Dragons did not challenge for the throne. They were voted onto it by a council of dragons when the ruler died or resigned. If there was an heir to the throne, they would automatically be chosen to be considered as the next ruler by the council. Any dragon, from ice to sea, could be the next monarch. The kind of dragon was determined by where the dragon was born.
In this case, a sea dragon was heir to the ice dragon's throne, the very throne that the dragon smith had come to desire in his years of hiding. He had realized that in order to forge creations even greater than he'd ever done before, he'd need the power of the throne and the resources of the kingdom. He needed to give up something valuable to him to gain more.
***
The dragon smith approached the stone throne of the ice dragon, the open-aired throne room letting cold ocean wind blow through. Torches sputtered in their niches on pillars holding up a domed ceiling. Waves crashed on rocks far below, an open drop to certain death if you couldn't fly. The beach spanned for miles in either direction, the stormy sea relentless.
Your Majesty, he growled. I have come to wish to be voted onto the throne as the next ruler.
The baby sea dragon sat at the foot of the throne, her father towering above her. A gold circlet sat on the king's head, modified over the years, the smith could tell, to become more like a king's crown. Meanwhile, the youngling dragon would probably topple over from the weight of the crown. Her scales were the color of the sea with diamond-blue eyes. Her talons and horns were sharp and pearly white, matching her father's.
The king hissed at the dragon smith, "You will never sit upon the throne. You are not even from this kingdom, already disqualifying you. Where have you been for all these years? Where is the circlet?" An underlying message was as clear as day: You dare take the sacred crown that had been in the hands of monarchs for generations, regardless of if you had made it or not?
The smith snorted. Your kingdom is dying. The dragons are dying out. The golden age is gone. Don't you see? I wish for my treasures to remain safe and to forge even greater treasures to help the kingdom, but I would need the power behind the throne. Save your kingdom by the sacrifice of making it mine.
"We know what you caused in the past," the king said icily. "You brought ruin to the Kingdom of Dragons. Begone, and never return." The dragon smith lifted his head. I have also brought a gift. He revealed the silver circlet from a pouch around his neck. The king's eyes widened, hungry for the circlet. He met the smith's eyes with an icy gaze, and faintly smiled.
"Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement."
To be continued...
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