Argus...he was finally going to Argus - the once Kingdom of the Light that had been razed so terribly in the last war against the Darkness even the land had not recovered.  Pyren flew overhead as part of the escort to his Uncle, King Julian.  His deep crimson red scales were easily seen in the sky as he flew with Princess Seirian and Prince Kai.  These were the two younger children of his Uncle, and also those Pyren was personally responsible for taking care of.  It wasn't that they couldn't take care of themselves.  They weren't that young even by dragon standards, but he had been responsible for training them for the last decade or so.  Both of them were crimson red dragons just as he was, but a bit smaller...especially Seirian.  Not that such mattered as his cousins were still lethal combatants in the air.  His eldest cousin was not with them on this trip to the Council, but had to remain behind in command of Pyralis, the Dragon Kingdom.  He would not have fit in at the Council considering he desired war above all else, but from what Pyren had heard...war was coming anyway.  There had been rumors of late in Pyralis of trouble along Eirwen's borders.  Indeed, he had heard of raids on villages, and worse.  Some of the things he had heard seemed to be a definitive indication of the return of Darkness.<br/><br/>As much as Pyren hated war - he was also exceptionally good at it...in theory.  He had never really had to fight in a war or battle as yet with the exception of minor skirmishes which took place from time to time in Pyralis.  In theory, however, he was exceptionally talented at tactics and strategy, and if it came to war - he would fight.  The mood of his two cousins was clear:  excited, concerned, wary, and nervous.  He had to remind himself that Seirian had never been beyond the borders of their home, but Kai had...his own nervousness and excitement based more on who would be at the Council than anything else - or so Pyren surmised.  He had been among Humans and Elves, and had even studied with the Elves for his training in the Natural and Healing magic.  Experiencing the world for the first time beyond the realm he had grown up in had been exciting and filled with nervousness.  Such things, Pyren remembered clearly, and he smiled to himself as his cousins flew on either side of him.  He still remembered meeting Isilnaur for the first time, and their many years spent together as he learned from her about healing and nature.  Now, as they flew ever closer to the crystalline castle of Argus; Pyren found he missed her presence.  They had not seen each other in the past twenty-plus years, but this was a short time for Elves and Dragons.  Pyren wondered how Kai would react to seeing Queen Eira again.  His cousin had actually helped the Ice Queen several times, and had even been engaged to her at one point.  Pyren, for his part, had never seen Eira, and wondered at what she was like.<br/><br/>Far below rode King Julian with a full company of his elite guard:  200 soldiers armed on foot, and ready to change to their dragon form on a moment's notice.  At first, Pyren had not liked the idea of his Uncle bringing an entire company of troops.  After all, they had to march through other lands, and other rulers might be rather nervous seeing so many draconian troops marching by.  Yet, Pyren had decided not to question his Uncle; for he had learned to trust the King in such matters.  There was trouble stirring, and if a battle were to happen - then the King wanted to be ready.  Indeed, he had told his heir before leaving to make sure the borders were on high alert.  Prince Andras had gladly agreed to keep extra vigilance over the borders; for he delighted in all things to do with war.  If anyone was to remain behind and defend the kingdom other than his Uncle; it would have been Andras.  Though a full company of King Julian's elite marched with him; it really was still a small force all things considered.<br/><br/>In the distance, Pyren could see the crystal towers of the one time capital of Argus glowing in the sunlight.  They would be arriving shortly, and as they made their way towards the castle - Pyren noted the banner of Eirwen already present.  The Ice Queen had already arrived.  He had not had any interaction with the other royal families from the other realms as yet, but then he had been busy studying with the Elves, and teaching his cousins.  With the Ice Queen's arrival - he knew others could not be far behind.  Other banners already flew to show their arrival, but there were a couple still missing...his Uncle's for one.  He wondered how long it had been since King Julian had been to the crystal castle of Argus.  His Uncle had been around for the last war against the Darkness, and he would remember how the land once looked before the war.  Now, Pyren could actually see the damage left over from when Argus had been razed.  The land was still suffering even after all these years.  He almost immediately wanted to sweep down and try his experiment in order to restore the land, but that would have been the height of stupidity.  No one would realize his desire to purge the land of the wound it had suffered with his idea of dragon fire.  Instead, they would have thought he was trying to attack them, or even worse...just showing off and being reckless.  Neither of these options appealed to him.  Thus, he restrained his desire to begin immediately.  Besides, that was not why they had come to Argus.  He was there to listen in Council, watch for trouble, and get to know the other ruling families.<br/><br/>Yet, the pain Argus was in called out to his soul, and it was not something he would ignore for long.  Indeed, he wanted to talk to the Council about the experiment he was working on.  He was sure they would be highly intrigued by his idea, but this particular Council session was for the growing threat of Darkness...not some idea he had not yet the merit to back up.  That would require him studying the damage done to Argus, but he also felt restoring the land would be a huge blow to the Darkness.  It would have also been a massive boon to the Elves - whose kingdom this had once been.  That alone would have been fantastic help in boosting the morale of everyone - the Elves most of all.  Such reasoning was what he wanted to bring to Queen Eira's attention.  Though he did not know her; her realm was one of the most principle enemies of Darkness.  Naturally, he would likely have to wait until after his Uncle had introduce him, and then after the original Council meeting...or during a break.<br/><br/>It was not long before his Uncle and company arrived at the crystalline castle, and with their arrival - Pyren swept down with his cousins...the sunlight glancing off their crimson scales in an array of beauty - though not as magnificent as the castle's glittering towers.  Once on the ground outside the castle with his Uncle; Pyren and his cousins changed to their human-like forms - complete with clothing and armament.  Only Prince Kai was armed in the traditional manner of the other draconians.  Seirian was simply attired in a fire blue dress - which actually flickered with blue flames at the fringes of the skirt - though nothing caught fire.  Pyren, however, wore the silvery chainmail his Uncle had given him personally, but over this he wore his emerald robe edged in silver flame as given by the Elves he had trained with.  He bowed to his Uncle who smiled grimly in return, and then led his family inside to the Council room...that which had once served at the Throne Room of Light.  To Pyren, it was absolutely stunningly beautiful, but something about it all made the place seem...lonely.  It was almost as if the place missed those who had once filled the halls.