The war with the Malthinae had dragged on for years upon years, taking the lives of both humans and dragons alike. Deep within the heart of Angelos Weyr, the ruling dragon lords of Draconia debated endlessly on what was to be done. These dragons were supposedly amongst the oldest and wisest in the land.
However, these supposedly old and wise dragons were in a fierce debate with one another.
"General Ferenas reported that he will have to withdraw his forces from the Valdys pass to avoid annihilation. During this past season alone we have lost 232 dragons to enemy actions and suffered another six hundred wounded," said council drake Jereforth.
Lord Ultimus sighed, the Dragonlord of Draconia, "May the Ancestors help us..."
Of course, left unsaid was that during that same time period tens of thousands of humans had perished, yet dragons were relatively few in number, .
"Damn those humans!!" growled Lord Alduin, raising himself to his full height. The council members glared unfavorably at the black dragon. One would never mistake any of these dragons as being anything but bastions of conservatism, yet Alduin's disdain of humans was particularly fanatical. The only reason he was still tolerated was that he was a dragon of great wealth and that he still led a significant faction.
"What this war has shown is that we as dragons are being held back by the human filth!! With what small and insignificant creatures as they are, why do we allow them to continue to make decisions on war? For countless millenia we have protected the humans of Draconia, and they repay us by being obstinate, demanding equal rights and not knowing their betters."
"While the humans indeed need to be reminded of their proper place in the world from time to time, they have stood alongside us against our fight against the Malthinae," reminded Ultimus. With Draconia threatened from a foe such as the Malthinae, the last thing that Lord Ironwing needed was internal strife, and if that meant turning the other wing to Alduin's rants so be it.
"Is that so my Lord?" hissed Lord Alduin, "If I recall, Lady Titania lost her life because of the humans unreliability and their capriciousness."
There was a stunned silence as the Dragonlord dug his claws angrily onto the granite. Only a heartless fiend such as Alduin would use such emotional blackmail and invoke the memory of his dearest mate, Titania, mother to his son Erigoth, for such an unworthy scheme. Titania had been a kind and benevolent dragoness who had always placed the needs of others before herself, having given her life to save a band of human refugees from the Malthinae forces.
"You shall not speak of my beloved Titania as a rallying point for your back-clawed schemes!! Leave the premises at once Lord Alduin!! I shall not tolerate your vile poison any longer!!" snarled Lord Ironwing. If it were truly up to him, and that he did not need to adhere to ancient Draconian law, he would have long stripped Alduin of all his titles and then sent him off to work in the mines alongside the humans he so despised.
"I will not repeat myself Alduin!! Remove yourself from the premises at once!! Your very presence poisons the halls of the Ancestors!!" he roared.
Yet Alduin still did not obey, and in fact continued to glare at the Dragonlord with that arrogant sneer he so hated.
The Dragonlord would take no more. In fact, he was thrilled in a sense that he would finally have an excuse to be rid of him.
"Guards!! Arrest that dragon!! Place him on house arrest!!" bellowed Lord Ironwing.
A pair of fully armored dragons paced forward toward either side of Alduin, yet the black dragon did not seem worried at all. Furthermore, the rest of the council had said absolutely nothing during the proceedings, aside from their usual platitudes. His wings unfurled slightly, something was terribly wrong... He immediately tried to contact his rider, the lord of the Dragoners, Alucand, to summon a force to assist him, yet his connection was blocked off.
"So, you now show your true colors Alduin. Since you could not convince others of your views you plan on betraying Draconia?" snarled the Dragonlord. With the guards having betrayed him and much of the council being blackmailed, there wasn't much use running at this point.
"No, I plan on saving Draconia from those who would deliberately bring it to ruin. The humans have been granted too much power over the years, and the only way to protect the nation is to ensure that these lesser beings are put back in their proper place. Since you have failed to uphold this mandate to protect dragon kind, then I shall do so in your stead," declared Alduin.
"The people will not stand for this Alduin," growled Lord Ironwing.
"Oh? The humans are powerless, and as are the dragoners. As for your pet human Alucand? He is a moron, concerned more with maintaining his wealth than any true loyalties. Do not try to deny this my Lord..."
"What have you done with him fiend?" snapped Lord Ironwing.
"Oh, he is in a safe place, but he shall only remain so if you name me as your successor..." said Alduin.
"Not while my son is still alive!!"
"Little Lord Erigoth?" sneered Alduin, "Every dragon of the weyr knows he is nothing but a weak and indecisive wimp that fears his own shadow!! Do you truly think he could take over for you? In fact, he might not even put up any resistance at all, but if he does he can be dealt with in due time..."
"Don't you dare touch my son!!" growled the Dragonlord.
"That's only if you cooperate with my demands, puppet Dragonlord. If you decide to ascede to my demands, he shall be left alone, but if not..."
He let the ominous question hang like a dark cloud. How could Ultimus have not seen this coming? Alduin had never made any secret of opposing his rule at every turn, yet because of tradition he had not taken decisive action and had allowed for the traitor to take action first. Yet now he faced the end of his line, which had stretched back to the founding of Draconia.
"May the powers below torment your spirits Alduin, may they curse you for all eternity..." growled the dragonlord.
"Oh I believe the Ancestors will forgive me once I have saved Dragonkind. Guards, place him under house arrest."
While the now puppet Dragonlord was hauled away, Alduin shifted his gaze back toward the council, now under his control. He had taken many years buying them off and blackmailing them to ensure even if he was not physically present they would all obey his rule.
Once that the Dragonlord had been hauled away, Alduin then commanded his forces to secure the rest of Angelos Weyr. Most of the dragons of consequence had already been bought off, and Alduin dealt with those few Yet even if Alduin was now ruler in all but name, his quest was not over by any means.
Long lived as dragons were, even they would eventually live out their lives and rejoin the Ancestors. Having been on the council of elders for a long time now, he knew that he would enjoy perhaps only another century of vigorous health at most before he became feeble; not enough time for him to fully deal with the human filth nor the draconic deviants. Yet he had a plan for this as well.
He had learned about the power to traverse across the realms, and had learned of a land named Skyrim which possessed an artifact known as the Elder Scrolls, whose power granted the gift of true immortality. If these scrolls were obtained, then he would no longer need to pretend to act as a mere regent and become the Dragonlord of Draconia for all time, his rule truly absolute. As such, he made his way to the portal room, and stood before the glowing blue vortex.
"Alduin!! You bastard!!" yelled a voice coming from behind. "What have you done with my father!!"
Alduin briefly turned around, and there stood Lord Erigoth himself. He towered over the slight, camoflaged colored drake; a scared little hatchling that would never amount to anything, never mind the human that rode upon his back; what as his name again? Blank? Leblanc? What did it matter anyhow, he was but a human. Yet he was surprised that Erigoth had managed to sneak past all the guards
"Why, the council had announced that Lord Ultimus Ironwing is no longer fit to serve as the Dragonlord of Draconia, and now."
"A-a-a-and w-where do you think you're going?" Erigoth stammered. Alduin wanted to laugh in his face, "On a journey, young hatchling, one that will ensure my rule over Draconia for all time..."
"Y-you're insane!! You won't get away with this!!" he sputtered. "Oh? And you're going to stop me?"
Erigoth hesitated, scrunching in on himself just like Alduin anticipated the cowardly dragon to do.
"If you truly think you have what it takes to be a real Dragonlord, then follow me through the portal Erigoth. Follow me into Skyrim and stop me if you can..."
Alduin rumbled with laughter as he stepped forward into the portal.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author