The sound of crunching snow and howling wind filled Felix’s ears. He shivered from the cold and gasped at the thin air. Before him, lay the tips of mountains…
Several weeks had passed since his treachery, several hellish weeks.
With little supplies and little mana, Felix struggled to survive. He had to hide from the remnants that were now after him, not to mention the response that would surely come from the heartland of the Holy Triumphant.
He was under no illusions, the High Prophet would send his best men after him. A group simply called the Lord’s Chosen…
I have to make it… I have to– Felix closed his eyes and shook his head. The snow was blinding and the thin air made it hard to concentrate. Worst of all, he was starting to feel warm…
Struggling, he took one more step and–
Felix collapsed, landing face down in the cold, cold snow.
Is this it? Dying wasn’t what he was worried about, that was all but assured. No, it was his new quest, his reason for even coming here…
No atonement? No chance to right wrongs? No attempt to say I’m sorry? That ate at him, at his soul. It was just enough to empower him to fight off the cold embrace of death.
Digging his numb hands into the snow, Felix picked himself up. No, I will make it there. I will make it there and let them decide my fate.
Through sheer force of will, he took another step…
***
Time passed and the sun started to set. Felix desperately looked for a cave or anything he could use as shelter. It was growing ever colder and he was completely starved of mana…
He suddenly stopped and stared in surprise. In front of him was Floriana, she was smiling and beckoning him forward.
I must be seeing things… He closed his eyes and shook his head. But, when he opened his eyes again, she was still there.
“F-Flor…iana!” Felix stammered out even as his teeth chattered.
She said nothing, only kept motioning him forward.
He continued his trek, taking one slow step at a time. Yet, every time he looked up to her, she seemed to appear further away. She continued to wave him on.
The sun fell below the mountain peaks, coloring the sky in oranges and reds.
Felix’s feet began to wobble, he was almost out of time…
Heavily breathing, gasping for the thin air, he continued on. His lungs felt simultaneously on fire and frozen, the frigid air like thousands of tiny knives. He could barely make his hands work. And still, he kept moving.
After several grueling minutes, he blinked and Floriana was gone. He began to panic, spinning around and looking for her.
“W-WHERE! WHERE D-DID YOU G-GO!” he yelled. “PLEASE! C-COME B-B-BACK!”
In his delirious state, he didn’t notice the streak of red in the sky.
“FLORIANA!” His legs gave out and he landed on his knees. “F-F-Floriana…”
The ground shook violently, sending him to the ground. He simply laid there, on his side. And, unlike earlier, he had nothing left. His mana was completely spent, his energy completely sapped, his mind fully numb.
Something began to approach him, something large and red. Felix’s eyes were the only thing to move.
He stared up at his nemesis, Nevrim.
“I…s-s-surren-der…” Felix muttered, unsure if the dragon even heard him. It doesn’t matter either way. Either he kills me or I die here…
Closing his eyes, Felix took solace that he would at least not die alone.
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“I still can’t believe it’s gone,” Fea said, staring down at a map. She was in her study, planning and preparing for the next move. There was a giant red x where the elven capital once stood.
“Indeed, but this is the fifth time we’ve discussed this,” Yarnel said, setting himself down on the table that held the map.
“Well sorry,” she apologized sarcastically. “But, it has really screwed up our plans. We can’t take back what isn’t there.”
The small dragon shrugged. “Personally, I am more interested in what could have caused it. From what I’ve been able to gather, someone rather powerful did it.”
That was concerning and, to make it worse, they didn’t know what happened to the army that was stationed there. And that’s why it’s truly screwed up our plans…
With an entire army missing, she couldn’t just send out her forces. The risk was too great. Instead, she had been constantly sending out scouts, hoping to find something.
She plopped down into a chair, letting out a sigh in the process. This is really starting to split my hairs… The errant thought caused her to lightly chuckle. Of course, if I was in my true form I would be shedding scales.
Yarnel cleared his throat, regaining her attention. “Your Highness, if it's possible, I’d like to discuss my project.”
“Hmm– Oh! I nearly forgot about it.” She gestured for him to continue. “I’ve always been fascinated with what you’ve been able to come up with.”
The small dragon cracked a rare smile. “You humble me, Your Highness… But–”
There was a frantic knock at her door.
“Apologies, but it seems rather important,” she said sincerely. Meanwhile, Yarnel merely frowned but gave her a small nod.
“Come in!” she shouted.
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The door flew open, and one of her messengers entered. “Your Highness! I bring urgent news!”
The messenger quickly approached and held out a missive. She took it and studied the front of it for a moment. From Nevrim? This could be good or… Oh, who am I kidding? It’s going to be bad.
Stilling herself, Fea opened it and studied its contents.
Your Highness,
The human’s champion has surrendered. Ithea and I are holding him. He is requesting an audience in exchange for information. My personal opinion is that we should hear him out. I’ve had some time to speak with him, and I think we can make use of him.
Of course, my mate believes we should simply end his life and be done with it. I feel her, and I know others feel the same, but this is where I disagree with her and them. I see an opportunity here, Your Highness.
Your loyal servant,
Nevrim
Fea slowly lowered the letter, her eyes wide in shock. We captured him? No, wait… Nevrim said he surrendered. That part was hard to believe, but she trusted Nevrim.
But what to do? She fell back into her chair and massaged her brow. There was a lot to consider here. On one hand, putting the champion to death would be the simple solution. No one would complain…
However, Nevrim is good at this. If he says we should do something, he’s almost always right. But what could we gain by keeping the humans’ champion alive? If he surrendered, it’s doubtful the humans would want him back.
She let out a groan. Damn it, Nevrim! Could you have been less vague?! Why must you constantly bring me trouble!
“Your Highness? Are you alright? Shall I fetch a healer?” It was the messenger, she had forgotten he was still there…
“No, I am alright,” she said before coming to her decision. Standing up, she quickly made her way to her desk on the other side of the room. Reaching into one of its drawers, she pulled out a piece of parchment and one of her special pens.
The room went quiet as she wrote her response. A few moments later, she applied her seal and handed it over to the messenger.
“To Nevrim,” she said before dismissing him.
Fea waited until the messenger was gone before turning back to Yarnel. “I think we are about to find out what happened to the elven capital.”
“Oh? What news did you receive?” the small dragon asked.
“Nothing good,” she retorted before actually answering his question. “The human’s champion surrendered.”
“Oh, interesting.”
She scoffed at that. “Yeah, interesting…”
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There were many things Felix hadn’t expected. For starters, he thought for sure he would never wake up. But he did. He didn’t think Nevrim would listen to him, Ithea certainly didn’t. However, what he was most surprised about was that the Dragon Queen had agreed to speak with him.
Truthfully, it was a desperate act… He knew his chances of being hanged, or worse, were high. But, it's paying off. They may still choose to execute me, but at the very least I will be able to apologize, for what it’s worth.
It was with that thought, Felix carried his head high as he was escorted into the Citadel, the home of the dragons. It was a fortress city, built upon the remnants of a mountain peak. Despite that, it was truly beautiful and marvelous.
Its impossibly high walls were covered in murals, depicting pivotal moments for dragon-kind. One mural, in particular, took up an entire section all on its own. It showed the moment the dragons united and the ascension of the Dragon Queen.
That wasn’t all, the city itself was a collection of various regions. Forests, deserts, and everything in between. They were blended in such a way that they almost appeared natural, like they had always been there.
Within each region, buildings of all sizes stood. Streets, large enough for a hundred men standing shoulder to shoulder to easily walk down, made up the main thoroughfares.
Felix, and his procession of dragons in true and humanoid form, were like ants in comparison to the Citadel.
Truly, a work of art– No, this is something more… He shook his head, unable to come up with a proper word.
To add to the feeling of it all, people of all kinds came out and watched. Most were certainly dragons in disguise, but a few had to be elves. Their stares in particular were the most telling.
Felix could feel their hatred, their anger…their despair.
He wanted nothing more than to avert his eyes, but that would go against the whole reason why he was here in the first place. No, he took it head on and accepted their feelings…
The procession continued slowly, making its way to the city’s center. It was there where the tallest structure sat, the one that gave the place its name. The Citadel.
At first glance, it looked like a massive pillar. But, on closer inspection, it was something more. It was made out of metal, solid metal, like it was one giant piece that was formed and shaped by a master blacksmith. Parts of it sparkled, however. Sections of crystal jutted out from the ground and almost appeared to consume it.
The power, the majesty of it alone was like a pressure Felix had never felt. Even the Capital within the Holy Triumphant’s Heartland was nothing compared to this.
And he was heading for its very center.
Gods… How impressive. Again, his words failed him but he no longer cared. This was something few ever got to see…
As they approached, ahead of them a pair of gargantuan doors opened. They parted, causing a rush of air to sweep through the procession. There was no wasting time, however, and his guards quickly shoved him forward.
They entered into an equally oversized hall where even more guards stood at attention, prepared to end his life in an instant. But, Felix was focused on what was ahead.
Another set of doors, these ones large but less so than the main entrance, were encrusted with gold and silver and crystal. The crystal glowed, playing out various scenes that were reminiscent of the murals on the city’s walls. However, these scenes seemed alive.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get long to study them. His guards kept the procession moving, and the doors themselves began to open.
They crossed the distance and entered into yet another large room. This one, though, was more of a chamber meant for important gatherings. And, as if to confirm his suspicion, the room was filled. But his eyes locked onto the far back of the room. There, a throne sat.
A simple throne.
It was made of polished silver but held no decorations of any kind, at least from what Felix could tell. Yet, it was the person sitting upon it that immediately had his attention.
As they came to a stop, Felix let out a gasp as he started to take in the person’s beauty– he was promptly pushed to the ground.
“Kneel and do not say anything until you are asked to speak.” The whisper came from Nevrim. The dragon was in the form of a human but not one Felix had ever seen. Tribal and dark were the best way he could describe it…
He did as he was told. Meanwhile, Nevrim spoke up.
“Your Highness! I have brought you the humans’ champion–”
There was a roar of cheers at the pronouncement.
“Silence!” The shout was feminine, yet managed to overpower all the others. The voice itself sent a shiver down Felix’s back.
It continued. “Thank you, Nevrim. And you, Champion–”
There were hisses at the use of his title, yet the voice seemed to ignore them as it continued.
“–What is your name?”
“Felix, Your Highness!”
There were roars, shouts, and curses at him.
“Enough!” The feminine voice again spoke over the noise, causing all to go silent. It turned back to him. “Rise, Felix, so that you may be judged.”
Taking a deep breath, he sent a small prayer to the Gods. Here goes nothing…
Rising slowly, Felix dared to lift his head. He froze.
Sitting on her throne and staring back down at him, was the queen, the Dragon Queen.
Fea… Her name came to him, from where he did not know nor did he care. In fact, he was entirely stunned. And, working faster than his mind, Felix uttered a single word.
“Beautiful…”