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Chapter 5: Story Time
Alexstrasza sat on the crest of a small hill close to the Xiao-Long household. Her glowing amber eyes tracked the equally fiery glow of the setting sun. Its fading rays setting the horizon alight in a beautiful display of color. The resulting twilight allowed the cool shade of the night sky to slowly take its role in allowing the creatures of this world their well-deserved rest.
It was a rarity. These moments of pure spectacle. More often than not her duties as the Queen of Dragons would keep her preoccupied and such phenomena would just pass her by, even when she had a moment of rest.
Such idle pleasures became impossible in more recent times. Trapped in that cavern beneath the mountain, the sky felt so far away.
Now that she was free there was this constant need to take in almost everything when her mind was not too busy absorbing whatever knowledge it found. The thought of missing something like this saddened her now.
It saddened her more when she considered that she might be forced to enjoy such sights alone. What if she was the only Aspect on this world? What if all her siblings were scattered across multiple worlds?
She could only hope that they were okay. Wherever they were.
She sighed at the thought of her sister. While she rarely opened her eyes anymore, Ysera could always see in a way that no one else could. Alexstrasza wanted to hear her sister's description of this small and common event.
Another sadness fell over her heart. How long had it been since the last time she had even bothered to visit Ysera, or Nozdormu? Let alone poor Malygos who surely needed it the most.
They were once inseparable. Close as if born of the same clutch. But in the years following the Sundering, they all drifted apart. All going their separate ways. Barely even bothering to check in on one another.
Alexstrasza lowered her head to stare down at the forest green grass.
"Ysera." She whispered.
Now that she was temporarily freed from her burdens as Aspect of Life and Queen of Dragonkind, her mind contemplated these thoughts for the first time in centuries. The resulting realization crushed her heart.
How could she have let it come to this? Allowing them to become so divided that it took the enslavement of one of their number just to spur them to action? Even then Alexstrasza recalled that it took them years to build the courage to even make the attempt.
Only now did she realize the true extent of her failure. Her responsibility as leader to keep them united. Not that it would have been easy. Neltharion was driven mad and Malygos had gone down a similar road.
It should never have come to this. She should have done better. Perhaps Neltharion's fall was inevitable, but she should have been there to help Malygos when the dust settled. They should all have been there for him.
He needed them and they had left him to wallow in despair.
A distant cheer caught her attention. Looking off to the distance, she could see the diminutive forms of the children flagging her down.
The Dragon Queen smiled. Was it time for bedtime stories already?
Alexstrasza made her way around the house, rounding to the front door. The children had run inside ahead of her, eager to hear another of her wild stories. It always made her want to laugh at their complete wonder. To her these were just memories, but to them these were epic tales of Azerothian legend.
She at the corner of the house and watched Taiyang and Qrow bid their farewells to one another, both ignorant to her presence.
"Welp. I'm off on another patrol." Qrow said with begrudging acceptance. It was understandable, he wanted to spend time with his nieces, given that he worked all night it forced him to slumber during the day.
"And another all nighter." Tai said back. "You sure it's a good idea to go looking for this thing after dark? I have to work in the morning and I can't help you if I'm asleep."
In response, the unkempt and slightly tipsy man, spun his large, segmented blade almost effortlessly in his hand before clamping it down on his back. "You're forgetting who you're talking to. If I need any help from a hazbin like you, I'll wait."
Taiyang cocked a smile at that jab that was free of any real malice. "Hazbin? I recall kicking your scrawny ass more than you beat me when he trained together."
Qrow scoffed, his smirk still present on his face. "I was letting you show off, remember? Rae couldn't take her eyes off you every time you threw me out the ring."
"And Summer couldn't stop laughing every time you rubbed that sore but of yours." Tai shot back, offering the small canteen that the swordsman carried with him at all times.
Alexstrasza winced at the sight of it. Recalling the unpleasant odor that wafted from the liquid within. The only time she had encountered such drink was during a sneaking visit to the Dwarven Kingdom of Ironforge. Humans had their own brand, but the dwarves took it to a whole new league of potency.
She shook her head at the man took the canteen. Why mortals enbibed such cocktails was beyond her comprehension. None of her kind took to poisoning themselves in order to manage stress.
"This thing is more active in the dark." Qrow explained. "Like I said before. It probably doesn't want to be seen. A smart one for sure."
"All the more reason not to fight it until we know what we are dealing with." Taiyang said seriously. "You know the smart ones are a whole magnitude more dangerous, even if the ice dust part is a hoax."
Qrow still looked unbothered. Alexstrasza took it for overconfidence, or perhaps the man refused to acknowledge danger he could not see for the sake of his own mental state?
"I'll be fine, Tai. Go get some sleep." With an exaggerated sigh and upward stretching of his arms, Qrow turned away from his brother-in-law and began walking away. "Don't keep the girls waiting. You know they won't stay still if they get bored."
Taiyang just shook his head as his brother in name disappeared into the brush. Alexstrasza saw the small black avian fluttering up into the sky.
She narrowed her eyes at this and then smiled.
Tai watched the bird go, not noticing the Dragon Queen step up beside him.
"What a simple trick." Alexstrasza said as casually as she could, only to giggle at the sudden flinch Taiyang gave.
"What do you mean?" He asked, having been taken off guard.
"That little feat of magic he did. It was quite the simple thing."
"Oh." The scraggly man said awkwardly scratching his neck. "Should have known you'd see right through that. Since you can basically do the same thing."
Alexstrasza gave him a bemused glance. "Excuse me?"
"You know, the whole shapeshifting thing."
"I understand your reasoning, but its only the same on a superficial level." Alexstrasza said as the two walked up the front porch.
"I'm sorry, but I don't get it. Magic is just magic to me." Tai shrugged as he closed the door.
"What he does and what I do are whole tiers apart when it comes to how our abilities work and how much we can do with them." Alexstrasza explained as she closed the curtains in the lounge. "What he does is not magic. Or at least, he's not using magic the way it is normally utilized."
"How so?" Tai asked grabbing two mugs from the cupboard.
"Magic is a very difficult thing to control and properly manipulate. Especially when it comes to the higher levels. Such as altering one's appearance." Alexstrasza said, gesturing to herself as she sided up to him. "And even more so when it comes to altering one's own species to take the form of another. It requires an attention to detail that you'd rarely find outside of the finest artist. Every angle and bend were chosen deliberately. Any mistake in the process would likely see me wind up as some abomination made up of whatever mixed image came into my mind."
"Okay." Taiyang said as she filled both cups with brown powder while the nearby kettle boiled. "So, what did Qrow do that doesn't count as any of that?"
"What he did was more akin to triggering a curse than using a spell." She said plainly and was vindicated by a shift in Taiyang's eyes.
With a smile, she leaned in a little. "I am assuming that he was granted this ability by one of those rare magic using individuals you mentioned."
"You'd be on the money." He replied reaching for the kettle. "Damn you're savvy. Is that something all dragons have in common?"
"Not exactly." She answered as he poured the steaming water into the cups. "It just comes with age. We dragons have quite the extensive lifespan. Curtesy of our primal origins."
"That line of thinking would normally prompt me to ask you for your age, but around here that would be rude." The retired huntsmen laughed as he poured milk into the cups and stirred them both gently with a spoon. "But still, how is him changing into a bird different from you changing into a human?"
"Is a bird the only thing he can change into?"
"Yeah."
"That's one thing. The limitation. If he were utilizing magic, he would not be limited to just a bird. I can take on a near infinite number of forms, including plants, vegetation and even simple rocks."
She managed to get a genuine look of surprise from him. Before he brushed it off after remembering what he was talking to.
"Then there is his method if utilizing it." Alexstrasza continued. "He isn't putting active thought into it. I could tell from just being close to him. It was more like he was triggering the conditions for it to activate. Like a third arm that he had to practice using rather than a complicated formula that he had to calculate."
"Sheesh." Tai said pouring milk into the mugs now, lightening the brown mixture within. "No wonder the stereotype for wizards are extremely old men. That sounds like it would take forever to learn to do right."
Alexstrasza just giggled. "So, I've been led to believe. But you humans are quite remarkable in that regard."
"Oh really?" Taiyang took both steaming mugs in his hands and made for the stairs. "Lots of young wizards of Azeroth then?"
"More than I would have expected." The Dragon Queen admitted as she followed him up. "Centuries ago, they had an entire city built to house and educate those who showed an aptitude for using magic. Granted the more advanced magics are beyond most, but some among their number genuinely surprise me with their sheer talent."
"A whole city of wizards." Taiyang muttered. "For some reason that both amazes and terrifies me."
Alexstrasza thought back to the mage city. If she recalled correctly, its name was Dalaran. Korialstrasz was stationed there as a spy while she went to investigate the cave where they stored that horrid disk.
The thought of her beloved Korialstrasz. The last of her consorts, being alone for so many years tugged at her heart. It must have been agony for him to sit there knowing how she was suffering and being powerless to do anything alone.
She recalled spying him during the battle for the mountain, briefly cast to the earth but not slain. Hopefully he can stay strong until she returns. This small moment of sadness deafened her to Taiayng's final words as they entered the girl's bedroom.
"Hot chocolate!" Cheered Ruby from her bed.
"Thank you, dad." Yang said politely as her father set a mug down on a small lamp table beside each bed.
"You earned it, Firecracker. Got a perfect score on your test today." He said, giving Yang's cheek a short pinch.
"Hey!" Cried Ruby from her bed. "I'm smart too! I'm always getting A's."
Taiyang just chuckled and gave his youngest a pat on her brunette hair. "I know you're smart. Never think you're not."
Alexstrasza smiled as she fully crossed the threshold, her worries about her consort banished for the moment.
"Are you children ready for another tale?" She asked, receiving cheers from both.
"Story time! Story time!" Ruby chanted with barely contained excitement.
"And that's my cue to leave." Taiyang said giving both his girls parting hugs and making for the door.
Looking back, he said. "Don't get too excited girls. I don't want to hear complaints in the morning. You hear me?"
"Yes, dad." Both children said in disjointed unison.
He then looked to Alexstrasza. "Promise you won't drag this one out? I don't want them nagging that you took too long tomorrow."
"I shall make it thrilling but brief. I understand that whelplings need their rest." She replied with her usual smile.
"We are not weplings. We're huntresses!" Ruby said defiantly.
"Yeah!" Concurred Yang.
"Not yet you're not." Taiyang said sternly and Alexstrasza thought she saw apprehension in his eyes. "And you won't be until you graduate from a Huntsman Academy."
"Then send us there!" Ruby said with a near limitless source of confidence. "We'll beat everybody there!"
This time Yang was not as enthusiastic as her sibling, having gone through some of the hardships of life already, she fully comprehended her limits. A sign of developing maturity that Taiyang hoped Ruby would pick up on.
Taiyang just shook his head. "What did I do to get such little monsters?"
Yang smiled, as she realized that the entire dialogue had simply been a joke. "You married mommy! That's why!"
The man placed a hand to his chest as to feign injury. "True. What was I thinking?"
The three shared a laugh while Alexstrasza watched with a level of delight that she often reserved for newly hatched whelplings. She had long been made aware of what happened to the mother of the children. She was a huntress, one who hunted the dark creatures of this world. The Creatures of Grimm.
She had no personal opinion of these beasts as she had yet to personally meet one. The only time she had seen a specimen was when she had rescued the family in the forest on the day of her discovery. Other than that, she had only seen them in books while she was doing her research. From what she could tell, they were quite varied in both appearance and abilities. This implied that the species did not occur naturally as the only commonalities between them were their black exteriors, bone skull plates and their wanton desire for the destruction of all things human. Yet another indicator of her theory. How unfortunate that all attempts to study them end in failure.
If only she had Malygos with her, or any of the others. Their abilities would offer much more insight than her own as hers focus on the purely physical being and not the ethereal.
She blinked as she heard the door close, and before she knew it, she was alone with the two girls.
"So, what story are you going to tell us now, Aunty Strasza?" Ruby asked, still briming with enthusiasm.
"I am not quite sure. What sort of tale would you like to hear?"
"One with lots of fighting!" Yang blurted out, she tended to let this side of her free when her father was not present. He did not like it overly much when Yang displayed her liking for combat. A trait she inherited from him as he was what people called an 'adrenaline junky' during his youth. Alexstrasza knew the type. Young warriors would often become very irritable if they did not partake in combat and sate their battle bliss. This was something he grew out of as he aged.
"Yeah! Fighting!" Ruby cheered along, likely not fully comprehending what her sibling was requesting and following along because she wanted to relate to her sibling. It sorts of reminded her of her early days with Ysera in the frozen north.
Alexstrasza found herself reminiscing on those days again. How she went to Fyrrak to learn how to fight in order to best protect her sister when their brother wasn't around. The constant defiance Ysera showed was both annoying and adorable.
A laugh slipped unbidden from her lips as she recalled the day that they met Malygos together on a hunting trip.
"What's so funny?" Ruby asked.
Before Alexstrasza could reply, Yang spoke first. "Its because you think you can fight."
"What!?" Ruby cried in surprise. "I can fight!"
"No, you can't. When Sleeg pushes you around you can't even push back." Yang pointed out sitting up.
"I can push back!" Ruby said standing up, throwing her blanket off. "I just don't because, Miss Doe says I'll get in trouble."
Yang blew raspberries, showing her complete disregard for the excuse. "A huntress doesn't care if she'll get in trouble. She does what is right, and pushing back would be right. You just can't."
"I can." Ruby said stomping her foot on the mattress. "And I am a huntress. Just like mom."
Alexstrasza's joyous laugh melted whatever tension had built up between the two. "Oh my. You to bring back so many memories I thought lost to me. I feel as if I might weep."
Before they could raise any questions, Alexstrasza held out an open palm towards Ruby and levitated her in the air.
"So cool!" Ruby said softly and full of awe as she was placed back in bed with the blanket folding itself over her.
"You two remind me myself and my own sister when we were young."
"You have a sister?" Yang asked having forgotten her amusing little spat with Ruby.
"I do."
"Is she like you?" Ruby asked. "Is she all pretty and red? Can she turn into other things too?"
The mugs of hot chocolate floated from the bed stands and into the girl's waiting hands as the Dragon Queen conjured a stool for her to sit on, taking a position between the girls.
"I shall tell you of her. Because I have decided on the tale that I shall share with you tonight. I shall tell you of my origins."
Both children perked up at that.
"You're going to tell us where you came from?" Yang asked.
"Indeed. And I shall tell you how I came to be the dragon that I am."
"You weren't always a dragon?" Ruby asked after taking a sip of her hot chocolate.
"No. I was born a dragon, but I was very different back in my early years compared to what you two saw in the forest."
"What does that mean?" Yang asked after taking a sip of her own.
"Be patient and you will learn." The Dragon Queen answered, gesturing to the room around her.
Scarlet flames spread from her arms and blanketed the space between the bed, forming a carpet landscape of a mountainous tundra. The flames turned from red to white and dark gray to showcase both snow and stone.
The Dragon Queen looked at the two youths at her sides and took delight in the sparkling fascination they displayed. No matter how many tricks she showed them, they always reacted with childish enthusiasm, and she loved them all the more for it.
"This is Northern Kalimdor. I was born in this frigid and harsh land."
"Back on Azeror?" Ruby asked.
"Azeroth." Yang corrected, only to receive a scowl from Ruby along with the younger of the two sticking her tongue out.
"Yes." Said Alexstrasza. "This is on Azeroth. Or it was. It has not been called by that name for a long time."
"How long?" Ruby asked.
Alexstrasza thought for a moment. While her recollection of history was sharp, keeping the chronological passage of time was always a challenge. "If I'm not mistaken, around ten thousand years."
"Wha!?" Both girls cried it surprise nearly spilling their hot chocolate.
"That's a long time!" Yang said.
"A very very VERY long time." Concurred Ruby.
Alexstrasza just chuckled, they were not wrong, but after living for several times that length, she merely saw it as a portion of her life. A very sad portion.
"It is."
"Wait." Ruby said, as if in sudden realization. "Ummm…"
"Is something the matter?" Alexstrasza asked the girl.
"You said you came from here. And it was called Northern Kaleemdor back then."
Alexstrasza simply affirmed, truth be told, the landscape didn't have a name during her early years as her kind had never heard of maps or geography. They simply knew the layout by instinct and memory. But there was no reason to confuse the girl.
Ruby's eyes then widened as she found the answer she was looking for. "Aunty Strasza! You're so old!"
"Ruby!" Yang gasped in shock.
"What?" Ruby shot back. "It's true. She's ten thousand years old."
"Ruby." Yang groaned. "Mom said it's rude to call ladies old."
"Why?" Ruby asked, confused about why her mother would say something that went against telling the truth. "I'm not going to lie. That would make me a bad person."
Again, Alexstrasza broke the tension. "It is alight Yang. I find such openness refreshing. My age is something I am quite proud of."
Seeing the worry fall away from Yang's face, the Dragon Queen turned to Ruby. "Also, I'm not ten thousand years old. I am in fact several times older. Roughly six or seven times older."
She placed a hand on her chin. "I think."
Ruby began counting on her fingers while Yang just stared bug eyed at the dragon disguised in a facsimile of her mother. When Ruby started to comprehend the number, she also stared.
"That is super old." Ruby said.
"I suppose it is." Alexstrasza laughed before turning to the fiery simulacrum of her birthplace.
With a cluster of small combustions, a swarm of winged figures appeared in the air above the snowy ground. They were a darker gray than the stony earth as most of their kind were back then.
"What are those?" Yang asked.
Alexstrasza smiled as she began to reminisce. "Those are dragons."
"No, they're not." Ruby countered. "They look like birds."
Instead of arguing back, Alexstrasza called one of the flying illustrations to her open palm. When it landed, the fireborn creature ballooned in size until it was the length of her entire hand. It's scaly body became clearer along with its large hind legs, short forelegs, powerful leathery wings, and fearsome mouth.
"See? It is a dragon." She said, showing the projection to Ruby.
The girl made to poke it and in a moment of whimsy, Alexstrasza made it respond to her attempt to make contact. Making it lower it's armored head as if awaiting a pat.
The little girl giggled as she repeatedly touched the fake dragon.
Then Yang was presented with it. But rather than touch it, she stared quizzically. "This doesn't look like you. Your legs were bigger, and your neck was longer."
"Correct." Alexstrasza said as the tiny dragon leapt from her hand and rejoint the others, shrinking back down to its original size.
"They are not like me. But I was once like them."
The landscape began to change, the mountains were now in the far corner, and a large blue mass that the girls could only assume was water came the closest to Alexstrasza.
The large mass of dragons began to organize their flying. A formation took shape as they began to chase heard of animals that the girls thought looked like bulls.
Alexstrasza began to narrate as the children watched the show. "In the ancient days when my world was young, the land was wild and untamed. This made it very dangerous for everyone. To survive you had to be strong and determined. Those who fell behind did not survive."
The flock of dragons began to dive bomb the heart of bovine creatures, scooping them up with their claws or large mouths. Some were more successful than others, managing to take two at a time while some just missed their targets.
Then the herd began to split up, forcing their pursuers to do the same and subsequently compete for target and food. The split was done in three separate directions, the largest being the center. In this mass, some of the dragons changed color. One was red, another green, one yellow, blue and finally black.
The blue one struck first, spotting an opening in the herd that allowed him to get an easy catch. Next was the red, who witnessed the actions of the blue and did her best to mimic him. While not as proficient, it worked and she scooped her prey in her jaw, giving it a good crunch to stop it from struggling.
Next was the green, who was flying closely to the red. She attempted the same diving maneuvered, however it was clear that she was smaller and slower than the other drakes and missed her target.
The herd began to change direction, and as it did, the yellow one shot down and captured two of the beasts while they had been slowed by their kin.
Then came the black one, he was the fasted among them and charged for the front of the herd to where the largest of the bovines led them. He dived down and plucked the leading creature from the formation, forcing the entire herd to panic and scatter.
After this the five took their catches and carried them closer to the rocky coast.
"That was so cool!" Ruby cheered as she watched the tiny dragons.
"These are dragons?" Asked Yang. "They hunt like the wolves from a documentary I watched at school."
"Yes. These are the first of dragonkind. The ones who came before us. They were called dragons back then too, but since the coming of my breed we have called them protodragons." Alexstrasza explained as she built the next scene. Her memories of that day were not as clear as she'd hoped they would be, but it didn't need to be perfect to tell the story. Besides there was one aspect of those days that she remembered clear as crystal.
"Hey. That one is trying to share." Ruby said pointing at the small red dragon.
Alexstrasza took her cue and enlarged the area around the shore. This was where the protodragons took their catches to eat, she decided to blur that part as she was not so socially unaware that the children were too young to witness such things.
The red protodragon was holding its catch in its jaw and was attempting to present it to the green one who snapped its mouth threateningly as a form of refusal.
"Why doesn't the green one want the bull?" Ruby asked.
"She is upset that she was unable to catch one of her own." Alexstrasza answered truthfully.
"The green one is smaller than the red one." Yang said.
"Yes, she was." Alexstrasza affirmed. "She was always the smallest of our clutch. But that never stopped her."
"Who was she?" Ruby asked. "Did you know her?"
"Ruby." Yang cut in before Alexstrasza could reply. "Look at the color of the dragon holding the bull thing."
"Yeah?"
"What color is it?"
"Red."
"And what color is Aunty Strasza?"
"Red."
Yang stayed quiet as her sister processed what she just said. Then with a sudden jerk of her neck, Ruby looked from Alexstrasza to the small red protodragons.
"That's you!?"
The Dragon Queen smiled as she nodded. "Yes. I was once like these drakes."
"But you look so different now. What happened?" Ruby asked with childish enthusiasm.
"Be patient and I will tell you." Alexstrasza said, turning back to her little show.
"So, who is the green one?" Yang asked.
"That is my younger sister. Ysera." Alexstrasza sighed with a sense of longing. How she missed her sister.
"Eserah?" Ruby said failing to pronounce it correctly.
Alexstrasza did not correct it too much, she would learn later, for now it was better to know who was who.
"She was the smallest of our clutch and the last one to hatch. My brother and I did our best to make sure she grew strong enough to survive. We looked after her together."
"You have a brother too?" Ruby asked still excited.
"No." Alexstrasza said, her tone turning sullen. "He passed on sometime before this hunt."
With an open palm, she conjured another image, this was a stone path wedged between two rock walls. There were three protodragons in the image. Alexstrasza's past self was there along with the blue dragon standing behind her. But what caught the attention of the girls was the gray form of a dragon that lay limp and lifeless before them.
The protodragon Alexstrasza roared to the sky in a fit of sorrow for the loss of her elder sibling.
"What happened to him?" Ruby asked, now looking very worried.
Before the Dragon Queen answered, she looked at Yang. The blonde haired girl had a profound look of sadness on her face. One of understanding. Of who knew what it was like to lose someone important to you.
"He had the misfortune of crossing paths with a monster." She said somberly. Recalling the state, she found him in. At the time, only one being could have left her elder brother in such condition.
"A monster?" Ruby asked.
"I shall show you soon." Alexstrasza said, dismissing the image and turning back to the frozen scene of the coast.
"But first I think I should introduce some of my closest friends whom also became dragons along with me."
Gesturing to the image again, she forced the scene to continue. The blue dragon, having finished his meal approached the sisters who continued their bickering over whether Ysera should simply take the animal.
"Who is that?" Yang asked having gotten over her temporary sadness.
"That is Malygos. One of the most intelligent protodragons you could find. So much so that we even took to calling him Malygos the Smart."
The image shifted to the yellow drake. "That is Nozdormu. Another dragon who is very close to us."
"Nozdomu." Ruby said, again mispronouncing it.
"He always had a talent for timing. Always knowing when and where to act."
"Like how he managed to catch two bulls when the herd turned." Yang guessed and was rewarded with a nod.
Then the image changed to the black one flying over the others and landing triumphantly on a rock by the waves.
"And that is Neltharion." She said the name calmly, managing to keep the swell of emotions at just mentioning him down. "He was the strongest of us. The best fighter. And he had a good heart."
Her words felt forced, but she knew they were genuine. Neltharion was a noble being, which was why they never saw his betrayal coming.
"The five of us were connected by fate, however none of us knew it. And after what happens next, we became as close a s family."
"Did you have any other friends?" Ruby asked.
Alexstrasza thought for a moment before answering. Should she tell them or not? Then she decided it would do no harm, they were a world away and she had no plans of taking the children back with her.
"There were two others that I personally knew."
The image of two more protodragons formed in the air above the landscape image she created. One was an icy blue and the other was a fiery red.
"Vyranoth and Fyrakk." She said pointing to each. "Fyrakk I knew personally due to wanting to learn how to fight after my brother had fallen. I simply wanted to protect my sister."
Yang's gaze hardened in understanding.
"As for Vyranoth. We made our home close to hers. Over time a friendship sprouted. We were close enough that Ysera and I considered her to be a sister in all but blood."
"Not anymore?" Yang asked.
"No. Not for a very long time." Alexstrasza said.
"Why?" Questioned Ruby.
Alexstrasza sighed. "That is a difficult story to tell in one night, but I can tell you that it all began with a monster."
"The monster that killed your brother?" Yang asked with a seriousness that Alexstrasza found to be regretful within a child.
"Yes." Alexstrasza made all of the grey dragons fly into the space above the landscape image as the forms of the two incarnates faded.
Now she called on the image, a frightful one that had only been surpassed by the horror of her brother's betrayal and transformation into the parody he was at their last meeting.
"His name was Galakrond."
A vortex of fire manifested in the middle of the room, from it came the image of the beast that had inadvertently created all of the dragonflights. His massive head took form along with his gargantuan body.
To ensure the girls understood the sheer size of this monster, she made the image of this long dead terror soar towards the other normal sized protodragons and bite down on one of them. The protodragons being the size of a grape to him.
This made both girls flinch as they realized that this image was not sized up for detail.
"He's huge!" Ruby gasped as she finished the last of her hot chocolate. She was getting excited.
"Was he really that big?" Yang asked.
"He was, and he got even bigger before the end."
"Where did he come from?" Ruby asked. "How'd he get so big?"
"Galakrond was the mightiest of all dragonkind in those times. The largest, the smartest, the fastest. The best hunter in all the lands. He was not always this monster you see. He was noble at some point. Even respectful to the other protodragons. Then something changed. He never stopped growing. He became larger and as his size grew so did his hunger. This continued until he reached such an alarming size that our hunting grounds could not sustain his craving. Our food sources were drained in order to feed him but even that was not enough. Then he began to eat his own kind."
The image of Galakrond began to chase the smaller forms of protodragons. Snapping them up on at a time, with an audible crunch. Then the image shifted to where Galakrond was surrounded by the smaller drakes in a futile attempt to bring him down.
"We gathered and tried to unite to stop him before he drove not just us but all life to extinction. But we failed."
The image showed the falling forms of protodragons. She left out the states of decay that Galakrond's breath inflicted upon them. It would be too much for them. Even she can barely stand the memory of it.
"Did you beat him?" Ruby asked now invested in the tale.
"We did." The image of Alexstrasza and her fellow protodragons aspects appeared in the sky, all formed up to square off against the implacable behemoth.
The next image of Galakrond she conjured was slightly larger than the previous one to illustrate that he was indeed growing.
"The five of us. Malygos, Nozdormu, Netharion, Ysera and I faced Galakrond in the open sky. We had no other option left. He was actively hunting us now. All other food sources had either run off or were eaten. We either faced him while we had the strength to fight or slowly die as we tried to hide from him."
The image of Galakrond charged at the proto-Aspects. They all flew in different directions. Galakrond began to chase Alexstrasza. As the Dragon Queen recalled, she had done something to anger him in their previous confrontation, burning him in the face so Ysera could get some distance as she was still the slowest of them.
While his focus was on her, the other got to work dismantling him. While it was true that they would have died had they decided to hide from him, that did not change the fact that Galakrond needed to feed on a near constant basis in order to remain satisfied.
As such, in the hunt for the Aspects, he had been weakened slightly due to not consuming anything. This caused him to cough and wheeze from time to time during the battle, giving the others time to inflict some proper damage.
The protodragons Alexstrasza narrowly avoided a bit from the monster's teeth, only for Neltharion to swoop in to deliver a powerful blow to the massive lower jaw.
Malygos and Nozdormu were focused on the beast's back where a mass of eyes and tentacles had sprouted. They tore all these new appendages to pieces and then directed their attention to the massive wings that beat with the sound of thunder. Blasting shards of ice and hurricanes of flesh tearing sand into the joints.
Ysera's role in this was only slightly less perilous than her own and Alexstrasza would be forever proud of her sibling. The small green drake blew noxious vapors into Galakrond's face whenever he coughed or when Neltharion was able to stun him.
The two girls watched the replay of ancient history with awe. Both admiring this level of coordination for different reasons. Yang loved it because she dreamed of becoming a seasoned fighter like her parents. Charging headlong into battle without a care.
For Ruby it was the theme. Five brave souls standing up to a monster they could not dream of stopping. Having to work as a team in order to bring down something beyond each of them.
Neltharion made a sharp dive for the earth below while the two sisters kept the beast distracted. When he returned, he carried a ridiculously large boulder in a display of the sheer strength he possessed.
He brought it above Galakrond and the sisters rose above the monster as well. The behemoth raised his head and opened his maw to exhale a noxious breath; that was when Neltharion released the boulder.
The large rock lodged itself into Galakrond's throat. The beast gagged and thrashed in an attempt to free his windpipe and keep from suffocating.
It was Malygos who thought of this idea during the battle if Alexstrasza recalled correctly. While Galakrond could outlast them when it came to enduring his hunger, he still needed oxygen just as much as them if not more now that he had to constantly strain himself.
Malygos even commented that Galakrond likely could no longer sleep anymore due to the pain.
The protodragons pressed the attack while their foe was preoccupied. Malygos unleashed a hail of freezing ice down the exposed throat, freezing the boulder in place.
Despite this Galakrond still held out for much longer than any of them had expected. But eventually, his movements grew still, and at last the monster known as Galakrond, Father of Dragons fell to earth. His fall dubbing the land as Dragonblight.
"That was so cool!" Ruby cheered.
"You got him good!" Yang smiled.
Alexstrasza sighed as the images faded and she summoned a new one. In this image, the five proto-Aspects stood before a gathering of cloaked figures. These beings towered over the dragons.
"What's this?" Ruby questioned.
"This is how I became the dragon you know me as. As a reward for our bravery, risking everything to stop Galakrond, the Keepers, ancient protectors of our world deemed us fit to protect it alongside them. They called on their makers, the Titans, cosmic beings of immeasurable power to bless us with a portion of their might."
The five dragons rose in the air as their bodies were consumed by light. Their limbs grew bulkier, their necks became longer, their wings became broader, their bodies elongated. Their scales took on new properties. Alexstrasza's became a rich ruby red. Ysera's became a shining emerald green. Nozdormu's became a yellowish bronze. Netharion's became an earthy black, and Malygos' became an icy blue that shone with arcane energy.
"From that day on, we became the Dragon Aspects. The first of our kind. Blessed by the Titans, we were given honorifics."
"Honorifics?" Asked Ruby.
"Titles."
"Oh."
"We were all given titles starting with Nozdormu the Timeless One. Netherion the Earth Warder. Malygos the Spellweaver. Ysera the Dreamer. We were all given them such titles by our patrons to symbolize our roles."
"What's yours?" Asked Yang.
"I am Alexstrasza the Life-Binder."
"That is so cool! You're so cool! Your family is so cool!" Ruby tried to get into an excited rant, but it quickly fell short as yawned.
The Dragon Queen chuckled. "And that means that story time is over for tonight."
"Awww." Groaned both children.
"No complaints. Now come here." Alextrasza prompted and received hugs from both children.
"Goodnight." She said as they both got snuggled into bed.
"Goodnight." Yang said.
"When I grow up, I'm going to be a hero." Ruby said as she rested her head on her pillow. "Just like you and your sister."
"Hero?" The dragon questioned more for herself than the child.
"Yeah." Ruby yawned as she began to drift away. "You were so awesome. How you stood up to that big monster. You saved everyone…"
The child's eyes closed and after a moment of nothing but listening to their quiet breathing, Alexstrasza quietly stood up and quietly made her way to the door.
All the while contemplating what the little silver eyed girl had just said.
A hero. Her? In all her long, long years she never considered herself to be such a thing. From the beginning it had simply been her duty. Protecting the world was what she lived for. Protecting life was what she lived for. She never considered it an act of heroism. None of the Aspects did.
But if that was how the child saw it then she would not do anything to spoil her dreams.
Glancing back into the room one final time, she could only smile in contentment as the two young humans snored. Likely dreaming of their own battles and glories as most young warriors did. Perhaps she would be lucky enough to witness this before she found her way home.