A War of Our Own Making

The Fallen Dragon

The Castle on the Hill

The clank of boots on tile floors was all that could be heard that summer morning. The once sweet summer air that surrounded the castle on the hill had been replaced by what Ruford Akki could be described as a sour.

The events of what had happened yesterday had still haunted him in his memory. The blood was had still stained his fingertips and skin. His heart burned for Rodrick, his brother in arms. He couldn't get the memory of the ax of the Asher Rhyolite, the false prince, impaling Robert's chest. Last night he dreamed of 100 different was he would kill the bastard, his favorite still remains burning the bastard alive. Oh, how he yearned to hear the bastard beg for his worthless life and scream when he was set ablaze. He wished his father didn't call a retreat. His father was a coward, Ruford thought to himself. Had his father grown soft as he saw his dragons and people die? Or was it when his father watched his wife be shot out of the sky? He continued to wonder as he walked towards their war room.

He sat in his chair around their stone table as he waited for the others to arrive. Ruford looked at the map that was etched in the stone. His lands, or his father's lands, as his father would quickly remind him, was etched in a deep purple. Their island country was not large, but it was prosperous. Acres of vineyards and farmlands, as well as rich soils and mountain, scattered the land. His hand froze on the Draconic mountains. He let a sigh escape him as the image of Solfirie, his father's white dragon, had fallen from the sky. Then the image of Julioso, his older brother's blue dragon, lying dead on the ground with his brother not too far from him had stayed etched in his mind.

Without thinking, Ruford took his knife and stabbed it into the Akki lands. He let a roar escape him as he sat down in his chair. The damn Rhyolite had taken advantage of the Akkis taking their dragons west to invade the Jochi.

"Brother?" Ruford looked up to see his sister standing across the table.
"I think you dropped this," she handed him the small knife that he had thrown into the table only moments ago.

She could tell that Larissa had not slept. Her brown hair was messily tied up and her eyes looked as if she has not slept in ages.

"Thank you, did you not sleep well," he asked attempting to forget the events of yesterday.
"Whenever I closed my eyes I heard the sounds of a dragon crying in pain before it died," she replied taking her seat.

He nodded his head and sat back down as more people began to fill the room. Only moments later, his father had come into the room and sat at the head. He shared the same look his sister had, and his right arm appeared to have been tied up. He must have broken it when his dragon had fallen from the sky. He was luckier than Rufio.

"It appears everyone is here, let's begin," Rodrick, the Dragon King, had said. His voice was soft and he dragged out every word as he talked. He kept his eyes focused on the large table in front of him, the less he looked at the empty chairs the better.

Larissa swallowed hard as she looked around the room that was packed only a day earlier. Only 10 of them had remained. She looked at her the three empty chairs by her brother and her father, the chairs that had belonged to her three fallen brothers. The poor girl then turned her head to look at the empty chair next to her own chair, her mothers, she fought the tears that threatened to escape and fall down her cheek.

"How many dragons are left?" Rodrik, Larissa's father had asked. His tone has dramatically changed from moments before. The sharp vicious tone that all were accustomed to had returned and with that their fear as well.

Her father's master of war let a sigh escape him as he leaned forward. He soon knew that he would be blamed for this. The King lost his queen and three sons, Juloni, Fosfer, and Pronice. "Four, your dragon, Ruford's dragon, Juloni's dragon, Pronice's dragon, and Fosfer's dragon. Queen Rikka's and Ruford's dragons are still alive," Antoine replied slowly while watching every word that came out of his mouth. If he was not careful he would soon be turned to ashes. Part f him wished that all of the dragons were shot from the sky.

As Antoine said Larissa's mother's name the room had darkened. The harpoon had missed her mother's dragon but had hit her. Her dragon had stood by her body and burned any Rhyolite man that stood near her; however, once the retreat was announced her dragon followed Ruford's dragon and grabbed her mother to bring her home.

"You lost me three sons, four dragons, and my queen," The King hollered. The room was silent as the King slammed his palms on the table causing it to shake.

Antoine swallowed hard as he searched for his next words. How was he to know the Rhyolite were going to attack them while they were attacking another land. How was he to know the Rhyolite had special harpoons that could pierce dragon skin. How was he to know that they had special shields that would not catch fire? Antoine had prayed to the gods all morning that the king would be forgiving, and the defeated man that started this meeting was gone. The gods had abandoned him.

"We will avenge them," were the only words Antoine could think of. Antoine watched the Kings face relax as he spoke that words.

"Yes we shall and we will start with you," the King said once again in defeat.

The Kingsmen quickly dragged Antoine out of the room as he begged for his life.

After a couple of moments, the king sighed and commanded the Kingsguard to bring Antoine back. He could hear Akki in the back of his head pleading for him not to kill Antoine because he was their only chance.

The dragon King threw an opened scroll onto the stone table. All eyes were drawn to the seal of a mountain with a sun behind it, the Rhyolite seal.

"We are in an era of war. It is a time of history being made. A time where stories are to be written," The King coldly said.

"Today I have lost a wife, three sons, and my dragon," the King added as he stood up.

Antoine was the first to grab the scroll. While he was reading the scroll King Rosher continued, "This is a war of 7 Kings. Bloodshed fills our world as we know it. On the desert islands far west of our home, King Roshe, King Hong, and King Julianord fight for control of their continent. They will most likely wipe each other out, and generations of their people will know nothing of war. On the continent of Sovia, the continent only a days travel at sea, there are 4 Kings. The Aries, the Jochi, the Karnifers, and the Rhyolite," King Rosher has paused in an attempt to find the next words.

"We are not savages. The Rhyolite are not savages. King Arnold has given us a chance of peace. In the memory of our queen we will temporarily hold this peace," King Roshe finished.

"Marriage," Antoine had said setting the paper down.

"We have a common enemy. He has a son, I have a daughter. Together we will conquer the lands," King Roshe finished.

Antoine remained silent as he listened to his King's plans. He wanted to warn the King, to tell them it would not work, but Antoine wanted to survive.

"Father!" Ruford yelled as he stood up. "They killed mother, they slaughtered our people. We must burn them alive," Ruford yelled.

He wanted to see Malik burned not married to his sister. He killed his brother, he killed his brother in arms right before him.

"War is no game boy," the King had yelled. " When the time comes we will cause the Rhyolite to become extinct, but now is not the right time boy," the King continued.

"Explain to me how we will burn their armies when their rhyolite covered shields do not catch fire from a distance. Do you plan on flying right above them? Then they will fire a harpoon at your dragon and you will hear his cry and feel the pain of his soul being ripped from this earth. Do you plan on taking out their machinery that fires their harpoons? The only part that is not covered in rhyolite is inline with their harpoon. We left our lands defenseless, open to attack when we took our dragons and flew west. We allowed them to have time to set up their harpoons. We lost this battle boy," Roshe had yelled at his new heir. "You have a lot to learn before you become King of this land," he finished.

If it ever comes to that, Antoine had thought to himself.

Ruford wanted to retaliate at his father. He wanted to tell him he was being a coward. That he was sending his only daughter her death, but he remained silent.

"Larissa rides to the Oceanside at noon. Ruford and Larissa, come with me, we have a tradition to uphold," the King spoke as he rose from his chair.

Ruford nodded his head and filled his father out of the war room and towards the draconic mountains.