The Dragons Queen Saga

Part 35: Breaking the Rules of Realms

The modest chambers housed a bed, a desk, shelves lining the walls with scrolls and books, and the floor was carpeted in very fine rugs. A small grated window indicated that this had been a prison cell, converted into a secret study. The queen notched her torch in a clasp on the wall near the window and used it to light several candles scattered around the room. Talwen sat on the edge of the bed and browsed book titles. Dresden remained standing near the entrance.
"Now, you two had better be careful about yourselves. Sveldin is not a place for magical folk. My mother forbade them, even though my father took council with them against her wishes. Dresden, I could not reveal to you at the time we met that I have known your face for as long as I can remember. Here. Look at this." The queen tore through some parchment on a shelf until she found an old piece of parchment curling at the edges. A sketch-drawn image that she placed in his hands was a perfect likeness of him.
"Where did you get this?" He asked, handing it back to her in disgust.

"Now that is the interesting question, and why I brought you both here. My father, bless that man, taught me everything I know about the world and the creatures within it. He was brilliant and had many secrets. My mother tried to shield me from the evils of the world, and its colorful inhabitants. She loathed anything that wasn't human." The queen smiled and clasped her hands together in front of her. "Talwen, did you know my father? I must know."

Talwen shook her head sadly. "I was only a courier, your highness."

"Dresden, I knew you the moment I saw you in the marketplace because of this sketch. It was also a gift to my father by a very trusted advisor. He often stayed at the castle with us when I was young. My father held secret meetings with him and several others who slowly became part of the family. I was allowed audience during trivial meetings when I was a child and as I grew, I was allowed to remain for some of the more pressing matters."

Dresden wanted names. He saw many familiar objects in the room that told him immediately that Queen Adeline's father had been conspiring with Dragons for a long time.

"Do you remember any names? Consorting with Dragons is punishable by death in many kingdoms, and for good reason." He continued to study the contents of the room as he spoke. "Some Dragons are not worth the scales they're made of." He added bitterly.

"Of course, Dresden." The Queen took up a seat on the edge of the bed letting memories flood her thoughts. "Lazarus was like an uncle, he taught me to draw and appreciate the little details of life. Panshen was so strange to me as a child, mystical and wise, often quiet during many of the talks. He and my father spent many midnight hours conversing here. I would fall asleep from boredom, and Mol the bearded man. He used to do magic tricks and entertain me. He was kind, they all were. They were our most trusted advisors, a secret counsel you could say. My mother was furious as I said, but Lazarus drew this for me when I was still quite young." She held the sketch close to her and fingered the features of Dresden's face as she spoke. "I didn't know you were also a Dragon." She said suddenly, looking up at him with admiration. I suppose there are small clues that give you all away. She eyed him affectionately now, which made Dresden want to leave the room immediately. He shifted the attention back to Talwen to take the pressure off of him and sat down at the desk contemplating what she had just shared. Of course, Lazarus was involved in this clandestine group of secret advisors. The more he learned about Lazarus's involvement, the more he wanted to hate him. But Mol and Panshen too? How deep does this betrayal go? He wondered.

"You still have not explained yourself Talwen. The Alchemist should not be able to meddle with my scrying. How did he do that, and how did you know?" Dresden rested his forearm on the desk lifting some dust into the air.

Talwen was on the spot now. Much of her earlier rage gone, she continued to look around curiously as she answered him. "I have spent countless hours with the Alchemist. He is a uniquely strange Elf, unlike any of the Elves of Earth. He is from a different realm but somehow can penetrate the veil between worlds without needing a gateway or portals to move between them. He has mastered much that my kind were still learning about." She got up to take a closer look at one of the books on the shelf. "This is a forbidden text, your highness. You should not have anything like this in your possession. You could be killed for it." Talwen fingered the spine but didn't dare to pick it up. They just watched her, wanting her to continue. "Leviathan was meant for King Lareth Donan. I had my mission. I was weak and unable to see it through. He would have known exactly what to do with the creature and your kingdom would have been spared this bloody war. I cannot apologize enough for my failure, your highness." Talwen tipped her head and looked like she might cry as she gave a weak but genuine smile to the queen.
"But you are here now and when you were needed. I thank you beyond measure for that." The queen tipped her head to the Elf in acknowledgement and Dresden rose to his feet again.
"This is all chummy and sweet, going over family affairs, but that doesn't explain why Lazarus, Damn him, keeps showing up in places he has no business being in!"
The queen was confused by Dresden's anger.

"What do you mean sir? They were always welcome here. My father made sure of that. No one knew of their origin, and I assure you that Sariahfina was unaware of their involvement with us." She saw the look on Dresden's face at the mention of the Dragon leader's name. Utter fury glowed behind his eyes. "Yes, my father took the oath that binds these lands to the Dragon's truce but they have declared neutrality on the rest of the world and the truce only ensures that we will not go to war with them. At least that has been my understanding this entire time." She leaned against a bookshelf, relieved to be speaking about such dangerous topics so openly.

Dresden still had a book full of questions for both of the women. He pressed Talwen harder.

"You say you have spent much time with the Alchemist, as the queen asked you earlier, what is his interest in Sveldin and much else in fact if he is not even native to Earth?" Dresden gave her a very pointed, hawk-like stare.

"He is... I, you see. He has been working with Lazarus. It is his desire to help us take down the Dragon's presence on BasNassal so that Earth can be inherited by human beings. Dragons have no business here Dresden. You of all else should know this best. This is not your world and the Dragons on BasNassal are planning to take it for themselves if we do nothing. Which is why you've been so important all this time. You were meant to do everything in order, not missing a piece, not stepping out of line at all, and you have performed beautifully so far." Talwen spoke compassionately, as she could see that her words were upsetting him further.

The queen interrupted her. "Did the Alchemist know my father? This is the first time I have heard of him and his involvement. The Dragons always came alone and sometimes they would stay for weeks with us, wiling my father away with them at all hours of the night. I snuck into the hall, just outside the door on many occasions and listened to them converse when I was not allowed to overhear their conversations. They never mentioned an Alchemist, although there were occasions when other creatures would come to counsel. Magical folk come in an array of forms. I got to meet some of them, others were too dangerous to introduce to a child, even with the safety offered by the Dragon men."

Talwen took her spot on the bed again, next to the queen, and continued. "Lazarus has played a large part in the planning of this rebellion against the Dragons of BasNassal. The Alchemist and Lazarus both knew that the exile of the thirteen would take place, they predicted the rise and fall of empires, and together they have worked in more than one realm recruiting allies to wage a war that will change this world forever."
"That's all very cryptic," Dresden said dryly. "I have told Lazarus many times that I want no part in his self-inflicted futures he keeps pushing onto the world." He balled his fists defiantly.
The queen held up the hand-drawn sketch of him and spoke softly. "It looks like you have little choice, like the rest of us Sir Dresden."