Chapter Text
Charles was falling. It seemed like he had been falling forever. Speeding up and up, until the entire world seemed like nothing more than a blur. Wet clouds and dry, cold air in between them. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his entire head swimming at the lack of air in his lungs from how hard it was to breathe at this altitude. The ground really started to rush in. Closer and closer. He could feel his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. Could feel how his entire body started to tense and prepare itself for an impossible impact. He breathed. It was so close now.
One.
Two.
Bliss.
As he was suddenly pulled away, both out of his daze and from the rapidly approaching ground, Charles sucked in a much-needed breath of pleasantly warm, summer evening air. This was true freedom. This was exactly what he had needed. The wind in his hair. The sensation of flying. The fear of death in his heart. He threw his head back, laughing in utter delight despite the pressing of the gigantic claw around his middle. ‘’That was absolutely incredible!’’
‘’That was one of the stupidest things you’ve ever done. And it’s quite a long list.’’ A voice answered in his mind. It made him roll his eyes in defiance and look up at the creature above him. A dragon. Charles’s dragon, to be precise. A beast of legend almost 25 meters long and over five meters high at its shoulders. A wingspan of almost 40 meters that could put an entire street in shadow if it flew high enough. Its scales shaded from the deepest bloodred to the most vibrant of scarlet. At this time, in the golden hour of the evening, the sunlight made the horns upon its head look almost like a golden crown. The same gold present at the very tips of its mighty wings. A beast of pure fire, muscle, and a destructive power only seen in a single nation in this world, bonded to a single bloodline of immense power and reverence. And Charles’s best friend from the day he was born.
‘’I cannot believe I let you talk me into this.’’ The voice continued. It made Charles laugh even harder. A grin formed on his lips, and he tapped the dragon’s large claw a few times to get its attention. He heard a resigned groan coming from above, and with a few powerful beats of its wings, the dragon flew further upwards.
Before once more dropping Charles towards the earth.
Thankfully, this time it only lasted a few seconds. The scarlet dragon ducked underneath its human, and Charles gracefully came to rest on the saddle on its back. He took another deep breath, patted the dragon’s neck, and smiled. ‘’Thank you, Solfirax.’’ He told him. ‘’You can actually take us home this time around now. I’m really done diving for the day.’’
‘’And forever, I hope.’’ The dragon replied. He did his best to sound a little grumpy and exhausted with his antics, but Charles knew better. He enjoyed his little escapades almost as much as he did. Neither of them was ever any happier than when it was just the two of them, flying with nobody else around to bother them. To burden either of them with rules, duties and responsibilities. He just preferred it if he didn’t risk killing himself so much in the process of his whims. Still, he went along with Charles’s wishes, the both of them forever unable to say no to each other.
Solfirax steered himself back into the direction of the palace. He flew leisurely, with slow wingbeats propelling them forward through the soft sunshine of the golden hour. They passed over lush, green hillsides. Over farms slowly getting themselves ready for the harvest in a month or two’s time. They passed over large forests, where Charles could spot some of the more nocturnal animals slowly starting to stir from their sleep. As they approached Aurelion, the capital city, Solfirax steered them just a bit further east, making their flight last just a little bit longer. They watched as the sunshine made the ocean glitter, an endless expanse of water and the deepest blue. As they finally turned towards home, and crossed over the waves lapping against the immense white marble cliffs, they could see the volcanic peaks that surrounded the capital city starting to loom large in the distance.
Quiet now for centuries, these volcanoes had once covered the surrounding landscape in lava and ash, Charles recalled from his history lessons. It was here that his far ancestor had found the first dragon egg seen in recorded history. 500 years earlier, Lord Maerion Leclerc, a war mage in the imperial army, discovered a red dragon egg in the ruins of an ancient civilization. When Pyranthos hatched and imprinted on him, they became the most powerful union the world had ever seen. Together, they laid the foundation of the Empire of Solarys, a realm reaching as far as the eye could see, even from this height. House Leclerc have remained the only bloodline to successfully bond with the creatures ever since, and are still the envy of the world these centuries later.
They slowly slalomed through the immense peaks, the snow on their tips supposedly ever-lasting. Part of him wanted to reach out and touch, but something inside him shied away from it. His was the fire, not the cold. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. He couldn’t place where it came from, but it was there nonetheless. Shaking it off, he turned his attention back towards Aurelion, watching as lanterns started to be lit all over to ward off the oncoming darkness. As the cooling air started to form banks of mists around the edges of the capital.
‘’I love watching the city like this.’’ Charles said quietly. ‘’It’s so breathtakingly beautiful.’’ Catching his words in his mind through their shared bond, Solfirax hummed in agreement and turned his head towards the Citadel of Flame. His soon to be home. Home of all dragons of House Leclerc. Not for now though. Not yet. For now, he could remain in the palace until he grew too large. Close to his rider. Exactly where he wanted to be.
They landed in the palace courtyard, not too far away from the Royal stables. It was there that Solfirax slept, with a few boxes for smaller dragons having been combined to accommodate the already large dragon’s ever-growing size. Charles hopped off of his back with practiced ease, and was gently petting the dragon’s long neck when he was finally approached.
‘’The Sunscale and his Flamebound Prince return.’’ A voice spoke happily. A man in his mid 40s with shoulder length, silver hair, Sir Elian Thorne was known as the Flamekeeper of the Crown. The one with the end responsibility for the care of the entire Royal Family’s dragons. He bowed from the neck to Charles, and then performed the same gesture of respect towards Solfirax. ‘’Your Highness, welcome home. I trust that you had a pleasant flight? I have the stables ready for Solfirax, and his evening meal is being prepared as we speak. We saw you coming in.’’ As he spoke, he made a gesture towards the Royal stables, and both Charles and Solfirax started the follow the man in that direction.
‘’Of course. Nothing of note to speak of at all. Quite calm in fact I should say.’’ Charles noted with a chuckle in his voice. ‘’Anything I missed while I was gone?’’ He raised his eyebrows inquisitively at the Flamekeeper as he asked, and the man shrugged slightly in response. ‘’Nothing in particular. Princess Celene took Lyxira out for a flight as well, and Prince Julien has been down here to visit Emberlyn after his swordplay lessons. If you’re asking about the goings on of court, you know you would be better off to ask young Princess Renelle, Queen Aurelienne or any member of His Majesty’s Council, your Highness.’’ Sir Elian replied.
Charles nodded in response. Of course the man had no news of the inside of the palace. He only had eyes for the majestic beasts under his care. They walked through the stables, all the way to the largest box at the back. As they walked, Charles spotted both of his younger siblings’ dragons enjoying their evening feasts of fresh sheep and goat meat.
Lyxira was a silver-scaled she-dragon, belonging to the Princess Celene, oldest daughter and the oldest of the children after Charles himself. Lyxira was known across the kingdom as The Silver Gale, for her elegance, beauty, and utter speed in the air. She met Charles’s eyes as they walked past, and seemed almost a little distrustful of him. It made the Prince roll his eyes every so slightly in response. They’d been close as children, the four of them. He, Celene, and their dragons. After all, there was only 5 years of difference between all of them. But things change when you grow up. Rivalries emerge, especially between the two oldest children. You always want what you can’t have, Charles thought to himself as he continued.
Opposite Lyxira was housed Emberlyn, the dragon bonded to Charles’s younger brother, 18-year-old Prince Julien. A copper dragon with acid breath rather than fire, he had a temper just like his rider. They were quick to anger, slow to calm, and they threw themselves into their training with a devotion that almost scared Charles as much as it thrilled him. So desperate was Julien to catch up to his older brother that he ate, drank and slept nothing but the will to get stronger. He liked to duel too, constantly challenging every other young knight he could find to single combat, until his father finally forbade it. It was below a Prince to duel mere squires, he proclaimed, and he would tolerate it no longer.
Emberlyn was a little smaller than Solfirax had been at his age. But what he lacked in size, he made up for in aggression. He dove into his meal as Charles watched, tearing off chunks of meat before swallowing them in a single bite. It made Charles shake his head. He would have to talk to Julien about this again. The other dragon keepers were growing afraid of the beast, and it would reflect badly on all of them if Emberlyn turned any more feral than he already was.
When they finally got to Solfirax’s box, Charles helped to unsaddle the dragon, despite Sir Elian’s protests. ‘’You know I don’t mind helping, Sir Elian.’’ He spoke. ‘’I enjoy making sure that Solfirax is happy and comfortable after a flight. Can you make sure he gets some extra food tonight? We flew a little longer and more intensely than we anticipated.’’
The comment earned the Prince a raised eyebrow from the Flamekeeper, but Charles chose not to further engage on the subject at all. He walked in front of Solfirax, where the dragon lowered his head for a moment to touch their foreheads together in a show of affection. ‘’Goodnight, my friend. I’ll see you in the morning.’’ Charles said quietly, touching the creature’s nose for a moment before pulling away. The dragon returned his words, and Charles finally made to leave the stables. The dragon keepers he passed on the way respectfully bowed their heads as he walked by, and he overheard one of the older ones inform what seemed to be a new recruit.
‘’-rider of the first red dragon to be born in more than three centuries.’’ She spoke. ‘’Born on the same day as the Prince, hatched in his own crib. A divine omen unlike anything we have ever seen before.’’
The comments made Charles sigh a little, though he kept it hidden to himself. Not even back in the palace proper, and here he was, already assaulted again by his so called ‘Destiny’. He attempted his best to ignore it for now, and finally made his way into the side entrance of the palace as the sun fully sank behind the horizon. The palace was thoroughly lit by lanterns on almost every wall, and so he was greeted by a wall of light as he made his way towards the dining room to join the rest of his family.
He heard some chatter from his siblings as he approached, and he was smiling as he entered the room. ‘’Good evening, everyone.’’ He greeted happily, sending especially bright smiles towards Julien and Renelle, his two youngest siblings. Julien was finally a man now, barely 18 as he was. He idolized his older brother, and Charles always made sure to act his best in front of his brother. He didn’t want the young man to take the wrong example to heart, after all.
Charles took his usual place next to Renelle. At just 15, she was the youngest of the four siblings. Perhaps more importantly though, she was also the sole dragonless child in the family. Oh, they had tried. Dozens of different eggs had found their way to the Princess, but alas, none of the unhatched wyrmlings had bonded with her yet. It seemed to bother everyone else more than Renelle herself, or so it seemed at least. Fiercely smart and witty, she had thrown herself into her studies, dragon lore and diplomacy, and was already allowed to sit in on Council meetings despite not being of age, though she had no right to speak in them of course.
The Prince ruffled his little sister’s hair, and Renelle huffed at her brother before giving him a hug from the side. ‘’You enjoyed your flight, brother?’’ She asked with a bright smile, to which Charles could only nod. ‘’I did. Though we were out a little long, and I could use an update on what happened today. I heard some rumours before I left with Solfirax.’’
Renelle nodded in response. ‘’After dinner. A lot has happened and I do think you sh-‘’ She was interrupted by the main doors to the dining room opening, and the King and Queen stepping through to join their children for dinner.
Despite being in his late 50s, King Auremond remained an ever-imposing man. He was the embodiment of legacy. A man truly carved from iron discipline, fire, and duty. His entire rule was defined by strength and stability. In his early 20s, he used his bonded dragon, Valmyr, a huge black and silver-scaled dragon, to overthrow the ruling regency council and restore House Leclerc to the throne of Solarys. He was personally responsible for ending the last border war with the nation of Verenmoor to the North, some 20 years before. Since then, his reign has been noted by nothing but peace and prosperity, though there are signs that he fears the younger generation could not be up to the task.
Charles’s mother, Queen Aurelienne, was a former princess of a minor coastal kingdom. She married the King to establish a long-lasting naval alliance that has stood the test of time, and is beyond all utterly devoted to her children. Famed for her beauty, she is known as the Rose of the Coast, but beyond all, she is a political genius. Over the last few years however, her relationship with Charles has been fraying. As he grew more into his own, and especially his bond with Solfirax has become stronger, his mother has grown distant. Weary of the creatures as she remains to this day, she now doted mostly on her youngest daughter, and she embraced Renelle before sitting down at the table.
As the family ate, the table remained mostly quiet. The King was a solemn man of few words these days, and some of the more difficult relationships at the table made it increasingly difficult to have a light conversation about simple topics. Finally, the King found his son’s gaze. Both their eyes marked with the golden-flaked amber of bonded dragon riders, Auremond took a deep breath before speaking.
‘’Charles. A word in my study after dinner. There have been some developments I want you to be aware of.’’
That was all he said. It was all that Charles could really focus on for the rest of the meal. There were rumours all around the palace. A messenger from the North. The possibility of war. Renelle wishing to tell him certain things. And now this? His mind raced with possibilities and he had trouble eating as he looked towards his younger siblings. Towards Celene, yes, but mostly towards Julien. War would mean fighting. Danger. If that was really what was going on, he would have to do his utmost to try and stop it. He did not want his siblings to be in any real danger.
Charles was startled out of his thoughts when the King rose to indicate the end of the meal, and one of the servants came over to remove the Prince’s plate. Charles coughed, putting a hand in front of his mouth to hide his soft blush of embarrassment, and made to follow his father when the man walked out of the room after wishing his family a pleasant night.
Silence followed as they walked through the halls of the palace, only broken by the soft sounds of the King’s Royal Guards’s armour clinking against each other as they followed closely behind. Were there more of them than usual?
Silence remained as they entered the study, and King Auremond closed the door behind Charles to ensure that the two of them could speak in absolute privacy. The King rounded his desk and sat behind it, taking a letter out of a drawer and pushing it over to the far side of the desk.
The first thing Charles noticed was the sigil on the wax. It had been broken, but it was absolutely unmistakable. A black wyvern, almost more snake than dragon, two tailed and wings spread, piercing a golden sun with its claws, set against a deep green field. House Drenvar. The Royal Family of Verenmoor. It immediately made Charles frown. He lifted the letter, before looking back at his father.
‘’We don’t have any diplomatic relations with Verenmoor since you won the war. What do they want?’’ He asked, confusion plainly written on his face as Auremond drew another deep breath. ‘’Read it.’’
Charles opened the letter, his eyes scanning the page intensely.
To his Imperial Majesty Auremond, High King of Solarys, Warden of the Flame, Lord of Aurelion.
Greetings,
I write you this letter to inform you that my father, the late King Veric Drenvar of Verenmoor, has passed away.
With his passing are also void any and all agreements, treaties, and further contracts your nation might have signed with the nation of Verenmoor. Words are worth nothing, and only blood may seal any rift that has come to pass between our lines.
I therefore propose as follows to unite our houses:
I, King Kaelen of House Drenvar, King of Verenmoor, wielder of the Umbral Crown, the Ashborn King, shall take on my 30th birthday in 3 months time, to be my lawfully wedded wife the Princess Celene of Solarys, rider of Lyxira, the Silver Gale.
Any rejection of this proposal shall be taken as an immediate sign to resume hostilities between our two nations.
Choose wisely, Auremond.
Signed,
His Majesty King Kaelen Drenvar
Charles re-read the letter a minimum of five times. Then he swallowed. Then he re-read it again. When he looked up, his father was looking him dead in the eye, as expressionless as always. He raised an eyebrow at his son, daring him to speak his mind. To share his thoughts. To show him he understood.
‘’Veric is dead.’’ Charles started, thinking back hard on his lessons in politics. What did he remember of Verenmoor. Of their Royal Family. ‘’You defeated Veric and his armies decades ago. You had a balance with him, an understanding. But Kaelen. Kaelen is ambitious. Dangerously so. An extremely powerful mage on top of that trained by the very best their academies have to offer. He... he has to believe he can win a war. He has to know that we would never willingly send Celene to marry one of our ancient enemies.’’ His mind was racing once more now, thinking about the implications, about the possibilities at play here.
‘’Still, she is not the heir. A large faction even within the palace would probably agree to this if it meant keeping the peace. So, he is trying to sow division in our ranks. That means that even if we keep this quiet, it will leak. He will let others know. He will force us into the position of being the ones to reject peace. So that’s not an option either. Have you spoken to the Council about this yet?’’
King Auremond shook his head. ‘’I have not. I wanted to discuss it with you first. You draw many of the same conclusions that I did. It appears that the threat of our dragons is no longer enough to keep Verenmoor at bay. From what I hear, Duskspire is in chaos. The Verenmoor capital is large and difficult to control, and there are rumours that Kaelen has killed his own father for the throne. If this is true, then he is an even bigger threat than we anticipated.’’
Charles nodded. ‘’So, what do we do? What is our next plan? Our next move?’’
‘’For now, nothing. We do not take decisions out of fear or anger, son. We weigh the options. We digest. We think. Tomorrow, I will convene the Council and hear their opinions on this matter. That includes your mother and your sister herself. I want you there. I need you there. What I will do now, is increase our security. You will get your own guard detail, and so will your siblings.’’ Auremond told the Prince.
He raised a hand when Charles opened his mouth to protest, and the young dragonrider kept quiet. ‘’I don’t want to hear it, Charles. This is the biggest threat we have faced in my 33 years of Kingship since the original wars with Verenmoor. I can feel it in my bones. I can feel it in my bond. Even Valmyr is anxious. This is an unknown factor. Something new. It scares me, and I need to know my family is safe as we plan our next steps. We need a new guard of people we have personally vetted. No regard for nobility, but pure skill. A changed world requires a change of outlook, however much it pains me to forgo the rules I helped establish myself.’’
With a sigh and a pained groan of exertion, the King got up, and Charles noticed for the first time just how tired his father looked. His darkened eyes. His thinning hair. The Last Warrior King, they called him. Charles couldn’t help but fear that if it came to war, it would also be his last. He got up as his father did, and turned towards the door as Auremond gestured towards it. ‘’Commander Alaric, please let him in.’’
The door swung open, and a tall, broad chested knight stepped in. He was already wearing the armour belonging to one of the family’s elite guardians. An alloy known as Drakesteel, forged from steel, enchanted obsidian, and trace amounts of dragonbone. Highly resistant to both normal weapons and dragon breath, its forging was one of the most precious secrets of their realm. On the front of the armour however, was already emblazoned Charles’s personal sigil. A rearing red dragon encircling a golden sunburst, its tail coiled around the base of a silver longsword planted upright in flames. A magnificent sight, even to the Prince himself.
The knight moved to take his helmet off, and as he did, King Auremond spoke words that would forever change his son’s life. ‘’Charles, please meet the Commander of your new personal guard: Sir Max Verstappen, Lord Protector of the Crown heir and elite knight of the Flameguard.’’