The next morning came early. I was the first one awake before Dawn and I set about making breakfast for the both of us. I was just finishing up when she emerged from her room. Her hair was tangled and she looked like she was barely awake. She took a seat at the table and I placed a plate in front of her.
We ate in silence and when I began clearing the table she blinked and looked up at me.
“When did I…” She asked as she looked around.
“You came out of your room about twenty minutes ago. You ate breakfast and looked tired so I didn't say anything.” I said as I waved a hand over the sink and the water swirled under my command.
I placed each of the dishes next to the sink as the water cleaned everything from them and she held her head in her hands at the table. I walked over once I was done with the dishes and sat down next to her, trying to see her face through the mess of hair that covered it.
“Mother?” I asked.
She lifted her head to gaze at me and I smiled.
“Apologies. I don't recover as I used to. I don't think I realized how much I expended over the past few weeks. Give me some time to ready myself and we will begin with swordplay. Once I have something to help me stay moving I'll be much better.” She said as she rose and drifted back towards her room.
I ran back up to my own room and threw on some more useful clothes and pulled on the Armor she had made for me. It fit perfectly and looking myself over in the mirror I realized I looked like a Heroine from one of the old stories from the Southern Seas. A childish grin broke on my face at the thought, how mortified would my younger self have been to know that he would look this good in armor. Father’s voice rang through my head that in a battle it did not matter how nice you looked if it did not fulfill its purpose.
By the time I made my way downstairs I found Mother sitting on the couch, her head lolled to one side as she breathed easily. She was in armor that nearly matched my own, the only difference being where my armor had blue flaming runes in the grooves, hers were black flame.
I walked over and gently shook her shoulder. Her golden eyes snapped open and she had her claws out before she realized it was me. Her claws retracted and I pulled her to her feet.
“Ready?”
She nodded and we headed outside. I flipped the blade in my hand a few times, getting a proper feel for it. It was near perfectly balanced for me and it felt perfectly molded to my grip. As we reached the sparring area we turned toward one another. I saw something glint in her eyes and they seemed to sharpen their focus on me. As I readied my blade she sprung into action, her earlier lethargy forgotten as she rushed at me with her blade. I knocked her strike aside easily and she stumbled as her blade passed by me harmlessly. We spent a few more minutes with her flailing about with her blade before I knocked it out of her hands.
It was not that she was unskilled, I could see where her body clearly remembered how to wield a blade but it was more that she seemed to be used to a different style of fighting, that of using her teeth and claws as weapons. When she tried using her usual means of fighting I was able to bring my blade down on her arms, carving grooves in her armor but thankfully not cutting into her skin and scales. She was slow to learn but we spent each morning of the following days sparring and in that time she improved by leaps and bounds. Not quite to the level of a trained knight but certainly enough to defend herself against common soldiers.
She had mentioned how on a battlefield we would be easy targets for archers and siege weapons, our size was a key to our strength but in a war it made us vulnerable. So we would be aiding the soldiers on the ground and walls in our human forms. I trained and trained and trained myself against her, by the end I was mixing Magic into my sword blows, able to flick my hand and send a razor sharp sickle of water lancing for her. It was a small expenditure and one I could manage for hours if needed and it could certainly deal a fatal blow to a man wearing normal leather armor or simply padding. And at either battlefield I would have a plentiful supply of water. The Basin Fortress featured a small reservoir and a stream that passed through the gates of the Fortress while The Royal Road ran alongside a full river that flowed out of the capital.
A messenger found the pair of us a morning a week later, soaked in sweat and both of us covered in small cuts on our exposed skin. The messenger was one of the younger Royal Knights, I believe he had just joined when Tiran took my place as Captain. I had seen his face around before and the way he looked at me told me that he knew who I had been. I planted my blade into the stonework and leaned against it as he dismounted his horse and approached.
“Lady Greyson?” He asked, eyeing the blade I had buried several inches into the stone.
“Present.”
“I bear a message from Captain Tiran. He has been issued a challenge by the Church’s Champion. He wishes for your attendance.” The Knight explained nervously as he handed me a sealed message.
I broke the seal on the letter and read through it. It was clearly Tiran’s handwriting, he was the only one besides the late Lady Greyson who had ever had such neat penmanship. The letter was short and direct, asking for our attendance to the Duel which was to take place in only two days time.
I nodded to Mother and dismissed the Knight and we retired into the cave to close our cuts, clean ourselves and eat before we sealed the cave and leapt from the cliffside and changed into our true forms before we took off for the Capital. She touched down outside the city and joined the small line of traffic in and out of the city while I sailed right over the city walls and landed on the roof of the Greyson Estate. I shifted into my true form and leaped from the roof of the three story building before I landed on the stonework below without issue. Those who had been in the square outside the Estate eyed me with concern but after a few moments they went about their business with only the occasional glance towards me.
It took about half an hour for Mother to make her way to the Estate and she wandered up to me and gave a deep dramatic bow.
“Lady Greyson.”
I rolled my eyes but chuckled under my breath and we made our way into the entry hall of the Estate where one of the servants was very anxiously waiting. He had clearly been there for some time, probably since I had landed on the roof, and when we entered he looked incredibly confused.
“I… um… Lady Greyson?” He asked, flicking his eyes between the two of us in a questioning manner.
“That would be me.” I said, cheerfully basking in the name.
“Of course, My Lady.” He said with a bow. “Your Brothers are in the Parlour discussing matters. And I must say, It is wonderful to see you so happy.”
He left with a bow and a smile as well as a courteous nod to Mother. I led the way through the house to the Parlour where Tiran and Irand were sitting in a pair of chairs looking out into the city square beyond. It was odd to hear the two of them speaking in hushed tones but the two of them turned to face us as we entered.
“Welcome Home, Lady Greyson.” Irand said performing a mock bow while remaining seated.
I smiled as I walked up to my brothers and took a seat next to them, noting Tiran was pale as I did so.
“Two days from now. At Dawn.” He said, looking like he was going to be sick just thinking about it.
“Are you alright?” I asked, reaching for his hand.
He shook his head as he took a deep shuddering breath. I took his hand and I could feel the trembling throughout his body. Irand gave me a pleading look as I mulled over what I could say to help him.
“I can give you my blessing. Mother has been teaching me Magic and I… I think I can give you the strength to match him. Would that help?” I asked softly, waiting for Mother to interject but she said nothing.
He looked up at me with eyes begging for it. He was desperate to have something to help him face Argan. I couldn't begin to understand what it had been like for him to bear this weight for so long. I placed one clawed hand on the side of his head and the other on his free hand and let my magic flow.
It was like pulling a stick free of a beaver dam and watching water flow through it. It wasn't unbound but it had an outlet and it wanted to escape. I guided it along and I could feel it flow out from me into my brother. I poured it into his muscles and his bones, strengthening them to an inhuman degree. I let it flow through his body, enhancing his senses as my own had been.
When I was done I removed my hands and I looked around to see Irand asleep at the other side of the table surrounded by a handful of open tomes and Mother and Father sitting together in a chair in the far corner half asleep themselves. Tiran was staring at me, his brilliant green eyes now in Draconic slits and his body significantly more filled out. I also noticed it was past dusk. He was looking at me with eyes weighed down by sleep but he remained upright for the moment.
I felt like I had spent the day lugging Boulders up and down the Mountains, my body ached not from physical exhaustion but that of a magical nature. I had used up more than half of my own magic to enhance Tiran but I had succeeded, of that I was sure. I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh.
“It's done. A day to rest and then off to the fight.” I wheezed out as my arms fell to my sides.
Tiran rose to his feet and nodded to me as he half walked, half stumbled his way out of the room. I sat there for a few moments more before I rose and made my way toward the door as well, each step harder than the last. I nodded to Mother and Father as I walked past and made my way up to my old room. It hadn't been touched since I had left, aside from cleaning if the lack of dust indicated anything. I couldn't bring myself to look around as I flopped onto the bed and squirmed my way under the blankets. It was warm and not quite as comfortable as my bed within the Cavern in the mountains but it was familiar and with the blankets around me I quickly fell into sleep.
I awoke to shouting and the clanging of metal. I shot upright and looked around in my half delirious waking state. My room was unchanged, and if the light coming in from the window was any indication I had slept well past midday. I pulled myself free of the warm, comfortable nest of blankets I had pulled around myself in my sleep and made my way down towards the shouting as quickly as I could.
I found Tiran and a handful of the Royal Knights sparring in the interior courtyard. Mother and Father were watching them while Irand seemed to be holding a meeting with some half dozen nobles at a far table. I slipped into a seat next to Mother and blinked my eyes a few times.
“How do you feel?” She asked, sliding a plate of pastries in front of me.
“Still tired but I think that's because I just awoke. My body feels fine.” I said, taking a bite out of a sweet roll. “What are they doing?”
“Tiran is testing himself against his knights. He has said that Argan could fight three of them at once so he is trying to do the same. Good results so far. He is getting faster at responding to their assaults.” Father said, sipping a cup of delicious smelling coffee.
I watched as Tiran ducked through the blades that flew past him and knocked them out of the Knight's hands. He was holding his own against the three of them quite well.
“What about Irand?”
“Convincing the other nobility who do not favor the Church that the best option to oppose them is to side with us. He is doing quite well but it will depend on how well Tiran does tomorrow.” Father said, his voice growing tenser at that.
“They are afraid of us. They saw what you did to Argan in the Throne Room and they fear we might usurp the throne and become Tyrants. I did my best to convince them that you do not have any desire for a throne, but my efforts were… unhelpful according to Irand.” Mother said, pouting as she took a bite of her own pastry.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
I laughed a bit at the thought of Irand lecturing Mother as Tiran successfully knocked the knights he had been fighting to the ground. He was coated in sweat but still raring to go. I smiled as I wove the simple spell Mother had taught me to summon the Sword and Armor she had made me.
“Naravie? What are you doing?” Father asked.
“He needs someone who can challenge him. And only one person here is strong enough and skilled enough to do that.” I said as I strode forward towards my Brother.
Soft slow steps followed by a quick lunge towards him. He turned and blocked the strike, a mad grin on his face as I swung again and again and again. He blocked every strike with expert reflexes. I wasn't fighting him as a training partner, but as the sibling rivalry we had shared since he had come to join our family. The kind of sparring that pushed each other harder and harder.
By the time I stopped my assault his shield was covered in cuts and scratches and I could see his shield arm shaking, matching the arm holding my sword. He gave a quick studying glance to me before lunging forward and jabbing at me with his spear. He admittedly did make contact but the strikes slid off my armor before I countered with a punch from my good arm and sent him flying backwards about ten feet. He wheezed on the ground for a moment before scrambling to his feet. We were both drenched in sweat and I held up a hand and buried my sword's blade in the stonework below.
He met my gaze and relief showed in his eyes as he fell to one knee and breathed heavily. In the new silence of the I could hear Irand speaking with the nobility.
“As you can see, we have those who can match the Dragon's strength. Sir Tiran is a more than capable protector.” He said cheerfully.
I rolled my eyes. I still had plenty of strength to spare and I knew I could best Tiran if I truly put my all into it but right now he needed confidence not a beating. I dismissed my sword and wandered up to my brother.
“The power feels nice right?” I asked as I held an open hand to him.
He grabbed it and I pulled him to his feet.
“Yeah. Is this how you feel now? All this power?”
“Yeah. I don't really notice it honestly. It's just… there.” I said as we walked toward the table where Mother and Father sat, walking slowly as our muscles burned.
“I understand why you might have thought we would be upset. Its.. Monstrous.” He said, a grin crossing his face.
“What? You thinking of becoming a Dragon too?” I asked jokingly.
He was silent, a frown forming on his face. When he didn't respond I stopped and whispered.
“Are you thinking of it?”
He nodded.
“I was thinking of asking Her about it after the Duel. Though I would guess I'd be looking for a Male Dragon.” He said, looking sideways at Mother.
I stared up at my Brother and smiled.
“I don't know. I don't think the ladies here in the capital could restrain themselves if you had manners and the looks to go with it.” I chuckled as a mischievous look crossed my face.
I knew he had been receiving marriage proposals from half of the young noblewomen in the city since he had come of age. He blushed and a dumb smile crossed his face.
“Well… I mean… I'm just nice to them. Nicer than a lot of the Noblemen at least. The knights are very Cordial as far as I am aware.” He said shyly.
“Compared to a lot of them, you're Prince Charming out of a fairytale.” I said, gently punching his shoulder. “It doesn't hurt that you are a very pretty boy.”
He laughed at that but I meant it, I knew his origins now but he truly did look like a very attractive man. Some delicate and soft parts of his face showed through but the majority of him had a rugged beauty about it. We continued walking back to the table where Mother and Father were sitting. Mother was still sulking but she looked up as the two of us sat down.
“Impressive spear work. I'm familiar with Naravie's Swordplay at this point but your skill with a spear and shield is commendable Tiran.” She said, pulling another pastry from the tray.
“I just hope it's enough. Argan isn't unskilled and I know they will be providing every advantage the Church can muster.” Tiran growled.
“True. I wouldn't be surprised if he came in with some of their relics either. I've seen some of them in action. They are not to be trifled with.” Father said, deep in thought.
“Then we shall bestow every advantage upon Tiran.” Mother said as she waved her hand and I heard the thunk of something heavy appearing at the foot of her chair.
She got to her feet and began inspecting Tiran. I watched in silence as she had him stand up and remove his armor and she measured him out with her mind. After about ten minutes she walked back to her chair and began pulling out ingots and raw lumps of metal from a large leather sack that had appeared at the foot of her chair. I realized what she was doing and leaned back in my chair to watch her more intently this time. I realized she was scratching numbers into the metal and the mumbling was her performing calculations in her head as she marked each piece of metal. It took substantially longer this time around but after a concerning amount of mumbling she looked up at Tiran and seemed satisfied.
Tiran was watching her the entire time but nothing she did seemed to reassure him. When she was ready she had him stand off to the side and hold his arms out to the sides. He did so and she began chanting her spell once more as the metal began glowing and flowed like water onto Tiran’s body, coating his chest and arms in a glowing metal husk. The Glowing Metal then flowed down onto his legs and I saw it split into the various pieces of a suit of mail. When it was done Tiran’s form ceased glowing and he was coated in a suit of flawless Plate Mail as I had been but the runes covering his were a deep red. The Metal itself was a smooth black surface as inky and dark as a moonless night. At Tiran’s feet were a Spear and Shield of the same Black Metal. He didn’t relax his arms until Mother collapsed into her chair.
He marveled at the Armor as I passed Mother some of Father’s Coffee and handed her one of the Pastries as Father rose to go fetch more food from the Kitchens.
A moment later after she had sipped some of the Coffee and taken a breath, she looked over at Tiran and smiled.
“I believe I know a Dragon who would take you. He's an ornery old bastard but he's been known to take Sons quite liberally. It also doesn't hurt that you and he also share many similarities in your appearance.” She said, taking a sip from the cup as Tiran's eyes went wide.
“You heard that?” I asked as I gave her a confused look.
“You would think my Daughter would realize that my hearing is as good as hers. Generally if you want a private conversation when a Dragon is around its safest to engage with Telepathy.” Mother said as she nestled into the chair and let out a contented sigh.
I looked at Tiran who had thoughts racing behind his eyes. He took a deep long breath before he spoke.
“If you are truly offering then I would be glad to accept.”
“I'm offering to introduce you and to put in a good word for you. You'll still have to convince him. Most Dragons have trials for determining if someone is worthy of being taken in as a Hatchling. I had some ideas myself but well, I didn't get to use them.” She said, slumping a bit at the thought.
“Sorry.” I squeaked out with a wince.
“It is not your fault. The Church of Purity is to blame with how they have hoarded knowledge and lied to their people. Not to mention the fact that you were able to sneak up upon me and injure me is as good a test as any I had concocted so far.” She said with a tired smile.
“Have you talked to Father about it?”
Tiran gave a slight nod and Mother chuckled.
“Artur was asking if it was possible as well. I knew he had no designs on Dragonhood but I suspected he was asking for you or Irand.” Mother said frowning as she drained the last of the coffee.
“We all spoke about it. I was the interested one for… well obvious reasons. Irand and I stayed up quite late talking about it a few nights. He's up in the air about it. On the one hand he says he would like to stay with Naravie and I if I managed it. But he also said he wasn't sure if he would enjoy that. I can understand not being happy in one's body so I didn't press him on it but I never did get a definitive answer. He likes people too much to live apart from them, even if he does prefer his books the majority of the time.” Tiran explained, biting into a pastry as he finished.
“There are other options. Dragonhood is not the only way to become ageless.” Mother said.
“I know. But the Church's rites and teachings have made most people in this Kingdom neglect any form of Magic. I think he's too old to try and achieve that through spellcraft.”
“Bah wizards are all too Mortal anyway.” Mother as her claws clinked against the mug in her hands in thought. “When we take you to my old friend then we will ask him about it. He possesses a much larger library than I do and significantly more knowledge of Magic and its uses.”
“You seem to be knowledgeable.” I countered.
“Thank you but my knowledge is very utilitarian. I know practical things like Runecraft and minor enchantments because they make life easier to live on my own. Regardless if Irand accompanies us then he may find an answer that suits him.” Mother said as Father reappeared carrying fresh bread.
The four of us were still eating when Irand made his way to the table and slipped into the last chair. He was pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned back and let out a sigh.
“Didn’t go well?” Tiran asked as he slid some still warm bread to our brother.
“Better than expected, not as good as I hoped. They all want the same damn thing but they each want to have the power the Church wields now. It's not going to work like that. Half of them are convinced that their sons will be able to best Tiran if they simply train. Idiots one an all.” Irand growled as he ate.
“Nobility will be Nobility. Every Kingdom has a handful of good nobles and the rest tend to be… less than competent.” Mother said as she pulled apart the bread with her claws and tossed bites into her mouth.
“Anything we can do to help?” I asked.
“Well Tiran can kick Argan’s ass tomorrow. That would help prove how capable he is.”
“I'll do my best. Argan isn't a pushover, even with all this power.” Tiran mumbled soberly.
“We will keep the Church from interfering, which means you will just need to focus on the Duel itself.” Mother said.
“You can't do anything visible or the Church will claim foul play.” Father said, sipping his coffee but finding the cup empty.
“Of course not. But muddling their thoughts so they can't focus on casting spells isn't very noticeable. Especially in a city with no true mages.” Mother chuckled.
“You can do that?” Irand asked as he swiped a piece of the warm bread.
“I've been working on it during our sparring sessions. I can… force a creature's mind to stall by driving my mind into it like a wedge. Very useful when you don't want to chase an Elk through the trees.” I said with a smile.
Irand stared at me for a moment with… revulsion? I wasn't sure before he shrugged and looked around the table.
“So…. You-know-who is going to be there tomorrow. Are you two going to be able to stop yourselves from harassing her?” He asked, his eyes flicking between Mother and I.
It took me a moment to realize who he meant but as soon as I did the taste in my mouth soured. Mother watched me but said nothing.
“I won't do anything to her.” I growled.
Irand gave me a skeptical look.
“She was the final push I needed to accept this. And I might have already found someone else who is much kinder anyway.” I said bitterly before I realized what I had said.
The entire table leaned in close, smiles on their faces. Gossip mongers all of them.
“Oh? And who would that be?” Mother asked with the most mischievous smile she had ever given me before.
The men looked at me eagerly and I sighed.
“One of the Weavers.” I mumbled.
The boys looked at each other in confusion and Mother chuckled.
“It's Odessa isn't it?” Mother said, her smile growing wider
“Wha- How did you…?” I trailed off as she let out a hissing laugh.
“Thalo mentioned it when I returned to get these made.” Mother said with a grin as she gestured to her outfit. “Not to mention Odessa looked so disappointed when I arrived without you.”
I felt my face growing red and I started to stammer out a retort before Father and Tiran burst out laughing.
“You are not very good at keeping secrets, are you Sister?” Tiran wheezed during breaths.
“I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret but there isn’t anything to keep secret right now. We talked while she and her Mother were fashioning my clothes. I barely know anything about her but… she seemed to like me and she was warm towards me in a way Sophia never really was…” I trailed off as I imagined her face when I spoke of the simple things from home.
“It is alright to admit you have a crush dear. And I do believe she has claimed any future requests from you for her own. The Weavers are good folk, and having someone like you visit them would be good for the whole lot. Cavari takes good care of her daughters but they are more than a bit sheltered in their forest.” Mother said with a genuine smile.
“Well know we are happy for you child.” Father said, recovering from his laughter and giving me a warm smile.
“Indeed. Sophia was fine but she was always loyal to the Church, when you proposed to her I didn't want to spoil the moment but I had a bad feeling about it.” Irand grumbled.
“So why not say something?” I asked, picking at some bread.
“Because you looked happy. You found someone sister, do you know how unlikely it is that Tiran or I will find someone? Tiran for his personal reasons and I because I prefer to study the old myths and stories which makes me a heretic to the Church. Not many nobles in the city would be willing to destroy their reputation like that. And I don't have my skill as a Knight to offset that unlike some people.” Irand said with a glance towards Tiran.
Tiran was sipping from his mug, a sour expression on his face. I stared down at the table and collected my thoughts before I spoke.
“I didn't realize.”
“You shouldn't have had to. The Church has turned half the nobles in this Kingdom into Zealots who refuse to see reason, like Sophia. I didn't understand why pretty boy here didn't have someone until we found you. Then it all fell into place.” Irand said, a growl of irritation in his voice.
The table fell silent for a few moments before Mother spoke.
“Well, as much as I would like to sit here and listen to how terrible the Church is, I believe you promised me something tonight, Artur…” She trailed off as she ran a finger along his arm.
Father gave her a smile and they leaned in for a kiss, at which point Irand, Tiran and I stood up and began making our way towards the door. We could hear them laughing as we left.