Chapter Text
Since yesterday’s feast, Zack feels he knows what to expect when they enter the Great Hall: some food set at the long table, faces smiling and partaking in wines, some light banter and chatter, and maybe a touch of music this time.
But when he and his family step into the Great Hall for dinner once more, it’s as if he walks into it for the first time again. The lighting is brighter than before. The chandelier seems to twinkle and bounces more across the walls than yesterday almost as though they were stars in the night sky. The hall itself seems more rich and vibrant, gold shadows splayed across the columns and paintings.
Music. Music fills every crevice of the air, hanging upon every gentle breath and filling the quiet pockets of stillness settled upon them. Lute and lyre players strum their strings in gentle, angelic harmony. Violins playfully squeal in time and in tune with their string brethren, adding a jaunty bounce to the soft strings as the cellos beside them breathe a deep rumble to the playful piece. Tambourines smack out jingled rhythms, keeping the tempo and adding a flare to the strings, accompanying them perfectly. Finally, dulcians and recorders blow out whistles reminiscent of birds calling a good morning to the rising sun, standing in place of vocals to add their own unique rhythm to the musical piece.
Some of the Lucian staff as well as some other faces Zack hasn’t seen dance to the tune in the open pockets of space not filled with tables or instruments or chairs. They look so carefree. But not only that. Among the dancers, Zack’s bright, wide eyes spy tails and horns affixed to some of them－dragons. They dance close to others, which upon careful, excited glances, Zack can tell they dance with their handlers.
It’s so warm, bright, and lively. It’s so much different from the feast last night. This feels like an extravagant banquet!
“Aaah!” Cloud squeals breathlessly, his bright eyes reflecting the twinkling chandelier crystals. “Bello! Molto Bello!!”
Zack finally pulls his eyes away from the hall and towards his baby dragon, perched upon his shoulder grappling to a few strands of his hair.
“It is pretty, isn’t it?” His face beams a rosy red as his lips pull up into a smile, taking just a moment to scratch under his dragon’s chin, which elicits happy squeaks and purrs from him.
“Wow, look Gen.” Angeal grabs his dragon’s attention before he jerks his head forward to motion to some of the handlers and dragons dancing.
“Didn’t think they’d be inviting some the members of our little group here.” Genesis responds with an inflection of warm surprise.
That catches Zack’s attention. His uncle and his dragon know who some of those dragons and handlers are?
“Hey, you’re here!”
Zack turns his head, his curiosity effectively stolen and redistributed, where further down the Great Hall he sees Noctis waving at them. The young Marquees glances behind him, where his father, The Duke, sits at the head of the table. Looks like he says something, which pulls the eyes of The Duke upon them standing near the doors.
Just like last night, Duke Regis taps a golden fork against his chalice three times, the high-pitch rings carrying over the sounds of chatter and music. The sounds and voices slowly murmur down until silence remains as eyes fall upon The Duke.
“Good evening, all. I trust you are all having a splendid time so far?”
A rumbled chorus of agreement swells throughout the room.
“I would like to thank the busy members of the Dragon Army that came down from the castle for making the time to join us for this banquet. My thanks for you supporting my son and his dragon during missions and battle.” He raises his glass to those that were once dancing.
Zack’s eyes can’t help but dart back over to the prior dancers with excitement festering in him like the rolling boil of a hot cauldron over flame. So these handlers and dragons are members of the army?? How exciting!! He didn’t think he would be meeting them this soon! After all he’s still a bit too young to enlist, so he figured he wouldn’t be meeting any of them until he was of age! What a pleasant and exciting surprise!
But at the same time… Genesis said ‘members of their little group’. But as far as he’s aware, his uncle nor his dragon are members of the Dragon Army. So… how do they know them? What kind of group were they talking about?
“And my thanks again, to the house of Hewley and Fair,” Duke Regis reclaims eyes and focus on him again. “Without your actions my son and his dragon would have never come home. I do hope the music is up to standards, and I’ve made sure to have even more exquisite food for tonight, as well as some entertainment further down the line. This banquet is in your honor, and please, do enjoy your stay with us.”
Another toast is given. Chorus of light and deep agreements and cheers rumble and soar into the air, echoing across the Great Hall like a marvelous choir.
Zack attempts to fight a rubicund blush from his face but knows without a doubt he fails to as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. Cloud makes an endearing, shy squeak and hides his own blushing face in his Master’s hair, tail coiling around his right leg. Genesis drinks up his second honorable toast, puffing out his chest with a wild grin on his face. Angeal smiles at his own dragon’s reaction, but bows very gently and small at the toast.
“With that said, let us partake in the feast.” Duke Regis smiles, toasting his chalice one last time before seating himself again.
The music starts up again, only a bit more quiet than before as the handlers and dragons break away from the dance floor and head to the extra plated seats set at the long table, while Zack and his family head to the same seats they sat in the night before. Though, his eyes can’t help but eagerly stare at the others from the Dragon Army as they take their seats.
He sees a brown-haired man with a wicked scar across his face sit down next to a blond-haired humanoid dragon with the same kind of scar on his face, only mirrored. They must be paired, judging by how close they sit. Though Zack wants to know how they got those scars on their faces.
But a sight even more shocking than those mirrored scars passes by; a long, black-haired man with two dragons at his side. He actually pauses to ruffle the hair of the brown-haired handler, who immediately swats him away and huffs at him. The black-haired handler just laughs and grins brightly, while the thinner, darker dragon on his right rolls his eyes and punches his handler’s shoulder.
The large, bulky dragon on the handler’s left looks like he waves an apology at the brown-haired handler and his dragon before they all step away to head further down the table with their handler laughing something warm and loud. For some reason the handler’s attitude reminds Zack of himself.
Another pair to pass by definitely catches Zack’s eye. The handler looks proud and flamboyant, much like Genesis in terms of style and outward attitude. The only differences between the two is their hair and stature; this handler’s hair is long, feathery and silver, and he’s much shorter than Genesis. But he has an air around him that reminds him so much of his uncle’s dragon from sight alone.
The humanoid dragon with blond-hair wrapped up in a tie next to him looks rambunctious and spry, a furry tail instead of a scaly tail flicks behind him sporadically as he follows his handler. His demeanor seems similar to Prompto’s at a glance.
One other pair passes by Zack’s eyes and he watches them walk further down the table; catching a glimpse of a rather young-looking spiky, brown-haired handler with his hands behind his head, and his dragon walking next to him with medium-length silver hair and a small, soft smile. The handler looks like he’s barely older than Zack at a glance, but if he’s part of the Dragon Army, then he knows that handler has to at least be 17.
Those are the only dragon and handler pairs he spies at this banquet. Then again, Genesis did say some, not all. His mind can’t help but think what ‘little group’ means. Because he knows his family isn’t involved directly with the army, aside from performing the blacksmithing work for their weapons, so how else would they know these individuals?
But when his stomach growls, it kills the thoughts brewing in his head. Mayhap he’ll ask about it later, when he’s not hungry and gotten some food in him. So, he gets to work in assembling his and Cloud’s plate, just like last night. Though he changes it up from last night as well; adding different things, taking away others, trying new things. Until what do you know, he’s got a wonderfully made plate for his dragon and himself!
Cloud is already up and swiping at the food on his plate before Zack even gives the okay, it has him laughing as he simply scoots the plate closer to the ornery babe.
“So, you’re the pair the General has been talking about.” A voice speaks up.
Zack pulls his eyes from his plate and rights them ahead of him, where they show him the sight of the scarred handler and dragon sitting across from him. It had been the brown-haired handler to speak, who does so with a rough but quietly kind voice.
“It’s nice to put names to faces, Apprentice Handler, Zack.” He greets.
“Oh, The General has talked about us?” Zack sheepishly laughs, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.
Cloud is too absorbed in his meal to pay attention, batting at a few olives on his plate as though they were balls with jingly bells in them.
“Yeah. Talked about wanting to enlist an ‘interesting’ pair when they came of age and dropped your names. Ah, but before I get too far, name’s Squall, member of the Dragon Army. And to my right is－”
“I can introduce myself, Chickenwuss.” The blond-haired, mirrored scar dragon growls. “Seifer’s the name.”
Zack doesn’t even have to have Seifer tell him; he already knows what type of dragon he is－a Kazilik, just like his uncle’s. Though he’s much broader than Genesis. His horns are thicker like that of a ram’s, and his tail is thicker and longer as well. He’d probably be quite the bulky dragon in his full form.
“Nice to see I’m not the only hot-blooded one here.” Seifer mentions as his eyes catch sight of Genesis further down the table, partaking in a heaping pile of cooked and raw meats with refinery in his posture. “Though he looks weak-flamed and prissy as all hell.”
Zack feels a fire brewing in his gut to defend Genesis’s stature, even though he well knows he doesn’t have to prove anything. “You’d be surprised－he’s extremely fiery. He just has decent table manners thanks to my uncle.” He finds himself saying.
That gets Squall to huff out an amused laugh, especially noting how Seifer tears into a crab like a starved, wild animal. Seifer turns heated eyes on him but doesn’t say anything more, just takes more vicious bites of crab with his sharp teeth.
“My dragon is quite the crude one, you’ll have to excuse his foul attitude.” Squall smirks.
“I think that’s just an ingrained Kazilik trait.” Zack laughs. Gets Squall to do the same.
“So, are those guys down there part of the army too?” He finds himself asking as his eyes glance down the rows of individuals and their respective dragons, feasting and talking alike with raucous laughter and smiles.
“Yeah.” Squall nods. “There’s more of us, but they either couldn’t make it today or are already away on missions. You know us already. A little further down, that moron with the two dragons is Laguna. And yes, those dragons are both bonded to him. How he managed that I still don’t know.”
“You mean you don’t care to ask.” Seifer corrects around another large bite of crab.
“Whatever. His dragons are Kiros and Ward, but you can ask about them yourself later. Beyond them are Handler Kuja and his dragon Zidane, and beyond them are Handler Sora and his dragon Riku.”
So now Zack too has faces to go with names. He can’t wait to see what they’re like throughout the night. He could talk to them now sure, but they have a warm feast to partake in, then games to play! It’s definitely going to be a fun night for sure!