A Symphony Of Frost And Flame

6 • RAEHERYS

The dragon throne rose high in his sight—the shining seat of volcanic glass, as dark as the burnt, had reflected the afternoon sunlight. Raeherys Alagor walked on the stone slabs that covered the wide, high ground at the center of Volcron's peak. Trees and plants and grasses surrounded the temple, waving and rustling from the strong gust of wind.

Raeherys looked up ahead. Behind the dragon throne towered the grand statue of Hylos. Its magnificent stone structure, carved into his Primal Form, revealed the ultimate glory of all hyborns. The eyes were made of pure gold, symbolizing the golden eyes of his descendants who had ruled the realm until now.

Hylos, the God of Dragons and the Volcanic Deity, was the first Hyborn ever existed. It had been known that Hylos had a thousand heads, with its body—seen as the most enormous and the longest of all dragons. His descendants, the hyborns, have protected Draconos for thousands of years. They ruled over strength. All dragons worshipped and served the bloodline of the hyborns because of their multiple heads, golden dragon scales, and massive power burning within their blood. As the last hyborn, the fate of Draconos lies in Raeherys' grasp.

"My King ..." Mondramyr Gramad's voice came behind Raeherys. "Have you thought about my request yesterday?"

Raeherys turned around. The golden crown above his head glimmered with the diamonds attached to it. "I'm afraid the Lawdras had denied it again. We shall stay in the isles. But we'll figure something out."

Gramad's face fell into a frown. "But My King—"

"Where are they?" Raeherys cut him off to avoid the subject. He had far more concerns to settle in today—now that they're at the edge of a revolution.

The Mondramyr hesitated before answering. A hint of disappointment could be seen in his amber eyes. "The Head of Seagrad awaits your command for them to enter, My King," he lowered his eyes.

"Send them in." Raeherys made his way up the stairs towards the throne. Until now, he was unsure of this. The Lawdras had already given their thoughts that he should not do this ... but still, he needed to. He wanted to know their side as a way to help his kind and to address the rumors spreading around the isles. If it's true, then he would try his best to solve this conflict.

Mondramyr Gramad stopped at the foot of the stairs, turned around, and gave his signal to the mondras standing after each stone pillar surrounding the temple. They all transformed their arms and grew out their dragon claws. Raeherys needed them here. His father would always tell him to expect the worst when dealing with their people. In case everything would go wrong, Raeherys was prepared.

A brief moment it took before Raeherys caught a glimpse of the dragons from Seagrad. The cold gust of wind blew around as three fierce-looking dragons landed before him. Raeherys remembered these bloodthirsty, brute warriors who joined his brother to wage war in the south. They were loyal only to Aravyr, Raeherys knew. This would be hard for him.

After the dragons shape-shifted—the three of them kneeled. "Greetings, King Raeherys Alagor." Something about their tone told Raeherys how they disliked him.

The middle dragon, whom Raeherys had known as Igryth, the Head of Seagrad Island, stepped forward. "We've been told to be summoned at your command."

Raeherys wanted to go straight about the rumors he heard, but that would be unwise. "How is ... your island, Igryth?" he said, playing his fingers on the armrest. He had never dared to visit Seagrad as most of the dragons there hated him. They only loved his brother, who used to go there before. But they grew no love for Raeherys.

"All is well, My King," Igryth replied. The dragon scale tattoos marked on their arms and neck were one of the old traditions in Draconos. It slowly faded as hundreds of years passed, but the people in Seagrad stayed true to their tradition. The tattoos symbolized strength and vanity. And usually, the head of the islands would have the most of it among the rest.

"I see." Raeherys nodded. He didn't know when he should open up about the revolt they were forming. Should he even ask about it? Raeherys whispered a curse. He wished the Lawdras were here with him. But they advised against it yesterday, as it would only spark more fire between them. The dragons in Seagrad and the Lawdras bore no friendship at all.

"What else do you want to ask, My King?"

"I'd like to hear from you," Raeherys said. "What you desire ... what problems you have now concerning our realm ... anything."

Igryth's face turned more serious. His amber eyes pierced through the young hyborn when he said, "We want you to toughen up."

Raeherys gave a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"You can't hide in these isles forever," Igryth raised his voice, "You've never seen what humans are capable of. You've never even seen a single human."  

"But we can't—'

"No ... 'you' can't—cause you're a coward."

Raeherys looked away as he clenched his jaws. "I'm no coward."

"If you're not, then show us. Gather all the remaining mondras. It's time we make those low beings pay for everything they had done."

"Why do you want to wage war so badly—"

"Because we need justice!" Igryth snapped. His muscled arms beneath his copper skin wrenched in frustration.

Raeherys parted his lips to a slight, but he didn't want to show any expression. This was definitely not a good idea, he just realized.

"My King," the man beside Igryth spoke. "I am the only survivor in my family. We fought bravely with your brother ... but those hunters ... I've lost everything because of them. We need to avenge the deaths of those who died in battle. My two sons ..." He lowered his eyes and stopped as if it's too painful for him to continue.

Raeherys understood. He also lost all of his family because of the humans—because of the pointless war his past ancestors had caused. It's not new to him because he knew the pain of losing someone very close to his heart. But it's not his fault. It's their mistake that caused their deaths.

"Open your eyes," Igryth said. "We're born to conquer and predate. We all want to fight for a reason. Even Gamad wanted to save the entire realm by fighting, though he knew it would cost his own life."

Raeherys couldn't help but look at the Mondramyr, who was avoiding his eyes. He recalled Gramad's father. The two of them joined Aravyr's war, but only Gramad had returned in Draconos ... and so he replaced his father as the new Mondramyr after.

"You think you're better than your brother and father? ... Everyone knows ... you're worse than any of them," Igryth spat. "At least they had the courage to sacrifice their lives just to try and save the realm. But you ... you only choose to stay here and hide?" He shook his head in disappointment.

Raeherys felt a shot of pain in his chest. He clenched his muscles to keep his burning anger. Of course, no one would understand his situation ... because they're not kings in the first place! How could they? They're not the only ones who lost their family. Raeherys was shattered with his father's death, but did he ask for justice? Did he thirst for revenge?

"You'll never understand," Raeherys almost yelled out, "As king, it's my duty to serve and protect the realm. But every decision I make must be agreed upon by the Lawdras."

"Curse those old fools! And curse you for letting them deceive you with their words," Igryth said, "Were they sweet enough to babysit you that you've gotten blind already?"

"They're not old fools, Igryth." Raeherys argued. "They're the oldest and wisest dragons in our realm. They've lived far more years and seen more things than you've been your whole life."

"Can't you still see? You all have underestimated those hunters. You think destroying their ships would stop them from getting here? The rats also have minds, little king," Igryth pointed a finger to the skies, "The Phoenix Comet is approaching. We'll take the whole realm against the humans before the comet could come to grant them more power. And by that, we need a prominent leader. You're too soft for a king. I can't believe the blood of Hylos still runs on your veins."

Raeherys stood up after hearing what was said. "I had enough of this. I won't allow anyone to cross the sea. No one shall fly beyond our borders."

Igryth twisted a smirk as he shifted his gaze from Raeherys to Mondramyr Gramad. "We shall see about that."