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saphiraaeragon
Long ago, in a land of merciless frost, the ice was rife with magic and mystery. It brought forth titanic shifts and white annihilation. Living in the land of ice was a notorious battle for survival and perseverance, one that few endured; and those that did, the tests and trials only grew harsher.
But despite all the cold and chaos, not all that comes from the ice is bad. For within the ice, was a seed for redeeming life, waiting for the right time to sprout. And sprout it did, one cold summer morning on the Cloudscape Crags, when a giant glacier slammed into another, causing it to crack, and reveal a single abandoned dragon egg inside. The egg, despite its cold surroundings, emanated a warm internal feeling, and gradually began to thaw as cracks spread across the surface of the shell. And out of the egg through the cracks poked the sharp snout of a young Skydancer.
She pushed her way out, innocent and new to this cold white world. But despite being alone and unsure of everything, she greeted it with a broad smile.
"Hello!" was the first word she said, greeting the world around her with a cheeriness that was rare in these parts. Her curiosity and naivety didn't care for the ice's bite, but rather she began wondering and looking around, learning all she could about her nearby area. It was only after a few days of this that she asked herself, "Who am I? And how did I get here?" She thought a while, and imagined all the possible ways she could have possibly come out of the ice; maybe the ice was her mom or dad? Maybe her parents lost her in the ice? Maybe she was a magical mutant? As she mused, she hummed. This humming led her to decide to name herself Mneme, a name she thought sounded nicely like her hummed tunes.
She began to wander and explore, learn of the land and its inhabitants, of other dragons, and of the ice. While everything that inhabited the ice was cold and unforgiving, allowing the frost to glaze their souls, Mneme had something special; an inner warms, an everburning icefire that would never peter out and would always protect her from the harshness the ice had to offer.
It was weeks after this that Mneme happened upon a clan of dragons in the land of ice, which amazed her! All she'd seen were other creatures, but to learn there were others like her elated her. She flew over, and was greeted kindly as a stranger. The two founders, the progenitors, greeted her, and offered her a permanent place in their clan, is she so wished. All she asked was , "Can I still go out to explore the ice?", to which they replied "Of course" was all she needed to happily agree.
She spent her days there, learning of new dragons, elemental flights, and all there was to know about the land of Sornieth; she was amazed to hear that there were lands of earth and green and not ice and frost. Her kindness and warmth shone like a beacon and bonded the clan with her faster than ever thought by anyone; she became the heart of the clan, an eternal flame within the cold.
Then, one day, tragedy befell the clan. The leaders, the progenitors, had fallen ill and decided to exalt themselves to the service of the Icewarden in exchange for medical care. While sad to see them go, the clan understood the implications and mourned the lost while simultaneously respecting it. They announced they'd be picking an heir to the position of clan leader, and allowed every dragon member who wished to nominate anyone aside from themselves.
By now, Mneme was a grown mature Skydancer, who wasn't as naive as she was in her youth, but retained that sense of kindheartedness and childish wonder. She sat in that meeting respectfully, hoping to help nominate one of the more veteran combative dragons to be the next leader. However, she was surprised when a surprising amount of dragons nominated her to be the new leader,
"What?..." she asked, in genuine bewilderment, "I-I'm honored, but... I was expecting you all to pic someone strong, experienced, stoic and strategic. Someone to lead the clan through thick and thin and all manner of hardships."
The leaders smiled at her and said, "But don't you see? You already are everything you described a leader of this clan needs. You lead with your heart more than your head. You have grown much, young one, and have exemplified you can only grow more. If the majority of the clan says you're fit to be a great leader, there must be at least a flake of truth to it."
She kneeled before them, and they came up to her, resting a hand on each of her shoulders; this would be it - her initiation and coronation. "Do you accept the responsibility of taking the clan under your wings and warming them through the harshest winters?"
There was a pause, and a tense silence. Mneme took a deep breath heard by all, and spoke with deep conviction: "I do!"
They rested the crown on her head and touched a finger each to her forehead, "Arise, Queen Mneme, and hold your spot with honor and responsibility."
She stood up straight and proud, facing her clan; "I will, I promise! With all my heart!"
And with that, the leaders exalted themselves, never to be seen again. And Mneme rules over the clan to this very day with kindness and mercy.
(Hope you like it!)
