Chapter Text
It was hard to say who was more frustrated, Alear or Lumera. Though, to be on opposite sides of the argument was unusual for the pair, to say the very least.
A thousand years ago, Alear put the King of the Fell Dragons to his death. While she had sympathy for the humans who he caused so many troubles for, that wasn't her main goal in slaying him. In reality, Alear had no reason to kill Sombron other than for the sake of Lumera and perhaps as an afterthought her own life. Alear's mother in all senses except for blood, Lumera found Alear at her lowest, a version of herself that was little more than a blank slate terrified of being deemed to Defect by her father. She'd watched so many of her siblings die for less... Lumera took Alear in though, saw something inside of her that was worth raising. In the bitter chill of a canyon where she'd lost her way, for the first time in her life Alear was found. They went home together that very day.
From that moment forward, Alear did everything in her power to pay that kindness back. Starting with putting her fangs to her father's throat. Far be it from an easy task, and yet somehow Sombron still found a way to disappoint her. Alear was the last Fell child, and the second to last child of Sombron. The rest were long gone, either by Sombron's hand or the war to obtain the rings on his behalf. All of her siblings had feared the man so fully considering the damage he'd done and the power he held over them. The moment she'd belonged to Lumera, all that power was ripped away. He fell quite pathetically under the weight of Alear's claws. She supposed having access to Marth's aid helped, but even then. He fell far too easy against Alear's fangs and blade. Maybe that was less an insult against Sombron and a credit in favor of Alear.
His last act of defiance was an attempt on Alear's life. An attempt that ultimately, missed and as punishment instead of being sealed, Alear took the man's life so that he'd never prove himself a threat against her family again. With that, the battle practically was over.
Lumera continued to take care of Alear as well as her younger sister Veyle after tracking her down. She was too young to fight not to mention a Mage Dragon instead of a Fell, and as such had managed to escaped a lot of the bloodshed that was innate to Alear's childhood. It wasn't completely over yet, but it would be. Piece by piece Alear and Lumera broke away what little support was left for Sombron and crushed any chances that he could be revived. The hardest to best was Zephia, but under Alear, she too fell with ease.
It was never dragons that were a problem for Alear.
While Lumera was the last of the Divine Tribe, she hadn't been the last of the dragons. There were other tribes still living and after the death of Sombron, one might even say thriving. They respected Alear. Not just for her actions, but for the fact she'd actively chosen the kind of person she wanted to become. So the other Dragons never called into question the fact she was Lumera's daughter and heir. Inherent by her actions and the love shared between her and her mother, she was their crown heir, there was nothing more to it for a dragon. Blood meant nothing when compared to the decisions that came after their birth. Alear had made bad ones, but that was a given when she'd been raised the way she was. Under the hand of Lumera, she'd also made good ones. She'd actively chosen to overcome past and nature alike, she was their princess and one day just as Lumera she'd rule as their Queen, the dragons understood that and saw her for who she was rather than what she was.
Humans weren't so cut clean though.
Alear was the last of the Fell, at the time of Sombron's death humanity didn't want there to be any Fell at all. So many still remembered Sombron. Their short lives made this reign of terror feel all that longer. So of course, with so much bottled anger, they wanted revenge. There could have been an easy fix, but that wasn't the route Alear wanted to take. Using the power granted by the 12 rings she could have easily turned herself into a Divine Dragon and have pretended she'd always been such, but instead she opted to turn Veyle into one. A Fell, Alear remained.
After realizing what she was, regardless of Lumera's words and actions, the current rulers at the time tried to hunt her. Three worshiping the Divine Dragon, and one having worship Sombron, all four rulers resented her equally and they took up arms against her. She could still remember their weapons as they cut into her when she was already so tired from defeating Sombron, the way she'd run almost endlessly until Lumera herself finally realized what was going on. Alear had been fatigued for years following the death of Sombron, for all her strength it made her an easy target to those humans who she'd dare not raise claw against considering her mother. Lumera, as well as the other dragons, weren't so forgiving. Only an idiot would forget the way Lumera spoke the first threat a Divine Dragon had ever made against a human if they didn't cease their pursuit of her daughter. The humans disengaged, but their hatred was still palpable, so Alear retreated to the only place a human could never go without permission, Somniel.
Lumera still had faith in humans after that though, if not for the current rulers than at least future generations. Alear decidedly did not.
In the years that followed, Alear became a recluse, hiding in the shadow of her mother and her much loved sister who acted as though she could be Lumera's by blood. Veyle was a perfect for a Divine Dragon, so no, Alear didn't regret her decision. If only one of them could have become a Divine Dragon, it was a role far more befitting Veyle, the instincts and disposition matched up in a way that would had chafed Alear, who good or evil set aside was made to be a Fell. When Veyle was still a Mage Dragon, but she'd lacked a lot of their typical features. She didn't even possess the features of a Manakete, let alone a Dragonstone she could use to transform like Lumera could. Veyle was still... significantly weaker than Lumera or gods forbid Alear, but Alear's actions gave Veyle the ability to at least transform and protect herself. She'd made a good Divine Dragon Queen.
And Alear would be the final ruler of the Fell.
Some dragons, old ones who knew of other realms, came to her and told her that Fell was not innate to evil the same way Divine was not a representative of good. Such were no more than racial identifiers for beings that were both dragons, and it was the actions of the individuals that mattered most. Lumera said something similar the first day they met. Alear had been able to believe it more before the humans attacked her. There was a part of her that still believed it, but ignore it knowing that humans would never possess that understanding.
After killing her father she remained in hiding for a great many generations, staying almost exclusively in the Somniel and occasionally wandering out into the greater Lythos if only to interact with other dragons. The only human interaction she had was with the Stewards, and for a long time even that was limited as only her mother had one and Alear kept her personal areas under tight lock and key.
Alear thought things were fine like that. The humans didn't like her and she... she would admit she was scared of them. She'd been eighteen when she killed her father, for a dragon that was practically still a baby. She'd been fragile and scared and shaken, and no matter how many words she used to defend herself the human who came seeking the death of the final Fell didn't listen. They didn't care that she was able to give the Emblems their free will like her mother, and they certainly didn't care that Alear had never actually hurt a human before. She'd stolen a great many rings before coming to Lumera's care, but all of her battles had been with other dragons. She was a good dragon, that's all she ever wanted to be like her mother was, a good dragon. Blood was blood in human eyes though, for her father's crimes they wanted hers.
So yes. Humans and Alear, they didn't like each other. Alear thought that was fine, they could keep their distance from one another. Given the different jobs Alear and Veyle would have as they grew and took Lumera's place, she'd never have to even interact with humans for as long as she lived and breathed. Lumera disagreed.
It was a given, she supposed, that Lumera would see things differently and eventually even Veyle would. Whether born or made, they were both Divine Dragons by nature. They'd always been the protectors and safeguards of humanity, and they'd always been seen as Gods. Fell were the opposite. All of Sombron's spawn were seen as Demons, and even the Elusians who at one point revered Sombron referred to him as a destructive and malicious god. Alear wasn't born a "good" dragon, and in the eyes of those who'd been directly affected by Sombron, her actions meant nothing compared to the blood running in her veins.
The first couple hundred years Lumera left the issue well enough alone, letting Veyle and Alear both adjust to their new homes and responsibilities. And while to the dragons, Alear was the next ruler, the humans saw Veyle as their next God, so the younger often had more responsibilities to deal with regarding them. That meant surely it was fine for Alear to avoid them a little longer. It was around the three hundred year mark that Lumera's patience started to wane.
That was the first time since before Sombron that the royal families were invited to Lythos for a visit. Alear couldn't remember the reasoning, all she knew is that before her father caused his mayhem it used to be a tradition of sorts for the royal families to visit the Divine Dragons. They weren't allowed in the Somniel though. That didn't stop Alear from throwing a fit at the time. She wanted nothing to do with humans.
Such started a long battle of attrition between herself and Lumera, every generation of humans causing Lumera to inch forward bit by bit, trying to encourage Alear to interact while Alear pushed back with all her might, insistent on keeping to herself where she was quite happy. Lumera argued that humans had changed their view of Alear. Alear argued that she was still Sombron's kin and that kind of mark would never be washed away. Lumera argued that human remembered her actions more than her father at this point, generation upon generation knowing Alear's name for her deeds instead of kinship. Alear argued she was only tolerated because Veyle was still attached to her.
Veyle rarely interjected, other than to mention she'd helped explain things early on. She didn't side with Lumera or Alear though. Torn between her love of her mother and their shared nature vs the deeply bound loyalty to the sister who'd protected her valiantly in a childhood that should have left both dead.
Lumera's greatest success had been a recent one, getting Alear to agree to a steward. For a long time there had only been one steward present at any given time within the Somniel, the personal servant of Lumera. At first Alear had avoided them like the plague but she'd slowly warmed up to the presence of a singular human, having even grown fond of Vander who never said a bad word to or of her. Vander was getting old though and looking for the next generation of stewards. Which is when Lumera decided that the next generation should be trained as stewards not for herself, but for Veyle and Alear. It made sense, eventually they would take over their mother's work. It made more sense for Veyle though, who interacted with human churches. Alear had no need for a steward, whose main role would be the governance of the other dragons.
In the end, she only agreed because Vander came forward with a pair of twins. Framme easily got along with Veyle, taking to her work energetically and diligently. The twins were a two for one deal, and Alear couldn't bear to separate Veyle from her new friend.
Then there was Clanne. Alear... actually liked Clanne. It was hard to explain. He looked at her the same way he looked at Veyle or Lumera. That wasn't to say that Framme or Vander was disrespectful, but they still treated Alear like she was something different. Something set apart. Clanne treated her differently. Not because she was a different kind of dragon though, he treated her differently the same was Vander deferred to Lumera or Framme treated Veyle as her master. The difference was not an innate one based on species or race, but a respect for the dragon he was sworn to server. Outside of that, the respect and treatment he showed to Veyle or Lumera who mirrored towards Alear. So Clanne, Alear would admit she got along with, possibly even liked. That was progress, a ton of progress! So that should have been as hard as Lumera pushed for at least another decade. let Alear adjust and then try for her next push, the typical pattern that had slowly helped Alear warm up to certain humans.
It wasn't.
Their current argument, one that'd been going back and forth for at least a couple days by now, was in how Lumera had deviated from the usual script when it came to the royals visiting.
There was always a visit at least once a year, though how many royals visited tended to vary. Sometimes it was only one royal family from a single kingdom, or sometimes even a single member. Other times three of the royal families visited at once. Elusia was never present. A good many still worshiped Sombron from what Alear had heard, so their respect for the Divine Dragons was lacking. Alear could only guess how she herself was viewed in such worship, her best guess was badly. As it was always Lumera extending the invitations, Elusia always declined. Usually the royals stayed within Lythos proper, a palace specifically designed for visiting royals or the royal dragons themselves when they didn't wish to stay in the Somniel. It was a lovely place Alear had stayed in a time or two when it was only other dragons around, sitting in on meeting between the leaders of the various tribes so she could get used to her mother's work. The Somniel on the other hand usually stayed silent and untouched, since there were only three people in the world who could even grant permission of entry. Lumera, Veyle, and Alear. Lumera and Veyle made sense, only a Divine Dragon could enter the floating holy land and bring others along, but Alear wasn't ever sure why the island itself seemed to extend these permissions to her.
For the typical visit, Veyle and Lumera would spend the days in Lythos, staying with the royals and reinforcing bonds or whatever it was they did while Alear stayed in the Somniel because it was one of only two places in the world she was entirely safe. Sometimes the tribe leaders would come along and it was only ever tiny parties or prayer sessions and then the royals left. A nice, normal visit.
This wasn't a normal visit.
Alear didn't like to act petty, it was below her, but she'd had the door to her library locked for the last three hours and had ignored every attempt Lumera made to get her attention. Lumera wouldn't dare break in. The library was a grand thing, and most importantly it was Alear's territory and hers alone. A sacred ground. That was the one rule that had always been respected, no one entered the library without Alear's express permission. It was a rule Lumera had done her best to uphold for as long as Alear had lived there. When the world felt too loud or she couldn't help lingering repeatedly on the difference between herself and her other two family members, it was her safe spot. Her escape. Somewhere she could consider herself truly safe like a den and hide among her hoard, which at this point was equal part regal treasures and aged books. All three dragons had their own dens, their territories, and that was to be respect. The difference is Veyle and Lumera could safely have other dens in other places. There was only one other place in the world that was Alear's and Alear's alone but... it was something different. It was less for when she wanted to be reclusive and more when she truly, almost desperately, wanted to hide.
The more her mother knocked against the door, the more tempting a trip there was starting to seem. "Alear, please," Lumera reasoned, gentle voice pressing its way through the thick wood.
"No! You should have told me before you invited them here!" Alear snapped, keeping her back pressed to the door. Even she had to admit she was acting more like a pouty toddler than anything. She had a right to be angry though. For this year's visit, Lumera didn't just invite the royals to Lythos. They were going to be staying here, in the Somniel! Alear didn't want to meet them. Didn't want to so much as hear them in passing. If they were anything like their ancestors, Alear wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it. Wasn't sure her emotions would be able to handle it. She curled in a little closer on herself, only drawn out of her own thoughts by a hand on her shoulder.
Clanne was the only one allowed in the library when she was having a moment like this, with Alear's prior permission of course. Partially because he was smart enough to avoid accidentally getting hurt by the much larger dragon, and partially because he'd managed to worm his way into a position of trust. Her confidant, he was a young and sometimes a flighty thing, but he kept the world in a human perspective that Alear couldn't match. She had to admit, sometimes he knew better than her when it came to his own kind. "Hear her out," he said after a tense moment of silence.
Alear growled, a deep and throaty kind of noise, but turned around slightly and cracked the door of the library open to see Lumera. She almost regretted her actions when she saw the expression of relief on the older manakete's face, frantic worry melting away. "Fine. I'll try it."
"All I ever ask is that you try," Lumera said. "You can stay in your library the entire time if you don't feel comfortable. And if any of them does something to upset you, then after their visit they'll never be allowed back. I promise you. Try this once, for me. If it's as bad as you think, aside form the stewards I'll never let another human step foot in the Somniel," Lumera said. Her words were as good as promises, if she said she'd ban all humans for Alear's comfort than she truly meant it, so Alear allowed some of the tension to unwind from her.
"Okay. Okay. Once. For you, and Veyle, I can try. Once," Alear said. "If anything happens though I'm leaving till they're gone!" Lumera nodded quietly, seeming content with Alear's decision. She'd give humanity one more shot. "Which families are going to be here this time anyway?"
"All four," Lumera replied, getting some of Alear's interest.
"All four? Elusia never agrees," she said hesitantly. Her mother chose now of all times to invite them to the Somniel? Something about Lumera's smile gave Alear the impression that it was planned. She knew something that Alear didn't, but Alear didn't feel the rush of fear she did when she was a child and it was Sombron or Zephia looking at her like that. Lumera's surprises never meant Alear harm. Sometimes accidents happened, but apologies were given and actions were adjusted so such mistakes didn't happen again. All in all, she was worried, but Alear trusted her mother.
"They don't. They did this time though." Lumera said, stepping away form the library door and leaving Alear to her thoughts. Alear curled her tail around herself slightly, careful of bladed tip. She was different and wrong in the eyes of humans. She wasn't a manakete like her mother and sister, thought she had the pointed ears and sharpened teeth. Alear wasn't just a manakete, that was probably a better way of putting it, she was more. A full dragon no stone included. She could transform at her own whims for as long as she pleased, and her Fell blood gave her an immunity to to the disease that could drive her mother or sister mad. She had a long whip like tail with a viciously sharpened end, curling crown like horns, and most intimidating of all large pitch black wings. Two sets in fact totaling four wings, bearing a shocking resemblance to fins if you looked at them just right. They were good for both flying and swimming, Alear had already tried. Absent mindedly she ran a hand against her throat, fingers lightly tracing the elongated slits that were barely visibly unless in the water where it became easily apparent they were gills.
She didn't look like her father, which was a comfort at least. They were both serpentine in their dragon forms, but her father was reminiscent to a cobra, all bulky and dangerous. Alear thought the best word for herself would be elegant, a smoother streamlined kind of appearance, closer to the older renditions of eastern water dragons which appeared from distant worlds and continents Alear wasn't sure she could ever reach. It was a comfort knowing she was different from Sombron. But it was sometimes haunting to know she'd never be the same as Veyle or Lumera. It was almost lonely. There was truly no other dragon in this world that looked like she did.
Did the current generations of royals even know what she looked like? Would they turn tail and run the moment they saw her in fear of the 'monster', or would they venerate her in the same way they so often did her mother in depictions where she had her draconic features on her human form. Alear wondered. Firene always worshiped the Divine Dragons so maybe they'd hate her. Elusia was a mystery. She was the one to kill their God. How would they treat her, who was to say?
"What do you think, Clanne?" She asked, turning the human she most trusted. "Will they hate me?" She didn't need to explain what she meant, the younger boy seemed to understand.
"Human lives are shorter than dragon ones..." Clanne trailed off, pausing for a moment. "But that also means their opinions change faster. You should give it a chance."
Alright. Very well, Alear would give humanity a chance. One last chance, and when inevitably they hurt her intentionally and without remorse she'd give no more. There'd probably be nothing left of her shattered heart to offer.
Unbeknownst to Alear, a gaggle of royal heirs were panicking over how to make the best first impression on their God. A God that had been betrayed by those she protected, their ancestors, and as such hadn't been seen in the last 1000 years.