Prince of Dragons

Chapter 37 - Preparations

After breaking her mental connection to lord Darfith, Merigunde, the Second Servant, left her tent.

Not that she would be the Second Servant for much longer. It was time to change things.

Jamian had been the First Servant for a while now, and Merigunde hadn't liked him. The Servants of Darfith were not just any group: it was an organisation of those people society called 'draconic humans'. For centuries, those 'draconic humans' had been in a difficult position: often, they'd been shunned by the humans for their draconic blood, so they couldn't be entirely human, but at the same time, they were far from dragons. They didn't belong anywhere.

But now, lord Darfith's plans had given them a chance to band together, to form a group. Following Darfith was an attractive choice for those at the bottom of society, not just the poor, but also the 'draconic humans'.

Yes, there were some human Servants, but those weren't the majority: most Servants had draconic blood.

For the first time in centuries, under Darfith's leadership, 'draconic humans' had been given the chance at having their own identity, at no longer being 'draconic humans', but breathers.

That was the name of her species. They weren't human. And they weren't draconic either. They were a species in their own right. They were not just some hybrid creature, a mixture of dragons and humans, simultaneously both and neither, no, they were breathers.

Jamian, however, did not feel that way. He saw being the First Servant as a chance of being more than a 'draconic human', a chance of becoming a full-blown dragon, albeit only in status. And it was that mentality that was preventing breathers from having an identity of their own. Jamian saw breathers as 'less than'; he considered the dragons a better species than his own. He was not a breather at heart: at heart, he was a wannabe dragon.

A group of breathers couldn't be led by a wannabe dragon. It had to be led by a breather.

True, a dragon like Darfith could be their king, but he wasn't the leader the Servants saw every day. Darfith was the ideal ruler they were fighting for, and as an ideal, he was distant. The First Servant was the one giving direct orders, the one the Servants saw in person, the one they knew. A person working that close to breathers had to be a breather, simple as that.

And Merigunde knew one thing: she was a breather.

One thing Darfith did not know - and which she did not want him to know - was that her loyalty was to her people first, her Dragon King second. It was great that Darfith was trying to change Garowain for the better and that the breathers would profit, and as long as her interests aligned with his, she'd serve him. However, if he ever betrayed the breathers, Darfith would find her to be as effective an enemy as a servant. That was one thing she'd promised herself.

While Jamian was in his tent, she gathered together the squad leaders and told them Darfith had appointed her the new First Servant. She asked one of them to contact Darfith by thought crystal in order to verify her claim. As soon as he'd confirmed it, she ordered the squad leaders to let all Servants in the camp gather at Jamian's tent.

As the others got to work, one of the squad leaders - a young woman with dark hair and eyes - walked up to her and said, "I'm glad lord Darfith chose you. Many Servants have been more loyal to you than to Jamian for a long time. Lord Darfith is a wise king."

Merigunde smiled. "Long may he reign."

In less than an hour, the entire encampment was getting together at the entrance of Jamian's tent, Merigunde standing in front of the crowd in the centre, flanked by the squad leaders. Jamian had apparently heard the noise: he pushed aside the canvas and walked out into the open. As he saw the crowd, an indignant look appeared on his face.