Days of Discord

by Caedrus

Fleethoof's tale

Upon the announcement by the queen a stream of servants began to move bringing in tables and chairs for the gathered unicorns then swiftly followed by platters covered in mountains of food and a veritable river of drink. There was loud cheering throughout the gathered crowd for even while they looked askance at Fleethoof and Talon nopony turned down a reason for a party not even the stuffy unicorn nobles though this party was more of an excuse for the wheels of court to keep turning. Planning, plotting, the buying and selling of favors. Promises kept and broken all part and parcel of the intrigue of court. Queen Dawn-born took her rightful place at the head of the central table, to her right in the seats of honor sat Fleethoof and Talon. To her left sat Celestia and Luna, Celestia watched the proceedings with veiled interest as the heir apparent to her mother her lessons in statecraft were more stringent than that of her sisters and she had long ago learned to keep a neutral face in an unsure public setting. Luna showed no such concern though, eating with gusto merrily chatting with the ponies near her. Other colts and fillies near their age who were at court with their parents. Some of the kinder nobles who treated with the princesses in their own right rather than as pawns of the queen. And she utterly failed to hid her interest in their unusual cousin.

The seemingly impromptu breakfast carried on as the ponies ate and drank their fill and slowly did more and more attention turn towards Fleethoof. many of the court remembered Fleethoof from her younger days as a member of the court, and all present were curious about her son. Eventually Dawn-born spoke “My dear dear Fleethoof we are perishing with curiosity, as I'm sure all assembled here are, to hear your tale. Could you not be encouraged to tell your tale for us that we may better understand what travails and hardships befell you before your return to us?” Fleethoof blushed a little and sipped at her goblet of juice. She looked around to the expectant faces of the crowd then to the queen. She smiled when she saw Celestia gently smiling behind the queen and Luna close by her with a beaming grin practically bouncing in her seat in eagerness, this more than anything convinced her to speak. Fleethoof cleared her throat and began her tale.

“Ten years ago I was a more foalish mare than I am now. I was discontent with my lot in my mothers household, brash and eager to make a name and stand in my own right. I had a head full of a young fillies dreams, gorged upon romanticized tales of history. Eventually I quarreled with Radiance, my mother. That is what decided me to strike out on my own. I decided I would leave our lands in search of our long abandoned ancestral homelands once denied to us by the windigos that even now plague us if not as strongly as they once did. I thought perhaps that maybe unmentioned in our history were stubborn herdsmen whom might have stayed behind refusing to give up their homes in the face of adversity and cruel weather. That they may even now be scraping out a living in a harsh unforgiving land. Were I to have encountered them I would have told them of the bounty and wonder of our new homes I would have convinced them to leave behind their primitive estates and be welcomed back into the herd by their estranged kin.”

Fleethoof paused for a drink and then continued. “I realize now how foalish of me these dreams were but at the time they seemed so close and possible to achieve. So I packed a few necessities and set out on my own with nothing but my wits and old mares tales to guide me. I failed to plan and pack adequately for my journey. My supplies quickly ran out but my anger at my mother and my youthful stubbornness prevented me from turning back. I forged forward alone and hungry, I learned to survive, watching the wild beasts for what was safe to eat and how to find water. For months did I wander, living as a cavepony and never seeing another living soul. If I wandered thru our ancestral lands at any point I did not recognize them for they had lost any of their no doubt once great splendor. Winter came upon me and still I wandered having long since lost all knowledge of my place in the world or the route back home. By chance I came upon a protected valley in a low mountain range there a stream fed by a hot spring kept the valley tolerably warm even in the depths of winter feeding just enough vegetation to live on thru the cold winter months. A cave I lined with leaves became my home for the winter. Who knows how long I may have stayed there before setting out to return if I could find my way back at all. Winter turned to spring, I had learned from my trials though and decided to delay a while longer seeking to cultivate what plants grew in the valley to supply me for my journey. As spring wore on to summer I learned that I was not alone.

This was my first meeting with Talons father, my love Ferrarius. He was a dragon, and while he would have been very old by our standards by their standards he was still young, barely more than a juvenile. He was kind and strong and solicitous to me. For it seemed I had stumbled unknowingly into dragon lands though it was only the very outskirts. Fully grown dragons are massive creatures who claim large swaths of territory for their own, though they are careless over it and many lesser creatures might wander thru it completely unnoticed. Ferrarius had never met a pony before just as I had never met a dragon, and so he encouraged me to stay. We taught each other over the course of weeks and months marveling at the differences and similarities of our two peoples. I learned he was all but outcast from the other dragons being considered small and weak even for a youth of his kind and he had made his abode far from the usual flights of other dragons that he may reside in peace. We grew easy in each others presence and eventually I came to live in his hoard with him. If this could be considered matrimony it was an odd version of it. We were content to live with each other far away from both pony and dragon kind. Eventually I bore my son, the first of his kind, half dragon half pony. Ferrarius doted on him as loving a father as ever there was.

This contentment was not last however. Others of his kind found our hidden home.” Tears began to spill down Fleethoof's cheeks but she forged on, continuing her tale. “He had told me of the cruelty other dragons could exhibit, how might was law among his kind but having only him for an example I had not truly believed it. Once again I was proven foolish and wrong. They tormented us day and night for months on end I was unable to leave the cave and grew fearful for our lives. Their torments and ambushes grew crueler and more violent until finally they dared to attack Ferrarius and I directly! We held them off for three days hoping that the violence might draw the attention of an elder dragon that would drive our torturers off. It was to no avail. I packed what supplies I could and gathered Talon with me. My love went to face our attackers and distract them while we made good our escape, it was the last I was ever to see of him. It worked though and Talon and I managed to flee with our lives. We left Ferrarius's marked territory though I stayed as close as I dared hoping that somehow he might have escaped that we might flee together as a family. For six months did I hold out this hope until at last I had to leave our camp in the foothills or risk the same cruel death for me and my son. Over the course of the last year slowly but surely we made our way back towards pony lands. Last weeks snow storm nearly did us in and it was only by the grace of the horn that we were close enough to pony lands to be found and saved. Which brings us to the present time here before your majesty and old acquaintances and new friends.” Fleethoof wiped the tears from her eyes and everypony stayed silent for a long moment after the finishing of her tale. Nopony knew what to say in response to it.

Finally Queen Dawn-born broke the heavy silence “It is clear cousin that many trials befell you in your long journey away from civilized lands. Truly nopony can imagine the depth of what you must have experienced. Now you are back among your family again who has missed you dearly where you and your son will be most welcome. And We shall ensure that you will soon be well settled in. Now your tale has left us saddened in empathy for you. Shall we retire to the hall of games where happier events and memories may fill us? All who wish to join are welcome!” Fleethoof bowed her head “As your majesty wishes.” This seemed to be the indication of dismissal. Some ponies left quickly others stayed to chat. Servants began to clear the tables of used dishes and empty platters.

Celestia and Luna made their way thru the crowd eager to meet their cousin properly. Tia approached their mother who was giving orders to a servant, once she was finished she began “Mother it our wish, Luna and mines to give our cousin Talon a tour of the palace and grounds surely that might be better than the hall of games for him now?” spoke Celestia to the queen. She merely nodded eyes upon the hangers on that desired a moment of her time “Yes my heart you may if it his wish, remember he is not one of us and not used to our ways so do not force him into aught that he doesn't desire.”

Luna left the asking of permission to her elder sister and had already trotted over to Talon beaming a wide grin and displaying her boundless enthusiasm. “Hi I'm Luna we're cousins! Our mothers the queen but you can forget that. You're half dragon? That's amazing Tia and I are gonna give you a tour of the palace if you want to come please say you'll come please please!” she assaulted Talon with her enthusiastic words and then delivered the final blow with her best pleading stare. The faun furred half pony chuckled a bit and gave a somewhat shy smile to the enthusiastic young princess.”I would be honored if your uh... highnesses would allow me to tour the castle with you.” Luna let out a cheer of unhindered delight. Celestia came up behind her having secured permission from their mother. She smiled at the sight of her sister so happy “Well met cousin Talon. I belive I speak for Luna as well when I say please given names are fine we are too young to stand on formality, you may call me Tia. Feel free to speak normally as we will with you, if that's ok?” Talon nodded and chuckled again. With that the three young ponies left the great hall to wander the palace at their leisure.