As the youngest sibling of any of the children, his place was at the foot of the long stone slab. He had plenty of time to think on the long march to the tomb of his family. Long corridors and twisted tunnels slid past as he thought of the loss his dead brother represented. There was no way to repay the debt he felt he had brought upon himself, and his status in the family was no consolation. As the youngest, he would never rise to the power that hi older siblings would, nor would he garner the prestige needed to leave his family, he simply didn't feel the need to be more than he was.
He thought of the dancing blade of his brother, who had been one of the premier Bladesingers of the family and the community as whole, the pride of his parents. The shock of his death took days to settle in his household. How could the cherished son of a high priest be taken in such, such… happenstance? The whole event was a complete accident. His brother had taken him on a kobold raid to sharpen his hunting skills. They had a strange bond, as two magnets, one brother was the embodiment of all that the family was to be, and the other would never be more than noble in name only. Alexander may as well have been adopted, for all his importance to the family. As long as he didn't embarrass himself (and thus the family) he was tolerated. He wandered about aimlessly. In his spare time, Hysun would take him into the recesses of the Underdark and sometimes to the borders, where they could hunt the lesser civilizations with relative impunity.
It was on one of these excursions that they came upon an old, though well worn trail. With nothing to do, and Hysun not pressured with one of his numerous classes, they decided to investigate this potential source of entertainment. Alexander skin grew cold with the thought of them joking about how much carnage they wreak on the little doglike people who used this path. If only he could change it… If only he could make up for the loss of his brother, the only person to ever listen to him, to pay real attention to him.
The trail led them through a tight tunnel system, easily navigated and adding to the excitement of their hunt. They missed a few signs that Alexander would never again forget, though at the time they were trivial. A turn in the tunnel led them up, a small stream of water cut its course in the rock at their feet as they climbed the gradual slope. At the top, they came upon a small opening blocked by built up refuse. Peeking through the old stalks of fungus and small broken bodies of animals once fed upon, the cave on the other side of this garbage seemed huge. The opposite wall crawled with the little smelly vermin they were after, and they grew excited at the prospect of the mayhem they would unleash on them before disappearing back into their little hole.
In the silent language of their peoples warriors and hunters, the two brothers plotted the destruction of the community before them. A movement on the other side of the refuse pile caught their attention, and they strained to see what it was. The shuffling continued, just out of sight behind the trash and vegetation. Unable to contain themselves, they decided to pounce. With the prey so near, they were sure to maintain the shock of their arrival. Plus the idea of announcing their presence with the lifeless victims flung into the midst of the little creatures was too sweet to pass up.
Curled up like a cat, Hysun crouched behind the shield of garbage, his blade extended behind him in the low tunnel as he listened for the sound to come near. In a blur, his brother shot out of the opening, immediately followed by a shocked roar. Moving up immediately behind his brother, he was only fast enough to get the best view of the umberhulk that crushed the life out of his dearest sibling even before the man could get his bearings.
In the eternity that the roar of the female umberhulk echoed through the Underdark, Alexander took in the impossible scene. His brother had leapt out onto a wide ledge bordering a great crevasse, the opposite of which teamed with the foul little vermin they had thought to torment. This near side of the cave was occupied by mating umberhulk, easily seen and ignored by the kobold from the safety of the far wall. Hysun had sprung between a mother and her children. In shock and panic, he grabbed the nearest boot of his brother and dragged him back into the small crawlspace. There, in the wet filth he clung to his brothers broken body, wracked with sobs and screaming his despair.
By the time he was spent from his shock and mourning he carried the limp, broken body of his brother back to Hysun's quarters. He could tell by the shifting and grating of bones in his chest that his insides were destroyed. There was nothing to repair there, his ribs had been shattered and driven through his lungs and the spine had been completely separated in a few places, giving the impression that hi brother lay there shrugging.
Taken care of by clergy, Hysun lay looking as tall and stately as he had ever been, his back straight and his head lay in a position so as to project the pride he had in himself and that so many had in him. And here stood young Alexander appropriately at the feet of one so respected.
And there he stood long after the procession had left the tomb, leaving a grieving child at the feet of one he adored. Looking up into the darkness of the chamber, he began to pray. This prayer was both lament for the foolishness of his life and request for guidance. Silently he implored the gods of his people to help him. As he rose, he looked down at the lifeless body and said aloud, "I wish only that I had direction in this wasted life." Closing his eyes he then silently apologized to his brother for distracting him from is stately affairs and responsibilities, though he knew his brother enjoyed their activities.
Opening his eyes, absolute darkness greeted him. The torches had gone out, he realized. Or had they? The chamber suddenly felt different, the air moved differently, the room felt somehow, larger? Yes, he felt as though the walls had disappeared, the pressing closeness of the tomb was gone altogether. Raising his head he felt something else. Another presence, as though he was being watched. "What trickery is this?" he asked aloud, not wanting to sound weak, though he was in fact scared to the bone.
"I am the answer to your prayers." The deep voice vibrated his whole body, at once both near and distant and a tinge of humor colored it.
"My…" He stopped, the implications of his situation hitting him with the cold brutality of reality. He turned slowly, completely unprepared for what lay before him.
Looking up into the shiny, intelligent eyes of the green dragon froze the very breath in his chest. The massive green head resting on two powerful limbs of a radiant green, the scales and flesh seeming to dance in the light suddenly provided. The rippling, coursing hide of the dragon did nothing to detract from the power playing in the muscles of the great beast. An enormous pile of material wealth lay under the arms and head of the adult green dragon, his horde. Goblets, coins, gems, jewelry enough to put all the families to shame. And the sheer power of the creature resting on his prizes.
"You are mine now, little one." The dragon continued. "You have been delivered to me, with this" at that a small luminescent sphere floated from over the dragons shoulder to float between them. "The spirit of another of your kind."
"Another of my…" his shock gave way to his curiosity
and his last words were a whisper. "Hysun."
"Come, little one, we have much to do." The great
head lifted, revealing the long, sinuous neck and
powerful body attached to it. The creatures head
alone was daunting, but the body of this beast as it
turned and walked slowly from the great cave dwarfed
anything he had ever known. He followed dumbly, only
vaguely aware of the dragon's next words. "Or rather,
you do."