Omega's Rebirth

"Before that, I would like to inquire on the whereabouts of Lord Menarx. As this critical situation is directly related to him, he should be present here to deliberate on it." Lady Diandre said, glancing around the hall.

"I will wait for his arrival." She added, when she realized Menarx truly was not anywhere in the hall.

"Menarx is at liberty to come and go as he pleases. If he does not deem it fit to be present for this council, that is not for you to demand." Kirgan clarified.

Lady Diandre frowned visibly, but she did not insist on it further.

"Word has reached the Fae of the breach of Lord Menarx’s district. I must express my gratitude to the dwarves for bringing this to our knowledge, it is indeed a worrying occurrence...to see that Dragon Keep is no longer as safe as we have believed it to be." Lady Diandre began.

Her words were no surprise, the rider council had already anticipated this was precisely to be the topic of deliberation.

What was left to be figured out was what benefits Lady Diandre hoped to acquire from this and how far the Fae would go this time.

"Your concern for the affairs of Dragon Keep is appreciated but not required. A small breach is not something that requires the input of the Fae council, do you doubt the ability of this court to handle its own affairs?" Imagor asked in a tight tone.

"Of course not. However, as the leader of my race, if there are concerning issues, it is my duty to be concerned about them..." Lady Diandre trailed off as the doors to the audience hall swung open once again.

This time, five gruff looking dwarves trudged in, their beard swinging about ahead of them.

They marched straight to the front of the hall and Lady Diandre moved to the side, a small smirk on her lips.

"Ah, the dwarves have arrived. The council should hear from them first." Lady Diandre said.

"Greetings Lords of Asvar blood!" One of the dwarf representatives boomed and they lowered their heads in a bow.

Being the dwarf’s spokesperson, his accent was more attuned to the common tongue than could be found in most dwarves.

"We have come on urgent business to enquire into the well-being of our detained previous King as well as demand his probational release. This is an order from our current ruler, King Agrofth."

"The criminal awaits a unified council where his fate will be decided, and as such his life and safety still falls under the jurisdiction of the Hidden City. Seeing as the dungeons of Dragon Keep is now easily accessible to dark sorcerers, the criminal will now be detained on dwarven soil till the unified council is held." The dwarf spokesperson announced clearly.

"We would also like to know about the well being of Lord River who was also held in the dungeons. As of this moment, he is yet to be tried and as such is still under the protection of the Fae. We will reclaim custody of him until Dragon Keep is made safe once again."

"This will naturally lighten the burden until His Grace returns. As allied races, this is also our duty." Lady Diandre added.

Imagor gritted his teeth, he had anticipated the Fae would put forth some tricks, but once again, they had borrowed the hands of others.

"It is not unknown that all criminals remanded to Menarx’s district are under the jurisdiction of the dragon court, from the moment of incarceration to sentencing. Under what authority do you demand a release at this time?!" Lodenworth demanded.

"Circumstances are not the same as they used to be. The rulership of the dragon court is currently... unstable." The dwarf spokesperson pointed out.

"The Lords of Ruby Scales, Argentine Scales and Emerald Scales are still alive and breathing. The rider court is in order and the court of nobles is only temporarily disbanded. What exactly do you mean by unstable?" Decaron deadpanned.

"A royal court without a King, what would you call it if not unstable?" One of the Fae representatives asked.

"There will be no probationary release or any form of release of any prisoners." Imagor made it clear.

"If this cannot be resolved by the rider council, then on behalf of King Agrofth, we invoke our rights to demand a unified council." The dwarf spokesperson announced.

"A unified council cannot hold in the absence of Our Liege! What nonsense?!" Conrad hissed.

"And if the Dragon King never returns, is this to say the stronghold and all our races shall be put on a standstill indefinitely?" Lady Diandre asked in a pointed tone. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"And so? What is it that you are trying to say exactly?" Kirgan asked darkly.

"Our only concern is retrieving our previous ruler. By unified council decision or otherwise. Why is the dragon court unable to provide him? Could it be as the rumors have said and harm has befallen him?!" The dwarf spokesperson demanded.

"If that is true, then the dragon court can no longer be trusted." Lady Diandre said clearly.

"There are many rulers of the tributary races who can stand in to preside the council and all other matters of significance, now that the Dragon King’s return is indefinite and the trustworthiness of the dragon court is in question." Lady Diandre broke the true purpose of their visit.

Kirgan scoffed in disbelief, exchanging a look with Imagor.

"A non dragon-blooded stand in for our Liege...to command dragon affairs? Was this the aim all along?" Lodenworth hissed darkly.

"Naturally, someone will have to oversee the affairs of the stronghold. Someone all the tributary races are willing to put their faith in, and at this moment, the King’s guard do not qualify." Lady Diandre replied simply.

"She just keeps on spouting nonsense." Conrad grunted beneath his breath.

"Unless of course you can provide the previous Dwarf King and Lord River unharmed." Lady Diandre added simply.

"You sound so certain...that we will be unable to provide them. It is quite curious, Diandre..." Neveah’s voice interrupted as the doors to the audience hall were opened for the third time.