The story that was supposed to be a story but is now bullet pointed.
Ymeth and Ouari
- Rider and dragon fall out of the sky after a fight with two Death Court queens. They survive, in and out of consciousness under the care of mages and healers. The bond that connects them remains strong as ever, but both emerge with mixed feelings; Ymeth, torn at the thought of betraying his ‘Queen’, and Ouari, worried about her blue who seems to be retreating further and further into his shell.
- The Vella Crean reconnects to the Nexus, and Shy returns, bringing with him a little prince. Ymeth and Shiqinth bond in a close knit father and son manner; the Dark Court blue seems to have a new breath of life, and Ouari’s worries ease. Maybe they will be okay.
- Naeodin the Empress announces the beginning of a peace delegation, and both Ymeth and Shiqinth immediately volunteer themselves.
The Mother
- The Mother wakes from sleep, rested and bored. Eons have passed in her little corner of the Nexus, and while her youth had been full of exciting adventures dominating worlds, being both the main aggressor and hero, she has since spent the last few centuries watching and observing. The world is a little dull, and she is more than a little bored.
- Gossip catches her ear, the story of a man with feline green eyes who creates the strange and the wonderful, with eyes of molten gold. It sparks off a memory in her mind, of a tribe that travelled the Nexus and brought her back stories, their hair glinting molten gold. What a particular and specific shade to call a signature.
- The Mother decides to travel to seek out this odd man with the color that she knows intimately.
The Labs
- The Labs are full of new projects (lower case P). Ari splits her time at Sudland trying to build out Shy’s residences to very specific particularities, and Carramba High, making sure that Shy does not cause even more mayhem (she does NOT have the time to clean up after his messes). She is burning out, and threatens to take Vacation.
- Shy agrees to behave. He won’t tinker with dragons (by himself), he won’t create Projects of Mass Destruction (but finding Monsters that others have created doesn’t count), and he will most definitely not try to interfere with the Empress’ Peace Delegation (but if Shiqinth happens to want to share information, he will not stop the little prince).
Ymeth and Shiqinth
- Shiqinth does not enjoy the classes on diplomacy and tact. Ymeth, on the other hand, thrives. The two blue dragons have a heated discussion on the freedom of choice. “You do not understand.” Ymeth tells Shiqinth. “Because you are a little prince who was specifically designed for a specific purpose. You have never had a choice.”
- Shiqinth doesn’t understand. He is happy. Is that not all that matters? He does not care for classes and training: all he wants to do is meet his sister, the one that bonded with a Death Court, and get to know the dragons who are always the hot topic of discussion.
- Ymeth warns Shiqinth that this will not end well.
- “You’ll protect me, won’t you?” Shiqinth asks.
- “Always.” Ymeth promises.
Mother and the Death Court
- Mother the Dragon finds the Vella Crean, and lands on the wrong side. She is smaller, maybe on purpose, or maybe it is just age. She finds a den full of dragons with sharp crowns and marvels at how evolution has created such beautiful creatures.
- Takith is the one who finds the Mother, a dragon who is a little larger than the gold Death Courts with weathered sails and scars. She overhears the comment on beauty, and decides this old busybody might be interesting.
- “Are you here to pledge loyalty?” the little black dragon asks the Mother.
- The Mother finds the fire and spite in the little one amusing. (Surely there had bene a time when she had been as firey and spiteful). “I have lived too long to involve myself in such matters.” but she is curious. The ‘Death’ Court? What a fascinating group of idealistic children. She follows the little fire to meet the Death Court Queens, and listens to their talk of freedom.
- Do you believe in freedom of choice for all dragon-kind?
- The question surprises the Mother: are there dragons who are not given the choice? She asks.
Shy and the Labs
- The Scientist is starting to suspect that the Labs have gained increased sentiency, moving from ‘helpful’ to ‘fully fledged automated individual’. They get in a heated argument about travel and independence; Shy does not understand why the Lab seems to be going through puberty; a sentient island is not supposed to have hormonal changes. But the Lab wants to discover the world, travel, meet new people.
- Ari finds the entire situation hilarious and refuses to help.
Mother and Shiqinth
- Mother decides to stretch her wings and explore the Vella Crean. An oddly inhabited planet with not enough people or lifeforms. She comes across a fledgling blue with antlers, who does not seem to have any sense of self preservation.
- “You should not approach strangers so eagerly, my child.” she advises the young prince. “I could have ill intent.”
- Shiqinth finds the entire situation hilarious. “You are too kind to hurt me.”
- The Mother has never been described as “kind” before, even in her youth when she played the hero. She asks the little prince if he is also part of the “Death Court”, and learns that no, he calls the main city home, and a man named Shy his father.
- Shy. She knows that name.
Mother and the Scientst
- Shiqinth escorts the Mother home, and Shy meets a very old friend.
- He does not know how to approach the Mother, and finds himself ill at ease with a face from his past. “I am not that foolish boy any more.” he says.
- “No? Are you a foolish man now?” the Mother asks.
- They catch up. Shy telling stories of Pern and dragonriders, of building the Vella Crean and Court dragons. The Light, the Dark, the Blood. He speaks of the Healing Den and an odd group of very delicious men named the Sangers, and a Red Mage with powers that tempt him.
- “Will you not ask me about them?” The Mother asks.
- Shy ignores the question.
- The Mother speaks of her own past, and of a very unusual group of dragons that she has met on the planet. Death Courts, dragons who speak of free will.
- “Will you join their cause?” Shy asks the Mother.
- The Mother finds the question interesting. It would be an exciting endeavour, involving herself in the world again. And she is not adverse to the thought of promoting free will and freedom for dragons. She after all, is a free dragon.
- “You do not approve?” The Mother asks the Scientist.
- Shy’s expression is carefully schooled. “It is not my place to approve or disapprove your decisions.” he answers diplomatically.
- Somewhere in the Labs Ari has a coughing fit at the sudden and unusual play of diplomacy from the Scientist.
The Project
- Shy had promised not to dabble. But this, this was such a unique opportunity, he decides that he will deal with Ari and the consequences later.
- In the depths of the Labs he tinkers. He tampers. He builds a sleek black dragon that reminds the Mother of herself in her youth, when she was very, very new to the world. Al Ain is fiesty, sparky, and entirely devoted to The Cause.
- “Onesto will disapprove.” Ari warns the Scientist. “The Empress also. You cannot build a dragon with such strong loyalty.”
- Shy grumbles, and goes back to tinkering and tampering.
- Al Ain is fiesty, sparky, and entirely devoted to pursuing her own desires.
- “Better” Ari approves. “She is an individual, who will make her own choices.”
- Shy decides not to share that maybe her desire is to please Shy.
The Death Court Clutch
- The Mother returns to the Death Court with a daughter, a young and eager to please fledgling who finds the queens beautiful and Takith just a little bit scary.
- “Do you swear fealty?” the Queens as the fledgling, and she proudly chirps in response.
- Of course! Freedom, for dragons? Of course! She is eager to please and wants to prove that she will be a great solider, a great general.
- “And yourself, Mother?” Nemondath asks politely.
- The Mother likes this one. So polite. So wise. Not simply a naive believer. “I am too old to fight for ideology, but I will protect the young, and the weak.” a little antlered blue comes to mind, but the Queens do not need to know that.
- Ymeth asks where Shiqinth has been the past few days.
- “Exploring” he answers. “I found the most interesting-“
- “Interesting?” Ymeth prompts.
- Shiqinth doesn’t answer. He decides that maybe, the Mother should be his secret with Shy’s.