The Union (Patreon)

(Tributary, Chapter 11)  

The day had finally come. Both Allan and Genaya were woken up early in the morning by Pantone, and she had a rather grim face.

“Come on, you two…” Pantone scooped Allan up in her hands rather abruptly. “It’s… time to get ready.”

“Yes, Grandma…” Genaya nodded as she stood up. “Time for my wedding day.”

Pantone gave a light chuckle, but when she turned to leave, she sighed sadly. Allan couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

After a quick breakfast, Allan was placed with his uncle Charles on a platform with other humans. To the youth’s shock, all of the other human servants had pitched in to prepare a backpack full of traveling gear for the youth. Allan found himself dressed in a fine suit of armor, fit for a knight back in Cairn. The armor was made of red-tinted plate mail from his helmet to his boots. The metal was also lighter than Allan was expecting; it felt like merely another layer of clothing. And yet the servants struck his chest and back with blunt wooden poles with Allan barely feeling a thing.

“This incredible…” Allan said as he looked himself over.

“Take this with you as well, Allan…” Charles said. He shifted to reveal what was behind his back to present it to his nephew. It was a spear, polished of the finest metals that Allan had ever seen. The elder Scarlenn passed the spear into Allan’s hand, who held it up to inspect the shaft.

“This make is incredible!” He exclaimed. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s name is Lavitz.” Charles said. “It’s a family heirloom. I brought it with me when Vermillius claimed me as his servant years ago. I’d like you to have it, Allan.”

“R-Really?” Allan’s eyes widened.

“You’ll be the first Scarlenn in a long time to make good use of Lavitz in combat.”

“Wow…” Allan stepped up to give his uncle a handshake. But the man rolled his eyes and pulled Allan in for a hug. It was a little awkward at first, but Allan accepted it; the man was family, after all.

After that, Allan was scooped up by Pantone and brought into the main foyer. Vermillius stood there in a lavish nobleman’s outfit, though he still had his sword at his belt. Pantone nodded toward Vermillius and held her hand up to present Allan to him.

“Uh… G-Good morning, my lord.” Allan nervously bowed. The elder dragon growled irritably and blew smoke out of his nostrils. He then silently held a hand out for Allan to step aboard. Allan carefully placed Lavitz on his back, in a special holster for his spear.

Munsella walked through a doorway and immediately started yelling something at Pantone in the draconic language. An argument went back and forth, with Vermillius struggling to act as a mediator. Allan just glanced around awkwardly, wishing he was anywhere else at that moment…

“I’m ready!” Genaya’s voice called from upstairs.

Vermillius and his wives became quite as Genaya stepped into the main foyer. Allan couldn’t believe his eyes: Genaya was dressed in a silver wedding dress. The wedding dress had fiery red trim on all sides. She whore black sandals on her feet, and her wings were covered in fat stockings decorated with feathers. Genaya wore no veil, but instead had a wreath of red flowers on her head. Her mother carried the white wedding train as Genaya descended the staircase.

Munsella and Pantone showered their granddaughter with many words of affection. Vermillius was stunned into speechlessness as his granddaughter approached. Genaya stopped by Vermillius and held her hand up.

“Might I take my servant with me?” She asked. “I have a pocket prepared for him.”

“Err… yes, of course.” Vermillius nodded.

Allan obediently stepped into Genaya’s hand. She brought him down to her belly, which had a zipper over a pocket that she opened up. Genaya carefully deposited Allan into the pocket and zipped up just enough to keep him safe, while also allowing his head to poke out.

“You look incredible, Mistress.” Allan said.

“Thank you, Allan.” She smiled and patted his head. Genaya faced the front door and walked forward to step through it. Vermillius and the three red dragonesses followed just behind.

~~…~~

It seemed like everybody in Sanctus Arcus had heard the news. Many dragons looked out the windows to watch as Genaya and her family marched down the city streets to the south. Most of the dragons even left their homes to follow them. Soon, a veritable army of dragons was gathering together to watch the ceremony.

Everyone kept going until they stepped up to the very edge of the city limits, where a large prairie extended outwards. Another crowd was already there to witness the event. They were spear-headed by the elders Aprynn, Ambrosia, Azuria and Indegren. Verdel was off to the side with a crowd of his own dragons.

Allan peeked his head cautiously out of the pocket as the many dragons stepped out of Genaya’s way. The dragoness slowly walked forward towards the hill at the end of the road outside the city. Two dragons were standing on the hill on either side of a pile of stones. On the right was Shamus, dressed in a freshly-ironed suit. He tried to stand proud and tall as he held a scythe in hand, though even from this distance Allan could tell by his tail that Shamus was a nervous wreck.

By contrast, the dragoness on the left, Veramauve, stood proud and tall. She watched Genaya approach with a warm smile as she held her crescent-moon staff aloft. Genaya came to a stop just before the Grand Oracle. Veramauve nodded in approval, but then put on a serious face as she addressed the crowd.

“Dragons of Sanctus Arcus,” Veramauve called loud and clear, “still thy tongues as we bear witness to this union.”

The purple dragoness clamped her staff down on the ground, which made a sound as if it struck hard stone. All at once the dragons in the crowd fell silent. Even the elder dragons held their tongues. Once the air was quiet, Veramauve cleared her throat.

“On this day, before we send these two tributaries to seek out the resting place of Solstice,” Veramauve gestured to Genaya and Shamus in turn, “They have deigned to take each other as mates under Her gracious eyes.”

She let go of her staff, which floated in place, while the violet dragoness held a hand out to each of the two white dragons. “Give unto me your servants.”

Allan tensed up as Genaya carefully scooped him out of her pocket to place him on Veramauve’s great hand. Shamus did the same with a young human woman, who wore a lavish dress. Veramauve carefully lifted the two humans up to look down at them. Allan held his tongue, though he wondered about the identity of Shamus’s servant; he didn’t recognize her from the previous time he’d seen Shamus.

Allan’s wondering was cut off when Veramauve turned both of her hands sideways and clasped them together. A moment later, Allan found himself floating with the young woman in a translucent orb that floated in the air. He looked at the violet dragoness in confusion. But Veramauve didn’t explain herself: She just placed the crystal orb in the center of the crescent-moon on her staff with the nonchalance that a human would have putting on a sandal. Allan sighed and tried to relax as the ceremony went on.

“Now then…” The oracle glanced around at the elder dragons. “Who here shall cast off their wards onto each other and the world?”

Vermillius and Verdel rose up at once from opposite sides of the crowd. They marched up the hill and stood behind their respective grandchildren.

“I cast off Shamus.” Verdel said proudly.

“And I…” Vermillius said. The big red dragon placed a hand on Genaya’s shoulder, and seemingly struggled not to cry. “I cast off Genaya.”

“Then let it be known to all dragon kind…” Veramauve said. “Shamus and Genaya are no longer beholden to their elders.”

Allan heard what sounded like chains breaking. He glanced down in time to see the ghostly visages of chokers and shackles on the white dragons’ bodies, which immediately faded into nothingness. Both of them sighed in relief before turning to face each other.

“The time is approaching for us to send them on their journey.” Veramauve said. She moved Vermillius’s hand from Genaya’s shoulder, then reached down to grasp the white dragon’s hands. “But before we do, Shamus and Genaya have some words to share with each other.”

Shamus proceeded to speak to Genaya in the dragons’ tongue. He did his best to cast aside his nervousness the whole while. Though Genaya’s smile and slight chortling brought back flashes of it. Allan just sighed and looked away as Genaya began her own speech.

“My name is Roberta, by the way.” A voice said. Allan gasped and looked back at the other human servant. She had frustrated face as she crossed her arms. “Roberta Olivine.”

Roberta looked to be within Allan’s age range. She had a fair face, and a rather athletic build. Her skirt was pattered to look like seawater, which even rippled in the sunlight.

“O-Oh.” Allan awkwardly coughed. “Sorry, I got caught up in watching the festivities. My name’s Allan Scarlenn.” Allan offered Roberta a hand to shake, but she didn’t budge.

“You’re from the outside world too, aren’t you?” She asked.

Allan’s eyes lit up. So there was another servant taken from the outside world. Before he could ask her a multitude of questions, the crystal sphere suddenly floated up and out of the moon staff. It hovered down into Veramauve’s hands, who placed it between Genaya and Shamus. Both white dragons held their hands out, and the sphere vanished so the humans fell into their respective owners’ palms.

“By the powers granted unto me by our beloved Solstice,” Veramauve said as she brought the two white dragons together. “I hereby declare these two to be mates, until death parts them. And by proxy…” Veramauve flashed the two humans a grin. “Allan Scarlenn and Roberta Olivine are hereby declared husband and wife.”

“What?!” Allan shouted in alarm.

“May the two of them serve their dragon masters for many years.” Veramauve continued. “Let the youths come together to seal the deal.”

Shamus and Genaya leaned into each other to plant kisses on each other’s muzzles; they seemed content enough, as did the roaring crowd. But Allan stood on Genaya’s palm, completely dumbfounded. Evidently Roberta grew tired of Allan’s surprise, as she quickly pulled him towards her so she could plant a quick kiss on his lips. He doubled-back in shock, which made her frustrated.

As Shamus and Genaya broke the kiss and turned toward Veramauve, the oracle put her hands in the air to have everyone calm down. She then took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

“I am afraid that the time for celebration must be short-lived.” She said. She gently took her staff and turned around to face the pile of stones just behind her. She clamped the staff down several times and chanted in the draconic language. As this happened, the stones floated into the air and shifted around to form a doorway, just as Vermillius had done a week ago.

Veramauve stepped back as the gateway glowed a brilliant shimmer of light. When the light faded, Allan could just vaguely make out the visage of a sandy beach beyond the gateway. But he couldn’t dwell on this for long, as Genaya brought him up to deposit him in her pocket.

“On this day, Shamus and Genaya shall begin their journey.” Veramauve spoke again. “The two have never traveled across the lands without their guardians, and most of their lives have been spent here in Sanctus Arcus. This will be their first time… and possibly only time… to see the sights of the human world, and see all that Solstice created for dragon kind.”

The violet dragoness took a few deep breaths as she turned to face the white dragons again. She brought her staff down to place it directly between the two.

“Take this, young ones: The Eye of Solstice.” The oracle continued. “Solstice walked with it on her trek across the world of Theia. It shall be your guide to follow in her footsteps, until you come to her final resting place.”

Shamus and Genaya carefully reached out to grasp the staff. It shined a mixture of silver and gold lights as the metal melted into a liquid. It shrank down to be in proportion to the smaller dragons before becoming solid once again. Two bands, silver and gold each, formed on each of the dragons’ wrists: Genaya’s right wrist, and Shamus’s left.

“And now, let us allow the two young dragons to say their goodbyes to their families.” Veramauve said as she stepped out of the way. “For it will be the last time, for one of them.”

As Veramauve descended the hill, Genaya and Shamus had grim faces. Verdel guided Shamus off to the side, while Vermillius turned to his granddaughter and knelt down on one knee. He was soon joined by Munsella, Pantone and Carmen, who all wept for the young dragoness.

“It breaks my heart to see you go, Genaya.” Vermillius said. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “This is your last chance to reconsider. Genaya…” He struggled not to cry. “Don’t go.”

Allan had never seen the elder dragon so… broken. He stood amongst his dragonesses, who all showered Genaya with reasons why she could stay and life a full life in Sanctus Arcus. But while Genaya looked just as sad to leave them…

“I must do this.” She said matter-of-factly. “I was never even supposed to be hatched. Sacrificing myself to Solstice will rectify the mistakes of my father.”

“You are NOT your father, Genaya!” Carmen exclaimed.. She grasped her daughter and pulled her into a hug. “And you were certainly never a mistake! I love your more than anything! We all do!”

“I know, Mom…” Genaya was forlorn as she hugged her mother. “But the precepts must be obeyed.”

“Then at the very least, you’ll need better protection than just the Eye of Solstice…” Vermillius said. He took the sword-sheath from his belt and held it in two hands before Genaya. “Here.”

“Grandpa!” Genaya gasped in surprise. “Your own sword?”

“If I can’t look after you physically…” The elder dragon sighed. “Then this will have to suffice.”

Genaya let go of the staff (it hovered in place again) and reached out for her grandfather’s sword. It became wreathed in flames as she touched it, and it shrank down to match her size perfectly in moments. The flames left the sword-sheath and spread out across Genaya’s dress. Allan cried out in fright at first, but was stunned when Genaya made no reaction to the fire. The flames consumed her body, and quickly burst into an aura of red light. When the light faded, Genaya sighed in content and looked herself over; her white dress had been transformed into a suit of armor. It was nearly identical in make to the suit Vermillius generally wore, except it was adjusted to compensate for Genaya’s breasts and frame. Allan found himself in a new pocket on the armor, in a little secret doorway. He shifted awkwardly as he tried to get comfortable to his new accommodations. 

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Genaya bowed her head to Vermillius and attached the sword-sheath to her waist. “I’ll wield it proudly.”

“I know you will…” Vermillius leaned down and gave his granddaughter an affectionate nuzzle on the forehead. He then wiped a few strands of hair out of her eyes and stood upright. “Walk proudly, my granddaughter.”

After saying her final goodbyes, Genaya looked down at Allan. “Are you ready to go?”

“I’m ready when you are…” Allan said. “But, what was that about marrying Roberta?”

Genaya ignored that question and turned to approach the gateway to the sandy beach. She was shortly joined by Shamus. Shamus had Roberta seated upon his shoulder as he used his scythe as a staff. He glanced back at his family, which was composed of Verdel and many other green and white dragons. Shamus gave one last wave goodbye to his family before turning to look at Genaya uneasily.

“So…” Shamus said as he stood as tall as he could. “Are you… ready to go, Genaya?”

Genaya took the Eye of Solstice from hits place before the gate and gave Shamus an uneasy smile. “Not quite yet. Let’s… Let’s look at our home… we don’t know who will be coming back here someday.”

“Right…” Shamus sighed.

The two white dragons gazed out at the sights and sounds of Sanctus Arcus. Most of the elders and many other dragon citizens had left the hill to return to their lives. Reluctant as they were, the families of the two white dragons were starting to leave as well. Only Verdel and Vermillius remained; they did their best not to glare at each other as they focused on their grandchildren.

With a sigh, Shamus turned to step up to the gate, but then he stopped to look at Genaya. He shifted his scythe to his right hand and offered Genaya his left. The dragoness took the hand, and the two walked through the gateway together.

And all the while, Allan sat uneasily in Genaya’s pocket. What locales would this journey across Theia take him? What threats would stand in the way of two dragons and their human servants? And what was Veramauve talking about when she said he and Roberta Olivine were married? Nobody said anything about him getting married.

Allan sighed in defeat; maybe he’d ask Genaya and Shamus about it later. He just hoped that this adventure wouldn’t be TOO dangerous.