A Companion for all Time - 4. Chapter 4 - Welcome Dragon Master

What a day I had! I’ve been going over it in my head a few times, and I can’t believe some of it, namely this evening. However let me start from the beginning.

 

This morning I awoke to loud banging on my cabin door. I stumbled to the door in just the sheets of my bed, as I had gone to bed naked. With sleep still in my eyes I had opened the door to see General Mallius grinning.

“Well, boy, did you forget our arrangement?”

“No General, but I didn’t think you’d come get me this early,” I answered him, yawning in his face.

“A soldier rises with the sun!” he declared as if he were reading a guideline or something.

“Yeah, I’m not a soldier…”

“No matter. I will be waiting for you in 15 minutes in the cargo bay, it’s empty so this will be perfect for our little training.”

“I haven’t eaten breakfast yet,” I whined.

Now that I had gotten used to eating on a regular basis I was hooked to it. My body was constantly hungry. Was it because I had underfed it for so long in the 6th?

“Well you better get dressed quickly,” he told me, as he handed me a pair of simple leather pants, and a white linen shirt. “I’ll be in the hold, with your breakfast actually!”

He seemed rather pleased with himself, and started whistling as he headed down the corridor. I sighed and closed the door. On my bed Avenia hissed, she too wasn’t happy to have been awoken like this. I sat down next to her and scratched her behind the ears, earning myself a few purrs of pleasure.

“Will you want to come with me?” I asked her in my mind (I had figured out that since she could hear my thoughts I might as well talk to her like that).

“No, I think I will finish my night and wait for you here. Come get me before you eat lunch.”

“Will do,” I assured her in a soft voice.

I got up and dressed in the clothes the general had given me. With one last longing look at my comfortable bed, I headed out. I realized pretty quickly that I had no idea how to get to the hold. I stopped an airman and asked him. He was kind enough to escort me there.

The cargo bay was under at the bottom of the air ship, under our feet. It looked much bigger than the rest of the ship, but that was probably due to the fact that there weren’t any walls down there. General Mallius was waiting for me in the center of the hold. A platter with my breakfast awaited me. He sat cross legged on the cold, metal floor. When he saw me, he invited me to sit down in front of him.

“Glad you could make it,” he mocked me.

“Had trouble finding this place.”

“Enjoy your breakfast, though I will add something to it.”

“And that is?”

“A lesson in self-defense.”

I looked at him puzzled, but reached none the less for my food. As I was going to reach a piece of warm bread, he swatted my hand away at blazing speed. My eyes narrowed. A self-defense lesson he had called it?

For the next ten minutes we had a little contest. I would reach for the food and he would try his best to keep me away from it. It was almost entertaining, our eyes were locked on each other’s and only our hands would move, all the while in complete silence. From time to time I would be able to snatch something, and my reward was being able to eat it. I was quick and I got his pattern and tricks pretty easily.

The 6th teaches you to be very agile with your hands, as sometimes your meal depends on how fast they are. Stealing is in itself an art in Zarch, and it’s more of a game than a crime for most of us. I can add that I was one of the best, sue me if you think I’m being cocky, but it’s true. Thankfully, I was only remotely famous with the orphans of my age. If I had become too known it would have been pretty hard to maintain my reputation, as shopkeepers would be on the lookout for my face. My eyes wouldn’t have helped, being red like rubies (a stone I heard of once or twice, not that I have seen one), people noticed them quickly. They had their use though, combined with my chaotic hair that fell over my eyes and covered most of my face, people stayed clear of me. I looked intimidating according to some orphans I talked to once or twice. An adult had once called me a devil because of my looks, I remember him screaming: “BEGONE VILE DEMON!” as I was relieving him of his money. One of the only times I was caught, but I was maybe 11 or 12, I wasn’t that good yet. Got a black eye from it, could have been worse but he was drunk…

In about 15 minutes I had eaten my fill. Mallius looked pleased enough. He stood up, and carried the tray to one side of the room. He then motioned me to stand up.

“Now that I know that your reflexes are good let’s get started.”

 

The next few hours were sweaty, and brutal. However, at the end I was able to defend myself pretty well, I think, though I don’t want to test my skills just yet if you know what I mean…

I spent most of the afternoon with Emma, learning about politics and how to “behave” in the presence of nobles. There were so many names I had to learn, and how each influenced the decisions of the realm, how each rivaled with others, and how they ranked in society and thus the correct etiquette for them. Enemies, allies, barons, dukes, lords, princes, so many names and tittles, how could I possibly remember them all!?

We were going over a list of highly respected dead people when a bell rung from the main deck. A minute later a crew-member knocked at the door and told us that we would soon be landing in Capital Island.

Emma got all excited and led me back to my cabin. She picked out something for me to wear. She was sad that I had not had the opportunity to bath again (how often do these people bath??? A few days back had been the first in years and I was far from being dirty...). She let me prepare myself and left to go "freshen herself up." I was just finishing putting on my clothes that a harsh bang came from my door, only one person aboard this ship would do that: General Mallius. Avenia wrapped herself around my neck, improvising a glistening, and moving black scarf. I opened my door to find the General in full uniform. Leather boots that had been shined to the point of hurting your eyes, white pants that also hurt my eyes, and a golden trimmed red coat. He also had a ridiculous hat on top of his head, it was large and a little like a dome or something. I would die of shame if I ever put one on top of my head...

He briefed me on a few points before leading me to the main deck where Emma and the Prime Chancellor were quietly talking to each other.

"You look lovely dear," Emma assured me.

For some reason I felt nervous, was it the fall in altitude? Or the slightly amused look of the Felit. The captain was also here, in a similar uniform as the General's, he was oblivious to his guests and focused on the task at hand: landing. Didn't look easy, the ship was being blown one way then the other by the winds, and aiming for the small airfield was, I think, pretty damn hard. He shouted orders at his men, and slowly but surely we got closer to the ground. Airmen were waiting on the air field, and when we were but a few feet off of the ground I saw ropes being tossed on both sides of the ship to them. They pulled us down until we gently touched he ground. Stairs were brought to the side of the cabin. Felit was the first one out, blaring trumpets welcoming him "home." Emma had told me that we would be the last ones out, and it was a great honor Felit was doing us. How is being last a great honor? In Zarch, the first ones out were the luckiest, whatever the place may be. First equals winner, why was he doing us a "great honor" by making us go last?

Anyways, it was my turn, and the feeling of nervousness just got stronger, and my knees got all weak.

"Everything is alright dear," Emma assured me.

I took a deep breath and took a step forward. Soon I was out of the zeppelin, and I took my first step outside, to an air different than Zarch's polluted one. The bright sunshine blinded me, I took a few seconds to let them adapt to the harsh, bright light. Once I was able to see again the first thing I saw was the most beautiful boy I ever saw.

To be honest, my heart stopped. He was my exact opposite. His hair white as fresh snow and much shorter than mine though not too short, and eyes as blue as the ocean under the kingdom. I was paralyzed, all the things Emma and Mallius had taught me went poof in my head. All my thoughts were of him. A strange warmth invaded my chest, and my heart was going wild. My breath was taken away, literally, by him, I think I stopped breathing for at least a minute. He smiled at me, a smile of pure, white, shiny teeth that went well with his hair, a smile full of confidence. The next thing I saw was a scaly white scarf around his neck. Once again my heart skipped another beat: he was the other Dragon Master!!

Around my neck, Avenia stirred. She uncoiled herself, as did the other sky-dragon. Both of them danced in the air in front of all of us. Not a sound was heard as the two dragons painted graceful arabesques in the air. Finally they finished coiled around each other their noses tenderly pressing against the other's. Then each went back to their respective soul-bond. The small crowd was mesmerized, finally the Prime Chancellor cleared his throat and spoke up:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my immense honor to present Dragon Master Irion, and his soul-bond Avenia the Black Sky-Dragon."

Most of the the crowd bowed/curtsied to me, actually only one person didn't, the other Dragon Master. He just smiled at me again.

A man stepped forward from behind the other boy. He was tall and proud, his blond hair flowing in the wind, and he was dressed in rich colorful clothes.

"I, Prince Garath Vesilius, am honored to meet Dragon Master Irion," he announced in a thundering voice. "Dragon Master Irion, this is my son, Dragon Master Liam Vesilius."

My eyes once again got trapped by the bo... Liam. He smiled, again, and stepped forward as well, and told me in a voice as sweet as honey:

"Hello Irion, and welcome to Capital Island!"

He was so confident and sure of himself, of course he was he had been raised at the king's court, and he was even a prince, since his father was the heir to the throne (at least if I understood well what Emma said...). The only thing I could think of was a shy: "Hi."

Emma put her hand on my shoulder. I forced myself to calm down. I cleared my throat, and tried to find more to say than just hi.

"Hello Liam, it is a pleasure to meet you."

That was a little better no?

He smiled again and answered:

"Likewise."

What followed is a bit fusy in my memory, there were long, boring speeches made to me, formally greeting me to Capital Island. Then an open carriage was brought forward for Liam and me. We were to parade to the palace together, our sky-dragons well in sight. At first I was a little shy, and Liam did most oft he talking. He talked of Capital Island, and how he was happy to meet me, and I would answer to his few questions. Being close to him like that made me nervous, happy, scared and excited all at the same time. Soon we were in view of the Royal Palace. Let me start with one thing, the thing was HUGE. I had never seen a bigger building in my life, and the factories in Zarch are NOT small. Tall, elegant towers poked out seemingly at random, and large windowed walls connected every buildings. The whole Palace was surrounded by breathtaking gardens, except at the back where it hung over the edge of the island. The gardens were surrounded by a thick, ornate wall that had probably been built a very long time ago, and that seemed to defy the test of time. The kingdom's blue flag flew all over the place, atop every tower, over each gate. Lined on the side of the road were nobles in ornate clothes that watched us pass, cheering and throwing fresh flowers. Once we passed the Palace's exterior wall, there were no more nobles, only guards.

"I don't know about you, but all this cheering was starting to hurt my ears. We didn't do anything really, don't know why they are cheering so much..." Liam told me once the heavy gates were closed behind us.

Seriously? That hurt his ears? That was nothing to the noise in Zarch. Back home, factories ran day and night, and they are much noisier than that! People are always talking, screaming, fighting, etc. all my life I had lived in constant, never ending noise. This was nothing, but I didn't tell him that, he was a noble after all, probably never had to fight to survive, never had to live in filth and the sewers like I did. Although most would feel angered, I stayed calm, not his fault he was born a prince and me a pauper. I would explain it to him, he looked smart enough, he would understand.

The carriage stopped in front of steps covered in a blue rug inlaid with gold. Guards stood on each side, on every two steps. Each held a small trumpet in addition to their customary spear. I braced my ears for the loud fanfare, that sure enough followed our arrival. Liam stepped out of the carriage, and turned towards me as I climbed out as well. He again smiled at me and together we climbed the steps. I noticed that for some reason, without telling each other, we walked in unison, almost like we had done it our whole lives. More nobles were waiting for us in the long corridors that led to the throne room. We stopped in front of two massive wooden doors, that swung open with yet another fanfare of trumpets. I really wished they would stop that, why do they feel the need to blow in those things every two minutes? Straight ahead of us sat the king on his throne, raised above everyone by a pedestal of a couple steps. We strode forward, and again I had this weird feeling of harmony as we bowed in unison.

A small, thin man announced us in a loud clear voice:

"Dragon Masters Irion and Prince Liam Vesilius!"

The assembled nobles all bowed, and the king nodded. I cast a quick glance around, there were a few nobles that I recognized from Emma's descriptions. The king stood, he was an aged man, his hair grey and scarce, but his grey eyes still had a lot of youth in them. He was maybe a bit taller than Liam's father, who was much taller than me. He slowly came down and clasped his hands around Liam and me.

"My kingdom is overjoyed to have not one but two Dragon Masters on this day. Never before had two Dragon Masters been born on the same day of the same year. I believe that this is a good omen for you two, and that together you will achieve great things."

The king then turned and returned to his throne.

"In honor of my nephew and Irion we will hold a great feast tonight!"

An excited wave of whispers crossed the room. Then the king waved and the nobles left the room, all excited and probably planing what they were going to wear tonight. A few minutes later the room was empty except for Liam, the King and me.

King Andal sighed and took off his crown.

"You are lucky Liam, most of the nobles out there don't know the weight this crown carries, literally and figuratively of course. Now that you are a Dragon Master you are out of the line of succession, your father had told you I believe."

"No, but I was told Uncle."

King Andal is described in Zarch as a fat pig that cares only about his belly, and not his people. But the man in front of me was thin and looked very tired more than anything else. He even looked like a very nice person. He turned to me, and studied me with his steel like eyes.

"I was told you were from Zarch Irion, is that true? I'm sorry I've had a lot on my mind lately and all I remembered about you was the sky-dragon around your neck," he said with a chuckle.

I smiled, why I still don't know, and answered:

"Yes your Majesty."

"You can drop the formalities in private Irion, I have enough of them during the day."

I nodded.

"Tell me about your life Irion," he added after a few seconds.

And so, in front of the most powerful man in the realm, and his gorgeous nephew I talked of Zarch and my life there. I didn't say everything though, some things are just not meant to be said like that. Some pain and misery I kept for myself, and some things I went through I would prefer not to think about them, though I already brought one up... Liam's eyes filled with tears at some passages, and he put his hand on my shoulder when I told them of the death of my parents. The entire time, the king looked at me almost without blinking. The undivided attention of the ruler of the realm was fixed on me, an orphan from the 6th circle of Zarch.

Once I was done, he sighed and spoke up:

"Thank you Irion, though your tale has confirmed my worst fears."

"What do you mean uncle?"

"I've been blind my whole life, my advisers told me that Zarch was poor but not unruly and desperate like the one in Irion's tale, and he has no reason to lie to me. I'm sorry boy, most of what happened to you was my fault, if I had helped Zarch more maybe... Anyways, thank you Irion, I will take steps to try and correct things a little bit in Zarch."

"Are things really that bad over there?" asked Liam, concern in his eyes.

I nodded, and only if he knew, that was some of the less horrible things of Zarch... but he felt that maybe I was holding back, as he frowned slightly.

"Liam, for now Irion and you will be moving in the traditional Dragon Master apartments. I will see to it that they are adapted to house two and not one dragon master. Now go and show him around, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. And Irion? I will see you tonight."

I nodded and then Liam and I left the throne room and its lonely king.

He led me to quiet apartments not far from the center of the palace.

"These is where I grew up," he told me just before opening the doors.

Inside, everything was spotless, and ornate. The room we entered must have been a sort of living room, velvet couches were set up around a low marble table. Thick rugs covered the floor, giving the room a very warm, cozy feeling. Large open doorways led to a lush garden, and light white sheets flowed freely in the wind. Fresh flowers decorated the room here and there, and a candles littered the walls floor and tables, waiting for the night. I was speechless in front of all these riches. Even just one of the wax candles was worth a day's worth of food in Zarch. The rugs could buy you a house. I could go on and on, but what really took my breath away was a delicate glass dove, wings extended, that sat in the middle of the marble table. The delicate bird was so detailed that you almost could believe he would flap his wings and fly. The sun shone brightly on the glass, making colors dance on the surface and on the inside.

"Are you alright Irion? Are you ill?"

"I'm fine, it's just..."

"Is this a little too much? Here come sit down."

He took my hand gently in his. His skin was soft and warm, and I felt that warm feeling surge through me again. He gently led me outside to a small stone bench. We sat down close to each other, and he had an arm around my shoulders. Was it the proximity? the stress? whatever the reason my brain just went dead, and I broke down in tears. I had a sort of panic attack I think. Liam tried his best to comfort me, but he didn't really know what to do as well. There were too many things that had changed so abruptly, I thought I was strong enough to take it all, but I clearly wasn't. The thought of Lin and Fale alone in the 6th scared me, and I felt so bad for leaving them like that. My thoughts were wild, ideas in chaos everywhere, and I had no control over what went through my head. One moment I was in my little bed back with Ma' and Pa', then with Fill in his safe-house then in that home were he had sold me off. Memories came and went, smells, tastes, feelings came to me for no reason.

Avenia tried her best to comfort me, but her attempts to calm my mind gave no result. Suddenly I hear the sweetest of noise coming from the outside world. A simple melody being repeated over and over by the purest voice. Slowly I regain control over my body and I try to pinpoint the origin of the sound.

It was Liam, he was singing softly his eyes closed. He had his arms around me protectively, and he held me tightly against him.

Guided by the sound of his voice I regained mastery over my body and mind. A few minutes later I stopped crying and straightened.

"I'm so sorry, I..." I started.

"It's fine Irion, these last few days must have been hard for you."

I nodded, no way I could deny it, even in my dreams.

"I know what might make you feel better, here wait for me one second."

He stood up and hurried to one of the rooms surrounding the inner garden. I looked around me and discovered a lush garden full of flowers, and vivid colors. Birds sang in small trees, and fish swam happily in a pond near me. The garden was very peaceful and soothing. Liam came back with two glasses full of water, but the water had something in it as it wasn't completely clear.

"It's lemon juice in water with a bit of sugar, it's very refreshing!"

"What is a lemon?" I asked him.

"What le... well uh... it's a yellow fruit and... why don't you come with me, can you walk?"

I nodded and stood up, he took my arm and guided me to where he had come back from. Inside a middle-aged woman was cleaning the dishes, while a man (her husband maybe?) cut fresh vegetables and put them in a pot to cook. Liam took me to a side room full of food. My jaw dropped to the ground at the sight. A month wouldn't be enough to eat all of the things inside! There were all kinds of vegetables and fruits, most of which I didn't know the name of, slabs of meat of different sizes and colors, thick smelly cheese lined one wall, and there even was fresh milk in a small barrel.

"Here we go, a lemon for Irion!"

He handed me a small, yellow, oval shaped fruit. I studied it closely, not having seen one before. I handed it back to him and asked:

"What does it taste like?"

"Well take a sip from your glass and you will know!"

I shrugged and raised the glass o my lips, the liquid tasted sweet and sour at the same time. I had never tasted something this good to be honest. I drank the rest quickly and sighed.

"I don't think you liked it" he said sarcastically.

He took the glass from my hand and went back in the kitchen. As I got closer I could see that he was cutting the lemon thing in two. He gave me half but warned me:

"Careful it's really sour!"

I took the lemon slice from his hand and put the pulp in between my teeth. A cold acid juice filled my mouth and throat. My eyes watered from the taste. Liam couldn't hold back a chuckle as I yanked out the fruit.

He handed me a glass of water before taking me back outside.

"We're the same size so my clothes should fit you."

He then took me to another room that I assumed was his. Once there he opened a walk in closet full of fancy clothes. He looked at a few pensively before holding some in front of me. All were colorful or white as his hair and definitely not my style. He sighed when he saw my frown, but went back to digging in his clothes to find something. Finally he held out a black outfit inlaid in silver.

"How about this one?" he asked me.

I nodded shyly as it was really beautiful and probably very expensive.

"Here try it on then!"

"I can't..."

"Why not?"

"It's yours and probably very expensive and stuff and..." my voice lost itself with my thought as I looked in his pleading hazel eyes.

He gently handed me the clothes and stepped back. I mumbled a few more shitty arguments and started taking off the clothes Emma had picked for me earlier in the day. Liam turned around as I took off my trousers, and waited for me to be finished.

"Irion you look fantastic in that!"

"Really?" I asked him shyly.

"I always wanted to wear it but..." and he continued on a list of incomprehensible reasons to why he couldn't wear these clothes, these people are really weird sometimes.

He kept talking as he himself got dressed, all in white and gold. He also combed his hair and helped me with mine which took much more efforts to tame.

When he decided we were ready he led me through long candle-lit halls to a small dime room. From the other door we could hear voices and laughter. He took one last look at me then motioned me to get in position next to him. Avenia and his white dragon sat on our shoulders symmetrically. He pulled a string next to the door and we could hear from the other side of the door the thin man shouting for the crowd's attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Prince Liam Vesilius and Lord Irion."

The door swung open, and we crossed into the banquet hall. The assembled nobles were all bowing, except the king and another man I did not know of. Liam and I walked over to them in unison, our steps perfectly in sync, and arriving before the king we bowed deeply.

"Dragon Masters Irion and Liam let me introduce you to Archmage Beltiras, leader of the mage's guild of our realm."

"Archmage," the both of us said in unison with a synchronized bow.

"Dragon Masters," the archmage respectfully returned.

"Liam have you and Irion been practicing that?" the king asked his nephew.

"Practice what uncle?"

"You two have know each other an afternoon and you bow and talk together as twins."

"Your majesty if I may, I believe this stems from the fact that both are Dragon Masters. Both were born on the same day, and I personally believe that destiny made this so. Look at them, they are like day and night, perfectly completing each other," said Beltiras.

"Fair point," the king agreed.

Meanwhile Liam and I had been eyeing each other. We were so different and yet so alike. It was as the Archmage had said, we had know each other for a few hours at most, but it felt like we had known the other our whole life. It was troubling... not to mention my then growing feelings for the gorgeous prince...

"Worry not little one, Destiny has a way of rewarding those that serve her purpose."

Avenia had spoken in my mind a most enigmatic... prophecy of some sort. She did not bother to explain further, and she stayed quiet the rest of the evening. Actually her and Liam's dragon flew off at some point to fly above one of the gardens.

The king and the Archmage were now in deep conversation and Liam motioned for me to follow him. He took me to meet his parents, his brother and his sisters. His father I had briefly met, and he confirmed my first impression. He was a cold, calculating person that thought of the power he had and could have. Liam's mother was no better, and while his brother was nice, he only cared about his future as second in line to the throne. Liam's only siblings that I liked were his sisters. They were sweet, shy, very pretty and they loved their big brother a lot.

We then drifted from room to room, eating once in a while but mostly meeting nobles that were all "dying" to meet Liam and me. It got quite boring after a while, and Liam must have felt it. He took me to a tranquil garden with fountains and beautiful flower beds. He was telling me about all the palace's gossips when I interrupted him (it was just as boring as the nobles in question).

"Liam, what's your dragon's name?"

"Neltharion," he answered, obviously relishing the sensation of his soul-bound's name rolling on his tongue. "And you?" he then asked.

"Avenia."

He nodded his approval, then did something quite odd. He put his arms around me and hugged me tight. He never said why.

As he was breaking the hug, Avenia and Neltharion flew to us silently, and each got on their owner's shoulder. Avenia looked quite smug about something, and so did Neltharion.

"You should get some sleep little one," Avenia told me as she lovingly nuzzled my head.

I looked at Liam and he looked at me, Neltharion had probably given him the same advice. He took my hand and led me to a secluded tower far from the busy center of the palace. On this side of the palace, the towers overlooked a cliff side over the clouds, and he led me to one in the middle that was surrounded by neatly cut, little fields of grass. This to me was bizarre as all of the palace up until then had been quite ostentatious. Still with his hand in mine, he took me to spiraling stone stairs that led under the palace.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

He only laughed as an answer.

Down and down we went until we came face to face with a simple wooden door. Liam opened it and stepped out of the way so I could see. I gasped. Their was a huge cavern that sprawled deep under the palace and that was open on the cliff side. Gems of all colors gleamed under the moon, and I could see a path leading to buildings cut directly in the rock.

Their were a few bedrooms, all could host a dragon in them (and from what I saw Avenia was going to grow a lot!), which I found odd as we were the first Dragon Masters that lived at the same time. Usually, dragon masters were long dead before another one came.

Liam wanted us to take separate rooms, but, was it because of my feeling, or my feeling of being completely lost in this new world. I shyly asked him if just for tonight we could share a room. A flash of panic crossed his eyes but he agreed. We took the one we had decided would be his as it was decorated mostly in white (while mine was much darker). He quickly got undressed and dove under the covers of the bed. I, on the other hand, took my time, when finally I slipped in bed, Liam had his back to me and was breathing hard. Maybe this was not common in the Capital? Whatever the reason I quickly fell asleep, comforted by his presence, and of Avenia and Neltharion, that had rolled up at our feet.

However when I woke during the night, Liam had his arms around me, and his face pressed against my back.