Chapter 1: Kren N’Kora Blackmane

Kren shook his head as he was led through the opulent hallway leading to the late emperor’s reception hall. Not the throne room, the reception hall, as if there could never be any deeper insult for a fallen vassal nation than that. Kren clenched his fist as he tried and failed to regulate his breathing, the power slumbering within his bloodline roared, furious for the disrespect and the shackles that had been placed on it.

"Rein in your distress your majesty, or you will get both our heads chopped off before you recover our kingdom’s crest." Kren relaxed, turning to the side to address the person. "Yes mother." She hissed at him.

"Are you stupid or something, you will address me as is befitting of my post as a Regent of the empire." Kren rolled his eyes, but still kept a straight face. "Yes regent." He shifted his eye to the walls as they moved. It was filled with painted images, and carved reliefs that flowed out of the walls in some places, making it seem as if the paintings were alive or in motion. Kren was sure some sort of aura spell might also be at work, because the wall really did look alive.

But more than anything else, it was what those images and reliefs represented, what lies it propagated. It told the story of the Zar Draconic Empire.

"Ah! I see your highness has discovered the great mural of beginnings. It details the most important moments of our empire’s illustrious history, do you know of it?"

Kren frowned at the intrusion. "I’ve heard of it."

"Excellent, let me tell you more." Kren had to physically stop himself from groaning in annoyance. He didn’t care, he never did. He was not here for the history of an empire that has kept his people under heel for two thousand years. He was just here to claim what was his. Not that what he wanted mattered to the palace attendant leading him and the Regent to the future empress’s reception hall.

Yeah, he needed to remember that distinction. The old emperor was already dead. And he was here to meet his daughter, the person next in line for the throne.

"As you can see, our people used to be a group of wandering savages that preyed on each other. Wild tribes given more to the inner beasts we all embodied than any sort of sane or civilized existence." The Attendant pointed at a mural that showed a great ship crossing treacherous waters to arrive on a land where half men, half animals welcomed what were lizard like men. The next mural showed the welcome was just the prelude to harsher experience.

"The 9 Draconic Bloodlines arrived and brought civilization, medicine, culture, progress. But our savage ways proved too difficult to tame." Kren rolled his eyes and turned to the regent, a pleading look on his face, begging her to stop the attendant from spouting even more altered lies. She ignored him, keeping her face straight ahead.

"And so, left with no other choice but to uphold the mandate of their noble bloodlines. The original 9 dragon kings, split up across the continent. Carving out empires over the millennia, and bringing us peace and prosperity." Kren almost whopped for joy when they finally reached the end of the hallway, the attendant gave him a perfunctory bow before turning to face the door.

"Announcing his lowly royal highness, Prince Kren N’kora Blackmane. Vassal Prince of the Kora Kingdom, and his stepmother. High Regent of the Kora Lion Kingdom, Lady Bernice N’Mbezi Blackmane."

Kren turned to the side to look at Bernice. Step mother? She was so much more than that to him, they both knew it. And maybe one day soon, so too will the rest of the world.

The door in front of them slowly slid open with a loud creak, ushering them into the audience chamber. The first thing Kren noticed was the Zar Empirical Throne and above it, the Emperor Crest. One of only 9 in the entire world...at least, of what they knew of it anyways. After all the Empirical dragons had to have come here from somewhere else, so this world was larger than the 9 Empires and the stranglehold they held on the Beast Tribes and Kingdoms.

Then he shifted his gaze lower. The throne itself was empty, that was to be expected the damn emperor decided to kick the bucket a year ago, just before Kren could come of age, leaving it vacant and without a male heir.

But there was still the daughters of the old emperor, the eldest of which was supposed to inherit the throne...the one responsible for the death of Kren’s father and loss of the Kora kingdom’s crest.

She sat on the middle throne of a set of three, that sat lower on the dais. Her sisters flanked her on both sides, but Kren had no eyes for anyone else but her. The last time he had seen her; was the day the emperor had chopped his father’s head off. And the charges? for having an illicit affair with an imperial princess.

It was just an excuse. An excuse for the emperor to suppress and completely destroy a bloodline prophesied to bring the end of the world...or the dragons, depending on who you asked.

"Kren."

She called his name and the entire audience chamber fell silent. Kren silently wondered if the real throne room was just as eerie when quiet, as he locked eyes with her.

Hers was a vibrant shade of purple that sparkled with tiny flecks of gold. It was reptilian, but then again she was a dragon after all, or had a dragon in her, depending on who you asked.

Her hair fell in curly wild waves around her head, framing a face that was devastatingly beautiful, yet it lacked any sort of the demure elegance or poise one would attribute to a beauty. This princess looked fierce, less like the regal dragons and more like the beast tribes they ruled with tyranny.

She was tall, and the silk dress she had on was provocative in its trim, framing thick succulent thighs that were crossed over each other as she leaned her head on a closed fist. Her skin was burnished shade of light bronze, like she had spent too long under the sun and was a shade darker than her younger sisters, who were just as beautiful but with smooth milky white skin. Bernice coughed at the side, and Kren remembered where he was. He bowed, but only slightly. A king’s bow to a princess, someone hissed at the side.

"Well sister, it seems this one has more spine that the others. He refuses to get on his knees."

Kren shifted his attention to who had spoken. Princess Maneline was just as beautiful, but she was young. Seventeen turns of the seasons, yet talks of her cruelty has traveled from one end of the empire to the other.

"Spine? I would say the brute is audacious and should be put in his place. Do you see how his eyes rove all over our bodies? Exactly like the filthy patriarchal animal his bloodline embodies."

Princess Derava.

This one, Kren has met before. Multiple times in fact, as she was the most recent general responsible for the Kora Kingdom’s recent loss of territory. Turning a once illustrious kingdom into the tiny territory it now occupied.

Calling it a kingdom now, would be generous. All they had left now was coastal town at the foot of mountains to the west that bordered the sea. These bastards had literally pushed them all the way out there, attempting to drive them into the ocean.

"You are late Prince Kren, the other vassal princes have been here for days." Kren blinked, taking a deep breath as he looked at the woman that now held the chains attached to his and his people’s future. Her name rolled of his tongue, and the sound of his voice drew all eyes within the chamber to himself.

"Imperial Princess Elyvara." Kren paused, his voice a deep rumble that spread across the audience chamber, his long flowing white hair had a single braided lock across his face as his golden feline eyes held hers, without fear, and without submission.

"it has been too long your majesty. I apologize for my late arrival, as you know it is my birthday and the anniversary of my father’s death." He paused, observing her face to see if there was any change. "I took some time to pay my respects and observe the ten year mourning ritual as is traditional, when a king has passed. But I am here now, I am here for you."

Once more the entire audience chamber fell silent. Elyvara said nothing apart from the initial call of his name. Instead she just watched him, until someone else spoke up, drawing Kren’s attention to the other people in the room.

"You must be delusional Lion boy! How dare you talk to the imperial princess like that? Do you think you have any right to talk in the presence of your betters." Kren blinked and turned to the side as he locked eyes with the person that just spoke. And with a casual tone, yet one that came off as disrespectful.

"Who are you?"

Bernice made a strangled sound to the side, as if she was trying and failing to hold back her annoyance at Kren. He was showing absolutely no fear and none of the deference that was expected of him in the presence of their imperial masters. The person on the other hand sputtered in indignation.

"How dare you! I am prince Selvin N’ale Heir and future king of the Ale kingdom, loyal servant of the imperial throne and future husband of imperial princess Elyvara! And I will have your tongue for this insult!"

Kren raised an eyebrow, yet he looked unbothered. "Selvin? Sounds like a foreigners name. And her Future husband? That great! So am I! In fact isn’t that why we’re all here." He said as he finally acknowledged the other individuals present. Aside from him and Selvin.

There were three other males present, together they represented the 5 vassal kingdoms under the Zar Draconic Empire. And today, apart from Kren coming here to reclaim his birthright, they were here, all of them...to be married and forced into the imperial harem of the princess Elyvara, and Kren would rather die, than become a plaything for the woman who’s affection had caused the death of his father.