Armchair Warrior

The parlor of the Raptor 650 was designed by the Princes Jason and Jared of Erenveil.

Even if that significant detail had not been revealed, it would still have been abundantly clear that this ship was something that came out of a distant opulent past.

The ceiling towered high above, with drop chandeliers in muted shades of gold. Along the walls were double sconces set into the dark walnut brown panels gleaming with lemon scented wood oil.

The floor was a rich reddish brown mahogany with scattered rugs of a deep rich black and deep violet pattern.

Overstuffed wingback chairs and long sofas in various shades of champaign lined the walls with their very own gold gilded mirrored coffee tables.

On one end was a black upright piano with the lid open, an obvious invitation to be played.

On the other end was a large bar with hanging crystal glasses and a huge collection of valuable bottles of aged hard liquor as well as a vast collection of fine wines.

Seated at the bar was the lone figure of a man.

He was powerfully built with long raven black hair streaked with silver. In his hand was a goblet of some gold liquid.

He tossed down the drink and made a gesture for the bar attendant to hit him with another.

The bar attendant picked up the aged cognac and poured another shot into his goblet.

Again he tossed the drink down his throat.

He signaled for another drink.

"Are you trying to get drunk so you don't have to talk to anyone, Father?"

The tall green-haired figure of a strikingly handsome man strode into the parlor. He reached out with a strong sinewy hand and took the goblet from his father.

"Jared." The Emperor stood up. "You think two or three drinks of this swill you call aged cognac is going to affect me one way or another?"

"Get him some water." He ordered the bar attended and then turned to the Emperor.

"Jason and Candace are standing behind you. If you weren't so inebriated, you would have noticed them."

The Emperor smiled. "I don't need to turn my head to know they are behind me. You and your brother are never apart for more than a few steps."

The Emperor glanced up as Jason stepped into his line of sight. Beside him stood the blonde woman who he once thought was fragile and easily persuaded.

He couldn't be more wrong.

She was tough and tenacious, and when she chomped down, her jaws locked and she never let go.

"So why are you here on the Raptor 650 Father?" Jason asked. "Did you come alone or is Mother Anastasia with you?"

The Emperor looked around the luxuriously appointed parlor. This Raptor was created for a woman to live on. It was obviously meant for Gwendolyn.

"Other than the officers navigating the warship I was on, I came alone. Since this ship is to be delivered to Gwendolyn today. I want to talk to her. The easiest way is to be on this ship when she arrives."

"Does she know you landed on this ship and are waiting for her?"

The Emperor shook his head. "I'm not going to ambush her or anything if that's what you think. It's just that we're in the middle of deep space. It's easier to talk face to face on a ship rather than try to talk on a visual screen or 3-D image."

Jason and Jared glanced at each other. They still needed to tell Mother Gwen that Father had come onto the ship on his own accord.

"Your Royal Highnesses. The dragon envoy has arrived and is currently docking." A ship attendant announced at the doorway.

Jason and Jared nodded. "Take them to the Main Deck's seating lounge. We will be there soon."

The Attendant bowed and left.

"Father. We have to meet with the dragon delegates. Please enjoy the bar. We will be back."

The Emperor set his goblet onto the bar and stood.

"No need. I will join you."

The twins shrugged. What could they do if the Emperor insisted on coming with them?

The dragon delegates were already seated around the seating circle when the group arrived. There were four male dragons of varying sizes standing next to an Erenveil woman.

It was Gwendolyn, looking more vibrant than they had ever seen her before.

She wore a dragon bodysuit that shimmered in ombres of blues and purples with tiny fine scales that looked soft yet was most likely extremely durable.

Her long black hair was tied up into a thick high ponytail, streaming down in decadent dark waves.

"Mother Gwen!" Jared and Jason both called out in excitement and came towards her with arms outstretched.

They hadn't seen her in awhile, and after the incident where her part of the palace had been attacked by fire bombs, they had not had a chance to talk to her since.

They certainly did not expect her to come along with the dragon delegates.

"Jason. Jared." Gwendolyn smiled with genuine excitement at seeing them. They had always been her favorite sons, after her own son Slate.

She turned radiant blue eyes towards the woman who stood next to them. Of course she knew who Candace was. Everyone knew who the Prime Avgo Female was.

"Candace Farrah." She smiled at the younger woman.

Candace bowed. "I'm honored to finally have the chance to meet my husband's mother."

"Your husband's mother?" Gwendolyn looked confused.

"Yes. Slate told me you would be here so I offered to come and offer whatever aid I could."

"You and Slate…"

"Slate is my husband."

Gwen blinked and tried to hide her confusion.

"Slate has not said anything to me about it." She shook her head. "But it doesn't matter. I know you are Lucas', Dante's, and Byron's wife, and since they are my sons as well, you are one of my daughters from marriage." She smiled a warm welcoming smile.

Turning with some reluctance, Gwendolyn faced her husband.

"Rex." She nodded a greeting, of sorts.

"Gwen. Let's talk. We have a lot that needs to be said."

The Emperor looked at his wife of many years with newfound appreciation for her beauty and grace. He was about to tell her how beautiful she looked when a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Greetings and welcome to dragon space, Your Majesty."

One of the male dragons gave a quick bow, interrupting his reunion with his wife.

Emperor Rex turned to the man with irritation. How dare he speak at this time!

But then Rex noticed that his face looked familiar.

It was familiar because one of his attendants had shown an image of the man who had sent a wedding invitation of sorts to him, proclaiming that he was going to marry one of Rex's wife.

It was him alright. The Grand Duke Erden of Mistvale.

This man carried himself differently than the other dragons standing next to him.

His razor sharp grey eyes held wisdom and strength that could only be garnered after many years of being in command.

His muscular 6'2" body was leaner and less bulky than the Emperor's but that didn't matter once bit. The difference between them was far more than met the eye.

It showed very clearly in his stance, his mannerisms, and his facial features.

It showed in his long silver-grey hair and the various lines on his face.

Although both of them held positions of high command, Duke Erden was a battle-hardened field commander whereas the Emperor was an armchair warrior.