This is a continuation of sorts of Darzhja's timeline, featuring Fangorn:
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The wind flowed across his body as Fangorn Irontail swept through the skies over New Alveri, the grant capital of the vast Draconic Empire. Down below, the vast myriad of humanoid races, millions upon millions of them lived out their short and content lives, counting on dragons like Fangorn to protect them from threats. Fangorn was far from alone in the skies either, for many of his kind flew by from one place to the next, with tradable goods, ferrying human passengers, or simply flying for the sake of flying.
As for Fangorn himself, why, he was a Holy Knight of New Alveri, an elite brotherhood of warriors chosen by The Ancestors to protect the Empire from its enemies. Like his had descended from a long distinguished line of bronze dragons, serving the Holy Knights of New Alveri since the very beginning. Both his father, also named Fangorn, and his mother Jariziya were from a long line of Knights, and from the day he had broken out of his shell, Fangorn was to become a Knight. One would think that every once and a while, Fangorn would have doubted the fact that his fate would be decided at birth, but he never did. He took great pride in that fact, and indeed being a Knight and fighting the enemies of the Empire had fascinated him from an early age.
As Fangorn grew up, he made his parents proud. When his father had died when Fangorn was young, he redoubled his efforts. He was always at or near the top of his class in all he tried, in battle tactics, combat, scholarship and leadership. He was well regarded by his peers, and by the time he had matured into a powerful and muscular young dragon, he was on the fast track to become a general.
However, he found that his expected fast promotion didn’t come as quick as he planned. For the first half decade or so, Fangorn would find himself guarding gates and conducting routine patrols, far from the great battles he envisioned. At first, Fangorn imagined that these seemingly menial tasks were meant to humble him, to prevent him from growing cocky, but then he started to wonder if there was something missing about him, but just could not quite identify what it was.
He flew over a section of town that was in the process of being rebuilt. Ten years ago or so, it had been blasted sky high, by a group that had still not been identified. Tens of dragons and thousands upon thousands of humanoids had been killed or injured in that devastating attack. Fangorn had helped out during the attack, evacuating civilians and helping maintain order, but felt he should have done more. If there was an attack, would there not be an enemy to punish?
The situation was being investigated, his superiors had said, continue your normal duties and wait for further orders. So, being the loyal knight, Fangorn obeyed, and obeyed... and obeyed. But by the Ancestors, it was frustrating. So frustrating. So it frustrated him to no end that he was still stuck performing patrols like this.
He remembered the culminating event of that day, when he had met a dragoness named Darzhja. An orphan dragoness, she had lost her friends and family during the attack; and had walked right up to the gate and demanded that she be made a Knight immediately, otherwise she would fight him until she did. That had been nonsense, how could anyone just walk up to the gate and ask to be made a Knight?
Then, the willful dragoness had proceeded to do just that, challenging Fangorn to a brawl and leaving him with a painful gash, and then by the Ancestors, she had been rewarded for it by being anointed into a Knight! Worse, Darzhja was then put on the fast track, being assigned important missions outside the capital that were well beyond her rank. Right now, she was on a mission in Damescara, investigating corruption in a gladiator ring that involved a potential backer of the attack on New Alveri. That should have been him! Not that upstart dragoness!! He couldn't help but resent that; that she would be rewarded for misbehavior while his loyalty relegated him to such low duties.
Part of that, he had to reluctantly admit, was that she had decided to form a relationship with a dragon that he had once considered his best friend, Lorath, a dragon from a long time merchant clan. Oh, how she would rub it in his face, of how Fangorn was rude and vain, while Lorath, on the other claw, was kind, agreeable and better looking.
He let out a grunt. She would find out the hard way about that charlatan, of how he took dragonesses one after another. Surely, he would break her heart, and leave her humbled.
Fangorn wondered why he cared what happened to her in that regard. By the Ancestors, he should have gotten over his irritation over Darzhja by now, but he found that he could not. Because there was always something about her, something he could not identify, that... simply made her fascinating to behold. She stuck out from everybody else.
Part of him hoped that she would come back just so Fangorn could have another shouting match with her. If for no other reason to break the cycle of monotony he'd endured now.
The sun was beginning to set now. The end of his patrol. Time to return to the temple now, another day in the life of a Knight. So, the large bronze dragon whipped around in the sky, and when he landed, he saw that...
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