Prologue: I See Fire
Oh, misty eye of the mountain below
Keep careful watch of my brothers’ souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin’s sons
“You called for me, your Royal Highness?” The tundra approached his queen. He had acted as her advisor since the day of her coronation. Really, their relationship went beyond titles, but he liked to do things right, and his role in the clan was one he took very seriously.
“Yes Eli. It seems that we are at war.” A small, pink fae perched on her throne, pink eyes blinking down at her old friend. They were not filled with joy, however, as they usually were. This time a fear clouded them.
“Kyro won’t stand down.” It was not a question.
“He will not rest until he has taken my daughter for his wife.” The queen confirmed. “I have asked the royal guard to prepare for battle. That sorry excuse for a kingdom knows nothing of courtesy and solve their problems with the blade and teeth. Ashweather especially is on guard. I am glad that one of the guard have chosen Neffie as their charge. It certainly makes it easier to ask this much of him.”
“I still don’t see why you have called me.” Eli pointed out. “You seem to have everything under control. You’ve given the orders. What do you need of me?”
“Promise me that when the time of battle comes, you will hide Neffie and Ashweather away. They are both young, and they need someone wiser to help them survive should I fall in battle.” The queen’s eyes grew steely. “There is no one I trust more for this task than you.”
“My Queen, you should not endanger yourself so-” Eli began, then was interrupted.
“I may be a queen, but I am also a mother. I will die if it means I can keep Neffie out of the hands of that slimy beast.” Her tone left no room for argument.
“Your wish is my command.”
The sunset shone pink, stained with red, but no one below was marveling at its beauty. The tranquility was broken by the sound of gnashing teeth and deft claws. Dragons roared with pain and screeched with the knowledge that no one could hear their cries among the cacophony. Nobody knew what had provoked the attack, but nobody really had the time to ponder it either. They were fighting for their lives.
Hidden away in the one few untouched corners of the clan, a small collection of dragons huddled, trying to block out the noise of their clanmates’ dying screams.
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Calling out father oh
Stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
“We should be out there, helping our clanmates!” A male guardian exclaimed, scratching deep gouges into the dirt floor beneath his talons. “I have sworn to protect this clan with my life, I should be dying alongside them, not cowering as they die for us!”
“Patience, Ashweather. You are forgetting why we are here.” Eli whispered anxiously. “Our duty may be to our clan, but right now, it is to our princess first.”
Between them sat a small pink fae. She shifted her weight uncomfortably. She may be a princess, but the dragons outside were her family and friends, and her status was not worth their blood. She winced as another sharp scream pierced the air. Sixty-three. That was the number of dragons who had died for her. She wanted to beg the tundra to let her and Ashweather out to fight, but she knew it was pointless. So instead, she sat there and counted. She vowed that the number would forever be seared on her heart, a guilt that would never be lived down.
The sounds of fighting began to die down. One by one, the clan united under Plaguebringer outnumbered their opponents. Princess Neffie could imagine their glowing red eyes, two pairs each, scouring the land and ensuring that everyone was dead. The thought sent shivers down her spine.
It seemed like they spent an eternity in that stone den, then suddenly, Eli rose. “It’s time.”
And if we should die tonight
Then we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
Calling out father oh
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
Eli lead the two young dragons into a chamber beneath the temple in which they had hidden. Around them, crystals glowed a soft pink, lighting their way. He had no time to stop and marvel at the young dragons’ wonder as they entered the Arcanist’s chamber for the first time. Very few even knew this place existed.
His heart felt heavy. He did not know if his queen still lived, but as the fight continued, he was less and less certain at the survival of his friend, and the rest of the the clan. Yet he could not mourn. His duty was not yet done.
“Why are we here? If they break in, they’ll still find us.” Neffie’s shaking voice betrayed the fear she refused to show with her posture.
“There is something I must do.” Eli explained. He began riffling through the scrolls hanging around the chamber. Most of them were simple gene or renaming scrolls, but some contained a higher power. To activate the magic within, he would have to call upon the Arcanist himself and bargain for the power. In any other circumstance, he would have shied away from such powerful and dangerous magic, but it was the only way he could ensure the safety of the princess. Mirrors were prime trackers, and there would be no where they could run that the pack would not eventually find them.
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me
The smell of residual arcane energy filled the air, stinging Eli’s nostrils. The princess and her guard were gone. He had wiped their memories and transported them to the Windswept Plateau. There they would likely wander until they found some clan to take them in. The Wind Flight was known for their hospitality, and Eli knew they would look after them better than he could.
The smell grew stronger, and Eli braced himself. He had managed to tap into the Arcanist’s magic, but now he would pay the price. Around him, the sounds of battle grew quieter. With a sinking feeling, Eli realized it was probably not because the attackers had been driven off. Soon, the scent of magic completely covered the smell of blood and fire, and he knew he was in the presence of the Arcanist.
“Do what you will. I have nothing left to live for.” Eli spat bitterly. His clan was gone. His queen was gone. Its only survivors knew nothing of the clan anymore, they would wake up and believe themselves to have always been wind dragons. They wouldn’t even remember their names. They were Fenn and Elric now.
“Oh, you have plenty left to live for.” The Arcanist’s voice rumbled over the chamber. “I believe we can work out a sort of deal.” He purred the last word, and Eli had a feeling his was about to become some sort of glorified guinea pig in a cosmic experiment.
You will live forever. Clans will rise and fall around you, and you will be helpless to do anything. This is your destiny. This is the price you must pay. I will watch, and wait, and observe. You are my project now.
Wind roared in the pink fae’s ears. The unfamiliarity of it woke her with a start. Around her stretched a light green plain. Wind rushed through the grass in streams. She blinked. She couldn’t remember falling asleep. Actually, she couldn’t remember anything. It was as if she had popped into existence on the windswept plain, and the more she looked at it, the less and less sure she was that it was unfamiliar. Surely she had been here her whole life? She relished the feeling of wind blowing around her, and she longed to spread her pale blue wings and join the dragons swooping around above her head. Were they her family? Had she fallen? She called out to them, but when she realized they didn’t recognize her, her heart sank. Was she alone?
Suddenly, she heard a groan. She spun around to see a large purple guardian dragon with leathery forest green wings. “Elric!” She called joyfully. The name felt unfamiliar on her tongue, but she undoubtedly knew this dragon. He opened his pale green eyes. The fae was confused for a moment. Had she been expecting pink? Why shouldn’t his eyes be green?
The confusion soon faded from her mind as Elric smiled at her. “Fenn.”
Fenn smiled. Elric had been her best friend since they were hatchlings, and she could imagine no other dragon beside her. He was closer to her than her parents and siblings, which I guess didn’t say much, seeing as she had no recollection of her family. Regardless, Elric was all she had.
Seeing Fenn standing there seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he stood up, and stood protectively near her, as if expecting danger to swoop down on them at any moment. His eyes scanned the now-empty sky, then fixed on something that seemed to be approaching. It appeared to be a long dragon. He growled as it drew nearer, and Fenn tensed up, preparing to fight at any sign of danger. When the dragon lighted down, a wave of recognition washed over them. Elric backed down immediately, and Fenn sank into a bow.
“Windsinger, sorry my lord.” Elric immediately apologized, but the dragon was not angered, merely amused. His eyes shone knowingly, as if he knew something about these two dragons that they did not, but they did not dare question him. “No harm was done.” He responded simply. “I see you are awake.”
The two dragons stared numbly at him. Why did he care that they had been sleeping? And why was he glad to see them awake?
“No matter.” He carried on, seeing that the two were clearly not going to respond to him. “I expect you have some questions?” He was met with more silence. “Maybe not. Eli certainly did his job well.” He sounded bemused. The name sounded familiar in Fenn’s ears, but the familiarity too faded.
“Now, you two have lost quite a bit of important memory. That sort of magic is not done easily.” Windsinger explained. “And magic that big is bound to have effects on you. I can’t explain the circumstances of the amnesia, all that was done for a reason that I expect you may someday find out, but now telling you would hinder the memory wipe useless. Not that I understand completely how it was done. My expertise is wind and air, not magic. Neither will I be able to undo it, so if you ever get the urge to quest, as you dragons do, for your memory, don’t come to me. I can’t help you.”
He paused to see if the two dragons were keeping up. They no longer looked dazed and shocked into silence, but they still seemed rather confused. Still, they nodded to show their understanding.
“Now, you two will be needing a place to stay. Over on the Zephyr Steppes, there is a sizable chunk of unclaimed land. You are welcome to it.” Windsinger explained. “It’s small, but it is charming, if I do say so myself. It is the perfect place to start a clan, and maybe a family.” He turned to Fenn. “I understand you are carrying eggs and close to laying them. This will be your first clutch, correct?”
“Yes, I think so. H-How did you know?” Fenn stuttered, confused. She had vague knowledge of the fact she was close to her first laying, though she did not know the circumstances beforehand. The Windsinger just laughed and smiled, not giving any answer.
“I shall take my leave now.” He said, eyes twinkling. “Oh, and welcome to the Windswept Plateau.” Before either of the two could thank him, he took off into the sky and flew out of sight, laughter trailing behind him, leaving them confused about many things.
(Pinging you two normally because I only just made the pinglist! You can find it in
this post!)
This chapter may not be up to snuff with my usual writing ability, I originally wrote this
as an interlude to The Stories of Windkeep Tower, and I figured if I had already written this, why write it again?
Fun fact! The reason I decided to have Fenn and Elric be originally from arcane all those years ago is because I immediately regretted not choosing arcane as my element, but I didn't know flight changes were a thing, and eventually I grew to love being in wind and I still haven't been in arcane for a substantial amount of time because that pinkerlocke fell through, but someday.
Anyways! I am very excited to start writing this story!
