The Duchess and the Emperor

Drakehaven burned.

Emperor Mikhail stood atop the walls of House Draconus's ancestral stronghold, watching helplessly as flames consumed the greatest city of the Western Reach.

The night sky glowed an angry red, thick smoke obscuring the stars. Below, the sounds of battle had finally begun to fade, replaced by the crackle of fires and distant screams.

"Your Majesty!" A guard captain rushed up, his armour scorched and dented. "Duchess Draconus approaches. She... she demands an audience."

The gathered nobles gasped. Duke Silverthorn, his normally composed face pale with shock, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, you can't possibly allow this! After what they've done-"

"Silence," Mikhail whispered, but the word carried enough weight to quiet the protests. His hands trembled as he gripped the battlements. He had known this moment would come. Ever since Bartholomew's mad crusade had driven the empire to the brink of destruction, he had known there would be a reckoning with House Draconus.

The Imperial Guards shifted nervously, their hands tight on their weapons. They had seen enough combat in recent days to know that traditional protocol meant little now. Some exchanged worried glances - they had all heard stories of Valerie Draconus's transformation from scholar to warrior.

"Let her approach," Mikhail said, his voice barely a whisper.

Lady Chancellor Elena, her ceremonial robes stained with ash, tried one last time. "Your Majesty, at least allow us to establish proper security protocols-"

She stopped speaking as the massive form of a scarred red wyvern landed on the wide battlement, cutting off any further protests.

The impact caused several nobles to stumble back, their faces showing a mixture of fear and awe. The beast's presence seemed to fill the entire space, its battle-scarred scales telling their own story of recent conflicts.

Duchess Valerie Draconus dismounted, her once-pristine robes now stained with ash and blood. The collected nobles and guards instinctively stepped back, creating a circle of empty space around her. 

Gone was the excited young scholar who had spent countless hours studying wyvern bloodlines. In her place stood a hardened warrior, her eyes cold as she regarded the emperor.

"Mikhail," she said, dispensing with titles. "Look what your weakness has wrought."

The Lord Chamberlain made a strangled sound at this breach of protocol, but a glance from Valerie silenced him.

Mikhail flinched at her words, unable to meet her gaze. Behind her, the city continued to burn - the result of the remnants of Bartholomew's supporters' final, desperate, assault on the Western Reach. Although Bartholomew had died years before, they still persisted in their madness.

House Draconus's counterattack had been swift and merciless.

"Valerie, I-"

"No," she cut him off. "You don't get to speak yet. Not until you've seen it all." She gestured to the devastation below. "Your brother's madness could have been stopped years ago, if only you had shown an ounce of backbone. But you stood by, wringing your hands while he drove the empire into ruin."

The nobles watched in stunned silence, many nodding despite themselves. They had all thought these things, but none had dared voice them.

She began to pace, her voice rising with barely contained fury. "Do you know how many died in the Western Reach? How many wyvern rookeries were destroyed? Centuries of careful breeding and research, gone in a single night of fire."

"I tried-" Mikhail began, but Valerie's harsh laugh cut him off.

"Tried? You never tried. You've hidden behind your crown, behind protocol, behind excuses. A real emperor would have acted. A real emperor would have stopped this before it began."

Several of the younger guards shifted uncomfortably, their training warring with their agreement with her words.

She drew her sword, the blade glowing with an inner fire - the mark of a true Dragon's Heir. "I invoke the Rite of Imperial Ascendancy. House Draconus challenges your right to rule."

The words seemed to echo across the battlements. Several nobles collapsed to their knees, understanding the historical significance of this moment.

The Imperial Guards froze in place, caught between their duty to protect the Emperor and their training to respect the ancient rite.

Mikhail felt the blood drain from his face. "Valerie, please..."

"Draw your weapon, Mikhail," she commanded, her voice thick with disgust. "At least try to die with some dignity."

But Mikhail's hands remained limp at his sides. He could barely look at the sword at his hip, let alone draw it. "I... I decline the challenge."

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the fires seemed to quiet, as if the very elements held their breath.

A collective gasp from the assembled crowd echoed across the battlements - in five thousand years of Imperial history, no emperor had ever declined such a challenge.

"Of course you do," Valerie said, her voice now eerily calm. "You decline everything. Every choice. Every responsibility. Every chance to be more than this pathetic shadow of an emperor."

She sheathed her sword with deliberate slowness. "House Draconus hereby severs all ties with the Tiberian Empire. We will no longer bow to a throne occupied by a coward."

The proclamation sent ripples through the gathered crowd. Young Lord Blackthorn immediately fainted, while several other nobles began whispering furiously among themselves, already calculating how this would affect their own positions.

As she mounted her wyvern, she paused for one final look at him. "Remember this ruin when you're counting the cost of your weakness. Leave my lands and never return."

The wyvern's wings spread wide, and with a gust of wind that nearly knocked Mikhail off his feet, they were gone.

Behind him, Mikhail could hear the whispered prayers of nobles, and the muffled sobs of those who understood what this meant for the empire. 

He stood alone on the battlements, watching the lower city of Drakehaven crumble, just as his courage had crumbled in the face of challenge. Around him, the nobles and guards maintained their distance, as if his cowardice might be contagious.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"...and the resonance patterns in the deeper caves are absolutely fascinating!" Valerie's excited voice pulled Mikhail from his dark memories. They were soaring through the night sky once more, as they had the past two nights, Crimson's powerful wings carrying them back to the palace.

"The way the ancient runes interact with natural mana flows... it's revolutionary! This could completely change how we approach bloodline awakening in the Western Reach." 

She twisted in her seat to look at him, her eyes bright with scholarly enthusiasm. "Can you imagine? If we can replicate even a fraction of these conditions in our rookeries..."

Mikhail smiled, pushing away the echoes of that other timeline. This Valerie was still the passionate researcher he remembered, untouched by the horrors of war. Her principles remained as strong as ever - but now they would serve his cause rather than stand against it.

"Your work will change everything," he said softly, knowing it to be true. In his past life, she had become known as the greatest Wyvern Tamer in imperial history, her discoveries revolutionising their understanding of draconic bloodlines. He needed that strength, that brilliance, firmly on his side this time.

As they landed in the stable yard, Mikhail's heart nearly stopped. Duke Draconus himself stood waiting, his imposing figure impossible to miss even in the dim light.

"Father!" Valerie's voice carried a mix of surprise and defiance. "I was just-"

"Conducting important research, no doubt," the Duke finished, his tone surprisingly mild. "Go to your quarters, Valerie. We'll discuss your new habit of evading your guards in the morning."

Valerie's face flushed with embarrassment, and with a quick whispered apology to Mikhail, she left the stables.

Once Valerie had gone, Mikhail braced himself for what he assumed would be a stern rebuke.

He knew he couldn't use the Dagger of First Dawn on someone of Duke Draconus's power - and from what he could tell, the artefact seemed to be a one-use tool anyway.

But to his shock, the Duke's expression softened. "Walk with me a moment, Prince Mikhail."

They strolled in silence for a few steps before the Duke spoke again. "Do you know, Your Highness, that you're the first real friend my daughter has ever had?"

Mikhail blinked in surprise. "I... what?"

"Valerie has always been... different. Brilliant, but focused entirely on her research. She's never had anyone she could truly talk to about her passions." The Duke's voice carried a father's concern. "These past few nights, I've heard her talking about your discussions. She's... happy."

Mikhail felt a fresh wave of guilt over the dagger's magic, but forced himself to remain calm.

"I appreciate that," Duke Draconus continued. "However, these midnight excursions must stop. There are proper channels for such meetings. During daylight hours, with appropriate supervision."

"Of course, Your Grace," Mikhail said quickly. "I apologize for any worry we may have caused."

The Duke nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Now, I believe it's past time we both sought our beds. There are important days ahead."