This is a rewrite of the story I published yesterday since I hadn't realized it wasn't in Italics the first time. Anyways, enjoy.
She trod along the medieval-aged palace walls, staring at the holographic image of the Star Master.
"This is very serious, Nova Terron," she said.
"I have sent two of my most talented Astromancers, Your Highness" the Star Master informed.
Explosions sounded from the distance, alerting her as the concrete ground shook beneath her feet.
"Someone's attacking the palace!" she yelled.
"Protect the Dragon Disk!" Nova Terron told her as she nodded, running toward the sound.
She burst into the throne room where her husband took his battle stance, his sword in hand.
"Someone's.." she started.
"I know," King Darius said. "Get behind me."
The Queen nodded as she retrieved her own weapon, looking back at the door as she stepped back cautiously.
An army of undead skeletons marched into the throne room. The King and Queen let out their battle cries as they charged the skeleton soldiers, holding their own
In came the leader of the tribe. Dreadbane walked bravely, his biceps high in the air as he went through the throne room doors. He very nearly grasped the queen's bond before she kicked him in the jaw.
"Dreadbane," she gasped as she turned to face him. "You're alive!" Two skeleton soldiers then restrained her and the king.
Dreadbane reattached his jawbone as he walked closer to the queen. "Not so much alive as... undead. Unlock the treasury" he ordered.
"You will never get the Dragon Disk!" Darius growled.
The skeleton man looked at the king, his radiant eyes gleaming as he looked at his undead servants. He walked up to Darius as his palms touched the king's head, his soldiers stepping back as he did so.
"Darius! No!" Queen Goodfey exclaimed as she ran to the king, embracing his bone sculpture tearfully.
"The disk, Queen Goodfey" Dreadbane ordered.
"Never" Queen Goodfey growled. She sobbed on the king's shoulder, the tears falling down her eyelids as Dreadbane scoffed.
"Fine. Bring me the princess" Dreadbane ordered.
"No! Keep her out of this!" the queen yelled.
"Mom!" Arkayna yelled.
"Dreadbane" Malvaron gasped.
"Run, Arkayna! Run!" Queen Goodfey yelled, the atmosphere around her seeming to close in on her as Dreadbane's caveman-like hands cupped her head.
She gasped as she stared into a void of darkness, silence filling her eardrum, the gap between the real world and herself closing. Her knees ached from the shock of it all. Dreadbane had turned her to bone.
She opened her eyes, sitting up as she pulled her knees closer, wrapping her arms around herself as her body curled up, whimpering as she ran her fingers through the strands of hair. The thoughts of her two children out there in the dangerous world without protection seemed to forever repeat in her mind. Were they safe? Had Dreadbane killed them long after? Being here felt like an eternity, though she knew that, in reality, she was only here for a few hours.
She stood up as she started to walk, the darkness blinding her as she tried to feel for a closing, maybe a secret door that would take her back if she was lucky. The pressure in her chest intensified as she whimpered, her steady breaths now more coarse and sharp than before. Was this it? Did Dreadbane just turn her to bone and left her here to rot, the loneliness taking a toll on her until she died?
Her sore legs ached as she bent her knees, groaning in defeat as she collapsed to the floor, her head buried in her hands as she wailed, occasional screams of frustration escaping her throat. Her head throbbed as the tears dried up, her face itching as she groaned.
"Is this what you want? You want to fucking torture me, don't you?" she asked. She sighed, her surroundings seeming to answer her question as the wind blew through her ears, tickling the hairs on her neck. Her stomach called out to her as its growling filled the uneasy silence.
She sat down in the darkness, her reddened face itched with her dried-up tears, her legs spread apart looking like a child in a post temper tantrum. At this moment, she knew that she wasn't escaping her current predicament any time soon.
She bit her lip as she fiddled with the strands of her hair, her teeth producing an occasional hissing sound as she tried to focus on her task. She looked down at her aging fingers. By the looks of them, she had only been here for exactly 24 hours, longing to hear her daughter's voice.
She looked up as a ray of light flashed before her eyes, the silhouette of her captor hovering over her own as he stood in front of her. She gasped as she stood up, sharp breaths escaping her throat as she looked away from the skeleton man.
"Well, hello to you too," Dreadbane muttered as he closed the gap between himself and the queen. She whimpered as he ran his fingers through her hair, nibbling on her lip as she swayed back and forth.
Dreadbane sighed as he crouched down, his fingers delicately stroking her jawline as she tried to avoid his gaze.
"You do realize that the only reason why you're here is because you refused to make things easier for yourself" he pointed out.
"Unleashing Necrafa doesn't make things easier. It shows that you're actually a coward to make a woman do the work for you" the queen muttered as she rolled her eyes. She groaned in pain as Dreadbane's hand forcefully brushed against her face, the red mark fading away as she faced him again.
"Necrafa loves me! And I love her. Those blasted Mysticons won't stand a chance against her" he said.
"Mysticons? The Dragon Disk called for new ones?" the queen asked as she widened her eyes in confusion. Dreadbane groaned as he cupped his hands, burying his head in them as he shook his undead skull in annoyance.
"Sadly, yes. But that won't be much of a problem for me anyway," Dreadbane muttered. He looked around in the dark space, sighing as he aimlessly walked in a circle.
"So, how do you like it here so far?" he questioned as he looked back at the queen.
"I guess it's fine since I'm not paying rent," the queen responded. "Do I have to pay rent?"
"It's a prison, not an apartment" Dreadbane muttered as he rolled his eyes.
The queen sighed, "I don't like the quiet. I feel like I'm gonna go insane in here."
"That's the point" Dreadbane whispered as he looked down on her. The queen gasped as the skeleton man seemed to gradually fade, waving goodbye as he smiled. Queen Goodfey called out to him before biting her lip as she was left alone again in the horrid darkness.
The queen gasped as the silhouette of Dreadbane appeared behind her. She turned around as he smiled at her, wrapping his around her waist as her body tensed from the sudden gesture.
"Hello to you too," she muttered as she chortled. "It's… been a while hasn't it?"
"Yes," Dreadbane muttered. "The Mysticons seem to be making my job much harder everyday."
"That sucks," the queen whispered. "Do you think Necrafa even remembers you?"
"She should. I would be extremely disappointed if she didn't" Dreadbane whispered.
"Right," the queen muttered as she absentmindedly bit her lip. "Have you ever done anything fun in your life?" she asked.
Dreadbane looked down at her as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I've killed people before. Necrafa and I had a lot of fun destroying the Mysticons' predecessors," he whispered as he grinned cheekily.
"No, I…" the queen sighed. "I meant, have you ever played a game or something? Like rock, paper, scissors, Beasty Blasters, no?" She furrowed her eyebrows as Dreadbane shook his head, his own eyebrows cocking with confusion.
"Okay, then. A thumb war. A thumb war is easy to start with" she muttered as she sat down, beckoning Dreadbane to mimic her actions.
Dreadbane bit his lip as the queen's fingers locked with his, comparing her petit knuckles to his enormous ones.
"The thumb goes on top of the other fingers. My thumb and your thumb should be lined up… almost," she whispered as Dreadbane followed her instructions, his brows creasing as the queen wiggled her thumb, giggling as Dreadbane mimicked her actions.
"Is this all we have to do?" the bone man questioned.
"Well, if you'd let me explain…" the queen muttered.
"I don't have time to watch you waste yours" Dreadbane growled under his breath.
"Will you let me explain the rules first? If you'd just listen..." the queen muttered as she rolled her eyes. "If my thumb pins your thumb for ten seconds then I win. It's like a wrestling match."
"Okay," Dreadbane whispered. His ears perked with interest as the queen hummed a mantra, starting off the game as her thumb moved swiftly over Dreadbane's hand. He looked up at her as she bit her lip, concentrating on the task at hand. Dreadbane gasped as the queen's thumb pressed on his own, thus declaring her tremendous victory.
"That was… kinda fun," he said frankly. "I wish Tazma would show me things like that every once in a while."
"Who's Tazma?" Queen Goodfey asked as she looked up at him.
Dreadbane sighed as he looked away, rubbing his arm as he bit his bony lip. "A lackey... for now," he whispered.
"For now?" the queen asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna throw her in a dungeon or something?"
"It's not a terrible idea. I'll think about it" Dreadbane muttered as he shrugged.
"Does she appreciate the fact that you call her your lackey?" Queen Goodfey asked.
"I doubt that. I feel like she's trying to overpower me somehow" Dreadbane whispered.
"Good luck with that," the queen muttered as she smirked.
"I should go. I sent her to perform a task for me. I have to go see if she's returned" Dreadbane said as he stood up.
"Wait, can't you…?" the queen started as Dreadbane dissolved, enacting his routine of leaving her in darkness.
She sighed as she slouched, whimpering as she pouted, the familiar feeling of loneliness washing over her.
"Stay for a little while longer," she muttered.
Queen Goodfey's eyes shut tight as she fought the urge to stay awake. If the bags underneath her eyes were any indication, this curse, as well as her obnoxious cries, took almost every opportunity it received to drain the life out of her. Her head spun around dizzily as she groaned, her hand moving up to her neck as she rubbed it lazily, tears sprouting from her eyes as she inhaled sharply.
She stared at her fingers, intertwining them as she closed her eyes, muttering words of peaceful prayers as she calmly meditated. She swayed from side to side to ease her dizziness and the cries coming from her stomach. She had to admit that she'd rather have a screaming match between her and her daughter than sit there in the dark, the only thing she found joyful and could easily pass the time was playing with the strands of her hair that now rested on her shoulders.
It seemed as though her weekly visits from Dreadbane made her feel at ease. Not because he was the only person she could talk to, but because, sometimes, Dreadbane could be a good conversationalist. She hoped the cosmoverse would make her wish come true so Dreadbane could appear before her once again.
"But…" she muttered, At the same time, she missed Arkayna, and she wished she could see her daughter one last time before she was forever trapped.
She looked up as she heard the sound of shattering glass, light shining through the cracks. She stared at the opening, her puzzled face morphing into an expression of realization before she ran to the opening, widening the gap as its aura almost blinded her.
Her body tensed as the light seemed to overpower the darkness. She soon took the shape and appearance of when she was first turned to bone. She felt a surge of power rush through her before feeling feeble, her arms and legs aching as the gap allowed her to view the presence of the Dragon Mage. She gasped as she looked around, the boy with curled ends beside the mysticon producing his own ray of light as he concentrated on the task at hand. She gasped as realization struck, and her face softened as the magical entity surrounded her.
"Arkayna?" she muttered, the feeling of longing to see her daughter washing over her.
She watched as her daughter's face lit up. "Mom."
The queen looked up to the sky as trolls passed on their gangster bikes, fighting the legendary mysticons that she never thought she would live to see. Sweat started to pour down her already sticky skin, the stone that was glued to her face now somewhat started to peel off. Time seemed to pass as slowly as it possibly could as her daughter and the young boy beside her worked on freeing her and her husband, the ignition of hope and determination evident in their eyes.
She looked up as shadows of undead servants pounced in her direction, the exact depiction of determination now on her daughter's face as the power and flame from her hands grew.
But then…
The sun sprouted out of its hiding place, its rays of light shining on the body of water and the crystallized mountain known as the Crystal Archipelago.
"We're out of time. The Crystal Archipelago is ready for the Codex" the boy said as he looked at the Dragon Mage.
Arkayna looked back at the statues of bone. "But they're almost free!" she said.
"We have to destroy the Codex while the rays are focused," he told her. They looked up to the sky, the army of biker trolls flying towards them.
"There. The Dragon Mage has the Codex! Bring it to me!" the Shadow Mage commanded as the bikes' engines revved up, the smoke behind them being enough of an indication that they were nearing the unidentified vessel.
The Dragon Mage gasped as she used all her energy to override the spell with additional magic, the intention being for the spell to work faster before the trolls and the Shadow Mage arrived to interrupt. The mage boy looked at her as he called her name.
The queen sighed. "You know what you have to do," she said, sorrow sprinkled in her voice like snowflakes landing on her tongue.
"I don't know if I can" Arkayna whimpered as she looked up at her.
"I love you, Arkayna," she said as she frowned, knowing very well that there was a possibility that she would never see her daughter ever again.
"I love you too" Arkayna whispered.
She sighed as the small crack started to close, the darkness being the only thing she could now see as the magic that once surrounded her seemed to die out. She held onto the gem that rested on her chest, the hope that was once ignited now gone. She smiled as her daughter's face faded away in the darkness, the dragon-shaped mask being the only thing that signified her daughter's growth. Dreadbane was right. Her daughter was a Mysticon, and she couldn't be more proud.
The queen looked up as a familiar skeleton man stood before her, his face now painted with a somber look as he walked up to her.
"Are you and Necrafa taking over the world yet, or are you guys just making out at this point?" she questioned as Dreadbane knelt before her.
Dreadbane sighed as he looked away from her, tears sprouting from his undead eyelids as he wiped them away.
"You were right. She... doesn't love me. She was just… using me" he said as he gulped, sighing as he buried his head in his hands.
The queen bit her lip as she watched the bone man weep in his hands, his masculine cries ripping a hole in her heart. She leaned in closer to him as she put her arm over his shoulder.
"It's okay, Dreadbane. Necrafa doesn't sound like someone who's all for emotions, y'know. I'm not that surprised that she was just trying to use you" the queen muttered as she tried to console the skeleton man.
Dreadbane sniffled as he began to speak. "She said I took too long to free her. I knew that I was leaving her there for a long time, but I didn't think she'd take it so personally."
"Did she throw you out onto the street or something?" the queen asked as she stared into Dreadbane's empty yet sorrowful eyes. Stories of the lich queen often spread like wildfire in the past, and by the sounds of them, Necrafa was never the type of person to give love to someone, and she never normally expected anyone to love her in return. Necrafa was never human, very incompatible with her capturer. Dreadbane's heart seemed to burn with love for the lich queen, while Necrafa, even though, thankfully, the queen had never crossed paths with her, never seemed to have a heart that longed for anyone else's kindness, forgiveness, nor anything else that described undying love for even a fly.
"I could show you if you'd like," Dreadbane said as he looked at her, the pain still evident in his eyes.
"What do you mean…" the queen muttered. No sooner had Dreadbane snapped his fingers that the walls of darkness seemed to form like pixels all around her, sounding like the flapping of butterflies in an enchanting garden.
Speaking of enchanting gardens, before the queen, stood a bed of orange roses all clumped together like gangsters lurking in the street corner. She started to walk towards them, the majestic feeling swarming her like the petals that brushed against her legs. She let out a breath of air as she herself started to glow, bending down to inspect the flowers that Dreadbane had showcased to her. She very gently picked the petals off of the root of a flower, cupping her palms as she stared at them a while longer before letting them blow away into the breeze along with the sand.
"Wait," she muttered as she stood up to face the skeleton man. "You could've shown me different locations of the outside world this whole time?"
Dreadbane chortled awkwardly, "Yes. I wasn't exactly open with you at first."
She sighed as she faced the bed of roses that stood in front of her. "It's beautiful," she whispered. She looked at Dreadbane. "Necrafa planted all this?"
Dreadbane reserved a warm smile for the queen with his hands behind his back. "I actually planted these… for her" he whispered.
Queen Goodfey furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at him. His once somber expression now changed to a more jovial one, the fire in his eyes clearly evident as she looked back at the roses. "You still love her? Even after she got rid of you?" she questioned.
Dreadbane chortled, "Necrafa didn't get rid of me. She probably just wanted to teach me a lesson. Maybe I could go back to work for her, and..."
The queen walked up to him as she stared into his eyes. It seemed as though someone had flipped a switch in Dreadbane's mind, the quiet moment that they just shared seeming to vanish from his mind completely as she realized that his cheeky grin wasn't reserved for her, but the lich queen herself.
"Dreadbane," she started slowly. "Are you okay?"
Dreadbane nodded as heavy winds brushed against his protective bone-like structure and her fragile skin, the sand blinding them both as the wind hoisted the queen off her feet. She let out a startled screech as she stretched her arms out for the skeleton man to hold. Dreadbane tried his very best to hold the queen as she floated midair, the wind almost taking her away. He snapped his fingers before the wasteland disappeared, a loud grunt escaping the queen as she landed atop the skeleton man.
She gasped as she slowly eased her way off him. "Dreadbane," she muttered. "Are you alright?"
Dreadbane groaned as he stood up, "I'm sorry" he muttered as he stretched his hand out to her, hoisting her up as she dusted the sand off her attire.
"It's okay, Dreadbane. I'm fine," the Queen assured. "I wanted a flower though. Maybe on your next visit."
The skeleton man looked down at her as he scratched his head, giving her a puzzled look. "Who's this Dreadbane you speak of? My name is Reginald."
The queen furrowed her eyebrows as the skeleton man's statement echoed in her mind. "What?" she muttered.
"Until next time, Your Highness," he said as he waved goodbye, dissolving as the sandy backdrop disappeared.
"Dreadbane!" the queen called as she looked into the darkness. What did he mean by 'Reginald'? The queen tried to make sense of the dialogue that was just shared between the two of them. The only aspect of the conversation that stuck out to her seemed to only be the new name that Dreadbane had made up for himself. What did it mean, and what exactly did it signify?
"Unless he…" the queen muttered as she gasped. "He lost his memory." It all seemed to make sense as she pulled the pieces of the puzzle together. So then… how would he have remembered her? Was it because he had visited her so often that the memory of her was the only thing etched in his mind? Or maybe this new 'Reginald' person knew who she was as well.
She sighed as she plopped herself on the black, undivided tiles. More than anything, she wanted to have a flower as a gift to bring back to her daughter so she could stare at its beauty herself. Maybe Arkayna would be able to see it even while she was still imprisoned.
There she laid in the darkness, the feeling of loneliness swarming like a family of bees finding their hives.
The grin on Dreadbane's undead face widened as he stared into the empty space of darkness, the only thing that he was well aware of that filled it was Gemina's ruler and her relatively miserable state. He sighed as he walked up to her, kneeling in front of her as he smiled.
The queen looked up at the skeleton man sheepishly. "Am I talking to Dreadbane or Reginald?"
The skeleton man chortled. "Dreadbane. I guess I hit my head or something because..." He lowered his head so the Queen could see the expanding crack on his skull. She gasped as her fingers gingerly stroked Dreadbane's scalp, the effect being a hissing sound from the skeleton man.
"Sorry," she whispered. "So you're okay now?"
"Yes, I am. I… I actually got out of the wasteland. I'm… somewhere far away right now" Dreadbane whispered.
"Can you show me?" the queen asked.
Dreadbane frowned. "I think I'd rather keep a secret for now. Not that you could do anything about it anyway."
The queen nodded, understanding the need for his privacy. She bit her lip as she looked up at her friend, a question coming to mind that she had meaning to ask him.
"Do you still love Necrafa?" she asked.
Dreadbane turned away from her as a somber look was now etched on his face. "Necrafa's dead."
Queen Goodfey looked down to the ground as she repeated the phrase that came from Dreadbane's mouth. Necrafa… is dead?
"Who killed her?" she asked.
"Mysticon Dragon Mage and Mysticon Ranger" the bone man said.
The queen widened her eyes. Her daughter destroyed an undead queen? She had never thought that her daughter was capable of such extraordinary achievements. Her daughter being able to destroy the Queen of the Undead seemed so unreal to her. Then again, Dreadbane would never lie to her, especially after going through so much emotional strain. If her daughter could destroy Necrafa of all beings, then she must be capable enough to free her from her prison.
She frowned. Did she want to be freed from her current dilemma? All that she and Dreadbane had built would have been destroyed, and for some reason, she had preferred all the time she spent with Dreadbane rather than being able to see her daughter again.
Her thoughts took over her so much that she hadn't noticed the skeleton man disappear from her eyesight. She lied down as she shut her eyes, sleep washing over as her mind faded to her dreamy state.
The queen looked up at Dreadbane as he smiled at her. He held a golden box between his ginormous hands as he walked up to her, light taps echoing in the prison she sometimes called home. Dreadbane knelt beside her, resting the box on the ground as he smiled giddily.
"This is for me?" she questioned as she looked up at him. Dreadbane nodded, urging her to take the cover off as the plain, white box seemed to glimmer in the empty void.
"Happy Lotus Night" he chirped as the queen took the box from him excitedly.
"Aww, Dreadbane. You got me a gift. I've never gotten a gift before. Oh my god, what is it?" the queen muttered as her smile widened from ear to ear. She removed the cover, revealing a bold golden bracelet, the letters M D engraved in the stone. She stared at it, mesmerized as it glowed in the darkness.
"I love it!" she said. "Darius must have one too, right? The M and D?"
Dreadbane creased his undead eyebrows in confusion, taking the bracelet from her as he stared at it himself. He gasped in realization, and he chuckled sheepishly.
"The D doesn't mean Darius," he muttered as he smiled. "It means… Dreadbane."
The queen widened her eyes in realization as she blushed. She stared at the bracelet again, the skulls faintly engraved inside the third dimensional "D" being enough of an indication as to what it signified.
"Oh," she muttered. "So… does that mean…"
Dreadbane looked down at her as he raised an eyebrow, reading the queen's mind as he raised his hands.
"No, it's nothing like that, I promise you. I thought it would be nice to… get my friend a gift" he whispered as he shrugged.
The queen smiled as she looked up at Dreadbane. She leaned in closer to the skeleton man's side as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug as she sighed.
"Thank you. It's so pretty," she whispered. "I'll keep it in my pocket for now. Arkayna would love this."
"Your welcome," Dreadbane whispered as he smirked. "You looked so excited."
"Yeah, because I've never gotten a gift before," the queen pointed out. Her jovial expression formed into a somber one as she looked down to the ground. "I didn't have the best upbringing. I feel like that's why I've been so hard on Arkayna. I just want her to be happy."
"The last time I saw that Dragon Mage, I…" Dreadbane started, the memory of Necrafa now etched in his mind. Would Necrafa have given him a gift for Lotus Night? What would his gift be for her? Would she be satisfied with it? Now that Dreadbane thought about it, Necrafa was an extremely impossible woman to work with and call his own. She just seemed to have so many expectations that Dreadbane couldn't keep up with.
"You were right. Necrafa doesn't love me" he whispered.
The queen sighed, "I was just taunting you at first. I was angry, and… and frustrated. What Necrafa did to you was nowhere next to morally right. I can't begin to think about someone using me the way she used you. But… there are other people out there. Not everyone is like Necrafa. People just scorn what they don't understand…" she said as she frowned. "Like what I did with you."
Dreadbane sighed as he pulled the queen closer, widening his legs as he placed his arm over her shoulder. Queen Goodfey's legs rested in between his legs as her head rested on top of his.
"I don't think I like it here anymore. Maybe it'd be easier to talk to you in person," she whispered. She looked up at him as she began to speak, "Maybe you can go to the palace where my statue is. I'd really like that. I miss my kids."
Dreadbane frowned as he stood up and turned away from her, rubbing his forearm as he began to speak, "I'm afraid that's not possible anymore. I have to hide. The city will scorn me if I don't."
"Not if you show them who you really are. You have so much personality that everyone needs to see," the queen whispered as she followed the bone man.
"But what if..." Dreadbane started.
"If I can see it, then they'll be able to see it too," the queen said truthfully as she put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to hide anymore. You know that."
"I'm afraid that hiding is the only thing I'm capable of," Dreadbane muttered as he sighed. "I don't think people would be very fond of me. I can't show my face to society ever again."
"They're scared that you'll…" the queen muttered.
"Turn them to bone" Dreadbane whispered as he frowned, turning to face her.
"It's not that bad. I kind of like the darkness. The quiet is what I can't stand. But you…" she whispered. She filled the gap between them both as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for keeping me company. I… I love you."
Dreadbane seemed taken aback by her statement as he widened his eyes. The tighter the queen's hold on him got, the more he began to feel at ease. He had never thought that he could have gotten as close to the Queen as he had at this moment. At this moment, they were a family. And that was all they both ever really needed.
"I love you too," he whispered. He let go of her as he widened the gap between them once again. "I should go. Happy Lotus Night."
"Happy Lotus Night, Dreadbane" Queen Goodfey said softly as she smiled. Dreadbane returned her cheeky grin as he waved goodbye, his entire body seemed to fade away like it usually did.
The queen sighed with content as she held the box close to her chest, her heart swelling as it beat like a drum. Her Majesty loved Dreadbane, almost as much as he loved her.
The Goldenbraids' veranda seemed almost magical as her now covered feet stepped onto the pavement, the white-painted texture seeming to intrigue her. After being trapped in an empty void for so long, the smallest things that she had once taken for granted now glowed in the sun's aura as the gentle breeze ran through the strands of her hair. Flowers rested in the green bushes as their petals danced in the front yard. She gingerly sat down on the steps, breathing in the fresh air that she now admired the smell of.
She heard a soft jittery chirp behind her as she turned toward the sound. A small white-haired creature scurried in her direction, and he leaped into her lap as she smiled.
"Hey," she whispered. "Choko, right?" She cradled the Foz in her arms as he nuzzled into her, his fur brushing against the hairs on her skin as she chortled.
"I can tell you like the comfort. After so long… I think I might need some comfort too" she whispered as she gazed at the houses all clumped together before her.
"He's very cute" she heard a masculine voice remark as she turned around. Her husband sat down beside her as he wrapped his arms around her. Moist lips pecked her forehead as she smiled.
"I wonder how alone he must've been before Zarya found him" Melody whispered.
"Very alone I presume" the king whispered.
Melody bit her lip as she absentmindedly petted the petite foz, the unanswered questions making her head pound as she tried to wrap her brain around them all. She whimpered at the memory of Dreadbane, the short amounts of time that they spent together now becoming memories that seemed to fade the more she thought about them. Except…
"Did Dreadbane ever talk to you… while we were bone statues?" she questioned as she looked at the king, the foz that was once in her lap now perched on her shoulders.
"No, I… was very lonely there. It was dark, and… sometimes scary. I didn't like it all, Melody," the king explained. He looked down at her as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"
"He'd talk to me all the time. He told me about Necrafa, the wasteland… the new Mysticons," the Queen muttered. She stretched her wrist out to her husband as she showed the small bracelet that the skeleton man gave her. "He even got me this."
King Darius gingerly took his wife's wrist as he stared at the jewelry. A golden bangle was fastened around her wrist as it glistened in the sunlight, the letters M D engraved in the gold.
He smiled as he looked up at her, "This is beautiful, Melody," he whispered. He frowned as he let go of her hand. "How come he didn't get one for me? M D. That must mean Melody and Darius, right?"
Melody bit her lip as she looked away from her husband, her blush looking like she spray painted her cheeks.
"I thought the D meant Darius too. Believe me, I asked," the queen said truthfully. She looked back at her husband as the foz's paws gently stroked her shoulders for reassurance. "But… it means… Dreadbane."
Darius widened his eyes as he stared at the queen. He wrinkled his eyebrows as he held her hands in his, inspecting the bracelet again, the golden skulls now revealing themselves as he sighed.
"He said that he thought it would be nice to get his friend a gift for Lotus Night" the queen muttered as she smiled wholeheartedly.
"Oh," he muttered as a smile formed on his lips as well. "I like it. It's really nice. You should show Arkayna and Zarya when you get the chance."
"Show us what?" the voice of the Dragon Mage got closer as she sat down beside her mother. "Is there something wrong?"
The queen looked up to see the Ranger sitting beside her stepfather, her curious eyes looking down at the jewelry.
"Where'd you get that from? Did…" her daughter questioned as she turned to the king.
"Dad is fine" Darius muttered as he smiled at his stepdaughter, planting a kiss on her forehead as he beckoned her to speak.
"Did Dad get you a gift already? You guys literally just got back a few hours ago" Zarya pointed out as she smirked.
The queen bit her lip as she looked up at her daughter, the nerves in her bones shook her to the core as she commenced the forming of words through her lips. "Dreadbane got it for me. For Lotus Night" she whispered as she looked down at the concrete floor.
The Dragon Mage widened her eyes as she looked at her sister, the Ranger herself looking down to the ground, awkwardness filling the atmosphere as Choko chirped surprisingly.
"Umm…" Arkayna muttered awkwardly as she turned to her mother. "That's... great, Mom."
"Oh yeah. Definitely not awkward since he was the one that turned you to bone" the Ranger slyly remarked as she smirked.
The queen sighed, "I know it sounds weird, but… we actually bonded pretty well while I was in there. It felt… refreshing sometimes."
"So then how do you still have it? Wouldn't it still be in the… the void? Is that how you described it?" the Dragon Mage asked.
"I-I guess. After so many months of being turned to bone, I still don't know how it works," the queen murmured as she sighed. "I'm just glad to be back. I missed you so much." She wrapped her arms around the Dragon Mage as she planted a kiss on her forehead. She looked back at the Ranger in her father's arms. Her statement was true, she was more than overjoyed to be here in the face of Gemina where she could rule her people once again. But no matter how much she tried to forget, she missed Dreadbane. But the bracelet that he had given would always remind her of him, and that was why she was going to cherish it.
And I am finished. I recently found my new love for these two and I just had to write a fic about it. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you guys had fun reading it just as much. Unrelated note, today's my birthday, so I thought this would be the best day to do it. Peace! And stay safe!