Chapter 429: Battle for the Golden Throne
The Golden Era started after the first member of a Red Lizards clan gain wings when reaching the Sky Realm and becoming the first member of the Dragon Race.
Because they were an evolved race, the dragons were stronger, faster, and more resistant than other races. Also, their children are already born with wings and a soul much more powerful than the usual.
Then their people quickly overcome other races as they colonized entire worlds and became the most powerful race in the universe. But they were not really united, and each Clan had its own objective goals.
After more than a thousand years without a united leadership, the first Dragon Emperor appeared. He had enough power and leadership skills to unite the Dragon Clans and created the Tiankong Dynasty, also known as the Royal Dragon Clan.
The first Dragon Emperor colonized the biggest world he could find and called it the Golden World. There, the Dragon Race evolved further, and the Dragon Emperor was one of the first people to reach the Immortal Realm.
Everyone thought that the Dragon Emperor was truly immortal and would lead the Dragon Race forever. Almost all dragons were happy with that, but after a few years, some of them began to desire the golden throne.
It was already challenging to rule a great race with several worlds alone, so that was even more complicated when some Dragon Clans started to rebel against the Royal Dragon Clan.
The Dragon Emperor only wanted good for his people, and he did not want to reign forever if there was someone better for such an important position.
So he created a tournament that would take place every hundred years to decide who was the most powerful dragon and worthy of receiving the title of Dragon Emperor. Not only that but the other ten best placed in that tournament would lead minor Dynasties in other worlds.
Everyone agreed that it would be a fair way for any Dragon to rise to the top of power based on their own capabilities. And the other ten winners besides the champion would be loyal to the new Dragon Emperor when ruling other worlds.
As expected, the first Dragon Emperor won the first three editions of the so-called Battle for the Golden Throne. On the fourth one, finally, and surprising everyone, he was defeated by a female dragon, who became the first Dragon Queen.
Fearing that the former Dragon Emperor would want to create problems or take revenge after losing the throne, that woman killed him during the combat and added a new rule to the tournament. From that day on, only Its last fight would be until death so that two Emperors or Queens never exist together.
More than two thousand years later, the Dragon Race continued to evolve, and after several editions of the Battle for the Golden Throne, there was rarely a new champion, but the other ten winners were always changing.
It was then that in one of the editions of the Battle for the Golden Throne, a small and new Dragon Clan got the eleventh place, earning the right to rule a world alone and create their dynasty.
That was Aylin's family. Her mother fought bravely to win that position, but they were sent to an unexplored world, so far from the Golden World.
Despite some family problems, Aylin's family was going pretty well. Her parents made alliances with the small races on that planet, and everything looked good.
But peace did not last long. An unknown and powerful enemy appeared to try to colonize that planet, too: The Gods.
After evolving from humans, the Gods became taller, stronger, and faster, being a race as powerful as the dragons. They killed Aylin's parents in a great battle, and that seemed like the end for the dragons in that world.
No one expected that the young Aylin, with only sixteen years old, would take the lead of her people. But that is what she did. Surprising everyone, she started winning brutal and bloody battles at such a young age and quickly got the trust and respect of her people.
Aylin grew stronger with each battle, and the Dragons more confident in defeating the Gods on that world. But even after almost five hundred years, more and more Gods continued to try to conquer that world.
The year is 3996 of the Golden Era, thousands of years before Lucien's birth. However, somehow he is there, inside Aylin's body, reliving her memories personally.
She is currently in a big and luxurious carriage along with a big man who looks at her with a gentle, loving, and proud expression like a father looking at his daughter.
Lucien remembers that man. He is Garen, Aylin's protector, and mentor. He is always beside her since her parents were alive, or rather since she was born. Such loyalty cannot be found everywhere, and Lucien can feel, along with Aylin, that he would die to save her without a second thought.
While Garen smiles, Aylin doesn't seem to be in a good mood. As she looks out of the carriage window, Lucien sees strange winged creatures, similar to horses, but with scaly skin and horns, flying as they pull the carriage through the air.
"Do we really have to do this?" Aylin asks in an upset tone. "I mean, I was in the middle of a battle!"
"You always are..." Garen comments, and then, when he sees Aylin's angry look, he quickly regrets it. "Well, killing our enemies is not bad. But..."
"Not bad??" She asks. "Killing our enemies is the only thing that keeps our people alive!! Those noble idiots know nothing about our war against the Gods!"
Garen feels like slapping Aylin in the ass, but he can't hurt Queen's pride, so he just sighs. "You still act like a child… Do you think I don't think like you?? Did you forget that I have been fighting by your side for almost five hundred years??"
Aylin makes a sorry expression. She is feared by thousands of people and highly respected by even more people as a fierce Queen, but in front of Garen, even at five hundred years old, she feels like a fragile young girl.
"I know..." She says. "I'm not saying you did something wrong. It's that... I just hate those idiot nobles!! They only know how to talk about honor and duty, but they just want to steal our resources and warriors, saying that they are tributes to the Great Queen who protects all our people."
Garen leans his back on the seat while looking at the roof of the carriage with a tired expression. "Yeah... they are like that. But this is our system, and we can't change that. Politics is a complicated thing that is part of any ruler's life."
"Can't you and Godric solve it for me? I could go back to the battlefield..." Aylin looks at Garen with an imploring expression.
He laughs. "You love to fight, don't you? But there are some things we can't solve. You are our Queen, and you have to face battles both on the battlefields and in the castle."
Aylin hates bureaucracies, politics, and anything complicated. That's why she loves to fight. Fighting and killing her enemies is simple and efficient. Also, her people love her because she is that way.
Lucien can feel that and also how she feels about everything else. It isn't easy to separate their feelings when he is inside her, feeling everything she feels. However, he cannot help thinking that they are very similar in many ways. He also loves to fight and kill his enemies.
"Alright..." Aylin sighs as she looks at Garen. "So... who came this time?"
"Lord Han and his son," Garen answers quickly, already knowing that Aylin's reaction is not going to be good.
And as expected, she makes a furious expression. "They?!?!? But it's not even a year since the last time they came here!"
"They said it is an official matter of the utmost importance." Garen comments.
"Pfft!" She makes a mocking sound. "No matter what, if that shitty old man invites me to be his daughter-in-law again, I'll kill him and his pathetic son!"
Garen shakes his head. "You remember that they are from the Dark Dragon Queen's family, right?"
The Dark Dragon Queen, a woman as powerful as cruel. She won the last Battle for the Golden Throne almost five hundred years ago while she was one of the first people to reach the Cosmic Realm.
People of all other races get terrified just to hear her name, and even dragons are afraid of her. But Aylin doesn't show any fear in her eyes. Lucien can feel that she doesn't fear any enemies, not even that scary woman.
"I would take her crown and kill her entire family so as not to become one of them!!" She speaks in a determined tone.
"..." Garen looks into Aylin's eyes silently for a few seconds. Then he starts to laugh. "Hahaha... you as our Great Queen?? That would be really fantastic! Let me think... what would your legendary title be? Dragon Queen of War??"
Aylin's eyes sparkle. "I like that title."
He smiles. "Well, then it's decided. You just need to kill the strongest person in the universe in the next Battle for the Golden Throne four years from now and become the Dragon Queen of War."
"She is not the strongest person in the universe." Aylin comments. "Are you forgetting the Primordials?"
Garen makes a suspicious expression. "Do you have evidence that they exist? Have you seen any of them? I have seen the Dark Dragon Queen, and she is pretty real."
"..." Aylin shakes her head before looking through the carriage window again. After a few minutes, they reach the sky above a huge city.
Lucien feels a good familiar feeling when looking at that city due to him being deeply connected to Aylin. He can even see the thousands of changes that have taken place in that city over the past five hundred years and how it has grown under her incredible leadership.
The carriage lands in front of an enormous castle before Aylin and Garen enter by Its large iron gates. Dozens of servants approach them led by a charming and tall winged male dragon.
"My Queen." That dragon quickly kneels in front of Aylin while all the servants behind him do the same.
Aylin smiles and helps him to get up. "You don't have to be so formal, Godric..."
Garen smiles, and Godric, his son, also smiles while his eyes sparkle and his heart beat faster just because he is close to Aylin. But her next words hurt his feelings.
"After all, we are like siblings, hehehe..." She giggles while tapping Godric's back.
He sighs and quickly stands with a straight back and a professional expression. "How was the battle, my Queen? Did our army kill many Gods today?"
Aylin looks at Garen with an upset expression. "I have no way of answering it because I had to leave in the middle of the battle..."
"Come on..." Garen sighs. "Those Gods were in a small and week group. Our powerful warriors could handle them alone."
Before Aylin says anything, Garen looks at his son with a concerned expression. "What about our guests? Did they create problems?"
"I kept them entertained. You know, I'm a good host." Godric smiles confidently. But then he looks at Aylin with a stern expression. "I found out a few things about this official matter..."
"What is it about?" Garen quickly asks.
"We already talked about it..." Godric can't help but show concern in his eyes as he looks at Aylin. "This is about the next Battle for the Golden Throne."
Garen sighs while also looking at Aylin with a concerned expression. "Yea... you will have to participate in it and get a position in the top ten before the champion to continue leading our dynasty."
Aylin smiles confidently. "Just the top ten? Weren't we just talking about how I'm going to become Great Queen? Precisely the Dragon Queen of War!"