Duty over desire

 The sixth month of the year of the creator, 2,020.

(Two months before the blood moon) 

Asghavia, Volcaris.

The roar of a dragon pierced the moonlit evening sky as its powerful wings beat the air. The rider on its back dug its heels into the dragon's left flank causing it to screech and veer sharply to the left. Folding its large wings, it swooped downward, flying straight to the ground below.

The rider atop its back did not panic but confidently held on to the large horns protruding from the dragon's scaled back.

Just as it seemed like it was going to crash to the ground, it opened up its wings and sailed through the air, over the heads of the people of the city who didn't pay much mind to it as they had been used to the sight of dragons for over a millennium.

It flew over the street of Shayr, past its stalls, taverns, and brothels as it headed east, to the arena of dragons.

Beating its wings against the wind, it began its descent to the grounds of the arena. The arena was a massive construction built by Emperor Babr at the time of the emergence of the dragons from the volcanic mountains surrounding Volcaris. The arena was constructed with deep caves built in a circle, where the dragons lived, with an immense field in the middle for takeoff and landing.

At the peak of the reign of the Asghar tribe, there were many adult dragons, but with each mysterious death of an emperor, a dragon went with him. Therefore, under Emperor Iqbar's rule, only one dragon remained.

The green and black scaled dragon landed heavily on its hind legs, roaring fiercely as it did.

The rider jumped from the dragon's back, landing deftly on solid ground as the arena attendants guided the large dragon into its cave.

"My Prince!" a boy of no less than seventeen called out to the prince. Daegal turned, running a hand over his thick, windswept dark brown hair, as his page boy and close friend despite their age gap, ran to him, wielding a burning torch in hand.

"His Majesty has been asking after you for hours. The banquet is about to begin!" he said urgently.

Daegal rolled his eyes. He hadn't forgotten about the banquet that his father, Emperor Vulcan had organized to announce some bullshit betrothal that he wasn't the least bit interested in.

"I know the banquet is about to begin and that is why I specifically went for a ride on Dreygor," Daegal said as he pulled off his gloves and handed them to Kabeer, his faithful and easily panicked page boy.

"But My Prince! His highness asked you to be present before the guests arrive!" Kabeer said, the fear of the emperor causing his heart to beat faster than normal.

"Bring my horse around, Kabeer. You worry way too much for someone who isn't even going to get a scolding from my father," he instructed as he brushed a speck of dust from the linen shirt that he wore which exposed the middle of his strong chest.

A moment later, Kabeer brought his horse, a huge gelding with a shiny black coat that glistened under the light of the moon, and handed the reins to him.

He expertly mounted the horse, reaching forward to stroke the horse's mane who responded to his actions with a satisfied neigh.

"Worry not, Kabeer, you won't be in trouble with the emperor," he called over his shoulder as he rode away into the night, his dark cloak billowing in the cool wind.

The sound of music welcomed Daegal as he rode into the stables and dismounted. A stable boy quickly ran over and took the gelding to be fed and brushed for the night.

From the sound of various instruments playing in tandem to producing a melodious tune and the voices of musicians singing a traditional Volcarian song, he gathered that the banquet was already in full swing.

Squaring his shoulders, he headed to the gate in the stables leading to the Unity Rock, and upon seeing him, the guards granted him passage without question.

Instead of following the main passageway that split into different passages and eventually led to his quarters, he ducked into a corner and followed a narrow hallway lit with hissing torches that led to an even narrower stairway which he adroitly climbed and at the landing, took a right turn, arriving at a large corridor with walls decorated with gold brackets containing flaming torches that lit the way, tapestries, and fine weapons.

Taking a left turn, he arrived at a long corridor where his living quarters were located.

His guards standing in full armor at the brass doors closing off his room bowed their heads in greeting to which he nodded in response as they opened up his doors to greet him.

As he entered and shut the door behind him, he met with his father's hot glare. "Father, what brings you to my chambers when there's a banquet in full swing that would surely require your presence?" Daegal asked coldly, without a hint of emotion on his face.

He wasn't at all surprised to see his father waiting for him in his room. For years, his father tried to keep a leash on him and it wasn't until the person he had loved more than life itself was snatched from him that he allowed himself to be kept on the tight leash his father wanted him to be on. However, now and then, he needed to get away from the leash and feel free.

"You know very well that a banquet never enters full swing until the emperor and his heir are seated! I told you to be in here on time!" Emperor Vulcan thundered, the veins in his neck bulging as he tried to rein in his anger.

Daegal wanted to give a flippant answer but decided to hold his tongue. Talking back to the emperor never did him any good in the past nor would it do him any good now.

"My apologies, Father. I only wanted to get some fresh air. Forgive my tardiness," he said instead.

Emperor Vulcan let out a heavy breath and massaged his temples wearily. "Go and get ready quickly. You reek of horse and dragon," he said and strode out of the prince's chambers.

Daegal collapsed on his large hardwood bed. He hated the personality he had to put up whenever he was at court but he had to keep it on as his actual behavior and personality would never be accepted by his father or the court.

He clapped his hands and instantly, four servants, two male, and two female, opened the door to his chambers, bringing in milk, soap, towels and sponges, two pails of water, and a wooden bathtub. One of the male servants set the bathtub on the floor of his expansive chambers while the other poured the pails of water into the tub and rushed outside to get more. Once the tub was filled, Daegal took off his cloak, his shirt, and breeches along with the rings on his fingers and the thin, gold chain around his neck which one of the female servants picked up and put away.

He dipped himself into the warm water, sighing deeply as his tense muscles relaxed. The female servants began to wash him and pour the warm milk over his body. After his bath, he got dressed in fine ash breeches, a dark blue shirt made of the finest Nebulosi silk, a long, embroidered coat with fur trims, and steel-toed boots. Then, he placed new gold and silver rings onto his fingers and after looking himself over in the round mirror atop his dresser, he marched out of his chambers, leaving his servants to clear the remnants from his bath.

The royal herald stamped his staff on the stone floor, effectively ceasing the music and dancing going on in the throne room. "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of the continent, Emperor Vulcan of the Estor tribe, and his son, His Highness, the imperial prince of the continent, Prince Daegal, are coming in now to grace the celebrations!" He announced as Vulcan and Daegal strode into the throne room lit with chandeliers bearing flaming candles, hanging from the high, domed ceiling. The guests consisting of Chiefs and Lolos of both great and noble tribes, bowed their heads with a palm in front of their faces as they walked past them.

Vulcan sat on his throne while Daegal sat on the lesser throne that had been set up next to the emperor.

Vulcan cleared his throat and spoke, "Chiefs and Lolos of both great and noble tribes, I welcome you to this banquet!" The crowd of finely dressed Chiefs and their Lolos cheered and clapped at his greeting.

Vulcan raised a hand and swiftly, the cheers died down. "Months ago, I decided to ally with my royal advisor, Chief Topher of the Drako tribe in Sejukgheim. The alliance would be a marriage between my son, Prince Daegal, and his daughter, Lolo Nerina. I believe that this alliance would further strengthen the bonds between our kingdoms and fortify the strength of the continent as well.

"Tonight, my son would be betrothed to Chief Topher's daughter and in the tenth month of this year, they would be formally engaged to each other and married afterward!" He announced, a proud smile on his face as the crowd cheered at the news. However, one person wasn't happy about the news at all.

Prince Daegal had always known he would be married off ever since he was a boy but he was a free-spirited child who wasn't interested in matters of court alliances or bound by the shackles of duty.

Yet, after his mother, Empress Furia's death when he was eight, his father, in his grief began to enforce his will upon the young prince. Needing him to be a ruler not constrained by emotions and feelings that he believed to be a weakness, he raised the boy with a solid hand, getting teachers to educate him on his magic and how to use it. Quickly, the boy became advanced in the knowledge of magic and swords but had no childhood at all.

However, the prince's inner child kept trying to burst forth which was why he thought he could at least escape some parts of his father's leash on his life by being with Daena. With her, he felt more like his inner child and the person he had wanted to be but his father made sure he could not, and in his anguish, he chained his inner child and fully became the person his father wanted him to be.

Daegal forced himself to smile as Lolo Nerina and her father approached the steps leading to the throne. They stopped at the foot of the steps and greeted them.

Lolo Nerina was beautiful and cut a striking figure but as he watched her bow humbly in front of him, he noticed something sinister in her cold blue eyes that nagged at him disturbingly.