Filia stood silent and rigid as the two guards led her into the large, stone room. All around her, Filia saw hundreds of Dragons staring at her as she walked with forced calm and grace to the very center of the hall, pretending not to notice the Dragon Elders staring down their noses at her from their raised chairs.
She faced straight ahead, her back to those who had come to witness her trail, so instead of seeing her expressionless face, all they saw were her bound wrists.
"Filia Ul Copt, you have been charged with treason of the highest account: consorting with a mazoku." The Elder pursed his lips as the crowd gasped. "How do you plead?"
Her voice was strong and sure. "Guilty." The hall was filled with scandalized mummers immediately, as though the viewers hadn't known what to expect when they came. Filia never wavered.
"Do you offer no apology, Miss Ul Copt?"
Filia stared right over their heads, her eyes blank. "I'm not sorry."
Now there was a shocked silence that rang out after her words; only broken by the Elder on the far left who leaned forward, incensed. "And is it true you committed this sin with the Beast Priest, the very mazoku who slaughtered your own people at Monsters Fall? Is it not the Trickster Priest, Xellos?"
Filia simply stood silent and still and not making any move to answer.
"Is it not the very mazoku who is the bane of our existence that you so willingly embraced?" Another Elder shouted out.
She made no move, so he continued. "Is he not the monster who killed us mercilessly, and smiled as he did so?" Her eyes narrowed, and her lips stayed firmly sealed. "ANSWER ME!"
She didn't.
With a snarl he stood up and began gathering energy for a spell, but before he could harm her, another Elder held him back.
"Don't stop me! She must be punished for her impertinence! Besides, she's not answering any of our questions—."
"And why do you ask questions, oh Mighty Elder, that you already know the answers to?" Filia mocked, her voice quiet but firm and for the first time she met his eyes head on, challenging him. He just stared, not sure if his was more shocked that she would dare speak to an Elder so or insulted that she did.
Then her eyes became void, and she directed her gaze to rest once again over their heads.
"Filia Ul Copt, ex-Dragon Priestess of the Fire Dragon King, you have pleaded guilty to aligning yourself with a masoku and the penalty…" The Supreme Elder sneered, "is death." Every Elder looked extremely smug as the shocked hall erupted in disbelief. But Filia made no objection, no plead, no sign of weakness what-so-ever except her shoulders tensed and her eyes were now downcast.
"The only chance to redeem yourself, Miss Ul Copt," the Supreme Elder continued in what she assumed was supposed to be a soothing tone, "is to tell us the where-about of the Beast Priest." Her eyes shot up to meet his and her lips tightened fractionally. "Should you do so, your own punishment would be less severe." He smiled a cruel smile.
The hall was silent, everyone holding their breath for her answer.
"No." She whispered violently. The Elders nostrils flared and their thin lips tightened.
"You disgrace the whole dragon race." The Elder on the left hissed.
"No more then you have already disgraced us." Filia shot back.
"Tell us where he is!"
"I won't tell you anything." She swore.
"He is a murderer!" He roared.
"So are WE!" She screamed. "He killed the Golden Dragons; our race slaughtered the Ancient Dragons! At least when he attacked us, it was war; when you decided to destroy an entire race, it was during a time of peace for power!"
"Do NOT speak of things you don't not know—!"
"—But I doknow, O Wise One." Filia actually sneered. "I understand, and we're more like the mazoku then you'd like to admit."
The Elders were seething, their anger poring off of them. "Filia Ul Copt, you shall be executed at dawn." The Supreme Elder spoke.
Filia let out an exasperated breath, and her chin trembled before she could stop it.
"Now that doesn't sound very fair." A cheerful voice next to her observed. Her head whipped towards him.
Xellos glanced at her, his eyes still closed. "Fi-chan, can't you go five minutes without causing a scene?" He tutted, pretending to be ignorant of her panic.
"Xellos, get out of here!" She whispered reverently, while he feigned confusion.
"But Fi-chan, I heard this was going to be quite the event, the first dragon to be executed by the Golden Dragons since…" he seemed to think, then smiled, "since you all wiped out that whole other dragon race, now who was that now?"
"Xellos…" Filia warned.
"Correct, Fi! The Ancient Dragons!"
"Guards!" One of the Elders finally reacted, and the shell-shocked guards jumped to attack, but found themselves unable to reach the platform.
"Now that's just rude! After all, weren't you just telling Filia how much you wanted to find me?" He spread his arms and smiled a grin that seemed a bit off. "Well, here I am."
"Xellos, you idiot, you have to get out of here." He was about to make another cheerful comment, but maybe he finally tasted how strong her fear was and he let his mask drop.
"Filia, you worry too much."
"You're a lone mazoku behind enemy lines, in front of the most powerful and bloodthirsty Dragons and purposely aggravating them. I think I worry just enough." He opened his eyes, and her breath caught.
"If you're mad at me because it took so long for me to get here, it was only because my mission took a little longer then expected."
"I'm mad because you aren't listening to me, I'm mad because they'll eventually get through your damned shield and then where will we be?" She pouted angrily and he smiled. Then she added, "And I'm not mad!
"Quite right, Filia! We should be going now. Ta-ta, Lizards!" He waved sarcastically at the Elders with one hand, grabbing Filia's arm with his other. And the second that they teleported away was the same moment that a dozen holy spells hit the platform, but it was too late. Xellos, the Beast Priest, was gone, and Filia along with him.
Xellos and Filia arrived in Filia's bedroom above her pottery shop. Filia examined her surrounding for a moment then turned to confront her lover.
"What did you think you were doing?" She demanded.
"Why, I thought it was obvious, I was saving you from those vicious dragons of course!" He smiled.
"You shouldn't have done that, now they're going to continue to try to attack and kill us."
"Oh, Filia," he shook his head in mock-sympathy, "they've been trying to do that for several months, ever since we –." at her glare, he reconsidered finishing that sentence, "well, this is the first time I've been gone long enough for them to succeed, She stuck her nose in the air.
"You still shouldn't have done that." She was determined to be right.
"What! And let them have my little dragon?" He smiled as he pulled her closer, "never."
"I'm not your dragon, Xellos." She murmured just before his lips covered hers, and a small gasp escaped her lips, causing him to smile.
"Yes, you are."
AN: Aww! Just a wittle one-shot that I wrote in math class today, heh! Hope you enjoyed reading it, and please review to tell me what you thought!