Flight of the Dragon Prince

I often find inspiration in music. A song with catch my ear and I will listen to it on repeat until it becomes second nature. With Trokair on my mind, ideas from the world have been bubbling up while listening to music at work or on the drive home. The inciting song this time is I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin.

The Dragon Prince flees west from his kingdom, a gaggle of servants and guards in tow. His father is dead, his mother captured, his throne usurped by that peasant who fancies himself a Duke.

He lands his dragon steed in the forest, far enough from the fighting that few of the mercenaries could hope to reach him. His servants slowly trickle into the clearing, unsure of their future and looking to him for guidance.

Demitri rears back and screams into the heavens, "FUCK!" He paces back and forth, his face gyrating between anger, devastation, fear. None dare approach him. From somewhere deep in his mind, a nearly forgotten but unfortunately familiar voice calls out.

Now the dark begins to rise.

"Begone!"

Save your breath, it's far from over.

Leave the lost the dead behind.

Now's your chance to run for cover.

"I'll have nothing to do with you."

I don't wanna change the world.

I just want to leave it colder.

Light the fuse and burn it up.

Take the path that leads to nowhere.

All is lost again.

"I'm not giving in. I will not bow! I will not break! I will shut your words away. I will not fall, I will not fade!"

I will take your breath away.

"FUCK!"

Despite his defiance, Demitri is overcome and falls to the ground unconscious. His servants rush to his side, inspecting him for unseen wounds and trying to rouse him. A dark figure pushes his way through the crowd. He kneels beside the Prince and unbuckles his chest plate, exposing the shadowy mass that pulses in place of his heart.

Watch the end through dying eyes.

Now the dark is taking over.

Show me where forever dies.

Take the fall and run from Heaven.

All is lost again.

Demitri's body lies still in the dark figure's arms but his mind continues to fight against the encroaching voice.

"But I'm not giving in. I will not bow, I will not break. I will shut your words away. I will not fall, I will not fade. I will take your breath away. And I'll survive, better off. I have lost the will to change. And I am not proud, cold-blooded fake. I will shut your words away."

The figure draws a black, claw-shaped dagger from beneath his robes and plunges it into Demitri's black heart. The dagger disappears into tendrils of shadow that snake across the Dragon Prince's skin like perverse veins. His eyes turn to inky pools and a wordless scream escapes his mouth. The servants grasp and pull the robed figure back from their Prince but the robe falls limp, empty and devoid.

Demitri sits up suddenly, every muscle in his body tense. His empty black eyes look from one hand to the other and scan the group of servants huddled around him.

"I will not bow, I will not break. I will shut the world away. I will not fail, I will not fade. I will take their breath away. And I'll survive, here and now. I haven't lost the will to change. And I am not proud, cold-blooded faith. I will shut the world away."

FALL!

...

(I have always had Demitri von Rhindstadt as a foe of the Black Duke. He was originally the Dragon King who was deposed by Mikhail but later it was changed to his father, making him the Dragon Prince in Exile. However, Demitri's true father was A'con Ai'jon, the Demon Dragon of Dusk. My original idea was that he had ignored his demonic lineage during his time as king but embraced it upon losing his throne. He needed the power that A'con Ai'jon offered to gather allies and retake his rightful place as ruler. A warrior-king deposed returns as a half-fiend, half-dragon warrior with allies of unspeakable evil in tow to depose the Duke. In the current telling, Demitri knows of his ties to A'con Ai'jon and has heard the voice calling to him throughout his life, tempting him to turn to the darkness. Demitri, though privileged and cruel, still held himself to a certain code of honor and fought to ignore the voice. But on that night, fleeing from his dead father, his captive mother, and his home in flames, the fight proved too much. The Demon Dragon sent a figment to infect Demitri as he was unconscious and awakened within him the demon blood that was held in check by his force of will. He is now on-board with his demonic heritage and will seek to gather allies under the banner of the Fangs of the Wyrm. Taking back the throne from the Black Duke may be Demitri's driving motivation but A'con Ai'jon will manipulate his journey to ensure he recruits those whom AA needs, recovers what AA needs, accomplishes was AA needs. Demitri may once more become the Dragon King but, in doing so, he will find that A'con Ai'jon is now a dragon God among gods.)