The ruler on the top of the volcano

Dante put aside his doubts and tried to not think too much about the situation, yet, he kept an eye on his crew. One of the men, a young lad, with short brown hair and green eyes, caught his attention already. The young one was a bit too excited by the mission, and Dante didn't remember if his name had been mentioned in the last 4 recruits they made the last time they stopped in Ombrae to refill the resources of the boat but he was pretty sure something was off with this one. The young was common, he was the perfection of the most banal physic. Except for the fact that he was pushing the group in the direction of the castle when they were at the bridge, Dante had a weird feeling each time his look crossed the boy's eyes. 

When they passed the castle doors, they immediately scented the smell of fresh haye given to horses in the stables. It was a relaxing and wonderful place that unfolded in front of Dante and his crew. People here were living simply and happily. It was hard to think that they were actually at war. The stones on the floor were made of black obsidian, the doors were decorated with rubies, and the windows were wonderful mosaics. Everything was at its place in a charming and elegant landscape making you even forget the fact that they were on the top of a volcano. 

As they walked further, Dante noticed two dragons dancing in the sky while a few others were simply staring at the newly arriving people from high perches. The dragons were all different, the pirate truly had the impression of seeing different characters and personas in their eyes. Yet, they didn't move as the pirate and his crew walked through the inside court and joined the main door of the biggest hall of the castle. 

The doors opened easily and Dante was ready to face the king on a giant throne made of lava. He was prepared even to see a dragon firing at them when they stepped in. But instead, he saw a simple little girl around fifteen years old at best. Like all other people here, her skin was translucent with dark veins appearing, black eyes, and snow hair falling over her knees. 

She raised a hand to stop them and Dante quickly noticed how fragile she was. It seemed that the girl didn't have any force anymore. Her arm fell heavily on the throne she was sitting in and her breath was too deep to be healthy. The pirate looked at her in disbelief. "She is dying," he thought to himself in shock as it was obvious that the girl would not have for long if she kept going like this. She tried to stand up but, confirming what he had thought, she failed and a servant had to come to support her. She was in deep pain but her expression was not showing any weakness. Dante was somehow in awe of her resilience. She was so young to know such a fate that his heart broke.

"You are dead," She stated with a hint of curiosity, "And not from this world. What are you doing here? You don't seem hostile, what are you searching for in our world? Where are you from?"

Dante cleared his throat, starting to answer, "We are from the Ombrae," he answered, having difficulty speaking politics and heavy subjects with the child of the leader in charge. 

"We come to see the king, we are here for business matters. You can see us as merchants," He said as politely as possible considering the young age of the girl compared to his. 

The girl sat back quickly and she chuckled. The servant went to grab a cup of tea, and Dante recognized the smell of painkillers from where he was standing. That said how strong the drink was, to be able to fill the room with such a significant scent was quite a rare dosage and it told a lot about her health. Even with this, the girl was showing only a smile and apparent kindness. 

"There is no king here, not anymore," she said with an expression of soft pain.

"May I ask what happened? Did the war get the upper hand over the dragon king?" The pirate said hoping he didn't anger her with his previous statement. 

Fortunately, she chuckled amused by their lack of knowledge and their attempt to be polite. 

"Our father emitted the will to stop the war by marrying me to the royal prince of Terimat. He wanted to break our traditions and deprive me of my true happiness, separating me from my fated mate, for the sake of his kingdom."

Dante shook his head in false compassion, he couldn't care less about royal marriages and politics in general, but before he had the time to show some sympathy, the man he suspected to be an usurper raised his voice to speak.

"Your brother killed your father to keep you with him?" He asked with sparkles in his eyes. 

Dante wanted to scream. After such non-tactful interruption, for sure, the girl would never let them trade in this kingdom, even less gathering information. He was especially considering that this teenage girl was, in fact, the queen of an army of dragons and warriors. 

"It is exact. Like our ancestors, my brother committed a patricide to prevent an arranged marriage and keep me safe between his claws." 

The captain was surprised to not see any trace of anger or resentment in her eyes. Her disease had taken a toll on her and she only had a pained expression. Dante was burning to ask her what she had, if she had been wounded, or if she could be cured. The pirate wanted to ask so many things about their origin if the legends he heard were true, what was their culture, and mostly, what was the most valuable resource of this world. He was turning his tongue in his mouth searching for the right way to say things first when the member of his crew spoke again. Dante had a cold chill when he heard him.

"Are you dying?"

Everyone in the crew froze instantaneously while the little man was smiling with all his teeth out. The queen analyzed the awkward situation but she decided to believe the man was genuinely awkward. She even seemed amused at his straightforward sentences. 

"I am," She said without giving away more information. Fortunately, once again, they had luck and she didn't seem upset about the situation. The queen even smiled happily, "Would you like to join us for dinner this evening? I would be glad to listen to you and learn about your world."

The young lad was about to answer but Dante threw him a dark look that meant everything and the boy took a step back, lowering his head. The captain bowed respectfully.

"We would love it, may we know how to call you?" 

"I am the Queen Talim, ruling over Norimea with my brother, King Tarim."

"Then, Queen Talim, we would be honored to listen to you during dinner and exchange about our different cultures. That will be very exciting."

She had a light giggle, the girl may have been a queen at a young age and led her people into a bloody war lasting for decades she remained a curious teenager. Especially in her health state, her time being counted, she had a bit less care about the war as she should have and she was thirsty to know about this other world they came from. Dante had the feeling that each of her discussions was about her armies and the political situation of the kingdom, adding on top of it a refused proposal for an arranged marriage that probably angered the Terimatian a lot as it would have been taken like a great humiliation, the life of the teenage girl was certainly not peaceful. 

Dante felt compassion for her, so she waved a few servants who came to invite the crew of pirates into a large corridor greatly decorated with tapestries, to his surprise, the servants did not have the same features as the locals. Their skin was not translucent and their hair was not white, but Dante didn't pay more attention to this for the moment. The pirate was mostly glad to learn that she seemed to love art, this way, he would have it easier to trade. If his life taught him something, it was that artists and sensitive persons were always much easier to handle when books and paintings were on the negotiation table. 

They were led to a guest quarter, there were plenty of chambers and the crew of pirates had no issues finding a bed for each of them. Dante walked and opened a closet, he saw the dust inside and wondered for how long this teenage girl didn't receive company. "Does she even have anyone to talk to except for her servants?" He asked himself out loud, but before he had the time to realize that they had been here for quite long already, resting and exploring the luxury of the castle's chambers, a servant entered and made them a sign. 

Dante came to the servant curiously and asked, "Why don't you speak each time you come to meet us? Is it prohibited for servants to speak to guests or royals?" 

The servant shook his head, the man was thin but looking healthy, yet, he opened his mouth and the pirate realized with shock that his tongue had been removed. 

"Are all servants incapable of speaking?" He asked, horrified.

And to this, while his crew was cheering in the background, the servant nodded.