Generation: Clash
Date: 4. August. 2020
Features: Logan, Virgil, Roman, Remus, Patton, and Janus
Word Count: 2,763
AU: Human; witches/dragon witches

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The guilt that weighed on the minds of Logan and Virgil was unbearably heavy as they separated paths with their friends. Remus, Roman, and Patton had become very good friends with two men that lived outside of the village. The problem came in with the fact that Roman and Remus were part of the Royal Forces- and high up on the chain of command too.

If Virgil and Logan were normal, this would not be a problem. Actually, having two friends that are members of the Royal Forces would be a bolster of near immunity; instead, it was like befriending their own death (or jail sentences).

See, Virgil and Logan were two of the last three members of the Clan. Common folk may not know what exactly the Clan is, but to Virgil, Logan, and Janus? It's all they grew up knowing. Their families were the reason they were who they were. The Clan is the last of the Eastern Kingdom's dragon witches.

Dragon witches are considerably rare in comparison to your standard witches, wizards, and warlocks in the magic bearing community. Dragon witches had found favor in a god by the name of Veles. In return for their continued service, Veles bestowed upon them a power only members born into their clan could bear- the ability to transform into a dragon. This ability lead to them having three forms: human, halfling, and dragon. As halflings, they had scales spotted across their skin, sharper teeth, enhanced abilities and senses, and their eyes took on the vertical slit that was attributed to their dragon side.

The Clan and the Royal Forces have been at odds since the Royal Forces were established. They started fighting nearly a century ago and as a result of the extended fight, only three Clan members remained. Virgil and Logan were consistent in visiting the town to make sure their way of living remained comfortable; but Janus spent most of his time in his dragon or halfling forms, to better defend his brothers and himself. The reason this weight is finally becoming unbearable was the conversation the twins had started during their lunch gathering.

The Royal Forces were making a trip into the woods in an attempt to locate the remaining dragon witches. The twins were leading the battalion. Fate had finally pinned Virgil and Logan against their friends. As the pair neared their shared little cottage, Logan cast a silent spell to prevent anyone unwanted from hearing or seeing them before speaking.

"We can't let them find us, V."

Virgil's frown hadn't wavered once since they entered the tree line and he shot Logan a side-long glance before replying, "I'm aware, Lo. The last thing I want to is to be hurt by the twins- or to hurt the twins."

This admission made Logan feel even worse as he ran his fingers through his hair. It wasn't exactly a well-kept secret that Virgil had feelings for one of the twins. Logan himself understood the dilemma as he felt a mild romantic attraction toward one of them himself (strictly romantic though, as he was asexual, and that was the reason he had never quite breached the topic himself), "We should attempt to contact Veles; and if that fails-" Logan hesitated, hoping that the god that favored their clan wouldn't ignore their pleas as he never had prior, "We'll simply have to protect them from the truth."

Arriving home, they greeted Janus and quickly explained their new knowledge before explaining their plan. After a few minutes of silence, Janus gave his own acknowledgment before adding, "All three of us will reach out to Veles. It would be pleasant to no longer worry about protecting our clan and instead be able to live a more relaxed life. Perhaps it is time to end this feud with the Royal Forces?"

So the trio began preparing specifically to call out to Veles. Logan set about procuring a beautiful black cloth, Virgil traveled into the woods in search of the best cattle he could find, and Janus set up a decent alter with which to focus their energy as they called upon the Clan's protective god. As midnight neared, the trio reconvened, feeling satisfied with the items they had procured and set up.

As the new day dawned, the small Clan greeted it with relief. They had received an answer and a plan, and so they left their home after casting a new glamour over it and went to meet the Royal Forces in human form. This plan wasn't without nervousness, but they all went happily toward their new destiny. Veles promised them a positive outcome, and they knew he would provide; they just had to follow the words he laid out for them.

Deep in the heart of the town, Roman and Remus woke up just as the sun began its ascent. They were mildly startled, but it took mere minutes before they were silently dressed and heading out of their barracks. A shared look told the twins all they needed to know, and they were in agreement- they had to listen to their dream, it was too real to ignore. As they neared the edge of the town, the twins bumped into Patton (who was cleaning up the store front he lived above) and gave a quick greeting to their friend (and relative, Patton was their half-brother)  without stopping.

The twins continued forward, into the woods; until they felt the seemingly magic pull dissipate and they waited, tensed just enough to keep themselves alert. Suddenly, Logan entered the small clearing, followed by Virgil. Both of their friends looking a little anxious, before a third figure entered the clearing. Immediately the twins were on edge, but something felt off.

"Who are you?" Remus blurted, his hand, ready to grab the hilt of his sword if necessary.

"His name is Janus," Virgil spoke softly, glancing between the twins before lowering his gaze slightly.

Roman took a half step forward, angling his body slightly in front of his twin; he was ready to take action if necessary, though none of them wanted that to happen, "Why are we all here?"

"We asked Veles to assist us," Logan began, adjusting his glasses slightly as he shot a look toward Janus.

With a nod, Janus was quick to add,"Veles is our god that we sought protection and guidance from."

"What are you saying?" Remus sounded almost hysterical before rustling from the bushes behind them grabbed everyone's attention.

"I found you all!" Patton's voice cut through the clearing as he jumped out, giving a giant smile at the five others present.

"Pat?" Virgil questioned, his confusion palpable and shared between the others.

Patton let out a soft laugh, "Virge, you didn't think Veles would be the only God present and represented in talks of peace, would you?"

Janus' eyes went wide, "You are the follower from the town!" He exclaimed before shaking his head slightly in disbelief, "You have a god or goddess that requested you as representation?" The three of them were made aware of the presence of another witch in town, but the witch had always flown below the radar and thus made it impossible to find out who they were.

"What is all this talk of gods?" Roman interjected, clearly as confused as his brother.

"At present, Eirene requested my assistance. If peace is to be acquired, it is best to have a third party present, children of Veles."

Logan cleared his throat, "Remus, Roman, and Patton, it is with regret that Virgil and I must reveal we have hidden an important part of ourselves from you."

"My brothers and I," Janus stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Virgil's shoulder in an attempt to keep him from panicking too much, "Are the last of the members of the Clan you seek to destroy."

Silence fell for a moment as Janus' gaze only barely wavered between one stranger to the next. The twins caught on quickly, but Remus was the one that spoke first,  "You're... dragon witches?"

Virgil flinched as though he had been physically slapped, "We weren't trying to hide it from you!"

"That is correct, when we learned you two were to lead the latest raid, we decided that both of you had to be protected from what was to occur as well," Logan added, his head bowing the slightest bit with the guilt he had been attempting to repress.

Patton grinned as he turned to the twins, "We have been friends with Virgil and Logan for a few years now, yes? Are they not good people?"

"They... are..." Roman slowly and quietly agreed, ruffling his hair as he thought things over before speaking again, "What do you hope to achieve, you three?"

It was clear to an outsider that there was an emotional tension between the twins and Logan and Virgil. There were unsaid feelings at play that they had all been tiptoeing around. So it fell to Janus to speak up once more in hopes to further this situation in a positive manner.

"Patton's presence should be answer enough for that," Janus replied delicately, glancing over at the unexpected sixth person (he would never admit he was grateful for Patton's surprise intrusion, it seemed his presence was necessary).

Remus suddenly flopped to the ground, "The dragon witches we've been hunting are our friends, our half-brother is representing some goddess of peace, and Ro and I have to make some decision based off of gods and goddesses we don't have the same type of connection to?" His voice climbed until he was nearly whining, eyes closing in a mild display of frustration; but he missed the slight smirk the display pulled from Logan across the way.

"You... you don't have to make a decision," Virgil conceded softly, "We just want what's best for everyone. The three of us never fought the RF, and we don't want to... we want peace."

Roman finally looked directly at Virgil, willing his friend to look up at him. When their gazes finally connected, Roman searched the other's eyes for a few seconds before speaking again, "Maybe it is time for peace. Perhaps we can be the generation to beat our ancestors at their own games."

"What do you mean?" Janus spoke up once more, trying to disguise the hope that leaked into his voice.

"Oh-my-cookies!" Patton exclaimed, grinning wider than ever before.

Remus scrambled to his feet, a surprised look in his eyes as he added in, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"There's only one way around the laws of the land, Re, and since Patton is technically related to us, he falls under the category too. So in order to protect all three of them, we need all three of us. Are you guys in?" Roman asked, looking between Remus and Patton.

"Yes!" Patton exclaimed, practically vibrating in excitement, "I feel there are multiple gods that will approve!"

"I... I just have one little... problem," Remus admitted, blanching slightly.

"If someone could inform us of what's going on, that would be lovely," Virgil interjected, sarcasm slipping into his tone as his arms curled around himself protectively.

"There was a law passed nearly a century ago, when another witch group was targeted to near eradication," Roman started, glancing toward Remus again in mild concern for his twin's statement before turning back to Virgil, "There was a witch that had married a member of the RF and was granted immunity. This immunity was turned into a law- one that is rarely cited, but one that still exists today as an enforceable protection order."

"I'm technically a member of Remus and Roman's family so I fall under the RF's family clause, which means this law applies to myself and my possible future spouse as well!" Patton chimed in, clearly thrilled with the positive talk that was happening as it spoke toward not only a peaceful agreement, but also toward the twins finally admitting to their pining to a some degree.

"But I'm the problem here!" Remus exclaimed, clearly trying to keep himself from freaking out.

"I see where this is going; Remus Marlowe?" Logan spoke up, offering a reassuring smile to the younger twin, "I would like to ask for your hand, but in doing so I would also like to add a mild clause to any further relationship between us."

"Wha-?"

"I am adverse to the idea of human copulation, and would prefer not to take part in it myself, is this acceptable to you?"

Remus went wide eyed, "Y-you too?" The biggest secret Remus had was one only Roman had been privy too, he used over-sexualized humor and speech to detract from his own dislike from the idea of partaking in it himself. As Logan nodded in confirmation, Remus smiled in reply before speaking, "So then, what if we did the whole romantic relationship thing backwards?"

Roman turned to Virgil, "This wasn't exactly how I had hoped to ask this but; Virgil, will you marry me so that we can casually date in complete safety?" He calmly asked, causing Virgil's jaw to drop.

Janus caught on quickly before turning to Patton, "I understand if this isn't something you want, it's okay if you back out."

"I would be happy to join you, Remus," Logan's reply echoed through the clearing.

"I mean, I'd be stupid to say no to someone that treats me like a decent human," Virgil shyly mumbled his acceptance, tilting his head in an attempt to hide his blush.

"Janus, I wouldn't dream of letting you be separated from your family. Besides, a little birdie told me they think we'll be a good match," Patton offered a smile as he moved first, crossing the clearing to Janus as the twins moved to the other two dragon witches, "Hey guys, I think we need to go buy some rings and get ourselves officiated." These words he had stated as he turned to face the twins and his two best friends.

"There is one last chance for everyone to back out, once we leave these woods, we're all as good as engaged!" Roman called out as he took Virgil's hand and couldn't stop himself from smiling at the younger (and slightly taller) male.

There was some murmuring between each couple before they finally departed from the woods and headed into town. Heading to the only jewelry shop the town had to offer, they each bought rings before heading to the RF General and asking him to officiate all three of their weddings at his earliest convenience (Janus sighting some horrible tragedy as the reason for the sudden request because it made them realize that "life was too short" and the general bought it).

Before the end of the week, all three couples were married; and before the end of the year, the dragon witches held an audience with the royal family. Their lives were safe, and so were the lives of any future clan members. The couples all did their relationships a little backwards, but they continued forward in positive, healthy, relationships. As the years passed, each couple eventually adopted a child (or two in the case of Roman and Virgil, as they had found their kids in a pair of twins, abandoned by their birth family).

Granted, the children were all accepted by Veles and grew to become members of the Clan despite their lack of blood relation to their parents. Janus and Patton's child was blessed by multiple god and goddesses and the parents knew their child would have a prosperous life ahead of them. As the kingdom grew and advanced, the dragon witches acclimated to the kingdom until the only people who knew any different were their families and the royal family.

It isn't quite a "happily ever after," as life continued forward and there is always a few down moments in the rollercoaster of life; but they were all happy more often than not. The last members of the Clan had found love in their friends and hope in their kingdom; they became families that would expand for generations to come. From a small Clan that felt like the universe was practically fighting against them, they found love and acceptance. Their family of three grew as it would for centuries to come; and their Clan continued alongside the growth of their family tree.

That- my friends- is how from the edge of extinction, came a story of hope, love, and joy.