Thornicus widened his eyes as he heard this, and with great excitement and anticipation, he waited outside, almost unable to wait for what he was about to see. That was why she came to the cave. Like the smaller dragons that were there, she was looking for a warm, dry place where she could lay and hatch her eggs. And since the cave was now vacant, it served as the best spot for her to do so. Thornicus feared she still thought of him as a Dragon Slayer, wanting to kill her little whelps to boost his power, but from the way she spoke to him, it implied she wanted him to see them, just not now. Her personality seemed to have changed in the short while since they spoke. It was as if this moment of reproducing had delighted out a soft spot on her, one he wished was permanent. As he stared into the distant horizon, looking in the direction where his home, he knew his people would soon be on their way, and he would somehow have to defend Nala and whelps from them, his
Thornicus spent the night with Nala and her whelps. Though they were of a different kind, it felt more like home being with them than ever before. Apart from that, compared to how it was at the cave back home, here it was very warm. He found it convenient that dragons were reptiles, needing a constant source of heat during the winter. Although he found it strange that adult dragons didn't seem to need it, as they winged and thrived almost as well as they would during the hour seasons, the little whelps did. It was early the next morning, just before dawn when Nala noticed his thoughts and answered him. “We are just as cold-blooded as our little whelps”, she said to him. “It's just that we adult dragons have a mechanism for keeping ourselves warm without making a fire.” “How did you know what I was thinking?”, asked Thornicus. “You are asking that after the multiple conversations we've had telepathically?”, she asked. “No, I mean... You can also hear my thoughts
“Because I love you”, she replied to him. Thornicus stood still, puzzled. That was not the type of answer he was expecting. “What?”, he asked. Faora's face reddened all of a sudden, instantly trying to hide her embarrassment with false composure. “There you go, now that I've told you, what are you going to do about it?”, she asked. “Will you kick me out or what?” Thornicus sighed as he looked back at the dragon behind him, no longer glaring at Faora. “Are you hearing this, Nala?”, he asked her. “You seem perplexed by whatever she just told you”, Nala replied to him. “Yet you also seem happy. Should I take that as a good indication that she bears no threat to either you or my offspring?” “Well, you could say that”, Thornicus said to her while combing his fingers through his hair. “What did I do to get myself into such a weird situation?”, he asked himself while letting out a long sigh. “Yo
Later that morning, the dragon was lying dead low outside the cave, Thornicus and Faora were seated at the base of her neck, and the little whelps were loosely tied together in Jason's open backpack. “Are you ready, Thornicus?”, asked Nala. “Born ready”, Thornicus said. “This will be your first time flying, so hold on tight”, she said. “I'll try to be as gentle as possible. But you are on your own if you fall.” “No I'm not”, Thornicus said. “I'm carrying your little whelps. There is no way you would leave me to die like that. Besides, I'm also your rider.” “I was talking about your wife”, Nala said to him. “Oh, I don't notice”, Thornicus said. “Didn't notice what?”, asked Faora. “That we are married already”, Thornicus said. “What?”, she asked, reddening immediately. “Is that the kind of stuff you both talk about just because I can't tell?” “More
“I was a dragon slayer”, Thornicus said. “But not anymore. I have discovered my true purpose. Nala can testify to that.” “Is that so?”, asked the man. “Forgive my manners. My name is Perseus.” “Forget manners”, the last man said, walking forward to face Thornicus. “How do we know he's truly one of us? He can say Nala testifies on his behalf, but that could only be because she is instinctively bonded with him until the day he dies. So of course, she would want to defend him by all means necessary. She can't help it. We, however, can at least try to be sure about it. This young man still has the powers and abilities of a dragon slayer. With the amount of energy I'm sensing from him now, I'm sure he could take all five dragons and last for a while against them. I don't think he can be trusted.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “Come on, you three”, she said to them. “Especially you, Cassius. I could tell that right from when you saw him
“Jason Thornicus”, he said to them. “Former dragon slayer, now dragon rider. I'm pleased to be a dragon slayer, and I hope to get along with you all.” “Sorry to ask, but how old are you?”, asked Jenna. “Nineteen”, replied Thornicus. “Hmm... Not as young as I expected”, Jenna said. “But still handsome, nonetheless.” “I thought he made it clear that he's married”, James said. “Are you trying to seduce him too?” “Did I say anything seductive?”, asked Jenna. Then Cassius took a step closer to Thornicus. “Although I naturally have my concerns about you, it doesn't change the fact that you are a dragon slayer, and therefore worthy of mutual respect”, he said to Jason. He brought forth his hand, offering a handshake to Thornicus, and without hesitation, he took it. “Thank you”, Thornicus said. “Hey, Handsome”, Jenna called Thornicus. “Where do you live?” Thornicus looke
“You will know what it is like when you see it”, Cassius replied. “By my current impression of you, I know you wouldn't want to go anymore if he told you what it was like.” Thornicus rolled his eyes, not wanting to start a pointless debate with Cassius over such a trivial topic. “Alright, I think this does it for this meeting”, Cassius said. “Wait!”, called Perseus. “What about the Slayers? We haven't talked about them yet, have we?” Cassius turned to Perseus. “They have their hands full with the minor dragons that have populated this region. It seems this mating season the males have come to stay, as most of them haven't left even after copulating several times. Let the minor dragons keep the Slayers distracted in the meantime.” “But don't you think it would be best if we get out there to fight them instead of waiting for them to kill another one of our own?”, asked Perseus. Cassius arched a brow. “
About six hours later, they arrived at Frostfall. It was the coldest place Thornicus and Faora had ever been, and what made it worse was that neither of them was prepared for it. The clothes they wore weren't good enough to protect them from this much cold. Even though they lived and grew up in mostly snowy climates, this area was on another level. Almost every landform around them was composed entirely of ice, making the ground completely white with no hint of actual soil anywhere to be found. Back at the rider's summit, Thornicus and Faora were wondering why he was wearing such a heavy cloth made of animal hair when the weather wasn't that cold. But now, knowing where he was coming from, they understood why. Frostfall was a small village in that region, and it was made apparent by being the only area where they could see the soil from above. It was like making out a vibrant black spot in a field of perfect white. The dragon f
Three years later... Back at Frostfall, Faora sensed a disturbance coming from the cave at the other side of the village. She came out of her house, looking around with a worried frown on her face, expecting to see obvious threats like she and her husband did the night that Dorcas and the other two dragon Slayers attacked. But there was nothing noteworthy going on outdoors. The weather was wonderful, and the mood was serene. That's why, just past midnight, everyone was still sound sleeping despite the strange feeling in her gut. The only strange thing was that she wasn't alone. At the far end if the village, right where the entrance was, beyond the barricade, she could see Nebula's blue eyes staring back at her. Though they couldn't communicate telepathically at that moment, Faora instinctively knew that they were sensing the same thing. There was trouble, and were sure of it. But Nebula wasn't getting the same sense of fear that Asherah was giving off. It was like Faora was
When Wayne returned with Natalie, Aurora, and Serena, the palace seemed elated. Richard was happy that Serena had come to be with him, and Cyrus's family had been reunited. Now that everyone of interest was present, it was time for the formal coronation to mark the young Cyrus as sovereign King, and his wife as ruling Queen. They divided the kingdom into new provinces, a few of which Natalie would rule over, leaving the majority for her husband. After signing several scrolls and getting married for the second time in line with Griffindale's royal tradition, the day of coronation finally came. It was a day like no other, but since Cyrus didn't want to lavish the Kingdom's wealth at a time when the city was still being rebuilt, he made it modest, only prioritizing hygiene, food, and wine. Decorations and other accessories were ruled out of the budget, still, it was a day to remember. That day, King Cyrus was formally coronated as King and was no longer acting as one. He reinstated
It wasn't too long afterward when the Warlord and his soldiers returned to the Midlands. By head count alone, they had not lost a single soldier. 3,000 went to battle, and 3,000 returned. There was nothing credible to report, as it was difficult to believe that 3,000 men went to war against a great and powerful city and none of them died. Worse yet, what credited them with such a flawless victory was the fact that they were assisted by two dragons that did most of the heavy lifting for them. Sure, there was an occult following of fable enthusiasts who believed in dragons like they were their bread and water, but reporting it in a battle account felt off. He was conflicted on whether or not he should account for that part of the battle. Still, it would be impossible to explain how no one died in such a war. Soon, he gave up on making up a story and decided to report on what truly happened, though he was afraid that the impulsive young Emperor would thin
About a week had passed when Wayne rode off on his dragon to bring Natalie to Griffindale. He too had decided to settle in the new land, and since he was going back briefly to get Cyrus's wife, he would use this opportunity to tell his family about his plans to relocate. Despite the ruins half of the city was in, he liked it at Griffindale. He felt at home there, as it was refreshing living somewhere where it wasn't snowing all the time. His dragon, Kyron, also seemed to love the climate at Griffindale, perhaps due to his natural affinities as a reptile. Wayne got in his dragon that morning and took off to Frostfall, it took several hours to get there despite how fast the Dragon flew, and he arrived by evening. Everyone was glad to see him, all asking questions that excited them. Children asked what it was like to live in a place where there was no ice and snow, others asked what other fruits in the area tasted like, and how easy it was to access them. Wayne tried to
It was almost noon when everyone had gotten out of their slumber, ready to take on the rest of the day. The Emperor's soldiers who at first tried to remain sober and disciplined at the start of the feast the previous night ended up being the most wasted. The generals and commanders assembled all their men, and they were all ready to leave. However, the 25 veteran soldiers were to stay behind to help Cyrus maintain order until the city could reestablish its military, as most of its fighting force had been eliminated during the war. The time for war and victory celebrations was over. Now was the time to rebuild. Cyrus and the Warlord, Jin Tsung bid each other farewell as they each went their separate ways, with the great Legionnaire taking his soldiers with him, along with all his captains and commanders. Frederick and the young men from the village were about to bid the acting King farewell also, but Cyrus was not going to allow it. He insisted that they stay behind with him to take
While Cyrus was still speaking, Kamala sent a message back to him. “I am with your mother”, she said. “Should I bring her to you?” “She's dying” Cyrus sent back. “Get her something to eat. Take her to Wayne. He must be outside the city. Let him see to it that she has everything she needs. I don't want to see her looking like that again.” “Understood” Kamala sent back. While he was still sending, he looked at his stepmother. And after communicating with Kamala, he picked up his sword and walked toward Regina. The Queen braced herself, lifting her son towards Cyrus, who raised a brow, wondering what this was all about. “I know this is too selfish of me to ask, but before you kill me, promise to take care of my son”, Regina said. “He has done nothing wrong. You can raise him without telling him anything about me, you can even tell him made-up things to make him grow up to hate me. Just give him a chance to live. I beg you.” Cyrus sighed, taking the son in his hand, but not for th
“My mother” Cyrus cried out towards her. “Where is she?” Then all of a sudden, the Queen's look of desperation turned to quick sadism. “What is so funny about what I asked?”, asked Cyrus. “I am not the same naive young man you sent on exile. I have killed a lot more people than you think to get to get here. So don't think I can't just run my sword through this child if I want to.” Then to make things worse, the Queen began to laugh. The laughter was so hysterical that she almost choked on her saliva, coughing profusely after a few cracks. She held on to her chest as she gave the last cough, struggling to regain her composure while looking back up at him. “WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!” Cyrus yelled out as loud as he could. “When my nightmares of you doing exactly this became worse, I knew you would soon come back for me. So I thought of the best collateral through which I could make you do as I want, which would be by putting your mother in misery, putting her close enough to the point o
She looked around, but it seemed all the Knights around her were dead. She was ready to meet her fate, but she didn't want any harm to come to her child. At a time when she was expected to cover up her shame with pride and charisma, she was not ashamed to show that she wanted to protect her child. The look on Cyrus's face didn't suggest he wanted to spare any of them. After all, if he truly came back to get the throne and her head, there would be no point in leaving any of them alive. Why would he let the son of the woman he killed remain alive only to enact revenge decades later? There was nothing to gain in keeping any of them alive, so she prepared her mind for the worst. Clutching onto the child in her arms, she prayed hard that their killer would make things quick and painless, especially for her child. But as she heard the footsteps approaching, her heart sank with fear. This was it. All her nightmares were coming true this very minute. Cyrus would take her head, just as h
While the fierce battle took place behind him, Cletus kept his sight on the higher provinces, particularly the Queen's residence, where his comrades were guarding Regina, the sovereign ruler. The next move the dragon made confirmed his suspicions that an attack on the Queen was imminent, as the beast landed on the pinnacle of the highest point of the castle, where the rider jumped off and went in through one of the large windows. “Cyrus”, Cletus said as he gestured for the horse to run even faster as it sprinted towards the palace. “I have to protect the Queen, no matter what.” ********* Cyrus got down from his dragon, swinging himself by the ropes connected to the dragon's saddle to break through the tainted glass of the nearest large window. As he got inside, he was assaulted by multiple guards who were alerted by the noise. He brought forth his self-defense skills and managed to take down the guards, hacking and