Seraphina was so into the shock that she didn't see when the cooks came and placed the plates before her. "Then?" She asked.
Demian said, "I will continue after you finish your meals."
Seraphina almost snapped at him, "No! I want to hear how did they managed to finish Graham and Gotham!"
"You want me to stay in the next room?" He threatened and the threat was clear if she didn't listen to him, she could bid farewell the story. She pouted like a five year old kid and started to devour every meals in her mouth hastily-in a very un-lady likely way.
"What are you an ogre?" Demian commented and cringed as she started to chew while her mouth was open.
"Vut I 'ant t' na... 'hat 'apken nest..." She said, her mouth was full with food. (But I want to know what happened next...)
"Just eat slowly..."
It took barely five minutes for her to finish everything and she looked at him with stars shinning in her eyes. Demian's lips twitched at her adorable behavior.
"So..." She insisted.
Demian sighed as he continued from where he left, "Carlie and his new wife could not take it and he didn't want to use the stone on his third son. But his wife pleaded him to bring him back so he decided he would bring Barius back and if he came back as same as his other two sons, he would kill him instantly."
"Somehow it feels like the stone was a curse to his life." Seraphina mumbled without thinking as Demian smiled.
"The stone was cursed."
"What?"
Demian nodded. "Drums of heaven was the stone of fate. It disrupt the flow of fate and ensued chaos. That is the nature of the stone but Carlie had learnt that after his wife pleaded him. He knew he had to bring him back and so he used the stone."
"When Barius came back alive, he was wary of him but Barius was still the same and he still had the divine blessing. The only thing that changed was he came back as a full grown man and he wasn't entirely immortal. He aged slowly."
"Like dragons." Seraphina said.
"Yes. Like Dragons. He is our ancestor. The first Dragon born. He could shift as a dragon and he could tame the environments and he had divine blessings too. Carlie was afraid if he start using his powers in bad ways but Barius never harmed anyone instead he fought with his brothers."
Demian continued, "He fought with them for many years but his brothers were immortal and Carlie saw Barius was slowly aging. And soon he became old and could no longer fight. He was powerful but not immortal. His brothers weren't powerful like him but they had an advantage of being immortal."
"So Barius could not kill them?"
"No. He died after growing old and his children fought with them and the process went on and on for years. By now, Carlie was 1000 years old and he lost his son and all of his family and he could take it no longer. He wanted to die too but he could not. He started to hate the stone. He hid it far away but his immortality never vanished."
Seraphina somehow felt bad for Carlie as he might be very lonely as Demian said, "When Barius died, he told his father to destroy the stone but they had no weapons to do that as nothing can put a dent on it. So, Barius said to use his bones to make a sword and destroy it."
"Barius was a white dragon with the power divine blessing thus the sword had the same powers and as a father, he could never see his son's death before him so in a spite of anger and sadness he cut it. He was the man who cut down the stone, Drums of Heaven into three pieces. Only he could do that because the stone had an attachment with him. He had feed it with his fate so when he cut it the stone released him from his curse of immortality."
"So the Eye of Devil is a part of Drums of Heaven?" Seraphina asked.
"Yes. And the white stone could take away anyone's life whether anyone is immortal or mortal." Demian said, "He used it to kill his two evil sons and buried them with his family. He had to kill them but he was a father after all, he still loved all three of them and when he died, he requested to bury himself with his three sons."
Seraphina felt her hair stood straight on her skin after hearing the story. No father would desire to kill his sons yet he had to do it. His fate must be really cursed. The irony was, he had to kill the same two sons which he had brought back from death with the same stones.
Did that mean his two sons' lives were tied with that stone? Because the stone may had given them life but it had also taken it away.
"But I don't understand if Graham and Gotham had been immortal because of the stone, why it didn't give Barius immortality?"
Demian shrugged, "Nobody knows the reason."
It also raised a question that why they became evil when Barius didn't. Could it be because unknowingly Carlie had cursed his sons, his sons wanted to take revenge? Many questions formed in her mind yet everything remained a mystery.
Demian said, "Barius had left behind his many children and who fought with Graham and Gotham were called Salamanders. The sword which was made with his bones were given to them and his other children who healed or helped the Salamanders were tasked to help them for eternity."
Salamander... Wasn't that Demian's last name? "So you are a Salamander?"
"Yes, my family had been tasked to fight with Graham and Gotham as they had left behind children as well. For years, we fought while the other dragonborns helped us to maintain the balance. Casian's family, The Vermance family was tasked with training and Halmore, Govalrow and other Dragonborn families were the healer. The cycle had been the same even though now we all have our own kingdoms."
That was why other Dragonborns always respected and obeyed Billard and Demian as they were Salamanders. And that's why they hate wizards because they were related to the evil brothers. Seraphina somehow found out why Dragons and Wizards never went into peace. She hoped this long chain of hatred would some day perish.
Seraphina recalled suddenly that Demian had the sword when they were getting married. "You had the sword right? On the day of our marriage?"
Demian shook his head, "No. The sword I had was a replica. Nobody knows where it is now. I have never seen it."
Seraphina nodded and flopped on the bed as now she felt tired and the story had an impact on her. She felt the stone somehow planned everything and did all of this for a reason. After all it was the stone of fate. And again she recalled the mysterious chuckle from the stone. Who was it?
"Then why do you want to collect the stones?" Seraphina asked as she looked at him while lying on the bed.
"Yo will know soon." Demian didn't say much as he ordered, "Now, sleep."
*****
As they got off the ship, in the port of Dragon's Land a large army of Dragons cane to take them and before them stood Master Valentine with a proud face.
Demian and Seraphina reached him as he bowed, "Welcome Your Highnesses."
He looked at Seraphina with a questioning glance as she wasn't at all cheery which she normally would.
His eyes moved to Demian who's eyes said something had happened. Demian shook his head and Valentine got the cue not to ask anything Seraphina. He nodded and said, "The journey must have tired you all. Let us head toward the castle and then take your rest."
"Yes, and we need to discuss many things." Demian said and took Seraphina's hand as he dragged her her with him. Seeing the young Prince taking care of Seraphina made a small smile on Valentine's face. The Prince had never done such intimated things and today he didn't care which meant two things, one, he was worried about Princess Seraphina and two, the situation must be too dire.
He had gotten every report through bird letters from Alonzo and Reginald but as the reports should be short and constructed, he had guessed most of the things. But now that Prince Demian had came, he would get detailed descriptions of it. However, he had to wait since it seems Prince Demian was a bit tensed as Seraphina was low.
What had happened? Did the young Prince know about her being a wizard? No, that wouldn't be it since the young prince was taking care of her. If he had known, he would...
Master Valentine's eyes narrowed at Demian since a few weeks ago, he would tell Demian wouldn't have a second thought when it comes to give a death sentence to a wizard such as to Seraphina but now it seemed to be changing.
Was it a good thing? Or a bad thing he didn't know but the reports he had gotten on Demian confirmed, no matter what would change, Demian would always be cunning and merciless. He might get soft on Seraphina but toward others he wasn't.
He huffed as they reached the carriages. He saw Prince Demian helped Seraphina to climb the carriage and then as he sat, he let Seraphina take his shoulder to lean on. If Master Valentine was surprised, now it was time to dig a hole to place his jaw in it.
He glanced at Reginald who looked at him and as if the two men could talk through their eyes. The situation was dire!
But now the problem was where would Master Valentine sit as the carriage he got was for all three of them but now the young couple was in very intimate moment, he didn't want to disturb them or rather, he didn't want stay there and loose his composed self. He already felt his greying cheeks were becoming warmer.
*****
As the carriage arrived at the entrance, Prince Billard could not stay seated as he almost ran toward their entrance, Princess Zenith following him from behind in slow steps.
As the gates opened, he stood there with a wide grin, he was seeing his brother and sister in law after a week. How could not he feel excited? Master Valentine hadn't said anything to him about how the work was happening in Rockdelia. He only said Prince Demian was doing excellent work.
While he was mad that he wasn't saying him everything, he was also happy that he would get to hear everything from his dear brother.
Billard welcomed them and asked, "Was the journey alright? Had anyone attacked? Did something happen?" He showered Demian with all sorts of questions as Demian said, "Brother dear, I will say everything after taking rest. As you can see, I am a bit tired."
Billard nodded, "Of course! Of course!" He ordered the servants and take them to chamber and bring them the needed things.
The servants immediately acted and as Demian and Seraphina went inside, Billard asked Master Valentine, "Did something happen?"
Master Valentine shrugged and said, "It seems we have to wait for Prince Demian's explanation."
Billard nodded and hoped everything was alright.