Damien Black
When Damien saw men in golden armor outside the palace, he knew something was wrong. They were not standing guard, nor did they have weapons on them, they even bowed when they saw Damien. Ignoring them, Damien entered the palace slightly stumbling up the steps with his drunkenness.
When Damien entered the palace, he went straight to the council room where he expected his father to be. Until he walked past the courtroom, and heard men speaking, stopping his walk he turned back to enter the castles courtroom.
The courtroom had white pillars, and a white floor, a black throne that stood next to a gold one, the pews were black, as was the crown on his father’s head. Leading the room to look highly contrasting, when he entered the courtroom, all stood including the man who had been speaking.
When the man turned to him, Damien found himself surprised, something he rarely allowed to happen to himself. Damien had just woken up in a woman’s bed on the outskirts of the city, in a small house right next to the white walls. Once Damien had woken up, he had gotten changed, still drunk, and then found his flask to drink more.
Once he was feeling good to walk and was confident in his ability to hide his drunkenness, he had begun his journey to the castle. That was when he first should have noticed something had happened, men crowded the streets, as if waiting for something. “Waiting to the Gold Emperor” Damien realized now, standing in the middle of the courtroom was Kai Vein, the self-proclaimed golden Emperor.
Kai bowed to Damien, who stood shocked at the man for just a second, before remembering himself, bowing back to the man. “A pleasure to meet you, your highness, I am Damien Black, second born of Markus Black”, Damien said to the man as he rose, and the man smiled at him.
Damien had to admit, Kai looked to be every bit the Emperor he claimed to be, he had strong features, and was well muscled. Long golden hair reached down to his shoulders, and a pair of golden eyes glittered, he also had a short well kept golden beard. The man looked like royalty, Damien had to admit to himself, but the man being here meant trouble. The man wore gold clothing, and a gold cloak that almost touched the floor.
“A pleasure to meet Damien, I am Kai Vein, Emperor of the Gold Empire, and guest to your family”, he replied to Damien kindly. Damien didn’t buy it, he had heard stories from refugees who came to hide in the forest city, he did not show anything, however. Damien nodded with a smile, and Kai turned back to his father, Damien moved to the end of the room past Kai to sit with his brother Malcolm.
“You smell of drink”, Damien’s twin sister Janice Black said as he took his seat in-between her, and Malcolm. Janice was often called the most beautiful woman in the East, she had long black hair, wide black eyes, mixed with her delicate features, and sharp jawline. Damien would agree, but where she had an attractive appearance, her personality was less so.
Damien shot her a smile, “and you smell of shit”, he said in his sweetest voice possible. Janice made a harumph noise, and then looked back at Kai, who was droning on about the family’s previous friendship, boring stuff that was said before something important.
Damien studied her and realized he did not like the twinkle in her eye, when he turned to Malcolm he saw a different twinkle there, a brighter one. “I’ll bye you a drink to know what your thoughts are about”, Damien said with sly smile. Malcolm smiled at him; the smaller man responded kindly. “I do not drink, and I was thinking that this might just be a way for our family to grow larger, younger brother”, he said turning back to Kai.
Damien did not like the sound of that either, he turned to look at Kai, finally listening to the man. “Men speak ill of our kind these days, they do not like the dragons, do not celebrate them”, Kai said placing a hand on his own chest. “Together we could make dragons loved again, we could lead the world in a new age of prosperity not just for dragons but also for the men who live here as well”, Kai said triumphantly as if they had already won.
“Join us in our conquest, and we will fight with you, to reclaim the east, and give you all the land you once held for my family”, Kai said. “Allow us to join houses, I will take your daughter Janice Black as my wife, and your own blood will be Emperor after my death”, Kai said with a charming smile.
Men throughout the court bought his words as well, some cheered, none booed, but those who disagreed stayed silent, best to not offend those they should not. The cheering in the crowd made Damien even more nervous, Damien knew some of the nobles desired their kingdom to grow.
After all the black dragons were the smallest of the dragons who ruled over the continent, and fifty years before Feos had claimed themselves free of the black dragons. Power for the family was shrinking, and here came a man offering to rise them back up to power. To control the land, they had controlled back in the days of the Golden Empire.
Glancing at his sister told Damien what she thought on the matter, she smiled at the thought of being an Empress. Now Damien not only disliked the sound of this, but he also hated the sound of this, not only because his sister would be a terrible empress. Also, because it gave more people power over his family, and he did not like that.
Damien said nothing though and watch how his father responded to the man. Markus was a small man, and a kind one, he never acted out of cruelty, and often chose mercy. Looking a lot like Markus, he had pale skin, black hair, and black eyes, he was clean shaven as well. Compared to Kai, the man did not look like a king, but compared to Kai, not many could claim they did.
“Your offer is tempting I must admit, but I cannot make this decision lightly”, Markus said with a thoughtful look. "Please stay for a couple of days as our guest, dine with us, and allow us to measure you as an Emperor, you will have your answer then”, Markus said with a bright smile.
Kai smiled at the man and bowed low “I would be honored to be in your noble city”, Kai said with the voice of a thankful man. Damien didn’t buy, it was common to have guests stay while after they had visited, especially in the east where it was considered an insult for a lord or lady to refuse to stay with those they met with. Damien however could not help but feel as though they just invited a wolf into a barn of sheep.
Once the council had ended, they moved to their dining room, which had two large fireplaces, and three very long tables that ran parallel. On a platform at the head of the three tables was one long table with now chairs facing the feasting members, Damien found a place near his father, and sat next to Malcolm.
The feast tables were made of solid black woods, imported from the north, they were ancient, and sturdy, always warm, as if they trapped heat inside. Markus was seated in the center of the royal table, Malcolm on his right, Janice on his left, next to Janice, was Kai, Damien noted.
A man came over, taking a seat to Damien’s right, at the end of the table still leaving plenty of spots open on the table meant to host many Lords, and Ladies. The man was slight in build, with grey hair, though Damien knew the man had been born with grey hair, and a thin beard.
“Reese Far, pleasure to meet you”, the man said with a smile, the man was older, but Damien immediately had the feeling the man was dangerous. “Damien Black, and the pleasure is mine, you are the emperors top advisor, correct?”, Damien asked the man.
Reese Far nodded, “aye”, he said with a sip of the tankard he was holding. “I hear if your father accepts our offer, you may be joining our army”, the older man said kindly. Damien snorted with a smile, “not sure I will be very good at war, but if you need someone to drink your enemies to death, I’ll try my best”, he said with an exaggerated laugh.
The man chuckled as well at that, “if you are privy to the emperors’ future plans, I would love to speak with you”, Malcolm interrupted their talking. “Ah well, I’m sure you both would find each other better conversation than me”, Damien said seizing his chance. “You’ll excuse me if I go freshen up, I was not expecting visitors”, Damien said with a fake embarrassed look. The two men were already deep in conversation with each other as he left.
Damien did indeed wash up, but he also planned, just in case, finding two guards he trusted, and had them bring a bag of his clothes to the castles secret exit, one no one used any more. The bag itself had money in it, and clothes, enough money for him, and his family to buy a new life, if need be. The men followed his orders without question, and Damien knew they would keep this to themselves.
Damien himself knew every crevice of this castle, so when he slipped into an old ale storage room below the main castle, and into a tunnel hidden behind an old painting that swung to the side. It was something he was used doing, he made his way through the tunnels now, which we white moon crystals in the walls that allowed him to see where he was going.
Damien exited through a ladder that led to the underside of his father’s bed, he pulled himself through, and rolled out from under the bed. Damien made his way to his father’s private chambers, often empty since their mother had died. Damien’s father had never taken another lover after his mother had passed. Damien waited in a cushioned chair, until his father eventually did enter the room as soon as the door closed the mans face fell in a tired expression.
When he noticed Damien however, he jumped in surprise, and the scowled at his son, “how did you get in here, I told the guards not to allow anyone in”, he said angrily. “I climbed through the window”, Damien said with a smile, then he continued, “I needed to speak with you about our little gold friends”, he said sweetly.
“You, and both your siblings”, his father said with a sigh, as he across from his son in another cushion chair. “I will tell you what I told your brother”, Markus said with a hard look on his face, “I plan to refuse the emperor’s offer”, he said sounding like he expected argument.
Damien’s smile did not leave his face, but it grew genuine, “oh, thank the gods”, Damien said with relief. Markus looked taken aback, “I’m sorry?”, he said in surprise, Damien looked at him, and spoke with a happy tone. “All I’ve heard of the man says that his act in the courtroom was false. This Kai has executed men for looking at him wrong”, Damien said.
Markus nodded, “aye, that and once he gets more dragons too his side, he will be unstoppable, with just too he reunited the south, and his armies struggle to take Feos, if he did try to conquer us, he would not succeed” his father said.
Damien raised an eyebrow at the man, “you sound confident, so you think he offers less than he claims”, he asked his father surprised by the man’s words. Markus shook his head, “no that’s not the case, he more than likely would give us what was promised, maybe more to ensure our loyalty”, Markus said with a smile.
Damien cocked his head, “then what part of his speech did you hate”, he asked his father curiously. Markus stopped smiling at that question, “simple, he spoke about growing his Empire, and that meant war, which means eastern lives lost”, Markus said shaking his head.
“As well as war with the west, and maybe even the north for all we know, who can guess how large this Kai’s ambitions will get if he gets the black dragons on his side”, Damien added, feeling a lot better about the situation. “How did Malcolm take it the news, that we will not be the Imperial lords of the East”, Damien said with a wide smile.
“Horribly, as you might imagine”, Markus said with a sigh, “your sister too, she seemed keen on being an Empress”, he added. Damien chuckled at that, “I can’t say I feel too sorry for her”, he said with a cruel smile on his face. Markus snorted at him, “you should treat each other better, your twins after all”, he said sternly.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Damien shrugged, still wearing his smile, “That man Reese Far, seemed to have your brother’s ear at the feast, its no wonder he seemed upset when I told him my decision”, Markus added ruefully. Damien stopped smiling at that, “be careful with that one father, I know a clever man when I see one”, he said in a rare moment of seriousness.
His father gazed at him, and smiled at him, “don’t worry boy, I know men of his type”, he said with something weird about his expression. It took Damien a few minutes to see it was pride, pride in his son. Damien snorted, “don’t look at me like that”, he said making his father laugh at him, “would be I could keep you this serious, you would already have solved half the kingdoms problems”, Markus said laughing.
“You weren’t in court this morning, where were you?”, Markus when his laughter subsided, Damien gave a mischievous grin. “Keeping the common folk company, a thirsty business it is”, Damien said, causing his father to groan. “Maybe I need to marry you off sooner than I thought”, he said with a heavy sigh.
After Damien left his fathers chambers, this time through his fathers’ normal door, much to the guards who were posteds distress. Damien went to his brother’s room, seeing with a slight surprise that he wasn’t there reading a book, and looked in the food hall for his brother. Malcolm was there sitting at a common table, across from Kai Vein, and Reese Far.
Not having been noticed, Damien slipped out of the hall feeling a sense of foreboding that followed him all the way to his bedchambers. Damien awoke that night to a knock at his door, curious he opened the door of his room to find a serving girl standing there with a candle. “I’m flattered, but I am afraid that the only company I crave tonight is my own”, Damien said with a charming smile.
The girl blushed at that, she was a little young than Damien, though certainly not a child. “I’m sorry my lord, but its your father, he has fallen ill”, she said wiping the smile of Damien’s face immediately. “where is he?” Damien asked concerned, “his bed chambers my prince”, she said then called after him as he stormed out. “Don’t you wish to get dressed prince”, she said, Damien ignored the girl, and made way to his father’s chambers.
Entering in through his father’s door and found a medic overlooking his father as he lay on the bed. Damien struggled to believe the man he saw on the bed was the same man who he had spoken too earlier that day. Markus Black looked far pale than any man Damien had ever seen, he had blood stains under his nose.
The man in front of him looked to have lost weight, his cheeks were sunken, his eyes, even while closed looked sunken. “What happened?”, Damien asked, he noticed both his siblings were there as well, Malcolm looked scared, and Janice had tears in her eyes. A servant who stood nearby spoke with a worried tone, “I heard him scream out, and I rushed with the guards, he was shaking harshly, and blood ran from his nose”, he said.
“I called a healer right away”, the man added after a second. Damien looked at the healer, “do you know what’s wrong with him?”, Damien asked in a panicked voice. “Seems to be some kind of stroke sir”, the man replied, when he looked at Damien, he noticed the man didn’t look familiar.
“Who are you”, he asked Harshly, the man seemed taken aback, but answered, “Charles Karlson I came into your fathers service about a week ago, I’m from Chansten sir”, the man said turning back to his father. “Is this common”, Malcolm asked the man, the man shook his head, “I only saw it happen twice before to men twice his age”, Charles replied, putting a hand on their father’s head.
“What could have caused this?”, Malcolm asked with an uncertain tone, and something else as well, that Damien couldn’t quite place. “Overstimulation possibly, it could be random, but that would make it even more rare”, Charles answered, “I see, will he recover?”, Malcolm asked in resolution. Damien knew what it was in his voice now, and his gaze shot to his brother, upon seeing his face Damien’s horror grew.
“The chances are unlikely, your grace, he is likely to pass away at any time”, he said to Damien’s older brother.
Malcolm was guilty, he bit his lip like he always did when he felt bad about something, he had something to do with this. “You said you were from Chansten”, Damien asked the man, who nodded “its south and west of Feos my lord, the man said, nervousness in his voice.
Chansten was occupied with Gold soldiers then, Damien met Malcolm’s gaze, they stared at each other for a solid minute, then his brother gulped. Damien realized then that this had been set up, it was no coincidence his father falling sick, when the Gold soldiers arrived.
Malcolm also hired the staff of the castle, their father wanting his heir to shoulder more responsibility. When the man said his father had hired him, he should have said his brother, and the man was clearly nervous, with sweat glistening his brow.
Malcom, and their father had argued that day, and the days before not loudly but heatedly. That with this man he hired, and his guilty look, could only mean one thing. Damien ran a hand over his face, suddenly feeling sick, stumbled back bumping into someone as he did so. Damien turned and saw Kai standing there with a concerned look on his face, he helped study Damien.
“Are you well, I heard your father was sick, and I came to check on him”, Kai said in a consoling tone. Damien nodded, and Kai shot him a sympathetic look, then to Damien’s further horror, he approached Janice, who began to cry into his cloak he put a consoling arm around her shoulders as she cried.
“Please excuse me, I believe I need a moment to himself”, Damien said as he left the room. “of course,”, he heard Kai said with a mournful tone, when Damien was clear of their ears he raced to his room. Damien shut the door behind him, and pulled his full body mirror, which opened like a door, he climbed inside, and closed it behind him.
Damien made his way back to his father’s room however when he opened the trap door he did so slowly, and only a very slight amount. “You knew this was for the better, we agreed on this when you accepted Charles int your service”, Kai said in a harsh tone. “I know, I just though it would be subtler, less harsh”, Malcolm said tone heavy with guilt.
“I am sorry it looks so harsh, but I promise you he felt no pain as he died”, Reese Far said, Damien felt tears well up on his eyes as he heard his father had died. Only his self-control kept him from crying out, his sadness was quickly becoming anger, however.
“I believe you, I just- “, Malcolm said with a shaky voice, Reese sounded reassuring even mournful, “I know it’s okay to mourn”, he said sadly. “Just remember that you did this for your family, for your children”, Lord Far added in a kind soft tone.
Malcolm sniffed, while Damien could not see the man, he knew the man was crying, “Tomorrow I will be crowned, and the next day I will declare Moon Rock to belong to the Empire”, Malcolm said. Damien’s rage grew at that, his brother had plotted to kill their father, and betrayed their kingdom. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make arrangements for a funeral, and a crowning ceremony”, Malcolm said, before rushing out of the room.
Once he was gone he heard Kai speak, “A weak man”, he said in a business like tone. Reese sighed, “sadly so, but he has agreed to join us, now we will take the east easily”, the older man said. “Thank the gods, now we have two dragon houses in our cause” Kai said, then he snickered. “Not to mention Jad, and his green dragon wife”, he said with a triumphant tone.
“War will be starting in the west soon, best we finish up in the east as soon as we can”, Reese agreed with the man. Then Damien heard something that truly shocked him, and almost made him drop the door he held. “Once we marry, the east will agree to follow you, they are loyal to our family”, Janice said to Kai.
Damien covered his mouth his is free hand, and felt hot tears run even faster down his cheeks, his sister had planned it as well. In fact, she didn’t even seem to be crying, like she had earlier, more than likely a show. Janice had always been an actor, and was adept at crying to get her way, but Damien thought he was good at noticing.
“What of your brother love, Damien Black, will he fall along with our plans”, Kai asked her, in a surprisingly loving tone. “Don’t worry about Damien, he cares more about drinking, and fighting in inns than ruling, allow him to do as he pleases, and he will not care about who rules over him”, Janice said in an equally loving tone.
Damien could not bear to hear their talking any longer, he very quietly closed the hatch, and then made his way back to his room. Damien climbed through his mirror, and immediately began to get dressed, when he was dressed in travel clothes, he bolted on his sword. Something he rarely ever wore, it had a solid red pommel, signifying his mother, and a solid black blade, with a sheath to match. The leather that wrapped the pommel was read, a mix of his parent’s houses, and while he knew how to use it a somewhat, he was a novice at best.
Damien packed any extra coin he could find in a purse he tied at his waste, then he heard a knock at his door, he stopped, and listened for a second. “Damien its me, I want to talk”, Malcolm said through the door, part of Damien wanted to open the door, but for what he did not know. Demand answers, he could guess the man’s reasoning, maybe to embrace his brother, and weep for the loss of their father.
That wasn’t possible anymore, Damien replied to is brother through the door, “I just wish to be alone now please”, he called to his brother. Though he tried to hide it, but emotion made it through, and Damien heard his own mournful voice, heavy with tears.
Malcolm spoke anyways, “father passed just after you left the room, I’m sorry Damien” he said, sounding as if he was crying himself now. Damien thought he heard another faint “I’m sorry”, from his brother, but couldn’t be certain, when his brothers’ footsteps sounded moving away from his door.
Damien opened his mirror, and climbed through, when he came out again, he was in an ale storeroom, where he found a stash of his belongings in a pack with straps for his back. Then Damien slid his bag under the largest barrel for storing ale, it was held up on four legs, and barely high enough off the ground for him to slip through.
Once through Damien kept moving down the tunnel, until he saw moon light, when he emerged the forest was well lit with white light. Damien turned, and looked at the castle, the Moon Rock stone shown brightly. It was a full moon after all, there alone the woods, with the moon shining on him, the young black dragon wept quietly.
-
Damien knew they would find him missing soon, if not already, but he was already gone. The tunnel led to far enough away from the castle so that he could transform, and fly quickly away, Black dragons were small than other dragons, but far quicker. Damien himself was a faster flier than both his murderous siblings, so he had no doubt they would not catch up to him.
Not to mention that Damien was larger than the other too, Malcolm was smaller than him but preferred reading to flying. Janice was a decent size, but Damien took after his mother, who was a red dragon, and far larger than their father when transformed.
While still a black dragon with a small angular body type, he was large for a black dragon, already the size his father had been when transformed. Damien knew he would be hard to spot this late as well, he would escape fast, and none would be able to stop him reaching his uncle at Hart’s Cave.
Malcolm would know why he left, Damien had never intended to leave the castle alone, Malcolm knew where his supplies for escaping were hidden. It would quickly be found out that he had left the castle, but they would not go after him at first. Malcolm needed to be crowned, and Kai needed an army, they would do that first.
If Damien were lucky, they would assume he went north, the directing to cave lead too, and sought out sanctuary in fear for his life. Damien doubted they would guess we would go to their uncle, Jorge Dark his non dragon uncle. Once Damien made it to the man, he would take the garrison at Harts Cave under his command, and then head to Frelin, the east port city.
Damien intended to recruit the two cities, head south, and reclaim Moon Rock from his brother. That was the law after all, if an heir shall kill their father, the next in line inherits the throne. While Damien did not want the throne, he wanted revenge, and he intended to have it. Flying fast for hours on end, Damien made it to Harts Cave quickly enough.
The fortress was called Harts Cave because the fortress itself was set in the mouth of a giant cave, that contained blue crystals all along the top. The walls of the fort came out of the mouth of the cave with a point, and it had been built by Hart Black his ancestor.
There was a landing platform there for dragons, when he landed, men came out to greet him, looking greatly surprised by his visit. “Lord Black”, they said bowing once he had changed forms, Damien had no time for greetings, however. “Take me to my uncle now”, he said with authority in his voice, the men nodded, leading him there without question.
Someone must have woken his uncle, because the man was up when he entered, his normally present smile was gone however when he saw his nephews face. “Leave us”, Jorge commanded, and the two men left with disappointed looks on their faces. “What’s happened?”, his uncle asked him, and Damien explained what had occurred, when he finished his uncles, own eyes were red.
“Malcolm conspiring to kill your father”, Jorge said with a mournful shake of his head. “It’s hard to believe, but I believe you”, Jorge said with a tight voice. “News will reach us in the morning about his death” Jorge said with a hardening voice of a man who had led the eastern army his whole life.
Damien nodded, hardening himself for what came next, “before that happens, we need to inform the men, Malcolm is a usurper, not a king”, he said harshly with anger. Jorge looked at him with anger of his own, “if you name him usurper you sentence him to death, you know that boy”, he asked his nephew.
Damien nodded, expression hard “they murdered my father, the king of Moon Rock, him and Kai”, he said his anger growing. “I will not let them kill my father, and steal our families land”, Damien finished, and his uncle nodded. “We have an advantage over them as well”, Jorge said rubbing his beard while he thought on matters. “They will not expect you to raise banners against them, rather they will expect you to seek sanctuary”, Jorge said thoughtfully.
“Should we send a message orb to Frelin, we could have them bring their army here, under our command”, Jorge said gruffly. “That would put us at better chances, and men will rally under your name uncle”, Damien said with conviction. “Aye the just might” his uncle said rubbing his chin still, “I will send my seal, once we have amassed men, we will put out word we need men to fight”, Jorge said.
“I know the common folk will join us, many have been displaced from the Gold Army, if we give them a reason to fight, they will join us”, Damien added seriously. Jorge nodded, then stood, “sleep boy, I will handle the rest, I will also inform the men of what must be done”, he added dryly. Damien nodded, drowsiness almost over taking him, when his uncle left, he laid down, falling asleep quickly.