The Journey 48.

Autumn. The Province Of Ordem. The Kingdom Of Terrindim.

Just across the border from the province of Wilshaw, in the western province of Ordem.
Captain Jarmic Komav looks out at the foggy autumn morning, as he stands upon the deck of his battlecruiser, the Dragon Flame.
The commonborn warship captain who finds himself in command of the first wing of the Balford faction's second fleet.
Looks in the direction of the nearby river and beyond that a lake, where most of the fog is coming from, as it's trapped by the surrounding hills.
Here in a pretty remote area of the province of Ordem.
The airship captain glances towards the nearest ladder, that heads below deck, and he sighs as he thinks of his cousin Daeliss the dragon rider, who spent the night onboard the Dragon Flame. Who is still onboard the battlecruiser this morning.
Captain Jarmic then turns, and climbs over the port rail, and makes his way down the cargo net that's been draped over the side of his warship.
Once on the ground, the airship captain who is from the western province of Halvarc. Reaches up, and grabs the steel rake that one of his crewmen, leans overboard, and hands down to him.
The captain of the Dragon Flame nods in appreciation. Then he turns and sets off through the fog.
Carrying the steel rake upright, with the shaft of it leaning upon his right shoulder.
"Hope I'm going the right bloody way" captain Jarmic Komav mutters to himself.
Who then grunts as he spots through the fog to his right, the edge of the camp that the accompanying army have set up.
The temporary commander of the first wing of the Balford faction's second fleet.
Heads to the left, towards the nearby river, going by a few guards on foot patrol, who point him in the direction to go.
The commonborn airship captain when he gets to the nearby river, follows along the banks of it, heading to the south. And it's not too long before he's at the edge of the lakeshore.
Captain Jarmic Komav peers through the fog, then grunts as he catches sight of a large dark shape away to his left.
The captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame, heads towards it. Glancing at the fog shrouded lake to his right as he does so. As he can hear the water lapping at the foreshore.
"Beam is that you?" asks captain Jarmic Komav as he gets closer to the large shape through the fog.
The warship captain from the western province of Halvarc winces before he quickly adds "I mean Kov".
"It's me Jar" says Kov the dragon, who has been called Sunbeam all his life, until yesterday.
The battlecruiser captain grunts, then as he walks through the fog towards the large dragon who has been in his family since the egg.
He sees more clearly the large, burnt orange coloured dragon he has known all his life.
Not knowing what kind of reception he'll get from the largest dragon in the Balford faction.
Captain Jarmic stops near the dragon he's has always known as Sunbeam, and says to him "Thought you might like a scratch" as indicates the rake he's got over his right shoulder.
"Oh yes indeed" says Kov the dragon with enthusiasm, who continues with "I did miss it last night".
Jarmic Komav grins as the large, burnt orange coloured dragon rolls to one side, then says "The shoulder ridges Jar" followed by "I can never reach the damn things".
The commonborn battlecruiser captain chuckles, and with the steel rake he sets to scratching the large dragon's shoulder ridges, getting in between the armoured plates.
Where dragons, even though they're naturally magical creatures. Find themselves getting itchy at times.
As the large dragon rumbles in appreciation as the captain of the Dragon Flame uses the steel rake to scratch him.
Captain Jarmic Komav wonders how best to approach the delicate subject that's on his mind.
He finds that he doesn't have to, as Kov, formerly Sunbeam, brings it up himself.
"How's Dae?" asks the largest of the dragons in the Balford faction.
Refraining from wincing, Jarmic Komav replies with "She's a little upset" silently followed by, that's putting it lightly.
"Why?" asks a genuinely surprised Kov the dragon, who lifts his head up, and turns his neck, to look back at the warship captain at what appears to be a near impossible angle.
As he continues to reach up and scratch in between the plates on the large dragon's shoulder ridges.
The commonborn airship captain from the western province of Halvarc quietly says to the dragon he's always known as Sunbeam "Because she's no longer your rider".
The large, burnt orange coloured dragon blinks in surprise, which is actually a difficult thing for a dragon to do, as their armoured eyelids are so large.
"Why would she'd ever think that?" asks a surprised Kov.
"Er?" says captain Jarmic, who continues with "Well you did tell her that she was no longer your rider".
The dragon who was named Sunbeam by the Komav family, who were previously a family of wild dragon egg hunters, snorts, then says "I think she might of got that misconstrued".
The largest dragon in the Balford faction continues with "I actually said that she would no longer be a rider like she was previously" followed by "In the traditional sense, like other riders are with their dragons".
"Oh" says captain Jarmic Komav, who then nods, as the large dragon who has renamed himself Kov says "Dae can still ride upon me, just not like it was before".
The large, burnt orange coloured dragon who has been in the Komav family since the egg, says "And after Dae, little Pallison will be my rider" followed by "Though hopefully that won't be for a long time yet".
Captain Jarmic nods in agreement at the mention of his niece Pallison being Kov's next rider. Though apparently not a rider like there's previously been in the Komav family.
"So how not like before do you mean?" asks the warship captain from the west of the kingdom of Terrindim.
"Dae will no longer ride upon me in combat" states the largest of the Balford faction's dragons.
The captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame slowly nods as the dragon formerly called Sunbeam tells him "I've unlocked the ability to fight to my full potential in aerial combat, and to best do that, is without a rider in the saddle, at the base of my neck".
The large, burnt orange coloured dragon who hasn't discussed with either Daeliss or Jarmic Komav, the conversation he had a couple of mornings ago with the strange human from a foreign vessel that he and Daeliss Komav stopped, and inspected.
A conversation he'll never share with them. Though he has with the other dragons serving with the first wing of the Balford faction's second fleet.
He says to the battlecruiser captain "Just ask Dae at how easily i killed that Salmain dragon yesterday morning" followed by "It would of been even easier if she wasn't riding upon me".
Jarmic Komav nods as his younger cousin Daeliss did mention to him, that the dragon formerly named Sunbeam killed a Salmain faction dragon yesterday morning. Far quicker, and far more easily than she thought possible.
Certainly with more ease, than the Golmard dragon he had killed previously.
The captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame slightly frowns, as his cousin Daeliss told him.
That Sunbeam, or Kov as he calls himself now. Reminded her of the royal dragons Blackflame and Whitefire.
When they suddenly turned up in the middle of a battle a few days ago in the province of Wilshaw.
And the twin dragons killed four Golmard faction in quick time. And with very little effort on their part.
Wonder if he's like the twins now? captain Jarmic Komav thinks to himself, who then grunts, and says "Sorry".
After the large, burnt orange coloured dragon who has been part of the Komav family since the egg, says "Don't stop now Jar, you've just hit the right spot".
The commonborn warship captain who finds himself in command of the first wing of the Balford faction's second fleet, resumes scratching with the steel rake, that has a long wooden shaft.
The airship captain from the western province of Halvarc, who has a bit of reputation as a womanizer, who has a number of bastard children scattered across the kingdom, and probably more he doesn't even know about.
Looks at the largest of the Balford faction dragons he's known all his life, and asks him a question he's been wanting to ask him since yesterday.
Ever since a sobbing Daeliss returned from patrol, and ran to her cousin to tell her what had happened.
"So why the name change?" says Jarmic Komav, who has to pause, as he was about add, Beam. But he instead he says "Kov?".
"Because it's my true name, my dragon name" says the dragon who was called Sunbeam by the Komav family when he was hatched just over eighty years ago.
The warship captain lifts an eyebrow in surprise, when Kov the dragon tells him "It's the name i knew in the egg, but had forgotten".
The large, burnt orange coloured dragon who even for his size, is fairly young for a dragon, as his egg was found a century ago, and it was another twenty years before he hatched, says to the captain of the Dragon Flame "All dragons know this, but they've just forgotten".
Looking around through the fog, which has made captain Jarmic ground the wing, only having a couple of the dragons go up and patrol the surrounding countryside.
Kov the dragon quietly tells the warship captain "Maybe some of the others will remember in time" quietly followed by "I know they're thinking about it".
Captain Jarmic nods in understanding, as he's seen how moody the other dragons in the wing have been over the last couple of days.
Then the captain of the battlecruiser the Dragon Flame, quietly tells the large dragon he's known all his life "You know, i informed his highness, the crown prince with the change in things concerning you" followed by "I sent a missive with the messenger rider who came in early yesterday evening".
The large, burnt orange coloured dragon grunts, then says "I know".
Then Kov the dragon rolls the other way, so that Jarmic Komav can scratch at the other shoulder ridge, with the long handled, steel rake that he's using.
The airship captain from the west of the kingdom, walks around the head of Kov, to get at the other shoulder ridge.
As he starts scratching it, the battlecruiser captain says to the dragon that was formerly called Sunbeam "You're not upset about that?".
"No" says Kov, who then rumbles in satisfaction as Jarmic Komav gets the rake in between two of the armoured plates, where there's a persistent itch.
Infact, the largest of the dragons in the Balford faction suspects crown prince Waniq might already know of something similar, as to what's happened to Kov. And if he didn't already. He probably knows by now.
For the dragon who was named Sunbeam by the Komav family. Saw how the twin dragons Blackflame and Whitefire fought the other day. And how they easily decimated a quartet of Golmard dragons.
All the while, without a rider upon their backs. Even though king Crassil of Terrindim is their rider.
Kov who has a feeling the royal dragons know exactly who they are, looks up into the fog, and says "Firelight is coming into land".
"Her and sir Malfane find anything out on patrol?" asks captain Jarmic Komav.
"Nothing of worth" is the reply from the large, burnt orange coloured dragon.
The warship captain looks up when he hears dragon wings flapping somewhere up in the fog.
And in a few moments, he spots the dark shape of Firelight passing overhead through the fog, as she comes into land somewhere nearby.
Captain Jarmic hears the other dragon land away to the right through the fog.
And as he continues to scratch the dragon formerly called Sunbeam, he quietly asks him "You think any of the others will remember who they truly are?" followed by "Remember their true names?".
"Maybe" is the quiet reply of Kov the dragon, who then adds in a murmur "I hope so".
Jarmic Komav slowly nods, then he quietly tells the dragon he's known all his life "Not too soon i hope".
With a sideways look at the battlecruiser captain, Kov with the armoured ridge above his right eye raised, quietly asks him "And why not?".
"Well at least not amongst our enemies i hope" quietly says captain Jarmic, who seeing the curious look upon the maw of the large, burnt orange coloured dragon, quietly tells him "Think about it, we have an advantage with you the way you are" followed by "You can devastate their ranks of dragons in battle now".
The commonborn warship captain sees the look of understanding in the eyes of the dragon formerly called Sunbeam, and tells him "To be honest with you Beam, sorry i mean Kov, i kind of hope those dragons who are our enemies never find out who they truly are, and unlike you they never find the advantage in battle is not to have a rider on their back".
The largest of the Balford dragons, who indeed is one of the largest of all the dragons in the kingdom of Terrindim.
Might of discovered who he truly is, and learnt his true dragon name. But he's still a loyal Balford faction dragon. Who is still excited at the prospect of defeating the enemy in battle. Whether they be from the Golmard faction, or the Salmain faction.
"You're right" says Kov the dragon, who quickly follows that with "I'm a definite advantage for sure".
Then seeing, not to mention feeling that Jarmic Komav has stopped scratching him with the steel rake, the large burnt orange coloured dragon wryly says "If you were as enthusiastic at using that rake, as you are in chasing half the women in every province we stop at, you might actually get some of the spots where I'm itchy".
Sourly smiling as he looks at the dragon he's known all his life, the commonborn warship captain from the west of the kingdom says in an extremely dry tone "You might of learnt your real name, but i see something's haven't changed".
Which illicits a rumbling chuckle from the dragon who was formerly called Sunbeam.
Then the two of them hear the voice of sir Malfane the dragon rider away to their right through the fog loudly mutter "Hells, where's that damn command ship?".
"Malfane over this way!" calls out the battlecruiser captain.
"Jarmic that you?" asks the nobleborn dragon rider who is from the western province of Halvarc.
"It is" replies the commonborn warship captain who hails from the same western province as the nobleman.
Looking at Kov, captain Jarmic Komav quietly tells him "I'll go and tell Dae and the other riders of our advantage" followed by "And I'll make sure she comes out and sees you".
"I thank you for that Jar" says an appreciative Kov the dragon.
The warship captain smiles, then thumps the flank of the largest of Balford dragon's in affection.
Then he walks off through the fog, to go and join sir Malfane the dragon rider.
"There you are" says the rider of the dragon Firelight.
"There's things we all need to talk about" says Jarmic Komav as he gestures in the direction of his battlecruiser, the Dragon Flame.
The two men from the province of Halvarc, one commonborn, the other nobleborn, chat about the dragon rider's patrol this morning as they walk through the fog, on this cool autumn morning, here in the western province of Ordem . . . . . .