Fairo

A greed-filled thief, Fairo spent the prime years of his life thieving from anyone and everyone around him. No matter whether it be coins, trinkets, treasures, or prized valuables, he'd seek every object that shined in his endless pursuit of personal wealth. However, there was one single thing he stole by complete accident. Not a material possession, no, yet still incredibly valuable. What could that be, though? Why, it was none other than... the feelings of another.

The King's heart was one tainted by the same greed that Fairo possessed; a lusting for unfair amounts of wealth and power to triumph over his subjects with. And yet, when he first spotted the Wildclaw dashing to and fro through his kingdom, snatching up this and that, his heart seemed to betray him as he gazed out of his castle windows, watching from afar as he observed that criminal carry out his misdeeds. He couldn't help himself as he grew an admiration for Fairo's skills, relating to him in their shared greed. He didn't stop himself as he drifted off daydreaming about a world in which they ruled side by side in an empire coated in the glittering dust of gold that belonged to no one but themselves, an empire in which the only dragons they cared for were each other.

The King was nothing but delighted when he spotted the criminal skulking around in the shadows of his castle, and he eagerly rushed forwards to greet him and propose his ideas to the Wildclaw. However, his affections turned to a swirling rush of betrayal and fury as Fairo leapt forwards and snatched the crown straight off the King's head, dashing through and shattering a stained glass window to escape before the King had any time to react. With a roar of pure fury, the King summoned a legion of bounty-hunters to chase after the Wildclaw and retrieve both him and the crown. With a final snarl, he made sure to mention that they were to bring Fairo back alive. He wanted to punish the Wildclaw himself, and a simple death was not the way he wanted to do it.

Eventually, the hunters were successful in capturing the Wildclaw, and they dragged him writhing and snarling all the way back to the King's palace, tossing him mercilessly onto the floor at the King's feet. Looking up, Fairo's defiant eyes gaze met the King's heartbroken one, and yet, the Wildclaw only perceived anger in them. After all, how was he supposed to be aware of deeper feelings never brought up to him? Nevertheless, the King summoned forth a powerful mage, and spoke these words before Fairo. (Though of course, they are translated from Old English for your convenience!)

"Vile raptor, due to the merit of what you had stolen from me, I can not excuse the crimes you have performed, and as punishment, I shall cast you away into a shell of what you prize. Perhaps you may find bliss being encased in a prison of gold, but I hope you feel nothing but shame and isolation as you waste away forever from within."

Subsequently, the mage stepped forwards and uttered an ancient spell, and before he could react, Fairo was imprisoned in a statue of gold, cursed to be trapped within for thousands of years before the spell's last traces withered away, releasing him from his prison of eternal sleep. The gold did not break away however when he at last was able to move, and he learned to settle with the fact that he was no longer truly a dragon, but a sentient gold statue.

Awakening, he found himself staring into the red eyes of a Guardian, wide with shock as she viewed the previously unassuming statue she had bought a few days prior spring to life right in front of her. Fairo would have fled then and there, yet, he was standing right in the middle of a grand treasury! He couldn't just leave this behind, could he? Ah, even after the passing of thousands of years, he was still the same as ever; a greedy thief.

It took the two dragons a few days of bickering before they eventually settled upon an agreement with each other: Fairo could live in the treasury free of charge as long as instead of stealing from it, he contributed to it by bringing new riches to the ever-expanding hoard. In exchange, Rasa would keep his secret and not reveal his sentience to any other dragons. Of course, it's not like the Plague Clan would find a sentient statue as anything out of the ordinary, but Fairo has found himself wanting to be extra careful lately.. he does not exactly want any living heirs of the King to find him and punish him once more.