Dragon's Blood

Chapter 5:The New Order

Four years later, the half dragons had built their reputation as the best warriors in the kingdom. And as time went by, Darkelm became more and more respected as the people grew accustomed to his quiet yet authoritative nature. Kara had even now gotten so comfortable around the 'mercenaries' that she noticed one of the byproducts of their dragon heritage, their inability to age. She brought this up to James, who laughed, telling her that it was because of the blessing of elves. Kara bought the excuse and shrugged off the curiosity.

Even more years passed, the four heros dealing with trivial tasks that a normal guard could do. Quell an insurrection here, repel invaders there, and arrest the occasional felon. Even the occasional execution was starting to bore Darkelm. Eventually, the day came that the king and queen set sail for Camelot, Darkelm and Arkairial saw them off personally as James and Isaac handled a rebellion of in the far corner of the kingdom. As the ship glided over the horizion Darkelm wished them well in Evlish.

"May Leviathan, Lord of the sea, protect you on your voyage." the wind half dragon said under his breath. Darkelm glanced at his friend, and smiled. Whatever is original opinion about Tiamat's actions, he was starting to see Arkairial as a brother. He looked at his comrade, then boarded his own ship, the crew scrambling to move the supplies and lower the sail.

"Until we meet again, brother." He said, waving as the boat left the harbor. Arkairial waved in return, and then walked back to the castle.

The weeks passed quietly as the town readied for a grand celebration at the return of the King and his Wife. James stood at the watchtower, looking out over the ocean. Several ships were sailing towards the harbor, he recognized the banners of Camelot and Sahomni, but he did not see the royal crest of this kingdom.

Darkelm quietly walked alongside Arthur, accompanied by Sir Galahad, Lancelot and Gawain, and a fair elvish maiden, his sister. Arkairial eyed his friend, something was different, but he couldn't quite see what. He bowed to Kara and Annalise, and whispered something when they embraced their tutor. Their faced suddenly became a mix of horror and disbelief, Arthur hung his head solemnly to respect the two princesses.

"I know this is grave news, but I advise we let the festivities continue." Sivlerweb, Darkelm's sister said, her voice sounding calm, yet still having the weight of solemness. Kara nodded quietly, brushing tears away from her eyes. Arthur clapped his hands, and with that, several crates of fine wares, both Elven and man-made were carried in by servants.

The celebration was a long and joyous occasion, but it seemed like a hollow and false happiness. After a long, wearying ball, Kara stood and held up her hand. The crowd hushed immediately, Darkelm saw Kara's lip tremble as she announced that her parents and their crew were lost in a storm, and although Darkelm's crew were able to retrieve the King's and Captain's bodies, they were too far behind to rescue the ship. Arthur Stood and clapped twice to bring attention to himself, letting Kara collapse into her seat, sobbing.

"We thought that would be in your interest to celebrate the treaty Lady Kara and I will be discussing." the stunned silence of the crowd made the air feel thick and unbreathable. Darkelm stood, bowing quietly, Arthur sat down, his eyes hovering over the crowd.

"I know many of you are already placing the blame on me and the crew that was on my ship." He said, his words echoed over the crowd, followed by a few murmured agreements. "But as my voice will only fall on deaf ears, I have nothing else to say." He sat down, Siverweb stood, her hair almost glowing in the torchlight.

"Tomorrow, we will hold services and mourn for those lost, but tonight we celebrate the alliance with Sahomni and Camelot." Her voice calmed the anger of the crowd, even the fires seemed to dim at her voice, lighting the hall in a bright orange. "I ask you to forgive my brother, he did his best to bring your King and Queen back to you, but sometimes fate deals us all a cruel hand, and what shows our quality is how we press through the trails." several men in the crowd started to look ashamed, the she-elf's words washing over them like the sea. Kara, who had left shortly after Arthur had stood, was sitting with her back to her door. Arkairial hovered through the window, landing quietly; he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.