Bastileborn - Dragon Fire Pt. 03

The room erupted into alarmed murmuring at that point. Duke Arum was the first to demand silence.

"If this isn't a ridiculous lie, it's a catastrophe in the making. Why should humans trust the words of a mysterious dragon, boldly claiming to be the transcendent? What is your gain in all of this? Do you want us to lead our troops away from our cities so you can attack our unguarded homes?" he accused.

"Of course not, honorable Duke of Talfane. I wish for nothing but peace in Bastileborn. It's my home as well. I was exiled from the Living Mountain after risking my life to ensure peace and prosperity in the mortal realm."

"I'm sorry, Sidian. You are well-spoken, but we cannot risk our kingdoms by trusting the words of a rootless dragon," Arum said, shaking his head.

"Speak for yourself, Duke Arum. I trust every word from this noble dragon's mouth," announced a demanding female voice from across the room.

Everyone turned to observe Queen Tolimire of West Luria as she rose from her seat and approached the stage. Sidian met her enchanting gaze with a smile of relief. He took her hand as he helped her up onto the stage.

"Listen to me, family and friends," she continued. "I very much remember this noble dragon. He saved the lives of my entire family during the holy week of the Blood Accord. We all watched in complete admiration as he ascended to the immortal realm and crashed back down to earth, broken and burned from the journey. Then he rescued me from the dragon king. Faddon had drugged me at the banquet and took advantage of me in the palace garden. Sidian rescued me, Luradon, and Princess Megan from Faddon's hands. He intended to murder us. Sidian fled the Living Mountain with us that night. He protected us until we safely arrived back in Luria. I will account for his trustworthiness with my life."

"But mother, what about Lacia?" Megan cried as she rose from her seat in a passion. She was glaring at Sidian with tears streaming down her beautiful face.

Luradon jumped to his feet with his hand on Megan's shoulder, looking extremely worried at that point.

"Sit down, Megan. This is not the time," Tolimire scolded.

"What about Lacia?" Duke Arum demanded. "Has something happened to my niece?" he asked as he looked at Tolimire for answers, but Megan quickly interrupted.

"Captain Sid of the Black Wing kidnapped her! That dragon is a pirate!" she yelled as she pointed at him.

Lacia was watching the deteriorating scene in growing frustration. Megan, like Ragos, had her own knack for terrible timing. She knew she would have to interrupt and defend Sidian.

"By the gods, Megan, calm down! He did it to protect me!" Lacia yelled.

Everyone turned to stare as a white hooded figure stormed up the center of the room. She stomped onto the stage and threw her hood back to reveal her familiar gold curls. The crowd gasped in realization as they looked between Tolimire and her daughter.

"Lacia!" Megan shrieked in delight to finally see her baby sister again. "Wait a minute..." she stammered when she recognized her beautiful white cloak from the field.

"Yes, Megan. I'm the little white dragon you saw flying in yesterday," she mumbled in embarrassment. "I'm proof of what Faddon did to mother nineteen years ago, and Sidian has been watching over us ever since. When my magic began growing, I was discovered by assassins. They came after our family ship. If it weren't for Sidian, I would likely be dead by now. Faddon wants us both dead, and Brimsly wants all of Bastileborn to bow at his feet. If we don't help Carus, we're condemning our beautiful continent."

"This is horrifying! We have to defend the elves," King Gregory announced as he stood and approached the stage. "North Luria will gladly aid in Carus's defense," he declared as he looked up at Sidian.

"Thank you, King Gregory," Sidian said with a respectful bow.

"Well, Greg, if you're in, I'm in," Luradon sighed as he walked over to stand next to his brother-in-law.

"Count me in as well," Duke Arum said in defeat as he walked over to join the kings.

"Excellent," Sidian said in relief. "With Luria prepared to unite with the elves, we can make a healthy stand against Daylith. Carus must be contacted at once. I shall travel there immediately."

"I would love to accompany you, Sidian," called a voice from the crowd, causing everyone to look around in confusion.

A tall hooded figure stepped out from the humans and approached the stage. He pulled his hood back to reveal his tall ears and long brown hair.

"Please, young elf, introduce yourself," Sidian said with a smile.

"I am Prince Wesley Valimeer of Carus. I recently escorted the prince of Talfane west. Prince Gavin saved my life a week ago. He is now my honored friend. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for promising to aid my kingdom against Daylith. I was prepared to beg for your help, but your honorable hearts needed little persuasion. I speak on behalf of all the elves when I say thank you. We owe you a great debt."

"You are very welcome, Prince Wesley," Gregory said as he approached him and shook his hand. "You resemble your mother," he whispered with a smile. "Allow me to be the first to acknowledge you as a trusted friend of North Luria. You are welcome in my kingdom anytime," he announced as he looked among the faces of his kinsmen.

Arum and Luradon sighed and exchanged meaningful glances before they approached Wesley. They welcomed him just as warmly as Gregory. Sidian smiled as he watched how people responded to the high king. Gregory expected everyone to act as honorable as he was. His kinsmen obviously admired him. To go against Gregory was to go against the humans of the west. Sidian wondered what they would think of Gregory if they knew about Thistle. His heart suddenly ached for her. Her existence threatened Gregory's power, just like Lacia's existence threatened Faddon's power. It was an unfair fate for them both, and it was up to him and Gavin to protect them from scorn.

Sidian turned to Lacia at that moment. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. She smiled as she looked at him thoughtfully, but the sweet moment quickly turned to chaos. Sidian gasped when he saw familiar dark figures reflected in Lacia's eyes. Enemies were flying right outside the large windows behind him.

"Ragos! Assassins!" Sidian screamed as he grabbed Lacia and Tolimire. He jumped off the stage with them and lowered them to the floor.

Tolimire cried out in fear as a rush of blue fire burst above her. Her cry was met with shattering glass as two dragon assassins burst into the room through the windows. Sidian used his wings to protect the ladies from the explosion of splintered glass. An instant later, he darted into the air over the crowd.

Ragos sprang to his feet and summoned his wings, lighting up the room with a bright red flash. He joined his brother in the air over the crowd. They drew their swords in a blink and collided with the green dragon assassins.

Panicked screams filled the room as everyone rushed away from the battling dragons. Lacia and Tolimire were trapped under them as they lay on the ground with their heads covered. Lacia clutched at her mother in terror as she looked up to see the assassins. They both had brilliant green hair and beautiful green scales on their wings. Gregory and Luradon crawled over to the women and began pulling them across the floor. Once they were away from the dragons, they stood and ran out of the hall.

Astrum and Wesley sprang to Sidian's aid. They collected the bows and arrows from the displays on the wall and began shooting at the assassins. The guards in the room followed their lead and began peppering the intruders with steel arrows. The assassins were quickly overwhelmed as arrows stuck in their wings and pierced their armor. They used their magic to create a brilliant flash of green light, temporarily blinding all the humans and elves. Then they collectively knocked Sidian and Ragos to the ground long enough for them to retreat.

"No!" Sidian screamed as he charged out the window after them. Ragos quickly followed him.

"Sidian, stop! We can't catch them!" Ragos yelled as he flew hard after his brother and grabbed his shoulders.

Sidian turned on Ragos and pushed him away angrily, but he didn't continue his pursuit of the assassins.

"Green dragons are chosen for their speed, brother. There's no point chasing them," Ragos explained.

"I know that!" he snapped. "How dare they fucking attack us in a room full of human royalty? They could have killed someone! Are they trying to bring down the curse of the High Father on us?"

"Calm down, Sidian. They're probably getting desperate. You know how Faddon is when someone displeases him."

"Don't talk to me like you're the responsible one, you fucking drunk!" he growled as he shoved him hard. Then he turned and quickly flew back to the lodge to check on Lacia.

"A 'thank you' for helping chase off assassins would be nice, you asshole!" Ragos yelled as he flew after him.

Sidian was surprised that no one was severely injured in the attack. He quickly thanked everyone that helped chase off the assassins. He was flattered at how fast Astrum and Wesley jumped to their defense. Lacia was crying as she rushed into the destroyed hall and threw her arms around Sidian's neck. Tolimire followed her daughter and watched in amazement as Sidian equally returned Lacia's affection with kisses and tears of his own. Tolimire stood and watched them for a long moment as they whispered to each other and caressed each others' faces. It made her heart feel light and proud because she knew what she was witnessing.

"They're in love," she whispered in delight. She quickly approached them and hugged them both so she could kiss their faces. "By the gods... I could not have asked for a better son-in-law," she wept as she squeezed them tight. Lacia and Sidian laughed at her comment as they returned her hug.

The royalty of Luria slowly came back into the room to watch the intimate scene. No one disapproved of Tolimire as she showered a dragon and her half-dragon child with love and affection.

Wesley smiled at the scene before he glanced at Gregory. The high king had a mix of emotion on his face as he watched his own sister openly praising her hybrid child. Wesley knew Gregory was thinking about Thistle, and it broke his heart. Thistle and Gavin had decided to leave without meeting Gregory. Duke Arum's reaction to them kissing had scared them away. It made Wesley extremely angry with racism. It made no sense to scorn or punish anyone for loving someone of a different race. Astrum's parents would still be alive if it weren't for the racial intolerance of the high elves. He was determined to change things when he became king.

Ragos was standing just inside the shattered window, watching Lacia and his brother. It made him jealous to see how much they loved each other, but it also made him happy for Sidian. Tolimire's approval of Sidian amazed Ragos. He never thought humans would be so accepting towards a dragon. But, he had to admit, Sidian was extremely likable compared to most dragons.

King Fumarus

"I feel like a coward, running away from a fight," Gavin grumbled. He, Thistle, Plinkon, and Astrum were journeying west on the main road north of Talfane. Their destination was the Blue Delph Forest. Gavin and Astrum were riding horses while Plinkon and Thistle took turns driving the wagon.

"I know what you mean. It kills me to leave the prince at such a time, but I couldn't disobey his order," Astrum sighed as he glanced at Thistle.

She smiled at him sheepishly when their eyes met. Wesley had ordered Astrum to go with Gavin and Plinkon so he could protect Thistle. Sidian had agreed to fly Wesley to Carus and protect him with his life. Astrum trusted Sidian, but he hated leaving the prince after Ellora specifically ordered him to protect him.

"Don't worry yerself, Astrum," Plinkon began. "Queen Ellora will be plenty happy to have the prince safe at home and you out here protecting the princess. Trust me. I'll vouch for ya if she gets a temper about it."

"I hope so. You've been a great friend so far, old dwarf," he said as he looked at Plinkon and smiled.

"Aye, lad. Anytime. Besides, we can easily direct her ire towards Gavin in this instance," Plinkon continued. "It's his fault we have to search for a delphian star gem."

"Hey," Gavin interrupted, "don't blame me for this. It's actually Thistle's fault. She's the one that hid a cursed relic in her quiver."

"It's an item of destiny, not a cursed relic, dummy," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. It's still your fault, and I'm telling your mother when we get back."

Wesley was missing his friends as he soared through the clouds on Sidian's humongous back. He was cradled between the dragon's massive black wings. Wesley couldn't see much of anything since he had to stay put or risk falling off. There was a rope tied around his midsection, connecting him to Sidian, but it would still be horrifying if he slipped. Sidian eventually tilted his glide downward as they approached Carus. Wesley could finally see the ground at that angle. He gasped in awe at the magnificent green landscapes that surrounded Carus.

"Wow, dragons and birds have a god's eye view of the world," he whispered in amazement. "What the hell is that?" he asked when he noticed a small black convoy of troops and wagons on the east road that led into the Blue Delph Forest.

"I see it," Sidian announced, startling Wesley rather severely. Sidian's voice was loud and booming in his war form.

"What could it be?" Wesley called with his hands over his ears.

"A Daylith convoy. They're sent ahead of bigger armies to cause mischief in other important locations. Where does that road lead?"

"North to Talfane and the Blue Delph Forest. They're on a collision course with Thistle and the others. We have to warn them!" he said in fear.

"Don't panic, young prince. Gavin, Plinkon, and Astrum will keep your sister safe if they cross paths. Ragos and I will deal with the convoy later," he said as they began circling the city, looking for a place to land.

Wesley was able to see all around the kingdom as they circled. His heart sank when he finally spotted Brimsly's massive black army, marching across the southern meadows.

"They're closer than I thought they would be," he whispered in fear.

"They look closer than they are from up here. It's still a two day march from that point," Sidian said as they began to descend into the slave yard of Carus palace.

The slaves were screaming and running in all directions as three spectacular dragons landed in the yard. Elf sentries scrambled into the yard in droves with arrows drawn, ready to meet the terrifying visitors. The elves watched in disbelief as their very own prince slid down from the largest dragon's back and fell in the grass. Then the dragons burst into bright glowing flames and shrank down to their smaller forms. Wesley removed his backpack and pulled three cloaks out of it. He quickly carried the white cloak over to Lacia and wrapped it around her as her fire began to fade.

"Thank you, Wesley," she said as he helped her sit in the grass to rest.

Then he turned and gave Sidian and Ragos their cloaks. Lacia learned the hard way not to march on after transforming. A dragon naturally had a short burst of energy that helped them keep moving in war times. It tricked her into thinking she was fine after they landed in Mauve Pearl Village. Once Sidian and Ragos were cloaked and presentable, they looked around at their mixed audience. A hundred sentries had arrows pointing at them, and a hundred more slaves were staring at them with wide eyes and open mouths.

"It feels good to be respected," Ragos said proudly.

"You have a strange idea of respect," Wesley chuckled as he waved at the sentries.

"Let me rephrase that... it feels good to be feared," he growled as he flashed red fire in his eyes to scare the sentries. They gasped and stepped back in alarm.

"Be civil, Ragos," Sidian growled as he knelt down next to Lacia to check on her.

"You're no fun," he grumbled as he dismissed his fire and sighed in annoyance.

"Put your pants on and behave, please. We're about to meet the king and queen of the elves. I don't want them to fear us," he said as he glared at his brother.

"Fine," he hissed as he grabbed their bag out of Wesley's hands to find his pants. He tossed Sidian's black pants at his head before he pulled Lacia's white dress out and tossed it on top of her head. "Ah, there they are. I thought Wesley lost them for a minute there," he announced as he pulled his red pants out of the bottom of the bag and pulled them on.

Lacia was chuckling at Ragos's antics as Sidian cursed him under his breath. They pulled their clothes on as modestly as possible under their cloaks. They could hear royal sentry horns blowing through the palace.

"Ah, mother and father are almost here. That was fast," Wesley said as he looked at the main entrance to the slave yard.

"Ah shit," Sidian grumbled a second later. "Summon your wings. This is a formal, military-style meeting on royal property. We're not trying to hide what we are. We're supposed to have our wings out," he explained as he gathered his cloak over his shoulder and quickly summoned his wings with a brilliant flash of blue. The crowd gasped at the sight.

"How the fuck do you remember all these stupid protocols?" Ragos groaned as he pulled his cloak out of the way and summoned his wings.

"Because I graduated from the academy at the top of my class. I also listened to Zorin when he taught me about dragon honor. Fix your hair, for fuck's sake. You look like shit."

"You're beyond annoying, little brother," Ragos grumbled as he ran his fingers through his wild red hair, trying to tame it a little.

"And you're not annoying?" Sidian snapped as he looked at him in disbelief.

"Guys, what about me?" Lacia interrupted.

"Summon your wings, too," Sidian said in a kinder tone as he smiled at her. "You're royalty. It's even more important that you show respect to the kings and queens of other races."

"What about my dress?" she whispered worriedly.

"It's open in the back. I picked it out for that reason. Your wings shouldn't damage the neck strap. I promise," he said as he helped her stand and move her cloak.

She gulped and quickly summoned her wings as the royal elf party emerged from the south gate. Ellora's expression looked dead serious until she laid eyes on Wesley's smiling face.

"Thank the gods!" she breathed as she hurried into her son's arms and hugged him warmly. "Is your uh... friends safe?" she whispered as she pet his messy hair and kissed his face.

"They are, mother. I ordered Astrum to protect them."

She smiled and nodded in relief. King Fumarus looked at his family and smiled in approval. It was customary for the high elf king to demonstrate family pride in front of other races. He was the first to approach the dragons and look at them in mild wonder.

"Greetings, mysterious visitors. Welcome to my beautiful city. Thank you for escorting my son home safely. We were not expecting any of this. What brings dragons to Carus?" he asked as he looked among their faces.

"Greetings, King Fumarus and Queen Ellora," Sidian began as he bowed low to them, prompting Ragos and Lacia to do the same. "I am Sidian, the last black dragon of the Living Mountain and the century transcendent. It has been over nineteen years since we last met in my homeland. This is my brother, Ragos, and my fiancee, Lacia," he said as he motioned politely to them both.

Lacia was always impressed by Sidian's regal manners. His body language demanded respect, even when he wasn't trying. The only time he seemed frazzled was when he was fighting with Ragos.