Scenario:Maleagant - Aster Tataricus
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Aster Tataricus
Siegfried and Maleagant visit the soulpool, a resting place for dragons, and find the headless remains of the Knight of the Lake, a former knight captain of Feendrache. They come to the conclusion that he was executed after sealing the Vallant away. That night, while tending the fire, memories stir within Maleagant, prompting him to speak his cousin's name for the first time in three hundred years.
On the outskirts of Feendrache, a region once known as Benwick, with its untrodden mountains and deep valleys, lies quiet.
The water on the lake nestled in its reaches is clear and pristine—until the silhouettes of two men emerge on its surface.
Siegfried: I see. So this is where the dragons of Avalon are laid to rest—their tomb—so to speak.
As a menacing threat looms over Feendrache, Siegfried has set out to uncover the secrets of the island—and the darkness that stirs beneath it.
Accompanying him on his quest is Maleagant, the keeper of the island's lost histories, and the forefather of the Vallant.
Maleagant: Simply put, yes. But it's much more than that. It's a font of power, created in the time of Avalon—a dragonspring.
Maleagant: It was believed that dragons at the end of their days would entrust their spirits and memories here to the soulpool, and wait for life anew.
Maleagant: Whether such belief was true or a mere legend, this place is a sanctuary that harbors the lingering will of fallen dragons and their kin.
Maleagant: I had hoped the dragon's blood within you would elicit some response from either your body or the spring, but...
Maleagant pauses and pulls his gaze away from the lake's surface to look at Siegfried.
Maleagant: Many generations have passed. Whatever dragon lineage lies within you has probably drastically diminished over time.
Maleagant: A partial awakening is no match against the potency of true dragon's blood. If your kin were in this spring, it's unlikely they'd even recognize you.
Maleagant: In short, were it not for the true dragon's blood that runs through your veins, I alone would've been able to establish a connection.
Siegfried: Right... You can perceive the memories of others through their blood, correct?
Siegfried: But dragon or not, there's no telling how your body would react to ingesting the blood of a true dragon.
Siegfried: Well, if this place doesn't provide the insights we seek, there are always other paths to explore.
Siegfried: Lucky for me, I'm not in this alone—I'm nothing but grateful for your assistance.
Maleagant: I... don't understand. I'm the one responsible for what your body has become.
Maleagant: Yet you're "grateful" that fate has forced you to spend an extended period of time with the very man who hurt you.
Siegfried: Fafnir's blood is responsible for what has happened to my body, not your curse.
Siegfried: As for my eyes, well... My vision's not perfect, but it's not gone either. I have no reason to hold a grudge against you.
Maleagant: Sigh. You're just as naive and soft as the other knight captains...
Maleagant: Anyway, let's begin. I will attempt to mediate a connection between you and the spring. Focus and listen for their voices.
Siegfried: Understood.
Maleagant: Well. I knew this would be difficult, but I expected more than just... nothing.
Though unsurprised by the lack of results, a dejected sigh escapes Maleagant's lips.
Siegfried: Hm... It appears that true dragon blood is far more complicated than I thought.
Deep in thought, the men stand silent. The quiet continues until Maleagant breaks it with an inquiry.
Maleagant: A question for you—do you remember where you were born?
Siegfried: No, I know nothing of my birth. At best, I can recall the village I lived in as a child, if I try hard enough.
Maleagant: That should be sufficient. We can search in reverse—from your village we'll determine your place of birth, then identify your flight.
Siegfried: Is that possible?
Maleagant: There's a chance I could be slightly off the mark, but I remember exactly where every dragon flight used to live.
Maleagant: If we can locate where you were born, I can whittle down the possibilities to a more manageable number.
Maleagant: Dragons have a homing instinct. With some support from me, you should have no problem letting your blood lead the way home.
Siegfried: Interesting. Then I suppose our next stop should be my childhood village.
Maleagant: Yes. There's nothing left for us to learn here. Let's hurry. We should leave this place before...
His words cut short by a disturbance, Maleagant scowls and looks across the spring.
His eyes come to rest on a towering tree looming at the water's edge.
Maleagant: What? Is someone in trouble? No? Then what... A... fairy?
Siegfried: Maleagant? What's wrong?
Maleagant: Voices... The dragons here are telling me there's something at the base of that tree.
Maleagant: Forgive me, but would you lend me a hand? This is sacred ground. If there's anything amiss, I'd prefer to sort it out before we leave.
Siegfried: Yes, of course.
Siegfried: Goodness...
Maleagant: ...
The men arrive at the great tree expecting to find an anomaly, only to discover a headless skeleton resting against the tree's trunk.
Siegfried: Whoever this was... they're missing their head. Is it possible only their body was carried here?
Siegfried: The remains are old, but nearly pristine. Judging by their condition, I'd say they're the bones of a prisoner who'd been executed.
Maleagant: Executed...
Maleagant: So that's how it ended for you. Thrown away, disposed of... just as we were.
Siegfried: These remains... They belong to a knight captain of Feendrache, don't they? The Knight of the Lake.
Maleagant: ...
Siegfried takes Maleagant's silence as a confirmation, then lowers his gaze back down to the bony remains before them.
Siegfried: Hm... I might not be privy to the circumstances that led to his remains being abandoned, but the least we can do is give him a proper burial.
Maleagant: I agree...
Maleagant: I will give him to the spring. The spirits will return the memories left within his bones to the waters of Camlann.
Expression hidden deep behind his hood, Maleagant places the remains into the spring and watches as they drift to the bottom.
Unable to offer anything to Maleagant but space and respect, Siegfried bows his head in silent prayer.
Maleagant: ...
Siegfried: ...
By the time the makeshift ceremony is over, night has fallen, and the two men decide to spend it in the forest.
The steady pop and crackle of the fire is all that can be heard, until Siegfried ends the lingering silence.
Siegfried: Not much is known about the Knight of the Lake...
Maleagant: ...
Siegfried: Surviving records from the time he was most likely serving are ambiguous.
Siegfried: Despite having been a captain, there's next to no information on the length of his service or his achievements—even his real name is a mystery.
Maleagant: As it should be. If he was executed to prevent him from speaking up, it only makes sense to wipe the records clean of him.
Maleagant: But the fact that he existed still persisting means they knew future generations would raise questions if they completely erased him.
Siegfried: If I remember correctly, he was your kin. That would make him a dragon as well, wouldn't it?
Maleagant: No. We were both of mixed blood, but unlike me, his mother was a fairy—the youngest sister of the Lady of the Lake.
Siegfried: Really now, the Lady of the Lake's...
Maleagant: What is it? Does something about that not sit right with you?
Siegfried: Nothing, it's just... rather unusual to imagine fairies having children.
At first puzzled by Siegfried's reaction, Maleagant nods in understanding.
Maleagant: Fairies, as you know them, are natural occurrences, born from the elements and arcane energies. As such, they cannot bear offspring.
Maleagant: But there are fairies unique to this island, ones like the Lady of the Lake, whose composition mirrors that of a mortal's.
Maleagant: Thanks to the blessing they've received from the Queen of Avalon, they're capable of taking on mates and producing children to carry on their lineage.
Maleagant: Given that this is something no other fairies in the skies can do, that reaction of yours is only natural.
Maleagant diverts his gaze away from the fire to look up at the night sky, searching for memories of days long past.
Maleagant: Three hundred years. So many things have disappeared over the centuries, yet I'd never thought I'd see him again—or at least what's left of him.
Maleagant: His death feels like ancient history. That his remains would still exist, and in a place like this no less, never even crossed my mind.
Siegfried: Were you close? You were cousins, from what I've heard.
Maleagant: Before the war took over our lives, I'd like to think we considered each other family.
Maleagant: Alas, I can speak for myself, but not for him. In truth, I don't know what he thought of me.
As a wry smile tugs at the corner of Maleagant's lips, he turns to Siegfried.
Maleagant: The hour's grown quite late. I'll tend to the fire. You should get some rest.
Siegfried: Right. I'll do just that.
Siegfried: Good night, Maleagant.
Maleagant: Good night.
Siegfried closes his eyes, and with only the sound of his gentle breaths wafting in the night air, the silence returns.
Maleagant: "Good night," huh...
Maleagant whispers to himself, slowly shutting his own eyes.
Knight of the Lake: The chance for all of you to live in peace will be yours one day...
Knight of the Lake: But until then... I pray you sleep well.
Maleagant: "Sleep well"... Says the man who sealed us into a nightmare...
Maleagant: Cruel words, even for you... Galahad.
Maleagant mutters a name lost for three centuries, awakening memories of a distant past.
Memories bitter and painful—of family turned foe.