1. The Dragon King

Out of all the dragons, the king is chosen by which can change to a human at will. Dragons live for thousands of years, however the king only lives for hundreds at best. Though his lifespan is minimal compared to his brethren, the king is the strongest of them all. He has the strength of his hoard and can easily win if any dragon dares challenge him. With this strength, the dragons rule over three human kingdoms. The king of the dragons delegates between the human kings while the human kings rule over their people. To keep an eye on them, as a warning disguised as a blessing, each king is matched with a dragon. The dragons chose their human companion, yet report to the dragon king.

Dragons stay with their human companion until their mundane death. When a new ruler takes the throne, a festival of dragons is held. This festival is celebrated on the dragon lands, where only the royal court is allowed to attend. Although each king has a dragon companion, dragons are still seldomly seen. Only the royal court is allowed in the dragon lands, because of how sacred these powerful beasts are considered.

The current dragon king, King Ikyn, sits on his throne, awaiting the arrival of the three royal courts. Slim braziers attached to one side of each of the twelve basalt columns light up the lower levels of the throne hall. The gemmed runes on the arched ceiling dance in the flickering light. A grand throne of molten steel sits below a grand chandelier made of gold and crystals. A golden rug runs in a circle around the room, with two paths at the throne and the main entrance. The room itself is large enough to host fifteen dragons.

Four servants open the large doors of the main entrance. Azoss, Dummaim, and Reildrei enter in a line. Azoss, a magnificent water dragon, with curved scales covering its entire lengthy body stops at the bottom left of the tall staircase. Dummaim, a beautiful earth dragon - not as long as Azoss, but with a much larger body - covered in stone-like scales, stops at the center of the staircase. Reildrei, a pure ice dragon, with scales seemingly made of crystal and quartz - smaller than her brothers, but still terrifyingly large - stops to the right. Each lower themselves, allowing their riders to descend from their backs.

King Monse Kyai of the coastal region, his wife, their three sons, and five others of his court descend Azoss's blue body from his tail, like a water slide. They match King Kyai's dragon in various shades of light blue, while the five in his court wear light shades of green. Each of them wear white accents with silver jewelry. King Lios Sarkis of the desert, his two sons and daughter, and eight others of his court climb down Dummaim's side, using his scales almost as a ladder. Quite different than Dummaim, they dress in yellow, while the court wears shades of orange. Each have gold accents and gold jewelry. King Aetus Savea of the mountains, his wife, their only son and five daughters, and three others of his court, allow Reildrei to extend her wing for them to use as stairs. They all dress in white with beige and brown accents and pair their jewelry with silver and crystal to match King Savea's Dragon.

"My Lord," the three kings say in unison, all bowing to King Ikyn. The dragons bow their heads as well, before slowly making their way to the right of the hall, barely sitting at the edge of the open wall in case they need to make a fast disappearance to the sky.

King Ikyn waves his hand, signaling the three royal courts to ease. "Where are the rest of your courts?"

"Our concubines and attending servants are still on their way, My Lord, " King Lios speaks up.

King Aetus responds, "We have everyone present, My Lord."

King Monse laughs, "My Lord, I must side with Sarkis."

"Hmph," King Ikyn grunts.

"They should arrive by sunset, My Lord," King Aetus adds, nervously chuckling.

The wimpish, jovial king earns another grunt from the dragon king.

"You," King Ikyn begins slowly, taunting the kings before him, "you should learn to be more wise as Savea. What good does it bring you to show off your wealth here? To outdo yourselves in my presence?" His voice becomes more aggressive. His words gradually coming out in growls. "Do you not have enough restraint to keep that amongst yourselves, you lowly humans?" The sound of his bones crack. His deep black eyes glowing red. Fire consumes him and grows with his changing form. His dragon body replaces his human body, and he emits a terrifying roar.

Azoss and Dummaim immediately fly out the window. Reildrei looks after her brothers, but remains laying in her spot. She rests her head on the floor with a small snort. Soon, ten more dragons enter the throne hall from the left. They gather at the edge of the room, opposite their sister. All seem to silently communicate with each other, snorting, huffing, and growling softly. Distracted by the new dragons, no one notices King Ikyn returning to his human form. He stands at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in an armor made of dragon scales. He clicks his tongue and the ten dragons lay down submissively.

The kings and their court bring their attention to King Ikyn. They bow again, waiting for him to allow them to rise. The longer King Ikyn makes the three kings wait, the more annoyed they become. How humiliating for kings to bow as if they were mere servants. Yet, they hold their tongues, valuing their lives more than their pride.

King Ikyn grunts again, allowing the three kings, their families, and their courts to raise their heads. All look at him expectantly. "My brothers and sisters here are curious for their human companion." He nearly spits out human as if it were an insult. "Which royal is rising to their respective throne?"

From Kyai, the oldest son steps forward. "Your Highness," he says, bowing before the dragon king. "I am Prince Monty, the eldest of my brothers, next in line to succeed the throne for Kyai."

From Sarkis, the youngest son steps forward. "My Lord," he bows, "I am Prince Osiris, the youngest of my siblings. Despite my age, I am the strongest among them, and the only one fit to succeed the throne for Sarkis."

From Savea, the oldest daughter steps forward. She bows the lowest and holds her bow as she speaks. "My Lord, King Ikyn, Warrior God. I am Princess Gweneira, the eldest daughter of King Aetus, next in line to succeed the throne for Savea." King Ikyn grunts again, allowing the princess to rise. The princes of Kyai and Sarkis scoff at the princess, almost chuckling to themselves.

"What else?" King Ikyn asks, staring into the eyes of Princess Gweneira.

When she hesitates without answering, King Ikyn looks at Reildrei, having a silent conversation. "I see," he directs his attention to the family of Savea. "Your request will come at a price. Are you willing to pay it?"