POV: Fendrel
A few of the nobles Fog and Cloud mentioned landed on the platform, gladly accepting words of welcoming and warmth. Each noble ruled over the dragon tribe they were hatched into, dusk, spark, air, vapor, water, ice, fire, floral, earth, and gemstone.
Not all of them showed.
Fendrel resorted to referring to them in his mind by the elements they represented, besides Fog whose name Cloud had already mentioned.
Dusk was the head of what you might call a "royal guard," since dusk dragons were by far the most powerful dragons in the Free Lands. Gemstone, who Cloud asked to be his successor should he pass before having heirs, maintained an attentive aura and unshakeable posture. Air, whose wings were large enough to carry two full-grown dragons, stared down at the humans as if they were mice scurrying around in his bed chambers. Ice's neck seemed to sink into her woolly fur while she smiled cordially at Oliver. Fog of the vapor dragons couldn't sit still but kept away from the other nobles.
Oliver had fallen asleep next to Thea, who sheepishly sat in the back corner of the main hall with her chin resting on her knees.
Caribou fur rugs with feathered rims marked seats for the nobles, encircling a round flat stone table.
With a subtle nudge on Fendrel's shoulder, Cloud pointed at the rug on his left. "You may sit here."
"We shall begin now." The king took his seat.
"Yes, I would like to hear why these humans are here." Dusk sat on Cloud's right.
The dusk tribe was known for its black hides, occasionally accompanied by gold, green, or purple markings. This dragon happened to have a sprinkling of golden scales on his chest. They also had one of two different types of poisons within them: a green venom in their fangs that could kill instantly and a purple venom the effects of which were unknown even to them.
Dusk stared at Fendrel with his glowing yellow eyes. "I do not understand the importance of having a human here if he cannot even understand us."
"Oh, I understand you perfectly." Fendrel leaned past Cloud to look the dusk dragon in the eye.
Dusk squinted his eyes. A humming sound emanated from his throat.
"He is no ordinary human, friends." Cloud tented a wing over Fendrel. "I am sure you have heard of the man who hunts the dragon hunters."
This caused the assembly—besides Fog—to shift astonished gazes at Fendrel. The great hall itself felt more alive.
"I thought you would have been taller." Dusk's eyes traveled up and down Fendrel.
Great first impressions here...
Air looked at Cloud. "While this occurrence is strange and new to all of us, I would like to hear about what it is you were doing outside the Hazy Woods for two whole days."
"Of course. Let me start from the beginning since our guest has remained uninformed." Cloud took a deep breath. "Mist is... was, to be betrothed to me. She is a common dragon, so it was no surprise that my citizens did not easily accept her for not being of nobility. It is custom for the royal heir to marry a fellow dragon of higher stature. I should have taken how she would feel about that into consideration. Really, it is my fault she has disappeared. If I had not overwhelmed her with these responsibilities, she would not have felt pressured enough to leave..."
"She just left without warning?" Fendrel's brow furrowed.
"Not that we know of." Fog lifted her wings from across the table. "There could have been a few dragons who wanted her gone so they could take her place."
Air perked up. "That is highly unlikely, for the Hazy Woods at least. We could not find any trace of her or possible captors here on the day of her disappearance. Perhaps a dragon of a different tribe abducted her."
Fendrel nodded. "Do you know where she might have gone had she left?"
"I have no idea. Mist never left the Hazy Woods all the days of her life. If she did leave, that most likely means she does not want to be found." Cloud shook his head. "Which is why I am requesting your help. I know you have taken requests from dragons of every tribe to find those who have gone missing many times. I believe you can do it again for us. So please, Liberator, will you help us find Mist?"
The assembled dragons turned their heads to hear Fendrel's response.
If I agree to help him, I may not be able to track down the hunters for a while. That could prove disastrous, but so could the disappearance of a soon-to-be queen. The hunters haven't been very active lately, anyway. I don't really see why I can't help them with this.
"I can't promise anything, but I will help you." Fendrel's gaze steeled.
Many of the assembled dragons sighed in relief, with the exception of Dusk who studied him. He sniffed the air subtly and cocked his head to the side.
Fendrel avoided his gaze.
"I cannot thank you enough, and when this is all over, you shall be rewarded accordingly." Cloud smiled with all his teeth.
"That won't be necessary." Fendrel gave a nervous laugh, shaking his head.
"I insist. I will not take no for an answer." Cloud peered down at the human.
Fendrel sighed and nodded. "All right."
Cloud looked at the assembly. "Good. Well, if there is nothing else for us to discuss, you are dismissed."
Something came to Fendrel's mind. "Wait, there's something I should mention."
Cloud nodded.
"As you know, I have a past with dragon hunters and there's a chance we may run into them while we search for Mist. We should be alert at all times, especially in secluded locations, that's usually where they lie in wait for lonely dragons."
"Understood." Cloud nodded and the others followed his lead.
"There's also a rogue fire dragon that's been giving me a bit of trouble for a while and he's very determined. Just a warning." Fendrel's eyes shifted between the nobles and the king.
While all dragons had moments where they couldn't ignore their instincts, rogues had no sense of higher intelligence and acted purely out of animalistic desires. This meant an unshakeable prey drive for humans and a danger for dragons who stood to oppose them. They were easy to tell apart from other dragons due to their strange markings that came in colors uncommon to the tribe they were hatched into.
Dusk's frown somehow seemed to deepen.
Oh right, dusk dragons are supposed to take down any rogues they come across. Is he upset that one slipped through his talons?
"Then we may have more to look out for than just Mist. Thank you for this warning, I doubt he will give us much trouble as long as he's alone." Cloud rose from his seat.
<~><~><~>
Each noble had a private room within the cliffs reserved for them when they visited the Hazy Woods. Ice and Air had gone off to their rooms with their tails dragging heavily, Gem silently left for her room in a more dignified fashion, and Fog and Dusk stayed behind for their own reasons. Fendrel sat on a cliff edge outside the palace. He drank in the serene landscape.
Thea was half sitting, half falling asleep next to him. Fendrel had told her the basics of the meeting a while ago and they had been silent ever since. Oliver was already passed out beside her.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Fog came up on his other side and laid down.
"Yeah... it's peaceful." Fendrel took another deep breath. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you assume the title of a noble? Your earring just seems so simple compared to the jewelry on the other nobles."
"Oh, for one thing, Mist is like an older sister to me and she offered me the position when she became betrothed to His Majesty. Also, I was born with a rare ability that only a few vapor dragons inherit. I can heal surface wounds by breathing vapor on them. I was just the lucky healer who got chosen. It's weird because Billow and Smog have way more experience than I do but I was chosen anyway. I don't know. I guess it's a helpful skill but it's a little strange. And I don't even know how this ability was even discovered in the first place. Did someone just get a burn and decide a little vapor would help it heal or were they just messing around? Oh, sorry, I'm rambling again!" She hid the bottom half of her face in her wings and sighed. Fog nodded at where the gemstone noble had flown off to. "Crystal says that I should focus on not talking as much."
"No, it's fine. You don't have to apologize." Fendrel held an amused tone. "I don't usually have company with me, so it's nice to hear someone's voice."
I didn't know some vapor dragons had that ability.
"Well since you asked me a question, can I ask you one?" She sat up straight and moved her wings behind her.
"Fire away." Fendrel felt his pulse rise, not knowing what information he would be giving up.
"How did you learn our language?" Fog leaned down a little.
Fendrel gave a half-shrug. "My mother taught me every chance she got. My father didn't like that very much, so she always taught me in secret."
"That's sweet, I mean the mother part." Fog smiled. She continued to lean down. "And how did she learn?"
Fendrel laughed a bit, knowing what he was about to say would sound a little ridiculous. "She had a close friendship with a dragon. He acted as her older brother and best friend after she was banished from our village."
Fog gasped. "Oh, no. Why was she banished?"
Fendrel couldn't decide if he wanted to say more. He sighed in relief when Dusk's voice cut through. "Fog, his majesty asks that we retire to our individual rooms. We need our rest for tomorrow."
Fog nodded at the older dragon and stood. She hooked her front talons onto the edge of the cliff and looked at the dusk dragon. "Goodnight, Venom."
The vapor dragon tilted her head to look at Fendrel. "Sorry I was getting so close to your face. I have a habit of doing that when I talk to someone. And thank you for helping us. Sleep well!"
She pushed herself off the cliff and spread her wings so she gently drifted downwards.
"Goodnight." Fendrel's voice was below a mutter as Venom took up the space Fog had previously occupied.
He didn't immediately say anything, opting to just stare at Fendrel. When he finally did speak, his tone was flat. "Are you some kind of thief?"
Fendrel leaned away from the dragon. "What?"
"That bag you have there." Venom nodded his head towards the bag Fendrel always kept close. "Did you steal it?"
"It was a gift." Fendrel subconsciously placed a hand on his bag.
Why do you care?
The dragon averted his gaze and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and sighed. His gaze returned to Fendrel. "Who gifted this to you?"
Why should that matter?
After a few beats of silence, Venom hung his head. "It was from your mother, wasn't it? You came from the village of Stone Edge, did you not?"
Have you been following me?
"If you know of Stone Edge, then you know what happened fifteen years ago." Fendrel tested the dragon to see if he was lying.
Venom didn't meet his eyes. "I did not see it happen. I only saw the aftermath, about a month afterwards it seemed. I apologize, there was nothing I could do at that point. The rogue's scent was already too faint to pick up."
"How did you know this bag was my mother's?" Fendrel clutched it against his chest.
Venom lifted his head and smiled a little. "I just wanted to make sure it was really you. You do not look the same as her. You smell a bit like her, though."
"You knew my mother?" Fendrel asked, disbelieving.
Venom nodded. "She was the only human I ever truly trusted. Then she disappeared. I didn't know what had happened to her until I found Stone Edge in ruins." His voice hitched a little, then cleared his throat.
Fendrel couldn't speak. His mother had never told him who the dragon she befriended was. Did she even know that Venom was a noble?
"My apologies for acting harshly towards you earlier. I suspected Mist disappeared due to humans. It was alarming for Cloud to bring you here so suddenly, especially when no human has ever ventured deep enough into the Hazy Woods to see any of what you have. To be honest, I don't think any human has seen the main part of any of the tribes' domains." He chuckled.
I've seen one. Well, two now.
"I know this hardly seems like an appropriate time, but I would like to get to know the son of Axella." The black dragon was still smiling.
Fendrel didn't know how to react. He was too busy thinking about what else his mother had kept from him.
<~><~><~>
Fendrel doubted he would get a wink of sleep, but soon he found himself in a dream. As the usual case with his dreams, he was his younger self. It didn't take him long to realize which memory this was.
He was seven years old. His half-brother, Frederick, was only a few months younger than him. Sometimes Fendrel felt as if he was years older than his brother and it was his responsibility to protect him, even though it was usually Frederick stepping in and protecting Fendrel from the other kids in the village. Due to his mother's banishment, Fendrel was an unofficial outcast who was lucky enough to be the grandson of the village elder.
Fendrel's mother was visiting again, much to his father's disappointment. It was rare that she ever stayed for more than a day due to their agreement.
The boys were in their father's house. The two mothers and the boys' father were all in a separate room. At first Fendrel could only make out low murmurs, then he heard shouts and a vase smashing against a wall.
Fendrel pulled Frederick out of the house, through the village, and into the fields where they sank down into the tall grass. They used to go there to hide from their father's tirades. Sometimes Fendrel's mother would follow them out to tell them stories, usually revolving around dragons and how incredible they were.
But she hadn't followed them out that day.
The brothers sat in silence, picking at the grass to distract themselves.
A strange rhythm grew louder by the second. It made Fendrel's ears throb.
It was the wingbeats of a dragon. A fire dragon.
It had red scales with purple stripes all over its body. It shrieked hauntingly as it neared the village. Fendrel's mother sometimes told him about fire dragons. She never mentioned any of them having purple markings.
Rogue, Fendrel thought with a horrifying realization.
It flew over the village and rained fire on it, then soared away as if nothing had happened. Flames erupted from every stable, every shop, every house. All the brothers did was freeze in horror.
Noone ran out of the village to escape their burning death sentence.