Alternative titel: How To Tame Your Dragon King
A low growl rumbled deep in Nasus's chest as he surveyed the carnage before them. "Don't look, my Empress," he intoned, though his warning came too late.
Lux pursed her lips, twirling her staff in a full circle before kneeling beside an eviscerated corpse. The wounds were deep, precise, as if drawn by a blade wielded with terrifying precision. Sighing softly, she surveyed the devastation, the remnants of what had once been a village now reduced to a pile of ruins and bodies.
"I still don't understand why we are here," Warwick grumbled, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. "Not our kingdom, not our problem."
"The independent villages sent a plea for aid," Lux explained once more, carefully tracing the trail of slashed bodies and the lingering scent of incense.
"These were just bandits and thieves," Warwick muttered, sniffing again without much enthusiasm. "This doesn't smell like the work of a lunar wraith."
"But it does reek of something inhuman," Nasus interjected, rising from his inspection of a corpse. "A single assailant brought the entire camp to ruin, and these bodies are still warm," he noted, his keen eyes scanning the area. "This is no safe place for you, my Empress."
Lux straightened, her gaze sweeping the surroundings. "There is still someone alive here," she observed, following the distinct pulse of life through the carnage. The village had been small, but the sheer amount of bloodshed was startling.
In the village's center, a figure sat atop an overturned cart, methodically cleaning a blade. He appeared to be a man, clad in unnaturally pristine, richly embroidered clothes, his long hair as pale as bone. He looked as out of place as a lily blooming in a battlefield.
Lux stepped into the plaza, clearing her throat to draw the stranger's attention. This must be the one responsible for the havoc wreaked in these lawless lands.
The man's finely sculpted face snapped towards her, his features far too perfect to belong to a mere mortal. His eyes were as cold as winter steel, with slit pupils that widened in surprise. Lux remained still as his clear gray eyes roved over her form, a forked tongue lazily slipping from his mouth.
"Like gold gleaming in the sun," the man hissed, reverence coloring his words.
"Empress!" Two voices called out in unison, snapping the stranger out of his trance.
Lux straightened as a gleaming sword appeared in the man's hand.
Without hesitation, her two protectors lunged at the stranger. Lux barely managed to shout "STOP!" before he vanished, leaving her guardians momentarily stunned.
Lux twirled her staff and raised it towards the sun, slamming it into the ground just as the stranger reappeared behind Nasus, his blade poised to strike. Her binding spell snapped taut around all three combatants.
"Stop," she commanded again as the stranger's knees hit the ground, her guardians now immobilized. The stranger hissed like a cornered serpent, struggling against the radiant bonds.
"You are a dragon of the southern kingdoms, correct? What are you doing in the mortal realm?" Lux asked calmly. "Stay your weapons, Nasus, Warwick. He's not here for our blood."
"And how would you know that?" Nasus grumbled, his bindings loosening as he reluctantly stepped back to Lux's side. Warwick followed suit after a moment of hesitation.
Lux gestured for them to hold their positions as she approached the dragon, who had ceased his struggles but remained tense, clearly waiting for the right moment to strike. "The dragons and the Lunar Kingdom are no enemies," Lux said softly, sensing the agitation radiating off him like an electrical current. "This is not your realm," she repeated gently. "What is your purpose here?" She extended her hand as her binding spell faded.
"He's slaughtered his way through five villages already," Nasus muttered, clearly frustrated by the situation.
The stranger regarded Lux's outstretched hand for a long moment before cautiously taking it, as if touching something delicate. His calloused thumb brushed over the back of her hand before she helped him to his feet, his slit pupils never leaving her face.
"Beautiful," he breathed, his gaze drifting to the gold and jade pins in her hair.
"Careful, Empress," Nasus warned, "if he's a dragon, they can be—"
Nasus was cut off by a low hiss from the stranger, though his eyes remained fixed on Lux.
"I am Luxanna, Empress of the Western Kingdoms and the Lunar Realm. May I ask to whom I have the pleasure of speaking?" she inquired, her voice steady.
The stranger still hadn't let go of her hand, the roughness of his palm a stark contrast to her own. Lux could sense something distinctly wrong, something amiss within him, something that had likely prevented her from recognizing him as a dragon immediately. Her brows furrowed as she extended her senses, attempting to read his aura.
The dragon pulled his hand back as if burned, but nor fast enough before Lux discerned that while his eyes were clearly draconic, his form was entirely human.
The man's gaze shifted warily to her protectors. "Talon," he finally answered, "of the Southern Kingdoms."
"That doesn't explain what a dragon is doing in the mortal realm," Warwick growled, sounding more like a dejected pup than the fierce beast he was.
Talon bared his sharp, inhuman teeth in Warwick's direction.
"Indeed," Lux agreed, "and it doesn't explain the rampage you have been on." Her curiosity was piqued. "Nor does it explain why your name matches that of the ruler of the Southern Kingdoms." Though she had never met the king of the dragon court, she was well-versed in the heraldry of all the surrounding kingdoms and their rulers. While they shared a name, the power this dragon exuded clearly lacked the overwhelming presence Lux would expect from a dragon king. His confidence seemed chipped, tarnished like a once-great blade now dulled.
Talon lowered his eyes. "They stole from me," he hissed, glancing at his sword. "I simply took back what is rightfully mine."
"I told you, these outer villages are filled with thieves," Warwick tried to interject again. "Which kind of idiot steals from a dragon, and a noble one?"
"Might you escort me back to the Lunar Realm, High Lord, once your business here is concluded?" Lux suggested, still trying to discern the true reason for Talon's presence.
"I'm not finished," Talon replied, though his gaze returned to her.
"Tell me what was taken from your hoard, and perhaps I can help you recover it without further violence," Lux offered. Many lives had already been lost to this dragon's wrath, but she might be able to prevent more bloodshed.
Talon's cheeks reddened as he glanced at her protectors. "It's a long story. I have much to recover and little time."
"What does time matter to an immortal? Honor my kingdom with a visit, explain your loss, and I may be able to offer you an alliance," Lux proposed, nodding to her guardians.
Nasus raised his staff, and a golden portal began to form on the ground, shining and inviting, promising an easy passage home.
The dragon recoiled slightly from the portal, his gaze darting between Lux and the gate. She smiled and extended her hand once more. "Come, Your Majesty. You must be exhausted."
Talon's eyes flicked to her ringed hand, then back to her face, an unreadable expression crossing his features. Finally, he took her hand, and as Lux pulled him towards the light, she could have sworn she heard his tongue curling around the word "perfect."
As she stepped through the portal, however, she felt resistance. Her hand, still holding Talon's, seemed unable to pass through.
Her brow furrowed, and the realization of what Talon was searching for dawned on her. Someone had cursed him, banishing him from his realm and court. Someone with immense powers.
Ignoring Nasus's warning—"If someone banished him—"—Lux closed her eyes, drawing power from her kingdom, immersing the dragon in her light. For a moment, she felt the resistance needling into her like a barbed net trying to hold him back, but this was her realm – no one dictated her actions here. She pulled again and, this time, Talon stumbled through the portal, his expression changing to one of quiet amazement.
His first step was tentative, his head bowed as his gaze flicked left and right, ready to defend himself. His chest expanded, his shoulders squared, as if he expected wings to unfurl. His first step was cautious, almost reverent, as though he was feeling out the ground beneath him. With each step he took in this immortal realm, he seemed to grow. His silvery eyes found Lux again, a smoldering intensity igniting in their once-cold depths. "You," he breathed, and Lux felt herself ensnared by the sudden fervor in his voice, "are magnificent."
Lux blushed, the unmistakable change sending a shiver down her spine.
A questioning growl behind her reminded her of their audience. "Check the state of the gates," she ordered, her gaze never leaving her guest. The two concerned guardians, who seemed ready to confront an enraged dragon lord in his true form, reluctantly withdrew at her command.
The Lunar Empress watched Talon closely as his presence began to evolve.
Without looking away from her, his aura subtly pulsed against her own, probing, testing, like the stirrings of a long-dormant storm. He seemed to explore the boundaries of this regained strength, his gaze flickering between her and the space around them, gauging his influence over her realm. Yet his eyes rarely strayed far from her, the embers lighting the silver depths with an intensity she couldn't quite decipher.
Finally, she broke the silence. "Who banished you from the immortal realms, Your Highness?" she asked, her voice steady despite the static crackling at the back of her neck. He was hardly dangerous for her just yet, but it was a glimpse of what could be.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, Talon subtly shifted, like a dragon flexing its wings in a confined space, stretching the loaded silence between them.
Just as she began to wonder if he would respond at all, a sudden ripple of power sizzled through the air like an electric current, shattering the delicate tension between them. Lux sensed it before she saw anything—a violent tear in the fabric of her realm, a surge of energy that made her blood run cold.
Talon's pupils narrowed to slits as he seemingly assessed the invading aura. Then his eyes widened, his attention snapping away from her for the first time since his arrival. Momentary confusion flickered across his face, his newfound confidence wavering as he seemingly recognized the source of the disturbance. "That'll get ugly fast," he murmured, and in a flash, his sword materialized at his side, broadening as he gracefully stepped onto the flat of the blade.
Without another word, the sword, with Talon poised on top, shot toward the epicenter of the disruption, his earlier posturing abandoned in an instant.
Lux was swift to follow, her movements a blur as she chased after him, her focus now on the impending threat.
in theory, I know how I want this to play out. Let's see if these holidays are long enough to bring my ideas to the paper.