dona scowled. "It came swiftly and suddenly. Nobody could ever determine the source… not that it would do me any good all this time later." She flapped her wings in a defeated way. "At the time, I was still several long years away from being mature enough for the throne. As such, my uncle, Catherine's brother Alexander, was given the crown."
Dona growled, and she dug her talons into the guard rail.
"The line of rulership in the shadow dragons has been Matriarchal ever since the establishment of the royal house under Cynder's watch." Dona blew smoke from her nostrils. "Alexander had married Murkandre during my mother's rule. They were supposed to act as regents until I reached the proper age…" Dona growled and clawed at the guard rail again. "But instead, Alexander insisted that Murkandre be recognized as queen. He declared that Elenar was next in line. And I was told to just deal with it."
"Oh…" Rune said uneasily.
"Ever since Elenar was made the new heir, everyone in Erebus was always drawing comparisons between the two of us." Dona scowled. "It was always 'Elenar this,' or 'Elenar that," or 'Dona, you need to be more like the princess.' Ancestors damnit, I was the princess!" Dona pointed at her glowing birthmark and scowled. "Over and over again, they were insulting me to my face!"
"Okay, okay… I get the point." Rune said uneasily.
Well, at least he finally understood where the animosity came from. He was beginning to wonder if prying Dona for answers was the right idea.
"My uncle shipped me off to the Silver Talon Academy not long after his usurping of my mother's throne." Dona continued with an ever-worsening sneer. "He claimed it would be good for my education. That I would learn to be prim and proper and knowledgeable when I inevitably became something else, like a priestess." She snorted in derision. "But it was a complete waste of my time." Dona flapped her wings and beat her tail against the guard rail.
"I don't believe you." Rune snapped. "It wasn't all bad for you."
"Oh, really?" Dona raised an eye ridge.
"You met Voden at the academy." Rune declared. "He told me everything not too long ago." He stepped a bit closer and looked Dona in the eyes as she widened them. "And now you're married."
"I… well… of course." Dona snorted. She looked back at the ocean and sighed. "But a silver lining doesn't make the rest of the storm cloud go away, boy. Alexander only wanted me out of the way so I wouldn't complain while he trained Elenar to become the new shadow queen. Of course… he didn't anticipate the Twilight War."
"Nobody did, I'll bet." Rune sighed.
"So even after I met Voden, it wasn't long before I thought I'd never see him again… or so I thought at the time." Dona snorted again. "I was recalled back to Erebus… but not because my uncle and aunt cared for me; it was to keep me from becoming a political prisoner."
"Oh, come on. That can't be true." Rune demanded. "Surely they cared about you at least a little. Am I really supposed to believe that family would just betray one of their own like that?"
"You wouldn't understand! You don't remember Alexander or Murkandre!" Dona snapped, making Rune flinch. "You were barely a dragonling when those two cretins passed away! You didn't know them, grow up with them… Like I did."
The dragoness flapped her wings and grumbled again. Rune had to give her that; he barely knew his maternal grandparents. He didn't even have fuzzy memories of them. But still, he felt like calling them cretins was going too far. But as he wracked his memories of all the stories he was told about them… there was one particular detail that flared up in his mind. Something that didn't add up.
"Alright, so maybe I don't know about how my mom's parents treated you," Rune said. "But I do know about… the blueprints."
"Hmm?" Dona raised an eye ridge again.
"From what little I can understand, you proposed the idea for the dark dragons to band together to form a grand new city."
"Hmph, indeed…" Dona leaned back and scratched her chin. "Even all this time later, I can hardly believe that everyone actually went through with one of my proposals for once."
"But where did you GET those plans?" Rune asked. "How did you manage to come up with an elaborate set of plans for something that had never been done before?"
Dona gave Rune a suspicious look. "And just why does that matter to YOU?"
"Because you'd need to be quite the architectural genius to pull that off," Rune replied with a serious tone. "It would be something that would lead to you bragging and boasting of your grand accomplishment, even years after The Hive's destruction. Speaking of years, that's how long it would TAKE to carefully plan out every exact detail the way you did, according to what Grandpa claimed was in those blueprints…"
"And just what are you getting at, hmm?" Dona scowled. "Do you think I stole the blueprints?"
Rune put his forepaws on the guard rail. "Did Bergan help you create the blueprints?"
"No, Bergan did NOT help me create them," Dona said defensively. "I barely even KNEW him back in those days. Definitely not as well as your mom did."
"But you did know him." Rune snapped, not even wanting to acknowledge the dig at Elenar. "And from what I've heard, he's the kind of dragon with the recourses and the know-how to give certain individuals a little boost to increase their standing."
"And just why does it matter where I got the blueprints?!" Dona yelled. "I didn't get any additional titles, outside of Deep Shadow, for my hard work. And The Hive is fucking GONE! All of my efforts to help my people went down in FLAMES!" She snapped her talons in Rune's face. "Do you think I need a lesson in hubris? Because I don't! Especially not from Elenar's sparkling little baby boy!"
"I just want the truth!" Rune demanded. "If the blueprints were all your own idea, then why didn't you ever make any MORE? Don't you think that would have helped the dark dragons after The Hive was destroyed?" He stood up tall and glowered at her. "If I had a creative mind like yours to make a flying city, then I'd be using it at every chance I got! But instead, all you've done is sit and stew over your hatred for my mother for years."
"Watch your temper, boy." Done scowled. "You don't want to slip into another meltdown, do you?"
Rune's eye twitched; he could definitely feel the anger building in his gut: He could even hear Runefor growling somewhere deep inside his mind. Immediately Rune took a calm breath and struggled to keep himself from losing control.
"I do believe we're done here." Dona declared. "My habit of not telling you what you want is making you angry. It's best we stop now, and try not to get on each other's nerves for the rest of the voyage."
"Damn it all…" Rune took a few deep breaths and held his sneer. "Why do you have to be so difficult? I just wanted some answers."
"Well, you're going to have to learn something that I learned a long time ago: You don't always get what you want." Dona stuck her muzzle in the air and stepped around Rune to make her way toward the other side of the ship. "Now, I must be off; it's Riven's lunchtime. See you later, boy."
And that was that; Dona wagged her tail from side to side in an odd manner before marching off to find Voden and Riven. And Rune was left all alone, to grumble in frustration as he just sat there.
It must have been just the one set of blueprints; there was no other explanation. Maybe Bergan somehow got the idea to make some blueprints to pass along to Dona so she could take minor credit for helping the dark dragons.
What are you doing? Runefor demanded, finally speaking up after all this time.
Just go away.
Why do you care about those blueprints? Runefor asked with a huff. It was years ago, you idiot. What, do you want to call her a fraud or a criminal? In case you forgot, the Hive was DESTROYED! And it's been YEARS! Even if she DID lie about making them, there's no point in trying to make her admit any faults!
You're missing the point. Rune said, trying to keep calm. There's always a chance that the real author of those blueprints will appear again demanding credit.
What, he'd want ownership of a pile of rubble in the Mushroom Forest? Runefor snorted.
You're forgetting about The Nexus. Rune continued. That fortress is made up of all the parts of the city that survived the destruction. It's a reminder of everything that's happened… and a great big beacon for anyone looking for back pay on having their work stolen.
Well, here's another counterpoint: you're far, far away from The Nexus. Runefor declared. Do you want to just have the boat turn around and complain to Mother over this after you've already come so far? And even after THAT, good luck getting our high-and-mighty shadow queen to admit wrong-doing: She's convinced herself that she's right for doing whatever it is she did.
Rune just sighed; he was going in circles. Maybe, for once, Runefor was right; he should just let that discrepancy go and try to focus on heading south to relax in Glenhaven. And besides, perhaps he'd had enough fresh air; he was starting to argue with his other self again. So, with a sigh, the prince turned to head below deck as well for some rest.
I need to relax… Rune sighed. I've to just let go of all the troubles from home… and just be excited to head home.
Rune stopped and briefly chortled. Not every day that he surprises himself with corny humor.
~~…~~
After days of sailing, Tyrrany's vessel finally arrived at the docks of Crossbolt… not that she could see much in the dead of night.
Dark and ominous storm clouds loomed in the sky, making Tyrrany increasingly skittish. She groaned as she hobbled her way down the gangplank. She quietly called upon a bit of earth magic to boost her strength so she could keep walking despite carrying so many supplies. But despite that, a few of the mole sailors still insisted on trying to help her get her supplies down to the pier.
"I've got it…" The dragoness said forcefully. "Just… Just focus on your own jobs."
The moles just sighed and stepped back to return to work. Flame, however, walked right alongside Tyrrany and frowned at her.
"Are you sure you don't want some help?" Flame asked. "You look like you could use a load off your-"
"I've GOT IT, Flame." Tyrrany insisted. She gave a quick yawn and stumbled in place for a bit. "Just… Just get me to the elevator. We need to get to the southern gate before nightfall."
"Oh no, you don't."
Tyrrany, Flame, and Arthur all flinched as someone stomped down the gangplank behind them. They turned around to see Harlon making his way after them. He was followed by Lillia, who looked just as tired as Tyrrany.
"Didn't any of you see those storm clouds on the horizon?" The nomad scolded. Tyrrany's eye twitched, but she struggled to hide it.
"Of course." She said with a puffed-out chest. "And that's why we need to get going; before the storm hits."
"You're not going to get very far; not with the way you're swaying from side to side." Harlon shook his head. "You should at least spend the night at one of the inns here in Crossbolt; whatever it is you're doing down south, surely it can wait until morning."
"I'd say he has a point, Annie," Arthur said as he drifted over to her snout.
"But…" Tyrrany tried to sneer, but worry lingered at the edges of her voice. "What if we can't get out of Crossbolt before the storm hits?"
Arthur just grimaced and came to a landing on Tyrrany's muzzle. "You won't be alone, Annie."
"Yeah…" Flame stepped up and lightly grasped her forepaw. "We'll be right beside you. And we won't leave you all alone… unless you yell at us to get out, that is."
Tyrrany briefly snickered, and then sighed as she stood up again. "Alright… Fine, we can spend the night in Crossbolt."
The trio looked back at Harlon, who seemed puzzled by their little exchange. But rather than prying them for information, the red drake hefted his daughter onto his back and made to walk around them.
"There's an inn nearby called The Shepherd's Flock," Harlon said. "Most of our tribe stays there during their brief visits to Crossbolt on our travels. They have plenty of two-bed rooms on the second floor." He wagged his tail and looked back at the trio. "Come, follow me."
"Fine…" Tyrrany huffed as she slowly walked forward. Flame stood just beside her for support, while Arthur lifted himself to drift just between the two dragons. If it would satisfy her friends, she'd let them get a good night's rest. But that didn't mean she would be happy with this delay in her quest.
~~…~~
"Goodnight, my little princess…" Dona leaned down and lightly planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight, Mommy…" Riven said with a little yawn.
Before long, Riven was curled up and lightly snoring in her crib. Dona's heart felt like it would melt like butter. She carefully pulled the blanket up over her daughter's body and then turned to make her way across the room to relax by the window. Voden was already there, recovering from the multi-hour marathon of serving as his princess's steed. He gave a little yawn and then turned to smile at Dona as she took a seat beside him.
"How's your back, mighty stallion?" Dona snickered.
"Oh, it's feeling much better now." Voden chortled. He leaned down to nuzzle his wife's forehead. "She's got so much energy; she must take after her mother."
Dona smiled and draped a wing over Voden's back. "Not when it comes to her reading comprehension; that's definitely from you."
Voden and Dona settled in together and gazed up at the brilliant stars in the heavens.
Dona would have preferred to just relax here; gazing out of the porthole and enjoying her husband's warmth as she prepared for her new life in Glenhaven. Oh, if only her mind didn't begin to wander. At the moment Dona had Voden, she had Riven, and she had enough wealth to keep herself afloat for a little while. Plus, Voden was a Guardian and a well-read scholar; Riven would never be wanting food or education. Dona's life would be one of wealth and privilege; something she deserved after years of neglect. So why did she feel so… incomplete?
And then the argument with Prince Rune drilled its way into Dona's mind. He questioned whether she was truly a brilliant mind that had created the schematics for a floating city all on her own. That royal brat was on to her; she could feel it in her scales.
That's when an idea sparked. Dona's eyes went wide; the schematics. Maybe they could still serve a purpose; one that Rune couldn't complain about. It would take a lot of hard work, and plenty of convincing of multiple dragons… starting with Dona's dear husband.
"Voden… I feel like the time has come to start sharing some of my…" Dona scratched behind her ear frill with a wing-thumb. "Secrets, with you."
"Secrets?" Voden looked at her curiously. "I thought you'd already shared everything with me there was to share."
"Sadly, no." Dona shook her head. "But it wasn't because I didn't trust you, Voden. It was because I couldn't trust many others around me at the Dragon Spire. But now that we're far, far away from there…" The dragoness put on a grin. "I can finally share with you something that can change the future."
"Mhm…" Voden tugged on his beard. "And what are you getting at, love?"
"Just one moment…" Dona stood up and stepped back a few paces from her husband. She reached within herself for the core of her magic and steadily began to glow with a dark aura. "I need to reach into my … pocket."
Dona created a pool of shadows beneath her paws, and carefully reached inside with both of them. As the pool widened, the dragoness grimaced as she reached for something she'd kept locked away; her special little pocket to hide things from all of the dragon realms. Voden watched in amazement as Dona pulled out a large set of scrolls from seemingly nowhere.
"As I'm sure you remember, the dark dragons hid away from the rest of the world for several years," Dona said. "We hid in a city called The Hive... which was made from some special blueprints."
She slid the blueprints forward toward Voden, who looked down at them curiously. It took him only a few moments of looking for him to put it all together.
"You… kept the plans for The Hive?" He asked in astonishment.
"Indeed I did," Dona said with a smile. "I wanted them as a reminder that there was a time when the dark dragons thought they'd gotten a truly safe haven from cruel dragons. Dragons so unlike you, my dear husband."
"Ahh…" Voden briefly smiled at her, and then looked over the schematics again. Within moments he became enraptured by the intricacies built into the various details all throughout the city streets.
"This city…" he adjusted his spectacles. "This is unlike anything I've ever seen for any kingdom! The intricacies, the aqueducts, the way power is distributed…" He nearly dropped backward onto his haunches as he rubbed his forehead. "Dona… how did you ever come up with this?"
And there it was; the start of the uncomfortable truth. Dona took a deep breath and pursed her lips as she looked him in the eyes.
"Voden…" Dona brought her voice to more of a whisper. "I've still yet to share with you the greatest secret I have."
"Oh?" He put the blueprints down. "What is it, my love?"
"Before I explain the true depths of what I've done… would you care to think back to our time at the Silver Talon Academy?"
Voden leaned his head back curiously. "Hmm, it was quite a long time ago. But I'll never forget those days." He flapped his wings and looked his wife in the eyes with a warm smile. "Continue, Dona."
"During my time studying there, I grew a bit fascinated with the history of the dragon realms," Dona said. "So much so, that after the Twilight War began, I started to do a bit of… exploring." She stuck one of her talons into her pool of darkness to twirl it around. "It was easy getting out from under the watch of my aunt and uncle, what with them being preoccupied with skulking in Mount Erebus with Elenar."
"Mhm…" Voden nodded.
"I looked into some ruins here, did some digging around there…" Dona took a deep breath. "And one day, during a trek deep underground, I discovered a trap door buried deep within some old ruins in the Mushroom Forest." She stuck more of her forepaw into the dark depths. "I'll save you the details, my love. But after my adventure, I returned home with a secret treasure. Something that hadn't been seen in the dragon realms for centuries; long before Spyro's time."
Voden took on a cautious face but said nothing. With a deep breath, Dona stuck her other forepaw into the dark pool and fished around for a moment. Soon, she found her prize, and very carefully pulled it up to reveal what she had to her husband:
It was a set of scrolls that were old, wrinkled, and quite stained with age. Dona closed up the pool of darkness and very delicately placed the blueprints down before her husband. She then lightly unrolled the scrolls, revealing the contents to be… a near-exact duplicate of the plans on the first scroll.
"What?" Voden asked in alarm. He lightly grasped the edges of the scroll and unfurled it. "What is this?"
"These are the ancient blueprints I found in the ruins in the Mushroom Forest," Dona said carefully. "Every innovation found in the floating city, every little detail that enabled the dark dragons to keep themselves sustained… was all found right there, hidden away from the world for ages."
Voden went back and forth comparing the ancient blueprints to the more modern ones. While Dona's copy used the common tongue, of course, the ancient blueprints were written in Old Draconic; it took Voden a moment to decipher the words here and there.
"It took me well over three months to get everything copied to a new set of scrolls," Dona said. "I didn't want to risk damaging the originals with all of the sharing around involved in The Hive's construction."
"Dona… why did you hide these from everyone?" Voden asked. "Surely even King Urobos would have been indebted to you for bringing forth such a curious bit of history."
"Well, the trouble comes from who the original author was," Dona said. "Open the scroll all the way, and take a look for yourself."
A bit unnerved, Voden did as his wife asked. Once the scroll was fully opened, he noticed a small glyph embedded into the bottom-right corner; it almost looked to be burned into the paper. It resembled a circle with intricate patterns splitting it apart, with a smaller circle with horns atop it. At the bottom of the glyph were several ancient draconic runes, which seemed to spell out a name and title.
"…Desysto." Voden eventually spelled. "The Lavish… Lavender… Architect?" He scratched his chin. "The formations of a few of the letters are throwing me off."
"I don't claim to know who this Desysto was," Dona said as she settled down beside Voden. "Nothing I ever did to research this dragon ever turned anything up. But I always had the strangest feeling that they were a… a purple dragon."
Voden balked, and he looked down at the runes again. He then widened those eyes once more as he stroked his chin.
"Lavender Architect… not much of a clue to go on regarding their identity," Voden said aloud. "But if they were truly a purple drake, then they must have lived far before Malefor's time."
"Either way, they were a truly brilliant mind to have crafted such a meticulous city." Dona smiled.
"Indeed…" Voden carefully rolled up the ancient scrolls. "So, why do you only wish to share this information with me now?"
"Well, I've been doing a bit of soul-searching," Dona said. "You've said before that it's hard to call ourselves the king and queen of the shadow dragons when there's no longer a kingdom to my name. However…" She grinned eagerly down at her set of blueprints. "I've been sitting on these blueprints ever since The Hive was finished. And just because one floating city was destroyed by invaders… doesn't mean that we can't try it again."
Voden balked. "You… You want to build another Hive?"
"Well, maybe we won't give the city the same name." Dona nodded. "Maybe something grander, more majestic… like Shadowgrad."
"Shadowgrad?" Voden asked incredulously.
"I'm just spit-balling, my love. We'll workshop it." The dragoness chuckled.
"Dona… I have so many uneasy thoughts and questions about all of this." Voden grumbled worriedly.
"If you're going to ask me if I've considered the needed recourses, workforce, and over a hundred other factors… don't." Dona stamped her paw. "All of that was already discussed the first time a floating city was built. King Urobos, Queen Persephone, and my uncle worked night and day to gather the dragons to build the city in the seclusion of the Mushroom Forest…" Dona gave a slight smile. "I went through the trouble of recording all the notes regarding The Hive's construction." Her tail wagged as she began to open her pool of shadows once again. "Once we get to the southern continent, we can properly work out details."
"Dona, wait a moment." Voden stamped his paw. "Love, I understand your desire to build a new kingdom; you've certainly got the ambition for it. But who do you hope to turn to for help? I certainly haven't saved up enough funds for such a project."
"Well, we can start by speaking to King Tintreon." Dona declared. "After all, we're heading toward Crossbolt first. We can simply turn to him to negotiate to gather some workers and supplies."
"This is ignoring the bigger issue at paw…" Voden looked Dona in the eyes. "I don't think we NEED to build a new city."
Dona flinched. "Excuse me?"
"Dona…" He sighed and pulled her closer with a wing. "I understand well enough that you desire to have a kingdom to call your own, and to secure a future for Riven." He took a deep breath. "But what would be the end goal of this project? Take off into the sky again? Live among the clouds and hide from the dragon realms again?"
"Voden…" Dona sneered.
"You and Riven shouldn't have to hide away from the world anymore, right?" Voden continued. "That was the whole point of you asking to come back with me to Glenhaven, wasn't it? So, then why would you want to build a new secret kingdom?"
"It wouldn't need to be a secret." The dragoness grumbled. "Shadowgrad could stay closer to the ground, and open trade with other kingdoms. The point is that it would have the innovations and marvelous designs found in Desysto's blueprints. A truly shining beacon for dark dragons." She tapped her talons on the floor indignantly. "Wouldn't you like to see these incredible designs brought to life, Voden?"
"I would; I'm certainly excited about how they distribute power so efficiently." Voden gazed down at the scrolls with a spark in his eyes. "However… couldn't we simply copy the designs and implement them in other cities on the southern continent? I'm sure Tintreon would be enraptured by the idea."
"But that would be missing the point." Dona insisted. "I have the ambition, and the drive, to bring to life a new kingdom for my daughter to rule over. Even if it takes me a decade, I want to bring Shadowgrad to life. It's what I… it's what Riven deserves."
Voden just sighed and shook his head. He glanced over at Riven, who still lay asleep in her bed. He wanted the best for his daughter, of course… but what Dona wanted was a tad extreme. So many things could go wrong with this… but the shadowy dragoness wasn't going to back down so easily.
"Very well, Dona." He pulled her close with a wing. "Once we arrive in Crossbolt, we'll see how King Tintreon reacts to the schematics. And, should things pan out well, we'll work on some plans moving forward."
Dona sighed and planted a kiss on Voden's forehead. "Thank you, my love."
"For now…." Voden gave a hearty yawn. "It's getting late; we should get some sleep before we arrive in the city."
"Of course."
Dona and Voden stood up and carefully made their way over to the bed. A few minutes later, they were wrapped up in each other's limbs as they took in each other's warmth. Voden nuzzled Dona's neck as she sighed happily.
"Goodnight, Voden," Dona said as she crooned.
"Goodnight, my love." Voden took off his spectacles and yawned again. "See you in the morning."
A few moments later, Voden was fast asleep in Dona's embrace. Dona, however, merely kept her eyes shut. Her mind still raced with plans and ideas for Shadowgrad moving forward. She could see it all in her mind's eye; workers rushing back and forth, stones being taken from mountains and converted into platforms. And enough life gems to power the entire city in the center, so it could be self-sustaining.
And at the heart of it all… a proud white dragoness stood tall with a tiara and cape as she beheld an army of loyal followers. She'd live in a lavish palace, and be doted on by servants from every kingdom. A new Shadow Queen, for a new era of the realms.
Oh, Voden… Dona sighed internally. If only you shared my ambition.
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
The new stuff I added revolves around Riven, which is always fun.
So ends another chapter. There's still a lot of stuff to go over before we switch perspectives back over to folks over in Warfang. You might be surprised at where things are going, and the revelations coming in a chapter or so.
Tenebra ecce Veritas