Chapter 36

I sat alone at the empty table in the Tavern. I dipped my spoon into my bowl of porridge and brought it to my mouth. As I fed myself, all I could think about was what happened the previous night. The banter with my friends, the dance with Ifan and most importantly, the moment Ifan's whiskers grazed my lips before we were interrupted. I sighed with a smile on my face.

But at the same time, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. My family was still at the Empire which was about to be attacked by the Divine Order. I told myself I couldn't do anything for them until I finished this journey. But at the same time, I thought about that moment I threw my ring away. I knew I wouldn't be happy if I decided to marry Brell. All that marriage would entail would be me accompanying him to his parties and him presenting me as if I was his personal statue when I wasn't out dealing with political disputes between other nations and the Empire. On top of that, I feared I would end up like Lady Johanna if I lived the life of a spoiled aristocrat.

But what would happen to my family now that I wasn't going back? When I pushed aside the complicated factors of the Red Prince and Sadha, I figured they'd stay the same and be traders the rest of their lives. But perhaps I could convince them to leave the Empire behind and pursue something different like I was. Or would me acquiring Divinity allow them to ascend to the highest ranks automatically? It was a lot to think about.

Just then, I saw two familiar faces coming down the stairs. It was Sebille and the Red Prince. Sebille looked refreshed from a good night's sleep while the Red Prince held his head as he constantly winced in pain. I remembered saying him drinking himself stupid would be problematic for me in the morning. And here it was. Both the elf and lizard walked over to the cook who produced two new bowls of porridge for them. They walked over to the table and sat down, Sebille next to me and the Red Prince across from me. Sebille gave me a warm smile, which I returned with a smile of my own, before digging into her breakfast. The only thing the Red Prince could do was rub his head while continuing to wince in pain.

"Was it worth it?" I asked the Red Prince.

"To be honest, I don't know," he replied.

As much as I still had resentful feelings toward him, I rolled my eyes and decided to help.

"Well regardless, we're going to need everyone at peak performance," I sighed. I stood up and raised my hand towards the Red Prince. I made the motion with my hand and spoke the words. A faint glow appeared around the lizard's head. He gasped like he was stretching a muscle that caused the good kind of pain. He blinked several times and rubbed his head to comprehend the Peace of Mind I cast on him.

"Hopefully the headache won't come back once the spell runs its course," I said sitting back down to finish the rest of my porridge.

"I…really appreciate the help, Mahalia," the Red Prince said. I stopped eating for a moment.

"Well…" I said. "You're welcome."

Just then, I saw Ifan emerge from the door to the Undertavern.

"Good morning everyone," he said.

"Good morning," I said with a cheery smile. Ifan couldn't help but shoot a small grin at me.

"You must have gotten up early," Sebille said.

"Indeed," Ifan took his seat beside the Red Prince. "That's because I've got a lead on another Source Master."

Everyone's attention was on Ifan.

"Where?" I asked.

Ifan lay down the map of Reapers Coast again. This time he pointed north along the coastline of Reaper's Bluffs. A fresh mark was placed on the map.

"Turns out an old acquaintance of mine knows where Mordus might be."

Mordus. The Dwarven Sourcerer who was suspected to be in the vicinity of Reaper's Bluffs.

"Who is your acquaintance who gave you this lead?" the Red Prince asked.

"Lohar," Ifan said. "The crime lord who runs the Undertavern."

The title of Crime Lord gave me pause for a moment. But when I thought about it, the Law wasn't that good either with the Divine Order patrolling the region.

"And how does Lohar know about Mordus?" the Red Prince asked.

"It's a long story," Ifan said. "But the gist is Lohar has a smuggling operation in a cave at the edge of Reaper's Bluffs."

He pointed to the new spot on the map.

"He suspects Mordus to be there, but he's got his hands tied here so he wants us to check it out."

"So, we're his lackies now?" Sebille asked.

"Well, he did say I owe him for my rude behavior last time I was here," Ifan said. "Figured it's the best way to repay him. And we're looking for Mordus for our own reasons anyway, so…"

"Good point," I tilted my head. "So, once we're fed and packed, should we meet outside before heading out?"

"Fifteen minutes should be long enough," Ifan replied. "See you then?"

I nodded along with Sebille. The Red Prince followed shortly after. Ifan smiled before getting to his feet and heading up stairs. A few minutes later, I finished my porridge and gave the bowl back to the Innkeeper. I went up the stairs to my room and gathered everything. Once everything was packed, I put my bag around my shoulders and exited the room. I made my way downstairs. Both Sebille and the Red Prince had finished their breakfast and walked past me to prepare themselves.

I walked out the door to see Ifan standing alone on the porch. He leaned on the edge of the railing looking over the market as all the merchants were setting up their shops. I walked up next to him and he turned his head to me.

"Ready?" Ifan asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Just need wait for the others."

Ifan nodded and turned back to looking over the market. I stood there looking over the market too. But a nagging feeling grew in my gut. It creeped up my torso until it reached my mind.

Come on. It's the best time before we need to go.

I sighed and turned to face Ifan directly. He noticed me doing so and faced me too.

"Listen, um…" I said. I held my hands together and bent my head down slyly. "About last night."

Ifan had a rather similar reaction. He leaned back while a blush grew over his sharp cheekbones. He moved his eyes shyly to the side while he twirled a single coin between his fingers.

"Yeah um…" he said. He pursed his lips together, clearly unable to say anything. We weren't going to get anywhere with this. I needed to move it along.

"Are you okay with this?" I said. Ifan's brows shot up. He stopped twirling his coin. Seeing his reaction made me panic realizing how stupid my words sounded.

"I mean, with us being… different."

WHAT?! What the hell are you even saying!?

There was another awkward and, at the same time, terrifying pause between us. Ifan shifted his eyes left and right while bringing his hand up to brush the back of his head.

"Well…" Ifan said.

Oh gods! Don't tell me I messed this up!

Ifan brought his hand down and looked directly at me.

"I don't have a problem with it," he said with confidence.

I felt as if my entire body was a knot that just undid itself, releasing all the tension built up in it. I felt my shoulders relax along with the rest of my body. But then, Ifan's face turned to one of concern.

"But are you okay with it?"

Now my brows shot up. In response, he twitched and shifted his gaze around before stuttering his response.

"I-I mean…"

He looked down at my ringless hand.

"Because you were, um…"

I reached over and touched his shoulder with my other hand. His gaze shot back up to me. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm okay with it," I said with the confidence I willed up. "I made my choice."

I felt Ifan's timid behavior slowly ease away under my hand I had on his shoulder. He relaxed his body and his friendly grin returned to his face. He reached up and gently placed his hand on my cheek like he did the night before. I could feel the same draw to him that I experienced the night before.

Perha-

We heard the door open. We looked to see both Sebille and the Red Prince walking out with their bags on. I made a glance over at Ifan. We both grinned and chuckled to ourselves. No luck yet again.

"You two ready?" I asked the latecomers.

"On the road again," Sebille said with her signature coy smile. The Red Prince only nodded.

"Alright then," Ifan said. "Follow me."

Ifan turned around and walked down the steps with the three of us in tow. We entered the market and proceeded north passed several houses along with the main fishery which still reeked of the stench of void tainted fish the day we first arrived. We eventually came to another bridge which was guarded by half a dozen magisters along with their Source hounds. Like the bridge we entered the town in from the south, we made a detour downstream to cross the river without alerting the guards.

Once we were on the paved road again, we continued our trek through the woods for just over an hour. Eventually, I felt the earth escalate as I saw the road ascend a cliffside. We'd arrived at Reaper's Bluffs. From the map, we were approximately halfway to the cave Ifan told us about. Like our journey to the sawmill in the Cullwoods, Ifan told us to take a breather. While the others sat down on the side of the road, I decided to walk a small distance away from them. I passed through the foliage until I emerged at the cliff's edge overlooking the coast. I leaned up against the nearest tree and crossed my arms. I closed my eyes and inhaled the salty air while listening to the sea crash against the cliff wall. Not exactly like the serenity I experienced with Ifan the day before after our swim, but this moment was peaceful, nonetheless.

Eventually, I heard someone walking from behind me. I opened my eyes and turned my head to see who it was.

Oh gods. Here we go.

I let out a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes. The Red Prince walked up to me with a rather peculiar flow in his step. Much different than the grandiose swagger he had before.

"May I speak with you, Mahalia?" he asked.

My brows shot up as I snapped my gaze to him.

"What is it with you calling us by our names all of a sudden?" I asked.

The Red Prince looked back through the foliage, presumably toward where Ifan and Sebille were most likely eavesdropping if they chose to do it again. He looked back at me with dim ember eyes instead of sizzling ember eyes.

"Well, if I am to earn the respect of my colleagues, I figured addressing them by their names would be a good start."

Normally, the Red Prince would speak with grandiose poise and confidence behind his words, with a dose of arrogance for good measure. But now, his posture was more hunched over while his voice sounded… remorseful. Was he really that affected by our stand off after Sadha was kidnapped? Or was he just putting on a persona to try and manipulate me again?

"What do you want?" I huffed.

The Red Prince took a deep breath.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said.

I raised my brow suspiciously.

"Okay… ask away."

He looked aside for a moment.

"How did you perceive the House of War before you were captured by the Magisters?"

It was a rather surprising question. I took a moment to remember my state of mind before any of this started.

"I thought the House of War was a necessary evil. There were many enemies of the Empire who needed to be dealt with. But I believed the House of Law was the only thing that kept the House of War on a leash. Without the House of Law, the people of the House of War would bring only misery to the world and create more enemies that would endanger the lives of our people."

I shifted my gaze away for a moment.

"But now, having been captured by the Magisters, speaking to beings who've been affected by our very own slave scar, and learning that the Princess of my House wants to merge both houses into one, on top of her plan to give birth to dragons thanks to a certain red lizard's prophecy juice, I feel very… afraid."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Without a counterweight, what's to stop people like you from unleashing your lust for bloodshed onto the world?"

The Red Prince tilted his head and shifted his eyes away shamefully.

"So that's how you see us?" he said as a statement rather than a question. "We're monsters who are no different than Braccus Rex?"

I pushed myself off the tree and crypt closer to him. He took a single step backward before I was merely inches away from him. I brought my burning gaze to his ember eyes.

"Tell me something. When you were still in your palace, indulging in your sexual fantasies with your concubines and demons, did you ever give the order to have your armies raid and pillage villages who did nothing to the Empire because there was a demand for more slaves?"

The Red Prince's eyes looked down, giving me the answer. I tightened my fists.

"I thought so."

I stepped away from him and looked to the horizon. The anger in me slowly built as I reflected on the Red Bastard's behavior over the course of the journey.

"What did you think would happen if you had introduced me to Sadha in the camp? Did you expect the presence of my leader and my love of dragons would make me forget my empathy for 'lesser species?'"

I shifted my right eye to see the Red Prince squeeze his eyes shut and turn his head away in shame again.

Typical.

"Let me tell you something."

I faced him with the stone face of anger I wore when he was under my foot.

"I am not stupid. I am not your slave. I am a person and I have a choice. My choice is to acknowledge the suffering the Empire has inflicted on the world with that damnable scar. I will stand against the nobles who revel in their sexual indulgences while their armies round up and take away the identity of the people they enslave."

I felt anger grow in my heart again. But I didn't let it take me over. I only stared at the less than grandiose lizard standing before me as he only replied with silence. There wasn't anything more to say to him. I turned away and walked back to where the others were waiting.

"Then the Dragon Knights have chosen well."

Once again, it was the voice of the Red Prince behind me that stopped me. I didn't turn my head to look at him, but he continued.

"Perhaps that's the reason they're still around while our Red Dragon ancestors died out."

Now I turned around. The Red Prince held his hands on his hips looking down at the ground in deep thought. After a moment, he looked at me. He turned around towards the cliff's edge and walked towards it, motioning me to follow him. I was very reluctant to follow him having told him I was not his slave a minute ago. But I eventually followed him to the edge of the cliff standing beside him. He took a moment before he sat down with his legs over the side of the cliff. Once again, I reluctantly followed his lead and sat beside him.

"When we first encountered Slane on the island, I was ecstatic to see a dragon in the flesh like you were. But once we retrieved the wand and he transformed into his lizard form I was… somewhat regretful."

"Because the Dragon Knights don't share the same values as the House of War?" I managed to temper my emotions to ask the question normally.

The Red Prince nodded.

"I've always had a… contrasting view of the Dragon Knights. Why would they give their powers to any person of any race and give their aid to beings they deemed to be 'in need'? But now I know why."

"Do you now?" I tilted my head. He took a deep breath.

"When I was exiled, I had no Empire. No servants. No guards. I had nothing."

"And you wanted to feel like you had something when you tried to make me your slave?" I asked with a stern voice.

"Yes," he said with a regretful tone. "When I realized I couldn't escape Fort Joy alone, I needed the aid of others who I couldn't control. So, I allowed you to gather a group of people to help me get off the island. When we discovered we were Godwoken, I was ecstatic that I could become a god in addition to becoming one with Sadha. Thus, I allowed myself to work alongside you to get what I wanted."

"To the point you deceived all of us and tried to manipulate me to distrust my friends?" I asked in the same stern voice.

"Yes," he sighed. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

Why am I even listening to this bastard?

I thought about leaving again but he continued.

"When Sadha was taken and you had the courage to stand up to me, I felt…vulnerable."

The last word hung in the air between us.

"The Red Prince admitting he's vulnerable," I snorted. "Who'd imagine such a thing was even possible?"

"Indeed," he said. "But my point is, you allowed yourself to connect to not just Ifan and Sebille, but those children too. Thus, when you learned of something that felt threatening to them, you stood up to me because you wanted to protect them."

Once again, my stone face started to crack.

"They gave you something that made you feel like something more. Thus, you feel the need to give something back to them. That's why you've renounced your allegiance to the Empire. You've found a new home here in Rivellon."

He brought his fingers to his chin and looked up to the sky.

"Perhaps that's why the Dragon Knights still persist while our red dragon ancestors died out. Because they opened themselves to not just lizards but all races, thus gaining their trust. If our red dragon ancestors had the same beliefs as the Empire, could the reason that they're not around be because the people of Rivellon feared them and they united to hunt the dragons down to protect themselves?"

My eyes widened slightly. I was rather amazed that the Red Prince of all people would be saying what he said. But it wasn't enough for me to express it in front of him.

"What are you trying to say?" asked sternly. "Are you trying to change your ways and become more like me?"

The Red Prince looked to the side and pondered before he responded.

"I'd say that's impossible," the Red Prince said. "I may learn a thing or two from you. Perhaps I have the capacity to change a few things about myself. But I'm not you and you're not me."

He looked directly at me.

"You have your connection to your friends. My connection is with Sadha. You may disagree with her, but she made her choice to be with me and unite the Houses. I will do anything to protect her and my unborn child. You have your family to protect and I have mine."

A part of me wasn't surprised by his response but another felt hopeful that he was learning something to connect with other people that were different than him. But his vague answer about what he wanted to change about himself left me irritated. There really wasn't anything more I could do at this point.

"I still don't like you," I said. The Red Prince winced and looked to the horizon again.

"But my parents are still within the Empire. They'll need someone to protect them from the Divine Order and the Voidwoken."

The Red Prince's gaze shot over to me in surprise.

"Don't worry, I won't destroy the Forbidden City when I become the next Divine. We'll find Sadha and your child and free them from the God King."

I stood up and looked down at him.

"I just hope you have the courage to use your new-found wisdom to make a true change for the better. I'd really hate to slaughter the forces of the Empire to protect innocent people from being made into slaves."

I turned around and started to make my way back to the road.

"Mahalia," the Red Prince said. Once again, I stopped but didn't turn my head to face him.

"Slane would be proud of you," he said. "You would be an excellent Dragon Knight."

I closed my eyes and stood in silence. When I opened my eyes, I nodded my head and made my way back to my friends.

Author's Note: So yeah…

I was going back and forth about how the Red Prince would be handled before chapter 34. Would he stay the course like in the game leading to that infamous line during the epilogue? Or would he have an actual character arc? I think it's clear which direction I went with because I felt if the Red Prince remained the same when the others learned of the prophecy, they'd reject him because of obvious reasons.

But anyway, there's my next interaction between Mahalia and the Red Prince. Did I do a good job?

BTW, I'm working on a small DOS2 spin-off. Stay tuned because that'll be coming out soon.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.