The morning light was stifled by heavy charcoal clouds. Dampness seeped into the air as the scent of wet earth attempted to permeate the cell. It was Lyra's perfume which was impossible to ignore as Amaris awoke. The blankets were in a pile upon the floor, as Lyra was restless in her slumber. Amusement crossed Amaris's face at the contrast between her peaceful expression and her inability to remain in one position for more than a moment. A soft, unintelligible murmur urged Amaris into motion, hoping to have already left when she awoke. An explanation of why she had fled to the corner of the room would be asked for if Lyra noticed; Amaris did not wish to mention it.
Shifting to her dragon form the moment she was out of the hallway, Amaris sighed and stretched. Such a small, dainty form always managed to deceive her into a sense of helplessness if maintained for too long. It brought her a quiet peace to return to her true form. Armor of reflective scales covered her body, violent talons and menacing fangs a warning to any hint of danger. Although it was obscured by clouds, Amaris could feel the moon hanging in the sky above, tugging at the nearby coasts to demonstrate its hold on the Earth. The echo of its melodic reassurances gleamed across the white markings adorning her as she carried its soul within its true image.
With a single flick of her wings Amaris was in the air. Absent minded, she drifted too high, as if drawn home. At the last moment she maneuvered away from the ceiling of the cell, narrowly avoiding the sharp pain that would result in a collision with the humans' commands. An accusatory growl rumbled from Amaris's chest. Taking great care not to drift as her mind did, Amaris tried to fly in the center of the space she was allowed, weaving between pillars with great effort not to clip a wing across one. The damage such accidents caused was never more than a bruise, but it would make flight painful for days.
It was still early when Amaris landed by the door to the cell. With an incredulous look, she noticed the replacement had dared sleep in what remained of the cell left for them. The sound Lyra made when Amaris tore those walls down haunted her as she examined her handiwork. She wasn't sure if she could stomach the same reaction again.
Water boiled in her lungs as she wondered if her pity was even warranted. Surely she had already suffered enough, and owed nothing to the wicked who wandered in human skin. It would be an offense to reserve the space for pity in her mind for them. Lyra's words surfaced in a tumultuous sea; hesitancy aside, she had sought to defend the collective merit of humanity. This gave pause to the thoughts which would typically descend forever. Perhaps this human was among those Lyra wished to speak for in her defense of humanity. It was enough to prevent Amaris from selecting a shadow to ambush from. She lounged across the stone in a patch of grey light, as far from menacing as she could imagine appearing. Amaris closed her eyes as she waited; she supposed the new human was least likely to panic upon waking if they thought she was asleep.
Within an hour the human stirred, and a sharp intake of breath was the quiet alarm which they sounded upon spotting the monster before them. Amaris waited for a frantic shuffle, or a frenzied cry, but there was only the resumption of a calm cadence of breath. Amaris slowly lifted her head and affixed a massive silver eye upon the human.
Fear was limited to the backdrop of their eyes. Mostly calm, the scruffy human gazed curiously up at Amaris. She raised a brow in surprise, but found it to be a pleasant one. "Good morning… Uhm… I feel like I should have already asked for your name…" The human's voice was filled with caution which nearly foiled the confidence of their expression.
The statement stunned her into a moment of silence. "Amaris," she finally said, "Why is this of such sudden importance?"
"Well… I've pieced together that if you were going to kill me, it would have happened already. If you're able to decide to spare someone, you're not just a wild beast. And if that's the case, you have a name."
The confusion was cut with a blade which rendered Amaris to pieces. Lyra had been correct to warn Amaris not to put her on a pedestal, but perhaps Amaris had only been so eager to do so in avoidance of a harsh truth. Lyra did not use Amaris's name because she was unique. She simply survived long enough to show such compassion. The weight of the waves of blood which had stained the stone crashed down on Amaris, threatening to break her.
All those years she had believed herself to be destroying demons, taken their resilience to her name as an omen of their evil. Instead she had silenced every voice before it could utter the words she longed for. She hadn't acted as if she was worthy of a name. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and the human stuttered, "I— whatever I said I— Uh…"
"You are not to blame for my distress. I… didn't consider that you may not be wretched when I met you. I…" the realization drowned her, "I have repeated actions I thought I had moved past…" While she wished to be better, she had only sought atonement in remorse as she repeated the offense. Amaris felt sickened by herself.
For a moment the words to describe what a monster she was, how hopeless she was, tried to flee from her lips, but she bit them back. Perhaps she would always be a monster deep down, but refusing to try to muzzle it felt like an impulse from its heart, rather than hers. Possible or not, giving up would only lead to more agony. She owed it to this human to at least reassure them she was trying. "I am sorry for how I have treated you. I will not intimidate you further." Amaris said softly.
The human nodded, although their eyes withheld forgiveness. "I'm going to get breakfast now… I think they slaughtered too many cows the other day; there's a bunch of them and they're new to that meat locker, so it'll be fresh as I can get for you… sorry, it's still gross, isn't it?"
Amaris nodded. "I suppose I have gotten used to it. And I'd like for you to bring—"
"A breakfast fit for human royalty…" the human paused.
"You wish to ask me a question."
"Uh… no, I don't. I'll be back shortly." Amaris raised a brow and watched the human leave. The unease vanished as they did; the moment she'd pointed out the curiosity hanging around the human, Amaris realized what they would likely ask. This human seemed decent, but that could not guarantee their trustworthiness. Even one with a pure heart could have loose lips, and Lyra's survival relied on the humans' belief she was dead. Amaris was unsure how to explain her persistent demands for meals for a human; clearly this detail was becoming suspect.
Perhaps she would claim to have acquired a taste for human food when Lyra brought it to the cell as a gift, explaining her demands for it after her death. It felt like needles in her skin to think of making a claim so vile as killing Lyra after she did such a kind thing. Amaris supposed it would fit with what the human already believed of her, although the thought of the air filling with terror again at every sighting of Amaris sickened her. She didn't wish to torment this human any further.
Amaris winced. This human. She longed to cease being a monster, to one day demonstrate the kindness Lyra did even when cast into the same Hell. Yet she was once again so desperate to hear her own name she failed to bother with the names of others.
As she waited for the human to return, she vowed to ask for a name whenever hers was uttered. The sky rumbled with the strain of the water collecting overhead. From the scent, sound, and density of the air around her, Amaris predicted she had little more than an hour before rain poured through every opening in the ceiling. She growled back at the approaching thunder.
The human returned, balancing a tray on one hand and pulling the cart with the other. Amaris was careful not to alarm them as she rose to her feet. "The amount of time that has transpired has made it rude for me to not know your name. May I ask for it?"
"Odin." Amaris furrowed her brow in response, a puzzled look in her eyes. She opened her mouth to question the human but was unsure if she should.
The human's eyes grew anxious at her response. "Is something wrong?"
"It is not an issue, I am not owed honesty, but…" Amaris's gaze became analytical, "That wasn't your real name."
"I— That's the name my parents gave me, what everyone calls me," they said, although a bewildered look overcame their expression, "Why do you think it's not my real name?"
"It is not infallible, but a dragon can usually sense when they are being deceived." When the human was quiet for a moment, Amaris quickly added, "I do not mean to demand it. I will use 'Odin' if you wish."
"Actually… I… I prefer Nyx. I guess I don't really have to worry about you telling the other humans."
"Why would that matter to them?"
"It doesn't strike you as odd?"
"Should it?"
"No…"
"Oh. I see. This is another case of humans being wretched for no good reason. It seems everyone sent down here has been struck by their venom." Amaris sighed. She wondered if it was possible for a decent human to exist without punishment from their species.
"Well, they're not all bad." The quick and sure response startled Amaris. Lyra could only utter such words in a doubtful waver, as if debating the merit of dishonesty when used to comfort another. It made Amaris wonder if Nyx was simply stupid, failing to see an obvious truth.
"They sentenced you to death," Amaris reminded, her tone verging on condescending. Nyx frowned at the insult. Their tone only became more certain.
"Sure, the council is downright evil. When I thought you were going to eat me, I wished you'd eat them instead. But I've known many wonderful people as well. I had friends. They knew me, and brought me joy I wouldn't have known without them. They weren't wicked, and they weren't exceptions to a rule, either. Don't talk to me like I'm stupid for refusing to wallow in hatred forever." The last bit was accompanied with a glare directly into Amaris's eyes.
Their coherence quieted Amaris. Perhaps Lyra was correct to think it problematic that she could not bring herself to feel the love Nyx did for their people. As if the scars had transferred from Lyra to her, Amaris's chest ached with each breath.
The monster she held back roared in betrayal at the heavens from within the deepest parts of her soul. Perhaps she and Lyra were simply cursed with misfortune, flocked to by the wicked as the pure kept a distance, if they could live so long without knowing what Nyx spoke of. She was certain Lyra never deserved the constant failure of those around her to give her what Nyx had. Nothing which made it so difficult for her to commit to the merit of her own species could have been warranted. Earlier today even, this would have happily resulted in a deeper loathing of all humans for their insult to Lyra's right to happiness.
But she could not hate all humans without condemning many like Lyra and Nyx. She could not ignore the consequences of her failing to realize it before. If Nyx and Lyra weren't exceptional, then she had killed countless humans like them, countless souls she might have cared for, even called a friend, had been destroyed without a thought. Her stomach turned thinking of it. She truly was beyond forgiveness, but that was all the more reason to avoid spreading her plague any further. It would be her duty to preserve the lives of every human sentenced to her fangs from this moment on.
Noticing concerned eyes upon her as tears had become a hint in her expression, Amaris quickly turned her face away. "Thank you, Nyx," Amaris said. Nyx set down the tray and quietly left the cell; the anger in their eyes had reverted back to concern, but they knew an obvious attempt to conceal tears when they saw it. When the sky grumbled out another complaint, Amaris hurriedly ate her meal. Once she was finished, she shifted to her humanoid form and picked up the tray, walking at an unnaturally swift pace.
It would not be long before the cacophony of the heavens poured to the Earth, Amaris noted as the sky bellowed its warnings. Amaris was silent as she returned to the bedroom and set the tray down on the nightstand. As she muttered an incantation, glancing up at the empty ceiling, a flash of geometric lightning covered the space above them for a split second.
Amaris glanced at Lyra's sleeping form. Her expression in slumber was a sight almost too sweet to behold. She mumbled in her sleep as she rolled over, but showed no signs of waking. Uncomfortably, Amaris glanced around, having expected Lyra to wake while she was out. She couldn't possibly deserve to return to bed, but she couldn't explain why she left either. Confessing that she had left the bed in avoidance of her infatuation was confessing to her infatuation.
As Lyra turned again, almost horizontally laying across the bed now, Amaris decided Lyra would believe it if she claimed to have simply rolled off in her slumber. She laid on the ground beneath the edge she'd fallen asleep on, letting the blankets Lyra kicked off the bed fall on her. Sleep came quickly upon request.
Amaris waited for the other humans to realize their king was dead, for them to decide her fate. Freed from their monstrous king, the other humans would see what an evil thing it was to do, to force her obedience. Surely they too were abhorred by the destruction, surely they must take pity on the creature the king had abused. The king had to simply be a monster among humans; evil could not be in their blood. They couldn't possibly be wicked enough to leave her here forever.
It took only hours. Amaris heard the door to her cell open as she rested in the depths of it. Hushed exclamations at what was left of the king echoed across every surface, without a hint of mourning to any voice. Relief washed over Amaris. They knew now. Only minutes after they left, Amaris heard the command finally echo through her mind, repeated four times in four voices. "Never leave your prison." Grotesque shock and misery overcame her expression as her vicious roar became a blood-curdling scream, followed with a howl of pain which gave way to frenzied sobs. Evil did run in their blood. They saw fit to punish her for their own sins.
The guilt Amaris had carried hardened under the pressure of the hatred and rage building in her core. Remorse became apathy. Humans were vile, monstrous creatures who sought only to smother an enemy in the ashes of all they once coveted. Amaris became certain every human she had killed must have deserved it. The king was not a monster after all; only human, just like all of them. All of them were perfectly content to let her mind wither and her soul rot for eternity as long as it spared them responsibility for their own violence. Amaris paced around her cell, the heat from her body so intense she left molten footprints.
Days passed and the rumbling of Amaris's stomach echoed across the cell, accompanied by agonized sobs. Dragons could live weeks between meals if they absolutely had to. For dragons, however, hunger was synonymous with the pain fire brought humans. Amaris began to leave tear stains along the molten tracks she had traced dozens of times by now. How could an entire species decide she deserved the agony of starvation, could they not even end a life without plotting the most cruel way to do so?
The door to her cell opened in the distance. She smelled meat. Old meat, verging on inedible, but nourishment enough. She bounded toward it. A familiar, horrific scent assaulted her senses. Humans. A savage growl leapt forth from her bared fangs. There was a small crowd of humans, armored guards surrounding an unarmed, terrified human pulling a cart with what she realized were the rotting scraps humanity had deemed her worthy of.
At the sight of her rapid, ravenous approach the humans screamed, those who were holding weapons casting them aside upon the realization they would be useless against such a formidable beast. Some tried to flee, but she had leapt into the air and crashed down in front of the door before any could escape. A vicious snarl tilted into a smile at the edges of the expression, far too subtle for the humans to see behind the predatory hunger burning in her eyes. She let out a roar of a laugh, a depraved, violent sound, as if the king had drawn breath through her lungs. The foul creatures beneath her began to cry, plead. She said nothing. She allowed their panic to grow as she growled. They deserved to suffer.
It wasn't until one tried to scurry off from the group that she realized one might escape if they all scattered. She let out a massive breath of fire, turning a wide circle of stone around them into a moat of molten ore. The armored humans began to shriek and try to remove their armor, the steel trapping the heat and cooking them alive. Their screams were musical. She relished sharing her hell with the demons who cast her to it.
Now that her audience was captive, she plucked the armored human who had been most thoroughly seared before the heat could claim his life. She lifted him to her eye level, grinning monstrously at the look of complete horror in his eyes. It didn't quite approach what she often saw in her reflection, but it was close as he would get. This one was ready to die now.
She used a claw to slice the armor off of him as if peeling a fruit. She did so slowly, ensuring she left painful gashes with each swipe while keeping him alive to feel it, laughing at his shrieks of agony as the other humans waited in horror for their turn. She selected her next victim and maintained eye contact as she made a dramatic show of lifting the human above her head, opening her jaws wide to display her full set of teeth, and dropping him, the snap of her jaws a crash of thunder. The other humans screamed in horror as she swallowed.
She scowled down at them and laughed viciously. If the humans were going to treat her as an animal, tossing her scraps of old meat as she sat in her cage, they should have anticipated a predator's choice to go after the fresh kill instead. They were stupid as they were evil to make themselves the most edible thing in the dragon's cage. She would happily punish them for it; after all, she was being eternally punished for less.
She continued on, slowly killing each human as she made eye contact with the next in line. Once the cell was silent, she let out a frustrated groan as she turned her attention to the meal she was intended to eat. Not nearly enough humans had wandered to their death to prevent her having to eat that offense to cease the pain of her hunger. She wished for nothing more than the luxury of turning her nose up at it.
Hunger finally took over and she choked down the animal carcasses that had been given to her. They could have tasted decent a few days ago. She roared with rage, her dragon's pride ripping her to shreds in the absence of another to lay its claws upon. Hours later a new group of humans brought a new offering, although this time enough armored humans had been sent in a futile attempt to defend themselves that she was able to turn her nose up at the insult. Satisfied to have a meal comprised of fresh meat, she resumed her endless exploration of the cell she had memorized by now.