#eventually it's going to really settle in for him that he's immortal now and ageless and binghe wouldn't ever let him die

[sunderwight]

Shen Yuan strikes me as someone who doesn't know how to live very well.

I don't mean that he doesn't know how to have a good time or celebrate life. I mean he is always thinking about his death, evading death, or how he's going to die, and planning most of his life around it. He does this like it's a habit. He avoids thinking about his impact on others and he tends to see more meaning in the "good" ways that he could die (and threat in the "bad" ways he could die) than in what he has to offer by living.

But he doesn't want to die. He's not particularly suicidal. He has a healthy survival instinct, not just a reflex but in terms of the big picture as well. He doesn't fantasize about his death, or about ceasing to exist.

He just seems really accustomed to framing everything about his life around his mortality with a degree of immediacy and concern that most young people don't usually have unless they are suicidal.

Hence the "oh yeah he almost certainly had a terminal illness or something near to that in his first life" vibes.

[mythologyfolklore]

Marpessa isn’t into gods (and Ares makes a speech about love)

(My take on the myth where Marpessa rejects Apollon out of worry, that he would abandon her in old age)

.

Apollon was arguing with a mortal man over the probably most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.

Who did that boy think he was anyway? Daring to compete with him for a girl's hand! Him, the god of light, music, medicine, prophecy and so much more! This puny mortal man couldn't compare with him to save his life and he had the gall to point an arrow at his face!

“Lower your bow”, he ordered. “Cease this nonsense. You're insane to attempt to go against a god.”

“I don't care, if it's crazy!”, Idas spat. “I will stop you from taking away my bride, no matter what!”

“Cute”, Apollon commented, “But there is nothing you can offer her, that I don't have as well.”

“Sure is!”, Idas spat. “How about true love and a faithful and caring husband?”

The god gasped at the insolence: “Are you saying that I'm a liar and a player?!”

“No, I'm saying that you're an arrogant prick, who only wants her for her beauty!”

By now Apollon was too angry to just point out, that Idas was being hypocritical, since Marpessa's beauty had been the reason why he had abducted her in the first place.

With a face like thunder he pulled out the sword that was hidden beneath his chiton (and no, that was not a euphemism, that was an actual sword). “That's it! You must be hubristic or suicidal – or both! Either way, enough of the useless talk. Let's duke it out. Single combat, for the sake of fairness I won't be using any of my divine abilities.”

Idas nodded grimly. “So be it then.”

Then the god and the mortal engaged in mortal combat, while poor Marpessa just stood at the side, not knowing what to do.

This lasted for several hours and it was getting nowhere.

But then, all of the sudden a voice boomed: “EVERYBODY SETTLE DOWN!”

And in a flash of lightning, Zeus and Ares were standing between the contestants, driving them apart.

“Cease this pointless fighting right now!”, Zeus ordered. “This is getting ridiculous and the noise can be heard all the way up to Olympos.”

“Yep”, Ares nodded. “At first I thought it was funny, but then I looked down and saw, that you're fightin' over my granddaughter like she's some kinda prize.”

Ares' granddaughter, huh? Well, that explained why the oaf of a war god was here.

“So”, Zeus said, “why don't we just ask the lady herself? Has that occurred to you?”

Apollon felt just a little awkward, because in his case the answer was no.

Idas cleared his throat, making the three gods glare at him.

“In all respect”, he coughed, “Marpessa agreed to elope with me, because we're in love with each other and-”

“Did she?”, Ares questioned coolly. “Certainly didn't look or sound like that to me earlier-”

“No, no”, Marpessa finally spoke up, “He really didn't abduct me. I was just fearful, because the chariot was so fast. The speed was scary.”

“Huh. Sorry, my bad”, Ares apologised. “But her father (my son) just drowned himself in a river in despair, when you made off with his only child, so do forgive me, if I'm not the most reasonable.”

“My father is dead …?”

Zeus clapped his hands to get everybody's attention. “No time for this. Let's get it over with. Everybody be silent, except for Marpessa. This young lady here will choose who she wants to be with and the loser has to accept her decision. Is that clear?”

The two contestants nodded and Zeus turned to his great-granddaughter: “Well then, child. Make your choice.”

Marpessa looked back and forth between the god and the Argonaut.

For a few minutes, she considered.

Eventually she addressed Apollon (he could hear her heart racing in her chest): “Phoibos Apollon, Life-Giver and Lord of the Oracle …”

“Just Apollon will do”, he told her gently and tried not to look too nervous.

She swallowed and went on: “Please forgive me, but I choose Idas.”

The god of light felt all colour drain from his face, while Idas cheered in triumph and danced around joyfully, like young men in love had the tendency to do.

Great. Now that bold son of Poseidon got to be all smug and happy, while-

Oh, what was that? Ah, that was Apollon's heart being shattered into a thousand pieces! Again.

“Wh-what?! Wh-why?!”, he choked. “What does he have that I don't?!”

“Mortality”, she answered.

“What?!”

“Let me explain”, the young woman pleaded. “You're without a doubt the most handsome man I have ever seen – no offense, o King of the Gods …”

“None taken”, Zeus laughed in good humour.

“… I know what I would gain with you, Apollon”, Marpessa continued. “You're the god of many wonderful and terrible things and abundant in talents and virtues like no other. You could give me everything: adventure, excitement, and so on. But you're ageless and immortal. I'm not. I will age and die. You love me now, because I'm young and beautiful, but how will it be then? Will you still call me the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, when my face is covered in wrinkles and kiss the top of my hair, that by then will have gone grey? Will you be there, when I die? Will you cry, when I'm gone? Will you remember me fondly, because I delighted you in my youth?”

The god of music was speechless.

The question had hit him right in the gut. He hadn't thought about that – never had, because it had never been necessary. His lovers usually either broke up with him after a while, or they died young. Or he didn't get lucky in the first place, like now.

“Your silence says it all”, Marpessa sighed. “You wouldn't – perhaps even couldn't – stay with me for the rest of my life. But Idas would. He truly loves me. We will grow old together and, for all of his adventures, he will never abandon me.”

The Argonaut hugged her from behind and she turned her head to smile at him.

No, there was no chance he could convince her to change her mind, Apollon realised.

Suddenly there were sniffles behind him and to everyone's surprise, Ares was wiping his eyes.

“That was one of the most beautiful speeches I have ever heard!”, he sobbed. “I just can't even! Anyway, well chosen, my granddaughter. You two have my blessing. Off ya go!”

She beamed at the war god and let Idas help her back onto his chariot.

And off they went.

Zeus gently pat Apollon's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. “Better luck next time, my son”, he said. Then he vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving Apollon with Ares of all gods.

“Won't you leave too?”, the god of prophecy asked.

Ares shook his head. “Ya don't wanna be alone as much as ya think ya do.”

“Ares, please.”

“M-mh. What she said back there really got to ya, didn't it?”

The blond god groaned in distress. “She really thinks I'm so shallow as to abandon her at the very first wrinkle.”

“Well, is she wrong?”

Apollon stared at the black-and-red-haired god. “Excuse me?!”

“Has anyone ever asked that of ya before?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Would you have stayed with her?”, Ares queried sternly. “I'm her grandfather, so I wanna know. Would you stay with her until she dies? Would you make the effort of weathering the storms of life with her, for better and for worse? Would you be to her what every person, mortal or divine, needs: a constant in her life, who's always there? Would you give her the loyalty every woman wishes for? Could you handle the pain of seeing the woman you fell for grow old and frail, while you stay forever young? Could you still love the face that belonged to the once most beautiful girl in all of Hellas, when it's full of wrinkles? Would you still find her beautiful? Would you wax your pretty poetry and tell her cheesy shit to cheer her up, when she gets nostalgic? Would you take care of her, when she can no longer take care of herself? Would you hold her hand, when she lies on her death bed, tell her how much you love her and give her one last kiss, before she descends to Hades?”

“I … I …”

Ares cupped Apollon's chin and forced the younger god to look him in the eyes.

“You're not that kinda guy, Apollon”, he stated with uncharacteristic gentleness. “Ya give your affection so easily, but it fades so quickly. And even if not, you leave your lovers with pretty gifts and abilities and then watch them from afar. But that's not what they need. What humans need is commitment. What Marpessa an' I just listed up? That's commitment. That's real love. And it takes a kind of courage most gods don't have or are unwilling to muster, 'cuz lovin' a mortal is painful. You an' I know that all too well, don't we?”

By now Apollon was trying really hard not to cry in front of the savage god of terrible war. But damn, Ares had a forsooth impeccable talent of hitting people, where it hurt the most. It was rivalled only by Aphrodite and their arsehole son Eros (like parents like son, Apollon supposed).

Ares sighed and hugged his younger half-brother.

“I hate you!”, Apollon choked. “And your oldest son too! What have I done to you for you to always hurt me like this?!”

“I know, I know”, Ares muttered. “Promise, I didn't do it on purpose this time, though. I just wanted ya to understand.”

“…”

“It's okay to cry, by the way. I may not be the best shoulder to cry on, but I won't judge. Let it out. It'll do ya no good to bottle it all up.”

Screw it.

The god of light collapsed in his older half-brother's arms and began to bawl relentlessly into the other's shoulder.

“Shhh”, the other murmured, while soothingly rubbing Apollon's back and holding him tightly.

They stayed like that for a while, before Ares backed off to look at the other.

“Man, they're really screwin' you over, huh?”, he asked sympathetically. “C'mon, lil' brother. Let's go home. Hestia gave me lots of cookies, but I don't like sweets, so you can have them as comfort food. Take a break from love and while you're at that, think of what I said, hm?”

Apollon just sniffled and let the older god transport them both back to Olympos.

[drdln3-blog]

Are we reincarnated or recycled after death?

  Most of us have read different opinions about death and what happens after death. But there is no positive proof for the existence of souls, immortal karma, reincarnation, or any spiritual after-life.  I have nothing but respect for differing views based on religion, science or logic. But eventually truth and understanding will set us free. Not my truth or your truth but real truth…  

  While all religions admit the existence of soul, but they differ in what happens after death. For example, Hindu concept of soul revolves around transmigration and reincarnation. Muslims and Christians believe in the Day of Judgment when its fate will be decided.

  Therefore, the soul of Muslims and Christians is locked in the grave of a person waiting the Day of Judgment when its fate will be decided, whereas the soul of a Hindu who believes in transmigration is immediately released after funeral so that it’s ready to enter into another body.

 The question is:

Will God (One and the same God for entire humanity) make two types of souls one for Hindus and other for Muslims and Christians?  

 Therefore, it is time for scientific evaluation to form a logical opinion, one way or another.

 I start with these lines from a scripture of Sikh religion Guru Granth by 5th Guru on death and its standard translation. I share the conclusions at the end.

 pavnai meh pavan samaa-i-aa.

The wind merges into the wind.

 jotee meh jot ral jaa-i-aa.

The light blends into the light.

 maatee maatee ho-ee ayk.

The dust becomes one with the dust.

 rovanhaaray kee kavan tayk.

What support is there for the one who is lamenting?

 ka-un moo-aa ray ka-un moo-aa.

Who has died? O, who has died?

(Guru Granth: Page: 885, Raag: Raamkalee, Author: Guru Arjan Dev)

Science says the same as religion: We are recycled as the lines from Sikh Scripture Guru Granth say air merges with air, light merges with light, dust settles into dust... We are created from this environment and we go back to the environment.

 All matter is a form created from formless Energy, i.e., Him/God/Creator/or whatever other name you like to choose. The creativity is infinite and the method of self-creativity is a real wonder when we look at the creation and growth of living organisms. A scientist cannot deny the feeling of being startled at Nature’s absolutely phenomenal and the most intelligent work of self-creation into all the complicated life forms including a human being through a greatly thoughtful and organized manner. 

 So, all of us are created out of universal energy and now at the time of death become part of universal energy.  Most religions mean the same when life is imagined as a wave arising from the ocean and merging back into it.  Viewed this way, reincarnation is a fancy name for recycling.  All living organisms get recycled. That’s the law of nature and no one can avoid it.

 The basic units of life (electrons, protons, neutrons, atoms and molecules) do not die but change form and rearrange themselves. These basic units of life do not grow old either and are ageless and timeless. The atoms in a child or a seedling are no younger than that of a wrinkled person or a yellowing leaf. So we can say that the soul (part of energy of the universe) never dies but body does. Soul does not die; it does not drown or swim across (na jio marai n doobai tarai (Guru Granth, page 151). The charged particles (electrons, protons, neutrons, atoms and molecules), which are basic units of creation including human body and Soul (atma) are created from and end up with the universal energy (parmatma) that we have explained above as divine force or highest of all or Lord of the Universe or almighty God.... Therefore, the God of which we are part of is universal energy/energy of the universe, because the universe is all energy and the energy is all universe. 

 In the totality of things reincarnation, rebirth makes absolutely no-sense.

 Since matter and energy may change form but are neither created nor destroyed, it means that we will always be around in some shape or form.

 Logically, metaphorically reinterpreted, the terms reincarnation and transmigration really mean that after death everyone and every species that exhibits life become part of the greater biological life cycle. That is the logical way to look at birth and rebirth, reincarnation or transmigration.

 In this concept of a larger biological life cycle, it remains immaterial whether one ends up pushing up roses or becoming a feeding frenzy for worms; either is equally meaningful.  Insects, earth worms and others have roles to play as have plants, trees and rocks.

 It's only when we look at life in a specific form then death has a meaning, and we fall victim to our separation from rest of things. That separation is called the ego, generally a product of left hemisphere of brain as opposed to soul which is part of right hemisphere of brain.  The ego is a false self that we made up based on the thought that we are separate. That iron curtain of selfish ego separates us from Universal Spirit/Universal Energy or God. Once we accept the God within and realize that it's not possible to be separate from God and that we are one with God; then we know that we are love and we are peace and we are joy and we are happiness and we are eternal; and nothing to wait for after death.  It’s realization that happens to some and not to others in this life and nothing to do with after death when each atom of our body merges with the environment and can become part of a plant or an animal or something else.

 We have tried to provide alternate views using science and logic to questions that were perceived to be confusing and contradictory varying from faith to faith. The balance of ideas between science and religion is provided as much impartially as humanly possible. We hope these will be more acceptable to our next generation of science and technology. Although it would be wonderful if very religious people would pay attention but I doubt it. Have we settled the discussion on soul and reincarnation? Not likely, even though we have provided very logical answers. 

 Reference: “Soul and Reincarnation” “Science, Religion & Spirituality”

 About the Author: Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon is an eminent Scientist with numerous research publications in life sciences who studied at Yale University and served as a Professor at University in North Carolina. He has written more than a dozen books on topics of Health, Aging, Vegetarianism, Weight control, Stress-free living, Meditation, Yoga, Power of Now, Spirituality, Soul, God, Science, and Religion. His articles and books are a pointer to his line of thinking including current publication. He has been the President, Chairman of the board, and life-trustee of a non-profit religious organization and has expressed his views in the congregation and at international seminars.  http://www.dpcpress.com/pa.html

https://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Sukhraj-S.-Dhillon/e/B004584DL0

[gothamdetected-a]

an idiot’s guide to the wayne family.

now complete with new diagrams! i wish i wash kidding, ive really made a diagram to help illustrate this.

[ follow the link here for actual visible quality. thanks tumblr.]

some points to make quickly -

• this is not complete. there were probably more siblings and wives and children, but i just focused on the main lineage i could piece together from DC knowledge

• apologies for the lack of knowledge on the women in the family past the last century. this is unfortunately common in real life too, as women were not landowners etc, and without a marriage certificate they basically don’t show up on records. dc happily talk about the male line but not about the wives and daughters so :/

• the dates are fairly made up, and especially at the bottom are just me twisting things to fit my own personal canon

• and finally, i just wanted to say that while this is pieced together from what DC have told us, there are a lot of holes that i have filled with headcanons. not all of this is canon. sometimes i just want to give a person a cool life that dc are too cowardly to do.

so, although this varies by “earth”, i have tried to combine the various histories given for pre- and post-52 waynes into a full comprehensible timeline. i’ve probably failed, but this is what i’m sticking with.   

to start with we’re supposed to believe that there was a norse guy calling himself the Bat-Man, running around in the 10th century killing frost giants. is it plausible? yes. is it exaggerated? most definitely. am i wiping it from existence because it was one issue in a faintly terrible run that has technically been retconned anyway? absolutely. ignoring that makes the earliest recorded ancestor of the wayne family a man called gawayne de weyne, a french crusader in the 14th century. on some earths he’s called lancelot wayne (too on the nose) or harold wayne (thanks i hate it), so im personally going to retcon that and just say gawayne is it. also because i love the etymological aspect of the name beginning as de weyne in old high french and it slowly changing through out the centuries. gawayne, also sometimes written as gevain, was one of the knights sent to retrieve the holy grail, but, as knights tended to do, he died. sorry gawayne. the weirdest part about all of this is that he asked for his heart to be embalmed, and there’s a plot line revolving around this (batman: scottish connection). now i’m not saying that madness runs in the family, but the waynes absolutely do not get a good head start in history. 

gawayne must have had at least one surviving heir who goes on to have babies etc etc, and eventually we get to the 16th century, and the next instance of the waynes. specifically, contarf wayne. which, i have to say, super dumb name. if i ever have a kid, im calling it contarf. so it’s now the 1500s and the waynes have somehow become scottish, probably from getting given land after crusading and that. apparently gawayne was aknight of the scottish court, despite being french, which actually happened a lot back then. literally the only notable thing contarf does with his life is build castle wayne, and i swear these people are all born with both madness and a flair for the dramatic. yes at some point bruce does go to this gloomy scottish castle where it’s always rainy and stormy and fits right on in, so that’s terrifying.

around a hundred years later nathaniel wayne tries to emigrate across to the “new world”. nathaniel likes witchhunting, and has come over to what will one day be the US following a witch fleeing from england - annie. annie who he may have dated. annie who may be pregnant with his child. good on you nathaniel, that’s a healthy relationship you’ve got right there. after the baby is delivered, he finds her and. you know, people were not kind of witches back then, so she dies. and with her dying breath, curses nathaniel and all his descendants. which includes her OWN BABY (super punk move), and one day bruce wayne. this curse manifests in very few of the extant waynes surviving beyond 40, often going mad, and absolutely tuning on each other. nathaniel’s particular grisly end comes when his is the fateful colony that ends up in what-will-one-day-be-gotham (see my idiots guide to gotham for more juicy details), releasing the deacon blackfire from his little cave and ending up missing, presumed dead. (definitely dead). this is the start of the “waynes probably should avoid gotham” saga. spoiler alert - they don’t. 

somewhere in the interluding 100 years, a branch of the waynes do actually successfully make it over into the americas. 2 brothers, caleb and thomas simon wayne, reach the east coast from britain, and go their separate ways. caleb joins a convoy heading out west, leading a wagon train, and, as so many pioneers do, he also dies, while trying to make this trip. but caleb really isnt the interesting brother here (sorry man), because what thomas gets up to is far more exciting. he settles in, lo and behold, the newly formed town of gotham, and for some strange reason (probably because all the waynes are fairly nuts, as we’ve established at this point) decides to give devil-worshipping a go. maybe its fucking curse. maybe its something in the water. maybe its maybelline. but whatever it is, thomas wayne tries to summon and ensnare the demon barbatos by killing some innocents, in a wild, but understandable, attempt to gain immortality. he doesn’t succeed. or does he. it half works - instead of summoning the bat-demon (yes the same bat-demon that the founding fathers later summon and also trap beneath gotham) he gets one of darkseid’s hyper-dimensional bounty hunters, and some how, through some space age magic, the energy of this event corrupts him into agelessness/slowed ageing, we’re not totally sure. later dear old tom pops back up as the villainous dr simon hurt, and literally fights his own descendant. DC give no fucks. 

after the whole corrupting not-magic thing, but before he disappears, thomas/simon impregnates one of his cult’s disciples. a lot. (is this why the waynes can look 30 at 50? more on this at 10) and between 1747 and 1771 (because immortal people also have immortal sperm apparently), she bears him 3 sons. probably some daughters too but again, who cares about that. not DC, that’s for damn sure. these sons are all absolutely fucking insane, just like daddy dearest. the eldest, who is LITERALLY known as “mad” anthony wayne, is said to be the spitting image of bruce, which is confirmed through some time travelling bs that we’re not going to think about. anthony and horatio wayne, the middle brother, both sign up to fight in the revolutionary war. unfortunately THE CURSE STRIKES AGAIN and horatio perishes while burning british ships. anthony goes on to becomes a brigadier general, serving directly under george washington and pulls some crazy good strategies that help to kick the british out of new jersey, earning his nickname of “mad” anthony, because only someone fucking nuts could come up with these plans, and pull them off. the youngest brother darius wayne is only 4 when the war breaks out, and is therefore too Babey to fight, but does later become notable for being the man to start construction on wayne manor. in 1795, using the money inherited from his brother horatio on his death, he hires an architect nathan van derm, to begin planning and building. sadly darius will never see it completed, with funds dwindling and his older brother’s death, eventually darius takes his own life. 

not to worry, he leaves behind 2 sons - herkimer and charles wayne. literally herkimer’s only notable feature is that he fights in the war of 1812. sorry my guy, DC hate you. charles, on the other hand, is a businessman, who manages the failing company his father had left behind and starts to grow the wayne fortune. charles buys more land surrounding the manor, as well as a lot of general gotham real estate, and is the man accrediting for starting wayne enterprises as a series of several small business, ranging from merchant trading to land ownership to mining, in 1845. however charlie contracts tuberculosis at the ripe old age of 62 and shuffles off the mortal coil. 

the oldest of his sons, charles lincoln wayne, also known as charles junior, does 2 things - begins construction on the wayne manor again in 1855 after purchasing it back from jerome k. van derm, the destitute son of the original architect, who had been living in the bones of the construcion, and uses a considerable portion of his inheritance to build the gotham botanical gardens in 1870. the next son, winslow wayne, is another enigma - the only thing mentioned about him in the comics is that he fought alongside teddy roosevelt, which i’m guessing is in the spanish-american war. but the youngest two brothers, joshua thomas and solomon zebadiah wayne are the real spicy pair. not only do they tackle the bat infestation on the manor grounds, but the pair work to change the federal system of america - joshua, when he’s not managing the wayne companies, is an abolitionist who engages in secret missions to free slaves by getting them across the border into canada, and solomon, the vaguely more sensible of the two, becomes a judge, attempting to be as fair and incorruptible as possible. sadly joshua is killed due to his slave smuggling antics (THE CURRSSEE), and this sends solomon slightly nuts, and causes him to contract the architect cyrus pinkney, who is even more nuts, to basically. build gotham. these two men are the reason 97% of buildings have gargoyles on them. 

solomon has only 1 child before he dies, who fortunately, grows up to be a very shrewd businessman capable of growing wayne ent even through with the advent of shipping and rail sectors. this man, alan wayne, constructs the original wayne tower in 1888, and it completely swamps the gotham skyline. he also marries catherine van derm, the great granddaughter of the original architect of wayne manor, and finally manage to complete and move in to the building in 1895, exactly 100 years after the project was started. for a while they are very happy, and catherine falls pregnant. but this darn curse just won’t leave these wayne boys alone, and in 1897, catherine dies giving birth to their son, kenneth wayne. a year later, lost and traumatised and going insane thinking about his wife’s death alan wayne mysteriously disappears (read as: fell down a well and was maybe or maybe not tortured and killed by the court of owls). 

kenneth wayne, raised as virtually an orphan, turns out to have his papa’s business management skills, and, foreseeing america's impending industrialisation in the 20s and 30s, makes some risky moves that pay off, including the advent of wayne chemicals, and wayne ent expands yet again. kenneth, like the recurring pattern that you can see here, dies fairly early due to WW2 however, leaving his wife laura to care for their 4 sons AND the company, which she does like a boss ass bitch. seriously, women barely had the vote and she was already a titan of industry and raising 4 teenage boys like. massive props to you babe. these boys are

ishmael wayne, a whaler who is an incredible parody of captain ahab and also dies trying to catch a white whale, elwood wayne, who goes and reclaims what is now called waynemoor castle in scotland, living there until his death, silas wayne, who may or may not be a thief posing as a wayne because the real silas died, AND at long last, patrick wayne - bruce’s granpappy, who founded the wayne tech arm of the company at 20 years old, aiding the war effort, and where this stupidly long post ends, because there is 0 point in me recounting the lives of thomas, bruce, or any of his children. everyone knows them. could i write more about thomas’ siblings and the kanes and how they tie in? yes. but this post is like 2100 words long and i want to sleep at some point today so this will have to do askjdbjsdhgf

[jestercheshire]

Drabble!

To Caspian's credit, Tempest had to admit, he stood up to the beast. In a flash, the werelion stood between queen and dragon, thin arms flung wide as if to protect her. His snarl was vicious, but his voice cracked as he spoke. “You shall not lay a finger on her!”

The dragon slowly blinked a silver eye and Tempest had the sense that he was rather amused as his words rumbled from what felt like the mountain above them. “You are brave, little cat, I will give you that.” He rumbled another laugh as Caspian snarled again, the sound distinctly lion.

“I will guard her with my last breath if I must, dragon,” he growled, his voice taking on the bass that he'd eventually grow into with a few more years, if he survived this.

Tempest reached out to put a gloved hand on Caspian's shoulder. “Caspian, calm down. Danyl won't be happy with me if anything happens to you.”

His anger subsides slightly at the mention of his father, who was probably starting to wonder where his son went off to by now, only to have the dragon's words trigger him again. “I summoned your queen to speak politics, boy, which you have no dealings with. I wish to speak with her privately.”

She had to widen her stance to stop him from charging away from her at the giant silver eye. “Caspian!” Between her hand and his name, he stopped, but barely. Tempest cursed her lack of forethought when it came to bringing a young, fiery shapeshifter with her. She didn't let it show as she gently turned him to face her. “It's okay, Caspian, all he wishes is to talk to me.”

Caspian's liquid gold eyes met her's with some difficulty, so close to losing his human shape. It was in that middle ground that she saw his terror. She gently places a hand to his cheek, the other still on his shoulder. “I will be alright. Just give me a few minutes, that's it.”

His expression slowly started to cool, turning sulky as he saw the battle turning against him. “Tempest...”

She shook her head. “This isn't Tempest to Caspian, this is a queen to her loyal subject. Please,” she adds to his sulky expression.

He lets out a pented breath before finally nodding. “Fine. But I'm just going over there.” He nodded to the mouth of the tunnel leading back to the surface, glancing defiantly over his shoulder at the reptile. “I still want to be close.”

For the first time that day, Tempest noticed the pendant that hung around the lion's neck as he fingered it nervously. She stored that bit of information away for a later time. She cocked her head to the dragon. “Is that alright?”

The dragon lay where they left him, barely moving to nod his great head as he blinked the visible eye. “Whatever you wish, my lady.” As Caspian sulked off, the dragon chuckled again, the sound traveling through the ground to her boots and making her smile lopsidedly in return. “I fear I insulted him,” he murmured, though the sound still carried. “It was not my intention. I am... out of practice communicating with anything more than a merchant or knight here and there.”

Tempest beamed up at him. “It's fine, dear dragon, he understands I'm sure. He just would truly protect me even in a situation that...” Her words falter as she glanced over towards the tawny haired youth.

“Would ultimately end in a loss of his life?” The dragon supplied as he slowly raised his head from the ground. “A brave soul indeed, though I do fear I spoke the truth that these worries are not for him.”

Tempest frowned up at him, though the movement of his serpentine neck brought her attention to the rest of his bulk still hidden in shadow even from her unnatural light source. “So, what do you plan to do about that?”

She saw Caspian look between them, obviously listening to their words. Without warning, the black dragon opened his mouth and.... nothing happened.

Tempest felt her ears pop. She opened her mouth in a faux yawn in an attempt to pop them again, but nothing seemed to change. She saw Caspian still standing by the tunnel opening, but it was almost as if she were looking through a fine sheet of glass. “What did you do?”

The dragon coiled his neck once more, placing his giant head on the ground at her level. “Dragon magic. I don't mind the cat listening, but whomever's listening through the device around his neck doesn't put me at ease.”

His words jolt against her consciousness. She frowned at Caspian. “I thought that necklace was weird.”

The dragon nodded sagely. “Given to him by friend or enemy, you can never be too careful.”

Another bit of information to be stored for a later time. She shakes her head, long blonde hair falling into her face before she quickly swept it aside. “No, you can't be. So tell me, dragon, what is it you want from me?”

It was the dragon's turn to pause. He slowly closed his eye and opened it again. “First, allow me to give you a name to call me by instead of 'dragon.' One of my names is Mikari.”

Something seemed to shift in the air, like old magic settling around them. She recognized the old naming magic and added her's to it. “Good evening, Mikari. I am Tempest.” With the pact sealed, he breathed a slow sigh of relief that surprised her. “What, you think I wouldn't recognize ancient ceremonies, though this one is obviously rather simplified?”

His lips curled showing off his teeth. She had to step back to see that it was a smile. “Not many remember the old ways. People only seem to remember myths now instead of history.” He locked eyes with her. “Like dragons, for instance. We're little more than trophies and hunting stories now, due to that mad king and his quest for immortality.”

She frowned. “Wait, I thought he was just running from a prophecy? I've never heard about immortality.”

Mikari rolled his eye at her. “What do you think he does with the dead dragons he pays people for? Because he requires proof of the deed for payment. He uses the parts to supplement his life, which drives him crazier every day.”

She reeled at that information, grasping at the connections. “Wait, so he's really paying for dead dragons to... what? Live a few more years?”

He snorted at her. “How old do you think he is?”

She paused before she could automatically answer. Her guess would have been middle aged, but she'd only met the man once. She narrowed her eyes in thought. “I honestly would guess in his forties. He's always looked like that. Since... I came into power almost ten years ago.”

He snorted again. “And before that? I wouldn't be surprised if he looked like that for the last eighty years. Before he was known as the 'Mad King' he was 'Sirius the Ageless,' supposedly blessed by the gods.” He waved a clawed hand, chuckling. “I doubt he was blessed with anything but a smart mind. Until he took a dragon as a bride.”

Tempest folded her legs beneath her, enraptured by his tale. “I didn't know he married...”

He nodded. “He did. I knew her. She was powerful, brilliant. And young. She knew she would outlive him, as did he, but they didn't care.” A hint of sadness crept into his voice. “But things changed. I wasn't there to witness it, but she became more and more.... distraught. Something started to bother her and he appeared more often without her than with. Sometimes I'd see her fly through the night sky, but she didn't answer my calls. Only much later did I learn what happened.”

Tempest started to shiver even as she sat, subconsciously scooting closer until she almost touched the dragon's cheek with her side. She craned her neck up to see his eye. “What happened?”

He sighed. “She bore him a child, though it wasn't pink and fleshy like a human baby. Sometimes shifters, specifically dragons, come out a bit more... dragon.” He swallowed roughly before forging on. “Sirius either didn't know that, or simply panicked. He killed the babe in her arms.”

Tempest covered her mouth in horror, her eyes welling up. “No.”

He nodded gently, so as not to dislodge her. “He slew the child before the sex was even discovered. His queen suffered in silence, unwilling to return to her kind nor abandon the man she thought she loved. She wasted away in her tower. He, on the other hand, grew more bold. He started marching and devouring land, building an empire. When she stopped appearing, we started calling on her.” Anger washed over her as a low grow erupted from the dragon. “The few that went in person never returned. Then his knights started finding our lair's and filling them with water, bombarding our eeries with flaming rocks, and redirecting the prey from our normal hunting grounds to starve us out. He single-handedly killed the younger generation with the information tortured from his own wife.”

The rumble of his words fell away for a moment, allowing her to finally breathe as the angry tears streamed down her face. “That... I knew he was horrible, but this? Why?”

He sighed. “I know not. For years, though, we feared she helped him. Only recently did we learn that she had been dead for almost as many years as the first ones. There are no more females of my race, and barely any males.” He closed his eyes as if pained by his next words. “Which is why I asked you here...”

Tempest straightened in her seat, frowning uncertainly. “You'll have to be a bit more plain, dragon, I don't get why you need me.”

He eyed her for a heartbeat or two before glancing at the lounging Caspian at the edge of the light. “She was the last female of my kind, Tempest, and I am almost the last male. I need my race to continue, but I need a strong female that can lead it.”

She turned paler as he spoke, already shaking her head as his words dwindled away. “Mikari, I can't. I have a husband, I'm a queen of all of Bloomwood. I rival Sirius, but only in name. You could have any other female out there, I have a few friends that would jump on your... offer.”

He snorted at her choice of words, but continued soberly. “As lovely as they are, they are more than likely human, or even a few shifters. But they are still mortals. You, my dear, are not.”