A Beginning, If You Will

Dining Together Alone

    Griffin sat alone in the dining room, the only plate on the long table in front of him being his own. The young boy sighed, looking down at his plate in boredom. It must have been an hour since he sat down, his food now cold and soggy. Compared the the size of everything else surrounding him in the room, the massive crystal chandelier, the big cabinets filled with trinkets and treasures, the giant dining chairs fit for a king, and his brother’s crown atop his head, Griffin could not help but feel as if he was nothing more than an ant that had somehow wandered in. He held his fork above his eyes, staring at it hoping to find something in its silver reflection. He did not. Looking out the stained glass windows lining the dining room, he wondered where his brother was. Was his expedition going well, the young prince did not know. Griffin wished he was not left in charge of a kingdom, maybe he would berate his brother when he returned.

    It was snowing hard, a borderline blizzard to some. The trees were being pushed and pulled so violently by the wind that you would expect them to shoot out of the ground any minute from all the mistreatment they were receiving. Between the harrowing winds and the fumbling trees, a man bundled in a fur cloak huddled close to a fire. He had positioned himself close to a cliffside, the edge barely covering him from the snow. Every time he took a breath, it was as if he was a dragon billowing smoke. Perhaps he shouldn’t think that, the man mused. It would not be very nice considering he is betrothed to one. Liam, the man huddling close to a fire, the man supposedly meant to find great power, the man betrothed to a dragon, has found himself a problem. On top of the fire was a poorly cut fish, it definitely did not have an easy death. The meat was overcooked on one side and undercooked on the other, not to mention the pitiful size of it as a whole. He let it cool before biting into it, spitting out some burnt ash as he did. After a couple minutes of struggle, he decided to let himself go without a meal tonight. Sighing and bundling himself further into the cloak, Liam wondered how his brother was back home. He hoped being a stand-in king wasn’t too difficult for him. Looking down at his hands, outlined by the red from the cold, was his ring. He wondered how his dear dragon was doing. He hoped he was alright.

    The small tent was crowded, warriors of all shapes and sizes trying to fit into the enclosed space, peeking over each other’s shoulders to get a peek at their leader. In the middle of it all was Caden, black eyes highlighted by yellow and horns protruding from his head, a blue braid flowing down his back. He called for attention, outlining their battle plans. They would attack at dawn and would be expected at the front so they would attack from behind. Circling some key areas to meet, their leader raised his fist. Everyone mimicked the movement, yelling a chant in unison. They all left for food, one bringing some rations for Caden before excusing herself out. Caden sighed, now alone with their battle plans. The battle coming would not be easy, that the dragon knew well. While looking at one of his base plans, he happened to glance down at his hand, the ring around his finger shining in the dim lantern lights. The dragon almost growled, taking off the ring and slamming it onto the table. He didn’t need that deadbeat anyways. It was his own fault for leaving in their time of need. Grunting in frustration, Caden left the tent, the ring still left alone on the table. Deep down he knew he could never truly leave it and would end up picking it up a couple hours later.