The Beginning of an Empire

Another chapter yall, I got another one out before I star up work again so it may be a bit before another one but I hope yall like it. 

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The towers of the Dalnareon's. A plethora of majestic and imposing towers stood atop the Fourteen Flames' largest volcano. The citizens of Valyria would call them the Towers of the Kings, others call them the Towers of Heaven, but the Dragonlords had their own name for them, The tower of the Gods. 

At the base of the towers lay a bustling city fortress full of traders hoping to make a profit from their next customer. The City shined like porcelain, gleaming in the sun's rays as the residents went about their tasks for their dragon masters. 

The city itself was home to only the wealthiest of families, some families were rich in trade or advanced in warfare. The minor families of the freehold that worked alongside and under the Dalnareons held residency and land within the city. 

Over the years of the Freehold the Forty Dragonlords have dominated the political spectrum gaining great riches from the lands. Only a lucky few minor families could ever compare to the lowest of Dragonlords, those few took residency with the Dalnareon fortress city.

High atop the mountains in great caves and caverns rested the legendary beasts that allowed the forty families to rise to such great heights. 

The mighty Dragons of the Dalnareons flew high above the clouds, dancing with one another, or just resting atop a tower, waiting for their master's return. 

Such fearsome beasts were not without their majesty, for the Dragons of the Dalnareons were the mightiest of all the other Dragons.

High atop the tallest of towers overlooking the city atop the balcony stood a figure clad in elegant purple silk. 

He stood atop the balcony gazing across the great city as he would every morning, watching the bustling populace begin their day. 

The man stood atop the balcony of the tower that was so enormous in size that it could fit a number of homes atop it. 

To the man's back laid an enormous dragon of shining opalescent. The great beast's head was adorned with horns as big as a wagon, and the head the jutting bones rested on was equal in size to a war galley. 

Should a member of the lower families of Dragonlords lay eyes on such a creature they would truly begin to visualize the strength of the Dalnareon family. 

The creature's entire body was the size of a small town. The true size of the balcony for such a beast to rest was truly massive enough to accommodate the Dalnareon Dragons. 

But should one truly understand what dragon rested atop the balcony they would understand how such a beast grew to such size. 

Rōvēgrie ēlī Mēre, the name given to the creature that lay atop the Balcony, the first dragon to roam the skies of Valyria, as old as the freehold itself. 

The man that stood atop the balcony was the great beast's rider, Aegamor Dalnareon, heir to the Dalnareon family. 

Aegamor was the son of Balaemar Dalnareon, head of the Dalnareon family, and Bartos of the Valyrian council, he who leads the preceding of the council. 

Balaemar was an aging man growing frailer in his long years of life. His long years of casting blood magic and powerful spells to counteract the curse that was age had slowly come to an end.

Aegamor's family had been granted greater boons than other Valyrian families, giving them great power over the others, but with the power given, a price had to be paid. 

No family but the Dalnareons themselves knew why their family could not grow beyond the fourteen members, therefore keeping them powerful, but controlled. 

As of this day, the Dalnareon family was made up of fourteen members, and in the coming days, Balaemar Dalnaeron and his wife shall pass from this world to the next to allow his son to finally make an heir.

Aegamor was lost in thought as his eyes wandered across the vast expanding city, dreading the coming days of his father, and mentor's death.

Aegamor was angry at his father, for his decision to end the use of blood magic on himself and his wife would mean his death. 

Balaemar was the most powerful man in all of Valyria, he should not be forced by his own brothers and sisters to give his life for his son. But the decision was made long ago, Balaemars own father had long passed to let his final grandchild come into the world. 

That was what occupied Aegamor's mind, his father and mother chose to die, instead of Aegamors uncles or aunts, or even his grandmother, who has lived for three hundred years. 

"Why must he leave us ēlī, my father has lived for one hundred and seventy-five years, he has kept the council placated, and the Freehold flourishes, yet the tidings of war are fast approaching." 

The ancient dragon's eye watched his his rider, listing to him express his fears just as his many previous riders had, why so many of his riders spoke to him as a councilor, he could not know, he simply did the best any loyal dragon could do, listen, just as he has done for the past thousand years.

ēlī snorted out a puff of smoke, breaking Aegamor from his rant. He smiled at himself as he watched his lazing dragon. "I guess you're right, now is not the time to complain, my family problems can be figured out another time, a great council is being held and we must be attending soon. 

The great dragon understood and immediately began to rise. Rōvēgrie ēlī Mēre began to stir and stretch, readying his ever-growing muscles and bones for his flight. 

Aegamor watched his mount spread his wings, a magnificent sight no matter the amount one had seen the display. 

ēlī's scales shined like opalescent white, while his wings had a snowy grey coloring. ēlī's wingspan was so large it could envelop a small army of men. 

Aegamor shed his silks and prepared his riding gear. As he approached ēlī's side he began to climb the Valyrian steel chain. 

Just climbing the beast was a difficult task, Aegamor did not look forward to reinforcing the balcony when ēlī grew as Aegamor aged, just as so many of ēlī's riders have done before. 

The mighty beast began to flap its massive wings, running for the edge, shaking the tower as if the fourteen flames were erupting, but many Lords knew the great volcanoes were dormant and stable, giving a steady flow of fire and molten for the forges of the smiths. 

Aegamor and ēlī's flew south for the center of the Freehold, heading for the great council, and as Aegamor flew he began to pray that war was avoidable and to not inherit a family in a time of blood. 

.....

Chaos. 

The chamber was in utter chaos.

The chamber that held the great council of dragon lords and land-owning citizens was an enormous circular chamber with rows of seats. At the highest levels sat the land-owning lords, rows below them sat other land-owning lords that were in service to the dragonlords that had grown rich off their service and loyalty. 

Below the land-owning lords, finally nearing the chamber floor where a voice could be heard sat the forty dragon lords. The lower one was to sit the more important the dragon lord was. 

The council was a strange system that allowed land-owning heads of families to attend, but only the true decision-making was left to the dragon lords, those who owned land were given the right to listen but were never given the power to sway how the freehold worked. 

At the lowest level sat the fourteen Great Dragonlords, the ones who truly held sway in the council, the ones whose voice was truly heard the mightiest of the Dragonlords, whose power never swayed beyond the fourteen families.

Facing the door leading to the council Balaemars Dalnareon and two others, the head of the Celeneos family, lady Celeneos, and the head of the Nohgaris family Lord Nohgaris, the three families that gave birth to the Freehold. 

Almost every lord was not alone though, for they brought along a trusted friend, advisor, or heir, for every member had been given the right to bring another as long as they were a land-owning citizen. 

To Balaemars left was an empty space, reserved for his son an heir, Aegamor, late as always. 

As the Dragonlords argued and bickered through the archway walked Aegamor, none the bothered by the stares received by the lords not busy bickering about whatever Aegamor had missed before his arrival. 

"As Aegamor sat beside his fathers, he caught the smirk of lord Nohgaris and the disapproving stare of Lady Celeneos. 

"You're late... again." Lord Balaemars didn't turn to address his son, but Aegamor could see the mirth dripping from his voice. 

 "Apologies Father, I had grown lost in thought before I departed and lost track of time, I would think I had already missed the important part, but it seems things have only just gotten started." Aegamor's gaze drifted across the arguing lords, watching as the citizens up above watched with annoyance and boredom, while the Dragonlords dragged the proceedings of a council meeting out once again.

Balaemars chuckled at his son's observation. "You're not wrong, I had begun the meeting an hour ago trying to go through the reports till I came to a certain report to the east, and then the yelling began."

Aegamor nodded, "What has them in such a fuss this time." 

Balaemars sighed as he leaned back into his seat, "Ghiscar."

It was Aegamors turn to sigh, "Then it's inevitable, a second war is on the horizon."

Aegamors father did not answer his son, but his silence spoke louder than words. 

The young heir sighed once more, realizing that he would have to unleash his family's power like his father and grandfather had done years before in times of war. 

Trying to pry his mind off the grim subject, he noticed the five seats that surrounded the floor platform for the speaker, five were occupied, with two empty.

"The first and second Voices are still absent as ever I see."

The aging lord nodded, "For as long as I remember they have sat empty, I have grown to stop expecting them to ever come to these meetings, and I advise you to do the same.

Aegamor nodded but did not truly take his father's words to heart, for the First and second Voices had been absent since the beginning of the Freehold.

The Seven Voices of the People were elected officials who brought concerns and problems of the people of the Freehold who had no citizenship to the council and motioned the council to bring change for the people to live better lives in the freehold. 

But only a Dragonlord could vote in the freehold, so only the Dragonlords could vote in the Voices, a horribly corrupt system that brought little change for the people. 

The five voices in attendance had changed many times over the years, voted in and out. The voices never truly spoke for the Dragonlords wanted little change for their servants and subjects, so most all the time the council was in session, the voices stayed silent, only attending to keep up appearances. 

Yet the two most important voices, with the true power to change the freehold had not been seen since the beginning of the Freehold. The first seat held the power to call a veto of the rulings of the dragon lords, voted by the other voices, yet they stayed away from council proceedings. 

The only reason the First and Second voices have not changed from a thousand years ago was because of one law holding back the vote, for the voices to be deemed dead the bodies must be identified and proven dead. 

The bodies of the First and Second Voice were never found, if they had ever died, and therefore could never be proven out of office. 

The only way for such a law to be revoked would be from a majority voting of the Dragonlords and remaining voices. But the Dragonlords knew should they gain a new First and Second Voice the balance of power would not be all in their favor. 

The names of the First and Second voices are known to only one Family, the Dalnareons, and only two other families truly know the importance of such names, Nohgaris and Celeneos, the three original families. 

"It's best to realize their long-dead Heir Dalnareon. When I was around your age I once wondered who such mysterious members could be, and then I realized I was stupid and they probably died in some cave in and no body could be found."

Aegamor listened to Lord Nohgaris retell his memories of his younger years in life. 

Aegamor could not understand why two powerful members of a council could not live for such a long period of time. His very Grandmother was nearing Four hundred years of age. 

"And what if you're wrong Lord Nohgaris, what if the Voices are alive, and planned on attending this meeting this day."

Lord Nohgaris let out a loud laugh, "The day The First and Second Voices walk these halls is the day I let the servants sleep in my bed." 

Lady Celeneos snorted at Lord Nohgaris rambling, she could not comprehend why he would even entertain the thought of letting a servant into her bed.

Balaemars watched the laughing lord with a small smirk, till a man caught his eye. A man clad in green and grey armor marched to the center of the floor, in his hand clasped a spear, and a cloth of silk concealing his face.

He brought the butt of his spear to the floor, silencing the arguing lords, and attracting furious looks from the once-arguing Dragonlords. 

"The Second Voice Annatar and the First Voice Melkor have arrived." 

All fell silent, the only thing of any notice was the Three Dragon lords shooting out of their chairs at the First voice's name, a name only their family remembers, the name of the one who gifted them the Dragons.