The Journey 36.

Autumn. The Kingdom Of Terrindim.

"Something's definitely happened" says captain Jarmic Komav, who then adds "And idea?".
"No idea captain" says the sorcerer Sarvon who serves onboard captain Jarmic's battlecruiser, the Dragon Flame.
The warship captain grunts, as the two of them walk over to where a bunch of their fellow airship captains, and officers in the second fleet of the Balford faction are standing.
"We'll know soon enough when Dae gets back" says the captain of the Dragon Flame.
The sorcerer, who like the warship captain is from the western province of Halvarc, nods in agreement with him.
The warring factions, Balford and Golmard. Here in the province of Wilshaw. The first of the western provinces in the kingdom. Have broken off from their battlefront, that stretches for miles through the province.
For the simple reason that the royal dragons, the twins Blackflame and Whitefire turned up. And quickly killed four of the Golmard dragons.
The trio of dragons known as the Golmard three. And another dragon in the faction that's at war with the Balford faction.
And as quickly as the twin dragons turned up, they disappeared again. Most likely back to the capital city Fanile.
The Balford faction, those that witnessed the devastation wrought by the royal dragons.
Were too stunned to give chase to the enemy, who fled after four of their dragons and riders were killed in short succession.
Captain Jarmic still can't believe what he saw when the twins Blackflame and Whitefire suddenly turned up.
Though when he looks away to the right, to the east. On the side of a hill, behind a farm. Is a clear reminder of what happened just a short time ago.
Half a red dragon lies splattered across the hillside. The warship captain assumes the other half lies on the otherside of the hill. After it was ripped in two by the royal dragons.
After captain Jarmic and the sorcerer Sarvon, who is essentially his first officer join the others.
One of the other warship captains asks "Any idea why they did that highness?".
"I have absolutely no idea" says captain Craefar, who looks just as stunned as the others.
The young warship captain, who is the son of prince Paldim and lady Desamo, and is a fleet admiral in the Balford faction, adds "I've only spoken to them a handful of times in my life" followed by "And to be honest i never would of thought they would of got involved in a faction war".
His highness is silent for a few moments, before he continues with ""They've never really cared or bothered what the factions get up to".
He briefly pauses again, before he says "Hell, i don't even know the last time they left the capital".
A few of the Balford dragon riders walk over and join them, after they've checked on the state of the second fleet, and the accompanying armies.
The question is asked of them about when the last time the royal dragons left the capital city Fanile.
It's sir Malfane the dragon rider who responds with "Firelight says they last left the capital when his majesty took the throne".
Prince Craefar nods his head, then says "That's right, about thirty years ago" followed by "Apparently there was a royal procession that traveled the kingdom when my uncle was crowned".
Sir Malfane nods, then says "I was just a lad at the time, and i do recall it" the nobleman from the western province of Halvarc continues with "They set down with the king at our neighbour's manse, all the local nobles and commoners alike went and saw them one morning, to greet the new king and the twins, before they continued on northwards through Halvarc".
The nobleborn dragon rider then nods away to the hilltop to the east of them, and says "The next time i saw them outside of the capital, i didn't think they'd do that" followed by "That was absolutely brutal".
The other Balford dragon riders, as well as the airship captains and officers nod in agreement with him.
For none of them have ever seen a dragon, let alone two. Act with wild ferocity like the twin dragons did a little earlier this morning, here in the province of Wilshaw, the first of the western provinces of the kingdom of Terrindim.
Prince Craefar, who is definitely more like his father prince Paldim, than he is his mother, the lady Desamo, then says "Well, at least there's one good thing to come out of all this" he briefly pauses before adding "There's four less of their blasted dragons to deal with" followed by "For that, I'm grateful to the twins".
The others all nod and murmur in agreement with his highness, the nephew of the king.
Captain Craefar looks over at captain Jarmic of the Dragon Flame, and says "Hopefully your cousin, the rider Daeliss brings word back of what's happening" followed by "Because something must of set the twins off" he then adds "Because they wouldn't of done that otherwise".
The commonborn warship captain nods in agreement, then says "Hopefully she returns soon highness".
As he like the others, are all wondering what's happening. As to why the twin dragons Blackflame and Whitefire did what they did. On this cold autumn morning, here in the province of Wilshaw.
It's just a short while later, and a rift appears in the morning sky nearby. And a large, burnt orange coloured dragon, comes flying out of it.
It's the dragon Sunbeam, and his rider Daeliss Komav.
They circle the group standing not that far from prince Craefar's battlecruiser.
Before setting down on the ground, next to a few of the other Balford dragons.
The rider Daeliss, who has just returned from the capital city Fanile. Quickly walks to join the group who have gathered here in a middle of some fields.
The commonborn dragon rider with a quick nod of her head to acknowledge the bows directed at her, walks up to prince Craefar.
"Highness, a quiet word with you" says Daeliss Komav the dragon rider.
Captain Jarmic who knows his younger cousin well. Can see that she's clearly suppressing her emotions.
And he's pretty certain the emotion she's suppressing the most, is rage.
The captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame looks quickly at the other dragon riders.
And almost at the same time, he's sees looks of disbelief on their faces, followed by anger.
He realises that his cousin Daeliss, through her dragon Sunbeam, must of told them whatever it is she's found out after her quick journey back to the capital Fanile.
The commonborn warship captain from the province of Halvarc watches as his cousin and the prince walk away.
As they do, the young dragon rider explains to captain Craefar what it is she's found out, as to why the royal dragons, the twins Blackflame and Whitefire suddenly turned up here, and killed four of the enemy Golmard dragons.
The two of them stop about thirty yards away from the others.
And after a moment as the rider Daeliss finishes telling him something, prince Craefar drops to his haunches, and lets out a scream of anguish.
The commonborn dragon rider from the province of Halvarc, puts a hand on his shoulder.
Then looks at the others and shakes her head no, when some of them move to attend to his highness, who though only in his early twenties, is a fleet admiral in the Balford faction.
The others remain where they are, with the exception of sir Malfane the dragon rider, after Daeliss nods to him.
The nobleborn dragon rider makes his way over, and kneels down next to the king's nephew. Puts an arm around his shoulder, and quietly speaks to him.
After a few moments, the two dragon riders help the young fleet admiral to stand.
Then with his arm still around prince Craefar, who is clearly crying. Sir Malfane helps him walk over to where his dragon Firelight is.
While the rider Daeliss Komav, slowly makes her way to where her cousin Jarmic and the others are standing.
"Sir Malfane and Firelight will be taking the prince back to the capital" quietly says the lean, blonde, rider of the dragon Sunbeam.
Captain Jarmic blinks in surprise when he hears that, for the simple reason dragons don't let anyone apart from their riders upon their backs when they fly.
Seeing the questioning look from her cousin Jarmic and the other airship captains and officers, Daeliss says "Firelight will make this one exception, and allow his highness upon her back" she briefly pauses before she quietly adds "With good reason".
It's not until Firelight and sir Malfane, along with prince Craefar are airborne, and they disappear through a rift in the sky, that the rider Daeliss tells the others what's happened.
Captain Jarmic Komav of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame listens on in disbelief as his young cousin tells him and the other airship captains and officers.
That princess Laenna the dragon rider, along with her dragon Greenfire, are dead.
Attacked and killed in the south of the kingdom, by five dragons in the Golmard faction.
And though Greenfire, who along with the rider Laenna. Are the most well known dragon and rider in all of Terrindim, behind his majesty, king Crassil, and the twin dragons, Blackflame and Whitefire.
Were able to kill one of the Golmard dragons that attacked them. The other four, three of them being the trio known as the Golmard three. Killed them down in the province of Cramoor yesterday.
There's silence from the gathered crowd, which is eventually broken by captain Jarmic, who loudly mutters "Hell".
Others nod in agreement with that from the commonborn warship captain from the western province of Halvarc.
Looking at her older cousin the captain of the Dragon Flame, the rider Daeliss asks him "You notice anything about the twins?".
Jarmic Komav, a man not yet thirty, who though has a reputation of a bit of womanizer, who has fathered a bastard or two across the kingdom, is a highly accomplished airship captain, frowns as he looks at his young cousin, and says "No, not really".
Apart from them being totally wild, the warship captain thinks to himself, who then blinks in surprise, when Daeliss tells him and the others "His majesty wasn't with them" followed by "They did this by themselves".
She nods over to where the half a dead dragon on the side of the nearby hilltop lies, and says "Killing the four remaining Golmard dragons who killed princess Laenna and her dragon Greenfire" she continues with "They decided to do this".
The commonborn dragon rider then tells the others that prince Fallins turned up in the capital earlier this morning. A city he hasn't visited in a number of years. Where he spoke to the royal dragons, the twins Blackflame and Whitefire.
"After he left the palace, his highness prince Fallins went to the residence of the queen's brother, lord Kinvar" says the rider Daeliss, who after a moment's pause, adds "The kingdom now needs a new lord of the exchequer".
"Hell" mutters captain Jarmic, and he's not the only one to mutter that, or something similar.
Knowing that the king's youngest brother, prince Fallins is the last royal family member to be in a duel, the captain of Dragon Flame asks his cousin the dragon rider "Did lord Kinvar accept the prince's challenge to a duel?".
Daeliss Komav shakes her head no, then says "The prince didn't challenge him" followed by "He entered the lord of the exchequer's home, killed any of lord Kinvar's guards who got in his way, then cut the queen's brother down as he tried to flee".
The others are all silent after they hear that, a silence that's only broken when captain Jarmic finally mutters "Fucking hell".
After a moment, he asks his cousin Daeliss "Is the Welmid faction at war with the Golmard faction then?".
As prince Fallins, like his now deceased wife, princess Laenna the dragon rider, is a member of the Welmid faction.
Shaking her head no again, the rider Daeliss says "They haven't as yet".
"Well they might not be" says captain Jarmic is a slightly dry tone, who continues in the same tone with "But his highness, prince Fallins certainly has".
There's nods of agreement with that, then the sorcerer Sarvon says "I'm surprised he didn't kill the queen when he went to speak with the twins" he then adds "Everyone knows how much he hates her" followed by "I bet she had something to do with the death of princess Laenna".
"Most definitely" says captain Jarmic in agreement with his first officer.
"It's because of his majesty the king and our own prince Waniq" says Daeliss the dragon rider, followed by "They were the only ones out infront of the main keep when he showed up to speak with twins Blackflame and Whitefire".
Nodding his head, one of the other warship captains says "Everyone knows how much he loves and honours his older brother, the king" he continues with "But i suspect if the king was not there, and only prince Waniq was there to greet his uncle prince Fallins, the queen would be dead" followed by "The two of them have the same thing in common, the queen dislikes them both, and wants them dead".
There's nods and murmurs of agreement with that. Then the rider Daeliss tells them what else she was able to hurriedly find out at what's happening after she quickly rushed back to the capital city Fanile.
After the commonborn dragon rider from the province of Halvarc finishes explaining what she found out from her hasty journey to the capital.
There's a few moments of silence, before one of the other airship captains asks "Now what?".
Though there's no fleet admirals with this group, there are a couple of senior captains who are nobleborn.
But they, along with the other warship captains and officers look over at captain Jarmic, who stands with his first officer, and his teenage cousin the dragon rider.
Jarmic Komav hears his cousin Daeliss in his mind telling him, that it looks like he's in command for the moment.
The captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame clears his throat says "Right, we should probably she get moving" followed by "After all, we're still at war".
Captain Jarmic Komav then starts issuing orders to those in these wings of the second fleet of the Balford faction, who until a little while ago was in the middle of a battle against the enemy, the Golmard faction . . . . . .