Dragon Corps

There weren’t always dragons in the valley.

Issac remembered those words spoken to him time and time again. It was always the other part of that saying that chilled him to his core. Issac stood on the rampart, watching the dragon fly in the distance. A gentle breeze blew around him, lifting his white cape away from his body. The white plume of his helmet struggled to break from the grasp of his arm. The sun glistened off of his white armor trimmed with gold.

“Good morning, Commander.” A gentle voice came from behind Issac. Issac did not turn around, he knew that voice all too well.

“Good morning Tiarmir.” Issac said, his voice powerful and commanding. Issac kept his eyes on the dragon in the distance. The dragon flew around, almost as if it were dancing with the sun and the prey below it. The dragon swooped down, landing beneath the trees.

“The Council has requested your presence.” Tiarmir said. Issac finally turned around. A Blonde Elven man stood proudly in front of Issac, his armor almost identical to Issacs. His helmet had no plume, and where Issacs sword lay at his side, two smaller swords lay at Tiarmir’s side.

“I’m aware. I have been avoiding them at all costs.” Issac said.

“They said the matter is urgent and you must not be delayed to their chambers.” Tiarmir said, watching Issac intensely. Issac rolled his eyes. He stepped down off the ledge, standing next to Tiarmir. Tiarmir laid his hand on Issac's shoulder for a second.

Issac walked around the top of the courtyard, watching the soldiers training below. A dark haired man stood in the center of the courtyard, a red cape flowed around him as he was shouting at the soldiers. The man looked up and noticed Issac was watching him. The man waved at Issac and Tiarmir. Issac reluctantly waved back.

“You don’t have to be so mean to Alec.” Tiarmir said watching the interaction.

“I waved back.” Issac said.

“I saw the hesitation in your wave, and the change in your eyes.” Tiarmir said. The two of them reached a landing at the bottom of the stairs. A large open door stood in front of them, further down the stairs the soldiers were training. Alec ran up the stairs toward them.

“Good morning.” Alec said, smiling at Issac.

“Good morning.” Tiarmir said, bowing as Alec approached them.

“Good morning, Commander.” Issac said. Alec looked at Tiarmir before turning his attention toward Issac.

“Are you heading into the Council meeting?” Alec asked.

“I was summoned.” Issac said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“I was too. I just wanted to finish training this morning.” Alec said. Issac looked at the soldiers at the foot of the stairs, all of them drinking water and wiping sweat from their brows.

“They need more training.” Issac said, turning on his heels. Tiarmir looked at Alec with wide eyes as Issac stepped into the keep.

“We can’t all have a force like yours.” Alec said following behind Issac.

“It’s not all about physical training. You have to keep their minds sharp and focused too. A sharp mind will aid them more in battle than a quick sword.” Issac said. The three of them walked under the staircase in the main entrance toward a large door that was heavily guarded.

“I have to get them physically ready before I can do any other sort of training with them.” Alec said. Two guards opened the door as Issac and Alec walked in. The guards crossed their lances as Tiarmir tried to follow.

“I’m with the Commanders.” Tiarmir said.

“The Council requested the Commanders.” A guard said.

“Nobody else may enter.” The other guard said. Tiarmir sighed.

“Let me know what happens.” Tiarmir said as guards closed the door in his face. Issac and Alec turned their attention toward the room in front of them.

Windows lined the walls, letting in beams of light. Tall pillars lined the walls, eight different colored banners hung from the pillars. Each banner had the same golden dragon emblem in the center. In the center of the room hung five banners. Amethyst in the center. Sapphire and Emerald to the right of Amethyst. Topaz and Crystal to the left of Amethyst. A large table sat directly below the banners. People sat in large chairs underneath the banners, their capes and plumes matching the banner they sat under.

“Good morning Commanders.” A soft voice rang throughout the halls. A female stood from her chair in the middle of the table.

“Good morning Council.” Alec and Issac said in unison. The two of them stood at rest as the members of the council watched them. The woman in Amethyst remained standing.

“We have a lot to talk about this morning so I think we should skip all of the formalities and dive right in.” She said, the other members of the council nodded in unison.

“We received word that our outpost in the Swotten Forest has been attacked. The survivors have relocated to the Gurnden Mountain outpost. Commander Liza was killed in the attack.” The Amethyst woman said. Issac felt his throat tighten.

“We are aware she was your sister Commander Issac. And as such, you have a say in who her successor will be.” A man in Emerald said. Issac nodded as he fought back the swirling emotion inside of him.

“We are very sorry for your great loss. She was an excellent Commander and an amazing friend.” A woman in Topaz said.

“Thank you for your kind words. At this time I would like to nominate my Lieutenant, Tiarmir. He has learned much under my command and was a trusted friend of Commander Liza.” Issac said, his voice choking. He cleared his throat.

“I see no issue, does anyone disagree on this nomination?” The Amethyst woman asked. The Council members shook their heads in unison.

“You may inform Tiarmir of his promotion, effective immediately.” A woman in Sapphire said. Issac nodded.

“There are also reports that the Altaraz Empire has fallen.” The Amethyst woman said. Issac looked at Alec, fear in both of their eyes.

“Fallen?” Alec asked as the two of them turned their attention back to the council.

“To who?” Issac asked.

“We aren’t sure. Nobody really knows. The survivors have been scattered around. Prince Tillon found his way with a few soldiers to our outpost. It was decided amongst us that Prince Tillon would be granted safety here, he can stay here for as long as he desires.” The Amethyst woman said.

“Is he already here?” Alec asked.

“He is. He came in last night. He and his soldiers are our guests and will be treated as such.” The Topaz woman said.

“We recognize the decision of the Council.” Alec said.

“I recognize the decision, but I disagree with the decision.” Issac said. The Council eyed him cautiously.

“It’s not up for debate.” The man in Crystal said.

“Then I will be moving my forces away from the keep.” Issac said, looking at the council. He noticed the Council was eyeing him.

“It is the decision of the council.” The man in Crystal said. “You would do well to accept the decision has been made.”

“As I said, I accept a decision has been made, but it is not a decision I am going to abide by.” Issac said.

“What are you doing?” Alec whispered to Issac. Issac held up his hand to Alec.

“You have just put this entire valley and the dragons that reside here at risk.” Issac said, his voice rising in anger.

“We thought through every scenario before arriving at our decision. This valley is well protected. It is the safest place for refugees to seek shelter.” The Emerald man said, tapping his fingers on the table.

“If someone is after the Altaraz royal family, we are now housing that very target here. It is also standing against our creed to remain out of the conflict of nations.” Issac said.

“He does have a point. It is within our creed to remain out of their conflicts.” A woman in Sapphire said looking at the woman in Amethyst.

“Which came up in the conversation and we felt the need to override that creed was more important in the long run.” The man in Crystal said. Issac took a step forward toward the table.

“This council has just endangered this valley, and I will not allow my men and women to be held like pigs to a potential slaughter.” Issac said.

“I have to agree with Issac.” Alec said, taking a step to stand next to Issac.

“We don’t know who attacked our outpost, what is to say these two things are not related. What is the timeline of events? What was attacked first?” Issac asked. The Council looked at each other, The Amethyst woman kept her eyes on Issac.

“If Altaraz was attacked first, the most direct route would have the Prince coming by those outposts to stock up and potentially change guides. And if he was followed that means they will be coming to our door.” Issac said.

“We don’t need your opinion on the matter.” The man in Crystal said. Issac felt the anger grow inside him.

“I know you don’t care about what I have to say, Olric. But I think you should have thought about the consequences of your actions, this is a decision that affects the organization as a whole and as such this should have been a Summit, and not just the Council deciding. If this is the reason my sister lay dead, you will have bigger fish to fry than a Prince with no Kingdom.” Issac said, feeling the heat throughout his body.

“Is that a threat Commander?” Olric asked.

“It’s a promise.” Issac said. Alec gently rested his hand against Issac’s arm trying to calm him down.

“I agree, the Council overstepped their boundaries on this decision. And if the decision led to the death of his sister, Commander Liza, then her blood rests on your hands. And the blood of the innocents that you have led to slaughter.” Alec said. Issac turned his head to look at Alec, anger flared in Alec’s eyes.

“You are overstepping your boundaries, Commanders.” Olric said.

“Enough.” The woman in Amethyst said, slamming her fist on the table. The entire room looked at her.

“Tell me the timeline.” Issac demanded.

“You don’t get to make demands of this Council.” Olric said.

“I said enough.” The woman in Amethyst said, turning her attention to Olric.

“Beatrice, he is out of line.” Olric said.

“No, you are the one that is out of line. Do not forget the Commanders and the Council coexist amongst each other, neither is higher than the other. We must not forget our place in this Organization.” Beatrice said, turning her attention back to Issac.

“The timeline would match up to the attack on the outpost being after the fall of Altaraz. The Prince left the outpost three days before the outpost was destroyed. However, we have no reason to believe the attack was carried out by the same people.” Beatrice said.

“Can you say that conclusively?” Issac asked. Beatrice looked at him before sighing.

“No.” Beatrice admitted. Issac turned on his heels.

“I’m taking my men and women out of this valley. You may fend for yourselves.” Issac said.

“Stop.” Alec called. Issac turned to look at him.

“I am not putting my people in the line of fire. They want to protect this Prince, then they can do so. My people will not be used as pawns in whatever game the Council is playing at. They broke our Creed to interfere in the affairs of the nations and my sister paid the price. I will not protect this council.” Issac said. Alec looked back at the Council before looking back at Issac.

“If there is a threat, and you move your forces from the valley, the loss of life here will be catastrophic.” Alec said, pleading with Issac.

“That is not my problem. The esteemed members of this council signed this death warrant.” Issac said.

“The decision was not unanimous.” Beatrice said.

“It doesn’t matter if it was unanimous or not. You are the leader of the Council, you have the final say. You allowed our people to die and potentially brought the threat to this valley. And if they remain three days behind the Prince, we have minimal time before the forces arrive, if they remain at the same speed. I am deeply disappointed in the actions of this council.” Issac said.

“We can call a Summit if it pleases you.” Beatrice said.

“As I have been informed, the decision has been made and I must abide by it. It is too late to fight this.” Issac said, turning back to the door.

“Let it be known this burden shall be the Council’s.” Beatrice said as Issac walked toward the door.

“Your burden it shall be.” Issac said as the doors opened. Tiarmir sat against the wall a few feet away from the chamber. He jumped to his feet as he noticed Issac walking through the doorway. Issac said nothing as he continued to walk away from the chamber. Tiarmir followed.

“What happened?” Tiarmir asked. Issac continued to walk toward the door of the keep. Tiarmir followed right behind him.

“Issac wait.” Alec’s voice came from behind them. Issac stopped and turned to see Alec and Beatrice walking toward him. Tiarmir noticed the energy around Issac fill with anger.

“So I guess it wasn’t a good meeting.” Tiarmir said quietly watching Beatrice and Alec approach them.

“If you withdraw your forces from here, I will also withdraw mine.” Alec said as he and Beatrice stopped directly in front of Issac. Tiarmir looked at the three of them with confusion on his face.

“I will also withdraw mine.” Beatrice said.

“You informed me the burden is on the Council. If you withdraw your forces, then you are admitting I was right, and you are not willing to risk your people for the life of the Prince the Council agreed to bring here.” Issac said, clenching his fists. “You expected me to risk my people or my own life for a decision of the Council. I will do no such thing.”

“I informed the Council the day of the meeting of this exact potential threat. They refused to believe it was a possibility. After the attack on the outpost, and the unfortunate death of your sister, I knew you would see through the timeline and I informed the Council you would elect to remove your forces from the valley. If you chose to do that, I would as well.” Beatrice said.

“You are the leader of the Council, their forces fall under your command. You have the right to stop any decision of the Council.” Issac said.

“It is not a precedent I am willing to set. To throw my command around like that. We have traditions and we have our creed.” Beatrice said.

“The same creed the council broke to bring the Prince here.” Alec said.

“The creed also states we leave no man behind in the face of potential danger.” Beatrice said.

“You do not get to recite the creed to me when your council decides to break the creed when it is convenient for them. Do not think I don’t see through the game Olric is playing. We bring the lost broken Prince here, we give him shelter and food, we give him weapons and a place to organize his soldiers. Soldiers we potentially supply to him by the way. Soldiers he will use to take back his Kingdom. At the end of it all, when we suffer heavy losses after being brought into this war, Olric will reign supreme when he unites the Altaraz Empire and the Dragon Corps.” Issac said.

“I don’t think he is like that, a mastermind of that caliber.” Beatrice said.

“He would run his sword through you if he felt it would give him control of the Amethyst Legion.” Alec said agreeing with Issac. Tiarmir continued to look at the three of them with confusion on his face. Beatrice looked at the three of them.

“I am moving my forces out of this valley. The risk is too great.” Issac said.

“May I speak?” A soft elegant voice came from their side. Issac turned to see a man his age wearing a black tunic. A small silver circlet wrapped around his head. Two large gashes lay across his cheeks, one running up his face over his right eye.

“Your Highness.” Beatrice said, looking at the Prince in awe.

“I do not mean to be a bother, or bring a threat here to this peaceful place. I had nowhere else to go, nobody to turn to. My family did not always make the best of friends with the other Kingdoms. I simply sought shelter from anyone I could.” Tillon said.

“You are not my responsibility. You are the responsibility of the Council.” Issac said coldly. Tillon winced at the harshness in his voice.

“I can leave if I need to. I do not wish to cause any harm here.” Tillon said.

“Do you believe the forces that attacked your kingdom followed you?” Issac asked directly.

“I am not sure, but from what I was told happened at the outpost, it sounds like them.” Tillon said. Issac glared at Beatrice, his eyes piercing her soul.

“Do you think they would have followed you here?” Alec asked. Tillon shrugged.

“I cannot be sure, we changed guides so much on the way here, I am not sure if any tracks were covered or how far the forces are willing to go.” Tillon said.

“Do you have any memory of what happened?” Beatrice asked. Tillon shook his head.

“Everything is black, I just remember my mom shouting to the guards to remove me from the castle. At that point I had already been attacked. I woke up on the way to the outpost.” Tillon said.

“We need to send a messenger to the other outposts to ensure he was not followed here.” Issac said, not turning his angry eyes away from Beatrice.

“The attack came quickly. It was almost as if they were already in our castle.” A deep female voice came from behind the prince. Issac finally turned his gaze away from Beatrice. A tall female stood behind the prince, her hair short. She wore a black cloak around her. A large scar lay diagonal across her face.

“This is Nova, she is my personal guard.” Tillon said.

“Tell us what happened.” Beatrice said. Movement coming from the chamber doorway caught Issac’s eye. The Council approached them slowly.

“It was night, and the castle was quiet. Queen Hilda was in the throne room meeting with her Privy Council. Everything happened all at once. A dense, dark fog filled the castle. Prince Tillon and I were about to leave the throne room when we heard the clashing of swords in the hallway. Horns sounded throughout the castle, we were under attack. Within seconds the door to the throne room flew open as the fog found its way into the throne room. It was dark and blinding. I couldn’t see far in front of me. There was confusion and chaos. I heard the sounds of swords impaling people in that room.” Nova paused for a second. The rest of the Council had come to a halt a few feet away.

“I drew my sword and I felt around for the Prince. I heard him scream in agony. I heard the sound of swords clashing before I heard the Queen yell my name, telling me the Prince was with her. I told her to keep yelling so I could follow the sound of her voice. I heard the Prince cry out again before I could get to them. Queen Hilda and I found each other in that fog, she was covered in blood, as was her sword. She yelled at me, telling me to get the Prince out of the kingdom at all costs. He was laying at her feet, blood dripping from the wounds on his face. He was in shock, he kept staring into the fog. The Queen continued to fight the things that were coming out of the fog, running straight toward us. I scooped the Prince up and felt my way around the throne. I knew there was a hidden passageway in the throne room, I just needed to find the right brick.” Nova put her hand on the Tillon’s shoulder.

“The Prince found the brick. As the doorway opened the fog began to clear. I put the prince in the passageway and looked around the throne. A man and a woman stood in the center of the room, the army around was not human. There was nothing about these forces that resembled a human. Some of them had wings, some of them had horns, none of them except for the man and the woman were human. They demanded the Prince be turned over to them. Queen Hilda refused to hand him over, of course. She fought as hard and as long as she could. She was no match for their magic. I escaped with the Prince through the passage as Queen Hilda took her last breath.” Nova said. Everyone looked at Nova and Tillon with compassion on their faces.

“Magic?” Tiramir asked.

“Yes. They used magic.” Nova said.

“And the army was not human and had wings and horns?” Tiarmir asked. He looked at Issac with concern.

“They did. They were not of this world.” Nova confirmed.

“Magic, and demons.” Issac said, looking at the council. The group looked around in silence.

“You don’t have to believe me.” Nova said. “I know what I saw. I saw the Queen fighting against the man and the woman, both of them casting spells from their hands.” Issac stepped toward the Prince, Nova pulled him back.

“Let me see his face.” Issac said. Nova hesitated for a moment. Tillon removed his shoulder from Nova’s grasp and stepped toward Issac. Issac looked at Tillon’s soft blue eyes looking back at him.

Issac gently placed his hand on Tillons chin slowly moving his face from side to side. Issac inspected the cuts on his face closely. Tillon never moved his eyes from Issac’s face. Issac looked at Tiarmir, his face serious.

“Look.” Issac said dryly. Tiramir moved in and inspected Tillon’s cuts, softly tracing his hands against the cuts. Tillon winced, Nova tensed.

“Sorry.” Tiramir said.

“It’s okay.” Tillon said, keeping his eyes on Issac. Tiramir removed his hand and looked at the group.

“These cuts are not of straight edge, nor are they made of metal.” Tirarmir said.

“So what are you suggesting?” Beatrice asked.

“These cuts on the Prince’s face, they are slightly jagged. The same cuts we see on our men that get attacked by a dragon. These cuts were made with a claw.” Tiramir said. The group looked around each other nervously.

“What are you suggesting?” Olric asked, wringing his hands together.

“Nova’s story is accurate, the army that attacked was not human, or at least whoever attacked the Prince was not human.” Tirarmir said. Issac walked away from the Prince, Tillon continued to watch Issac in awe as he walked away.

“I’ll leave my forces here. If the threat is coming, we will know soon. If we survive the attack, I will call a Summit and I will demand the Councilors that voted for the Prince to come to the Valley to resign from their posts for putting the Organization in danger. With forces we don’t even know yet.” Issac said as he walked toward the open door of the keep.

“You can’t demand our resignation, we are not the same as the Commanders.” Olric said.

“Watch me, Councilor.” Issac said, not turning around. “There weren’t always dragons in the valley. It’s clear they are running from something.”