The Ice Queen

The Dragonborn

The Dragonborn are starkly different from the Ikniri. I always knew this just by comparing our nature, but as Cassian soars over the city, I find myself looking at another foreign land that's been on the opposite end of Brineua the entire time. Their city is surrounded by mountains, making a natural wall that extends into the ocean. It borders the ocean, with smaller islands that have more buildings and homes on them, a few miles offshore. The main city, however, sits within its own harbor with multiple ship ports sitting at the edge.

Cassian was right. There's no snow on this side of the island. It's warm, and green, the trees extending from the mountains stretching toward the sky in greeting. It makes perfect sense why Cassian was considering making the island he took me to the Dragonborn's home. It suits them perfectly, the beauty mimicking this place. I take note there are no Dragonborn flying within the vicinity. No one occupies the sky at all except for Cassian. When I was a child, my father told us stories about the Dragonborn and their mountainous lands. He would always come back with exciting tales of how the Dragonborn occupy the skies in their own lands, their large and significant bodies forcing the wind to bend to their own will.

But it seems that Cassian's people have lost their ways as well.

My stomach dips as Cassian lowers us out of the sky. It's fairly early in the afternoon, and the sun has yet to set. The closer we make our way to the ground, the more I can make out Dragonborn. My heart involuntarily speeds up as I take them in. All of my interactions with Dragonborn have been hostile, so my body instinctually believes I am in danger even as I take in smaller children who point to the sky in excitement. I gently brush my fingertips against Cassian in an attempt to calm myself as we come feet from the ground.

Cassian's large frame touches down in a field in the center of the city with masses of Dragonborn onlooking. And as I slide from his back, looks of contempt and fear appear. The Dragonborn's features match their kings, their dark eyes making them stand out from society along with the markings on their skin put there once they mature. They're as beautiful as they are terrifying. I gently clasp my hands in front of me in an attempt to assure them I am not a threat just as a burst of heat forms behind me as Cassian shifts to his human  form.

The eyes of the onlookers widen, but unlike my entrance to the Ikniri village, no one makes a sound. The electricity in the air is tangible as everyone in the vicinity bows. Warmth envelopes me as Cassian takes my hand in his, and when I look up at him, his gaze is stoic, his eyes set as he roams over the crowd. I've never seen him like this. I've always seen him as a warrior. I've never seen him as a king, but just being in the same commanding presence as him at this moment is suffocating. It's a much heavier weight than the crown that's fallen to me on the Ikniri side.

Cassian continues to pull me along with him as we approach the crowds, his expression shifting over the faces. He dips his head in acknowledgment, giving everyone silent permission to rise. I'm in awe at the lack of dialogue and yet everyone follows his unspoken command. Cassian was a king long before meeting me. He rules effortlessly. As we walk, I sense more Dragonborn coming to this location. The increase of warm bodies intensifies as word quickly spreads that the king is here, and I think Cassian was expecting this because he speaks.

"It has been a very long time since I've come to this side of the island. It pleases me to see the faces of my people."

Cassian's voice carries over the crowd that parts with each step he takes, everyone eager to hear what it is their king has to say.

"It pleases me to see that you are alive and well, even though I know this land is nothing like the lands of legends. They are nothing like the lands that your ancestors grew up in; that I grew up in. And I know all of you are aware of why that is. But I am still glad that you are all here instead of pieces of legends that once existed."