"Quality" Time [private: Halotene]

He never understood why he was always being bustled about. For the young taracnor life had simply been divided between sleeping, eating, and playing with his younger sister. But now he was being taken to a new place in the Equine Palace. Bane thought to ask where he was being taken and why, but decided to just wait and see instead. The mare that usually watched over him was with him now and she was eager to get rid of the mischievous child. "Now Bane, remember your manners and behave." She said sternly as she trotted along, nipping him every so often when he was going a bit too slow for her taste.

As the two made their way, Bane looked carefully about the corridor, seeing the many weapons that hung about the walls as well as the other decorations. As they neared the end of their journey, they came to a large door. The mare gave a snort as she walked up to it and hit her hoof against the metal part of it and stood back to wait for an answer.

"Enter."

A solemn, though somehow seemingly borderline psychotic voice answered the resonant hoof knocking. The tall door opened as if on its own to reveal the 1st Lieutenant's chamber, decorated richly in burgundy with gold trim. Xathiador's symbol, the notorious X framed by two vertical lines ornamented in gold most of the hanging banners. Occasionally the X would be alighted by an additional symbol above it--that of Lieutenant; two horizontal lines, the top one with an upwards loop in it. Halotene himself donned this symbol branded on his shoulder--and with the utmost pride.

The 1st Lieutenant focused his honey eyes directly on the Taracnor. "Well, well, well, the hatchling. You are dismissed, maid," he glanced briefly at the mare to issue his order. "Do come in, my little six-legged friend." Halotene began to approach the creature, welcomingly (what Halotene would think of as welcoming, at least). "How sweet of you to pay your uncle a visit. Come, I have some things to show you."

Bane was quite amazed at the sheer glory of the many things that hung or lay about the chamber. Four bright orange eyes looked all over the room until they finally lay on Halotene. Something about him made him feel both a sense of awe and fear. Unsure of what to say, he remained silent.

Not wanting to anger the Lieutenant, the mare hastily made her retreat, happy to not have to deal with the dragon for awhile.

"Hello Lieutenant Halotene." Bane said, remembering that he was warned to show his manners. Somewhat cautiously he walked toward the stallion, his ears low and his eyes glancing up at him slightly before looking down again. He was nervous and unsure that could be said. His fluffy baby down stood slightly on end. Once again he found himself wondering why he was here.

"Please, call me Uncle Halotene. Xathiador and I are here to protect you. But, you can also help protect those we are protecting. Did you know that?" his tone was sugary and down-talking, but all the same it was not a false sugar-coating--there was a genuineness about it. "How would that be, to protect those you love in the name of those who are protecting you? Isn't that everybody's dream? With everyone thinking that way, no would would ever feel unsafe!" The piebald drifted towards a desk, that he gazed at, and then whose drawer slid open. In the drawer were a myriad of shining medallions and Regime paraphernalia. Halotene looked at the young dragon, waiting for his reaction--waiting for his answer.

((Sorry, these might end up being relatively short poses since this 'scene' relies heavily on interactions))

((It's ok. ))

"Protecting me from who? And I can protect someone too?" Bane had never thought he'd be able to protect anything considering how small he was and he had definitely ever thought that he was being protected. Up until now life had been so secure that he didn't even think about danger. "I'd like that a lot Lieu- I mean Uncle Halotene." He said with a small smile, following with a bit more eagerness in his step. As he looked at the desk, he peered into the drawer, sniffing a bit and perking up his ears some. "What's all of this stuff Uncle Halotene?" He asked as he looked up at the paint, his tail flicking a bit as he waited to see what he would say.

"Ah, young Bane--that is your name, is it not?--you see, there are many people who think that Xathiador is not fit to be king. They couldn't be more wrong. Those are folks who are still living in the dark ages--the ages when you had to be scared for your life almost always. There are unexplainable evils in the Olde Woods, let alone the Mountains. This was a time when no one could ever be sure of anything--they couldn't be sure if they could eat the next day, or if monsters from the forest or other civilizations would ravage their crops, or village, or family. it was all highly decorated, of course. The royalty of the time was rich and happy--and while they were benevolent and did everything to keep their citizens' minds off of the horrible ordeals that were a daily occurrence at the time, they failed to truly protect them. The ravaging still happened--the army of old was never strong enough to put a permanent end to the suffering. They spent too much time trying to distract and appease their citizens that they could not target the real problem.

"Today, it is a different story. Xathiador's regime is more than strong enough. The monsters from the woods and the mountains don't dare stand up to us. The other Civilizations don't either, and if they do, they are fools. We are the strongest, and we will crush those who threaten our families. We are so strong that the citizens themselves can peacefully mind their crops and their daily needs while the Diomedean Army protects them. The citizens have time to grow more crops now, rather than having to serve in the army. They have enough time to feed the Diomedean Army as well, so they do. Of course, the crops the Citizens grow are not the Diomedeans' favorite food, so we sell and trade it to the other Civilizations, and in return, we have enough wealth to decorate every citizen.

"Look out here for a moment, young Bane," he gestured toward the wall and pulled back the curtain with his muzzle. Outside, down on the ground, a small but organized dark mass of horses were lined up, facing the woods. They took off in pairs toward the woods, and their chants could be heard faintly from the tower window. "Those are the Diomedeans. They are meat eaters, like you--and they are going on a hunt. They will also bring back food to you tonight."

"So what will you do? You are being protected--these medals in this drawer are proof of that. They are symbols of many obstacles overcome. There is one in here for you, too--one that even says your name. It is there for you when you decide to become a protector of our cause here. So what do you say? Will you join Captain Amaliricus and train to become a soldier? He will make you strong, and with your strength you can always ensure your protection, and the protection of those you love." Halotene smiled his crooked and cocky smile and looked down upon the little ball of fur.

"Your only enemy is doubt now, son; doubt in Xathiador's glorious Regime."

The little dragon took all of this in greedily. He was amazed at all that Halotene told him. He'd never realized just how powerful the Equine civilization was. If they were protecting the ones they loved then they must be good. And whatever lay out there, if it wanted to harm it must be bad. His young mind repeated this and mulled it over as Halotene spoke. When the horse gestured to the wall, he moved over and leaned against the ledge as he peered out of the window. With his keen eyesight, he was able to make out some detail from the black figures below. They definitely looked like fierce horses, strong ones. It was all so exciting and new, his ears pricked as he watched the party go off in search of food. As Halotene asked his question he felt little need for hesitation. "Yes! Yes! I wanna be strong and a soldier." He said eagerly, smiling cheerfully now as he looked up now admiringly at the Lieutenant.

"Yes, yes, Bane; that is the right choice if you want to become stronger. And so, for making that decision, this medal belongs to you, Private. It is Bronze now, but as you get stronger so will it." The medal lifted itself out of the drawer, bronze, with Bane's name engraved on it boldly right under the shining, embossed symbol of Xathiador's Regime. The ribbon it was attached to was a dark burgundy, satin, with gold trim. A gold tassel hung from behind the medal. It settled around Bane's neck.

Halotene leaned in close to Bane and spoke in a low tone, "Now, remember to remain true to your word. Nothing will harm you ever again if you do. Promise? Doubt is your only enemy--have no doubt, and you are undefeated." He resumed his normal stance and raised his voice to the usual tone. "Now, you must meet Amaliricus ro begin your training, Private Bane." That twisted grin came over his face.

The little dragon watched as the medal settled itself around his neck. His tail flicked a bit as he looked down at it fondly and proudly. He still didn't completely understand much about war terms and the like, but all he knew was that he had a medal and that he was safe. Excited, he looked up at Halotene and began to speak. "Uncle Halotene can you show me where he is? I don't really know where Captain Amarilicus is." He said, his ears lowering some in embarrassment.