The White Dragon: Tales from the North — Chapter 2: Dragons; Reunited

Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer (1818) | Caspar David Friedrich

ㅤㅤA triumph and a sword were not all Sivus was rewarded for his achievements. Once the festivities were over, the Palace’s Master of Rooms, a man named Telor, accompanied him to a domus not far away from the city’s center. This was now to be Sivus’, as well as eight slaves to manage its upkeep. He didn’t see much of the place that night, as he immediately went to bed (it had been a long day), but it was certainly much larger and more impressive than his humble home in Ekzaltum’larrum.

ㅤㅤThe Supreme Commander chose to spend his second day in the capital, exploring the many rooms of his new home, and while doing so, also getting to know a bit each one of his slaves; Sivus had never had slaves before. Dorron, whom he had already met last night, was his butler, and he introduced the rest to their new master as they moved from one space to the other. ㅤㅤIn the kitchen, preparing breakfast, they met the house’s cook, Salton from Graves, and also Kolt who primarily took care of the shopping; he had just brought some lovely strawberries and two big watermelons. In the garden, they met Mago, one of the cleaners, who usually started her days by watering the flowers. When they got back inside, an amusing encounter took place. ㅤㅤ“Mago, weren’t you in the garden just a moment ago?” he was properly confused. There she was again. This time wearing different clothes and cleaning the floor. “Am I seeing double?” ㅤㅤ“This is Nago, Master Sivus, Mago’s twin sister. They confuse us daily as well,” explained Dorron. ㅤㅤLater, they met Nela too, who washed the clothes, Jeris who worked in the stable, and Nelius, who being the only one who could read and white took care of the house’s finances. The Havian informed his master, that he had an eye for selecting and buying fine new slaves, if he so desired. Sivus already didn’t know what to do with eight, let alone more. ㅤㅤA bit before noon, the copy of Quintus’, or Publius the Discombobulated’s Poems for the Divine Fools of All Ages arrived, and he spent the rest of the day reading it. There was a lot of good in its pages, but in particular, a short poem titled ‘For I’m looking for a Wingmaker’, proved to be Sivus’ favorite in a way. He read it twice at first, and for reasons he couldn’t fully explain, he just kept going back to it and reading it over and over again. Though it made you wish there was more to the poem, a second part, or even just one or two more verses, at the same time, it felt complete as well.

battles of words lead you nowhere hello friend, would you rather be here or there? at the first sight of wings, will you be gone? I’ll be here, waiting for you in my eternal home

“Quintus, you clever bastard!”

ㅤㅤThe following day, he joined the Emperor in his box in the Grand Amphitheatre. There he met High Commander Flasius again (Sivus preferred to call him by that title), as well as Marcus, the Empire’s Minister of Finances and Publius, the Minister of Mines and Resources. And as always, accompanying the Emperor, were his two personal guards, his luvenes. ㅤㅤThe luvenes, or the chosen ones, were renowned for their loyalty and above all, mastery of the sword. For almost a millennium, their order had protected the Head of the House of Mactire. In their entire impeccable record, there was regrettably but one black page, besides that, nothing but glorious service of the finest caliber. For the Empire! For the Emperor! ㅤㅤThe two men followed Hadrian IX wherever he went. They ate when he ate, they slept when he slept, and took turns to shit when the Emperor shat. Of the two current luvenes, Demaquin Naris and Freten Apper, Sivus had seen Apper in combat once, and to say the least, he had been exceptional; having killed two exiguuses by himself that day, in an incredible display of courage and ability. As for Naris the One-Eyed (he had a purple gem for a right eye), who smiled like a madman, the word on the street was that he was an even more fearsome and exceptional warrior, and wielded a black blade. Sivus would love to practice with them, or at best, observe them do what they do best.

ㅤㅤThe games proved to be quite the spectacle. They began with men being swallowed and torn apart by exotic and rare beasts, who in return were slaughtered too. Lynxes, ostriches, a golden and a bronze mammoth, crocodiles, hyenas and a marvelous orange-eyed blue tiger. A rich canvas of color and cruelty. ㅤㅤThen a man who had lied about the weight of a chicken he had sold to a woman, was followed and constantly attacked by twenty chickens around the floor of the arena. This highly entertained the crowd, until he eventually dropped dead from exhaustion. Following this display of “justice”, Sivus saw his first ever naumachia, and it was as wild as it had been described to be. The splendor and might of the House of Mactire in full display. A battle between four ships and more than four hundred men. A confusion of fire, smoke, steel, arrows, falling bodies and ship parts; truly an exhilarating event! ㅤㅤAnd to end the day, once the stage had been fully drained, a one-on-one gladiatorial duel. It was a thrilling contest, as the two men were equally matched, and traded blows and cuts, for almost an hour. Until with a swift move, Talson of Taleria spun and Avedos of Vul, became Avedos the Headless.

ㅤㅤAfter the sun had set and the roar of seventy thousand was but a faint memory, the group moved to the palace for dinner. The discussion primarily revolved around two main issues. The post-war order in Dezúm and South Vitus, and the upcoming Conquest of Lavaria. ㅤㅤSivus had left five legions in Dezúm and two in Vitus, and the Emperor was interested in knowing how feasible it would be to move at least three of those legions to Haves. Sivus said that it would be a challenge, as South Vitus was still far from being fully pacified, while Dezúm on the other hand, despite having no pretender to the Throne of Frozenhál (Sivus and Harnal had personally taken care of that), was still a vast and difficult area to control. Nonetheless, he had an idea on how to make it work and move those three legions. ㅤㅤThe first ever High Commander of the Northern Legions and that of the Vitian Legions, were yet to be appointed. To this Sivus suggested that Harnal be the chosen one to take command of both posts. He had full trust that with four legions at his disposal, he could manage the two regions and bring order to them, by any means necessary. The proposition was welcomed by the Emperor and it was agreed that Harnal (Fulius Chokhmah) would be promoted to his new role in the upcoming days. ㅤㅤAs for the future campaign in Lavaria, Minister Marcus and Minister Publius assured them that all preparations were going according to plan. With Sivus now returned, they could start the invasion by early next spring. The Kitian Ambassador had also reported that his people too were going over their final preparations for the conflict to come, and had boasted about their ability to slay Horans; the two races deeply loathed each other. ㅤㅤIn Haves, the legions were under the command of Sivus’ former First Lieutenant, now High Commander Terus, the Red Hawk. Despite his desire to join Terus and the legions as soon as possible, the Emperor stated that he wanted to have his champion by his side for a few more weeks, and then he could have his leave and be free to revisit Haves after what seemed a lifetime; the place where his career had begun. ㅤㅤThe Conquest of Lavaria was planned to be one of the largest invasions in recorded history, due to the sheer size of the peninsula and the threat and challenge presented by their adversary, the Horan Horde and its Zanbathar, Smasch Fury. But the rewards… The vast grain fields of Lavaria, able to easily support the empire’s population five times over, and crucially and most importantly, peace of mind. Though the white orcs had never crossed the Endless River with the aim of claiming the lands on the other side, they had a taste for raids. Raids that through the decades had cost the death of thousands and had brought so much sorrow and distress to many more. The Horan axe, too close to the empire’s throat, could make breathing at times a dangerous sport. It was time to settle the Eastern Question. ㅤㅤAnd now, now the Mactires had Sivus leading their legions, and all seemed possible. He had taken Dezúm, why not Lavaria? And once that had been settled… They could aim to claim their most coveted prize, the most desired possession to have for all of those whose name was Mactire… Ek’tun Avan! The two wolves howling as one.

ㅤㅤThe day after, Sivus decided to visit the Mactire Mausoleum, one of the capital’s wonders. The massive building was rectangular in shape, and divided into four sections. The first two, were adorned with sculptural reliefs depicting the building of Eksium, the Conquests of Befona and Mista, of Kanvia, Graves, Okkia, Haves, the Hattian Islands (Sivus had led the Siege of Lukh, their capital) and the drawings for the eventual reliefs depicting the Conquests of Dezúm and South Vitus had been completed and about to be sculpted as well. ㅤㅤThe third section was surrounded by a majestic colonnade of seventy-two columns and a golden frieze that depicted mythological scenes, such as the Ascent of Kadi. The fourth section was a pyramidal, and on top of it, stood a golden statue of Lharan, riding a four-horse chariot. ㅤㅤIn the first story of the building, were the sarcophagi of the lesser Mactires, the family’s daughters (no Mactire queen was buried in the Mausoleum) and sons who hadn’t achieved anything of significance in life, but who were of Mactire blood nonetheless. In the second story were the sarcophagi of the lesser kings, grand satraps and emperors, as well as those members of the family that had left a mark in the pages of history, such as Tinerius, son of King Septimus IV, who had vastly contributed to the development of the legal code still used today. ㅤㅤThe third story was a stark contrast to the first and second, here there were only eight sarcophagi, and the reason why Sivus had come to visit the place, was in one of them. The eight men whose shells rested in this space were: Sium Mactire, King of Befona, the founder of the dynasty and the man who had started the construction of Eksium. Sium Zatur, Sium’s grandson, who had conquered northern Graves. Afius IV, the White Wolf, under whose rule the then Kingdom of Stravus and Kanvia had experienced a golden age. Grand Satrap Thurinus, father of Hadrian I — Efran must know something about him Sivus thought; the very fact that he was in this room, meant that he should have been quite the man. Beside him was the sarcophagus of his son, Hadrian I, the Great, the man who had freed the people of Ek’atan and overthrown the last Gravian emperor, restoring the title of emperor to his own house by annexing Graves and Okkia. Hadrian V, the Magnificent, who too had well-earned his place in the room by adding Haves to the empire without spilling a drop of blood (at least that was the story that was told). The seventh belonged to the previous emperor, Hadrian VIII, the Wise, who had restored the empire to its height after the follies of his brother, Hadrian the Mad. And lastly, the eighth sarcophagus belonged to Afius Mactire, Conqueror of the Hattian Islands, son of Hadrian XIII, older brother of Hadrian IX, former Supreme Commander and a second father to Sivus. ㅤㅤIt had been he who had noticed his talents and had quickly promoted him through the ranks, making Sivus first Commander of the Griffins, and then High Commander of the Eastern Legions after their conquest of the Hattian Islands. A man like no other. Who else would have passed the throne and given it to their brother?! As for the reason why, he had told Sivus that Hadrian was just better suited for the role, and he to lead his armies instead. Unjustly and cruelly murdered at the age of forty-four by a demon before the start of the Dezián Campaign; leaving a then twenty-three-year-old Sivus to lead the conquest. The man had not deserved to die in that way. ㅤㅤ“It is done Supreme Commander, it is done. May you rest in peace.” Upon the lid, Sivus placed his old sword, the one Afius had once gifted him. ㅤㅤThough to see Afius’ sarcophagus and pay his final respects had been the main purpose of Sivus’ visit, there was another Afius worthy of veneration resting upstairs. The room was round and well-lit. Only one sarcophagus stood in the middle of it. Grander and more impressive than all Sivus had seen. Protected by the statues of his two luvenes; loyal in life, loyal in death. Around, a ring of fire that gave shape to his deeds, carved in crimson walls, burned. Afius the Conqueror. Conqueror of Stravus, Conqueror of Kanvia, Conqueror of Ekvalán. The man who killed the dark mage Tever and as the tales said, the last to have seen the Red God in the flesh. ㅤㅤUnlike the sarcophagi of the other Mactires, his was made of glass and his body was submerged in honey. Preserved in a perfect state for nine hundred and twenty-seven years. This entire building in truth was his temple; those resting below simply his many disciples. Sivus remembered the last sentence of a book he had read about the life of Afius when he was a kid. ‘The son of Sium has left our world, but not to chase a man’s fate, but to walk among the Shimmering Lords!’

ㅤㅤAs the day was still young, the Supreme Commander decided to head for the barracks and check on his men. When he arrived there however, he found an old friend as well. “Efran, brother!” called an elated Sivus. ㅤㅤ“Sivus? Litus be blessed!” After fifteen years, the two dragons embraced once more. ㅤㅤ“I can’t believe my eyes. God, it’s been a long time,” he was all smiles. “Let me take a good look at you.” Efran hadn’t changed much. He was still slightly taller than him, fit, with short dark brown hair, clean-shaven, and his eyes… well, one couldn’t forget those. Emerald green eyes like no other living soul in the whole of Ek’atan. In them, one could see the flames of the dragon he was named after, still burning. Dragons… this was how a young Sivus and Efran had become fast friends at the age of four, both being named after one of the legendary magnuuses, the mightiest and most powerful of all dragons; Sivus the Stormbringer and Efran the Destroyer. ㅤㅤ“You should get some sun, you’re too pale,” Sivus joked. ㅤㅤ“And you should get a shave.” It was indeed time for him to trim his ginger beard. ㅤㅤ“Let’s sit, High Commander.” ㅤㅤ“After you, Supreme Commander.” ㅤㅤ“Sharp as ever. Tell me, how? What happened? Always thought a man of your talents would rather choose to join the ranks of the senate one day, or advise the Emperor on some policy issues; after all, you were always the one with answers back in school.” ㅤㅤ“Life happens, I guess.” ㅤㅤ“I was quite surprised when your name came up for the promotion, had to check if it was true. But then I got informed of your impeccable service as Commander of the Black Arrows. Quite astounding.” “I’m pleased I’ve done my duty well, as have you. Congratulations!” said Efran raising an invisible cup. ㅤㅤ“Imagine if you had joined the army when I did, we could have conquered Dezúm together. I’d have loved to see Harnal pull your leg,” he laughed. ㅤㅤ“Harnal the Horankiller?” asked a curious Efran. “What kind of man is he?” ㅤㅤ“Hmm, Harnal. A dick… Just kidding. Loyal as they come. A bit rash sometimes, that’s how he got most of his scars, but highly competent. A good lad and not a bad singer either.” Plenty of good memories and hilarious lyrics popped into Sivus’ mind. “I have shared most of my journey in the army with him, from the early days in Haves to now. But tell me more, about your decision to join, how did it come about?” ㅤㅤ“Well, long story short, it was my father’s death that made me enlist. It was his last wish, and here I am.” ㅤㅤ“Oh, Uncle Greenflame passed away? I’m sorry to hear that. What about your mother, how’s she doing?” ㅤㅤ“Last time I saw her, she seemed to be fine. She doesn’t want to bother me much these days, knowing my position, but I try to write to her when I can. What about your parents, have you… visited them yet?” ㅤㅤThe joy that had sparked when he had seen his old friend, suddenly and briefly vanished away. “I believe… I hope I’ll go to Ekzaltum’larrum one of these days. The sooner, the better,” he lied, he had already visited them. To move on, Sivus said, “But tell me… fifteen years since we last saw each other, who would have thought, I’ve got so many questions.” ㅤㅤ“The 12th of Tenvokun, 2966 ABB, I remember the day as if it were yesterday,” Efran commented. ㅤㅤ“You remember the fucking date?! Well, your memory was always quite exceptional. Thinking of that, I visited the Mactire Mausoleum today, have you seen the place?” ㅤㅤ“Unfortunately not, but tell me, something picked your interest?” ㅤㅤ“Well, there was this Grand Satrap, I don’t know anything about any of the satraps, but he was buried alongside his son, Hadrian the Great — ” ㅤㅤ“Ah, you mean Thurinus the Navigator?” Sivus made a hand gesture of affirmation, like “you go on”. “Not very known these days, but truly deserving of his place in the Mausoleum if I may say so. In his lifetime he was famous for his journey across the Navakon Ocean. Came a changed man they say. Well, that’s just historical trivia, but his actual greatest achievement was preparing the stage for his son’s eventual successes.” ㅤㅤ“How so?” Sivus loved a good story, especially one he could learn from. ㅤㅤ“This is a bit… outside of the official historical narrative, but shouldn’t be a problem. You have heard the name Feran Frasilevich, I assume?” ㅤㅤ“The last emperor of the Gravian Empire? The man that Hadrian overthrew?” ㅤㅤ“Yes, correct. We all know that Hadrian the Great defeated Feran and by doing so ended the Gravian Empire, but only a few know that Feran and Hadrian were actually close friends.” ㅤㅤ“Really?” asked Sivus surprised. ㅤㅤ“After he returned from his travels, Thurinus became steadily one of the most trusted advisors of Feran’s father, Emperor Furon. The two boys grew together, and Feran trusted Hadrian the same way his father had trusted Thurinus. When the Havians and Deziáns rose in revolt — ” ㅤㅤ“We led the rebellion.” ㅤㅤ“We did and didn’t. When Hadrian showed up at the gates of Feran with the Mactire army behind his back, Emperor Feran simply opened them, welcoming inside his savior and friend… Should have known Thurinus better. And the rest as they say is history.” ㅤㅤ“So he had planned the whole thing?” ㅤㅤ“Very much so, quite crafty. Kudos to Hadrian too, brilliant commander, but it was Thurinus who gave him a proper army. It was he who spoke to the broken Havians and Deziáns to rise once more. It was he who for years, slowly weakened the empire from within. And when the day came, all was ready to be served to Hadrian in a silver plate, he need only take it.” ㅤㅤEfran was the type of guy who knew the weirdest and most obscure of facts. “Quite like you Efran, always impressive. If I have to guess, believe you might even speak the first language.” ㅤㅤ“Tel netirr,” he said smiling. ㅤㅤ“I’m sorry?” ㅤㅤ“Tel netirr, ‘just a bit’ in the first language.” ㅤㅤ“By Zograf! My friend, I’m so happy to meet you again. I missed this.” ㅤㅤ“Sivus, if you might, may you entertain a question of mine?” ㅤㅤ“Of course, ask it.” ㅤㅤ“Was it you that killed Vykán VII?” the fire in his eyes burned. ㅤㅤFor a moment Sivus felt uneasy, it was a strange and weird sensation for a man by whose sword more than a hundred had already fallen. His dream, the same dream… He pulled himself together and then replied, “Yes, it was me. It all happened so fast. We entered his throne room, my men took care of his remaining guards, and I looked in his eyes as I plunged my sword through his heart.” The room they were in, somehow felt colder. ㅤㅤ“One for the history books. What about his brother, Commander Avós and his son Turkón?” ㅤㅤ“If you’re worried that some surviving Levgarián is still at large and wandering around, be at ease. It was a cavalryman I believe who took down Turkón, and as for Avós, thank Harnal for that; saved my life.” At that moment, a young man with light blonde hair entered the room, he was out of breath. ㅤㅤ“Oh, Tiberius, I thought you made for the palace,” said Efran. “Sivus, let me introduce you to Prince Tiberius, the heir to the throne.” ㅤㅤSivus stood up and said, “Your Highness, a pleasure to meet you,” and shook hands with Tiberius. ㅤㅤThe prince was still trying to properly breathe, but he managed to say, “Supreme Sivus,” Efran and Sivus chuckled. “I meant, Supreme Commander, the pleasure is mine, entirely mine… An honor,” he was still shaking Sivus’ hand, but let go a moment later when he realized that. “I came as fast as I could when I was told I could find you here. I would absolutely love to hear your tales from the north, Supreme Commander.” ㅤㅤ“I’m not sure if there’s something to share that you might not know, but I would be glad to answer all your questions, Your Highness.” ㅤㅤ“Thank you, Supreme… Commander.” ㅤㅤPrince Tiberius shared a lot of similar features with the other members of his family, but unlike them, he had light brown eyes, a trait he might have gotten from his late mother, Empress Ravinia, Sivus thought. ㅤㅤ“How old are you Tiberius?” he had sat as well. ㅤㅤ“Nineteen this Winter. I was made High Commander Efran’s First Lieutenant at the beginning of the year.” ㅤㅤ“I haven’t seen you use a sword in quite some time Sivus, but I would wager and say that he is at least as good as you were at his age,” added the High Commander. ㅤㅤ“You are far too kind Efran, if I am any good, it is thanks to my teachers. Think I may still have a few bruises from Demaquin.” He had a gentle laugh, that of a lively spirit. “Though I have yet to learn the secrets of the bow from you.” ㅤㅤ“That reminds me,” began Sivus. “Still not a fan of the sword, Efran?” ㅤㅤHe shrugged. “If it were for swords or spears or axes, I would still be a mere legionary, and one famed for my ineptitude. That’s why I joined the Black Arrows instead of the Imperial Army.” ㅤㅤThe Black Arrows, the empire’s secret police. Of all the empire’s units, they and Eksium’s dolmadarr were the only ones not under Sivus’ direct command. Besides the fact that they were a force of around two thousand men, by design, little else was known of them and the nature of their operations. It was said that ‘the Black Arrows know first and strike first’, and that when a shadow moves at night, it might very well be one of them. ㅤㅤ“By the way, Efran, have you told Sivus yet?” mentioned Tiberius. ㅤㅤ“Ah, we have news Sivus, news from Vitus, North Vitus.”

Chapter 2 of my work, The White Dragon: Tales from the North

*Prologue & Chapter 1*

Next week, another chapter!

For the full work, click here, or just reach out to me, and I can email you the file.

— written in 2023 AD