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The flames glowed high and bright, illuminating the small, forested glade just outside the city. Smoke flew high into the night sky, creating the appearance of clouds where otherwise there were none. A dragon's body laid atop a large, wooden pyre erected within the glade, her body slowly melting away as the flames took over her.

Darius stood before his mother's burning body, watching alongside several other dragons standing in a circle around her, all of their heads hung low. Many dragons here were much bigger than him, and none there appeared close to him in age -- as far as he could see, he was the youngest dragon there. A dragonet only four years out of hatching. He stood beside the looming gray figure of his father, the emperor Auriel, the entire time. Darius looked up to see his father staring intently into the flame - the flame's light dancing off all the gold ornaments he wore - before turning his attention back to the pyre.

He always knew this would happen from the moment he heard of his mother falling ill. It was rare for a dragon to get sick, and even moreso for their sickness to turn fatal, and yet a part of him always knew it would come to this. He still remembered when he first heard of his mother's passing, how despite all the doctors' best efforts, the illness had progressed too far and she had passed on. He didn't want to believe it, didn't want to know he'd been right all this time. But when he saw the look on his father's face, he knew then already. He cried that night, and cried for several nights afterwards, a deep emptiness engulfing him as one of the most important dragons in his life had been yanked away from him.

And yet despite how much he'd cried before, despite how much he told himself he wouldn't do so now in front of everyone, tears began to well up in his eyes as he watched his mother's body burn and her ashes get carried off by the wind. The scent of burning wood, what once brought comfort to him, served now only to remind him of what he was leaving behind, forever. He dug his claws into the ground, trying to keep himself from crying yet again.

His father's wing folded over him and pulled him in close, and Darius looked up at his frame looming over him. His father's eyes, once gazing intensely at his mate's burning body, now looked soft and entirely focused on him.

"It's okay to cry, Darius," he said.

Darius sniffled and wiped his eyes clean of tears. "I shouldn't, though. I cried enough already."

"And you can do so again," he said, nosing over his head. "There's no limit to how much you should, so let it all out if you must."

Darius looked up at his father and, slowly, he let the tears flow, sniffling and huddling into his side while both looked on a the burning pyre. He tried keeping his voice down, not wanting to disturb the peace of silence and the crackling of the wood. A couple dragons close to him looked at him with sympathy but said nothing more as their attention turned back to the flames.

He wanted to reach into the fire, to pull his mother's body free on the hopes that she would come back to life again. But as her body melted away before him, he knew more and more that there was no bringing her back. She was gone, and she would never be in his life again.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before her body fully burned away and the pyre crumpled into a burning, smoking heap. Only her bones remained, which a couple dragons came forth to start collecting and placing into large sacks. Those bones would be taken the next day to be buried out in the forest somewhere so they may return to the earth once more.

One by one, the other dragons backed off as well, turning around and flying back towards the city. Auriel didn't move yet, though, and Darius stayed with him at his side. They both remained still until his father's snout came down and nosed over his head.

"It'll be okay, my son," he said in a smooth, low voice. "We'll be okay."

Darius nodded, not taking his eyes off the pyre remains. He knew he was right, but how long it would be until he stopped feeling sad over it, he wasn't yet sure. He looked up at his father and could see he wasn't even trying to hide the heartbreak on his face, and a few remains of tears remained in his eyes still.

"Is it really okay to cry so much?" Darius asked with a sniffle.

"It's always okay to cry, Darius," he said, barely keeping his voice from breaking. "An emperor must steel himself for what needs to be done, but an emperor without a heart can never be a good emperor." He leaned in and kissed his son on the head. "Always keep that in mind."

Darius cocked his head up at his father, the lesson feeling unusually out of place for him. What exactly was he trying to say with that?

But before he could ask, his father turned away and faced back towards the city, spreading his massive gray wings out before him. He turned back down to Darius and gave a soft, weak smile.

"Let's go home now, my son," he said.

Darius hesitated before nodding and spreading his own wings, taking off soon after his father did. They flew high into the night sky, soaring over the vast city lying before them, flying towards the massive palace jutting up from the sea shore. Its tall spires and huge walls made Darius feel safe and at home within them. Yet as they flew closer, he couldn't help but think on just how empty the halls will feel without his mother there, without hearing her voice greet him every day.

Darius didn't head to sleep right away as they came home. Instead he went off to one of the royal gardens lower in the palace, one of his favorite spots to spend with his mother whenever they had time together. The sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting greeted his ears, and the night sky was completely clear of clouds, leaving all of its color bare to him. Almost all lights were put out around the palace and in the city in honor of the fallen dragoness, giving Darius a clean image of the sky above him. Streaks of red and gold swirled around the night sky like a water painting, and the sky was filled with red, blue, and gold stars all shining brightly. The scent of royal flowers and the trickling of the fountain before him helped to keep him calm and put him a little more at peace.

His ears flicked as footsteps approach and he turned to see a lone dragon walking up to him, only a few years over becoming an adult.

"Prince Darius?" he said. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

Darius didn't say anything, but gave a nod and followed after him, letting the messenger guide him through the palace's many long halls and corridors, making their way up to the upper levels where his and his father's rooms were. The messenger guided him up to his father's main office and led him inside, closing the door behind him and leaving the two be.

Auriel stood before him, his head hung low and seeming to stare intently down at his desk. All of his golden ornaments had been removed, and Darius couldn't help but to think that his father looked strangely colorless without them, his entire body being a mere shade of gray only broken up by orange eyes and a few scars he'd collected throughout the years.

Darius kept his head down and didn't say anything for a long while. It wasn't always easy to know what to say around his father, or how to properly address him.

"You...wanted to see me, dad?" he asked.

Auriel remained silent for a long moment before turning his eyes towards Darius.

"How are you holding up, Darius?" he asked.

Darius looked down and shrugged. "I haven't tried sleeping yet."

"I figured as much." Auriel let out a sigh and stepped away from his desk, turning towards Darius and beckoning him closer with his wings. "Listen, I need to tell you something important. Something I've been thinking about long before tonight."

Darius gulped and slowly approached his father, trying not to shake with each step. What was he planning on telling him? Something dire? Something...fatal?

"I'm not immortal, Darius," he said. "I'm not going to live forever, no more than your mother would have. She passed...much sooner than we were expecting. Much sooner than we hoped, at least. And who knows just how far behind I will be."

He folded his wings back and stepped up to his son. Darius kept his head down, trying not to whimper. He'd already lost his mother just recently - he did not want to think about losing his father so soon afterwards. The thought was too much for him...

"With any luck," he continued, "I'll continue living for several years more. But should I meet my end, whether it comes sooner or later, this country will need a new ruler. It needs a new emperor to take my place."

Darius paused for a moment as he tried to take in what he was saying, then looked up at him and perked his ears. "You're talking about...me?"

Auriel gave a nod, and Darius's heart froze in his chest. Him? Emperor? Of an entire country? Was he understanding him right? How was that supposed to work?

"But why me?" Darius asked. "You have the Trial of the Emperor, you have many others willing to take the throne, right?"

"You're my son," Auriel said, in a tone that sounded almost heartful. "I need to make sure that this country has a ruler willing to keep it going strong, keep it together and do what needs to be done to keep it alive and well. And I don't trust any of the others to not take the throne for their own selfish reasons." He lowered his head down until he was eye level with his son. "The most important decision an emperor can make is deciding who will succeed them when they die. Hence why I'm willing to entrust you with the throne."

Darius's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head. "I can't, dad. I can't...I can't do that. I can't be emperor. That's too much for me."

"Of course it is," Auriel said with a smile, nosing over Darius's head. "You are just a child now. But it's just a few more years until you become an adult, and there will be plenty more years afterwards to teach you all that I know." He stepped back and stood tall over his son, appearing large and intimidating despite his rather slim build. "We will have plenty of time for you to learn. And in that time, I will do everything I can to teach you how to be a good and just emperor."

Darius looked up at his father, trying to make sense of what he was saying, processing all the words in his mind. Him, an emperor...being properly trained and taught to be one. It didn't seem possible in his mind - sure, other dragons tended to like him rather well. But being liked and commanding respect were two very different things. He didn't know much about what it was like to rule, either, but just seeing how his father behaved around others, seeing how he was after a long day, he couldn't imagine it being easy. And to train him for that...

But when he looked up into his father's eyes, he could see he truly believed in what he was proposing. He really trusted in his ability to teach his son. It was a look Darius had seen from time to time, when his father was absolutely sure on something he was about to say or do. And he'd learned long ago to always trust when his father had that look in his eyes.

Besides, he was Auriel's son. Having him as emperor made the most sense in his eyes, as much as he wasn't sure how good an idea it was. If there were no others his father trusted...maybe he was simply the best option.

He looked up at his father for a long moment before taking in a shaky breath. "Okay dad...I'll do it. If you think I can do it...I'll do it."

Auriel smiled and gave Darius a soft lick to his head. "Thank you, son. I really do believe in you." He pulled him into a hug and wrapped him up in his wings, surrounding him entirely. "Until my time is over, I'll teach you as well as I can. I'll raise you to be a good emperor. I'll make sure you become a worthy successor to me."

Darius nestled into his father's embrace and let out a heavy sigh, his heart racing in his chest - he was not entirely sure what he had just agreed to, and a part of him hoped it was not something he was going to end up regretting.

Auriel soon pulled away from him and smiled, and a few small tears threatened to spill from his eyes. "Get some rest now, my son. You'll need it after all this."

Darius smiled up at his father and nodded. "I will, dad."

Auriel smiled and ruffled his head, then let Darius free to leave the room. He slipped out through the door, shooting one last glance at his father before making his way out. He let out a heavy sigh as the door closed behind him, his body starting to shake as the reality of everything hit him. Him...the country's future emperor...was that really how it was going to be?

On shaky legs, he started making his way through the palace halls again, making his way towards his own chambers. The halls still felt empty without his mother there, even moreso with it being so late that most dragons would be asleep by now. He could only imagine how it would feel once it was fully daylight again and his mother's absence was only more obvious then.

But then his thoughts began to shift, and he imagined himself in the day. Not as he was now, but much older. A grand dragon, with golden ornaments on his horns, ears, and tail, that heavy golden necklace with ruby gems embedded in it - the royal necklace of the emperor - tied around his neck. He could see an entire group of dragons following behind him, ready to obey him at a moment's notice. He could see an entire crowd of people before him, all willing to love and cherish him as their new ruler. He saw his father in the distance, looking at him with a sense of pride he'd never felt before. He saw himself as a just and capable ruler, much more than he was now, leading his country on into a bright, prosperous future.

Darius looked out into the night sky and smiled to himself. It was all just a dream, of course, and there was no guarantee this plan would work out as well as his father was hoping. But if it did...maybe the end result will make the struggle worth it.