House of The Dragon-A God Amongst Men-Chapter 164: Maegelle and Drakken II

(Third Person POV)

"Lord Riktor, it is okay." Maegelle smiled slightly, "Let Lord Sylas borrow your toy."

Sylas was standing in front of Riktor, pulling on a toy knight that Riktor was holding with his hand. The boy was gritting his teeth as he pulled back, stepping back with an angry glare on his face.

Riktor was frowning, "He has his own toys!" He exclaimed, "This one is mine!"

"He's but a babe." Maegelle said, "Just give it to him for a few minutes. He is bound to give it up when he grows bored of it."

"No." Riktor said as he pulled back

The toy slipped out of Sylas's hand and he stumbled forwards, falling on his knees.

"Ah!" The boy said

"Oh, Lord Sylas!" Maegelle said as she stepped forward, "Are you okay?"

Sylas stood up and huffed, glaring at Riktor, who merely frowned at him.

"Play with your own toys, Sylas." Riktor said with a frown

Sylas shook his head, "Aaa!"

Maegelle chuckled, "Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves." She said, "Let's calm down, okay?"

Sylas reached for the toy, and Riktor lifted his hand up, keeping his brother from getting it. Sylas smacked him on the face, causing him to flinch.

"Ah, he hit me!" Riktor exclaimed

"Don't fight, boys..." Maegelle said with a smile, "Calm down."

"Aaaa!!" Sylas shouted, smacking Riktor again on the face

"Stop hitting me!" Riktor exclaimed

Sylas kept swinging his hands at Riktor, smacking him several times, but his older brother did not react much at this, merely closed one eye as the smacks hit his face.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Drakken said as he was standing a few feet away from them

"Oh, Lord Drakken..." Maegelle said, "They have a disagreement, that is all."

"Where is Daranne?" Drakken asked

"She is asleep." Maegelle said, "She was feeling tired."

Drakken looked at his sons, "You two." He said, "What are you doing? You're fighting for a toy?"

"Father, it is mine!" Riktor exclaimed

"Aaa!" Sylas shouted

"They're just having a child's disagreement, My Lord, it is not a big deal." Maegelle said

"Hm." Drakken said as he reached for the toy and took it out of Riktor's hand, "I'll be the judge of that."

Riktor looked at him, "Father...!"

"This toy?" Drakken said as Sylas stepped back, a frown on his face, "Both of you want this toy"

"Yes." Riktor said

Sylas nodded, letting out a huff.

"Let's play a game." Drakken said as he extended the toy outwards, above the two boys, "The two of you will take two steps back. I will drop the toy at an unspecified time and whoever catches it first, keeps it. But before you both play, you need to understand that whoever wins, did so fair and square. Do you understand?"

Riktor took two steps back, "Yes."

Sylas did the same, nodding.

Maegelle smiled warmly, "Young Sylas is so smart, just like Riktor was at his age!" She said, "His infancy is quite impressive!"

Drakken smirked slightly, "Are you ready?" He asked both boys

The two of them nodded in unison.

Drakken let go of the toy, and it fell to the ground. Before it could hit the floor, however, Riktor was the one who caught it. As he stumbled forward, his arm reaching out forward with the toy in his hand, Sylas had fallen on his stomach, trying to reach the toy.

"Oh!" Maegelle said as she took a step forward, "Lord Sylas!"

"Leave him." Drakken said, "He can stand on his own."

Sylas got on his feet and saw that Riktor was holding the toy. He then scowled and stomped his foot on the ground, displaying his toddler anger.

"What, you lost!" Riktor exclaimed, "This was my toy in the first place, I won it in the first place!"

"Ah, do not be like that, boys." Maegelle said

Sylas stomped his foot again, "Aaa!" He said, "Bro-Bro is garbage! Hate you!"

"I don't care!" Riktor said, "This is my damn toy!" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Suddenly, Riktor swooped his hand and took the toy out of his hand.

"Eh?" Riktor said as Drakken held the toy in his hand

Suddenly, the toy knight burst into flames and the two boys watched as the wood simply reduced into ashes.

"Lord Drakken...." Maegelle said with a frown

Drakken then got on one knee and placed his hands on each of his sons, "Let me tell you both something." He said with a serious tone, "The two of you are my sons. Do you hear me? You are brothers, bound by blood, my blood."

The two boys looked at their father with surprised looks on their faces.

"You will fight, yes. You will disagree on many things while growing up." Drakken continued, "You may think you hate each other, but that is not true. You are brothers!! If you allow something as stupid and mundane as a toy to drift the two of you apart, then you do not deserve anything in this world."

"My Lord, isn't that a little too harsh?" Maegelle said

Drakken ignored her, "You are brothers. So far, you only have each other." Drakken said seriously, "You are fated to be side-by-side, fighting on the battlefield....conquering lands in the name of I, Your Father. Do you understand that? You are meant for something greater than petty squabbles like these."

Riktor looked down, "I am sorry, Father...."

"When the time comes, the two of you will be presented with a choice." Drakken said, "You will be by each other's side, crushing your enemies together.....or you will turn your back on each other. And let me tell you one thing: if you choose to turn your backs on each other, then you are no true sons of mine. Don't you dare forget that."

Drakken then stood up and turned around, walking away from the room.

Maegelle stood there, a little stunned by this.

Riktor then looked at Sylas and reached for his hand, "I am sorry, Little Brother." He said, "Let's go and play with our toys together."

Sylas nodded, "Yes."

*****************

"That....." Maegelle walked up to Drakken, who leaned on the balcony, "Oddly beautiful...."

"Hm?" Drakken looked at her

Maegelle stood next to him, "That is the first time I have seen you being so.....Fatherly...." She said, "You have not acted that way since Riktor was born."

Drakken looked ahead of him, "Hm." He said, "If you say so."

She slowly reached for his hand, which was on the railing, "I...." She said, "I know you have said that you did not have a father growing up."

She grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently as Drakken showed no reaction to this.

"I didn't." He said simply

"Might I ask you what happened?" She asked

"What do you mean?" Drakken asked

"I mean...." Maegelle said, "You lived for centuries, right? You were a Man in your world, one who obtained power that allowed you to ascend to godhood...you must have found out the truth about your absent Father.....right?"

Drakken's eyes showed no emotion, they simply stared off into nothing.

"He wasn't there." He said simply, "I didn't think of it. Not once. I don't even know his name. Not like it matters to me."

"I see....." Maegelle said, "I....well...forgive me for speaking out of line."

"I don't mind." He said

"Are you sure it does not matter?" She asked

"It mattered. Once." Drakken said, "Before I ascended. But since then.....why even bother? There was no point. I was a nobody. I was just another piece of meat in that place, in that eat or be eaten world that I was plunged into from birth."

"Oh." She said softly, "I understand...."

"That world....." Drakken looked up to see the sky, "It is vast....so much bigger than this place. I understood that no matter how hard I looked, I would not find him. I would not be able to give him what he deserved....for doing what he did.....for abandoning her....for abandoning me....but those feelings, those emotions.....they were beneath me. I shouldn't have even felt them in the first place. I was but a stupid boy at the time."

"That is not true." Maegelle said, "Everyone yearns to know who their Father is. Who their Mother is. It's....It's just who we are...it....well, I cannot say that you are the same..."

"Hm." Drakken said

"What was she like?" Maegelle asked

"Who?" Drakken replied

"Your Mother." She said

"I don't know." Drakken told her, "She was dead by the time I was born."

"O-Oh." Maegelle said, a bit shocked by this

"I was born in the mud and blood of my mother." Drakken said, "Rain fell on her corpse as I clawed my way out of her...."

"That is....." Maegelle looked down, "I am so sorry to hear that."

"It doesn't matter." Drakken said, "It was a lifetime ago....no...it was so many lifetimes ago.....I've lived longer than her mother's grandmother....and possibly that one's grandmother....I don't even remember her name...."

"You should not think that way." Maegelle looked at her as she squeezed her hand, "Not when you have sons of your own. You have an opportunity to give those boys something greater than what you had."

Drakken smiled slightly, "Oh, Maegelle...." He said with a chuckle, "You cannot be more right."

"Eh?" She said

Drakken looked at her, "My sons...." He said, "They are extensions of me. They will inherit power like no other.....and they will receive something greater than anything they can even comprehend....."

"A Calamity."