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Just off the well traveled path of the Kings Road rested a small village with a rather lively inn filled with friendly banter and laughter throughout the night. Yet for all the night life that seemed to be joyous in its entirety it hid a violent scene out back where the stables lay.

A balled fist savagely collided with a young mans face, the older man staggered from his own thrown punch to show his drunken state as his friends were quick to catch him and get him back to his feet before a large horn was shoved into his hand which he gratefully tilted to his lips. As he chugged down his drink he young man that was knocked to the ground slowly pulled himself to his feet as his split lip bled down his chin.

He was quick to wipe his lip onto his sleeve as he staggered back a bit, with his vision staggered along with him just as the man and his groups chuckling grew to an end. As the man shoved his drink back into his friends hand and moved to strike the young man a show of light would come from behind to draw everyone's attention.

A grizzled man with a full beard and mangy hair stood at the door to the stable with a torch in his hand. "Interrupting something boys?"

The sudden appearance seemed to take all the focus from the younger man as one of the group staggered out to meet the new man face to face, "Actually yes..." his slurred words and the ale on his breath caused the grizzled man to wince and snort from his nose.

He would set his touch into the wall mount and step forward pushing the drunkard in front of him back as he pulled his cloak open to reveal the full chest plate he wore with the a dragon insignia carved into the metal itself. The young man narrowed his eyes seeing the engraving, this seemed to gather the attention of the four other men in the stable as well as one pointed at it intentionally.

The sight of his armor seemed to take their desire for a fight right out of them as they soon shuffled out of the stable mumbling under their breath before a shout of joy came from inside the inn as the door was kicked open with their return to the merriment inside.

The young man would look the grizzled man over before he huffed and stomped over to the nearby wall to fetch a shovel from a hook before he moved over to begin shoveling the droppings from the horses.

"I didn't need your help" he'd spit out as blood still stained his lip.

The grizzled man lifted his brows as he shifted his head to the side a bit, "Clearly. I didn't come to help though, I was checking on my horse. It's been a long treck on the Kings road."

The boy looked over his shoulder, "A knight on his way to the capital huh?"

A nod was returned "You've got a sharp eye" he'd state as he tapped his chest plate with two fingered, "Not hard to fake a kings symbol. It's the armor, we don't have steel like that around here let alone people that could shape it like that."

The man seemed a bit impressed as he nodded while pursing his lips, "You seem to know a bit out metal work, why are you not training to be a smith?"

The younger man laughed a bit before he pulled back his own growing mane of blonde locks, "You know of any smiths in Kings Run? Sure it's got a fancy name with the Kings Road not but a few hours from here but the nearest town with a smith is near a weeks walk."

The young man pushed his hand out and pointed to into the darkness "So even if I started walking there, without a penny to my name I'd be half dead from a starving belly and then there's no guarantee I could even get on as a smith. So I could risk it all or I could eat here and shovel horse shit for knights passing by on the road to a full stomach and fancy armor."

After his rant he slammed his shovel into the stable floor with his right hand firmly gripped around the shaft just before he spit blood out onto the floor. As he huffed the man merely nodded, to most of what the younger man ranted about.

He eventually leaned against one of the posts to look at the younger man as he spat out his own blood, "Sounds like quite the problem. So what would a man like you say, if someone offered you a way out of this little shit shoveling stable?"

The young man didn't seem to be one for getting swept up in the flights of grandeur as he quickly scoffed with a smirk, "What? You gonna make me your squire? Instead of shoveling shit in a stable I get to follow you around and shovel just your horses shit?"

The grizzled man chuckled as he slapped his hand against the the plate armor over his stomach, "I know many a lad that would slap their own mothers for a chance to be a squire, but not you! All happy and cozy here getting your nose bent by some drunkard."

The boy grit his teeth as he turned away in frustration, the man however stepped forward "I know why they joined up on you boy. Getting a bit grabby with the maids in there, by the looks of it this ain't the first time neither?"

He said nothing in return as he merely cast his blue eyes down toward the ground, it was clear of the past events by the look upon his face. It was then that the man asked the boys name, "Avar. No I don't have a last name, mother couldn't be bothered with m'father walking out before I was born."

The man nodded, 'I'm Rev. Sir, Revard Umbard if yer feeling fancy.' He jested with a chuckle to himself, this lifted Avar's mood as he joined in on the little joke.

"Tell me Avar, do you know the story behind the Kings Road and the current state of affairs up in the Evarrian Capital?"

The sudden question seemed to catch Avar off guard as he stared blankly at the floor before he gave a shrug, "F'raid we don't get much in the way of news around here about the capital. Know that King Aven is dead and that's about all."

Rev nodded as he pulled a small leather ale pouch from his belt and took a small drink, giving an offer to Avar who took it to help ease the pain in his head. "Well King Aven, I'd imagine your mother named you after him. Aven and Avar aren't too far off"

Avar merely shrugged, "Dreams of greatness I'd imagine. No King around has ever shoveled horse shit before." Rev was quick to clap, 'Only the royal shit that comes out of peoples mouths!'

Both filled the stable with laughter at Rev's quick wit!

Rev shook his head after his fit of laughter, "King Aven is dead. Old age and sickness took him but he was a good man." His words caught Aver's attention, 'You knew him?' His question merely had Rev nod a few times before he reached to his side to pull his sword into view.

"A member of his royal guard, I was with him before he was risen to his adopted status as the King's heir. He was no more a knight than myself then, and before that he was a squire. Some noble family and all that, didn't know him when he was a boy but he was a good squire and a damn good knight..." Rev seemed fixed in his memories as he trailed off toward the end of his sentence.

He snapped back after a moment, "Ah yes, the Kings road though. You know of the tale?" He waited as Aver shifted a bit, using the shovel to prop himself a bit, giving a small tilt of his head as he thought clearly.

"I know that King Sullan traveled it with his army to take the throne from his brother, that was before he made King Aven his heir before his death. That's why they call it the Kings Road but that's about it I imagine." Rev nodded in agreement to Aver's statement as he adjusted his sword back onto his hip and covered it with his cloak.

Rev crossed his arms as he pushed his left shoulder into the stable post, "Well you aren't wrong. King Sullan marched his army not three hours from this little town. All the way to the North East peak of Evarria to route his elder brother from the throne, take it for himself then name Aven his heir as his own son died during the siege..." he lifted himself up a bit before he settled back against the post, Avar seemed to have full attention to the story.

"With no heir Aven was the captain of the royal guard. Loyal and he had the men's loyalty so no one opposed it..." he reached up to stroke his beard a few times as he let his memories flow, "Aven was named King and he had seven children before he passed not twenty years after resting his butt in that chair."

Rev chuckled after his own words, Avar joined in a soft chuckle before his brow furrowed. "Wait. King Aven had six children..." he narrowed his eyes to Rev, who would look up to meet his gaze with his own green eyes. 'Did he now?' he'd question with a quizzical look.

"I asked you about the current state of affairs. Cause with King Aven dead his children are now bickering over the throne..." Rev would lick his lips before he reached to take the ale pouch from Avar to take another drink.

"But wouldn't his oldest son take the throne?" Rev nodded with a chuckle as his brows rose, "That's how it normally works but unlike with King Sullen, Aven has blood heirs and for a blood heir to take the throne they have to prove themselves Dragons."

Rev would look at Avar who narrowed his eyes, his confusion was clear upon his face. "Most people know about it, how those that sit on the Blazing Throne are said to be dragons, the real Blazing Throne."

Avar merely chuckled as he shook his head, "Well yeah they're supposed to be able to transform into dragons, but that's just a myth. I mean King Sullen never turned into a dragon and neither did his brother when they fought." Rev merely leaned his head back a bit as he eyed Avar, the boy slowly grew silent as he lowered his head under the grizzled knights gaze.

"Aye lad, neither Sullen nor his brother turned into dragons. Do you know the tale of the Blazing Throne however?" Avar merely shook his head in response, Rev however nodded in understanding.

"No surprise there, it was a long long time ago before Evarria was even called that. Basically dragons ruled this land before man showed up. It's said that the first king, the very first one..." he'd point out with a finger aimed at Avar, "After they killed the first dragon it's said he drank the dragons blood and devoured the dragons very heart. But dragons are powerful, ancient creatures of magic and legend."

Rev pushed from the post and began to pace a bit, moving his hands about as he recalled the tale, "It's said that the dragons power fought with the first kings own soul for command of his body. His mind was transformed with the dragons knowledge and his body was forced to change to contain all that power and so!" He spun to Avar and stretched out his arms with his hands pointed to the ceiling, "It's said that he transformed into a dragon, breathed its fire and changed back into a man!"

Avar ginned a bit at Rev's ability to spin tales as the old knight lowered his arms down, "It was said then that he could take the form of a dragon and breath the dragons fire. Then when he had his first born all that power transferred into them."

Rev turned back and walked back to his post, "Now King Sullan, King Turen his brother and even King Aven were not Dragons. But King Turen had a child before he was removed from the throne and King Sullen's son died before he could take the throne. Now with King Aven he was named king but not born into it so..." he held his hand out to Avar to see if he could connect the events.

"So...it should be King Turen's son, he should be the dragon." Rev nodded with his finger held up, "Right, yet his son was sadly killed during the siege as well..." the knights eyes were cast down, "Poor boy had been caught under some rubble when the siege first began. They dug him out sometime later, his mother the former queen claimed him when she saw him."

Rev shook his head as a deep sigh left his lips, "But then, that would mean Aven's eldest son should be the Dragon right?"

Rev nodded yet again as he crossed his arms, "That's right. It should be Sir Cullten, general and commander of the Evarrian legions! Yet..." Rev once again held out his hand to Avar.

Avar merely shook his head, "Yet, he's not a Dragon either?" A single nod was given before Rev leaned back with a sigh, "It's a right mess of things. No Dragon to sit upon the throne, now the magistrate and center councils making a right fuss over having so many King's without any proper claim to the throne. Apparently King Turen proved he was a Dragon but Sullen didn't and Aven wasn't even able to try to claim such a thing. No even his off spring aren't Dragons..."

Avar spoke then, "None of his children? All six aren't dragons?" Rev looked up, "Seven, Aven had seven children."

The boy shook his head, "You sure you didn't get hit in the head? Two boys, a girl, one boy then two girls that's how many children Aven had." Rev chuckled, "You seem to know quite a bit about Aven and his family for someone that doesn't get news from the capital boy."

Avar was quick to lean back and avert his gaze, "My mother liked to gossip, she'd often travel to the Kings road to talk with travelers." Rev merely chuckled in understanding, "No fret boy. But yes, three sons and three daughters. Sir Cullten who sits in command of the Evarrian legion in the capital with the largest and most powerful claim to the throne. He's smart, has the loyalty of the army but the center council and magistrate are making it difficult for him to take what he claims."

Rev would pull his ale pouch to his lips again and take a large drink, "His third born and eldest Daughter Lady Cite controls the North Eastern trade ports of Evarria and also holds the largest claims to not only trade ports but trade contracts. She's basically the income for all of Evarria by the sea toward the East." Rev sighed as he held out the pouch to Avar who took it yet seemed more interested in Rev's ramblings at his point he didn't even take a drink.

"After Lady Cite who has the second strongest claim it would be his second born, second oldest and second son Sir Territ who holds claim to all of the Western border and its strong holds..." Rev would look up, "The Western borders were the main front lines from the Elven and Beast Kin invasions some seventy years ago. Did you know that?"

Avar nodded a few times as he took himself a drink from the pouch before handing it back to Rev, "I heard that no matter how much they sieged they never broke through the Western defenses. Damn near three straight years of constant sieges and they never set foot on Evarrian soil." Rev nodded and lifted his pouch up in a toast before he took another drink.

"Now it belongs to Sir Territ, he's damn good at keeping that border as well as the peace between Evarria and Lest'Wutan. Damn elves..." he'd cuss before he spit onto the stable floor. A sigh let out, "Let's see, then we have twins, Lady Sera and Saya. They control the South East ports along with their older sister. But unlike their older sister they've made all the right deals with all the wrong people. Smugglers, pirates and privateers."

Rev shook his head in disgust as he grew silent the thought seemed to weigh upon him, "Rumor has it that anyone that backs out on a deal with Cite has their shipments raided by pirates soon after, so..."

Avar would speak up, "So either join with Lady Cite or get robbed." Rev lifted his head before he nodded and took another swig.

'Who's last?' Avar would ask, Rev seemed to miss a beat as he lifted his head with a 'Hmm?' and a confused expression, "Oh yes! Sir Gerald. He's the youngest, holds the southern border between Evarria and Gron'blak, the orcish land. They don't tend to wander out too much, we actually have better peace talks with the orcs than we do the elves and Beast Kin if you can believe it." Rev would chuckle which made Avar smile and nod, he didn't understand completely but whenever Rev would chuckle he just had to crack a smile back.

Silence lingered for a small time before Avar spoke again, "So you kept saying there was a seventh child, why'd you keep up with that?" Rev remained quiet for some time, he even took a final drink before he put his ale pouch away and pushed from the stable post before he staggered a bit. He gave a gurgled belch before he tapped his chest plate with his fist, "Ah! As I said, King Sullan traveled the road just over there. Well he stopped over there as well, not three hours from here."

He staggered to Avar and wrapped an arm around the boy before he pointed out into the darkness, "So you see when the king stopped we knew we had to get away so I dragged Aven and some of the other guardsman off to find some fun and we found it. Here in this little shit hole of a town!" He'd look at Avar with a big smile behind his beard, chuckling a bit which caused Avar to give a bit of a half hearted chuckle himself.

Rev would nod a bit a few times, "So we sat in this very inn, drank the night away with whoever was in the inn at the time and then we marched back to the army hung over and happy as could be on the road to victory."

He cast his gaze down as he remembered the days of long ago before he pulled Avar along toward the door of the stable, "Then you know what Aven told me after he had become King?" Avar shook his head naturally to this before the two of them stopped just in the archway of the stable door.

Rev turned the boy to look him dead in the eye, "He told me that he laid with a bar maid at this inn, and that I should check in on her. So I did, and I saw that she had a child nearly a year after we stopped on the Kings road just off this little town."

Avar seemed puzzled for a time as he stared into the old knights eyes before his own eyes widened, giving a forced smile before he turned his head; it was clear he believed the knight was joking once more. Yet as Rev refused to break eye contact, as he refused to laugh Avar sklowly shook his head.

"You can't seriously believe that I..." Rev shook his head a few times, "I don't know what to believe, but I know how to tell."

Avar furrowed his brow, he waited without a word as Rev nodded "Only one way..." he then suddenly shoved Avar back into the doors arch. A firm grip about his right wrist before he forced Avar's arm up and right into the torch that rested upon the wall! The flames of the torch quickly lit his sleeve on fire to which he screamed and forced Rev off of him so he could jump away and quickly start patting out the flames!

"Have you gone mad!?" He'd scream as he slapped at his arm and brushed across the sleeve to force the flames away!

Rev merely blocked the door as Avar frantically patted the flames out before he clutched his arm, he glared daggers into the knight "You drunk asshole, what were you thinking!?"

Rev however merely stepped forward, not a stagger in his step as he closed the distance between himself and Avar. A trust forward and he forced Avar's right arm out between them to inspect. His green eyes stared intensely as they scanned over Avar's forearm where the flames had been.

"Not a single burn...not even the hair."

Avar blinked once as he turned his attention to his own arm, not a single mark upon his arm save the singed cloth that had smudged onto his flesh. Rev dragged Avar over again as he pulled the torch from the wall mount, holding the flames directed under Avar's arm! The flames engulfed his appendage, the flames curled around his arm and danced in the air without so much as a single singe to his flesh.

Avar, too stunned to even react at this point his eyes locked onto his arm as it was taken over by the flames, turning it over to see the flames even shift the hair on his arm about yet not burn even for a moment. He could feel the flames dancing about his skin, the yellow flame had a warm yet cool feeling as it the most natural thing was happen, the flame itself seemed to dance about more vibrantly when it surrounded his arm.

"You are King Aven's first born son, the heir to the throne, and a Dragon."

Rev's words were full of intent, it was clear that he had come with a purpose and it seemed he had found it as he held the flames to Avar's flesh.