Laochia knew it.. as she knew her clan knew it. The only person who was not aware of why he was different was the boy himself. As Lao took the time to study her son's pensive counterance, a piece of her heart broke. The other Sapphire children with their sparkling deep blue hair ignored him, or they teased him with the taunt 'Bastard'. They wished not to accept him for his White blood.
"Fools," she muttered darkly. J�kull was a good and obediant child, who held a lot of promise. A bit shy, but Laochia could understand why her son picked up that affliction. How could one hope not to be shy when others openly shun him? Well, all save the King Sapair II. Sapair, Lao's dear friend and liege lord, had taken interest in J�kull and the other half breed boy Eion, much to the others' jealousy.
Lao smiled. She just could not help it. At that moment, she heard her son's name called.
"J�kull!!"
Eyes the similar hue as his mother jerked up at the sound of his name. A wide smile began to grow upon his lips as he took note of his friend's approach. The smile had managed to reach the boy's aquamarine eyes.
Eion shared J�kull's fate of being shun. But, where as Eion's other half was Silver, the blood line was still acceptable to the others. Silvers were well liked and welcomed among their clan. Unlike J�kull's White. He could feel their intense gaze upon him like they were waiting for him to turn evil as White's were reputed.
"J�kull!" Once again Eion called out his friend's name. A jovial boy. Eion balanced J�kull's somber mannerisms.
J�kull offered his friend another warm smile. "Eion?"
Without another word, even though he was panting from his short run, the boy took his friend's caramel hand into his own. "Come," he urged. A lock of silver fell promptly into prism eyes, but this did not distract Eion none. Nope, on the other hand it only added to his boyish charm. "King Sapair asked me to fetch you.. so we can continue our training." The boy's voice grew more animated, dragging his friend behind him. "And..and he said he had a gift for us."
"Really?" J�kull asked? He had no other recourse but to follow Eion or else be dragged. His friend's excitement was contagious, and J�kull found himself laughing.
Witnessing her son's carefree laughter, a weight felt lifted free from her shoulders. Lao knew J�kull's life was not an easy one. Neither was her own life to be exact. There were a few within her own clan that felt jealous over her high position of War Chief. Sapair II's mother Desinte had commissioned her, not Sapair, much as she feared in the past. She felt she earned her job fairly, and she did. Desinte had recognized her sheer will of strength to fight for what she wanted in life and rewarded Laochia.
'Which reminds me,' she thought as she followed the two boys. 'I do have to thank Sapair again for taking my son beneath his wing.' Her Lord and friend was the only one willing to train two half breed boys in the art of fighting. Still, the memory of the Training Captain flatly refusing to train her son and Eion because they were not throughbred Sapphires, rankled Laochia. The need to strangle him with her bare hands itched within her soul.
'Well,' she mentally laughed, 'he did not get the last laugh after all.. Now did he?' Her eyes fell on the man in question. By the standards of their clan, the dracon male was pleasing to the eyes. Well, Laochia heard. She still had an innate fear of men save for Sapair. Ever since her continous rape, the idea of being with a man in that manner repelled Lao.
But as she watched the Training Captain instruct his group of twenty students, Lao felt more pride to know her son would go further than those children. Sapair had told her as much. Eion and J�kull had this fierce will to overcome the barriers placed before them by the other children. Some day in the near future, her son will follow in her family's footsteps and become War Chief after her. The knowledge made her smile.
Turning her triumphant gaze from the Captain, she turned in enough time to watch Sapair saunter towards his two pupils. From her distance, she could detect the awe and respect both boys held for their mentor. Neither of the two ever back talked to their king and followed his strict words to the heart.
Sapair approached the two boys he instructed with a fond smile. As he had done in the past, Sapair's hands shot forward to ruffle both Eion's silvery locks and J�kull's bluish-white hair. This was the King's greeting to the two boys, and they both knew and expected it.
His misty-blue eyes examined his pupils in that shrewd and careful manner. They were still considered hatchlings, but he had this odd tingling feeling both boys would grow up to be fine men. Repectable and loyal men. Men that Sapair would be proud to call his elite guards.
First Sapair's gaze went to Eion, taking in his appearance. Once grown, Sapair had a feeling that Eion would attract many women with his boyish and jokster manner, let alone his looks. The boy's silver hair was shoulder length with some of his bangs a deep sapphire color. The coloration suited Eion's cream caramel complextion, but one's eyes were always drawn to the noticable scar on the bridge of his nose and forehead. Sapair had heard the boy was born with the mark.
"Come here Eion," the King instructed.
Eion did not hesitate but took a sure step towards his leige.
"Eion, I am happy to announce your graduation from wooden swords," Sapair stated as he turned to the stoic Sapphire behind him. The other dracon male laid a long object swapped in glittery blue material. The king turned back towards Eion. "Give me your hands, Eion."
Eion obeyed. His prism eyes wide in wonder as Sapair laid the object in the lad's palms. Eion noticed by the weight what his gift was. A sword. A real metal sword, no wooden one.
Sapair chuckled at the boy's shocked look. "Well," he hedged, "what are you waiting for.. open it."
Shaky hands began to peel back the material, inch at a time. Each time, a piece of the silver embroidered sword was revealed to the wonder of the boy's eyes. "My.. my lord?" The crest of Sapair's family blazed on the pommel. 'Only elite guards receive such weapons.'
"It is yours.. You have earned it." Sapair announced. His gaze fell on J�kull. "J�kull, approach."
Happy for his friend, J�kull too knew what the sword meant. Their king had promised them a position in his elite guards once they were fully grown. Only those who showed great promises got elected for such honor. When Sapair called him forth, J�kull obeyed without question. His mother was loyal and dedicated to this man as was his fore fathers before them. Eion knew of J�kull's secret goal of following in his family's footsteps and becoming War Chief.
Sapair's interest in J�kull was more keener than Eion's. When the king studied over J�kull, he did so very slowly. 'Laochia should feel proud with this one.' Sapair knew he felt pride in this one's accomplishments. J�kull worked harder than any other Dracon that the king knew.
The boy's hair was a mixture of white and blue, that really soft neon blue that was barely noticable far away. His aquarmarine eyes pronounced, taking one's attention immediately. J�kull's body promised that of a great warrior just like his mother and grandfather. 'Once this one is grown,' Sapair speculated, "he too would be hounded by women.. but only because he's quiet, aloof.. and perfect in body.'
"J�kull. Son of the War Chief, Laochia. Since you follow the line of great warriors, I was forced to be harder on you to bring out your true potential." Sapair's eyes never wavered from the boy's. "But, you knew this already. Did you not?"
J�kull nodded. HE did know that king treated him differently than Eion. Sapair never babied or pampered him, but worked him harder.
"Rest assure.. Your fore fathers are proud," the king announced with sparkling eyes, "for you had shown that you are their blood." Waving his hand for the next blanketed object to be placed into his hand, it was easy to see that whatever was beneath that dark material was the same thing as Eion had received. "Give me your hand."
Dutifully J�kull raised his hands, palms up. He felt the weight of the sword instantly.
Sapair rolled his hand to indicate the boy to open his 'gift.'
J�kull's eyes turn in the direction of his mother. He could easily read the pride on her lovely face. {Well, to him his mother was the beautifulest woman on Tiruir} He wanted her to join him in his joyous occasion as he pushed the material free of the silver and gold sword. Different than Eion's, this sword seemed older and yet new at the same time. Thunderstruck, his eyes jumped to the kings.
Lao's eyes widen herself. She recognized her grandfather's blade that Sapair's grandfather had given him. When her grandfather had died, he instructed his son to give the blade back to the current King.
"You earned it," the king's tone was gruff, but that did not stop Sapair from rustling the boy's hair some more. He looked around cautiously, bending close so only Eion and J�kull could hear his words. "Now go strut towards the others.. and show them your pretty new gifts from the king." He winked. Sapair wanted the others to feel jealous of these two's accomplishments.