A/N: There is lots going down in this sixth installment! Drama and heartbreak and betrayal abound! And remember - this is not the end! Hope you loves enjoy, and pretty please leave a review on the way out to let me know if you like it! XOXOX!


Chapter Six

The tower shone brightly under the mid-morning sun, the white stone glistening as if it were constructed of diamond. From where they stood, it appeared to touch the clouds, so far up in the sky that climbing it seemed impossible. Prince Sky gaped at the sight, wondering how he had not seen such a magnificent structure sooner.

Bloom, on the other hand, had never hated it more.

They had spent the better part of their second journey to the tower in silence, though not out of a lack of trying from Prince Sky. After a while, he'd given up, and Bloom was blessedly thankful for it. Her ears had grown tired from listening to his endless, mindless chatter, but now she feared that they were aching from the lack of it. She'd been careful to keep her distance from the Prince, to only look his way when he spoke to her directly or when they needed to stop to rest. She didn't want him to get any more wrong impressions about her intentions towards him. Somehow, the idea of her fancying him, or he fancying her, set her more on edge than the idea of eating him.

Now that they were at the tower, she wouldn't have to worry about the Prince anymore.

So why did that make her feel hollow?

"How am I even supposed to get inside?" the Prince lamented, his hand pressed to his forehead to shade his eyes from the glaring sun.

"You could certainly try to climb your way up," Bloom suggested, a sly smile creeping up her lips as she thought of all the ways that could go wrong.

"And break my neck in the process," the Prince replied, a smile gracing his face to match hers. That immediately made Bloom drop hers, clearing her throat and casting her gaze in the opposite direction. "But in all honesty, what should I do?"

"There is a door around the side of the tower. It is locked, but it should grant you access," Bloom told him reluctantly.

"All this time you've been here knowing she has been locked in a tower, but you have not tried to save her?" Prince Sky inquired, walking over to the side of the tower where the door was, just as Bloom had said. It was small, wooden, and covered with ivy that meant to disguise it from plain sight. The Prince picked at the ivy, pushing it aside to fiddle with the lock.

"Are you here to question my actions, or to rescue your princess?"

"Just strange is all," the Prince shrugged, pulling on the lock to no avail.

"The doors are locked, as you can see, and I have no means to break it down," Bloom lied smoothly, gesturing to gown which held no pockets nor a sword. "Besides, have you ever thought that she does not need saving? I have heard no cries from this tower, and guards bring fresh supplies regularly."

"Hmmm," Prince Sky mused, strangely downcast. "For some reason, I thought that she was far worse off."

Bloom huffed out a laugh at that. Diaspro, worse off? That was a joke. She would sooner pitch a fit and demand to return to her war-torn kingdom than spend a single day in a tower without her fine things. But the Prince did not know Diaspro like Bloom did, and so he did not understand why Bloom was laughing. He would soon enough though, Bloom reminded herself, and that was enough to stifle her laughter, the sadness returning.

The Prince, tired of trying to manipulate the lock, simply unsheathed his sword and struck the metal. A few more blows, and the lock was lying in two pieces on the ground, the door creaking open to reveal a twisting staircase.

"It appears to go all the way up," the Prince commented as he stuck his head inside, coming back out to usher Bloom in. "After you."

Bloom sucked in a deep breath, trying not to look affected as she stepped into her stone prison. She'd never actually taken the stairs before, but she knew what waited for them when they reached the top. It wasn't anyplace she was eager to get back to.

They climbed the steps in silence, stopping only once to catch their breaths. Bloom could feel the anxiety and nerves radiating from the Prince, and when she cast a glance behind her, she saw him wringing his hands. She wanted to be able to console him, to tell him that everything would go perfectly and he would live happily ever after with the princess of his dreams. However, she knew the truth, and that was not it. So instead she chose to maintain the silence, only speaking up when they reached another wooden door.

"After you, Your Highness," Bloom inclined her head and let the Prince strike the lock off of this door as he had done the other. It fell with a clang and the door slowly fell open, both of them stepping inside.

The tower was just as Bloom had left it a few days ago. The stone was the same shade of grayish-white, the large window still let in plenty of sunlight - curtains rustling in the breeze, and the single bed was still messy and littered with scraps of dresses. Bloom's cot had been shoved into a corner as nothing more than a few wadded up blankets and pillow. Clearly Diaspro had needed to consume even more space in the large room.

The girl herself was seated at the vanity, pulling a brush through her long blonde hair, the curls bouncing back as they were pulled smooth. She obviously did not hear them walk in, still consumed with herself. It wasn't until the Prince stepped hesitantly into the space, a stone shifting under his weight, that she spun out of her seat, alarmed and upset at the intrusion of her precious alone time.

"Who are you?" Diaspro demanded, brandishing her hairbrush as if it were a weapon. "How dare you break into my tower!"

Bloom couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at Diaspro's dramatics. Prince Sky, however, lowered his sword to the ground and held up his hands as if in surrender.

"Peace, princess, I mean you no harm. I am Prince Sky of Eraklyon, and I have come to take you home."

"Prince Sky?" Diaspro asked, her eyes widening with realization.

"At your service, milady," he bowed gallantly and Diaspro giggled, blushing at his behavior. "It is a pleasure to finally get to meet you, for you are far lovelier than the stories have told."

"And you must be brave indeed to travel these dangerous lands just for me," Diaspro cooed, batting her eyelashes and pulling her pink silk wrap across her shoulders, trying to play coy.

"Anything for you, milady," the Prince replied with another winning smile.

They stood there for a few moments, just smiling at one another and taking each other in. Bloom could've thrown up. She must've made her disgust vocal, because both pairs of eyes were now trained on her, the Prince's with embarrassment while Diaspro's narrowed in both suspicion and annoyance.

"Forgive me, I've forgotten my manners," Prince Sky chided himself. "Princess, this is the Lady-"

"Bloom what are you doing here?" Diaspro cut Prince Sky off, leaving him gaping like a fish while she cocked her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"Delivering your Prince Charming," Bloom replied shortly, trying to disappear back into the shadows. It wasn't working, the attention solely focused on her now.

"You two are already acquainted?" Prince Sky asked, shocked by the news.

"Acquainted?" Diaspro laughed, but it was more a sharp bark, no amusement whatsoever. "This girl has been a pain in my side for as long as I can remember."

"I don't understand. I was under the assumption that you two had never met," Prince Sky said, pointing between the two of them, his brow furrowed.

"All this time navigating and you didn't tell him?" Diaspro asked Bloom incredulously, clearly enjoying her discomfort. When it was obvious that Bloom was not going to respond, Diaspro turned to Sky and looked up at him sweetly. "She's my roommate."

"Is this true?" Prince Sky asked, not to Diaspro, but to Bloom.

All Bloom could manage was a sharp nod of her head, unable to meet the Prince's eye to see the disappointment and hurt that resided there. This was everything that she didn't want to have happen. Immediately she regretted coming up there with the Prince. More than that, Bloom hated herself for being so weak and for letting that weakness show in front of Diaspro, who wasted no time in exploiting it.

"Since we were little girls," Diaspro explained with mock sweetness, casting a side glance towards Bloom, reveling in her humiliation. "We've never been the best of friends. I've always held my femininity close to heart and she...well...obviously even the most refined of influences can't reform a heathen. Just look at the state of her. I would say I'm surprised, but she's always been rough around the edges."

Bloom's blood boiled. Diaspro wasn't even trying to be discrete about her open attack. This was a blatant display of dominance, a need to show her up in front of the Prince for reasons Bloom could not understand. Couldn't Diaspro just be happy? She'd won. She got her Prince. She could go home and get married and rule a kingdom. Why did she still need to tear into her?

"You lied to me..." the Prince said lowly, looking at Bloom with heavy eyes riddled with betrayal.

"Oh, and I haven't even gotten to the best part!" Diaspro cried, stealing away the Prince's attention once more.

"Diaspro, don't," Bloom warned. She wouldn't stoop so low as to beg from a demon like Diaspro, but there were some things that she didn't want revealed.

However, it was clear that Diaspro did not care about what Bloom wanted.

"Haven't you noticed that the dragon is missing?" she asked a little too cheerfully, and Prince Sky turned in a circle around the room, as if to check.

"Yes...now that you mention it, the beast is missing."

"Beast...what a fitting word," Diaspro hummed, her expression gleeful as she watch Bloom cringe, the label more hurtful than Diaspro could understand.

"Lady Bloom said that sometimes the dragon likes to fly around the desert area. Perhaps it is otherwise occupied and we can make our escape," Prince Sky said hopefully, as if he'd rather sneak out without a scratch than have to stay and fight.

"I'm sure she would know." Diaspro sighed dramatically.

"Stop," Bloom hissed, her anger rising further and further up in her chest. Any more and it would be impossible to contain, but she was sure that was Diaspro's goal.

"What is going on between you two?" Sky asked, looking between Bloom and Diaspro, confusion etched all over his naive face. "Princess, why do you keep attacking the Lady Bloom? She has done nothing but help bring us together. You should be thankful for her."

Then it was Diaspro who took her time to look between Prince Sky and Bloom, searching his open and eager expression before scrutinizing the pained yet hopeful one on Bloom's. After a few seconds, realization dawned on her, a myriad of emotions playing across her rosy face before she settled on something resembling a cruel smile.

"Ah, I see now," she said, leaning into the Prince just a bit further than what was considered decent.

"See what, milady?" the Prince asked, reaching down to grasp her arms to put distance between them, but Diaspro only leaned in further, hands placed on his chest, her eyes sparkling and wide.

"Oh, you poor man. Can't you see that she's jealous of us?" Diaspro asked, and Bloom was left stunned. Her, jealous of Diaspro? Had she fallen and hit her pretty blonde head?

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at the way she's looking at us, at you! She's practically torn to bits. And if we stay, she might tear us to bits as well!" Diaspro wailed, doing a marvelous job at looking fearful of Bloom.

The Prince was confused once more, completely at a loss of what to say or do.

"Milady, I'm not sure you're making much sense..."

"I've seen her do it before!" Diaspro insisted, starting to shake violently as she pointed to Bloom. "You've always been jealous of me and all my things. Why? Why would you do this? I've done nothing to wrong you...wait...where are my guards?"

"There were no guards at your door, milady," Prince Sky explained. But Diaspro already knew that. The guards only came to drop off supplies, and another was not due for a few more days at least.

"Oh! That would explain the silence lately!" Diaspro lamented, her hands shaking as she wrung them worriedly. "We're completely unprotected from her...she's going to kill us!"

"Milady, calm down, think about what you are saying -"

"She's the dragon!" Diaspro shrieked. Bloom's heart stopped completely, horror running over her before she had the chance to stomp it down and school her expression. However, Diaspro just kept going on. "She always has been! Sent here to watch me, to make sure that I never leave this place!"

"But you just said you two grew up here and that she was -"

"I know that is what I said, but I feared that if I told the truth, she would eat me just like she did the guards!" Diaspro cut Prince Sky off, burying her head in his chest to stifle her fake sobs.

"Do you really believe any of this nonsense?" Bloom asked the Prince, trying to remain aloof and unaffected. But that was rather hard to do when Diaspro was a very convincing actress, and her own heart was beating out her chest. "One moment she's attacking me and the next she fears me? All this time in the tower has made her delusional, clearly."

"I-I..." the Prince started, clearly torn between Diaspro's distress and what he knew so far of Bloom.

"Think about it my love," Diaspro encouraged the Prince, staring up at him with her wide eyes. "She's been with you all this time, never out of sight. She's probably even tried to lead you astray, out to the desert where she could pick you off easily. That is how she works, how she lured all the others."

"Is this true?" the Prince asked, his voice wavering as Diaspro's words struck a cord with him.

Bloom flinched. She could keep lying and tell him that Diaspro was clearly delusional. However, with her emotions running rampant, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep the dragon at bay. She could let it all go and let him see the truth for himself. But that came with the risk of him running a sword through her gut. Either way, everything was going to change for them. It was evident that his trust in her, fractured first by her misdirection, was hanging by a thread. It hurt Bloom to see him look so twisted and torn, and she didn't know why.

Why did she care so damn much about the Prince? Why did she want to pull Diaspro out of his arms and replace the spoiled brat with herself? Why did the thought of his rejection cause her physical pain?

All these questions kept Bloom silent, the suspicions the Prince now held about her growing by the second. And Diaspro took that as her cue to strike.

"See, she can't even deny it! Look at how red she is, red with shame!" Diaspro shrieked, pulling at Sky to get his attention. "She's the dragon! She's the beast - a mindless, brutish beast!"

"Stop it," Bloom commanded, her voice rough. She couldn't take much more of this abuse...

"I bet you're enjoying this - all this pain you've caused me! But guess what, the Prince and I are leaving here! We're in love! We're going to have a life outside this tower and there is nothing you can do about it!" Diaspro screamed, her words digging under Bloom's skin, causing hot, angry tears to prick at her eyes. "You're going to rot in this prison until the end of time, alone and miserable and unloved. Because that's what cruel, heartless beasts like you deserve!"

"Enough!" Bloom roared, her voice filling the tower, drowning out all other sound. "You want the beast, fine! HERE IS THE BEAST!"

It was effortless for Bloom to let go, to give into the unbridled rage that had been bubbling under her skin. She reveled in the true fear that graced Diaspro's face now, how her skin blanched as she realized that she had pushed a bit too far. Bloom didn't care about the look of horror the Prince wore as he watched her transform, how her skin sprouted silvery-blue scales and her eyes narrowed into yellow slits. How she grew taller and taller, her body shifting and elongating until the pair of lovers looked as small as ants.

Her dragon form barely fit into the large expanse of the towers, her wings folded at her sides, her tail curled around her hind legs. She could still move her claws though, the long sharp nails gouging holes into the stone floor as she took a swipe at Diaspro. The princess screamed and nearly jumped into the Prince's arms who was too slow to draw his blade, the metal skating across the stone floor far from where he stood. Bloom didn't care about how he felt, not at this moment, not when her rage was blinding her to anything but getting revenge on Diaspro. She had an ache in her bones that demanded the girls' blood, that craved to see her corpse strewn across the floor. And for the first time, she gave into that craving.

Bloom let out a mighty cry, exposing her long, sharp teeth that were big enough to snap human bone effortlessly. She roared just for effect, enjoying how the pair of them jumped out of shock. This was how things were supposed to be. Bloom was foolish to have let herself believe that she was capable of anything outside of her nature. She had set off on this journey to eat the Prince and spite Diaspro. Well, eating the Prince and tearing Diaspro limb from limb would have to be a satisfactory alternative.

In her time spent gloating, the Prince had made a move for his sword, diving across the floor. Diaspro's protest was the only thing that gave him away, Bloom's sights narrowing in on the Prince. Her anger flared. How dare he try to sneak past her!

She overshot her fiery breath, setting the bedding ablaze, only managing to singe the Prince's hair and catch the end of Diaspro's gown. She stamped the fire out and scampered for the door, Prince Sky close behind and brandishing his sword. She turned to face them, but her tail smacked into the bureau, sending wood splinters flying.

Bloom let out a cry of frustration. She was too big for this room. There was no way she could get to Diaspro from within these confines. The girl was already out the door, her dress vanishing behind the stairs.

Another cry slipped from Bloom's lips, this time louder and much more manic. Diaspro would not escape. Not alive, that is.

Bloom spread her wings. When she met resistance from the ceiling, she kept pushing. Cracks appeared in the stone, spreading out like spiderwebs. Stones fell around her, the tower caving in on itself, but Bloom did not stop. She had to get out. She had to be free. She had to beat Diaspro once and for all.

But she pushed too hard, too fast. The stones kept coming but she could not deny their weight. They crushed her tail, causing her to howl in pain. As she shook, bigger stones came to rest on her toes, her hind legs, slamming into her back and sides. An entire roof was coming down upon her, and she could not break loose.

From the safety of the ground, the Prince and Princess looked up at the crumbling tower with bated breath. Prince Sky held Diaspro in his arms as the coned top collapsed and sunk down into the rest of the structure, ash and debris falling down upon them like snow. They could both hear the howling of the dragon as she fought to escape the barrage. But other than a desperate flap of wings, they could not see her.

They both waited until the tower had settled and the dragon had stopped its thrashing, Diaspro feeling smug and the Prince feeling strangely sad. He did not know why the dragon's plight had hurt him; after all, she had been the one to betray him. He had his princess. He had defeated the dragon. He had accomplished all he had set out to do and would be welcomed home a hero. He had to focus on what was in front of him and the glory that was to come. Surely, that would make him happy.

Hand in hand, the couple strode off towards the border where Prince Sky's squire had been patiently waiting all this time. The man was relieved to see his master unharmed, and even more pleased to see that his journey had not been in vain. The couple rode off towards Eraklyon, ready to embark on what was supposed to be their happily ever after.

All the while, Bloom sat in the middle of the chaos she created, naked, bleeding, and completely and miserably alone.