Alphonse Delaunay? - The Essence of A Dragon
Sept 18, 2022 1:26:44 GMT
Grimes, Jaezred Vandree, and 3 more like this
Post by Alferron Blackbriar on Sept 18, 2022 1:26:44 GMT
The booming voice echoed through the underground crypt, lit from above with magical lanterns. Four figures filed into the vault; a large imposing man dressed in fine robes whose face was beginning to betray his age, followed directly on by two boys, an eight year old and six year old respectively. Bringing up the rear tentatively was a small boy, who seemed similarly aged to the other two but had a much slighter frame. The vault itself was lined with bookshelves on each side stacked with tomes. Suits of armour and several weapons leaned against pillars holding the ceiling up, and jewels and other curios were held in display cases. The two boys in front gazed at this all with vague disinterest, the one behind scanned through all the items in turn.
"And this is our greatest treasure, the Delaunay Stone!" The gentleman exclaimed, gesturing at a gold necklace with a simple red stone as a pendant. "Legend has it that our ancestor slayed the dragon Delaunay and from his heart came this stone, which gave him power beyond any mortal man, and that it lies dormant, waiting for the next true heir! What do you think, boys?"
"It's just a ruby, and the story's a lie." The eldest boy stated smugly. "Just something to make us sound cool.". The boy next to him hummed in agreement.
"Whatever you choose to believe is fine my boys, just know that our history is long and storied, and soon you shall be a part of it. Any questions?"
"Why is he here?" the younger of the bold pair asked with disdain in his voice, pointing at the smallest boy, who was staring transfixed at the stone. The gentleman smiled a warm smile as he knelt down to the boys' level.
"Alphonse is your brother now, Francois. The three of you need to look after each other, for the vault and all our estates will be shared between you eventually."
"I don't want another brother! I already have Pierre!" Francois stomped and pouted.
"Yeah, and we're not going to share with him either!" shouted Pierre as the two ran out of the vault. The gentleman turned to Alphonse, whose tears silently hit the ground.
"Don't worry, my dear boy," he hummed as he wrapped the boy in his arms. "They will come around in time."
The boy sniffled, still staring at the stone.
"You are ruining our name, Jean-Luc!" The lady in fine robes shrieked at the gentleman. "Why on earth would you legitimise the boy?"
"He is my blood, Miriam!" Jean-Luc stated, pacing the drawing room. "It was only right."
"And did our society need to know that?" Miriam spat venom as she strode up to Jean-Luc. "Did they need to know that you violated the sanctity of our marriage with some elven handmaiden and then hid her away on a farm somewhere?"
"I know I made a mistake-"
"He finally admits it-"
"For which I am trying to atone! It was wrong of me to do that to Me-"
"Don't say her name in front of me." Miriam hissed.
"She died, Miriam. The boy was orphaned. Someone needed to take responsibility."
"You could have just given him to one of the servants and he would have done admirably, now look at the mess you've put him in!"
"Oh please!" Jean-Luc huffed. "Don't pretend you're thinking about his welfare. The boy is ours and that is final."
"The boy is yours. I will never look upon him as my son, and I don't want my boys to have anything to do with him."
A shuffling of footsteps from the doorway caused both their heads to turn.
"Now look what you've done!" Jean-Luc faced his wife with horror on his face before bolting down the hallway. "Alphonse! Alphonse!"
"I like your ears."
Alphonse looked up from his drawing to see a girl of his age, with her blond hair in pigtails and a sunhat that was entirely too big for her. She adjusted it and continued.
"I like your ears because they're like Nanny Ellesmere's ears. Nanny Ellesmere's an elf. Are you an elf?"
"I... I don't kno-"
"What's your name?" the girl interjected as she plopped herself down against the tree next to the boy.
"A-Alphonse-"
"Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" the girl pointed at him. "You're Alphonse! Mummy said I shouldn't talk to you."
"Oh..."
"But she only said that once and Nanny Ellesmere tells me to be friends with everyone and she says that allllllllll the time! My name's Fleur. Do you like stories?"
"I-"
"I like the stories that Nanny Ellesmere tells me about the sprites and the fairies and the centaurs but I like the ones about unicorns the best! I like unicorns because they're pretty and sparkly and if you're a good girl they give you wishes. Do you like unicorns?"
"...I like dragons..." Alphonse managed once he was certain Fleur wouldn't interrupt him.
"Dragons?!" Fleur tilted her head incredulously, causing the sunhat to topple off her head. "But dragons are big and mean and scary and eat people!"
"That's only the bad dragons though! There's good dragons too!" Alphonse insisted. "They help people and make them happy! If I had a dragon on my side then I'd be the true heir and then mummy and Pierre and Francois wouldn't be mean to me and I'd be able to make daddy better too and then we'd all be happy!"
"Why are they so mean to you?" Fleur asked innocently. Alphonse drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
"I don't know... I think it's because mummy isn't my actual mummy-"
"An evil stepmother!" Fleur gasped.
"She's not evil! She's just-"
"And then you have ugly brothers so now you just need a fairy godmother and then a princess will come and you'll live happily ever after!" Fleur was gesticulating wildly now to illustrate her point, causing Alphonse to burst out laughing. Soon enough the both of them were giggling together.
"If I had a unicorn wish I'd make everyone your friend. Can I be your friend?"
"Yeah!" Alphonse responded without hesitation.
"Yay!" Fleur immediately drew Alphonse into the biggest hug her little arms could muster, smooshing her face into his. Suddenly, the sound of rustling footsteps drew near.
"Ah, there you are Fleur- what are you doing here?" Pierre's eyes narrowed as they locked with Alphonse's. From behind him came Francois and a couple of other boys and girls who Alphonse had never learnt the names of. "Whatever. Come on Fleur, we're going this way."
"Can Alphonse play too?" Fleur asked.
"No!" Pierre barked. "He... he doesn't know the rules!"
"But-"
"It's okay." Alphonse smiled at his new friend. "Go have fun."
"One barony? This doesn't make sense!" A much older Alphonse exclaimed, slamming the table in front of him. "How could he leave me with just one barony?"
"Makes perfect sense to me." drawled Francois, yawning with his arm propping up his head. "You've got to, uh, consolidate power and all."
"Shut it, you toad."
"How dare you take that tone with us, boy." A shrill voice came from the end of the table. Alphonse turned towards it and gave it as cordial a smile as he could muster.
"Contessa Miriam, am I right in saying that the late Count had three counties to his name?"
"But of course."
"And how many sons does the late Count have?"
"Two."
Alphonse scoffed.
"I will repeat the question to remove ambiguity. How many legally registered sons did the late Count Jean-Luc Delaunay, not yourself, Contessa Miriam, have at the moment of his death?"
"What is the meaning of this, Alphonse?" Pierre sighed.
"Three counties, three sons, and father always said we should share. Why then do you have two of them and I only a barony under you?" Alphonse practically snarled.
"He came to his senses, I guess." Pierre shrugged. "You're his son, sure, but you're not exactly of ruling stock now, are you?". Alphonse gritted his teeth.
"He'd never think like that. It was barely a year or so after I'd joined the household that he'd passed and he always said that line. He wouldn't have changed his mind, not unless-" Alphonse's eyes widened, a sudden realisation washing over him. "Contessa Miriam, when father passed you told us that his wishes were that you'd administer the three counties personally until Pierre came of age, whereupon father's will would be read. Nine years of just sitting on a will. What I want to know is this; is the will you received then the same as was read out now?"
Contessa Miriam's eyes narrowed as she closed the fan in her hands. "What you are insinuating is a great accusation, not to be taken lightly, boy. Do you have evidence of this crime, or are you just throwing around baseless conjecture because you can't have your way?"
Alphonse looked at the three faces in the room, from Miriam's scorn, to Pierre's disdain and to Francois' amusement, and realised once again he had no allies in this room.
"I retract my question."
"Then I do believe our business is settled." Contessa Miriam stood, taking the scroll upon which the will was written with her. "Congratulations on your new titles, Count Pierre, Count Francois, and Baron Alphonse."
Francois waited until the soon to be former Contessa's footsteps could no longer be heard before sidling up to Alphonse.
"Ah well, bad luck, eh Al? Hey, look at it this way, that barony's your old home! You get to go back to where you and your mum used to be! And who knows, maybe you too could find yourself a handmaiden and continue the cycle!"
Alphonse's hand tightened around the knife in his robes.
"Should you really be looking so glum on your birthday?" Fleur asked as she strode onto the balcony, the ornate dress she had on flowing behind her. "What are you doing out here?"
"Waiting on my fairy godmother." Alphonse sighed, his arms hanging off the rail, swirling a glass of wine. "And you have the wrong guy. Birthday boy's that way." His pointed finger just about signalled Francois, who was currently surrounded by a gaggle of four girls, the names of whom Alphonse still had never learnt.
"Well it's yours too." Fleur retorted as she took her place next to him.
"Technically. We don't actually know my real birthday so they just gave me his so they wouldn't have to make events for me."
"Ha, typical..." Fleur said, gazing out across the dark horizon. "How's the barony?"
"Don't really know to be honest, I've been letting a steward do most of the work. I was hoping I could get a tulip farm or something going to turn some profit but the way the estate is now the people simply can't afford to grow anything that isn't grain. All the funds I'd have to develop anything end up being siphoned away by my dear liege Pierre."
"Ah, yes, Pierre..." Fleur hummed. The bards inside finished a song, as signaled by a round of applause, and had begun to strike up another.
"May I have this dance?" Alphonse stretched out a hand towards Fleur. She hesitated for a moment.
"I... sure."
She took his hand and rested the other on his side and the two began to sway gently in time. Initially the two had kept space between them but as the song progressed they instinctively drew themselves closer to each other, and it was only when another peal of applause rang out that they realised their faces had barely a centimetre of distance between them. Fleur broke away hurriedly.
"I, sorry, I- I need to go..."
"I know. You've got to prepare."
"What?"
"For the announcement of the engagement. You and Pierre." Alphonse stated, returning to the balcony rail. "Miriam thinks she's been quiet about it, she hasn't."
"Alphonse, I-"
"Listen, I get it. Two counties. It's a sweet deal for an alliance. You and your family only stand to benefit."
"Funny, that's exactly what mother said..." Fleur sighed.
"Bet she only said that once though." Alphonse chuckled to himself. "What did Nanny Ellesmere say?"
"That's unfair, Alphonse." Fleur almost whispered. "It's been years since I last saw her."
"Sorry... Let me not keep you anymore, you probably need to go cos I bet Miriam's prepared an entire speech for you or something."
"Yeah... Thank you Alphonse, for being my friend."
"Don't worry about it. And Fleur?"
"Yes?"
As she turned to face him one last time, Alphonse thought of all the things he wanted to say, the things he yearned to tell her, the words which formed in his head too late in the game. He eventually found an alternative, but knew he was settling.
"Keep chasing your unicorn."
"By the order of Contessa Miriam nobody is allowed into the lower levels." the butler stated plainly.
"Step aside, Rowan, I am having a very bad day."
"Surely my lord would prefer to remain upstairs? I hear there's a special announcement today..." Rowan's voice trailed off as he saw an expression that he'd never seen on Alphonse's face before. He knew his young master hadn't had the most pleasant of childhood's, but the mixture of rage and anguish on his face was a shock to him.
"In the name of my late father, please step aside, Rowan."
Rowan immediately moved to the side. "I hope you find what you're looking for, my lord."
Alphonse strode through the vault at high pace, completely ignoring the shelves and curios that otherwise would have piqued his interest, and stopped right in front of the Delaunay Stone. He reached a hand out to the glass box that surrounded it and in an instant, a low rumbling sound filled his mind.
"At last, you have arrived."
"I knew there was truth to the legend." Alphonse said, validated at last, but scarcely able to believe his mind. "I always hoped, but I never expected to be the true heir."
"Ha!" the voice of the dragon reverberated through Alphonse's entire body. "What does it even mean to be a true heir? Can you honestly tell me that you can retrace your roots all the way back to my slayer? The only truth here, boy, is that you have a good soul."
"What do you mean?" Alphonse asked, bemused at this assertion.
"Your being, your essence, boy. Tell me, have you ever wondered what it means to be a dragon?"
Alphonse had often wondered about being a dragon, but meaning to be a dragon? He racked his brain for a while, thinking of a suitable answer.
"Being the utmost in terms of power and magic through all planes of existence-"
"Incorrect. You are far off base. Some of us care for power. Some of us care for rule. Some of us would be happy squirreled away inside a tree for the rest of our days. No, what is it that unifies us? What makes a dragon?"
Alphonse thought once again. All dragons had scales and horns sure, but this question was definitely not concerned about the physical. Dragons are strong? Already tried that. Dragons are noble? Wrong also, some are near animalistic. Dragons hoard? Wait a minute...
"To be a dragon is to desire." Alphonse managed.
"Exactly. We must have, and when we have, we must have more. Your essence, boy, it is nothing but desire. You live in a manor, are waited on hand and foot and still, you want. You want for the vault. You want for the estates. You want for more funds. You want the girl. You want your family to love you, and yet you want them to die. Even when your desires conflict you want them both, and the wanting never stops. Every being has a dragon inside, but yours is a fine one indeed. It will need nurturing, but I can work with this. Take the stone, my boy, and I'll show you the power of your dragon."
"Are we clear to leave?" the low voice now came from a red drake padding next to Alphonse, slightly bigger than a dog and of much more powerful build.
"Oh for sure." Alphonse confirmed, the Delaunay Stone now around his neck. "Nobody's looking for me, and Rowan isn't going to alert anyone for a while."
"Good. You'll be a wanted man soon, and you'll probably have your titles revoked."
"Yes, but I've still got claims, and now I've got Delaunay himself on my side."
"Delenarr, boy. Your kind corrupted my name before they took it as their own."
"Apologies, Delenarr." Alphonse bowed his head slightly. "But now that the legend is confirmed, once I get some allies I can potentially press my claim as the true Delaunay heir."
"You'd war with your own kin? Impressive."
"They're not my kin, they've made that clear enough. And they threw the first stone."
"Yes, well in any case you will need some time to restore me to something resembling our true potential. Like I said, yours is a good soul but it needs work. If they start chasing you how will you get these allies you need?"
"Glad you asked." Alphonse pointed at his new companion. "I can get far away enough from their sphere of influence and get integrated with a bunch of nouveau riche types who love a bit of nobility all in one fell swoop. Tell me, have you ever heard of the continent of Kantas?"