The Journey 32.

Autumn. The Kingdom Of Terrindim.

"Have you been given your orders?" asks Daeliss the dragon rider.
"We have" replies captain Jarmic of the Dragon Flame who continues with "We're joining the second" he then adds "I assume you already know?".
The teenage dragon rider from the western province of Halvarc nods her head yes in response to her older cousin the warship captain.
They're on the staging grounds of the Balford faction, and behind them is captain Jarmic's battlecruiser the Dragon Flame.
Off to their left, on the nearby sands, lies the dragon Sunbeam. Dozing in the morning sunshine after the airship captain gave him a good scratch with a metal rake.
Captain Jarmic hands the rake to a nearby bosun, then quietly says to his cousin the dragon rider "Seems the fighting out there is even more intense that what we were dealing with up in the central provinces".
"Looks like it" quietly says the lean, blonde dragon rider, who is the younger of the two cousins by nearly a decade.
"At least some more ships have come into service" says the captain of the Dragon Flame.
"Oh?" says the rider Daeliss, who then asks "How many?".
"Twenty four" is the reply from the battlecruiser captain, who continues with "And the second is getting eighteen of them".
"We're going to need them" says the rider of the dragon Sunbeam, who has got herself a bit of reputation amongst the populace here in the capital Fanile.
Which is starting to spread throughout the other provinces of the kingdom. As word of her and her dragon Sunbeam killing two Golmard dragons is carried throughout Terrindim.
"Now that the Salmain faction is at war with us too" adds the attractive dragon rider, who like her cousin Jarmic, and a lot of people from the western provinces of the kingdom, is blond headed.
The captain of the Dragon Flame grunts, then sourly says "I've been trying to forget about that".
The warship captain briefly pauses before he asks "Have they attacked us anywhere else?".
"They haven't" quietly says Daeliss the dragon rider, who follows that with "Lord Ganulf suspects they might only attack our forces if they know he's with them".
Captain Jarmic nods his head, and says "So i guess he's staying in the capital for now?".
"For now" agrees the teenager who has been the rider of Sunbeam for the last three years.
Daeliss then tells her cousin the airship captain "Don't be surprised if he joins the second out of nowhere".
Captain Jarmic lifts an eyebrow, but doesn't ask his young cousin for anymore details.
As it's best not to talk about specifics, even on their own staging grounds. As enemies here in the capital maybe listening in.
But he figures lord Ganulf, the advisor to prince Waniq. Is working on a plan to try and trap those of his family's faction, the Salmain faction, who want him dead.
Captain Jarmic turns and looks at his warship, which is preparing to depart the capital, and with a number of other vessels in the Balford faction here in Fanile, fly westwards to join their second fleet.
Who have been battling their enemy, the Golmard faction. As they continue to fight for the right to have a family of wild dragon egg hunters join them.
"I have to see on the prep to depart" says captain Jarmic gesturing at his battlecruiser the Dragon Flame.
"I'll see you up in the air" adds the warship captain who has a well deserved reputation of being a bit of a womanizer.
Not to mention the reputation of an excellent airship captain. Who if he was nobleborn, instead of a commoner. Would already be a fleet admiral, even though he's not yet thirty years of age.
"See you in the air Beam!" calls out captain Jarmic to the dozing dragon nearby.
There's a sleepy sounding grunt from the large, burnt orange coloured dragon lying on the sands of the Balford faction's staging grounds.
The rider Daeliss hugs her cousin, wishes him luck, then wanders over to her dragon Sunbeam.
Who extends a foreleg, which his rider climbs up onto. And leans back against his chest, as they wait for the ships who are leaving to join the second fleet of the Balford faction, to lift off, and head west.
And though Sunbeam appears to be dozing as the cool autumn morning heats up.
He's actually wide awake, and is communicating with his rider, as well as a number of others here in the capital city Fanile.
The commonborn dragon rider who hails from the western province of Halvarc, listens on as her dragon Sunbeam informs her of a number of things.
Chief of which is the movement of the Golmard faction, over on their staging grounds on the south side of the large city that's the capital of the kingdom of Terrindim.
In addition to the trio of dragons in the Golmard faction referred to as the three. Who often push the limits as to how long they can stay on the staging grounds of their faction.
The last two of which left Fanile early this morning. A handful of other Golmard dragons here in the capital, have departed, or look like they're going to depart fairly soon.
An obvious counter move to the Balford faction vessels and dragons who are just about to leave the capital city.
Daeliss the dragon rider nods her head as she listens to her dragon Sunbeam, who tells her that prince Waniq will soon be here.
To wish those heading westwards, good luck as they go to fight the Golmard faction, as their faction war continues.
The commonborn dragon rider looks away to her left, and spots her fellow dragon rider sir Malfane, sitting in a similar position upon his dragon Firelight.
Who no doubt is informing the nobleborn dragon rider from the western province of Halvarc.
Of the exact same things that Sunbeam is telling his rider Daeliss.
A little while later, and the teenage dragon rider hops off her dragon, as he appears to wake as the crown prince and others suddenly appear here on the staging grounds of the Balford faction.
Daeliss, along with her fellow dragon rider from the province of Halvarc, sir Malfane make their way over to where prince Waniq and those with him are.
The crown prince, who is effectively the leader of the Balford faction. Stands infront of one of the barracks, and with his voice augmented by a spell cast upon him, by one of the practitioners of magic with him.
Gives a speech to those on the airships, both warships and support vessels. That are now ready to depart, and head west to join the Balford faction's second fleet.
The rider Daeliss grins as she listens to the slightly self deprecating speech from the crown prince of Terrindim.
Who though a bit of a hothead at times. Makes it clear in no uncertain terms, that he's not much of a fighter himself.
Who doesn't know much about how to use a sword. And even less about how to fly an airship. Saying how much he'd be more of a hindrance onboard one of the warships, than an advantage.
Which illicits a lot of laughter from those onboard the departing vessels, as the crews watch him as he delivers his speech from infront of one of the barracks.
Prince Waniq, who doesn't mention the setback they've had up in the central province of Smalsare. Where much of the third fleet was wiped out.
Ends his speech, with a roaring call to arms to those in the Balford faction. Which earns him shouts, and yells, and cheering from the watching crews, and soldiers on the airships that are about to lift off.
Then the crown prince gives the command to depart. And as the first of the warships rises up into the sky.
The rider Daeliss has one last look at prince Waniq and those with him.
Lord Ganulf, his advisor. Along with the lord of Highsun's new aide. Able airman Orvick. And the advisor's new offsider, senior bosun Cedric.
There's a number of officers and spellcasters with the crown prince too.
Including his cousin, the warship captain Craefar. The son of prince Paldim and lady Desamo.
Who is the youngest fleet admiral in the Balford faction. Who though only twenty one. Actually deserves that position unlike his cousin, the now dead admiral Yammick.
As prince Craefar, the other main member of the royal family actively involved with the Balford faction. Now that his father prince Paldim has little to do with the day to day operation of the faction.
Is to rejoin the second fleet, who he's been part of since he was sixteen, when he joined the Balford faction's fleets. Much to the disgust of his mother, the lady Desamo. Who is a cousin to queen Pania.
There's a quick embrace between the royal cousins. A sign for the waiting airship officers to move off.
And as fleet admiral Craefar and his first officer, and a spellcaster from his battlecruiser disappear.
The dragon riders Daeliss and Malfane head back to the sands where their dragons are waiting.
"I fear it's going to be a tough slog out west" quietly says sir Malfane the dragon rider.
"I agree" is the quiet response from the rider Daeliss who continues with "Both sides have lost dragons, and a lot of ships out there in the last couple of weeks".
The nobleborn dragon rider from the western province of Halvarc nods his head in agreement, as they walk behind a row of airships that are lifting off from the Balford faction's staging grounds, here on the northeast outskirts of the city of Fanile, the capital of the kingdom of Terrindim.
"And there's the Salmain faction to deal with too" says sir Malfane.
The two dragon riders, one nobleborn, the other commonborn. Both of whom are from the west of the kingdom.
Share a look, as they know somewhat of the plan lord Ganulf, and prince Waniq came up with early this morning. To help counter any interference from the Salmain faction. Who just a few days ago, declared war upon their faction.
A plan, they have yet to tell anyone else about. And will only do so once those airships going with them, are far from the capital Fanile.
Sir Malfane waves to his fellow dragon rider, and hurries to his dragon Firelight, as the rider Daeliss gets to Sunbeam.
The commonborn dragon rider, whose family has had Sunbeam since the egg. Climbs up into the saddle, and straps herself in.
Daeliss waits a little while as she watches her cousin Jarmic's warship, the Dragon Flame. Climb in the morning sky, and turn to port, to the northwest.
As it, and the other vessels here in the Balford faction's staging grounds. Start making their way around the north side of the capital.
Daeliss gives Sunbeam the command to launch. And the next moment, the large, burnt orange coloured dragon is in the sky.
He's followed a moment later, by the sun yellow dragon that's Firelight. Then another of the Balford dragons, then a fourth, fifth, six and finally a seventh.
As they accompany the airships, both warships and support, and supply vessels heading westwards to join their second fleet.
Sunbeam like the other dragons, and the fleet of airships keep well north of the city, so as not to antagonize the twin dragons Blackflame and Whitefire.
The rider Daeliss looks southwards when her dragon tells her to. And she nods at what she sees.
Golmard faction airships and dragons in the sky, just south of the city. Heading westwards too.
The commonborn dragon rider wouldn't be at all surprised if they start fighting them once both lots of airships and dragons get more than twenty miles from the city of Fanile.
"It's the three I'm worried about" says Daeliss the dragon rider, who continues with "All three of them hardly ever leave the capital, there's always at least one that stays behind".
"I know" says Sunbeam the dragon, who has cast a spell so that two of them can speak aloud, and not be disturbed by the wind that is a little gusty as they rise in altitude.
"I've told the others" adds the large dragon, referring to the Balford faction dragons accompanying them westwards to join up with their second fleet.
"Tell Jarmic too" says the attractive teenager who was just sixteen when she became Sunbeam's rider.
"He can pass it onto the other captains" adds the commonborn dragon rider from the western province of Halvarc.
The large, burnt orange coloured dragon, the largest in the Balford faction, and one of the largest in the entire kingdom of Terrindim, does so.
Whilst his rider, Daeliss continues to look southwards, where in the distance, just south of the capital.
Airships and dragons in the Golmard faction are heading westwards too.
And what are you lot going to do? Daeliss thinks to herself, who then silently adds in a dry tone, well apart from attack us the first chance you get.
Now that Sunbeam is fairly high up in the morning sky, the commonborn dragon rider gets a good view of the city of Fanile, as they head westwards.
She can see the Royal Palace of Terrindim itself. Where she spots the headquarters of the Balford faction. Quite close to the walled off area, known as the real palace.
Within which she spots the royal dragons, the twins Blackflame and Whitefire.
Who look like they're slumbering in the massive courtyard in that part of the palace. But are no doubt watching both the Balford and Golmard faction's airships and dragons. Making sure they don't fly over the city itself.
The rider Daeliss sees the daily activity down in the streets and squares of the large city, that's the capital of the kingdom of Terrindim.
Wagons, carts and horses, both entering and leaving the city of Fanile. The largest, and busiest city in the kingdom.
She sees merchant ships, flying over the city, as they're allowed to do. As they fly towards, and leave the various airdocks scattered across the large city.
Daeliss the dragon rider watches the activity in Fanile for a little bit longer. Before she looks to the west, the way that she and the others in the Balford faction, who have just departed their staging grounds, are heading. On this autumn day, that's starting to warm up as midmorning approaches.
If the commonborn dragon rider from the western province of Halvarc watched the capital city for a little bit longer.
She would of spotted a small, dark, and rather sleek looking airship, obviously a foreign vessel.
Depart the busiest of the airdocks on the east side of Fanile. And start flying west over the capital city, as it too heads in the same direction that she and the others in the Balford faction are going this morning, here in the province of Galmede, in the kingdom of Terrindim . . . . . .