Permanent Scars

Frevonite stared out of his palace window, his mind restless. The ice-blue dragon king had failed his people, and he toiled endlessly to make things right. Everywhere he looked, his aging eyes saw nothing but his people, his friends working to repair what was lost. His royal clothes did not feel regal any longer, becoming more like the heavy clothes of a prisoner.

"How do you cope, brother?" He turned to face his brother, Xano, an earth dragon, smiling at the chance to see him.

"It's been a long time. The nation struggles even now. I wish to make things right." Xano chuckled.

"That was always you, wasn't it?" Xano had always been the more clever and witty of the two, his flat head always poking around in places it never should have been. It did not surprise him when Frevonite was declared leader, he could not be happier. Leadership wasn't something he thought he was cut out for.

"Even now," Frevonite began. "the people clamor for battle. Cries of "Death to Changelings!" and "Our revenge is nigh!" fill the land, and there is little I can do to stop it. Would we really go to war?"

"I do not know. However, there is something more threatening to your own safety, brother. There are groups who would not be above conspiring against you. The tales of old ring true to the FDFNO (Fire Dragons For a New Order). Your Ice heritage still haunts them, and with this new invasion, I must warn you of them. It would not be unlike them to stir the public." Frevonite sighed.

"One cannot make everyone happy. Perhaps it is time we talked to Him? Can He give us guidance?" Xano was terrified, his eyes widening and his mouth hanging open.

"You cannot do such a thing. It is said we will need Him in our most desperate of struggles. Could this be such a thing? No, no, I refuse to believe that this is what can bring us down." Checking his watch Xano noted the time: it was getting late. "I must leave for now, but until then, go with your heart." Rather than the comfort the king wanted to draw from those words, he was only left with emptiness. The words had a chill to them. Go with your heart. It was a sign already. He could trust no one.

"I do not discriminate! Be it your sex, your type, and hell, even your race! I gather all of you here putting those aside." It had been a long time since something like this was called, but it seemed even dodgier now. A public meeting had been called for in the local theater, and almost everyone that could had shown up. Some came for a few laughs, some came because they had nothing better to do. But they all came for concern. The FDFNO had prepared for them a public speech, and while many saw it as discriminatory, due mostly to their disregard for ice dragons, it was still a serious deal. They had always been the ones to speak out against an unresolved issue, and they were respected for that. For this one, however, leadership, their final goal since the creation of the group, was at stake.

A particularly brash fire dragon took the stage under the name of Fraiden. His long ears and pointy snout only complimented his egocentric personality. But one could not argue with his results. Xano took his place in the crowd. He had not come out of concern. He came merely to see what grand spectacle such a bold group would put on.

"Brothers and sisters alike, we have all served loyally under the strong leadership of his majesty, Frevonite." The crowd cheered at the name. Despite the problems they'd had in recent years, he was still a widely praised leader. "While we, being fire dragons, have never been one for ice dragons, feel that there is distrust of his powers." Xano noted this immediately. Playing the good guys, they were gonna slowly whittle down the audience. "But why should there be? Has he not protected us? Has our king not done everything he could for us, to the greatest extent of his powers?" Wild cheers again. "Then again, one could see their frustrations. Not to side with them, but our king has found himself with hard problems lately, the most recent of which devastated us. As we all know..." Fraiden rambled on and on about the king's faults, most of which were minor incidents. But the way he portrayed them, the sudden emotion in his voice and the glimmer in his eyes were enough to change opinions. He paced around the stage, leaning in on certain lines as he wound up the pressure. And then suddenly, he'd jump back to supporting the king, never truly choosing a side. And each time he mentioned the name again, less and less dragons would cheer it on, until the final time, where the crowd was dead silent. "Friends, can you not see the problem? Even now we cannot put our whole faith in him. He remains a good comrade, but he has lost his capability to rule, and you've shown me that you do not trust him wholly." He scanned the masses and suddenly pointed at Xano. "Hark! Even the brother of the king himself, the very same bloodline, cannot fully trust him!" Xano stood up, a roar of air in his throat and the trembling of the ground beneath his feet.

"I do not come here against my brother. I've come here only to see what would be put up for us tonight. And even so, your reasons are repetitive, insignificant, and few. Can you really expect to win us over with simple arguments like that?!" Fraiden smirked as the crowd murmured. It was clear that there was no definite solution.

"And yet you've said nothing all this time. Were you biding your time, or were you coming to terms with our king's failures? You of all would know the problems. Do not try to defend your honor and shaken loyalty, my friend! We all come here in unity!" Xano shook his head.

"I defend my brother not because I am obliged to, but because I cannot see your reason." The fire dragon chuckled.

"Xano, Xano. It is clear to me that you can. You yourself once aspired to be king. Is this not true? You want the power for yourself, and who could blame you? We are all tired of Frevonite's rule." Xano grew angry, accusations blasting in his ears and the face of his brother frozen in his mind.

"You dare to turn me against my brother?! One as foolish as yourself Fraiden, cannot dictate my actions nor my thoughts. I continue to believe what I myself have come to see as true, and I will not be influenced by the garbage you put out." He stormed out of the theater, and left to calm his mind. Fraiden's voice laughing was the last he heard from the theater, each word the dragon spoke dripping with deceit and greed.

Xano retreated to his cave. It was not his home. It was not his birthplace. But it was where he felt at peace. His emotions blended there, mixing with the earth and all of its features. The rocks and the soil and the plants all came together to soothe the anger that quelled in his mind. He closed his eyes and focused on taking away his evil feelings. After about ten minutes of this, he opened his eyes and sighed, a musky scent leaving his nostrils, filling the cave with relief. The flapping of wings brought his attention to a dragon outside. It was a fire dragon, but it was not the type Xano was used to. It was a friend. Agor landed outside and slowly walked in. He too was part of the FDFNO, but he was not like Fraiden nor his colleagues. He did not seek to change things. He only wanted to represent his part in the world through his type. Agor had hoped that through the formation of other type-based groups, they could all meet together, representing the dragons of Vulden, and work out the problems in unity. Sadly, his dream had fallen short, but he had hope. He was present during the meeting and had seen Xano's anguish.

"Have you cleared your mind?" Xano smiled and nodded.

"Yes, and it's been hard. I am glad though. Your presence is comforting."

"A friend is good company in times like these. Do you fear for your brother?"

"I feel that I must. My brother has his faults, yet he has a good heart." He sighed. "Perhaps he is no longer capable of ruling like he once did, but that should not mean that he is evil." Agor nodded.

"Agreed. Fraiden assumes a lot of things, things that he cannot prove. But he is a good speaker. It is a shame he uses it in such a bad way." The two stayed there, talking for the rest of the night before Agor finally took off. Xano watched his departure as the sun slowly began to come out from beyond the horizon. He was always told that the stars all had a meaning. Looking for answers among the fading stars, Xano saw nothing but despair and uncertainty.