Verdict

"Father, why are we here?"

"The king has requested our presence Kaiden. Remember what I told you.", replied the tall, well-dressed man.

"Ten paces towards the throne, slightly behind you, kneel and wait to be addressed. We went over this a hundred times.", said Kaiden, standing beside his father outside the king's hall.

"Good lad."

"I don't want to be here, father. I want to go ride Zahira."

"You spend far too much time in the skies than you do your studies. If you attended your session with Father Blackwood, you would know the proper etiquette when presiding at court."

Kaiden's father reprimanded him for skipping his lessons. He did not miss all of them, though. Only the ones with Father Blackwood, because he found them boring. Father Blackwood always talked nonstop and never let Kaiden talk or ask questions without delivering long answers. Whenever Kaiden didn't pay attention, he would hit him with a long stick from one of the trees in the orchard outside the manor.

"Father Blackwood is such a bore and always hits me with the stick," whined Kaiden.

"Because you do not pay attention to his lectures like the other kids," laughed his father.

The trumpets sound from the other side of the door. Kaiden looks over at his father anxiously. His wrinkled face looks tense and wrought with stress. From the other side of the door, Kaiden hears the announcer introduce him and his father as the doors swing open.

"Lord Amos Hartdell, Duke of Brivia, and his son Kaiden Hartdell, heir to the duchy of Brivia!"

Kaiden's father begins to walk forward slowly, approaching the king, who sits atop the throne in the surprisingly large room. On either side, lords of all ranks sit in the stands watching with mixed expressions. Some appear to be worried for the pair, while others wear faces of anger and resentment. Unsure why such expressions are directed at him and his father, Kaiden keeps his head down and walks forward. Once they are ten paces away from the king, his father gets down on one knee with his head lowered. Staying one step behind his father, Kaiden mimics the motions and waits for the king to speak. After what feels like an eternity, the king finally addresses them.

"You may rise," the king said loudly for the entire hall to hear.

The king motions both of them to stand, looking at them expectantly. Kaiden's father stands at the king's request and lowers his head, acknowledging his rank and authority. Kaiden does the same, following his father's example.

"I assume you know why you've been summoned?" the king said with a stern yet sorrowful expression.

"Yes, your majesty."

"Though it pains me, you know what must be done about this, don't you?"

"I do, your majesty. However, I would make a request of his majesty, if I may."

"Go on."

"I would ask that my son be spared the punishment for his father's crimes. He is unaware of what I have done and should be exempt from the fate that is given to me."

"You understand that he cannot simply go unpunished. You know the law, Amos. Your entire family must bear the consequence of your actions. However, I will lessen his punishment because I am lenient and very fond of your family despite your betrayal."

"Thank you, your majesty."

Just as his father finishes his sentence, Kaiden notices two royal guards begin to walk toward them. They're clad in shining golden armor with red pauldrons on their shoulders and helmets shaped like a dragon's head. Gleaming steel longswords sit sheathed on their left side, with their left hands resting on the hilts. Most people would look at these guards with reverence and admiration, but now they seem like harbingers of doom. He knows that whatever happens next will not be good for his father or him. He stands there confused, wondering what his father could have done to draw the king's ire. As he racks his brain for answers, the king speaks once again.

"For the crime of high treason committed against both country and crown, I, King Dorian Lancaster, at this moment sentence Duke Amos Hartdell of Brivia, and all those of his blood, to be stripped of their nobility. Furthermore, apart from Kaiden Hartdell, all those related to the former duke shall be executed along with their dragons. His son, Kaiden Hartdell, will be sent to live at an orphanage on the outskirts of the kingdom. Upon reaching the age of 16, he shall be exiled to the Dark Forest. His dragon, Zahira, will also be put to death with the other dragons of house Hartdell, and he will not be permitted to bond with another dragon within this lifetime. This is the verdict agreed upon by the Dragon Council."

As the king finishes the verdict, Kaiden stands behind his father with a shocked expression. He wondered what his father could have done to deserve such a punishment from the king—the guard to their left steps forward, shackles in his hand. Kaiden's father turns to him with a sad look and whispers a quick apology before the guard puts the restraints on his wrists. The other guard steps forward and places a hand on Kaiden's shoulder, firmly pressing it down on him, indicating that although it may seem like he's being escorted out respectfully, he has no choice whether or not he goes with his father. He's taken out of the throne room, all eyes on him as he walks past all the nobles who give him sorrowful expressions. Once out of the room, he's taken down a hall to the right. After walking for a few minutes, they stop in front of a door. The guard opens it and lightly pushes Kaiden inside before closing the door and locking it. Realizing that he won't be going anywhere, probably for the rest of the day, Kaiden decides to look around. The room, though less spacious than the throne room, it's still reasonably large compared to his room back home. The walls are red, with gold stripes going diagonally around the room. The medium-sized windows allow guests to see a spectacular view of a beautiful garden with various flowers and other flora that can be found throughout the kingdom. In the skies, a group of Dragon Knights can be seen practicing aerial maneuvers with each other.

Kaiden walks towards a wall that has a mirror leaning against it. In the mirror reflects a short boy that looks around the age of twelve with short black hair and white skin. His eyes are brown, but if looked at closely, someone would see small streaks of gold flashing within the irises. This is the trademark sign that someone is a dragonlord. The boy in the mirror is skinny, much smaller than the average child his age.

'How could this have happened? What's going on?' Kaiden thinks to himself, talking to nobody but his racing mind.

He walks over to the bed and flops on top of it. Mind raging, Kaiden puts both hands atop his forehead and sighs.

'What's going to happen to me now?'

Tears start rolling down his cheeks as he lies on the bed. He sits up and leans forward on the edge of the bed. His tears begin to flow even more. The taste of salt fills his mouth as he breathes in and out, trying to catch his breath and calm down. After a few more minutes, Kaiden kicks off his shoes and climbs under the covers.