They'd ducked out of their wedding early, but that availed them nothing. Besides the fact that their gowns would require a long time to extract themselves from, Webby, Lena, and Dewey ran into the last person they wanted to see. Lena's heart clenched painfully in her chest and she stopped so abruptly that the other two walked into her. Gladstone was a few feet away, out of earshot, and Magica de Spell, in her humanoid form now, leered at Lena. Webby and Dewey took Lena's hands and squeezed.
"What do you want?" Webby spat. Calente had healed the superficial scars on her face and the ones in her mouth, far more serious, were healing at an accelerated rate, but she had not yet fully recovered. Calente and her grandmother had admonished Webby about speaking, but this was her wedding reception. She couldn't keep silent and besides, Lena knew from experience that shutting Webby up was difficult as it was. Telling her not to talk was like telling the tide not to flow.
"Why, can't an aunt see her niece on her wedding day?" Magica crooned.
"You're not supposed to be within five hundred feet of McDragon manor, much less inside," Lena spat. She was shaking, memories of Magica mentally abusing her filling her mind. Her breathing grew shallow and she realized that with them in the same room, Magica could reach out and give her another seizure. Terror consumed her.
"I won't let her hurt you, not again," Webby swore in a low voice which Magica nonetheless heard.
Magica chuckled. "Have you told your darling Webster how I tortured you? How exquisite it was? I could feel every moment of your agony."
She advanced and Lena retreated, throat tight. She didn't think she could speak and it was taking everything within her not to flee. This was her wedding day, damn it. She wasn't going to run away from her own wedding. Magica could not take that away from her. She was finally going to Bond with Webby. She would never lose her. She was happy, damn it.
"How does it feel living without a tail?" Webby countered. "And without depth perception?"
"Are you calling me shallow, Webster?" Magica rejoined, smirking. "I could say the same for you. Lena's a terrible choice for a Bonded. She's weak, pathetic, really. She never follows through on her promises and she's not even suitable as a puppet.
"Dewford Dragon is a far better match, although that's not saying much. Lena de Spell should have been killed when she hatched."
As Magica spoke, her eye glittered with malice. Even though Lena had heard variations of this her whole life, having it spoken in front of Webby and Dewey horrified her. Magica didn't have to be in her head to feel her emotions and she was clearly feeding off them again. Lena was shaking badly and, to her surprise, her Bondeds were glaring at Magica. They didn't agree. Lena didn't see how that was possible.
"Lena is a better dragon than you," Dewey snapped. "You're disgusting. You hurt her for years just because you needed a target."
"She suffered for years because of you," Webby agreed. "You selfish, conceited, arrogant bitch. Lena is a wonderful, sweet, caring, devoted dragon."
"You're deluded," Magica said dismissively. "I should have killed her when I had the chance. Then again…"
She grinned cruelly. "I can still try."
She reached out with her mental powers and Lena flinched, anticipating agony. Gladstone whirled around then and Lena's heart, which was pounding fit to break her chest, slowed slightly. She was whimpering, knowing what Magica's "attempts" felt like. Her knees were weak and Dewey and Webby braced her. From enjoying herself and being over the moon, she wanted to hide in a corner. She wished she'd never agreed to this ceremony. They weren't officially Bonded yet. They required the consummation and then the Flight, which would magically seal the deal. There was still time for Dewey and Webby to reconsider being shackled to Lena.
"Magica!" Gladstone snapped. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Nothing," Magica lied smoothly.
"It doesn't look like nothing," he retorted. "I brought you here to prove to my uncle that you can behave yourself and you look like you're about to give your niece a heart attack. I can't believe you. You're terrorizing her on her wedding day."
Magica made an abortive attempt to defend herself and it died in her throat. Gladstone stepped closer.
"I'm sorry," Gladstone said. "This is my fault. Magica's been prickly since she lost her eye and tail, not to mention her dragon form."
"Prickly?" Lena gasped out. "Is that what we're calling it now? Because I was thinking more like 'homicidal'."
"Were you trying to kill her?" Gladstone snapped.
"I couldn't have," Magica said, waving a hand dismissively. "She's wearing that wretched necklace, for one thing. For another, I'm sure Wendy here would've gone for my throat."
"I would kill you before you harm another hair on Lena's head," Webby said, shaking too, although in fury and not in fear. "You have no place here. Get. Out."
"This isn't working. Let's go, Magica," Gladstone said and then yanked her along, tugging her back toward the entrance. "So sorry."
"Sorry?" Dewey said. "How does 'sorry' even come close to making this right? Lena, are you okay?"
Her chest was constricted and she could feel a panic attack coming on. Magica wasn't gone. Magica could still hurt her if she chose, if Lena ever removed the necklace. She wasn't safe. Lena tore her hands out of their grips and bolted, her tail lashing insanely.
"Lena!" Dewey and Webby cried and wings erupted out of her back. That was new. She'd never been able to alter her appearance before now. Then again, the wedding ceremony had included magic too, some of it arcane. Perhaps it'd allow her to shift fully into a dragon.
Taking a running start, she flew up toward an open window near the roof and darted outside. Her flight was ungainly, especially considering that she didn't know what she was doing. Desperation lent strength to her movements; it wasn't too late for them to back out. They weren't fully linked. Webby wasn't thinking straight and Dewey was just following her lead. If she disappeared, they'd rethink this. They'd realize Magica was right, that she should've been killed after she'd hatched. Lena pictured herself as a hatchling and then Magica hefting a large rock and crushing her. Her chest, already tight, constricted further and her vision grew spotty. She was in full blown panic mode now.
They'd be better off without her. Better off...without her...Lena flew into a tree, scrambled through the branches, and hugging her knees, rocked back and forth. Her dress caught in the branches too and she huffed. This had been a mistake. Everything she did was a mistake. She was a royal screw-up and stupid to boot for ever thinking this could work. How had she survived this long being this stupid?
"Lena!" Webby was calling for her and it felt like a knife thrust to the heart. Lena was determined not to answer. They'd give up soon enough; then again, maybe not. Webby had made it clear that she was devoted to Lena and Dewey, but then again, who had two Bondeds? Webby would realize the truth soon enough. Lena wasn't worth Bonding to. She'd let her family down and let her father die. Magica's words echoed on loop in her head. Magica didn't need magic to destroy her.
Tears fell fast and furious down her cheeks. She kept her jaw clenched tight to prevent the sobs from being audible. She shuddered, hugging herself. What she hadn't reckoned on, however, was that even without consummating the Bond, her Bondeds could still find her. Their sense of her (and hers of them) had progressed after the ceremony.
"Lena!" Webby called again and this time, her voice was disturbingly close. Then, to Lena's horror, Webby was ascending the tree, her dress be damned. It got snagged in random branches and once, her dress lifted and gave Lena a rather unique view. She couldn't appreciate it; she was too shocked that not only had Webby found her, but she'd done so within minutes of Lena's escape.
Webby landed on the tree limb that Lena was perched on and Lena turned her head. She couldn't take the sympathy and love in Webby's eyes. Behind her, Dewey scrambled atop the tree limb too. Though it shook, it held their weight.
"You shouldn't cry," Dewey said. "It's your wedding day. To us."
Lena wanted to keep her gaze averted, but Webby spun around and sat on Lena's right side with Dewey on her left. Webby lifted Lena's head and then kissed her gently on the lips. She was thumbing away Lena's tears, though they kept falling. Seeing that her soft kiss wasn't doing the trick, Webby kissed her harder, with more passion, and Lena pushed her away. It killed something in her to do it and, to make matters worse, she saw the pain mirrored in Webby's face. No, she'd been trying to prevent this. The last thing she wanted to do was cause Webby distress.
She spun her head around to avoid Webby's gaze only for Dewey to kiss her. She'd never kissed him before, the ceremony aside. It was almost akin to kissing Webby, which shocked her enough to stop crying. Dewey cradled her head in his hands and when they broke apart, she was confused. The link between all three of them thrummed deep within Lena and she was trembling, uncertain where to put her gaze. Nowhere seemed safe.
"Did you forget we're linked together now?" Dewey murmured.
"Lena, we love you," Webby said. She put a hand on Lena's knee and the limb beneath them creaked ominously. Maybe it wasn't as stable as she'd thought it was. Her heart thudded and Dewey played with her hair floof, the same lock that Webby loved to toy with.
"Why?" Lena burst out. She hadn't meant to ask it, but once it was out, she couldn't take it back.
"You heard what we said," Dewey said. "You're a good person, Lena."
"No, I'm not," Lena retorted, frustrated that they weren't getting it. "I tricked you guys for years. I snuck around behind your backs to find that elixir and I was Magica's spy for four years. I'm not a good person."
"Okay, one, you weren't doing that of your own free will," Dewey said. "Two, Magica's been tormenting you for years. Even before you met us. And you were living in a hole in the wall. You're a good person."
"You heard everything Magica said," Lena pressed.
"And you heard everything we said," Webby retorted. "Are you going to take her word over ours? We love you. She hates you. She's going to say whatever she can to hurt you."
Needless to say, it had worked. Lena felt ashamed of herself that Magica had won again. Then again, Lena's self-loathing was such that she remained convinced that Webby and Dewey could do far better than her. She hung her head and Webby lifted it and kissed her again. This time, however, Lena kissed her back and reciprocated when Webby deepened the kiss.
Beneath them, the tree creaked again. It might be time to move.
"Are we really going to spend the rest of our wedding reception up a tree?" Dewey groused and Lena and Webby broke apart. Lena caressed Webby's cheek.
"I love you too," Lena said softly. "And no, we're not. We're going down."
She blinked. "Webby, you shouldn't have been talking so much with your mouth as it is."
"I'm fine," Webby replied.
Lena groaned. She wasn't going to argue that, not right now. Webby would just bring up Lena's self-loathing thanks to Magica and that was a can of worms she did not want to be opened. With misgivings, she edged her way back down the tree and her wings retracted, allowing her to do so without getting further ensnared.
With cuts and bruises, they returned to the reception. Scrooge was waiting outside and scowling. Lena tensed, anticipating trouble, and Webby grabbed her hand.
"I heard about Magica. Donnae worry about her and Gladstone-they've been dealt with," Scrooge said without preamble. "Lena, lass, are ye all right?"
"Never better," Lena said and Scrooge gave her a shrewd look that warned her he wasn't buying it. She grimaced.
"We'll be all right soon enough," Webby reassured him. "Thanks, Uncle Scrooge."
"Any time, lass," he said and reached out to hug her. Lena let him do so and hugged him back; her hug was surprisingly fierce. Other people cared about her; she had to remember that. Besides which, she was a part of their family now. That would take some getting used to.
"If ye need a few minutes, take all the time ye need," Scrooge said. He returned to the reception and Lena shivered, scrubbing at her cheeks to conceal the last few tears. Dewey and Webby hugged her and she hugged them back.
Dewey kissed her on the lips and, still surprised at the way he and Webby casually offered affection, Lena kissed him back. She wasn't sure how she had a connection with him too, though he was pretty similar on Webby in certain ways. He was adventurous like her, determined, and outgoing. And, though she couldn't fathom why, like Webby, he loved her. That would probably remain a mystery to her for a long time.
"No more crying," Webby said and Lena broke off the kiss to look at her. In her wedding gown, all white, Webby was gorgeous. Lena couldn't even begin to list the ways she enchanted her and also, some of the more adult things she wanted to do to her.
"When you're ready to go back, we are too," Dewey said, unperturbed that Lena had broken off the kiss.
"Thanks," Lena said. "I'm sorry...about earlier. Forget it ever happened."
"No," Webby said and, alarmed, Lena gaped at her. "I mean, no, I won't forget. Because Magica doesn't deserve to get away with it. But things'll get better. You'll see. Love conquers all."
Lena laughed, a short, abrupt sound. "You're so naive, Webby."
Webby caressed her cheek. "Love brought you to me and all of us together."
"No, Aunt Magica brought me to you," Lena pointed out.
"But love kept you here," Webby corrected, persistent.
"All right, fine. I'll let you have that point. For now," Lena said.
"Argh, Huey's screwing up the playlist," Dewey groused and a small smile spread across Lena's face.
"Let's go," Lena decided. "Before Dewey has a hissy fit."
"I'm not gonna have a hissy fit," he huffed.
"Sure," Lena said and exchanged a smile with Webby. "Sure you're not."
"If she's going to be a nuisance, then I cannae allow you to bring her anywhere near McDragon Manor," Scrooge snapped. He was still talking to Gladstone about this, seeing as the younger man would not let it go. It was getting repetitive and irritating.
"It won't happen again," Gladstone promised. "It was just a little hiccup."
"'Just a little hiccup'?" the Scottish dragon repeated, gritting his teeth. "Huey playing the wrong song is a 'hiccup'. Magica de Spell nearly causing one of the brides to flee her own wedding reception is not a 'little hiccup'. She was terrorizing Lena."
"As I said, I have it all under control," he replied.
"Ye have nothing under control," he countered. "Do ye even know where she went?"
Gladstone paused and Scrooge growled. He'd sequestered Gladstone and Magica off for the time being, but if Gladstone didn't know where his Intended was, she could have easily gone off to torment Lena again. The girl had gone through enough in her life without her aunt heckling her at every opportunity. For heaven's sake, she was still recovering from her father's death.
"Ye have no blasted idea where she went?" he snarled. "She could be down in the dungeons right now!"
"Yes, well, let me go check on that. I promise we'll be out of your hair soon, Unk," Gladstone said smoothly. Scrooge wanted to hit him. It was Magica's fault that Webby's mouth was still healing, that Beakley had nearly lost her voice, and Lena was the way she was. And Gladstone was willing to wave it all aside. Either he really cared about Magica or, what Scrooge suspected, he was letting his libido do the talking.
Not that he was really one to criticize. Goldie was around here somewhere and they'd already had a tumble in one of the spare bedrooms. Thinking of her was counterproductive but damn if he didn't need the stress relief. Plus, he did enjoy her company, even if she loved gold more than him. He gritted his teeth again, this time for a different reason. All right, he'd have to go find her. She was stuck in his head. Hopefully, Lena would be all right with Dewey and Webby.
It took him a while, but he found Goldie lingering near the dungeons she couldn't access. Her dress was still rumpled and he smiled, coming up behind her. She was too entranced staring at the giant gold nugget he had behind a display case and doubtlessly plotting of how to steal it to notice him.
"You're not exactly quiet with that cane, old man," she said without turning around.
Or maybe not.
"Ye're not plotting how to rob me in the middle of a wedding reception, now, are ye?" he said.
"Of course not," she said and spun about to smirk at him. "I'd have the common sense to wait until everyone was asleep first."
"Ye cannae even carry that thing."
"Not in this form. But as a dragon-"
"As a dragon, ye wouldnae fit in the dungeon. I was younger and smaller when I brought that nugget down."
Goldie scanned him up and down and heat rushed to his cheeks. It brought to mind what he'd been thinking earlier and her sly smile suggested she'd had the same thought. She moved forward so that her skirts brushed against his pants and then, seeing as no one else was around, put her hand in a most unlady-like place. She caressed it for good measure and he pinned her against the wall to kiss her.
She kissed him back enthusiastically, wrapping her legs about his and causing blood to rush elsewhere. His mind was racing, trying to think of where they could go. There was a spartan bedroom down here that might suffice and, still kissing her, he pushed her back toward it. She ground against him and he groaned, wanting nothing more than to take her. Her grin against his lips was spurring him on.
She seemed to know where he wanted to go and, breaking off the kiss, led him there as though this was her manor, not his. Normally, the audacity might've deterred him. Right now, nothing did. He pounced on her as soon as she sat on the bed and kissed her again. Her hand slipped beneath his pants.
All right, yes, the others could solve their own problems. He was far too busy right now.