[Romania] - Arauthator the Ancient

On top of a chilly mountain peak surrounded by a sea of clouds was a beast that blended in. It laid asleep most of the time conserving its energy. After years of sleep however the beasts eyes opened up revealing an ice blue gleam to the world. As he awoke an elder dragon flew from another peak before him, landing in front of him the dragon looked up to him in utmost reverence...

{L-Lord Arauthator... It's been years since you've awoke}

Arauthator lifted himself from his massive perch, stretching himself along with his wings out as far wide as possible after a long sleep. As his eyes focused onto the dragon before him he started to speak.

{Years its been? How many years}.

The elder dragon looked shaken by the words of Arauthator as it replied while stumbling.

{A-Around 21 years it's been lord... Is there a reason for your sudden awakening this time?}.

Arauthator looked down the mountain peak towards the area in which the young grew up. The elder dragon present followed his gaze and its temper seemed to ignite as he realised where the lord was looking.

{Is it those damn humans again Lord?! If they've kidnapped one of our own again maybe we should just burn their settlement to the ground!}.

Looking at the enraged elder dragon Arauthator sighed.

{Your assumption is incorrect}.

The elder dragon looked as if it had bitten into a bitter fruit as it turned back around to it's lord in embarrassment for jumping the gun. Looking up to the lord it asked again.

{If that isn't the case lord... Why have you awoken?}.

Looking down the mountain intently Arauthator seemed to be mulling over many things in his mind. Looking at the contemplation in its lords face the elder dragon present at the moment seemed stifled as it started to worry about the situation at hand.

{My awakening... there's one of our blood that's arrived in the ward far down below}.

The elder dragon looked confused as it stared up to its lord.

{One of our blood? Do you mean a dragon has come from the outside world into the ward where the children are?}.

Arauthator started to look annoyed at the elder dragon present as his gaze became colder. The dragon present seemed to freeze over as it looked up to its lord.

{S-S-Sorry lord...}.

Arauthator calmed down as he looked down the mountain once more. With a huff he decided to answer the elder dragons question.

{It's one of our blood yet not one of our body and soul... A human with our blood has risen once again}.

The elder dragon present seemed to stare at its master in shock as it too turned to look down the mountain range. From this distance they couldn't see anything themselves however they could sense the children below along with the witches and wizards in their 'Sanctuary'.

{L-Lord you don't think that the wizard's appearance is related to 'that man' do you!?}.

Arauthator looked at the elder dragon coldly once again warning it that it was stepping out of line once again. The gaze this time seemed much colder as a layer of frost started to crawl up the elder dragon present. The dragon panicked and bowed its head low to its lord to appease him. Arauthator seeing that the elder dragon had calmed down retracted his gaze and voiced his thoughts.

{It's most likely this wizard thats made an appearance is related to 'that man'... Whether we are fated to meet or not is reliant on that wizards ability to reach here if he so chooses... Gather the other elder dragons and bring them here to my peak, If that wizard does make it to us then he deserves an audience...}.

Arauthator rested himself again on his peak closing his eyes soundly. The elder dragon present immediately zoomed off at Arauthator's command heading off to the nearby peaks where the other elder dragons resided.

As the elder dragon left Arauthator who had closed his eyes seemed to be dwelling on the wizard below, if that mans descendant had appeared in this era then this era was set to be a turbulent one...

.

"Arauthator? That's a domineering name...".

Oz who had just listened to Charlies full story about the truth of the sanctuary was still mulling over everything he had learned. His theories on the suspiciousness of the sanctuary had been right on the mark however he never expected things such as elder dragons and even a leader named 'Arauthator' to be present here. The prospect of meeting their behemoths even gave him pause for a moment yet also ignited the fighting spirit within his blood.

"Yes... Arauthator is a name thats been etched into all the Romanian witches and wizards that look after this sanctuary. Any children birthed here are warned that if they are bad they could be taken away by Arauthator...".

Putting his finger to his chin, Oz started to think on the 'Arauthator' character more. What sort of dragon was he? Why would he hide himself away from the world on a mountain peak? How powerful is a dragon that is not only ancient yet leader of all the elders on the peaks above? Questions upon questions seemed to pile up in Oz's mind as he looked up at the mountains before him.

'I have to meet this dragon... There's a chance he could be the key to solving the riddle that is my blood...'.

Oz turned around to Alfreda behind him who seemed to catch onto what Oz wanted to do. She gave him a smile and a light nod letting him know that she was okay with it. Turning back to Charlie Oz asked him a question.

"Is there anyway I can meet this 'Arauthator'?".

Charlie looked at Oz I extreme surprise as he started to stammer.

"Y-You want to meet him!? Are you insane!? We're talking about a dragon with enough power to wipe out this country and then some, any wrong move could lead to a country in flames!".

"I know it seems reckless however this is something I need to do".

Charlie looked completely lost for words as he looked at the boy before him. His unwavering determination in his gaze seemed to sway him slightly as he sighed deeply.

"F-Fine... Goddamn it they told me you'd be a handful but for it to be this much...".

Charlie started to walk ahead ushering Oz, Alfreda and Norberta to follow along. Walking deeper into the sanctuary they saw many dragons fly overhead. Some of the dragons started to swoop down near them and look at Norberta inquisitively much to the latter's dismay.

{Uh... Oz?}.

Oz heard Norberta call out to him as he looked around the area noticing the amount of young dragons was growing, Charlie however seemed to be completely content with the situation. Looking at the dragons surrounding him Charlie smiled.

"They are certainly much livelier today! Must be because of that dragon you brought here... What is that dragons name again?".

"She's Norberta... Doesn't this situation give you pause though Charlie?".

Charlie laughed at Oz's apprehension.

"Nonsense, Understand that these dragons would have attacked and killed us already if they wanted to. These young ones see us as 'pets' to some degree so they wont just suddenly attack. If it wasn't for Norberta they'd have completely ignored us...".

Oz nodded at Charlie's explanation as he looked at all the dragons surrounding them. After a bit more walking the young dragons surrounding them seemed to grow bored as they all flew off. Finally after walking a bit deeper into the mountain range they group found themselves in front of a path leading up the mountain.

"This here is the path that leads towards the peak... Although let me tell you a few things to take into account before you go".

"Firstly, The dragons at the peak are true monsters in terms of both magic and strength. Due to this the pressure they emit is enough for even the most trained witch and wizard to collapse underneath it. Climbing a mountain whilst that pressure is present is certainly a difficult feat however I believe those at the top designed it this way so only the 'worthy' could talk with them...".

"Secondly, Arauthator as we know him is known to be a dragon that specialises in 'Ice' to some degree... Suffice to say that the climb when you get nearer to the peak will become colder and colder. By cold I mean beyond freezing temperatures so magic is a must to keep yourself from freezing alive".

"Finally, with the two points linked you may find your magic reserves burning out far quicker than usual. If you run out of magic/means to keep yourselves going then you'll find yourself dying before you ever reach the peak...".

Oz listened intently to Charlies advice, hearing the last note he chimed in.

"Have you sent anyone up there in the past?".

Charlie smiled as he noticed Oz must have realised the only way for him to know this amount of information would be that if someone had attempted to climb before.

"When the dragon sanctuary was established many tried to climb the mountain in order to establish a connection with Arauthator on top... The vast majority of them though ended up never leaving the mountain. The ones that returned gave us the information I'm giving you about the mountain. Expeditions up the mountain however have been a project that's been completely shut down due to the amount of losses amassed whilst attempting it...".

Looking towards the mountain path Oz took in the sight before turning back to Alfreda and Norberta. Looking at the two of them that had followed him to this point he sighed knowing that his next 'ask' would be something they wouldn't like.

"Alfreda, Norberta... You two should stay down here".

The two that had followed Oz to this moment immediately expressed distress at Oz's request.

"Master you heard Charlie, nobody has ever reached the peak! You need all the help you can get to traverse to the top!".

Oz looked towards Alfreda with a sigh.

"Calm down Alfreda... Think carefully about this situation. If I were to take both you and Norberta along you would both also be submitted to the cold and pressure in this mountain climb. Remember about my... blood as well. I will be able to overcome that pressure much easier compared to the two of you".

Norberta leaned her head forward looking sadly towards Oz.

{B-But Oz I'm a true dragon! That pressure wont mean anything to me!}.

Oz's eyes glint with slight irritation that gave both Alfreda and Norberta pause as they saw it. Charlie on the side-lines seemed confused by Oz's decision as well considering the more people in an expedition usually the better.

"Why do you want to go alone Oz? Surely the more the merrier?".

Hearing Charlies inquiry Oz started to explain himself fully.

"Besides the fact that going alone allows me to go without worry there's also Arauthator to consider...".

"A dragon like him is bound to take notice of anyone on his territory. The way he's set this situation up, leaving a path up to him tells me that he only deems those that are 'worthy' to meet him. If I want to gain his respect and be able to ask him for as much knowledge as possible I need to impress him by going it alone".

Turning to Alfreda, Oz showed her a warm smile.

"Alfreda all I ask you to do whilst I make the climb is to stay in the sanctuary and ensure that Norberta starts to feel at home here... Can you do that for me?".

Alfreda looked extremely conflicted however after seeing her masters honest eyes she sighed and agreed to his request. Charlie seeing that the situation was resolved decided to fill Oz in on one last note.

"Although none of us have ever managed to climb to the top we've predicted it takes about a week to reach the top if you keep good pace".

"A week huh... Well I better get started then".

Oz turned to Alfreda and Norberta giving Norberta a pat on the head and Alfreda a light smile as he started to walk up the path. As he started his long climb up the mountain he had one thought in his mind.

'Whilst this setup means it will be a bit harder for me its a necessary difficulty I need in order to grow... I need trials in order to maximise my potential. If Alfreda or Norberta came then the trek up would have definitely been easier but... this is a trial I need to overcome myself'.

Looking up to the peak that seemed to loom over him Oz felt a smile rise onto his face. The prospect of a challenge was something he never backed down from even back when he was in Hogwarts. This challenge before him was just another trial he needed to break through, a stepping stone for his future growth.

As Oz his journey up the mountain, eyes from above seemed to look down at him monitoring his attempt...