Aeron kept staring at Nyella who lay on the floor sobbing. His eyes were full of pity and sorrow, but he did not know what to do or what to say. He remembered too well the feeling of losing someone close. He thought of Varek's death, the hole it had left in his heart, and he imagined the pain Nyella was in now. To lose a father was one thing, but to know he had been slaughtered in his own palace, in his own home, by those who should have feared him, that was a wound beyond words. Nyella wept uncontrollably.

Aeron clenched his fists and then turned to King Rollo. "We must help her get her revenge. We must reclaim Ivarion as soon as possible. The capital fell only because the king had sent most of his soldiers here. He trusted us, he gave us his strength. The least we can do, for his goodwill, is to join hands and crush the enemies who did this. We must see that his daughter ascends the throne."

At that moment Nyella pushed herself up from the floor without a word. She turned and walked out of the throne room, with her face still wet with tears.

The hall was silent for a moment. Then King Rollo spoke to Aeron. "What you say is true. Very true. Tharyn was my friend, and it is my duty to avenge him. I will not let his death be forgotten. But as I already told the princess, first we must finish the war with the bone hydra. That threat stands before all others. If we do not end it, then neither thrones nor kingdoms will matter."

Aeron stepped forward. "The hydra hides in caves. We cannot face them endlessly in the open. If we truly want to defeat them, we must find a way to destroy them in those caves rather than meet them again on the battlefields."

Amber, the general, nodded. "I agree with him, your majesty. That was the purpose of our struggle, to hold them back long enough to learn where they stay. Now we know. But the real question is this: how does one destroy a cave? Not one cave, but many."

Silence filled the chamber. The men thought hard, but no one had an answer.

At last, King Rollo said, "Never in all our history has anyone destroyed a cave. Yet if that is what is needed, then we must find a way. Let it stay in our minds, and let each of us think about it and return with answers. But for now, rest. You have all fought a brutal war and survived. That alone is a victory. Take the rest you deserve."

The council bowed to him one by one and left the throne room. The chamber grew quiet again, until only the king remained. Just as the last of them was leaving, Rollo called out.

"General Amber."

Amber stopped at once and turned back. He walked toward the throne and bowed. "Your majesty."

"I want to see you personally," King Rollo said, stepping down from the dais and walking closer to him. His face softened, and his voice was quieter now. "I never thought I would see you again. I never thought you would make it out alive."

Amber's eyes lowered for a moment. "Neither did I, your majesty."

"So tell me," Rollo said, narrowing his eyes. "How did it happen? What bargain did you make with them? We both know the Blacklands would never release you freely. Worse still, they would never send their soldiers here to fight alongside us unless you struck a bargain. What did you give them, Amber? Or should I say, What did you promise?"

Amber was mute at first, but then, he drew in a slow breath before he answered.

"It was a bargain indeed. And a hard one. I had no choice as I overheard them saying they have weapons that could kill those creatures, and at that moment, the only thing on my mind was our survival."

Rollo studied him. "Do not hide it from me. I need to know what you traded. What cost will this kingdom pay for your return?"

Amber lifted his head at last. "It took much to convince them. But the price is not really ours to bear."

"The dragon… I promised them we would allow them to capture the dragon and the boy, Aeron. That we would give them space, but only if we win this war." Amber said.

King Rollo took a few steps back and sat in his chair. "Just as I suspected. That is the only reason they would come all the way here. But tell me, Amber, you do not truly intend to go through with that, do you?"

Amber bowed his head slightly. "I do not know yet, your majesty. You yourself desire the same thing."

King Rollo chuckled, a low, cold laugh. "Ha, you know me well, Amber. Which power does a man seek, if not the power of the dragon? To hold such a beast under one's command is to hold the world itself. We must have that dragon, no matter the cost. We must, using any means possible."

He then stood and began pacing slowly before his throne. "And I know well that the nomads and the Blacklands will crave it too. But if we want it, we must first win. And once this war is over, there will be another fierce war. Kingdoms will fall for it, and blood will run again. We must begin to prepare, now, in secret."

Amber lowered his eyes. "Yes, your majesty." Then he bowed and quietly left the chamber.

"..."

Meanwhile, Aeron searched through the palace. He had gone to Nyella's room but found it empty. He checked the courtyards, the training grounds, even the gardens, but she was nowhere to be found. At last, he thought of the high tower, the place she often went when she wanted to be alone.

He climbed the stairs and when he reached the top, he found her there, sitting on the edge, staring out into the far distance. Aeron walked quietly to her side and sat down beside her. For a long while, neither of them spoke. The silence was heavy, broken only by the sound of her weeping.

Finally, Aeron spoke. "I did not think you would be up here. Don't you think you've wept enough?" His voice was gentle.

Nyella did not answer. Her eyes stayed fixed on the horizon.

"I am sorry for what happened," Aeron said at last. "We will save your mother. We will win this war, and we will take back the throne. I promise you that."

At these words, Nyella finally turned to him, her face wet with tears. "He said he sighted Vanyr. And I warned him. I warned him to take more soldiers, to strike before Vanyr's power could grow. But he did not listen. He never listened. And now it has cost him his life."

Her hands trembled as she wiped her cheeks. "Now I have not one battle to fight, but two. And I am so tired, Aeron. So confused. Where do I put my strength? Where do I focus?"

Aeron leaned closer. "There is only one fight that matters now. Only one that stands before us. The hydra. That is the enemy we must defeat. Once that is done, the rest will follow. Taking back your kingdom will not be so difficult."

Nyella turned to face him. "You think it will not be difficult? My mother is held captive there. How could she not matter the most? How could she not be the priority?"

Her voice cracked, breaking into sobs again.

Aeron lowered his head. "We will save her. I promise you that. Once we win this war, we will return to Ivarion with all these soldiers. No army in the world can withstand such strength. And I believe all of them will agree to fight with you, because they owe you their lives."

Nyella shook her head, her eyes full of sorrow. "You think that if we win this war, their minds will turn to helping us? You think there will be talk of fighting with us, and not against us?"

Aeron frowned as he was confused. "I do not understand."

Nyella looked at him for a long moment. "You still are naive, Aeron," she said.

" Do you really think things will stay the same here once we win this war? That you will be free and live as you wish?"

"I won't?" Aeron asked.

"Of course you won't," Nyella replied. "It will be the opposite." She paused for a moment, then added, "You want me to say it? Fine. You will be seen as a foe rather than a friend. A threat instead of an ally."

Aeron frowned, confused. "But why?"

"Because you are Aeron Velzorah, Dragonrider, Winner of Wars, Bearer of Fire." She said.

"They will tear you apart."

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