The two dragons sat opposite of each other in a large empty room. It has not been
easy getting them both here, especially without guards that swore to follow them wherever
they went – both the pair of brown guards and red ones most likely stood outside the door on
opposite sides, waiting for their kings to exit.
“So,” Kersoth begun, his ruby scales reflecting the light from the fire by the wall. The
room was often used for discussing delicate matters, and as such it had no windows through
which one could eavesdrop. The door itself was thicker than a back leg, and it wouldn’t let
through the slightest of sounds. “You’ve went through a great deal to get me here, I suppose
it’s not to marvel in my sight,” the Ruby dragon grinned as he spread his wings, showing off
his royal regalia.
Full of pride, as always, Zelnsith thought to himself. “No, I’ve gathered us here to
discuss the war we’ve been battling for centuries. I want to end it,” he said, not moving a
muscle. Any sudden moves could alert the other dragon of non-existent danger, and Zelnsith
didn’t like his chances one on one, knowing Ruby dragons are generally stronger than Sard
ones.
The Ruby eyed him with a distrustful glare, lowering his wings onto his back. The grin
on his snout disappeared for a moment before returning, bigger than before. “Has the mighty
Zelnsith came to surrender?” Kersoth said mockingly. “Very well, I acc-“
“I’m not here to surrender,” the Sard dragon responded, swallowing ‘dumbass’ before it
could get spoken and anger his guest. “Both you and I know that our armies can continue
fighting for decades, without an end in sight.”
“What are you proposing then?” Ruby’s mockery got partially replaced with curiosity,
“We both know a peace treaty will not work. At least I do, do they even teach you history?”
Yes, yes they did. Zelnsith thought to himself, trying his best not to clench his talons. And if
you would’ve paid an ounce of attention to it, you’d know it’s always one of you to break the
treaties you dimwit. “Do not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors,” the other dragon finished.
At least he has the decency to not say there is no fault on their side. “I will not. I’ve
come up with a crazy idea, but if you’re as bored of this ages-old war as I am, then it could
perhaps work for long enough so that the plebs could forget about this pointless conflict.”
The dragon cocked his head in interest. “What do you have in mind?”
“Instead of some abstract piece of paper signing the treaty, I propose we create a more
physical bond between our two races.” Zelnsith paused to take a deep breath before
continuing. “I propose we arrange a marriage between our offsprings.”
“What?!” The Ruby dragon rose up, offended by the proposition. “Why in the world
would you think I’d agree to such blasphemy?”
“Because as red as you are, you still care about your kind.” Zelnsith slowly rose to his
own feet. “And you know that continuing this war will bring nothing but death.” Without an
answer, the other dragon came over to the fire pit, putting his paw into the warm flame, as if
he wanted to take some of it. Meanwhile, Zelnsith continued “I only have sons to offer…” he
paused, knowing there wasn’t a need to finish the sentence.
“Fine, I will give up Sannathria for this cause,” Kersoth said, dropping the charred log
he picked up before turning around. “But your son must treat her with utmost respect that she
deserves.”
“I assure you he will do his best, hopefully they can see one another as equals-” the
Ruby dragon snarled at the suggestion, but kept his thoughts to himself. “This will benefit both
you and your dragons, and you know it.”
“Yes…” he responded reluctantly. “It is a shame I won’t have grandkids off of her, I was
thinking of letting them rule in my place before my passing.”
“You’re still young, you have more than enough time to get another child,” Zelnsith
dared to come closer to the other dragon. He considered putting a reassuring paw on
Kersoth’s shoulder, but decided to not push his luck. “Besides, we can always make it so that
the kid would be royal, even if its biological father wasn’t part of the family,” a wide range of
expressions went through the other dragons face, settling on one in-between a mischievous
smile and a disgusted one.
“I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just suggest that my grandchildren were to be
raised by another race, or it just might make me re-think your proposition.”
“Very well,” Zelnsith replied, surprised that the other dragon found raising of the child a
bigger issue than a way to conceive it in the first place. “Shall we discuss how we’d want the
ceremony to take place?” Kersoth nodded, and the two started the long preparations.
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