Urbane

In the distant past, Stefan and Charlotte had gone on journeys to procure knowledge for their orders, and to aid the Witches during the great war. But now, their journey was one of peace. They had happily volunteered for this diplomatic mission, for they were eager to see how Sornieth had changed over the years.

As they traveled across the continent, they forged and strengthened alliances. They experienced the new wonders the land had to offer, and befriended many clans. The work was hard, but rewarding—more so when, while traveling through the Ashfall Waste, Charlotte realized that she was with child.

She and Stefan were overjoyed, and the Fire clan that was hosting them was happy to provide them with a nest. Soon the two eggs hatched, and once the children were old enough to travel, the family headed home.

They did not receive the joyful welcome they’d hoped for. Most Sectonians gladly accepted the children, but the countenances of Balder and Bellatrix darkened with rage. The two old Gaolers disagreed on many points, but this was one thing they both despised: the union, the children, of Witch and Sage, which their deities had forbidden many centuries before.

“You would doom us again, Charlotte? Have you not learned from your past mistakes?”

Bellatrix spoke quietly, but the hatred in her eyes was chilling to see—and her gaze was fixed on the two hatchlings. They clung to their mother’s back, uncomprehending but afraid.

Stefan’s mane bristled. He stepped before Charlotte, shielding his family from the violence that he feared would follow. “Harm a scale on my family’s skin, Bellatrix, and I’ll drag you to hell with me!”

“Enough!”

The shout snapped everyone back to reality. Suddenly, they all recalled where they were: not on some distant battlefield, but inside a throne room. Empress Mirage’s throne room.

And the Empress was not about to tolerate this dispute. Golden light crackled across her scales as she growled, “I absolutely forbid that the blood of innocent children be shed upon my land. It deeply disgusts me,” she snarled, fixing Bellatrix and Balder with a withering gaze, “that I should even have to remind you of this.”

Bellatrix looked away. But old, stubborn Balder protested, “Empress, we are only being mindful of the goddesses’ prophecy. ‘The union of Light and Shadow will—’”

“Have you learned nothing?!” Charlotte exploded. “The time of ruin has already passed—and it was because you brought it about! The two of you, pitting all of us against each other—”

Mirage let out a long, low hiss that cut the Nocturne off. Silence fell over the chamber again, and all watched breathlessly as the Empress beckoned to Stefan and Charlotte.

“Bring your children to me.”

They strode towards her, heads held high, trusting in her wisdom. They did not even glance at Balder and Bellatrix as they passed.

As the hatchlings were presented to Mirage, their parents stated their names: Valor for the copper-colored child, and Urbane for the fiery orange one. Mirage nodded in acknowledgment, and then she raised her head, her steely gaze now encompassing the entire crowd.

“The Empire welcomes all who desire peace,” she reminded them, “whether they be Beast or Dragon, Umbra Witch or Lumen Sage.

“And all whom I accept into my empire are under my protection. Doubly so for the untested, the infirm, the children,” she emphasized that last word, “who cannot defend themselves. Thus anyone who wishes to harm these hatchlings forfeits the security of the Empire, and will have to contend against me.”

Her words were clear. All the courtiers murmured in agreement, bowing meekly before her. Stefan and Charlotte embraced their children in relief. “We are safe here, and our children with us,” they thought. At last, they could have the harmonious life of which they’d always dreamed.

~ ~ ~
Valor and Urbane were raised in the Empire. They were loved by their parents and had many friends growing up—but theirs was not an entirely happy childhood.

Balder and Bellatrix remained cold towards them and unfortunately, as time passed, their prejudice spread to their subordinates. The brothers often found themselves wondering if they would ever truly find a place in the Empire—after all, if neither the Witches nor the Sages would have them, who would?

“Perhaps our place isn’t here, then.”

“What d’you mean?” Urbane gasped, looking at his brother. Not long ago, they had seen their older schoolmates graduate and be assigned to official duties in the Empire. That day was fast approaching for them too, and so they’d begun discussing their futures.

To Urbane, the thought of finding a place beyond the Empire’s borders was unthinkable. After all, this was their home.

Wasn’t it?

“Our parents have told us so many stories. They visited so many fantastic places just before we were born, you know? I’d love to see them. The fortress they defended, all the scrolls in the Tourmaline Archives, the caves of Dragonhome...”

Valor chattered on and on. But Urbane wasn’t fooled. He saw through the seemingly cheerful shine in his brother’s eyes.

“That’s not the whole story, isn’t it?” he said, cutting Valor off. “C’mon, Val—what is it, really?”

Valor trailed off. The eager mask dropped off his face, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Bane, this place...I don’t want to stay here. People are always beating me down.”

“It’ll get better—”

“Do you really believe that?” It was Urbane’s turn to fall silent. As he listened with a heavy heart, Valor continued, “We’ve been telling ourselves that for years, but if anything, it’s only gotten worse. The Empress’ protection only goes so far. I don’t want to hide behind it forever. I don’t want to have to hide at all.”

Urbane continued to plead with him, trying to convince him to stay. But Valor had already made up his mind. Soon afterward, he spoke with their elders, and they accepted his decision to leave the Empire for good.

He soon found a new home in a friendly Fire clan. Eventually, he sent word that he had been exalted to the Flamecaller. The work was hard, he said, but rewarding. And though he didn’t say it outright, Urbane knew that at last, his brother was really and truly happy.

He should have felt the same way. Should have been glad that Valor had found joy and purpose elsewhere.

Instead, the bitterness inside him grew. Urbane was no fool; he understood that what he was feeling was envy. He wanted to be happy like his brother. Wanted to have the same respect. The same glory accorded to those who were exalted.

“I can leave too, can’t I? I’m sure the Fire Flight will welcome me. It’d be great to see Valor again, to fight alongside him...”

But Urbane couldn’t bring himself to leave. Despite all the difficulties here, the Empire was his home. He knew that if he left, he would miss his family and friends even more.

He threw himself into his lessons and training with a will. He had been a diligent student before, but now he pushed himself, trying to stand out from the crowd. Perhaps he could still get the respect and recognition he longed for here, if only he worked hard enough...

But instead of admiring his skills, his fellow students sneered at him for “trying too hard”. He wasn’t sure which of them came up with the epithet “The Untested Firebrand” for him, but he immediately disliked it. It sounded grand—until one examined the words more closely.

The good humor for which Urbane had been named soon melted away. He became irritable and hotheaded, always picking fights with his peers. He had to be better than them at everything....He would become better! He’d be as great as his parents were, better even than Balder and Bellatrix...

The other youngsters sneered at these boasts. One of them hooted, “Yeah, and maybe you’ll take down an Emperor all by yourself!”

A wave of snickers and jeers followed this announcement. As Urbane watched, fuming silently, one of the young Imperials flopped to the ground. “It’s me, Jubileus! Ooooh, save me—it’s the Chosen Fire Child or...whatever! It’s...Urbaaaane!”

Urbane stormed away from the quadrangle, shaking with rage. “Someday...” he thought, grinding his teeth. “Someday, I will take down an Emperor! Hah, if there were any around now, I’d definitely show them—”

He paused, thinking more deeply. He did know where to find an Emperor: Luminax still stalked Emperor’s Wake.

“And didn’t Jubileus have eleven heads? That was why both the Sages and the Witches needed to band together to take it down. But Luminax has only three heads, so it’s got to be weaker...”

His heart pounded with excitement as he considered these ideas. Yes—a weak Emperor was still an Emperor. He was a child of Witch and Sage, wasn’t he? He could defeat this monster! Then everyone would have to respect him...

He didn’t pause to wonder why, if such a beast were “easy” to defeat, no one had destroyed it yet. Anger and excitement roiled together within him, purging all common sense.

He was almost smiling as he fluttered back to his home. Never mind that he still had other classes that day—he needed time to prepare! By sundown tomorrow, Luminax would be dead—and he, Urbane, would be the Empire’s next hero.

~ ~ ~
Urbane located the Emperor the next day, just as dawn was breaking. He’d been hearing its footsteps for some time now, but it was only when the first rays of daylight burned off the fog that he was able to see it properly.

To his credit, he didn’t even quail. He’d spent the rest of yesterday reading up on magic and combat strategies; and now, as he observed Luminax, it seemed to him that it was still sluggish. The middle head was upright, but the other two were low to the ground, seemingly drooping with drowsiness.

“I can take those two out. And without them, the center head will be defenseless!” Urbane chuckled. He glided closer, murmuring the beginnings of a spell. He built it up as he moved closer, till it was a raging inferno, needing but one more word to ignite it...

There! Urbane conjured a mass of whirling fire and sent it bearing down upon the beast. He cheered as the flames engulfed Luminax. He’d done it! Soon the Emperor would fall, and then...

...and then...

The spell dissipated. The Emperor remained standing—but now, all its heads were raised. And the eyes, previously dull and clouded, had come alight with a dreadful hunger.

All six of them were fixed on Urbane. He swallowed hard, managed to find his voice: “Oh, so you want some more, huh? Well, c’mon...” He conjured more fire, yelling with a bravado he didn’t really feel, “There’s more where that came from!”

Luminax seemed only too eager to oblige. Its three heads lunged at Urbane, jaws agape. The young Nocturne flitted through the air, frantically trying to avoid them while summoning more spells. He could attack the eyes, the nostrils; that was what was so good about having such a large target! See—it was opening its mouth again. Light blooming at the back of its throat...he could fling in a fireball, cause Luminax’s own magic to backfire...

No, too slow. He was too slow.

The world seemed to disappear. Urbane thought for a moment he was dead, consumed in that unholy blaze...but he’d managed to throw himself clear of it.

Still, the heat of it had been intense enough to knock him to the ground. He was too exhausted to move....The Emperor was drawing nearer. As its shadow fell over him, he let out a groan of despair and shut his eyes.

And then the world lit up again—but from another direction this time. A bolt of light smashed against Luminax, stopping it in its tracks. It roared and turned to confront its new foe.

Urbane felt claws closing about him. Through the haze of confusion, he saw his mother’s face. “Don’t try to talk, Urbane,” she said as she lifted him up. “We’re getting you out of here.”

Urbane looked back over her shoulder, and to his horror, he saw what had captured Luminax’s attention: Alraune, one of the elite Sages; and his father, Stefan, were baiting the Emperor.

They moved dangerously close to it, the better to distract it. Several times, the Emperor scored blows on them, gashing open their limbs and flanks. But they kept fighting, because Urbane wasn’t far away enough yet, and if they flagged, even for a second...

At last, Stefan saw that his mate and his son were at a safe distance. He bellowed to Alraune, who loosed another blast of light against the Emperor’s faces. By the time it recovered, all four dragons were out of range, safely on their way back to the Empire.

~ ~ ~
Urbane and Charlotte were unharmed, but the same could not be said for Stefan and Alraune. Warriors from the Empire had to meet them halfway and help carry them home.

The healers announced that while they were out of danger, they would need much time to recover. As for Urbane, he received a stern and lengthy lecture from his mother. If not for his classmates mentioning yesterday’s argument, they never would have guessed where he had gone. He could have been killed!

Urbane, normally so sharp-tongued, could only hang his head and mumble apologies. It wasn’t the thought of him being slaughtered by the Emperor that cowed him—it was instead the memory of his father lying in the infirmary, injured after coming to his rescue.

When he received word that the Council and the Empress would be making formal statements against his behavior, he went quietly to them, still repentant. The Councilors, taking note of this, were a lot less harsher with him than they might have been.

Empress Mirage was, as always, calm and contemplative. She simply spoke a few words of admonishment—nothing Urbane hadn’t heard before—and declared that he would receive a just penalty for his recklessness.

“Yes, of course,” Urbane mumbled, still downcast. “What should I do?”

“Our Empire is constructing a new settlement for our Beastclan brethren. Akatosh has asked for some assistance, and you will be aiding him in this endeavor.”

The faintest hint of distaste crossed Urbane’s face. He’d met Akatosh a few times and didn’t really have a strong opinion on him, but the thought of directing building operations sounded unutterably boring.

And then he remembered what had gotten him here in the first place, and he was once again contrite and understanding. “Yes, Empress. I’ll go help him.”

“Akatosh will be pleased to have your assistance. I’ll send a message to him shortly.” The Empress’ face softened as she looked at the young Nocturne. In a gentler tone, she added, “Your father will be fully recovered soon. You will assist him as well, once he returns to his work in the library.”

“Gladly, Empress,” Urbane answered. The thought of his father being well and whole again lifted his spirits, and he smiled back with genuine gratitude.

~ ~ ~
Akatosh was a good supervisor, warm and easy to work with. But as Urbane had feared, much of the work was boring. He spent a lot of time thinking how he would much rather be studying magic in the library, or sparring with other young warriors.

But again, he remembered why he had been given this work in the first place, and so he pushed his impatience down. He tried to find things to enjoy in these tedious, everyday tasks—and to his surprise, there were plenty. He learned to appreciate the earnestness of the workers, the grand goals which they were steadily working towards. Building homes for the common folk wasn’t as flashy as fighting an Emperor, but it was glorious and noble all the same.

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. The Empress periodically sent agents to check on the project, and Akatosh reported that Urbane was showing plenty of promise.

“As a builder?” Himiko asked, looking up from the reports she’d been handed. The Banescale chuckled. “He’d make a good leader. He knows how to cheer the workers up. Takes the time to talk with them, too, and get to know them as they’re working.”

Himiko nodded approvingly. Part of this task entailed talking with the workers, and she did just that, listening to their comments and complaints. Urbane was happy to chat with her, especially when she mentioned his upcoming work at the library. He would be dividing his time between helping his father and helping Akatosh, but it was clear which job he preferred.

“Actually, I wanted to ask about something I’d read in the library. Um, if it’s all right with you.”

“Of course, Urbane.” Himiko put on an exaggerated scowl. “You haven’t been delving into ancient and forbidden knowledge, have you?”

“I think it might be? Sort of forbidden, I mean. Well, I already asked Balder, but he said...”

He trailed off sadly, and Himiko sighed. She had been deeply disappointed in her father’s prejudice, and she hated seeing the young Nocturne so discouraged by it.

But only for a moment. Urbane quickly rallied, his eyes alight with interest. “There was something called ‘Light Speed.’ I was hoping you could tell me more?”

“That depends. What have you learned so far?”

Himiko already knew what he was leading towards, and what her answer would be: Of course she would teach him. She was tired of the needless discrimination that had nearly destroyed her, that had destroyed the homes and people she’d loved before. No matter how staunchly Balder still revered the prophecy, his daughter could not agree with him.

Stefan and Charlotte had been right all along. The time of ruin was long past. The time to rebuild was now—and perhaps it would start here, with this young and fiery-eyed Nocturne, the child of Witch and Sage.

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
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