Rising Dragons

Alukard and Drakon

Character Ramble - So, this is my - what - fourth character ramble I think. I really like the characterisation of Alu here, and Drake, although his development isn't as good, but I still like it. These two characters are pretty amazing, and I could them among my favourites (not THE favourite, though; that's saved for a special character close to my heart).

This is – was – for them, because there are words that go unsaid, stay silent, stay unknown. For although things can be shared in silence, understood in silence, acknowledged in silence, this cannot go unwritten, unspoken, ignored, unidentified. Together they could fly, but that indicates they couldn't alone, but they could still fly alone... it doesn't make sense; it's a paradox, confusing. By definition, a paradox can't exist... so, let's make sense, shall we?

Drakon had wings, yellow ones, bright ones, small ones. He could fly, alone and together; always, he could fly – he died before he couldn't fly. This is literal. He flew.

Alukard had dark eyes, brown ones, silent ones. He could fly, together, but also alone; above the ground, away from chains – he died, but not in flight. This is metaphorical. He flew.

I told you these two were not heroes, and they weren't. They were selfish. They were human. They were real, in a way, in a manner – they mattered. Drake – Drakon – and Alu – Alukard – went into battle. They went in hard, and kept going, kept going until they couldn't – until they died. They took on Thirak and Mark. They didn't do this as heroes or to be heroes. They didn't do it because it was the right thing to do. They didn't do it to prove they could. They did it in determination, in hope. They did it in revenge because they were selfish creatures, slaves to their own minds and emotions. They died for revenge. They died as failures, and only they know this.

You can't say I'm wrong, because you don't know the truth – you can't say I'm right either, standing by that same fact. So yes, Alu and Drake flew together, always together, forever together. They don't always fly – didn't always fly – together, didn't need to. Didn't have to.

Let's talk about Drake and Alu, people, tangible, fallible. I'm sure you'll say the pair was brave, and they were, I don't deny that. They were stubborn and determined; most of the time this can be a good trait. Let's say it isn't. Let's say that this is their weakness, one of them at least. I called the pair regal, and they were – in manner and in bearing. They had power – they really did – and they knew this, they controlled it, it was theirs. They were powerful. They knew this. They had strength within their power. I'm not going to say they're arrogant, but maybe... maybe they were, maybe they weren't – I'll let you decide that. However, they were regal, maybe some would call this arrogance or smugness, but they had confidence in their power, in their strength, in themselves, in each other.

Alu grew up with blood-covered knuckles and a tongue held behind his teeth. He grew and was still growing; he died as a child, and that's a tragic thing; a tragedy. He died in the name of the revenge, in an unplanned attack, in a stupid action; he died and still saved lives.

Drake grew up small and bright, tiny and noticed. He grew up with power inside him. He grew and was still growing; he died young, but the tragic thing is that he didn't have to die. He died for no cause. He died for stupid reasons, in the name of revenge, in confidence.

They died. Do you understand why it's more than sad, why it's pitiful? I have more for you, more for them, more information, more backstory, more words.

It's silent as you read them, silent in your head, but these words are also emotions, are actions, are people, are real, are fiction; they matter. Maybe they don't to you, but they do to someone.

Alu grew up in one of those big city-town places – I'm sure you know the type, right? Buildings squished together, tall and mainly grey, brickwork and stonework. Hard streets and harder people. Trees every few blocks, and glass windows reflecting the light. Normally busy with people on the roads. Voices rising above the babble of conversations as people talk – as they tend to do. On chilly nights, smoke covered the sky as people had fires in their homes to stay warm. On hot nights, people would meet during the evening, laughing beneath a starry sky sharing a memory. It was, to Alu, home. To Drake, who had never lived in such a place, it was the furthest thing from a home. That doesn't matter though, and if it does, it doesn't matter much. Not to this story, but it did to them.