Author's Notes

An intermission that ADVANCES THE PLOT?! What is this madness?!

Intermission 4: More Perspectives Part 2

Eliwood's POV

Thank goodness that my son is enjoying himself. I'm not going to lie; I wasn't entirely sure of what was going to happen once Roy went to Arcadia. But everything seems to be exactly like they've been planned to be.

Idoun appears to be very... genuine. Yes, that's a good way to describe her. She really, really likes Sain's flirting too. I wonder what would happen if Roy tried the same thing. That would be interesting to see! I guess it isn't in our genes to try and flirt gratuitously, though; sure, I wooed Ninian once in a while, but everything I said to her was completely heartfelt. Not that Sain isn't heartfelt, but it's just different somehow.

Ninian... I wish you could see how much our son has grown up. You'd be proud of how much he's grown as a person, and not just in age and stature. I see you in him more and more. Of course, the fact that he's entranced by this genuine dragon girl, much like I was with you when we first met, makes me glad. I know he doesn't realize it himself, but he really is captivated by her. The proud smile he wore when he walked hand in hand with Idoun to my table proves it.

I just hope he realizes how fortunate he is before it's too late.

Fayette's POV

Where did everyone go? I was following the group, but I got caught behind some people. Now, I'm all by myself. What am I going to do?

This just has not been a good night. Firstly, Pyra picks out this outfit for me that I don't even want to wear. Now, I know she has good intentions, and the dress itself looks really pretty on me, but that's not the point...

Earlier in the day, as Pyra and I are changing clothes for the reception...

"This dress really flatters your figure!" Pyra squeals excitedly, and I examine the dress in question with worry. "Men are going to be noticing you for sure!"

"I don't want... to be noticed..." I whimper, holding the dress in front of myself. Regardless of my misgivings, it really is a beautiful dress. The turquoise colour matches my hair, and the indigo shoulder straps match my eyes. As well, the dress reaches down to the floor, covering my feet. I don't have fancy shoes, so the dress length is nice. No, I'm not worried about the dress itself; I'm worried about how it fits.

The problem is, it's very slim fitting. For the last few years, I've only been wearing big, poofy, or loose-fitting clothes. Even though I take after my mother in body type for the most part; the body of a young girl, due to her dragon blood; there's a part of me that should not be the way it is. I can't show it to others; it just looks too weird. And being so shy, anything I can do to draw attention away from me is a good thing. I can't have people staring at my...

"So you have a huge chest for your size and height. Big deal. You know how many girls would kill for a pair that size?" Pyra teases, grinning way too much for my own comfort. "Just because you're part dragon doesn't mean it isn't possible to actually have some shape in your human form. Look at me!"

"You're an exception... especially... with full dragon blood..." I counter, searching for the reasoning I read about once in a book called 'Dragon Genetics'. "'Since dragons... are not able... to conform... to human form properly... for the most part... it is... very, very, rare'..."

"'For certain parts of their human body to grow more than the minimum amount, such as muscles on males, and breasts on females'," Pyra finishes. I guess she read the book too. "I know, I know. You think of Sophia, Fa, Idoun, and even your mother, and the book is right. But, of course, there are exceptions like you said!"

Now she pulls me into a heartfelt hug, whispering to me, "I told you before, you are beautiful. Nobody is the exact same, and the differences are what make people unique. You shouldn't hide those differences; embrace them. Regardless of what you look like, you're still you, and nothing will change that."

When Pyra loosens up on her grip, I am able to see her face, and to my surprise, a tear falls down her cheek as she beams at me. "Can you do that... for me?"

Secondly, she makes me so guilty that I actually wear the dress, although I'm also wearing a long, silver scarf to keep myself hidden still.

Thirdly, I'm worried about this Sadiki girl suddenly hanging around my brother. While she is very kind to me, I just don't know what will happen with her. I know Tarif would be much better suited with the girl he constantly thinks about instead of the new girl that's suddenly showing interest in him; he just doesn't know it himself yet. Besides, I find her a little suspicious.

Regardless of that, the last thing that Pyra said to me is what is the most worrisome...

"Don't worry about your body affecting how people view you. I know your future husband isn't going to be influenced by that at all..."

Who wouldn't be influenced? I'm tiny, so there's nowhere else to look!

But, I made a promise to Pyra.

So, off the scarf goes, onto a lonely chair sitting in the middle of the room.

Oh well. I should go find... somebody I know. If I can at least be near someone I'm comfortable with, I'll be okay. Pyra will be proud of me, and actually, I'm proud of myself. It's so difficult for me to go outside my comfort zone, and if I can slowly, slowly, slowly get better at it, I can fulfill my duties as a princess like I'm supposed to...

"Hey! That body doesn't match that face in the slightest! Heh heh, it doesn't matter, it will only make this more enjoyable..."

"Who's... there?" I stutter, swiveling my head around the room to find the source of the voice. Eventually, two noble boys in the distance make their way in my direction... this is not good. I have to get out of here...

But a third boy appears out of nowhere and claps his hand over my face! Now they're taking me into a dark hallway, carrying the lone chair with them. After a bit of walking, the three of them place me on the chair and use the scarf to tie me up. How could this happen...

"You're Tarif's sister, aren't you?" a new voice questions, and a tall boy with fiery red hair emerges from the shadows. After staring at me and grinning from ear to ear, he kneels and leans uncomfortably close to my face, remarking, "who knew his sister had such noticeable assets? Must be the human blood tainting you. Well, in this case, this will work in favour of my associates here... and I must admit that I'll get a large amount of enjoyment... examining you myself, after these guys are finished."

"Who... are... you?"

Seemingly pleased with my obvious question, he replies, "I am Sakre, instigator of malevolence. I use humans and dragons alike for my purposes, and reap the benefits in the long term." After answering, he begins to pace dramatically. "So, I'll give you tonight's agenda. In your case, I'll use you as a hostage. And eventually, by the end of the night, Tarif will be dead. Sadiki is doing a wonderful job of earning his trust. Heh, it will be such a shame when the truth comes out..."

Sadiki is the enemy? I've got to get out and tell everybody...

"But that's for later," Sakre remarks. "For now, I have to hold up my end of the bargain with these fine gentlemen... although I can assure they won't be gentle. In exchange for capturing you and keeping my presence a secret, they get to do what they please with you... before I do, of course. Sounds fair, right? After all the fun is out of the way, we'll make your kidnapping known to your friends, and..."

Suddenly, a monstrous shadow approaches Sakre from behind, and before Sakre can turn around and see who it is, the shadow punches him into the wall. Sakre falls into a lump on the floor before I hear the three noble boys shout and run away in terror behind me somewhere.

Soon, the monstrous shadow starts walking closer! It's huge! It must be over seven feet tall, and built like a fortress. When it finally comes into view...

It's a giant man!

I don't think I can handle this...

"You... okay?" the man asks, walking closer still. He has huge muscles! And such a scary face! Who is this... monster...

Ahh! He's untying me from the chair! This is my chance to escape... but I can't move...

I think I'm going to faint...

I wake up in the ballroom, almost as if nothing happened. Actually, what did happen? I don't remember much; I remember there being an 'instigator of malevolence' or something, not being able to move, and...

...the monster.

That's sitting in the chair beside me.

"I Gonzales," the man says, flashing me a really creepy grin. "You okay? I was told... to hit man who scare you..."

He holds up his hand... his gigantic, callused hand. He could probably pick up the table without any effort. How did he get a suit to fit his body? And those eyes of his, looking right into my own eyes...

I'm so scared, but again, I can't move a muscle. Fear of this man is paralyzing me...

All I can do is cry...

"You cry? No, no..." the man mutters to himself, and...

He starts to hit himself.

"I make her cry!"

Slowly, my crying subsides as I watch this man whacking himself in the face. What is he doing? Is it because...

"Stop..." I whisper, but it doesn't seem to do anything. The man just continues the onslaught on his face, and soon, he even starts to bleed. "Stop!"

This time, he hears me. Done with hitting himself, he just stares at me, immense guilt written onto his face.

And yet, the weird thing is, someway, somehow... While I'm still scared, I'm not scared of him anymore. The effect is almost instantaneous. It's almost as if... I can sense his naivety. This man is indeed pure and innocent in his heart.

"I'm sorry... what was... your name, again? Mine's... Fayette."

Relived that I'm talking to him despite my fear, he smiles in delight before answering, "I Gonzales. Please... be not afraid... me hate being scary..."

With every word he speaks, I can feel my discomfort draining away. Before long, I even feel comfortable enough to sit in his lap; I'm still feeling shaken about the past events, even though I only have a vague memory of them.

"Please... hold... me..."

Yes, this has definitely not been a good night... but, perhaps, in the end, it's going to turn out alright after all...

Pyra's POV

What a meal! I'm stuffed! Chicken, vegetables, cheese, dessert! I have to admit that I would love to sit down right now, but I have to find Tarif! I heard that the couples dance is starting soon, and the two of us have a tradition to always dance together for that song... not that we're a couple, but, it's a start? Hopefully in the future...

Oh, look! There's Gonzales and Fayette sitting on the chair together. How cute! I knew that she would feel safe around him! I wonder if he had to beat any men off of her! Hee hee, that would be a sight to see! But, I specifically told him to fend off anyone who tried anything on her! I'll find out later, I guess!

And she took off the scarf! Wonderful! I'm so glad something worked out tonight! Now, next on my agenda... I dance with Tarif, and then, lock Roy and Idoun on the balcony! I'm sure they'll kiss there! It's going to be so exciting...

Ah! There's Tarif, sitting and finishing his meal with Sadiki. You know, Sadiki is a great person. And I saw that she treats Fayette very well, which is wonderful! It's so hard to find friends for her, so for Sadiki to be one is a treat.

"Hey! Pyra!" Sadiki shouts from the distance, waving me over. "Why not join us?"

I bound over to their table excitedly; Sadiki promised we'd work together on a special dress for me. I wonder if it will be anything like the creation Sadiki's wearing, even if I can't classify it as a dress; her bust is covered by a light pink scarf wrapped around like a bandage, leaving her shoulders and the rest of her torso exposed, and from the waist down is basically the bottom half of a dark pink gown. Plus, around her neck, she's wearing a rainbow feather necklace! I want to wear a rainbow feather necklace! Guess I'll have to find some peacocks! They've got similar types of feathers...

"You look wonderful!" I compliment her, feeling the gown's smoothness in my hands. "Where did you get these materials?"

"It's part of a secret stash I add to and pick out from over time," she answers. "I see you're looking pretty well-done yourself. Although," she notices, eyeing me suspiciously, "I'm surprised that you're not more revealing in your garment choice. I thought you liked showing off your... perks."

"Only with friends," I reply, chuckling. It's true; I like to give my friends a hard time by making them feel awkward by my actions and wardrobe choices, (or lack of, sometimes, hee hee!) but this is a formal occasion. It would not be fair to Lilina for me to dazzle myself up too much. I'm just wearing my red sparkly gown; while flattering and pretty, it's not going to make anybody who's standing beside me look bad or feel inadequate.

"And those earrings are interesting as well," Sadiki also observes. "What are they made of?"

"Oh! These are genuine dragonscale earrings!" I clarify, but once Sadiki hears my answer, her face changes from curiosity to anger, and I realize my mistake. "Wait, sorry, I didn't mean to mention that..."

"That's alright. It's not your fault. It's not like you're one of them," Sadiki grunts, and then she sighs. "No really, I shouldn't be upset. It happened so long ago..."

"What... happened?" Tarif asks, finally speaking since I sat down. "Have you ever... told anyone? If not, you'll feel much better... if you do..."

Sadiki looks over at Tarif, and then over at me. Once looking at Tarif again, she starts her painful story: "I was born and raised in a small farming village, I don't even know where. I never found out before... it was destroyed." Pausing for a moment, she continues, "most likely, it was close to Ostia. Anyway, a short time before this most recent war started, I was outside, mending a dress of mine, when a large group of people with red eyes, red hair..."

She seems to be eyeing me over now; is she making a connection with her story and my appearance? I have red hair, I have red eyes. If she finds out I'm a dragon...

"...these matching red hooded coats, and red wings," Sadiki finishes, and relief washes over me mentally. "A huge group. As soon as they reached the village, they transformed into dragons and burned the entire village down. Only my parents and I escaped. However, they told me to go hide behind a giant shrub, and as soon as I was out of sight, a dragon flew back from the village and ambushed my parents. As soon as he landed, he transformed back into a human... the thing was, this one was different than the others. He actually appeared to be normal, unlike all of the other dragons who fought like mindless robots. Anyway, he wore a different type of coat, was muscular, and looked around his forties, if we're talking human years. All of the other ones were old looking, and they seemed... almost possessed."

This must have occurred sometime after Idoun's soul was destroyed and started creating War Dragons! They certainly match the description...

"So, this different dragon in human form starts speaking to my parents, saying, 'this is just a warning to the world. Who knows whether anyone will notice your tiny town's presence missing, but it's no matter. This is also a test to see if our dragons will actually fight correctly. You humans are destined to die, and we will not stop until you are eradicated and our rightful place as the ruling species is reclaimed.'"

There's only one dragon alive I know that could have done this... the only one who has muscle, the only one who speaks in that way, the only one who would actually know the source of the War Dragons...

"And... after that, he kills my parents. Slowly. Painfully. Cruelly."

Sadiki starts to shake her fist in anger. "I vowed that day to avenge my parents. To kill the one who killed them. To destroy the cursed species from the face of the continent. I'm just waiting, waiting, waiting. No matter who it may turn out to be, no matter how much mercy they ask for, I will not turn back away from my vow. The dragons will pay."

How sad... she's making me cry!

"I left the site of my destroyed village, and by chance, a royal carriage owned by Lady Silk went by, found me, and she eventually adopted me as her own child. And... that's the end, I guess."

After her horribly sad tale is finished, she stretches out a bit and scootches right beside me. "Alright, enough about that depressing stuff. Sorry for making you cry, Pyra." The reassuring words from Sadiki allow me to slowly stop crying and to dry off my tears. "I'm changing the subject to something more interesting and exciting. Before we start talking about the dress, Tarif can answer a question I've been thinking about: even though Pyra and I have a few differences in body type, especially over... here," she starts, grinning and groping her chest suggestively, "who do you think is prettier? Please, be honest."

And Tarif's face turns white. What a ridiculous question! And after such a somber conversation! But... what will he say? "Sadiki, it's not fair to Tarif to make him answer that. One of us is going to be disappointed!"

"Well, uh," Sadiki awkwardly mumbles, and we look each other in the eye as I wait for her to continue speaking. She looks like she feels bad for asking. "That was just me trying to reassure myself. Sorry, Tarif, I didn't mean to put you on the spot..."

But it seems Tarif has disappeared! Where could he have gone? He must have escaped once the two of us looked away!

Scanning the room around us, there is no trace of him.

Tarif's POV

So that's why Sadiki hates dragons so much... I never would have guessed. She's just so upbeat that it's hard to believe something so huge is being bottled up inside her. I want to help her, but... regardless, how could Sadiki ask such a question about how I feel? Wow, that was a quick thought shift. Sure, I find Pyra really, really pretty, but Sadiki has a subtle form of attractiveness that... intrigues me. There's no way I can answer that question! So now I have to crawl under tables to try and escape having to answer.

"Now hear this! This is a strictly couples dance next! Grab your spouse or date and join Lord Oujay and Lady Lilina on the dance floor!"

Oh no! The couples dance! I always dance with Pyra for this one. The one dance I promised her... she's going to be so upset.

Well, Roy told me that Lilina cares a lot about others, and if there was a problem to go talk to her. If I ask her to do another couple's dance, I'm sure she will! I hope...

"Run! Monster!"

"Gah!" I yelp, pulling my hand away before it gets trampled by some obnoxious noble boys. They shouldn't be running here! Sheech...

Well, guess I'll wait here for a while... ooh, a gold coin!

Author's Notes

HE'S BACK. Sakre, what are you up to? And stop being so darn creepy to girls!

Oh Eliwood... how I enjoy your POV for no reason. Not much to say about him, but I thought what he said was necessary.

Oh Fayette... uh, yeah. Now, before you ask (for the zillionith time) what the heck I was thinking when I wrote her POV, this was actually planned a few chapters ago. Body type? Planned beforehand. Gonzales romance? (AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW) Planned beforehand. Seriously, I've been hinting at that for a while. Anyone suspect it? Heh heh, instructions to hit anyone who scares Fayette. How sweet.

Oh Pyra... once again, what was I thinking with you? Pyra = fun awkwardness... for us, anyway. :D She seems like she could get along with Sadiki. Speaking of which, I didn't want to write Sadiki's POV because it would give away WAY too much information as for her plot... but her reasoning on why she hates dragons NEEDED to be written as well. And I had to make sure at least Tarif knew. Pyra is just added bonus in that sense.

Oh Tarif... well, nothing really to say about him either. Well, you can speculate about whatever you want, really. Makes it more interesting. :p

Wow, this chapter goes on forever. But, that's never bad, I guess. I had a lot to cover, and now, I can go back to Roy and Idoun, at least until Sakre's plans for Tarif come into effect. That's for another chapter, though. I hope everyone enjoyed the extra length!