Short Stories From The World Of ARTK

An Empress's Heir, Part One

The events of this story take place an estimated two thousand years before the events of AOOLAL- keeping in mind that the versions of this told in the main series are versions passed through thousands of years and thousands of mouths.

This was not how she'd raised him- but then again, she hadn't raised him at all. With each step that hum under his skin, that ancient instinct that screamed to be loyal to family protested- but he pushed with every willpower to ignore it. If she hadn't wanted to make an enemy of him, she should have shown a single grain of interest in the first nineteen years of his life. Instead she'd seen him as nothing more than her heir, and even with that- she'd sent him here, to negotiate with "their" strongest enemy.

Empress Arabella, the only other ruler in the world who rode multiple dragons. Aythos, Paddos- and Vindraeriass.

Before she grew, Prince Alexander and everyone else in the world believed his mother's dragon Nyrandith were the largest to ever live.

They were wrong.

Vindraeriass was over twice his size, and she were still growing. The world went dark as her shadow passed over Empress's Arabella's capital city; so much so that he couldn't help but look up and stare. The spikes on her back were said to be sharp enough at the tips to impale someone on- though the empress obviously preferred to feed people to him. And he couldn't fault her for that; his own mother did the same.

Such large dragons were expensive to feed, though they only ate once or twice a month- and nobody missed rapists.

He took another step up to the main entrance; where the empress' guards were blocking his path.

"State your business here." One old man mumbled.

Alexander only laughed. "I am the son of the Empress Naralia. If you wish to avoid angering her, your own mistress- and by that account, ten dragons- you will move aside."

They'd listened before he could finish those last words.

And then he were freely walking through the halls of what were supposed to be his greatest enemy's home. He found out easily enough, through a chatty servant- where her chambers were.

Then he found himself standing in front of those double doors, coughed- and pushed them open. He weren't sure what he'd been expecting, but it weren't to see her sitting at her table or to make immediate eye contact.
She were younger than mother had described her- early twenties at the most. And mother... were in her forties.

"Who the fuck are-" she started, her mouth as vulgar as the stories said. "You look familiar. Those eyes- you are the Prince Alexander. Hasn't anyone taught you it's rude to barge into a woman's private chambers?"

"They have." He raised an eyebrow. "My mother sent me as an emissary for peace."

With one look, Emperess Arabella managed to read every unspoken word. "But you do not wish for peace?"

"Not with her." Prince Alexander snarled. "I hate the cunt as much as you. Seven dragons, she has- and yet she has not allowed me, her heir- to keep even one of the eggs."

Empress Arabella stood and smiled.

"It seems we have much to talk about then." She replied quietly. "Have you ever ridden a dragon?"

————-

He had not. Whether that was considered pathetic or not with who his mother was- she hadn't allowed it. Her dragons weren't friendly, she claimed. They would only allow her to ride them, she always said.

And now he stood in the largest stable he'd ever seen, staring at the largest dragon who ever had and ever would exist.

  "Vindraeriass seems to like you."  Empress Arabella called, already atop Aythos. Just a couple of paces in front of him- the beast whined her approval. "She won't eat you unless I tell her to- and that's if she decides you're worthy of being eaten."

  Prince Alexander gulped.

  "Oh, don't look so pale." She yelled, an amused smile slowly spreading across her face. "They ate yesterday!"

  Alexander rolled his eyes, then took the last few steps towards the beast- towards the ladder attached to two of her enormous back spikes.

  Why Empress Arabella hadn't also added a saddle.... He would never understand, but he wouldn't be a coward. He were the son of another empress, a dragon rider- and no matter what she had to say about it, he'd be one too.

  Just as he reached her back and thought himself steady she made the smallest of shakes, like he'd seen dogs do-

  And then he were holding onto a spike with both of his arms, trying not to scream. Vindraeriass were laying down, but when she stood she dwarfed Aythos and Paddos so much it were almost humorous. (Not that it made the woman atop Aythos any less intimidating- if anything, she somehow managed to make up for Aythos's size with her facial expressions, and as his own mother had taught him- any dragon could burn a city.)

He were suddenly aware of the trust exercise here, how she were giving him her largest beast to see if she'd use it against the city-

  And he could not blame her.

  "You're going to have to hold on tighter than that." Now, her amusement were apparent in her tone. "Vindraeriass liked to go up above the clouds and nosedive until her nose is touching the ground."

  ————-

  Alexander were still screaming fifty moments after the first nosedive, only stopping once he heard how loud the empress laughed.

  "It's not humorous-"

  "It absolutely is." She were holding onto Aythos with one arm, her other busy holding her stomach. They were soaring around the city   Now, and though he felt nauseous.... He now truly understood why his mother felt as if the entire fucking world belonged to her. "Lighten up, Alex. You're on the winning side now."

  He shrugged- as well as he could with how tight he were holding onto a spike. 

  "That thing you said earlier about me being pale-" He yelled. "I'm Ebonian. We're always pale."