Alright...another time-skip here. So the dragonets here are now about the same age as a certain quintet of dragonets are in canon. We'll get to them eventually (though they'll be a slight bit younger in this fic when we do), but for now...let's see how Aldy here's doing.
Edit 6/2/2024: More edits for better reading experience. Also, decided to change around some more names...wasn't satisfied with the ones I had.
CHAPTER 3: THE TIES THAT BIND
Late Spring, 1535 B.S.
"Sora! Sora!"
"Huh? Oh! What is it, Avi?"
"I'm four today!"
"Four? Ye're growing, lad! Ye're getting bigger every year, just like I am!"
"How big will I get?"
"Ye might get bigger than Aldy!"
"Bigger than Aldy? But will I get bigger than ye, Sora?"
"Pfhfhfhft...nae, naet THAT big. I'm WAY bigger than yer mum and dad, and besides, I DID say that I'm still growing, tae! I'm only six!"
"Huh? That's naet fair, Sora!"
A now-15-year-old Altamir and the other dragonets (who, like their Sea Dragon sibling, six years old, and Altamir's equivalent in age) laughed at 4-year-old Avitohol pouting at Sorkhagtani the Younger's poking holes in his hopes at becoming as big as a dragon. Like many children his age, he had quite the imagination, and comically big hopes in certain areas. Sorkhagtani liked to rib this youngest son of her older human namesake, though that didn't mean that she or the other dragonets weren't fond of the little boy, because they most certainly were.
After having a good laugh at his expense, Sorkhagtani nonetheless (gently) held the little boy close. "I'm a dragon, Avi! I'm always going tae be bigger! Sae what? Ye dinnae have to be very big to cast a big shadow or do big things. I'm sure ye can do those things with some time and hard work! I'm sure ye'll be a great soldier or horse rider one day!"
"Okay..."
At hearing that from the little boy, Sorkhagtani gently lowered her snout down to Avitohol's little face, and Avitohol hugged it.
It had been six years since Altamir's dragonets had hatched. Altamir had been developing a few new abilities with his Animus, having realized that he, in effect, had a dragon's strength, and also had several abilities that humans normally didn't have, like the ability to breathe underwater, immunity to the heat and cold, innate night vision, and the ability to fly. That last one in particular he had been developing as a failsafe so that he could catch himself in case he fell off one of his dragonets mid-flight. He didn't show this ability often, though, as he didn't want it to be widely known that he could literally fly on his own.
But anyways, as for those dragonets...by the gods had they grown more still (granted, so had Altamir, who was now 60 inches tall, but still, he obviously paled compared to them). While they were still a fair bit smaller than fully-grown dragons, they were nonetheless getting to the point where any human would consider them "giants" by comparison. From nose tip to the base of the tail, Togay was now 37 feet long (and 16 feet tall at the shoulder), the others aside from Gunesha were now anywhere from 26 to 32 feet long (and anywhere from 12 to 14 feet tall at the shoulder), and Gunesha was now 22 feet long (and 10 feet tall at the shoulder) - still the smallest, as she always had been, but now very slightly larger (in length and height, at least) than Togay had been when Tamuriyah had came into their lives.
Speaking of her, she was currently away on a hunting trip with Altamir's cousins, having gotten MUCH better at riding and archery in those three years with the tribe...and she was now also Altamir's intended, and they were to be wed later today. While he may have left the entrance open for someone else to have her be 'intended' to for three years, no one ever stepped forward to do so. Apparently, that was because, after a time, just about everyone in the tribe saw her as being "Altamir's lass". Altamir didn't know what to make of that; yes, he cared for her deeply, but it was more as a friend than anything. But, he nonetheless cared for her, so if this was what it took to ensure that she did not have to go back to an Ulus that she felt like an unwelcome stranger to...then it was what it was. That didn't mean that he wasn't terribly nervous about the whole deal; things like romance and...consummation...were very new to him, and he wasn't completely sure if he'd 'do right by her' if and when he married her, which was to happen later today. Tribespeople from all around were gathering to celebrate this occasion, and while Altamir usually handled being the center of attention at least somewhat well...this was different, and Altamir didn't know if it was even going to go well, if at all.
Altamir's worrying had clearly manifested on his face and his dragonets had noticed, because a few of them were now looking at him, themselves concerned.
"Uh...Aldy? Ye alright?" Gunesha asked.
When Gunesha asked this, the others picked up and also looked at Altamir, including Sorkhagtani, who had lowered Avitohol from her snout to look at him.
"I'm...I'm fine." Altamir tried to wave it off and turned away, but he'd clearly been unconvincing, because his dragonets were not deterred by this.
Particularly not Gulay. "Come on, Aldy...is it Tamuriyah?"
At that, Altamir gave in admittedly quickly and sighed. "...it...it is. It's...it's...it's Tamuriyah."
Sorkhagtani then put Avitohol down and directed him to go back to his mother. "Alright, Avi, can ye go back to yer mum? We need tae talk about things that ye're tae young tae hear."
Avi nodded, clearly not wanting to hear this sort of thing anyways, and went scampering back to Sorkhagtani the Elder, who took him in her arms and carried him back to her tent.
"Ye're nervous, are ye? About marrying her?" Chagatai asked once the two were out of sight.
"I...I...I...I...I'm..." Altamir couldn't quite spit it out. "I...dinnae ken if I could...do right by her...and...and...and...and...and..."
"I dinnae think that 'nervous' is cutting it, Chagatai." Sorkhagtani remarked. Then, she got more serious. "Aldy...are ye afraid of hurting her?"
"...aye...I am...what if...what if I..."
"Come on, Aldy, we ken ye'll naet do that." Peksen assured her usually confident human companion. "Unless ye go out of yer way tae do that, which I'm pretty sure we ken ye'll nae do, that's nae gonna happen. It'll be fine!"
"...if ye say sae..." Altamir himself wasn't sure if it was going to be as fine.
"GET BACK HERE!"
A few miles east of Avraga, Tamuriyah was riding after an aurox that was fleeing from her. Despite its large size, the beast was fast, and was making for quite the challenge to hunt. It was times like this that she more than envied how Altamir and the others made this easy.
Doing her best to line her horse up next to the fleeing Aurox, Tamuriyah took an arrow and took aim, trying to go for nailing the arrow into the beast's heart. However, her aim wasn't steady, and she was forced to pull back a bit to get control of her horse so that she could aim better. Once she had it under control, she tried again, and once more lined up her horse to be parallel to the Aurox.
The second time around, Tamuriyah's aim was steadier. Aiming for the 'spot' that she'd been told that Auroxen had, and making sure to time her shot with her horse's hoofbeats…
*FWIP*
*THWACK!*
Tamuriyah loosed the arrow, and this time, her aim was true. Her arrow landed dead-center in the spot in question. The beast still kept running, but blood was now pouring out from where the arrow had struck. Following the beast as it lost more and more blood, Tamuriyah stayed at its pace until it finally stopped running and collapsed to the ground, clearly at death's door. It tried a few times to get up and run again, but eventually, its struggles died down until the beast died with them.
As Tamuriyah eased her horse to a stop next to the beast, she soon heard more hoofbeats coming her way before also coming to a stop. Tamuriyah briefly looked at who rode that horse, and saw that it was Sibel, who seemed impressed.
"Nice shot!" Sibel complimented. "That one's bigger than the one I got!"
"Really? Guess I got lucky, then! It was hard just tae get the shot off on this one!"
Sibel shrugged. "Well, what matters is that ye got it, right?"
"I suppose sae." Tamuriyah could still hear more distant hoofbeats, and the light dust cloud that the others hunting were kicking up with their own horses. Most of Altamir's cousins, namely, Jingim (now 25), Toqtamish (now 23), Borte (now 22), Taichar (now 20), and Konchak (now 16), were currently part of the hunt, as well as Jumaduq (now also 22, like his wife) and Qarachar, that same boy from the Qorchigge that Orqina had been courting around the time of Tamuriyah's arrival, now a 20-year-old man who was married to her and already had a young son with her, and that young son getting an even younger new little sister just a week ago. "How many do they think they're going tae take back today?"
"They're aiming for a hundred or sae." Sibel answered. "We should naet have any problems getting that many with how things are going."
And indeed, they didn't. A few minutes later, they were already loading the slain Auroxen into carts so that they could be taken back to Avraga.
"This was a good haul today, lads and lasses!" Jingim was satisfied with the amount that they had hunted. "We should last for a while with this!"
A few cheers went up from the hunters, who often had to run hard and fast after the Auroxen. They were pleased with their handiwork for it overall.
As the slain beasts were being loaded up, Taichar had noticed something on one of them. "Huh...that's one of the most well-aimed shots I've seen sae far. Who took this one?"
Tamuriyah recognized it as hers. "I...believe that that's mine."
"The soon-to-be-newlywed has the best shot? A damn good sign if I ken one!" Qarachar remarked, a few sounds of agreement and applause following.
"I suppose it is...but..." Tamuriyah paused for a bit, and then sighed. "...I wish Altamir could see it that way."
"Daes something about him trouble ye?" Jumaduq asked.
"Well, I've...never seen him sae nervous before." Tamuriyah answered. "It's as if he's afraid of hurting me or the like, even when I and everyone else ken that he will naet do that."
"Tae be fair tae him, love and marriage are their own kinds of challenges." Borte assured her. "I was nervous also when I wed Jumaduq, ye ken. On top of that, Altamir might also be worried about whether he can fulfill his duty and responsibility that he has tae ye once he marries ye. He's never been one tae shirk responsibilities that he's been given, and he's one for brooding and worrying if he feels like he's naet fulfilling them." Then, she patted Tamuriyah on the shoulder. "Dinnae let it discourage ye. It's because he cares that he's nervous. When, after a few days, he sees that he's doing things just fine, he'll settle down, I'm sure."
"I hope sae." Tamuriyah didn't like seeing Altamir in that state at all. She liked seeing the boy brave and confident, for it had inspired her to be the same as best as possible.
Seeing him so nervous and worried pained her. It was so unlike him compared to his usual steady bright flame for life.
"It'll be fine, Aldy." Tamuriyah quietly said to no one in particular. "It'll be just fine."
Among the Nirun tribes, weddings were usually a bombastic, boisterous occasion full of theatrics, involving grandiose farewells from the families, great feasts, and raucous singing and dancing. Had it been anyone else whom Tamuriyah was to be wed to, such a ceremony would be typical.
But it was Altamir whom she was to be wed to. And he wasn't exactly feeling up to the typical ceremony, as he thought that, as high of a status as he had, it would be a tad bit arrogant to have this grand celebration when all he was doing was helping Tamuriyah get out of a bad situation. Though, that was the official reason. The second, unofficial reason was that, well, he was very nervous, and didn't want that to be too widely seen, wanting to look confident and brave for his people otherwise. So, on his request, their ceremony was to instead be a much shorter, simpler, private one that was effectively a quiet elopement instead.
When Altamir had turned 15 years old, he'd received his own tent, which, while not as big as that of his uncle Khingila's, was still more than big enough for him. It was where he spent his nights nowadays, with his dragonets usually sleeping in a circle around it in the warmer months, and likely to be huddled together outside the entrance in the colder months when they came.
When Altamir emerged from the tent under the evening sun to do the ceremony, a new degel for Tamuriyah in hand, Gunesha, who'd volunteered to be his 'steed' for the brief ceremony, was waiting for him.
"Ready, Aldy?" Gunesha asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Altamir sighed. "Let's get it over with."
So, Altamir carefully mounted Gunesha, and they began crossing the distance between his own tent and his uncle's tent (where Tomirish was waiting for him). All 50 yards of it. There, waiting outside the tent, were his uncle, both his aunts, his mother and stepfather, his little brother, all of his cousins, and all of their spouses, if they currently had any (Jumaduq and Qarachar went without saying, though there were a few others here as well). As they made their way there, they passed a burning wood fire, with who else but Mundzuk himself standing by it.
Regardless, they got to the tent, and Altamir dismounted from Gunesha and came up to the entrance. Soon, Tamuriyah stepped out from that entrance, her current degel looking quite worn. "Sae that's the gift?"
"I was wondering if ye needed it." Altamir was doing his best to keep his nervousness down, but didn't know if he'd be completely capable of such throughout the ceremony, however brief it might be.
"Given the shape of this sorry thing here, I'd say sae myself. I need tae have it repaired eventually."
So Tamuriyah took it and went back inside. After about a minute or so, she stepped out again, resplendent in the new degel. It was a very nice blue one with yellow patterns. Pretty-looking, but also one that Altamir had made sure was well made. As both his aunts taught him, there was room for grace for she-wolves of the steppe, but not cowardice or fragile daintiness.
"Much better. Ye chose well." Tamuriyah seemed more than pleased with the gift.
"Glad I thought of it." Altamir was also glad that he hadn't gaffed the bloody hells out of it. "Shall we finish this?"
"Aye, let's finish it."
So, Altamir and Tamuriyah both strode to Gunesha, who, upon Altamir remounting her in his usual place between her neck and her back, sat down so that Tamuriyah in particular could step astride her easily to join her soon-to-be husband. Once Tamuriyah did so, Gunesha stood back up and, upon Khingila nodding, she turned around, and the three were on their way back to Altamir's tent. Passing the fire and Mundzuk again, they got back to Altamir's tent, and with a silent direction from Altamir, Gunesha began her act of circling Altamir's tent three times for luck, with the other dragonets stepping back to let her do so. One time. Then two times. Then three times. When the third time came, Gunesha then turned to Mundzuk and the fire again, and stepped over gingerly, stopping and sitting down again so that Tamuriyah could dismount easily and join Altamir's side. When Tamuriyah had done so, Gunesha stood up, but not before Tamuriyah gave the Sand Dragonet a brief chin scratch, earning her a grin. After that, she joined Altamir in standing before Mundzuk.
"So it seems that fortune is with ye." Mundzuk said simply. "But will Galyn Ezen, the great master of the flame, give his blessings?" Stepping aside to present the fire, he gave a clear message for what was to be the final part of this very short ceremony.
At that, Altamir and Tamuriyah both stepped forward, and, readying themselves...jumped over the wood fire.
Altamir landed perfectly well, but Tamuriyah landed with a stumble and almost fell backwards onto the fire, eliciting gasps from those present. Thankfully, Altamir caught her, and neither she nor her nice new degel were burned, but this hadn't escaped Mundzuk's notice.
"Hmm...sae there will inevitably be a few...stumbles in yer lives together." Mundzuk stated, not coating his words in honey. "But even then, Galyn Ezen has nonetheless given his blessings to ye. If ye overcome these stumbles, ye shall live long and well together. May Gök Tengri guide yer steps as ye walk the path of life as one!"
An applause went up as Altamir and Tamuriyah embraced. Despite Altamir's worries and fears, things had mostly gone well, that one bit of stumbling aside. That was something that he was very much glad for.
Maybe things wouldn't be so bad?
Things were horrible.
The morning after the wedding had been very nice at first. Altamir, Tamuriyah, and their dragonets had been spending time with Arjan and Avitohol, with the latter, bless his little soul, very curious about the newlyweds' marriage and asking a lot of questions for someone so young. Altamir and Tamuriyah answered as best as they could, given his age, and sometimes they had to tell the little lad to wait until he was older, while the dragonets took turns holding Altamir's youngest brother, adoring him greatly as they always did.
Then came something that not only ruined Altamir's nice morning, but, figuratively speaking, had outright obliterated it and then thoroughly doused the remains in dragonflame.
A desperate mother and father had practically ran to them, bringing with them their three terrified daughters, all in the ages of 11 to 14. The night before, a man who was part of a traveling Aetolian Merchant's entourage had attacked the three girls in a particularly vile manner and had threatened to murder them if they told anyone. The sheer terror on those poor girls had not only shown that there were no falsehoods in the statements being made, but had also sent Altamir into a dark fury.
Ordering Arjan to watch a confused Avitohol for him, Altamir (with a horrified Tamuriyah and his also-horrified dragonets following close behind) had quickly made his way over to where his uncle was, and had told him of what had happened, causing him to summon the aforementioned merchant and his entourage, as well as several guards. When the entourage was questioned over the events, the man in question had quickly outed himself by snorting an insistence that he had the right to do whatever he wished with 'stupid little girls who should do as they're told', and had even had the audacity to demand where the girls were so that he could 'teach them a lesson' for 'snitching' on him.
Altamir had taken offense. Greatly.
First, he'd ordered the guards to seize the man and castrate him. Then, once this was done (after a great deal of screaming and shrieking from the man), he'd then personally seized the now blubbering, keening, whimpering creature and, beckoning Peksen to follow, personally dragged the wretch out of the tent city before throwing him to the grass outside, and then he'd given the order to Peksen, who, after passing sentence in record time, burned the sniveling, begging slime to ashes.
By the gods, if this was what Mundzuk meant when he said 'stumbles'...the weight of having to keep his loved ones and his subjects safe was a great one, and one that he would have to bear for as long as he lived.
Currently, it was just the nine of them; Altamir, Tamuriyah, and his dragonets. The latter were all huddled together, badly rattled by what had transpired (particularly Togay and Gunesha, who were close to tears), with Altamir doing his best to comfort them, while Tamuriyah sat in silence nearby.
"Aldy...why did he...why..." Gunesha's voice was shaky with distress, her having never experienced such an event like this.
"Because he was rotten tae the core." Altamir answered the question that she was trying to finish. "That's why he did it...that's why I killed him for doing it. Some people and some dragons are like that. We have tae protect other people and dragons from sorts like them. That's our responsibility."
"I wish thaese lasses never had that happen tae them." Peksen sighed. "I've never seen someone sae terrified before."
"I ken...that's the sort of terror I want tae never have visited upon ye." Needless to say, it would be a while before Altamir, Tamuriyah, and the dragonets resumed their day. "I'll have tae work harder..."
It took a few hours, but, eventually, Altamir, Tamuriyah, and his dragonets were able to get themselves up and get some food on...and once they did that…
...they noticed seven shapes flying overhead from a distance. One dark red, one brown, one blue, one...purple, one black, one white, and one sandy-colored.
"...we're usually the only dragons out here, right?" Sorkhagtani asked Altamir.
"Ye usually are..." Altamir answered. "They seem tae be coming in for a landing somewhere nearby."
"Should we investigate?" Chagatai asked then.
"I dinnae see why naet." Altamir answered him as well. "But in that case, I think I'm the one who needs tae be doing the talking. Keep yer guard up, just in case."
So, with Tamuriyah getting on Sorkhagtani, and Altamir getting on Peksen, and once those strange dragons had landed, the dragonets leapt into the skies and began their short flight.
As they flew, they noticed that the dark red one was someone who wasn't so strange. "Oh...that one's Karmin."
"It is?" Shiban turned his head at Altamir.
"Aye. Dinnae ken who thaese other ones are...guess we'll just have tae ask her."
When they were above Karmin and the other dragons, Altamir noticed that those other dragons seemed a little alarmed at first, but seemed to settle as they went past to find a place to land themselves. Then, they landed somewhere not too far in front of the dragons, and Altamir dismounted Peksen.
"Ye lads and lasses follow me from a distance. I recognize one of them, but naet the others."
"Got it, Aldy." Gulay understood, as did the others.
So, Altamir carefully started approaching the dragons. He could certainly see that there was one dragon for each tribe, and that the other dragons seemed to also be of importance, just like Karmin was. Speaking of her, when he and her got close enough to each other...
"Altamir."
"Karmin. It's been a while. Dinnae tell me ye scared the herders when ye came in for a landing."
The previously regal-looking Sky Dragon suddenly squawked in alarm. "...h-huh? Did I really-?!"
Initially having done his best to look serious, Altamir dropped the mask. "Ah, just pulling yer leg, lass!"
"Wait, wha-oh come on!"
With that, the tension dissolved into laughter, and Altamir walked right up to the Sky Dragon Queen, who lowered her head down to him with a smile. Altamir gently embraced her as much as someone who was smaller than her head could, the two of them being more or less old friends the same age as each other (at least in years, anyways). The two then released each other, and Karmin looked Altamir up and down.
"In all seriousness...good tae meet ye again, Karmin."
"You too...you've grown, Altamir." Karmin remarked. "I remember when I was five years old, still a dragonet and freshly crowned queen of the SkyWings because of my mother's passing from a sudden illness. I had no idea what to do on a lot of things, still had plenty to learn. And then one of the first things I did was visit your uncle for diplomacy...and here you were, the same age as me, but also this tiny little thing, small enough that you could literally sit in one of my talons."
"And I probably still do." Altamir snorted, and the two of them had another laugh at that. "Of course, ye ken that we humans are ALWAYS small compared tae ye dragons...though, tae be fair, I think I in particular am on the short side for any lad my age."
"You're not exactly the most imposing when it comes to size, that's for sure. Not that it matters, of course."
"Indeed, it daes naet matter. I've been hard at work helping my uncle run things in the tribe, as usual. Tough job sometimes, but I manage. Though...I should also say that I'm a married lad naew."
"Really?"
"Aye. Her name's Tamuriyah. She's of the Saka. We decided tae keep the ceremony small and simple for...reasons, but I'm hoping that we're a good match."
"Definitely hope so. I unfortunately had to go through two or three candidates before I found the dragon I wanted as my king. I found him, though, and we're parents to three princes and four princesses."
"I'll have tae meet them at some point." Then, Altamir looked at the other dragons. "Sae, who are these other ones right here? Never seen them before."
"Oh, these? Right...these are the queens of the other dragon tribes."
Altamir raised his eyebrow. "Really? I'm surprised that ye were able tae get them tae agree tae come here." He could tell that all of them looked...rather similar to his dragonets in at least a few ways. The Mud Dragon, the Sea Dragon, and the Night Dragon in particular all respectively looked near-identical to Togay, Sorkhagtani, and Chagatai, and the Rainforest Dragon looked just like Gulay except mainly pink and purple. He already knew that Peksen was Karmin's niece, but he wondered what the exact relations to his dragonets were between these dragons.
"I know, it took some time. Anyways...there's Queen Gallinule of the MudWings, Queen Delphine of the SeaWings, Queen Dormarch of the RainWings, Queen Swordbearer of the NightWings, Queen Manticore of the SandWings, and Queen Jökull of the IceWings."
"It's an honor to meet you, Altamir." Queen Delphine greeted, even doing a slight bow.
"Honor? Honor indeed, I suppose, but...why me? Is it because I'm the Luuzada?"
"The dragons of our tribes have a strong belief that you're destined to be Pyrrhia's ruler...even the most normally-skeptical." Queen Manticore replied. "It's best to not be on the wrong side of history for the sake of our tribes, if that's the case."
"Sae ye recognize me as such already, then...alright." Altamir shrugged. "Though, if ye're already going tae regard me as a 'ruler of rulers' and such...then perhaps ye could tell me if any of yer human contemporaries are willing tae do such alsae?"
This seemed to catch the other queens off-guard at first, but, to their credit, they did step up to the task fairly quickly. The first to do so was Queen Jökull. "King Alaric of the Gothians and King Lech of the Polabians both told me they'd be willing to recognize you, but they told me that they wanted to see if you were capable first. If you defeated the Panjians under Wērōd, they would likely do so without any further question."
"Alright, sae it's a challenge. I'm up for it. Anyone else?"
Queen Gallinule did so next. "The Baktrians and Sagartians grow weary of Wērōd's sword-rattling. King Ptolemy and King Kleomenes both said to me that they're willing to recognize you if you lead the charge in defense of their homelands as well as yours."
"It's something I'll have tae do eventually. I'll gladly do it if it means sending that tyrant tae Tamag where he belongs. Who else?"
Then, Queen Swordbearer went next. "Unfortunately and predictably, the Tarantines are...well, their emperor, Tarquinius Honorius Commodus, laughed at the idea of 'bending the knee to an unwashed barbarian'. The Dardanians, however...those same Tarantines have been making incursions into their lands, so they'd recognize you if you aid them against their foe. King Progon himself told me as much."
"I've heard haew the Tarantines are the most arrogant people tae have ever walked Pyrrhia's soils. I'd love tae bring them down a notch. Alright then, I'll aid the Dardanians against them once Wērōd's been dropped. Anyone else after that?"
Then, after that, Queen Dormarch went. "I'm not pleased to say this, but the Gergovians have told me that they'd be unable to support your campaign against the Panjians under Wērōd due to them likely being too far south to be of any help. However, King Lugobelinos told me that he'd recognize you anyways if the Baktrians and Sagartians did."
"Alright, then. Who else?"
And after that, Queen Manticore. "The Panjians are obviously under Wērōd, so they're out of the question unless you depose him. The Manathirians under King Harun and the Qartubinians under Grand Shufet Hanno...they're resistant to the idea of recognizing you, but if you defeat Wērōd, they should cave."
"Alright. And what about ye Queen, Delphine? Do the Aetolians think me some 'unwashed barbarian' like the Tarantines do?"
Queen Delphine sighed. "I'm afraid so. Archon Basileus Menestheus laughed and called me a 'weak woman' when the idea was broached to him. I'm only glad that my tribe, generally-speaking, doesn't share the arrogance of the Aetolians. Though, thankfully, given that the last time they opposed a Luuzada, he sent the SkyWing Queen and her army after them, they might give in if you defeat Wērōd and Honorius."
"Alright...and I suppose that the Galatians under King Domnualos will have my back, Karmin?"
"He said as much when I asked him, Altamir."
"Good." Then, Altamir looked round the queens again before nodding his head. "Alright then, given that ye've all given me some assistance in figuring out where things stand with the other peoples...I'm convinced that ye're all genuine. Though, in that case, I'd like the rest of ye tae all run along, because I need tae ask Queen Karmin a question here."
The Queens seemed to understand, with Queen Manticore speaking for the rest of them. "Very well, Altamir. Know that if you ever need us, you have our support."
So, with that, the other Queens took off and left, which meant that Queen Karmin was the only one still standing before Altamir.
"What did you need to ask me, Altamir?"
"Well, there's something I need tae ken about the mountains that yer tribe lives in. Namely...I need tae ken which route along the ground through them between Panjistan and the Eastern Steppes is the fastest and shortest."
"Hmm..." The SkyWing Queen put her talon to her chin for a bit, clearly thinking, before answering. "I believe that that would be the Gates of the Apadana. It's a mountain pass in the south of our territory, and it's the quickest way for human travelers not flying on dragonback to get to the other side of the mountains from Panjistan, and often also the only way to get to the other side in that manner quickly. That may be where Wērōd leads his army through in the event he decides to invade your lands."
"Good. That'll be important tae keep in mind." Then, he looked to the side a bit, before looking back at Karmin. "Well...it was good tae see ye again. Unfortunately, me getting all this dropped in my lap means that I'll be busy, sae..."
"You wish me to return to get back to my work as well? I don't see why not...but..."
"But?"
"...but...I get to say goodbye, right?"
Altamir chuckled. "Who's tae sae ye cannae? Come here."
Karmin chuckled as well, and the two embraced once more.
"I'll meet yer dragonets one of these days, Karmin."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
"Alright...well, I'll see you later, Altamir. Good luck."
"Good luck tae ye taew."
So, they broke off the embrace, and with one more mutual wave, Karmin turned around and took off, leaving to the west. At this, the others finally began walking up to him.
"Sae what was that all about?" Gunesha asked. "Who were thaese other dragons?"
"They were actually the queens of the other tribes." Altamir answered, getting wide eyes and a few open mouths. "I've nae idea haew Karmin managed tae get them tae come together...but apparently, they want tae recognize me as being the 'future ruler of all Pyrrhia' or something like that. Apparently dragons believe that, because I'm the Luuzada, I'm destined tae be running this whole continent someday."
Now, everyone else had open mouths as well.
"...wait, seriously?" Sorkhagtani squawked. "But...but ye're naet even twenty yet!"
"I ken." Altamir shrugged. "I mean, tae be fair, the previous two Luuzadas achieved that, sae they probably think I'll be able tae do the same. Again...may have tae start working towards that."
"Oi, lad."
"Er...yer grace?"
"Yer helmet's cracked back there. If ye dinnae want tae get killed by some dandy waving his sword about the wrong way, ye'd best either get that fixed or get a new one."
"...aye, yer grace."
Later in the day, Altamir had joined Babur and Toregene in an arms-and-armor inspection with some soldiers. He knew full well that if he was to become this 'king of kings' or whatnot like Tekuder or Tomur had, he'd have to be familiar with the soldiers of his tribe and other tribes, and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses in battle. Yes, the tribespeople of the steppe, when in enough form or shape for an army, could easily create the finest one that Pyrrhia ever saw...but only if that army was used and led properly. Altamir knew this very well, so he'd done his best to dive into tactics and strategy and whatnot ever since he was twelve, steadying past great battles, as well as the strategies of his ancestors and predecessors, seeing if he could maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Apparently, his efforts had borne fruit; according to his uncle, the best generals of not only the Nirun, but also the Qangar and even the Saka, whenever they visited, spoke well of his acumen in this regard, and said that they would gladly stand behind him, as they believed him capable of winning a great many battles with his talent and knowledge. The peoples of the steppe abhorred flatterers and boot-lickers and brown-nosers, so perhaps this praise was coming because it was earned? But even then...much as he hoped for this...he knew that he'd never actually led an army into battle before. By the gods, he'd never even FOUGHT in one before. When push came to shove...would he truly know what to do?
It was why he was also joining his tribe's generals in tasks like these, as it would apparently raise morale and make them more willing to follow any orders and directions that he gave them. Upon moving on from the soldier with the damaged helmet, he went to the next one. This one was a younger-looking one...a fresh recruit perhaps? Given that he looked like he was Konchak's age...he had to be.
"...yer grace?" The lad looked more than a little nervous - Altamir couldn't blame him, given that he was face-to-face with an heir of his Khan - but doing his best to stand to attention as Altamir looked up and down him. His boots...
"Lad...haew long have ye had yer boots? They look quite worn and like they're about tae give way."
"Er, I, uh...I've...for quite a while, yer grace. I was thinking about getting new ones, but..."
"Then naew would be a good time for that. Do ye want yer boots giving way on the battlefield?"
"...nae, yer grace. I'll...get some new ones as soon as possible."
"Good. Naew then...have ye been maintaining any weapons or other equipment and the like that ye have? Swords? Spears? Lances? Shields? Bows? Bowstrings? Axes? Maces? Armor? The saddle or saddles for yer horses?"
"I-I've been doing that, yer grace."
"Alright then."
And then, after that, he moved on to the next soldier. This one was a woman, and given by what shape she was in, and the armor that she wore, she was definitely a higher ranking soldier like the one with the cracked helmet...possibly more so. Specifically, she was wearing an armor set known as a "Hudesutu Huyagh". Many lower-ranking soldiers or light troops amongst the Nirun or Qangars wore degel with basic light armor known as a "Hatanga Degel", while heavier troops wore varying types of laminar or lamellar armor, with the "Hudesutu Huyagh" being one example, a "hybrid" of lamellar and laminar that was most commonly worn by the "Nokors", a type of heavy cavalry that were amongst a steppe khan's crack troops (it was possible that this woman was indeed a Nokor; she did look like she was an experienced one with a history of service). It in particular was a very good type of armor, being both protective and flexible. And, specifically, her set of it wasn't the (possible) problem that he sighted here.
No, it was her sword. "Lass, yer sword. The handle looks a tad bit worn."
"Daes it, yer grace? My apologies." Unlike the young lad's nervousness, this one...she was a fair bit braver, seeming to more easily keep a handle on things.
"If that thing slips out of yer hands in the midst of battle...apologizing tae me will naet be yer biggest worry. Either reinforce it or get a new handle for it. I dinnae want a needless disaster tae happen and ye tae die as a result."
"I understand, yer grace. I'll see tae it as soon as possible."
"Good, good." Then, he looked around the group of soldiers in front of him, and saw that they were finished with regards to the inspection. "Alright, lads and lasses, I think we can consider the inspection finished. Ye may return tae yer tents."
With that, the soldiers, a hundred in total having been inspected, bowed, saluted, or nodded, and left.
"Good showing, yer grace." Toregene nodded herself. "I'm glad ye were able tae join us after this morning's...business."
"I'd rather nae be reminded of that..." Altamir murmured. "I had done this because I was wanting tae take my mind off of that...but whatever. Anyways...I hope that I was able tae, ye ken...inspire them tae properly maintain their equipment, if I'm as popular as ye say."
"I'm sure ye were, Altamir." Babur replied. "Many rulers leave this sort of task tae their underlings, believing this sort of 'drudgery' tae be beneath them. That ye dinnae think that further shows that ye care. Soldiers and warriors are far more willing to fight for a leader who cares about them."
"Good." Altamir was glad to hear that. "Anything tae naet be like Wērōd the bloody Wired. Speaking of which...ye ken of my decision? Tae go on a visit tae the neighboring countries around us tae get their support against Wērōd?"
"I have, yer grace." Toregene replied. "I heard ye discussing it with yer uncle. Who will ye be taking with ye tae then?"
"I'll be taking Tamuriyah and my dragonets with me." Before either Babur or Toregene could question him, Altamir raised his hand. "Dinnae worry, I'll keep them safe. And myself, taew."
"Glad tae ken that...it was just what I was about tae ask." Babur seemed satisfied with this response.
The next morning, Altamir was saying goodbye to his mother, his siblings, and his uncle, aunts, and cousins.
"Good luck, Altamir." Khingila patted him on the shoulder. "Just make sure tae come back safe when ye're done."
"I will. And I hope tae bring news of allies standing with us against Wērōd."
"I'm sure ye will." Sorkhagtani the elder nodded.
"Haew long will ye be gone?" Avitohol asked.
"A few days, probably. Perhaps as long as a week."
"Please come back."
"I will, Avi." Altamir patted the head of his youngest brother. Then, he walked over to Peksen and the others (with Tamuriyah waiting astride Togay), and leapt astride her in his usual 'riding spot' on her. Giving one last look to his family, Altamir gave a small salute before giving the order. "Alright, lads and lasses...let's fly! Tae the west! Tae Queen Karmin's Hall! King Dumnualos' Hall is a stone's throw away from it!"
And so, with that, the dragonets, with their two human riders, took flight. Indeed, Altamir had heard that the SkyWing Royal Hall was traditionally built close to the Galatian Royal Hall, not to mention that it would also be the closest of all the places he was to visit, so he decided that it would make a good first choice for visits in this regard.
The great steppes were quite a sight from above. When the weather was clear (like today) and it wasn't winter, one could see nothing but grass, grass, and more grass for miles around below if flying on dragonback. It was like a great sea of green, the rustlings from the winds appearing like waves, and the occasional herder on horseback and his or her livestock like small fleets of tiny boats below.
They flew in relative silence for a while, with the occasional comment about the clear skies and the noticeable, but tolerable crosswind blowing in from the west. It was then that they noticed a Sky Dragon flying up alongside them. Altamir was a bit alarmed at first, but the strange Sky Dragon, large as he was with black scales down his back and deep red scales elsewhere, and wearing a few golden trinkets and other bits of jewellery, didn't seem hostile at all. And when he spoke, his voice didn't have a hint of hostility in it either...though there was authority in there.
"Surprised to see dragons other than SkyWings and perhaps MudWings flying around here!" The Sky Dragon, if anything, seemed quite civil. "Let alone of all seven tribes together! I suppose you all have somewhere to go?"
"Aye!" Altamir didn't know if the Sky Dragon could hear his voice over the wind. "I'm needing tae meet with King Dumnualos of the Galatians for diplomatic reasons! We heard that his hall was close tae Queen Karmin's hall, sae that's where we're going! Ye ken where that is?"
"I'm actually flying back there right now!" The Sky Dragon replied. "Of course I'd know where my Queen is; I am her King, after all!"
Altamir couldn't lie, but this surprised him, and Tamuriyah spoke for him, in effect. "The King?! Wait, ye're the bloody King?!"
"I certainly am! Specifically, I'm King Crimson! Well met!" It was then that he took a closer look at Altamir in particular while flying alongside them. "You there...would you happen to be Altamir? Karmin spoke well of you, if that's the case!"
"That I am!" Altamir answered. "I met with her and the other queens yesterday! Still cannae believe that they already see me as someone 'destined tae rule Pyrrhia' or whatnot!"
The Sky Dragon King laughed. "You know of our kind's belief that you're destined to lead us all, do you?"
"One of the other queens told me of it as much! I mean, tae be fair, Jangar, Tekuder, and Tomur all ended up doing that...sae, again, might as well!"
"I'm sure you have it in you, Altamir! Anyways, I'm sure Karmin would appreciate it if you paid her a visit while you're meeting with Dumnualos!"
"I can do that!"
Eventually, the Sky Dragon King landed in front of a very, very, very large manse that was situated upon a low rocky outcropping and was clearly a dragon-sized imitation of a Galatian Royal Longhouse, with Altamir, Tomirish, and the dragonets landing not far behind. There was a group of dragons who were apparently guards (given that they were wearing armor and had spears) standing in front of the manse also, and a few of them seemed to arch up a bit at the presence of the apparent strange dragonets and humans following their king. "Your majesty, who are those-"
But Crimson stopped them with a raised talon. "Hold. They're not intruders or trespassers. One of them is the Luuzada, Altamir. He's here on business with the Galatian King, Dumnualos."
At this, the guards quickly backed down, and one apologized on their behalf. "Er...of course, your majesty. Forgive our hastiness." Their armor and spears, while clearly functional and more than usable, were definitely cruder than human spears and armor were, a sign of how dragon metallurgy, while certainly not bad, wasn't exactly as advanced or refined as human metallurgy was. This was a product of how, being naturally built for hunting, fighting, and killing, dragons, for the most part, didn't necessarily have a need for swords, spears, axes, shields, breastplates, helmets, lamellar, laminar, and cuirasses or the like, and so they hadn't developed such things independently. It was only when first Jangar, then Tekuder and Tomur, had shown them how to do such that they had begun to do so, and even now, they were still…a little behind humankind in that regard, to say the least.
"You're forgiven." Regardless, the Sky Dragon King now turned to Altamir. "Sorry, they're guards of ours. They mean well, though they can sometimes-"
"Leap before they look? Ye think I cannae see that?" Altamir remarked.
"I know, I know." Crimson then pointed with his talon to Altamir's right, to where there was a fair-sized Galatian town. "King Dumnualos' Hall is the largest building over there. Smaller than this humble abode of ours, but should still stick out compared to those others homes and buildings. If you need to go there for him, then that's where it is...though you may have to check in with the guards to make sure they don't mistake you for an intruder."
"Good, and I understand that last one. Oftentimes I myself have tae hold my own guards back from doing something reckless." Altamir then looked at the Galatian Royal Hall, and then back at Crimson. "Sae, I ken that I'm here tae say my greetings tae King Dumnualos...but I did promise yer queen that I would meet her dragonets. I like tae keep such things, ye ken."
"Hm? Oh, well, alright then." Crimson looked at the manse behind him and back at Altamir. "In that case, I believe that they're in here. Not on any official business at the moment, thankfully." So, he turned around and knocked on the door. It was obviously a fair bit louder than if a human were to knock on that door, given his size and its size.
"Who is it?" Karmin's voice asked from inside.
"It's Altamir. He's come to visit you before he goes to meet with King Dumnualos."
"Already? Well, if he's keeping his promise, he can most certainly come in."
So, with a nod, Crimson opened the door, and Altamir dismounted Peksen and went through the opened door. Inside, he saw Karmin, as well as seven younger, smaller dragonets gathered around her, who were most likely those sons and daughters she mentioned. Upon seeing Altamir come in, she carefully got up and walked over to him.
"So, someone decided to visit today?" Karmin grinned as she lowered her head down to the human.
"Ah, well, I decided that I'd hit two birds with a single stone." Altamir grinned back, embracing her snout. "Never a bad time tae see ye."
"Same here, Altamir."
But then, a young voice sounded out. "Mom, who is that human?" This made both Altamir and Karmin look to see that it was one of the dragonets.
"Huh? Oh, right." So, they reluctantly broke off the embrace, and Karmin looked up to answer. "Er...this is a good friend of mine. His name's Altamir, and he's about my age, at least in number. He's a prince of the Nirun. He's stopping here on his way to meet with King Dumnualos of the Galatians." The young dragonets seemed to light up with wonder at hearing this, and Karmin then turned back to Altamir. "Maybe you could get on my back so that they could see you easier?"
"Eh, dinnae see why naet." Shrugging, Altamir easily climbed up Karmin's foreleg, and got onto that preferred 'sweet spot' for riding, and once he did this, Karmin was walking over to her dragonets, with them crowding around her. "Sae...who are these lovely lads and lasses here?"
"My gaggle of dragonets here?" Karmin chuckled. "Well, the one who asked who you were...she's Crown Princess Jacinth, and my oldest. Then there's my second oldest, Princess Spinel, and then there's Princess Jasmine and Prince Jasper, my twins and respective second-youngest daughter and oldest son. Then, after that, there's my two younger sons, Prince Rod and Prince Falcon, and then there's my youngest, Princess Topaz. Jacinth, Spinel, Jasmine, and Jasper are three years old, and Rod, Falcon, and Topaz are two years old."
"Ye Sky Dragons must really like yer red and orange gemstones..." Altamir remarked.
"It's a SkyWing thing..." Karmin shrugged.
Though, before either one could say anything else, Spinel asked a question. "Altamir, you're a prince, right?"
"I am..."
"Are you the crown prince?"
"Well, I mean, it's hard tae say for-"
Then Jasper butted in with another question. "You live on the steppes, do you? What's it like?"
Then Jasmine. "Yeah, do you really all live in tents?"
Then Topaz... "How do you get things to eat?"
...and Rod... "Do you ride on horses all day?"
...and Falcon. "How do you make things?"
Soon, there was a whole torrent of questions coming from the Sky Dragonets, and it got to the point where Altamir was getting a little overwhelmed, and Karmin had to step in. "Alright, alright, alright, one at a time! One at a time!"
That stemmed the tide, thankfully, but it wasn't like Altamir could hold it against young dragonets to be curious. After that, the questions were at a steadier rate, and one at which Altamir could answer each one. They threw a lot of them at him, but having the soft spot for dragonets that he had, Altamir did his best in his answers to leave them satisfied.
And so, this went on for a few minutes. Until...
"ATCHF-!"
*FWOOSH!*
"WAH!"
"WHOA!"
"WHAT IN-!"
"AGHAMK!" *KFGH!* *KFGH!* *KFGH!* *KFGH!"
"Uhm, Altamir, what's-" Karmin began to ask before Altamir jumped off her back and literally flew towards the door, magically opening it to the sight of a surprised Crimson and equally-surprised guards, Tamuriyah and the rest of his own dragonets looking bewildered...
...and Sorkhagtani the Younger hacking and coughing with smoke pouring and billowing out of her mouth and nostrils. Altamir could see Karmin coming out the door also to see what was going on, but right now, his focus was on the Sea Dragon in his 'clutch'.
"Sora, are ye alright?" Altamir asked, worried. Sorkhagtani clearly tried to say something, but all that came out was more coughing. "Come here! Daewn here!" Still coughing, Sorkhagtani brought her head down to Altamir, who patted her on the side of her neck just below her head until the coughing finally subsided, and after that, she was left gasping and gulping in air. "What happened, Sora?"
"Huh? Uh...I...I thought I was just going tae sneeze, but then there was fire all in front of me, and I was coughing smoke! What the bloody hell happened tae me?"
Altamir was taken aback in confusion. "Wait...fire? But…but ye're a Sea Dragon! Sea Dragons dinnae breathe fire!"
"Except that this one just did." One of the guards replied, clearly not believing what he saw either. "Look at the burning grass."
So Altamir looked...and sure enough, the grass was burning. Upon seeing that, he quickly extinguished the flames magically, not wanting to cause a Wildfire.
"A SeaWing breathing fire..." Crimson remarked, clearly not believing what he was seeing either. "I never thought I'd see that in my life..."
Altamir shook his head, and then looked at Sorkhagtani. "Sae, uh...need some water?"
"Aye...I definitely need it. Feeling kinda dry..."
"Well, there's a stream over there." Karmin pointed to a brook of water nearby.
"Good, good." Then, Altamir got on Sorkhagtani, and the two took to the air towards the brook.
When they got there (startling a few local Galatians in the process), Sorkhagtani greedily gulped down water as if in a contest for drinking the stuff...a contest she likely would have won had there actually been one. Once she was done, the two were flying back to where the others were.
"Better, Sora?"
"Aye, better." As they landed, though, she still seemed befuddled by what had happened. "But still...why fire? I'm not supposed tae breathe it, right? Why would I be able tae...?"
"I've nae idea..." Altamir shrugged. "It's something I'll have tae look into...maybe we can ask Queen Delphine next time we see her."
Thankfully, aside from that incident, the visit to the SkyWing Royals was...relatively uneventful, if brief. The audience with King Dumnualos took longer...but also was relatively uneventful for the most part, with Altamir having played smart and checked in with the guards first, and Dumnualos, noting the close proximity of his lands to Panjistan, rather readily agreeing to marshal his people behind him in case of Wērōd's antics going too far. "Ach...that power-mad laddie...he needs tae be dealt with!" He'd said. "If he's allowed tae get his way, he'd have us his slaves like he daes with his own bloody people! That's naet about tae happen on my watch! Sae as long as ye use it well, my sword's yers, lad!"
Though, key word 'relatively', as just as Altamir and Dumnualos were concluding things...a dispute broke out between two high-ranking noblemen, both of whom were quite drunk. They had each challenged the other to a duel, despite their respective families trying to stop them, and the only reason why they hadn't immediately tried to kill each other was because Dumnualos had pointed out to the two of them that they hadn't established any rules for the duel. This gave Altamir an opportunity; seeing as how their families clearly did not want to have things end in bloodshed and death, he, with Dumnualos' blessing, made it so that it was a duel of skill with the bow, not to the death with each other. To this end, two targets were set up, with both nobles standing at a distance of 25 yards away from them. Whichever one landed more arrows into their respective target, and especially in the 'bullseye', would win the duel.
Of course, given their drunkenness, both noblemen proceed to make complete fools of themselves, neither one managing to land a single arrow into their target, let alone being able to consistently even loose arrows straight. Those present found the spectacle quite the riot; while the Galatians were known for their love of drink, the smart ones nonetheless still knew when sobriety was important, and it was a common pastime to let the stupid ones drunkenly embarrass themselves and watch and laugh.
Eventually, the two drunken noblemen ran out of arrows, and so it was declared that neither of them won, with their now-amused families escorting them away to sleep it off, though not before thanking Altamir and Dumnualos for making sure the 'duel' was bloodless.
Altamir had successfully gained Dumnualos' favor (and that of the Galatians in general as well, apparently), so next up was to seek an audience with the Baktrians and then the Sagartians. Though, he'd decided that he and his entourage would spend the night in Galatia, given that it was already late in the day, and the flight from Ankyras Gangras, the Galatian Capital, and Euthydemias Pellas, the Baktrian Capital, would take a fair few hours to make.
So, the next morning, saying their goodbyes to first Dumnualos, then Karmin, Crimson, and the SkyWing Royal Dragonets, Altamir, Tamuriyah, and their own (older) dragonets set off for Baktria.
Again they flew over the great grass sea of the steppe, this time going south-southeast rather than north-northwest. As they flew, they passed above the Almaz River, and then reached the Kyzyl (or, in the Attican language, the 'Halys') River that was effectively the point where "Parlataean" land gave way to Baktrian lands, the land having changed from steppe to marshlands and floodplains as they had done so. Below, Altamir could see not only various dotted human villages and cities along the many smaller rivers and streams, but also many Mud Dragons living in their own towns and cities (albeit in much more primitive buildings and structures than those of their smaller co-companions), or otherwise in and around the various lakes, marshes, ponds, and swamps, as they turned south to reach the Capital.
After a time, their destination came into view from a distance. Euthydemias Pellas, the capital and largest city of the Baktrians (and also of the Mud Dragons), and one that had been built in such a way that both humans and dragons could live side-by-side within to a degree that was unrivaled by any other place in Pyrrhia, with both human and dragon quarters in close proximity. Given that any invaders would have to fight both humans AND dragons at once if they were to attack, the city was effectively impregnable. That was something the Baktrians were proud of, and rightly so. Of course, visits for diplomacy-related matters were safe...provided those 'diplomats' conducted themselves in a manner that was...well...diplomatic. Something that Altamir did know to do...it's just that he knew that he'd need a 'key' of sorts to get in. Yes, he and his entourage could technically just fly right in over the walls, but doing so and going straight for the palace would raise more than a few hackles (and a more than a few spears, too), so he wanted to simply walk in with someone whom the royals (and their guards) both Baktrian and Mud Dragon would trust. It would simply make things easier if he did it this way.
The only problem was finding that someone in question. So, Altamir directed his group to land outside the walls and gates of the city. Soon after they landed, though, they heard an eighth set of wings flapping, and they saw an adult Sea Dragon land about forty cubits in front of them. The Sea Dragon was none other than Queen Delphine...but there was someone on her back. He looked important, and was dressed in such a way that gave him away as such. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to get in, Altamir directed Peksen to lower her head so that the Sea Dragon Queen could see him…
...before making his presence known. "Queen Delphine? Fancy seeing ye here!"
His voice did surprise the Dragon Royal somewhat, clearly. "Hm? Oh, Altamir! Er...I...would have said the same!" Though, she did compose herself. "I...take it that you're here for the same reasons as I am?"
"An audience with the Baktrian King, Ptolemy? Aye, that's what I'm here for." Altamir then turned his attention to the main. "And who's that riding with ye? He looks important, but I dinnae recognize him."
Then, the man spoke with a cocked head. "So you do not recognize the king of Sagartia?"
Hearing this made Peksen arch up under Altamir, and the other dragonets clearly felt the same way when he looked at them, before looking back to the man. "Kleomenes of Sagartia? Well, I mean...I never saw ye in person before, if that's ye, sae..."
But instead of getting upset, the man laughed. "Ah, just a jape, boy. I'm not the sort who has kittens over someone not recognizing his face. That would be more like an arrogant Aetolian."
"Er, he's here for the same reason as you and I are." Delphine clarified. "He came here aboard me because it would be faster."
"If I were to come here the normal way, it would take at least a few weeks." Kleomenes added. "This way, it only takes a few hours."
"The joys of the companionship that humans and dragons have with each other." Altamir remarked. "Well...tae the gates, I suppose?"
"Indeed, to the gates." Delphine agreed.
So, with that, the group of eight dragons and three humans made their way to the gates of the city. The guards, upon recognizing the Sea Dragon Queen from prior visits and a few words being exchanged, opened the gates for all of them, and so they went in, soon meeting a Mud Dragon who turned out to be Prince Bittern, one of Queen Gallinule's younger brothers. He offered to show the way to the shared Royal Palace of both Queen Gallinule and King Ptolemy, an offer the group took up, as it was clear that there were no tricks or traps here.
As Bittern led the way, Altamir could tell that some of his dragonets were looking between Delphine and Sorkhagtani. He could see why; jewelry aside, the former literally looked just like the latter except larger. Even aside from how Delphine had literally, in-person, given him Sorkhagtani's egg, his powers and abilities that he had as a human animus...they allowed him to already regardless tell the specific blood relation between the two; mother and daughter. He wouldn't say it aloud yet, though, as he knew that his dragonets were putting two and two together.
And sure enough, it was Gulay who spoke first. "Sae, uh, yer majesty or yer highness or whatever..."
"Er, yes dear?" Delphine turned her head to the Rainforest Dragonet, clearly aware that it was she who was being addressed.
"I'm just saying, and all, but...ye do realize that ye literally look almost just like Sora here, just bigger, right?"
"Sora?"
"Short for 'Sorkhagtani'." The Sea Dragon in question specified. "And aye, ye really do literally look like a bigger version of me, even daewn tae the patterns and all. There's a reason for that...right?"
"There is." Delphine didn't seem to be trying to run from it, to be fair to her. "Perhaps we can...go over it once we get to the palace and have some time?"
"Alright...alright..." Sorkhagtani shrugged. "Just...I want some honesty when it happens."
"I've nothing to gain from lying to you, dear." Delphine shrugged back, jostling Kleomenes a bit on her back, eliciting a few grumbles from him.
So, the group finally got to the palace, where Prince Bittern had them wait while he went inside. After a minute, he came back, lips pressed in a line.
"My apologies, Your Majesties, but His Grace King Ptolemy is still in a meeting with a few officials on a certain matter. It may take a few more minutes until he comes to meet you all. Perhaps you could stay in the waiting room until he's ready to meet you?"
"Alright, as long as the room is actually what it sounds like."
The group went in, and the waiting room, sure enough, was a room where humans and dragons alike were to, well, wait. There was indeed no trick or trap here, and it wasn't a confined area at all.
When Bittern left, the group knew that they had time on their hands and talons, so a few struck up conversations with each other on various subjects. Altamir, meanwhile, was interested in seeing how the talk between Sorkhagtani and Delphine (whom Kleomenes had dismounted from to wait against a wall) would play out. So, he carefully dismounted Peksen and walked over to the two, who were clearly just starting.
"Sae..." Sorkhagtani began. "Ye and me looking sae alike...it's because my egg came from one of yer clutches, right?"
"If you're the one who hatched from the egg that I gave to Altamir, then yes, it is."
"Sae ye're my mother, in other words." Sorkhagtani stated up-front, to which Delphine nodded. "Alright then..." After seeing Altamir and looking at him for a few seconds, she looked back to the Sea Dragon Queen whose blood relations she now knew she had. "I'm...I'm naet gonna see any point in getting...mad with ye and all, because otherwise I'd never have kenned someone like Aldy here and his family, which I'm always going tae be glad tae have kenned...but...why?"
"Why?"
"Why did ye give Aldy my egg?" Sorkhagtani didn't seem upset at all, just curious. "Aldy's aunt Temulun implies that it was 'legitimacy with the Luuzada' that was why ye gave my egg tae him. Is that it? Just asking. Ye did promise me honesty and all." Altamir knew that the Sea Dragonet could have a hot head and a temper, but he was glad that he, his uncle, and others had taught her to be able to have a handle on her temper when she needed to.
Remarkably, Delphine seemed...pained at such an insinuation. "Oh, I did promise you such, but...aiding in the image of legitimacy? Perhaps a queen who saw her children as merely more pawns would do such, but me? Such 'legitimacy' was a side-benefit at best when it came to my...decision. In reality, things were more...complicated."
"Specifics?"
Delphine sighed. "Well, when I had you, I had...quite the situation on my talons. For the past four years at the time...someone or something had been killing any daughters among my eggs and hatchlings in my palace whenever I had them, some in their eggs, and some soon after hatching."
This made Sorkhagtani's eyes go wide. "Wait...really?"
"Yes, really. It happened no matter where in the palace I placed the eggs, or even how I hid them, and no one had any idea of who or what was doing such a deed, given how senseless it was and how no one could have conceivably gained anything from murdering princesses. The whole palace, me included, was fraught with fear and paranoia. I was...getting desperate. I was distraught by having lost so many daughters, and I badly wanted one to be...safe somehow or somewhere. So, when I heard that the Luuzada was soon to turn nine years old...I realized I had an opportunity for that to happen, if not anywhere in the palace."
Sorkhagtani seemed to have an understanding. "Sae that's why ye did it...to save my hide from...whatever that thing was."
"Indeed, it was." Delphine nodded, casting a brief glance at Altamir. "When I gave that egg that had you inside to little almost-nine-year-old Altamir...and saw his little face light up like it was the greatest gift anyone had ever given him as he held it in his little arms...it gave me hope that I'd made the best decision I could, and that you could grow up somewhere where you were safe and had someone who cared looking after you."
"And I did, tae be fair." Sorkhagtani nodded. "A few bumps in the road here and there, but that's life, I guess. Sae...about the who-or-what was going after my sisters...did ye ever find out and deal with it?"
"Hm? Oh, right..." Delphine turned a little grim. "A year after I gave you to Altamir...we found out that it was an Animus-enchanted object that had been going after my daughters. And as for who enchanted it, the culprit was actually Princess Lionfish, my then-already-deceased oldest daughter, and only one from my first clutch. It turned out that she was an Animus Dragon, as a human who'd been visiting my palace at the time had spied on her enchanting the object in question, only a month before she'd died of a sudden severe illness. At least with dragons, Animus Magic can...drive one mad if it's used too much...I fear that such may have been the case with her. Perhaps her deed was a twisted attempt to make sure that she had no 'competition' for the throne, and she hadn't taken account of that illness that had claimed her."
Altamir inwardly cringed at hearing that. The memories of Ariq's mad attempts to kill him still rang prominently in his mind and haunted his dreams. So he wasn't the first to have had a murderous older sibling. Wonderful.
"Oh..." Sorkhagtani clearly felt the same way, for she cringed outwardly. "I, uh...um..." Then, she did something that Altamir didn't see her do often. She raised her forelimbs off the ground, spreading them out a bit as if asking for the older Sea Dragon to do something with her...
...and sure enough, seeing this, Delphine did, pulling Sorkhagtani into an embrace...though to the point of lifting the younger Sea Dragonet off the ground altogether thanks to still being a fair bit larger, being a full-grown adult and all, getting a very un-Sorkhagtani-like yip out of her, and in turn giving Altamir a slight chuckle at the sight of it, before Sorkhagtani embraced her back. The two Sea Dragons held each other in such an embrace for a long minute or so, before letting each other go after Delphine set her down.
"Thanks, dear...you have no idea how long I've needed that." Delphine seemed very glad that Sorkhagtani gave her such a thing. "It's a hard job I have...running my tribe with things like that going on..."
"Uh...heh...not a problem..." Sorkhagtani scratched the back of her head. Then she looked off to the side for a bit, before looking back at her mother-by-blood. "Sae...in practice, the position of 'mother' and whatnot for me is more or less held by Altamir's mum naew...but I guess it would naet hurt if I called ye 'mum' alsae. Even if it's only in blood relation and we'll naet see each other that often at this point."
"I'd love that, dear." Delphine, delighted, replied to that by pulling Sorkhagtani into another embrace, getting another yip out of her, but to which she returned by embracing her back once again after the surprise wore off. After a little bit, they broke away from that one as well, both all smiles.
Altamir didn't want to interrupt this...but there was the whole 'Sea Dragon Breathing Fire' deal from the day before, and, well, Queen Delphine was right here, so... "Alright, sae...this is lovely and all, but, uh...Sora, ye remember what happened yesterday while we were visiting Queen Karmin on our way to meet King Domnall?"
This got the attention of both Sea Dragons. "Er...what happened?" Delphine asked.
Sorkhagtani seemed to know very quickly what he was talking about. "Oh, wait, that's right...THAT thing."
So, to make sure that Delphine knew what was going on, Altamir told her. "Sae...while we were visiting Karmin, I heard someone sneezing...and then the tell-tale sound of a dragon breathing fire. When I came outside to see what had happened, I found the grass on fire, and Sora here coughing smoke from both mouth and nose, and wolfing daewn water from a stream like she'd naet had it in ages afterwards. The others say that they saw her breathe fire, though if I'm being honest, she was half-choking on it when she did whatever it was entirely by accident. I'm just asking and all, but...haew did that happen? Ye ken that Sea Dragons dinnae, or at least should naet, breath fire, right?"
By now, Altamir had realized that the others' conversations had tapered off, and all were now focused on the three way one that he was now having between himself, Sorkhagtani, and Delphine.
Delphine, for her part, after a few seconds, clearly knew what Altamir was talking about. "Not usually, yes. But...there is a legend amongst our tribe...that the royal family of the SeaWings carries with it the ability for its members to become what we call 'SeaFires'. The tale goes that, if the Luuzada either raises or shows any sort of physical affection to the first younger dragonet of the family that he finds in his life, then when that dragonet either turns six or seven years old or is already at least six or seven years old but still a dragonet, he or she will awaken the ability to breathe fire, therefore becoming a SeaFire. It's said that having this ability running in the family marks it as the royal one, as the very first SeaWing Queen, Morina, was a SeaFire whom Jangar, the first particularly notable Luuzada, took in and raised until she matured. All the queens after and since are either descended from her or had married descendants from her."
"...and I'm six..." Sorkhagtani put two and two together. "Sae, basically, I can breathe fire naew because it 'runs in the family', eh? Though...I've nae idea haew tae control it...and it dries me out whenever I do it, as far as I ken. Granted, I only did it once, and by complete accident, but-"
"Oh, I know, dear." Delphine replied. "Given that you gain it when you're an older dragonet in a tribe that's not exactly built for breathing fire, indeed it's hard, at first at least. However, and if those histories are spot-on, breathing fire gradually dries you out less and less the more times you do it, and I'm sure that the other dragonets you were raised with can help you learn how to, given that at least most of them can do that, right?"
"I'm sure they can." Altamir shrugged.
"Well then," Delphine seemed satisfied, "I'm sure that, while it may take some time, you can master this ability, Sora my dear."
"Heh...hope sae."
It was then that a man in important-looking garb and regalia, escorted by some of his guards, came to the room. "King Kleomenes of the Sagartians and...Prince Altamir of the Parlataeans, was it? My apologies for my tardiness. That meeting went longer than I thought it would."
"It most certainly is us, King Ptolemy of Baktria." Kleomenes, who'd certainly been silently listening to the conversation between the Sea Dragons, replied, clearly recognizing the important man as a fellow king.
"Aye. And nae pressure on the 'meeting'." Altamir replied also. "Kings and Khans are very busy as far as I ken. Learned that from being around my uncle."
"I've heard that Khingila Khan's a dutiful one." The man replied back to Altamir. "So, the two of you wished for an audience with me?"
"That we did. Shall we begin?"
So, the three-way meeting commenced, and one particular topic that Altamir saw coming as being the main one was a certain tyrant. Wērōd the gods-damned Wired. By the gods, he'd one day bury the tip of his Qanda through the back of that tyrant's mouth when it came down to it if it was the last thing he did. Going by the tones in their voices at the mention of the mad Shah of Panjistan, he could tell that the two Kings felt the same way.
As for what specifically was gone over, it was how to deal with the tyrant. Wērōd had been doing such sword-rattling for quite a while, and had constantly made threats to invade neighboring countries. The only reason why those other countries hadn't countered by invading him first was because the Panj River Valley and Delta were easily the most densely populated regions on the entire continent, with plenty of manpower for armies to defend it and attack from it, so unless a large enough army was destroyed in battle and the country just didn't have the leadership to defend itself or wage war anymore (which would be a hard thing to accomplish), counter-invading Panjistan was impractical, if not impossible. So, the three had decided that this four-way alliance between the Parlataeans, Galatia, Baktria, and Sagartia would be the best way to ward off Wērōd trying to invade them...for the time. Given how he was acting, war was eventually going to happen anyways, and with how large of an army that he could potentially bring along with him, they would have to bring their best and largest armies together under one banner to fight the tyrant off if and when it came to that.
To which end, Altamir had brought up how the Dragon Queens saw the young Parlataean Luuzada as being the 'ruler of rulers that was destined to lead Pyrrhia', as well as what Queen Gallinule had said when he was meeting with her and the other Dragon Queens on the Steppes. Ptolemy and Kleomenes did seem a little affronted that such a meeting had happened behind their backs, but both of them acknowledged that for ALL of the Dragon Queens to meet with the young man and more or less rally behind him, it was for a reason, and also confirmed that, indeed, they WOULD also properly rally behind Altamir being a 'ruler of rulers' over them if he could prove his mettle against the tyrant, to which Altamir promised that he most certainly would, and that, for the Baktrians and Sagartians, he was wanting to conquer their hearts with fair rule and respect, not their lands and homes with blood and terror. The two kings laughed when they heard him tell them this, saying that he'd have the way to their hearts for when he took Wērōd's head and ended the tyrant's abuse of his own people and of other peoples, but acknowledged that he likely would be the only 'foreign ruler' that they and their people would ever bow to, if that was the case.
Coming from the kings of lands who were fiercely independent (ESPECIALLY the Sagartians)...that was a lofty thing to say, and a sign that he was heading in the right direction with them.
So, the meeting concluded with the agreement that, in case of an attack by Wērōd, the Baktrians and Sagartians would marshal their armies to Altamir's banner just as the Galatians would, and that they would combine tactics from all four nations to make up an army that could destroy anything Wērōd threw at it, and that if they won against Wērōd, they'd recognize Altamir as a rightful ruler of all Pyrrhia.
The day afterwards, Altamir, Tamuriyah, and his Dragonets were back in Avraga. Soon after they'd come back about noon, Altamir had told his family of what he'd accomplished, and his Uncle Khingila was very pleased with the results. Now they had a chance against Wērōd for sure, and the news definitely made his family's day.
Now, Altamir and the others were relaxing together, with the dragonets once again playing with dear little Avitohol, who loved it whenever they gently held and hugged him (like Gunesha was doing now), and who loved to do his best to hug them back (like HE was doing now).
"Did ye really fly that far?" Avitohol, bless his little soul, was curious as ever.
"We did." Altamir, who was leaning against Sorkhagtani the Younger's side, answered. "It took a while tae get from place tae place, though. But it's a lovely time, seeing everything look sae tiny below ye."
"Sae...when can I go flying with ye, Aldy?"
"When ye're older, Avi." Chagatai replied as Gunesha gently held the boy. "Aldy started flying with us when he was eleven. Ye're four. Ye should probably wait until nine or ten."
"Oh..." Avitohol seemed a little down at hearing that. "I wish I was bigger and older..."
"I ken, Avi, but that's life." Gunesha responded. "Sometimes, ye have tae wait for things. Besides, ye'll only wish ye were older for sae long...and then ye'll wish ye were younger."
"I'll never wish I was younger!" Avi pouted in a rather silly vow.
"Whatever ye say..." Gulay rolled her eyes.
While his dragonets were japing with the boy, Altamir looked at Tamuriyah, who also was leaning against Sorkhagtani.
"We've got our alliance." Altamir quietly said to her.
"That we do." Tamuriyah replied. While she had been a bit too shy to do really any of the talking and instead left the task to Altamir while they had been traveling, Altamir was fairly sure that it was more because she was in foreign lands with peoples and cultures unfamiliar to her, so she hadn't been sure how she'd avoid blunders which she was worried to make, not because of a 'lack of spine' or an 'inability to make decisions for herself'. Back at the place she now considered 'home', she was far more confident. "We've got a chance against Wērōd. If we win, we can free the Panjians and make it so that our lands being invaded won't be a problem again."
"If." Altamir responded pointedly. "'If' is the key word. We have tae win, first."
And if they were to do that, they'd have to plan and prepare for whatever the tyrant threw at them.
Well, I had PROMISED to try and make sure that this chapter was shorter, but...it ended up getting away from me also, and if anything, this one is by far the longest one the story has had so far.
Once again, a few things I'm iffy about in this chapter that I might rewrite and redo later. And sorry that the update took a month and a half; writing a big chapter like this with writer's block will make that happen. Things will probably get faster once we get to the story's "Main Arc", which will feature PLENTY of canon characters whom we all know and love...though I will say that not all of them will be quite the same as in canon, albeit hopefully in a way that enhances the story rather than ruining it.
See you next chapter, I suppose.