Nalewen (BearClaw X SirLostBoy)

[BearClaw]

Aya looked at Archer, confused. "The Island of Thassa? Dragonfall? No. They don't sound familiar..." She turned to look back at the castle, every step away from it was a step further from safety but also a step closer to the truth.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"That is just....goddamn infuriating and depressing!" Artorius shouted as he just couldn't take it anymore. "So the 'king' thinks he can just wipe us out of existence eh?! What kind of bullshit is that?! And he just expects people to take it?! Well...of course he expects them to cause nobody even fucking remembers we even existed!!" he ranted and kept ranting to nobody in particular as they started to reach a clearing in the forest that was oddly, almost blindingly bright.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya got a fright when Archer started shouting, she hadn't expected that reaction but then again, she didn't know what to expect from him. "I'm sure my father is doing what he thinks is right... He's a good man." She was more saying this to convince herself that she actually knew her father. Over the years he had been so busy with the war that he had no time for her, they had become strangers.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"He's a good man?! A good man?!" Archer said exasperated. It took all his strength not to strangle the poor girl. they finally enter the clearing and at the center of the giant clearing was Atarka, a giant golden dragon shimmering brightly as the sun reflected off his metallic scales. "Did you hear her Atarka?" he said to the dragon as he went to check on his bag of stuff that he kept with the dragon. "She said he was a good man!" he scoffed at the comment. The dragon made this deep rumbling, almost gravely laugh at the comment.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya saw the dragon and froze. "That's... that's a dragon!" She exclaimed, half excited and half terrified. "I've read about them but I never thought I would actually see one! They were said to have died out a long time ago!" She took a step towards the large reptile, completely ignoring the fact that Archer was laughing at her statement that her father was a good man.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"You can blame your father for that one," Archer said gruffly as he decided to do some maintenance on his blade. He pulled some stuff from his bag and sat down on a nearby rock where he pulled out the moonlight sword from his back. with a fine stone he slowly whetted the stone as he watched her. Atarka leaned his head down close to Aya's and looked her over curiously. He gave her and her cat a suspicious sniff, before giving a light snort and a nod. "He wants you to place you hand on his head," Archer told the princess. "It'll get a little hot for a minute," he warned her.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya looked at Archer, "My father? What does he have to do with the death of the dragons?" She shook her head, she was so confused. When the dragon leaned his head forward and Archer told her to put her hand on his head she complied, not quite knowing what was going to happen. She could feel the heat emanating from the dragon's head and hand warmed up quickly.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"Your father killed off all the dragons," she heard a deep, noble sounding, voice in her head. "What he said." Artorius agreed. He made is seem so normal and natural for her to be hearing a voice in her head. "That day is known in infamy, when not any more, as Dragonfall." Archer said with a sad sigh.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya's eyes opened wide in shock as she heard the voice in her head. This day was just getting stranger by the minute. "My father? But how? Why? He never seemed like the kind of man to kill without reason, there must have been some reason for it..." Her eyes showed her disbelief and how she was close to breaking down due to what she had just heard, one small piece of information had started to break down her entire image of who her father was.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"It's obvious isn't it? Your father was afraid. He had grown afraid of what we could do," Artorius said angrily. "You know my real name isn't Archer. It's an alias I had to use, to hide. My real name is Artorius Aurelius, the last of the dragon riders of Thassa and son to a murdered family. It was just terrible. For thousands of years our house had helped yours protecting the land, we won their wars for them, helped them keep their throne. And what does your father do in repayment? He stabs us in the back and kills every single one of us; man, women, children and dragon alike," Artorius scoffed bitterly. "You have no idea what your father is capable, so don't even try to defend that man...I watched him murder my father and mother with his own hands...this sword and this cape are the only two things left I have of my father..." he muttered as he gestured towards them. "We got lucky...his parents thought fast and hid us in a hidden compartment in their bedroom so we wouldn't be found..." Atarka added softly.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya was speechless at what Archer, no, Artorius had just told her. How could her father have been so cruel? Didn't she know him at all? A tear ran down her cheek and then she collapsed onto the floor crying. She had always looked up to her father and wanted to rule the kingdom like he did but now everything she had believed was falling apart, she didn't know what to think anymore.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"Oh great now she's crying..." he sighed gruffly. "Look...just stop...it's..." he started to stay but stopped. He didn't know what to say. He had spent so many years being angry and harsh. Doing everything military-style that he kind of forgot how to comfort people at all. He just kind of sat there helplessly as he watched. Atarka slowly wrapped himself around her in a warm embrace. "It'll be ok..." the dragon said softly

 

[BearClaw]

Aya was comforted by the warm embrace, it was something she hadn't felt in a long time. "I-I'm sorry..." She said between sobs, "I just never knew... How could he do that?" She felt pathetic crying in front of two complete strangers but she couldn't help it.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"Well he either went crazy or is jut evil," Artorius muttered softly. "So that's why I need this revolution. I need justice! It is the only way. I can't let him get away with what he's done...and we could use your help if you would offer it," he asked kindly as he stood up, placing his sword down against the rock and walking up to her; doing his best to give her a nice smile.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya looked at Artorius sadly, "Is war really the right thing though? This war has taken so much from so many people, why would you sacrifice the lives of others to get revenge? If I understand you correctly, this is your fight, not theirs." She spoke softly but confidently, she understood his anger, she had been angry at the war for a while but she realised there was no point to it. "I know the anger you feel. I lost my mother to this war, she was killed on her way back to the castle, her carriage was attacked. That's why my father kept me locked up. He didn't want the same to happen to me..."

 

[SirLostBoy]

"It's the only thing I know goddamit! And you have no idea the anger I feel! Not even close! I lost BOTH of my parents! Lost all my friends, my family, just about every one I knew! I had get a new name because I was scared for my life if your father knew I was alive! I had to fend for myself at the age of ten! War is what is needed! The people need it....I need it!" He said as his tone quickly changed, and he started to get angry. "I'm sorry that your mother was killed, if I had known it wouldn't have happened....as much I need this war, I still have rules....never women or children...." he said apologetically.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya shook her head, her voice filling with bitterness. "Never women and children? How many women and children do you think you have destroyed the lives of by killing the one person who kept their family together? The men are the ones who keep them fed! How many families do you need to destroy to make yourself feel better? And how many women and children do you think have been caught in the crossfire?" She turned away from him, all the anger she used to feel coming back in a surge of hatred. She didn't want to feel like this, but she couldn't help it, maybe she was a naïve girl who didn't understand war but in her mind it didn't solve anything.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"Those men made their choice! They chose to go to war!" He said angrily. "My men all have the choice to leave whenever they want to! I don't force anybody here to fight. They fight because they want change! They want something different for themselves than what their king as said they could have!" he said bitterly. He started to riled up again so he stopped for minute and teek a deep breath to calm himself down. He had never really had anyone who questioned his "Causalities happen...it's war...you can't apply your ideal morals anymore when the other person chooses not too...we can't just sit here and take his oppression....you don't see it like we do...you've been up in your castle, hidden from the world so don't act so high and all wise..." he said bitterly, walking away and sitting back down on his rock in the far corner.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya began to walk back the way they had come, speaking over her shoulder, "I didn't choose to stay in the castle. If you would just think for a moment instead of seeing everything so emotionally you would know that you are doing more harm than good. What about when you kill my father? What then?" She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't want her father to die, even if he was distant, at least she had a father.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"That's simple. We let you become Queen," he said as he started after her. "And that's why I can't let you go." He said as he grabbed her arm to stop her. He could see the good in her; her ideology. This might be what the kingdom needs. Someone like her in power. She might not have been popular at first but he could work with it. Yeah she might be a bit naïve but she was an idealist that the people could latch on to.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya stopped as Artorius grabbed her arm. "Queen? I'm 19 for god's sake! How am I supposed to lead a kingdom?!" She shook her head, if her mother had still been around it would have been her duty to educate her daughter on how to be queen. Her father was too busy to even think about teaching her to lead a kingdom.

 

[SirLostBoy]

"With time! and guidance! You'll have your own council set up with people you can trust to help you learn! The point is that the people can't stand being under your father's rule! Either way something has to change! You haven't seen what it is like in some of those places out there! As much as I want revenge I also have to admit that this fight isn't just me. Every single person out there is fighting for something they feel is bigger than themselves...you can't just take that away from them can you? Tell them that they can't fight for something better than themselves? Contrary to popular belief I did not brainwash these people ok? They all came of their own accord..." Artorius said sternly and seriously as he looked her in the eyes. It was hard arguing with her, especially when sometimes she brought up good points. But he had a point himself. As much as he would do anything to kill the king right now, this fight is also about the people of the kingdom and what they want, and they are calling for change.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya looked at the ground sadly. "I don't want to lose my father as well... I'm an only child and my mother is dead. I don't want to end up alone..." He had made a good point, if her father's rule was causing problems for the people then it would be better if he rule ended. She felt so conflicted. If only there was a way to end his rule without him being killed.

 

[SirLostBoy]

Her words really hit home this time. He remember what had happened to him; he lost his own parents to her own father and he was about to take hers away from him. If he killed him would he become him? He grew scared and conflicted. But this was what he had spent his entire life waiting for! But after a minute or so of internal debating he finally made a decision. "Hey, look...I can't believe I am even saying this but...what if....i-instead of killing him we just i....imprison him instead? For life. That way at least your dad isn't dead...." he said softly with a slight grumble. As the words came out of his mouth he felt himself going insane. He was throwing away his entire life's work because of this one girl! He couldn't believe his own ear.

 

[BearClaw]

Aya looked up at him quickly, "Imprison him?" She thought for a moment, before smiling. "That might actually work, but there is still the problem of me not being able to lead a kingdom. Even with a council, I wouldn't know where to start... And anyway, I don't know anyone I could trust to be part of that council." She frowned, the only person she could think of that she knew that would be smart enough was Artorius but she barely knew him.