Fenrir stiffened his muscles, ready to fly away from the forest clearing. He looked around the area as he prepared himself. It was starting to feel like home. He was beginning to care for Lucy, for Morgan even. He huffed out a blast of smoke, flapping his wings as his scales changed to the purple of the sky. He floated above the clearing for a bit. His eye caught Lucy waving to him as he flew away. The dragon floated through the sky, eyes closed. He remembered flying through the sky with Marath, both of them learning to fly after the human had hunted her. He remembered seeing the humans thin the forest as they collected wood for building their kingdom. The sounds of the birds his family relied so heavily on leaving for over a year. Who could blame his family for protecting the forest as much as they did? So what if a few measly humans died. They deserved it.
He opened his eyes, seeing a couple humans in a fishing boat in the center of the lake near his cave. He perched on a tall tree near the pair, his eyes focusing in on them. They spoke a language he wasn't familiar with, but they sat close. Neither of them seemed to be too focused on fishing, each human was staring into the other one's eyes. Fenrir felt himself smile again, remembering Marath putting her head against his as their necks wrapped around each other. Love. Humans took it away from him, so he would take it away from them. He felt his remaining scales churn in his breath-sac as his stomach growled. He prepared to fire the gob at one of the humans, when Vogaix and Khora flashed in his mind. As the gob came up his throat, he redirected it to the water right next to the couple's fishing boat. Dammit. The couple yelped as the now boiling wave splashed into their boat, capsizing it and making the two fall into the water. He watched as the swam to the shore, where they stared at each other and giggled together. Why didn't he kill them.
As the two walked away after pulling their boat back to shore, Fenrir crawled down the tree. The glass-dragon reached the shore of the lake. His nostrils closed and his eyes were covered with a soft, clear film. The massive creature dove into the water, eyes flicking around the depths for a meal. He swam towards a massive fish, currently being strangled by some kind of eel. Before the two creatures even felt Fenrir approach, he had caught them in his mouth. He swam out of the lake, using his wings to float at the top as he chewed through his new meal. Fenrir stared at the path the humans had dragged the boat down and cursed to himself. What was wrong with him?
As he arrived at home, his eyes flicked along the shadows of his cave. Malachi was still there, but the new servant was gone. "Malachi." Fenrir's deep voice echoed throughout the half-centaur's skull, shocking him awake. "Where is the other one."
"Sara?" Pondering for a bit, it gathered its surroundings, "Oh yes. She went back when she came to. I could have butâ¦" The pathetic creature tried to make himself smaller.
"But?" The dragon approached the half-centaur, his shadow covering the tiny creature.
"I think they know I'm doing something strange," It bowed to Fenrir, sputtering, "I don't think I'd survive if I went back there, Sir." If this half-breed was right, then it was smarter than he gave it credit for.
"Go back, not to the castle." Fenrir recalled his wound pouring his addictive blood on the outer village. "To the outer city, see if they want more of me. Report back as soon as you can. If I'm not here, stay until I am."
"You've sure been gone a lot, Sir Fenrir." Malachi limped towards the exit.
"You'd better not be thinking about bringing any knights here. Then both the strongest powers in the country would want you dead." Fenrir let some smoke escape his mouth, letting it cover his face and neck.
"I would never, Sir! I promise you." The half-centaur bowed before it ran away, leaving Fenrir alone in his cave again. The dragon delved deeper into his home. He passed the burnt, ruined remains of his clutch. Fenrir stopped for a second, staring at the shells that remained. He missed the children that he never had, the children Boran and the king took from him. He remembered Marath's body wrapped around the eggs, he remembered his body doing the same. His tail instinctively curled along the ground. He continued deeper into the cave, letting his tail drag along the ground, the small under-scales getting caught on some of the imperfections in the cave. The glass-dragon squeezed his body through a smaller opening, his eyes adjusted to the darkness to see veins of gold flow through the wall. The gold seemed to lead to the center of the room. It circled the remains of a dragon. The remains of Marath. One of her horns was broken off, from her fight with Boran. Her horns were beautiful, larger and much more intricate than Fenrir's had ever been.
The glass-dragon walked towards his sibling's remains, his face being reflected in the golden veins. A look of pain appeared on his face. He hated seeing her like this, but it was nice to be close to more than just her horn. Fenrir pushed his body against her sturdy bones, wrapping his neck around her head. "I miss you, Marath," The dragon's eyes closed and his breathing steadied as he drifted to sleep.
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Boran stared at the figure of the castle guard. His screaming, partially burnt face was trapped in a bubble of solid glass. The guard seemed to be staring at the mostly burnt tapestry. The one of the king killing the dragons. Boran scoffed softly to himself, as if the king actually did the killing. He focused back on the guard, light reflected off the pillar of glass that came out of the man's throat. Boran unsheathed his sword, using it to pry the glass away from the stone flooring. Those creatures were barbaric, letting this man burn from the inside out, only to trap him in his death pose as if he were some kind of statue. The head knight lifted up the guard and placed him on a board that a few of the citizens who offered to help clean up were carrying. "Take him to get cleaned up. At least try and make him presentable for his family."
"If we can't?" One of the citizens had to look away from the sight to lose their lunch.
"Cremate him. We can't let his family see him like thisâ¦" Boran put his hand on the guard's shoulder. "Rest well, Sven. You did good work." The two peasants took the guard's body away and down the hall. A gust of wind blasted through the tower, hitting Boran in the face. They'd have to fix that roof soon.
The knight walked down the halls of the castle, hand on his hilt. He passed many people, most of them guests from Merla. Some were covered in ash from the fires, others looked fine but were checking on their families. He made it to the throne room, and before he even opened the door, he heard Phillip's voice.
"Father! That thing almost killed me! The king assured us the skies were clear of those beasts."
"They were," Boran entered the room, seeing Lopsir, the Merlean royal family, and the king all sitting around the throne, "One of those clever bastards must have hidden an egg during our raid." The king locked eyes with Boran, candlelight flicking in both of their eyes. It made it hard to read what the king was thinking. "Besides, shouldn't the prince be worried about his missing bride-to-be?" The knight looked at the prince. His hair was more unkempt than it was earlier, still covered in some dust from the collapsed wall. His leg was currently wrapped in a splint, the bone was visibly crushed. The knight doubted the leg would heal, the poor boy would likely need some kind of prosthetic.
"I-" The prince looked to his parents, to Boran, and his eyes landed on the king, "Of course I am worried about Khora!" His eyes, as usual, betrayed nothing. "In fact, I was meaning to ask," He looked at his parents, the corners of his lips went up ever so subtly, "I want to stay here until she comes back, or until we find her." He repeated the phrase in Merlean, turning to his mother as he did. The king and queen looked at each other. They whispered to each other, before the king nodded.
"I am with my son, we shall stay here until your daughter is found."
"Are you sure?" The king responded, oddly calm for the clear annoyance that Boran saw on his face, "I appreciate it, but it is always a possibility that the dragon comes back. Are you sure you can risk that?"
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"Anything for my fiancée," Phillip responded as soon as the king stopped, as if the child expected the man to push back, "I will personally help with the search efforts." He looked at his leg, "As soon as I am able."
"Very well," The king sighed, "Lopsir, please take our guests to their rooms. Phillip can stay with his parents." He stared at Boran afterwards, asking the head knight to stay.
"Yes Sire!" Lopsir stood up as straight as he could, walking over to the Merlean prince. He helped Phillip up, who took the opportunity to lean more of his weight on the little servant than necessary. Boran almost felt bad for Khora, if she was alive. Having to live with this guy for the rest of your life must not be an enjoyable prospect. "Please follow me," Lopsir led the trio out of the room, leaving Boran alone with the king. The two sat there in silence.
"Boran," Khora's father stood up, rubbing a hand through his hair. "When were you going to tell me." He took a breath, "That you let a dragon survive?"
"I promise I didn't, Sire." Boran thought back to his attack on the glass-dragon cave. He didn't remember one leaving. He didn't think he did, at least. "It must have not been home when we attacked, or from a hidden egg." The king stared at Boran, the suspicion in his eyes palpable.
"I let you in, trusted you to be my knight despite your⦠heritage." The king looked disgusted as he spoke, "If I find out you had any idea of this dragon existing before this afternoon. You are going straight to the dungeons, do you understand?" Boran nodded, keeping his head low.
"Of course, Sire. Is there anything else?"
"Malachi. When he comes back, bring him to me." The king put his thumb and pointer finger against his forehead, his stance slightly faltering.
"As you wish." Boran stepped towards the king, reaching out a hand to stabilize him. "Are you okay, Sire?"
"I'm fine." He pushed the knight away and turned towards his throne. He reached towards the wine glass, empty of the green liquid it was normally full of. "You're dismissed, I must attend to something." The king stormed out of the throne room, leaving Boran in there alone.
"You're sure not very suspicious of the man," A voice from the rafters caused the knight to unsheathe his blade and stare into the shadowed roof. The candlelight reflected off of purple eyes in the shadow, Alaric. The bastard-prince jumped down the rafters and bowed to Boran. "No need for hostility, my good knight."
"Why were you up there?" Boran motioned towards the rafters with his head, "And why would I be suspicious of the king? That's blasphemy."
"Blasphemy?" Alaric scoffed, "As if he is some sort of god." His eyes focused on Boran's, as if he were staring into the man's soul. "Besides, I can tell you know he's hiding something." Alaric placed his gloved finger on the blade and pushed it downwards, "Is it the creature behind the library walls?"
"Behind theâ¦" Boran stared at Alaric as his memory raced. Nothing behind the library walls, but the library was relatively close to the dungeon. Could it have to do with the room? "Nothing in the library. But what do you know?"
"Not much, but I was in the library and there was some kind of⦠creature behind the walls." Alaric peered over to the throne and rubbed his finger across where the king's glass was sitting. "What is it our dear king drinks, every day?"
"I-" Boran faltered, he thought about lying. Saying it was just a special type of wine.
"No lying, Boran. Not to me." Alaric smirked and sat on the arm of the throne. This insolent child.
"The king says it is an alchemical mixture, one that keeps disease away from him. I've never seen a mixture that looks like that, though," The knight figured outright lying to the boy was pointless. Something about his look made the man want to tell him the truth. "I don't like its smell."
"Frankly, I don't either." Alaric stood up and walked towards the door. "Keep me in mind, if you're ever suspicious." Boran silently put his blade back in its sheath. Something was up with everyone in this castle. The knight didn't like Alaric's smell either, but he was right about the king being suspicious. He'd have to check out the library.
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Khora sat against a tree beside a river close to the clearing, Morgan was sitting next to her eating a piece of fish. "So, princess Khora." She took a sip of something from her flask, "I suppose you have some more questions?"
"I do. Lots!" The princess excitedly jumped in place, "First, did you know my mother?"
"I did," The old woman let out a husky laugh, "She was just a wee one, though. I'm glad to know some of her is left in you." Morgan smiled, looking into Khora's eyes. "You have her nose."
"And this book was hers?" Morgan nodded, putting her wrinkled, bony fingers on the cover.
"Had to have been, the rest were burned when I left. She always was fascinated by dragons." Morgan smiled softly.
"If you knew her when she was a child, then⦠how old are you?"
"Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age?" She took another bite of her fish, tearing the flesh from the skin. "A hundred and seventy-seven," Older than Khora's father. "The king got his so called 'immortality' from my research." The ancient woman scoffed.
"That'sâ¦" Khora thought back to the bit of the book she had read, "Emerald-dragon blood, right?" Morgan looked at Khora proudly. "Well, as you think they should be called, turtle-dragon."
"Very good!" The ancient woman ruffled Khora's hair, causing the princess to giggle softly. "It has remarkable healing properties, helps humans stay alive for⦠as far as I know, forever." Morgan cracked her back, "Sadly, the half-dragon stuff isn't as potent as full-blooded dragons. Strangely addictive, too this stuff. You wouldn't believe how uncomfortable it is to feel this kind of pain after nearly none of it for years."
"So⦠my father is drinking emerald-dragon blood? I figured he'd be too disgusted with the prospect." Khora looked at her hands, sighing softly.
"Oh, your father's actual opinion on dragons is much more⦠rooted in how they can help him gain power. And yes, he has been for as long as I have. I imagine he's getting it less humanely now, though." Morgan took another sip from her flask, "I miss old Merelda⦠something got to your father. He killed her, brutally. Must've taken her eggâ¦" She looked at Khora, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I went on a bit of a rant there."
"It's okay, Morgan," The princess smiled up at the woman, "I like hearing more about my past. About my family's past, my father hardly tells anything." The princess picked up a stick and began to doodle in the dirt. "I wish there was something I could do to make him⦠see me," Tears began to well up in her eyes as she gripped the stick tighter and tighter.
"Oh my poor girl," Morgan grunted as she sat down next to Khora, she put a cold finger on the princesses' face, wiping a tear away, "Your father began to be distant long before your mother was even born. I'm not sure there's anything you could do to be seen." She pulled the princess into a hug and stroked a hand through her hair, "I know that's not much of a comfort⦠but you're seen here, everyone is looking forward to meeting you." The red of the sunset began to light up the water, and the beautiful sight reflected against Khora's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Morgan." Tears began to silently flow down her face, "Me being here is going to bring hell down on everyone. They're gonna search for me until the entire country is all but razed to the ground."
"Sweetheart. Do you think I would have allowed Fenrir to bring you without knowing the potential consequences?" The old woman got up, offering Khora a helping hand, "We have Vogaix, Slepna, Fenrir, and more. All remarkable fighters. We'll be okay, what's important is that you will be, too."
"I-" Khora wiped tears off of her face with her palm before taking Morgan's help. The princess leaned on the walking stick and faced the village. "I will be, I promise." She'd have to be. The pair began walking towards the half-breed's clearing together.
At the center of the clearing was Vogaix, Slepna, a strange half-dragon with a turtle shell over their wings, and the three were playing with a half-luck-dragon and a half-lamia child. The five seemed to be enjoying themselves, Slepna was tossing the half-dragon child in the air and Vogaix and the half-turtle were playing peek-a-boo with the half-lamia. The children's giggles echoed through the clearing, though they were quickly dampened by the surrounding forest. Both the children yawned, and the half-centaur-dragon put them both on her back to bring them into one of the hills. Vogaix waved goodbye to the children and turned around, seeing Khora and Morgan. The princesses' knight's face lit up and she jogged towards the pair. "Welcome back, princess!" The half-dragon pulled Khora into a tight hug, lifting her off of the ground.
"Hi," Khora laughed and gave Vogaix a kiss, "I'm glad to be back," She stared at Vogaix, stroking her hand through her hair. "I really amâ¦" Her voice trailed off as she hugged her knight once again.
"We have so much more time, now," Vogaix smiled, carrying the princess back to her home, "Bye, Morgan. Thanks for talking with her." Khora waved goodbye to the woman as her knight opened the door, ducking into the home. She put the princess on her bed and began to change.
Her wings squeezed against the shirt, and Khora watched the scales on her knight's back reveal themselves. They reflected the light of the candles, and worked like a mirror. The princess blushed as the half-dragon turned around, her brown stomach caked with sweat from the humid day. She saw Khora's face and smiled, stepping towards her. "Have I ever told you how much I love your reactions to me?" She pat her skin off with her shirt, smile still plastered on her lips. "Let me try something,"
"Try what?"
"Shush," She took a deep breath, her scales began to shudder, "You'll see." The normally reflective scales became a stark white. Khora gasped as a red streak flowed from Vogaix's feet, up to the top of her scales. The pattern continued, and Khora stared in amazement.
"It's-" She reached her hand towards Vogaix's, grasping the knight's claws. "It's beautiful." The princess smiled and planted another kiss on her half-dragon, this one lingering for longer. "You're beautiful."