In the outer bailey of the huge castle servants milled around waiting to attend to the wedding guests. Horse-drawn carts holding food and wine to be served in the great hall were led to the back towards the kitchen. The musicians played a merry tune on their drums, bagpipes, lyres, and harps. On the top steps of the castle, armed with guards dressed in heavy armor was a handsome young man dressed in ceremonial clothes made of fine imported wool dyed black with a surcoat showcasing the Drakonian clan emblem over it. He wore polished black boots and his sword was protected in its sheath.
He was Attor Veles.
Attor swayed absentmindedly to the tune the musicians played. Beside him amidst the strong-faced soldiers was his best friend, Egan Dragenar. Both men stood at 6ft 4 inches, handsome soldiers of the realm. Egan unlike Attor was common born but had been assigned the second in command to the Drakonian army. The Drakonian was one of five clans that made up Drakus, a kingdom known for its strong forces and dragons. Both men were handsome; Attor's tan was a result of days spent training in the fields, his long black hair was the cause of the downfall of many maidens, and he wore it tied back today. Egan on the other hand was dark-skinned with a head full of black curls woven into braids. They were fine soldiers with the muscles and scars to prove it.
Attor glanced at Egan, his face was bland but his brows fell heavy over his eyes. His mouth was pressed into a grim line. Attor looked away with a slight smile and nodded at the servants bowing to him.
"How long does it take a woman to get dressed?" Attor mumbled under his breath but loud enough for Egan to know the question was for him.
Egan shrugged. "You tell me, you are the expert with women after all."
Attor laughed. "You don't have to look so surly. Marriage isn't a death sentence."
"I never said it was," Egan was still looking ahead wishing to be as far away from the festivities as possible. He sighed and glanced at his best friend. Attor had that stupid soppy smile on his face, the one that never left ever since the day he met Alina Bael. He had tried to talk his friend out of marriage with her for a whole month but all his words fell on dead ears. He worried for his friend. He didn't trust Alina one bit. She was too…perfect. And no he wasn't jealous. He should be happy for his friend but he couldn't help his concern.
The whole Veles family waited patiently in the great hall, waiting for the entry of the bride while helping themselves to wine served by footmen.
When the ancient bridal tune resounded from the top quarters Egan retreated into the castle leaving Attor outside.
Tagyris, head of Veles and father to Attor came outside. He put a hand on his son's shoulder to calm his agitation.
"Come in, son, the feast is about to begin. Knowing women as I do, especially your mother, we will be lucky if Alina arrives before nightfall," he laughed.
Attor smiled. "Ah. Behold the woes of men.' Turning he followed his father into the hall and had barely taken a few steps when a loud cry rent the air.
It was a woman. A distress call.
The cry had pierced the veil of music in the great hall, tearing through the walls of the castle, piercing the ears of guests and servants alike.
Guards rushed into the hall as Attor drew his sword and rushed in the direction of the noise. He just reached the grand staircase leading to the bride's quarters when an object fell from the balcony landing with a sickening crunch on the stone floor. Attor's eyes widened in horror, he recognized the girl as Alina's handmaid. Blood seeped from beneath her head, the rest of her body lay still in peaceful death.
All swords were drawn at that moment. In a blind rage, Attor flew up the stairs ready to draw blood. He came to a screeching halt in front of the bride's quarters, his eyes refused to believe what was before him. The doors were thrown open and on the ground was his bride bleeding from the sword wound in her chest, the sword was held by a man and that man was his best friend. Egan Dragenar.
"You bastard!"
"Wait!"
Attor advanced, heavy sword slicing the air between him and the man he once trusted behind him on many battlefields. Egan dodged the blade of the sword, jumping just in time for it to graze his armor. He dropped his sword, splattering blood on the floor.
"Listen to me Attor. This is for your own good."
Attor swung his sword again and this time his sword made contact, hitting Egan on the arm. Egan did nothing to protect himself but when Attor aimed for his throat he raised both hands, crossed them in front of his chest, and transformed, releasing a gush of wind that threw Attor back. Egan rose to his full dragon height on all fours, smoke bellowed from his nostrils, his scaled wings brushed the walls of the cramped space in the room and amber eyes flashed with anger.
"Don't do this, Attor. Let me explain!" Egan begged in a disembodied voice.
"Explain to the dead!"
Attor rose from the ground, beside him was the body of his bride. Tears gathered in his eyes as he mourned her briefly. He would mourn her properly after slaying her killer. He raised his sword at chest level, tip pointed towards Egan's heart and ran for the kill. Within mere inches of his goal a strong wind blew him back, smashing his back against the wall, the wind howled forcing even Egan to his scaly knees. The people running up the stairs to separate both men were equally thrown off the stairs.
When the wind stopped there was another presence in the room. A girl of barely 20 in a white dress with red hair cascading down her waist stood tall in the center of the room. Her back was straight and ramrod stiff. Her eyes flashed red as she took in the scene in the room. The tension was sucked out of both men as they fell to their knees before her.
"Mother," they said.
Her name is Phoenix.
She gave them both a droll stare. "A Council," was all she said.
Every single person in the castle was sucked into a vortex landing unceremoniously in the Council room in Phoenix's castle. It was located in neither man's world nor the gods for every Drakai knew Phoenix held no place in the world of man and in the world of the gods she despised, especially the gods of Eyrotia. Neither did her sister, Cleopoda.
The room was bare in regards to decorations but it was filled with all Drakai both adults and babies who had all been sucked in at Phoenix's command.
She sat on her white throne. Beside her a pale dragon napped, its huge body spilled from the throne platform to the stairs below it. Vapor poured out of its nostrils as it slept. Phoenix gazed at it with open affection. The dragon was the reason the Drakus even existed.
Seated around the Council room were members of the Drakus whispering to themselves wondering why the Council was summoned when Attor and Egan were thrown on the floor in front of the throne.
Phoenix uncrossed her legs and leaned back against the white throne.
"This is my judgment…" she began.
"Judgment?" someone cried.
"The law says a Drakai must never attack another unfairly," Phoenix's voice rang out clearly in the vast room.
"Then you must permit me to have Egan's head, Mother."
Phoenix regarded Attor with bored eyes. "It is you, Attor of the Veles clan who should be beheaded. You have attacked another unjustly and should be killed."
Shocked gasps filled the air.
"I was the one attacked," Attor spat. "My bride-to-be was killed by this bastard!"
"No dragon is a bastard. Calling any dragon one is an insult to me!" Phoenix yelled. "Especially since your father lays right here." She stroked the sleeping pale dragon. "Veles, you have been found guilty of breaking the Drakus law and this is my judgment."
"This cannot stand," Attor cried with tears in his eyes. "This is injustice! Egan is guilty, everyone witnessed it! He killed my bride."
"You fail to see what is right before your eyes," Phoenix told him pitifully. "House of Veles you are banished from Drakus, I relieve you of your powers, you might retain a third of it and your dragons. That is my mercy."
"This is injustice!" Attor cried harder and his voice was echoed by the rest of the Veles clan. They stood and begged, wailing, yelling for Egan to be killed for his crime.
At Phoenix's command, the Veles clan was captured and thrown out of the Council room, banned from ever being in her presence again, and relieved of their royal duties for all time to come. As they were dragged out Egan bowed his huge dragon head to block out the sound of Attor's tears. He wished he could tell his friend the reasons for his actions but he couldn't, not when he wasn't certain of his suspicions. One thing he was sure of though; Alina deserved her death but he would need to prove that to Attor.
"You," Phoenix regarded him with a wave of her fingers. "Today you are named protector of the realm."
The murmurs that rose among the crowd were an indication of everyone's displeasure with that information. For the first time since his plan, Egan wondered if he made a mistake betraying his only friend, the only person who ever treated him as an equal.
Phoenix didn't seem to mind their displeasure. She raised her hands skyward. "Go Egan Dragenar as the great protector, you have my blessings."
Even as he received her blessings Egan knew he didn't deserve them. But he swore on the Mother's head that he would perform his duty as protector.