Shards of Felwyn

Chill in the Air

Ralthar looked upon the group with a hint of pride in his eyes, a small smile tugging at the edges of his red lips. His eyes were strong and his jawline sturdy. Cosmo wondered as to how he had been smote by Folcanrog so long ago.

"Rise, Dreyniv Khrabr." His voice resounded across the mountaintop despite his low tone. "I am the one in your debt, not the other way around."

"What could you possibly mean?" Molniya asked Ralthar as Dreyniv slowly rose to his feet with an unsure look on his face.

"Seventy years ago, I was struck down by Folcanrog soon after her resurrection while I attempted to protect my people." Both Molniya and Dreyniv's eyes widened at how long the war between their people had actually gone. "However, by then, the attacks the elder dragon had exacted upon my followers had decreased those who truly believed and trusted in my strength. Their homes were in flames and their families struck down; I do not blame them.

"Are you saying that our lack of devotion led to your demise, my Lord?" Dreyniv asked, his tone worried and confused.

"Yes. My weapon was destroyed and I was slain atop this peak moments later. My spirit was absorbed by the Divine Prism upon my death." He paused, resting on one knee so that he may look the five in their eyes. "By defeating Folcanrog, you have allowed my spirit to be free, along with the thousands of those that I could not watch over."

"My lord," Molniya began, approaching Ralthar's ethereal form. "Are you truly giving up so easily? We require your assistance in the reconstruction of our peoples." She implored. The last time Cosmo had seen her so vulnerable was atop the mountain he had trained with her on weeks ago, when she told him of Moldaya.

"Malen'cheritza." Ralthar looked into Molniya's eyes. Her back immediately straightened and her chin raised. She ceased leaning more heavily on one leg, despite the burn she had suffered minutes ago. "The strength and resilience required to return your kin to their previous state has been displayed atop Folcanrog's Domain tonight. You need not the assistance of a god, nor that of anyone else. In order to achieve unity, you must work entwined, as one."

"Who will defend us from grand threats such as Folcanrog in the future?" Dreyniv asked, pulling Ralthar's attention from his daughter.

"Who defended you and your kin from her wrath today?" He asked the Lord of Ogof with an inquisitive eye. "You all have done very well to best such a formidable opponent." Ralthar sighed, standing and looking at the ashy skies. "However, what remained of my weapon is now nothing but dust, and this is no form to return to one's people in." He gazed at his hands and arms, forlorn. "No, my children, it is my time to pass on to what follows after living for millenia."

Cosmo, Lysander, and Elias could do nothing but remain silent. The raw emotion on the edge of the crater was too strong to be interrupted, so the boys merely looked upon the scene, unable to do anything. A tear rolled down Cosmo's cheek. After knowing how much Molniya had lost already, it was almost impossible to watch her lose more.

"Please don't go, my lord." Molniya pleaded.

"I am not leaving you, nor any of my children." Ralthar responded calmly, the half smile still etched into his stony countenance. "I have always been within my followers, giving them the strength to achieve their goals and the solidarity to bind together in the heat of battle. I am not Ralthar. I am the roar of the sea, the silence of the crag, the heat of the lava, the cool of the night air, the vastness of the mountains, and the glimmer of hope residing in the hearts of the oppressed. I have, and will, always be with you and those who stand up and fight for a just cause."

"We will fight, then, my lord." Dreyniv stood tall as tears streaked his face. "And we will do so nobly and honorably until we are united as one, once again."