Headed by a Snake

Baron Tychon, Mister Lone, and Mister Giorgio sat far off in the corner of the dining hall.

The older Popoto had found a wooden case that unfolded into a game board for Petteia, and had taught the other two how to play.

Over the past couple of bells, Coraline had picked up bits and pieces of their conversation... not that she meant to eavesdrop. She had Elven ears. She couldn't help it!

It soon became apparent that young master Tychon was... exceptionally bad-- not just at Pettaia, but... every game they played. It seemed almost... out-of-character for that person.

Coraline did gain some slightly vindictive amusement, seeing the noble throw a fit over something so... mundane.

Across from the Baron, Mister Giorgio covered his mouth with his tiny hands, physically holding in his laughter... "You've only started playing this sun, young man. Pettaia deceptively complex! We can discuss strategies over bells and bells!"

"Forgive me, Sir," Tychon grit his teeth. "Five losses is... quite difficult."

"Oh, come on, Boss." Lone smiled politely. "Can we just take a deeeeep breath? You need to calm--"

"Another word, Mister Lone--" Tychon cut him off, "And I will break this wooden table with your respectably durable skull."

Ah. There it was. Coraline sighed dreamily. That was the young master Tychon she was familiar with.

"How rude..." Lucrezia scowled, keeping her voice hushed, "Who does that young man think he is?"

Felicity rolled her eyes, "He probably thinks he owns the world~ The more handsome a man is, the more rotten his personality."

Coraline pursed her lips to the side, "Felicity... aren't you romantically involved with Mister Elladan?"

In a beauty contest, Elladan would score nearly as many marks as Sir Tychon. Then in the muscles department, she favored Mister Lone would be the clear winner...

Hm... It made her wonder how he'd look with his shirt off.

The woman raised an eyebrow, "Elladan's personality is terrible~ I took it upon myself to whip him into shape."

Lucrezia stifled a giggle, "Oh, my. I had a similar experience, first meeting Giorgio-- he was a bit... rough, back then. To be quite honest, if he were twenty years younger, I'm certain I'd be defending him tooth and nail from you two."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare, Auntie Lu," Coraline smiled.

"Whew, scary," Felicity grinned. "I'm happy with my man, thank you, very much."

"Oh, really?" Coraline tilted her head, "You do tease him an awful lot, though."

Felicity stuck out her tongue, "Once a man thinks the hunt's over, they get complacent."

Coraline placed her forearms on the dining table, resting her chin on them, "Hahh... is that what it is, then?"

Maybe that was the problem... complacency.

She'd never get anywhere with anyone if she wasn't proactive... It was the same with the current situation.

Felicity placed her head on her arms, mirroring her posture, "What's~ on~ your mind? Miss Co~raline?"

Coraline rolled her eyes. Felicity's little rhyme was very cute, but also awe-inducingly stale.

"I was just thinking... about Master Highblade's heirloom weapons..."

"Not to speak ill of the dead," Lucrezia pouted, "but I think it was terribly rude of him to carry those things on-board."

Felicity waved her hand, "No, they're not really weapons-- well, they are, but they aren't. They're Elven artifacts."

Coraline tilted her head up, "Miss Felicity? You know about the Blades of the Forgotten King?"

The woman nodded, "Mhm. Oh, I didn't tell you, huh? Ramon and Elladan are escorting me to Cersei's Rest for a job-- I'm leading a presentation on Elven history and myth."

"That's quite impressive!" Lucrezia gasped, "Whose works are you presenting?"

"Mine... and a few other younger scholars," Felicity grinned. "I have a degree in Elven language from the University of Arcanix."

Coraline gulped and averted her gaze. It seemed that Miss Felicity was... better at being an elf than she was.

"Oooh, I know what you're thinking," Felicity giggled. "Why would a human bother studying those things?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" Coraline quickly apologized. "I was just... hah... I didn't know much about Elven history or artifacts. It made me feel kind of... unlearned."

"Mm. It's fine," Felicity smiled politely, "Most of Elven culture is passed down orally. That's why elves around the Realm are drastically different-- with the exception of the highborne families."

Lady Lucrezia revealed her tiny smile, "I do love a good story. Would you enlighten us, Miss Felicity?"

Felicity swept her long braid over her shoulder, "Well... I'm not the best storyteller, but... allow me to share what I know~"

...

Felicity summed up her research on the Blades of the Forgotten King.

She'd pieced together some passages in ancient texts referring to a King of the Elves. Of course, if there was a proper Elven Kingdom, then it existed long before the current age, where everything was painstakingly documented.

Coraline couldn't imagine living in such times. She liked reading.

She'd only become 'literate' in recent years, when she was more-or-less forced to learn the old Tyrion language to decipher academic texts. But before then, she'd always enjoyed reading cheap books written in common, sold for cheap at the local market.

According to Felicity's research... the legends 'foretold' that the Forgotten King would return to save the world from a Calamity.

World-ending prophecies were common in legends like that... but what was uncommon... was that Felicity's Calamity was marked by... dragons.

Dragons don't exist.

There was absolutely no proof that dragons *ever* existed.

Cunning and intelligent scaled behemoths... capable of powerful, city-destroying magics-- they would be a nightmare to encounter. Skeletons and scales of giant lizards and snakes were uncovered all the time... but anything that adventurers encountered of those sizes were little more than mindless beasts.

The fantastical children's tales that detailed malevolent winged monsters were pure fantasy.

And for one of those creatures to act peaceably with an elf? Coraline could see how that wasn't a popular theory.

If a dragon were to exist in the modern age... the nations would band together for a Realm-wide lizard hunt. Coraline liked to think that elves, as a people, would do the same-- putting their petty inter-family squabbles aside and act in defense of the Realm at large.

...not relying on a single person.