When Lyra finally withdrew herself from the bath, she was stunned by the effect of the water, unable to stop running her fingers along her arms and legs for a moment. As she dried off, she realized she had no clue how to proceed once she was out of the washroom. What did Amaris expect? Should she burst out of the room jovially, greet her with music in her voice, or was her quiet nature what Amaris enjoyed? Should she speak more of herself? Her stomach dropped at that. She had nothing impressive to say. It could also be rude to speak of herself at length.
The thought crossed her mind that she could attempt to simply get by with questions of Amaris, but it sent her into chaos wondering what she should even ask, or if Amaris might consider her behavior entitlement to more information than she was granted. Lyra heard footsteps in the hall, a door opening and closing. Wherever Amaris had gone, she was back. Drying herself off quickly as possible, Lyra glanced at the dress. It looked far too marvelous for her. Her face paled as she wondered if the quality of the gift was proportionate to Amaris's expectations of her.
By the time she had towel dried her hair to the extent she could and slipped into the dress, she had agonized to the point of a potent belief that Amaris was sorely mislead. Lyra wasn't sure how, but she had created a version of herself in Amaris's mind that could never breathe. Her breathing became faint as she ran a comb through her hair. Amaris would learn soon she was not so special, not worth such lavish gifts. The realization could enrage her; she could feel lied to.
She glanced at her reflection. Aside from the dress, she hardly looked like she made an effort on her appearance. Lyra glanced around at the bottles lining the counter.
After attempting a few cosmetics she found, one the color of her skin applied over her skin to make her face one consistent tone, she immediately washed her face again. The sensation on her skin was too unpleasant to tolerate; it was as if the odd weight upon it was trying to stiffen every feature intended to shift with her emotions.
She decided to make her appearance seem laborious through her hair instead. With an incredulous look she noticed a jar of powder claiming to dry hair instantly. Applying it proved the container correct, and her hair glimmered from it. Deciding this was presentable, Lyra glanced nervously at the door.
While she was encouraged to take her time, she was terrified to keep Amaris waiting. Stage fright quieted her voice as she stepped into the hallway, and through the door to the room Amaris had returned to.
Amaris's eyes immediately fell upon her as she stepped in. "You look marvelous." Amaris stared as if admiring a rare jewel.
"Thank you, Amaris," Lyra said as she scanned Amaris's facial and bodily cues for even the most vague hint of danger. A temporary ease fell upon her as Amaris smiled gently, but this was fragile. Lyra was unsure if it was the ground or her knees which would begin to tremble first.
"I have done nothing special by having eyes," Amaris said. The calmness in Lyra's eyes broke, and Amaris was startled to see fear. "You have done nothing wrong to thank me," she quickly added, "I simply do not require it."
The calmness returned to her expression, but the scent of fear in the air marred her acting. Amaris concealed her frown, realizing it or any other expression of discontentment would frighten her further. While she wished Lyra understood she was safe, she could not blame her for not believing such a thing. Amaris regretted the time between meeting her and deciding to treat her as a friend; she had shown herself to be volatile, impatient, monstrous. It was her own actions which made the ground appear unstable, her own fault that Lyra's eyes were affixed upon her with an anxious vigilance, carefully examining her every expression and movement for signs of danger.
Years of destruction and loathing followed by thousands more of solitude and rage were intense barriers as Amaris racked her brain for a way to put a human at ease. Amaris could think of no single gesture that would repair the damage of her previous behavior. A hint of sorrow filled her eyes. Of all the humans in the world, Lyra was the only one she did not want to feel such fear, yet Amaris herself was the source of it. A small piece of her heart broke as she wondered if she would ever cease being a monster. Lyra was the only human who could make her feel such a way about herself with sorrow rather than outrage.
The look in her eyes frightened Lyra, who trembled as she blurted out, "I'm sorry!" It felt like a knife in Amaris's side, twisted to leave a mortal wound. It was clear in the frantic confusion in her eyes, the growing scent of fear, that Lyra had no idea what she was even apologizing for, but felt she had done something fatally wrong.
"You have done nothing wrong. There is no need to be so cautious," Amaris made her voice soft as possible, affixed the most saccharine look she could muster upon her face, "Your safety is not conditional. I will never harm you."
Shock filled Lyra's eyes, tinged by disbelief. Amaris hid the sadness from her reassuring smile. The image of herself she had presented to Lyra would not be erased in words alone, and certainly not in one attempt. It was a start, however, that in this moment Lyra was slightly calmer; Amaris knew all she could do now was consistently demonstrate the change between her past and current self, and wait for Lyra to trust at her own pace. Even if not for the companionship, but Lyra's right to live without fear.
It was clear in the way her lip trembled as her mouth hung slightly open that Lyra had been trying to think of a proper response, presumably still selecting every word after filtering it through the defenses anyone would put between themselves and the monster Amaris had been. The sense of obligation Lyra clearly felt to appease Amaris caused gravity to intensify, the sheer force of Amaris's guilt threatening to bury her in the core of the Earth as punishment for lashing out.
Fear began to fill the room once more as the silence drew on, and Amaris ended it with her own voice; as expected, the obligation to speak was gone when doing so would be interrupting Amaris, and Lyra's jaw unclenched in relief. "I have a surprise for you in this room," she said, turning her back to Lyra and moving toward the door on the back wall of the room.
Amaris paced through the door and held it open for Lyra, who's stomach rumbled at the sight of the platter piled high with a breakfast fit for nobility. Her face flushed red. Amaris chuckled. "I assumed as much. I had the new servant bring this for you. Eat to your heart's content."
"Thank you, Amaris," Lyra said, cautiously taking a seat at the table. As she ate, she began to feel a discrepancy between what she offered Amaris and what Amaris offered her; she racked her brain for a way to repay such favors before Amaris began to feel it as well.
From observation Amaris was unsure whether her gesture had improved or worsened Lyra's unease. She could almost see a look of guilt in Lyra's eyes; Amaris supposed she must be more accustomed to giving than receiving. Before she could compose something to the effect of her being happy to help as Lyra had helped her, her own stomach rumbled and a wave of unease came over her. She clasped a hand over her mouth and barreled out of the room.
The sudden exit startled Lyra, although she hardly had time to wonder if she was to blame for it before the sound of retching filled the cell. Thankful she had already finished eating, Lyra paced for the door, "Amaris? Are you okay?" She peered out into the hall, but saw no sign of Amaris, the retching continuing. "Are you sick? Do you need medicine?"
The retching stopped, followed by coughing and loud spitting before Amaris finally responded, "Breakfast was more... inedible than usual. I am fine now." Lyra stepped out of the hallway to see Amaris in dragon form, laying next to the channel of water right before it flowed out of the cell. She was breathing heavily, "Do not worry; this is a common occurrence. I will be fine."
Lyra felt sick herself as she thought of how delicious the food Amaris offered her was in comparison to what Amaris was given. "If the replacement's selections are making you sick, I can always fetch your meals, I truly don't mind."
To her shock, Amaris roared, "NO!" her head jerking up from the ground as she quickly rose to her feet, albeit shakily.
"A— are you sure? I could even bring you food from the kitchen again," Lyra made the mistake of taking a step toward the entrance of the cell, and Amaris's eyes widened in a wild frenzy of instinct Lyra could not read as she seized Lyra in one of her claws, her grip painless but immobilizing.
Amaris's voice shook the entire cell, "Don't go out there! Never go out there again!"
Lyra's ribs became the blades of a blender on its highest setting. As Amaris continued, her stern tone quickly crumbled and her voice trembled. Lyra's eyes widened and her mind emptied of all else at the sound, "They sent you here to die. They wish you harm in every way they can inflict it. You can't go back out among them. It isn't safe."
Lyra's chest began to feel less sore; Amaris wasn't angry. She was afraid. Perhaps she could be consoled. "You've already put a protection spell on me. If they try to hurt me it won't work," Lyra's tone became soft, soothing.
"You know of the spell's function? I thought you didn't notice anything."
"I saw it work on someone who was harassing me," Lyra answered calmly, "I didn't say anything because nothing happened. Your spell works. They didn't touch me."
"They had a chance to harass you?!" Amaris's voice shook with rage, "They were supposed to come to me for punishment the moment they decided to hurt you... You weren't supposed to be aware of their intentions..." After a short pause in which Amaris scowled at the ground as if the captain still burdened it, she added, "All the more reason to keep you here. Humans can inflict wounds without touch. I've seen it countless times," the bitterness in her tone hung like a mirror in front of her.
"They won't hurt me. Their words don't bother me and they can't touch me," Lyra reassured, "I will be fine, and you won't become ill from your food anymore. Let me leave the cell."
Amaris's grip tightened slightly and her hand began to tremble around Lyra. "The humans wish for your death, and that spell isn't infallible. It only affects those who wish to harm you directly. They could easily put you in a cell elsewhere so long as they didn't hurt you in the process, and withhold water until you perished... Or..." Amaris's voice cracked as she blurted out the words she had danced around, "I'm their executioner. They only haven't forced me to kill you because they believe I will do so of my own volition. You've already outlived the others; they'll grow impatient soon. If you stay here, they'll believe you're already dead. If you go out there, and they see you're still alive..." Complete and utter despair filled her eyes. Lyra's jaw dropped at the sight of tears forming in the corners of her shimmering silver eyes, "Please... don't let them know you're alive."
"I... didn't think of that," Lyra said, her stomach dropping as tears formed in her eyes as well. She couldn't argue with Amaris; the memory of every glare that had affixed upon her since coming here flashed before her. They were already growing impatient for Lyra's death; of course they wouldn't tolerate her survival for long. "I'll stay... Could you please put me down?"
"My apologies," Amaris placed Lyra gingerly on the ground, her voice quieted by the labor of suppressing a sob, "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. I just..."
"I get jumpy when I'm afraid too," Lyra said, "I forgive you." Her tone was hollow; Lyra crushed down her emotions in her attempt not to feel as if the ground was falling. Tiny as her world was, it managed to shrink still. Guilt lashed her for daring to want to cry; Amaris's world had been this small for thousands of years. Her pain was nothing in comparison. This did not stop tears from dripping down her face, which caused Amaris's expression to sink deeper into despair.
Amaris shifted to her human form. "You don't deserve this... They never should have sent you here..." She eyed Lyra cautiously as she approached, as if to gauge the reaction to her advance. Lyra was no longer afraid; if simply the thought of losing her could bring tears to Amaris's eyes, she wasn't as disposable as she'd imagined. Amaris cautiously wrapped her arms around Lyra, who buried her face in Amaris's shoulder. The acknowledgment by another that she was hurt made it impossible to deny as violent sobs tore through her. "I am so sorry." Amaris held her close.
"This isn't your fault," Lyra whispered.
"I am still sorry."
Once Lyra had gotten control over her tears, she pulled away from Amaris, who had moved her arms away at the first hint of such an action. She felt naked; she never cried in front of anyone. She'd perfected the art of crying quieter than running water and cutting her tears quickly to accommodate. With a quick wipe of her face she pretended she hadn't cried at all, and glanced over at Amaris to see her reaction to this embarrassment.
Through a new lens, Amaris's efforts to put her at ease were becoming clearer. She stood as a human would after an hour on their feet made them begin to shift their weight for a more comfortable way to carry it. Her eyes were sorrowful but warm, and she smiled sadly. Even the aspects of her dragon form she maintained did not appear monstrous in this moment. She stood at a cautious distance, having backed away when Lyra appeared to wish for space.
Amaris's weight shifted too far to one side and she stumbled. Lyra gasped and darted over to help steady her. Amaris caught her balance without aid, but shot her a grateful look regardless. Noting the worry in her eyes, Amaris said, "This is just from breakfast... I simply need some rest..." For a moment she considered shifting back beforehand, but worried Lyra's current calmness might disappear should she return to dragon form again.
With effort beyond what she wished to show, Amaris stumbled back toward the hallway. Lyra nervously followed alongside her, arms held as if ready to assist her, watching to catch the beginning of a fall in her movements. She did so until Amaris reached the bed, and waited to ensure Amaris flopped onto it rather than the floor. Once Amaris was laying down, she was almost immediately asleep.
Trees crashed to the Earth with rainfalls of emerald leaves. "The city is dead. Why do I prowl forward still?" Amaris growled. She wished only to return to her cell and sleep; sleep seemed to be the only activity which held her interest anymore. "And why do you hide behind an illusion like some pathetic—"
"Shut up," the king's image demanded from atop her head, and Amaris's teeth locked together, "The dragon who thought to claim this land has keen senses. You'll ruin your chance to ambush them."
The blood drained from Amaris's face. To attack another dragon was a serious matter, only conceivable in retaliation to a serious offense, or after announcing a dispute over territory. To simply ambush without cause was unthinkable. She felt ill, the force of the spell guiding her like a marionette, as her legs trembled far too much to carry her without the assistance.
The king missed the sound of his own voice, "Your... performances are perfect for sending a message. I do still want the riches of my new land, however, and you leave nothing in your wake, so I use my army to conquer after you've spread fear. But all the men I've sent to conquer this land have been destroyed by the dragon who claims it. Foolish thing doesn't even realize who it has chosen as an enemy. Once you've disposed of it, my army will be free to take all I—"
"Amaris!" The voice which sliced through the king's was the screech of an eagle over the rumble of a landslide amplified to monstrous proportion, "What has gotten into you?"
The massive feathered dragon dropped out of the air without casting so much as a shadow to herald her approach, and landed in absolute silence. Amaris started; even a dragon's senses were no match for the stealth of Celosia's flight. Celosia was glorious as always, with stark white, owl- like eyes and striking feathers covering her body in the vibrant shades of a flame's cerulean core. The sight of her demolished Amaris; of all the beings in existence, Celosia was the last she wished to see under such horrid conditions.
"You promised me you wouldn't kill humans when I first expressed desire to see what they would grow into, and now you storm directly into my territory to destroy the cities under my protection?" The rage in Celosia's eyes grew as small flames appeared at the edge of every feather. The temperature began to rise, "And to think I allowed you into my territory... I thought you were here for me..." a hurt look crossed her face, "But it appears you've had your fun with me, and now you're here to destroy what is mine."
Steam began to rise from the trunks of the larger trees while saplings burst into flame, the grass surrounding her quickly losing its verdant color only to be replaced by a carpet of embers. "You know this dragon?" The king asked in amusement, his image leaping down from Amaris to saunter closer to the enraged dragon. Over his shoulder he commanded "State the nature of your relationship."
"We are... romantically involved... until we encounter our true mates." Amaris winced as she spoke. She hated for the king to know of such an intimate detail.
"You dare divulge OUR personal matters to a human?" Celosia howled, her entire body engulfed in flame. She was a phoenix burning alive with rage, "I should kill you for this offense!"
Amaris's heart shattered at the sight of the steam rising from Celosia's face, phantoms of tears evaporated by flame. Dragons only had one true mate, and their souls were linked to one another from their creation; meeting one's fated, however, could take eons. It was not uncommon for dragons to form temporary bonds until then. What was uncommon was how much Amaris and Celosia had cared for one another. They had come close to loving one another as they could. Every memory with Celosia was a prismatic fairytale. She had missed Celosia more than her own freedom since her imprisonment. She had dreamed of seeing her once more.
The pieces of her heart rose as Amaris realized this was perhaps the best way it could have worked out. Painful as it was, Celosia's newfound loathing of her was her salvation. Amaris's power was intense due to the moon's influence on the Earth, but Celosia outmatched her like an eagle to a mouse. She was born from an ancient and massive star in the heart of the galaxy, its gravitational force fueling her to near godhood. Celosia could easily kill her, and the king would lose his war machine. No more blood would spill after Amaris's. "Kill her," the king commanded.
Channeling her focus into making her efforts convincing, Amaris attacked. With a violent roar Amaris hurled the largest fireball she could muster at Celosia, the nearby tree trunks exploding into flames just from the heat near the blast. Celosia did not move. The fire Amaris unleashed had no effect, which surprised neither dragon. Celosia lashed out with her tail and flipped Amaris by the ankle, tossing her into the air to slam onto her back with a shout in pain. "Kill me? A human gives you such a ludicrous order and you follow? Have you grown moronic? You know I can decimate you in minutes."
Amaris clambered to her feet and slashed a claw at Celosia's legs, wincing in pain as they grated against her scales, dulled by the effort. Her heart sank once more as Celosia landed another blow, smashing one of her front claws into the side of Amaris's jaw, the force toppling her to the side; it was painful, but hardly damaging, let alone lethal. Celosia was certainly not lying down for this fight, but she was without intention to kill, presumably expecting Amaris to come to her senses. Dread filled Amaris as she began to wonder what would happen now that she must follow an impossible command. She could never beat Celosia in battle, and she began to doubt Celosia would kill her.
Amaris lowered her head and charged at Celosia with her horns; Celosia always hated this attack, she said it looked like some stupid bull charging. When Celosia stepped to the side with an annoyed grunt, Amaris snarled maniacally and bit Celosia's tail. She was met with a howl of pain and a back claw kicked directly between her eyes, still without serious injury. If she couldn't anger Celosia to the point of killing her, Amaris wondered, would they fight forever? Would Celosia eventually tire of this and decide to leave, only to be followed and attacked endlessly?
Tears began to flow from Amaris's eyes, causing Celosia's to widen. She froze in the middle of her attack, the flame about to pour from her mouth disappearing. Amaris's stomach lurched. The look of realization, then mercy in Celosia's eyes caused the tears to flow more heavily from Amaris's as she slashed a claw at Celosia's wings.
"Something is wrong," Celosia said. She watched Amaris's movements, dodging another futile attempt to damage her wings, her face twisting in agony as she watched Amaris cry, "Why are you doing this?"
"She does everything I want her to," The king snidely responded, his image leaning against a nearby tree to calmly watch as if the spectacle before him was simply a squabble between rats, "I doubt you were ever able to say the same."
Celosia snarled and lunged for him. The illusion was only momentarily disrupted as she tore her claws through it. "Did you really think I'd watch dragons duel in person?" The king cackled, "I see my dragon prefers beauty over brains; I imagine that elegant plumage must be attractive to your species. Such a pity those colors will fade. Now hurry it up and kill her, dragon."
As Celosia gawked in outrage at the king's sneering image, Amaris went for the kill, snapping her jaws at Celosia's throat, who pulled away to avoid the blow with far too little urgency. Celosia did not attack as Amaris stalked toward her. Tears continued to drip down Amaris's face. "Please... Kill me..." Amaris begged.
Celosia leapt back with horror on her face. "I cannot do such a thing!"
"You have to!" Amaris sobbed between a breath of fire and a leap forward, slashing her claws at Celosia's knees in an attempt to tear them out, "I won't be able to stop fighting until one of us is dead."
A resolution overcame Celosia's eyes. Amaris sighed, smiled, and closed her own. A moment passed. Death did not come to save her. She felt blood fill her mouth as her teeth sank into Celosia's throat. There was no struggle. Amaris's screams were muffled by flesh. Tears could not wash the blood from her face as she heard Celosia's heart fall silent.
The king laughed uproariously. "You should have just asked her to die in the first place!" Amaris was too busy spitting blood between cries which nearly broke her ribs with their intensity to find words. "Killing a dragon is quite the accomplishment. I desire trophies. Cut her horns off, and pluck her flight feathers."
"You... you would dare have me defile her body?" Amaris couldn't watch herself begin sawing through a horn with her claw.
"Sounds to me like you already defiled it during your 'romantic involvement.' Only now she won't care what you do." His eyes gleamed with pride as Amaris dropped a massive horn beside the corpse and moved to the next.
A silence in which not a single thought was translatable passed, until finally Amaris said all she could think of, loathing the inability to fully express all she felt as she said, "You're a monster."
The king laughed. "Any human in my domain would be hung for saying such a thing; my people would destroy them as mob out of their devotion to me. I have brought wealth to them. I have brought safety to them. I am beloved."
"They are all wretched fools."
"They are only human, as am I. You see, dragon, there are no monsters. I am not exceptional. I am simply a human with the means to achieve my ambitions." At the sight of the tears dripping from Amaris's shut eyes, the king mocked sympathy in his, "Worry not, my pet, your sorrow is fleeting. You will learn from your time with me to aspire as I do, and you will no longer regret the means to our glorious end as you become human like me."
The sound of whimpering emanated from the other side of the door; Lyra had simply returned to the dining room, feeling odd waiting in the bedroom for Amaris to awake, but unsure where else to go. Lyra all but leapt out of her chair, as she worried Amaris had lied about being fine.
Tearing the door open, Lyra darted for the source of the sound. Lyra was shocked to see a mask of despair upon Amaris's face as she stirred and cried out in her sleep. "Amaris!" Lyra said softly at first, but repeated it more loudly each time. She climbed onto the bed and gently shook Amaris's shoulder.
Amaris woke with a shudder, and her eyes darted to Lyra, agonized and wild. The look would have startled her, if Amaris's eyes weren't glossed with tears. Lyra gawked for a moment as the tears began to drip down Amaris's face. Without thinking she wrapped her arms around her. Amaris pulled her close, and sobbed into Lyra's shoulder. Neither of them said a word; Lyra knew nothing of what inspired Amaris's tears, and Amaris did not wish to revisit the nightmare yet again.
