Screams escaped Zarya's throat, and they were violent. She sunk into the queen, trying not to let her body take over her.

"Shh, it's alright" the queen muttered as she comforted her daughter.

"It won't stop!" Zarya cried out.

"I know," Melody whispered into her ear. "But you're going to be just fine. I'm right here" she assured.

Arkayna watched as the mother and daughter hugged each other, both searching for comfort. She had to admit, she was used to the screams by now; they weren't as petrifying as they were before. But it was still painful to hear. The surges caused her sister to constantly be in pain.

She walked out of the room, making sure to shut the door behind her. She ran down the endless hallway to the bathroom, locking herself in there. She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she tried to tune out the screams, but they were still audible even from the distance.

She let out her own screams of frustration as she turned into the Dragon Mage, wielding her staff. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had never herself so angry before.

"Is this what I looked like when I found out about Nova Terron taking my twin? Damn, I look pissed off" she muttered.

She sighed as she turned on the tap, washing her face before getting a brown paper towel to wipe herself dry. She sighed as she put her foot on the garbage can, opening the cover as she shoved the napkin inside. She walked out the door and cautiously looked down both sides of the hallway. When no one was in sight, she walked back to Zarya's room in silence.

When she closed the door behind her, she turned around seeing Zarya asleep in the queen's arms.

Arkayna sighed, transforming back into her regular attire as she walked over to the bed. It sunk as she put her weight on a particular area.

"It doesn't scare me anymore. The surges. They just hurt more than they should" she muttered.

The queen sighed. "Is it scarier than the Spectral Hand? Is it scarier than Necrafa?" she asked.

"It does somewhat remind me of her. She'd always do this scream and... there was this red aura coming from her mouth while she did it. Her face would change and... I don't even know how to explain it" Arkayna explained.

"It's not what she wants. To be the next Necrafa. And people need to stop writing those news articles about her. She's already in so much pain. She's worrying too much when I don't want her to. There are so many things that cause her to scream and... she just needs to relax" Melody whispered.

"Yeah," Akrayna whispered. "Can I stay here tonight? I'll borrow one of Zarya's shorts and tank top."

"Yeah, sure," Melody answered. "Are you alright? You don't normally stay over."

"I-I know. I just feel like I need to be here. I don't know what can happen over the course of one night," Arkayna whispered. She walked over to Zarya's suitcase, pulling out a pair of underwear and pajamas. "I'm going to go take a shower" she whispered before slipping out of the room.

It was 01:00 in the morning and the queen wrapped her arms around Zarya as both were fast asleep. The rhythm of their breathing synced together like a song... a melody (no pun intended).

Melody's eyes briefly opened as she stared at her daughter and smiled. She planted a kiss on her forehead before getting up to use the bathroom. Zarya reached out to her and looked into her eyes.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm just going to use the bathroom," the queen assured. "Go back to sleep, okay?"

"I'll wait for you" Zarya insisted.

Melody shrugged. "Alright," she whispered as she walked to her door, putting her shoes on. She let the door crack and squinted at the bright light. She turned around, peering at Zarya as she winked.

Zarya laid there in silence as she waited for her mother to return. She lifted her weak arms as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Take me down to the basement. Fill the buckets with cheese" she sang softly.

Eventually, the queen had returned. She closed the door behind her, making sure to walk around Arkayna's sleeping form. Zarya felt the bed sink as her mother laid down beside her.

"Okay. Go back to sleep" Melody whispered as she draped the covers over herself.

Zarya sighed as she shut her eyes tight, squirming slightly in her position.

02:40

Zarya opened her eyes to a dark empty space, the same darkness her mother had explained to Arkayna when they had first arrived at the hospital. She continued walking until she saw a door. She opened said door which led to the same garden that was Necrafa's wasteland.

She continued walking until she saw a familiar redhead with two large buns in her hair.

Thank god!

She walked up to her and sat down beside her.

"Necrafa," she whispered as she smiled at the girl, but she hadn't gotten a response. She tapped the girl's shoulders, still not getting a response. She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried tapping the girl again. No response!

Zarya was starting to get frustrated. She had waited so long to talk to Necrafa. And now her human version didn't even look at her.

"Necrafa. Can you talk to me? Please? Is there something wrong? You know you can tell me."

Still no response. Zarya growled.

She sighed as she tried to control herself. "Listen. You and I are on the same page. People are afraid of us. We're both a threat to everyone. My scream almost sounds like yours. Please... just talk to me."

No response.

Zarya growled. "Fine. Whatever" she muttered as she stood up.

"Don't be afraid" the girl whispered.

Zarya turned to look at her. "Don't be afraid? That's all you keep telling me. How do I try to not be afraid? How do I overcome the scream?"

"Scream?" the girl asked as she turned around.

"You don't know about it? You don't know about the scream?" Zarya asked.

"What scream?" the girl asked again.

Zarya's anger started to fuel. "Why the hell have you been talking to me if you don't know anything about my scream? About my problem?!"

"You have a problem?" the girl asked.

Testing me. She's trying to test me.

"How did you handle yourself when the village scorned you?" Zarya asked.

"I... was just alone. My parents are dead, and I don't know any relatives. So... I'm alone" the elf whispered.

"Doesn't it drive you insane sometimes?" Zarya questioned as she again took her place beside Necrafa.

"Sometimes," the girl admitted. "And other times I try to find my happy place. This is my happy place. Like how they say home is where the heart is. My heart is here. This is my home."

Zarya didn't say anything after that. Her mind was racing with all different sorts of thoughts. She missed home, her body hurt, and it was all just confusing.

She whimpered as she rested her head on Necrafa's shoulder. The elf wrapped her arms around the princess, rocking her back and forth.

"This is nice" Zarya whispered.

"Yes. It does feel relaxing when I talk to you," the elf agreed. "Just don't be afraid."

"I'm used to the screams. I'm used to my body feeling like someone stabbed me ten thousand times," Zarya admitted. "It just hurts to see everyone so afraid of me."

"Do you think Necrafa feels any form of emotion?" the elf asked.

"I didn't think so at first. But... if Dreadbane has emotions, then maybe she does too" Zarya reasoned.

"And yet you killed her off" the elf scoffed.

"Did I kill you when I killed Necrafa?" Zarya asked the elf.

The elf nodded.

"So you two are one and the same?" Zarya questioned.

The elf sighed. "So to speak. Necrafa trapped me. The mask trapped me. It felt like a prison and I couldn't escape. I saw everything Necrafa was doing. To your home, your people. And I couldn't do anything except watch her become a threat to our realm. It was the same thing with the past Mysticons. I felt so... devastated. I used to be a hero and now..."

"Devastated?" Zarya questioned.

"And terrified. That's why I don't want you to be afraid. Fear crushed me, Zarya. The only thing that I have left is my garden. But... that's about it" the elf muttered.

"How did you plant your garden?" Zarya questioned.

"Ummm... do you mean the shape?" the elf asked. Zarya nodded.

"It's Dreadbane," the elf whispered. "You do know Dreadbane, don't you?"

"He turned my parents to bone... but he eventually freed them. And now he's gone" Zarya whispered.

"He... died?" the elf asked. Zarya nodded as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"You know, it still amazes me how an undead being can die. Isn't it already dead?" the elf wondered.

"Uhh... yeah. But I can't explain how they die. They just do. Dreadbane's life force was drained and my sister and I destroyed Necrafa. It's almost like burning skeletons. Like burning fossils. Except the fossils can talk and move and... kill people," Zarya explained.

"It was scary. It really was. And the skeleton part is over," she whispered. "But I still feel like the Spectral Hand is... using me. Even if it isn't alive. Can that happen?"

"I don't know, Zarya," the elf shrugged. "But you need to stop being afraid. You need to stop worrying. Emotion affects the scream remember?"

"Gygax. What does everyone want me to do? Not feel?! Does everyone just expect me to be emotionless?! The surges scare me. They hurt me. I can't stop the pain even if I wanted to. I've learned to appreciate the doctors but... it's like everyone just wants me to shut up. Like they want me to... block the screams. I can't do that. I can't even feed myself for Gygax's sake. It's just..."

Zarya sighed, "It's just too much for me. I can't control myself. Sometimes I regret destroying the Spectral Hand that night. At least I would still be myself. The only time I am myself is in my dreams. I don't know how to be me."

Necrafa frowned. "Zarya, you're a teenager. You're a girl. All of these emotions are too much for you. And you're still growing, remember? I guess being a Mysticon took time away from you figuring out who you are. Where you belong in the world. I think you had all of these emotions bottled up before the Dragon Disk called you. And this scream is giving you the opportunity to let it all out.

"Is the queen your real mother?" the elf asked her.

"Yes, but... I never knew her my whole life. I was adopted" Zarya answered.

"Wait. If you were adopted, then why were you homeless?" the girl asked her.

"Does the Spectral Hand talk to you?" Zarya questioned.

"Sometimes," the girl admitted. "Why?"

"Did it tell you about a bird that it consumed?" Zarya asked as she held her head down.

"Yes," Necrafa answered. "Do you know the parrot?"

Zarya sighed. "His name is Captain Kaos. He destroyed my home three years ago. He killed my parents. My adoptive parents" she muttered.

"Why didn't you scream then?" the girl asked.

"I don't know. My mother screamed the same way I did while she was in labor. She thinks I used to scream like that when I was a baby. She thinks that when I got older, I didn't cry as much as I used to" Zarya answered.

The girl nodded. "But didn't you feel emotion back then?"

"Necrafa. It's complicated" Zarya whispered.

"That's not my name" the elf muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Zarya asked, urging her to speak up.

"I said that's not my name" the elf repeated.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Zarya apologized. "What is your name?"

"Estel" she whispered.

"Estel. That's a pretty name. Like you. You're pretty" Zarya complimented.

"No I'm not" Estel whispered, rolling her eyes, turning away from the Ranger as she scoffed.

"Yes, you are," Zarya assured. "Estel, you can't see yourself the way people see you. That's only going bring you down more" she told her.

Estel sighed. "I know. It still hurts though. The teasing and the misjudgment still cloud my mind every now and then."

Estel touched Zarya's hand, giving it a familiar squeeze.

"The surge. It's coming" Estel whispered breathlessly.

"You have surges?" Zarya questioned.

"Not me" Estel whispered as she looked up at Zarya.

Zarya felt a tingle, clearly knowing what it meant. She sunk into Estel's touch as she screeched. Estel wrapped her arms around the princess, squeezing her tightly.

"Don't be afraid!" she yelled over the screams.

Melody and Arkayna jumped from their sleeping positions as they heard a familiar screech. Melody pulled Zarya closer to her as Arkayna got up from her sleeping bag as she laid down to the right of Zarya.

"It's okay, Zarya" Arkayna whispered as she rubbed her sister's back gently.

"She's asleep" Melody whispered as she widened her eyes in shock.

"What do you mean she's asleep?!" Arkayna asked frantically.

"Her eyes are closed. It's like she's screaming in her sleep!" Melody shouted. She sprung up from her spot as she ran to the door, alerting the doctors in the endless hallway.

The doctors rushed into the room as they hovered over the mysticon.

"She's... asleep" one doctor muttered as he stared at the mysticon, the expression of utter shock evident on his face.

"Would she stop if I try to wake her up?" the queen asked as she looked at the doctors.

"You can try. But we doubt it will work" another one said as she sat down.

Melody sighed as she sat up and held Zarya in her arms, cradling her.

"Zarya! Wake up! Please!" she shouted as she shook her daughter.

Zarya screeched her guts out as blood ran down her nose. But her eyes were still closed. Her mother tried shaking her, but it felt like Zarya was somewhere else. Like she was depending on someone else.

"I... I think she's trying to wake herself up! I think she's trying to stop the surge herself!" the queen yelled.

"We'll wait for a few minutes. If she doesn't wake up by then, we'll have to try other methods" one of the doctors told her.

"Don't be afraid, Zarya! It's okay" Estel whispered as she stroked the mysticon's hair.

Zarya screeched as she held onto Estel tighter. She felt herself being rocked from side to side. But that didn't stop the surge. Nothing could. And she knew she would have to wait this out.

"You can control it, Zarya. You just have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can stop the surge yourself" Estel whispered into Zarya's ear.

Zarya held onto Estel tighter as she felt herself lift off the ground. She screeched as she dug her fingernails into Estel's skin. Estel hissed as she tightened her grip on Zarya.

"It's okay," Estel whispered. "Don't be afraid." She felt Zarya's blood run down her skin. She was taken aback by this as she loosened her grip a little, causing Zarya to float in the air. Her eyes glowed white. Estel watched in horror as Zarya clearly couldn't control herself.

Zarya screeched as blood covered her face. She wanted to wake up, but she didn't know how to. Screaming was always so confusing for her. She was angry, scared, and so many other emotions that were too much for her to handle.

The surge lasted for a few minutes. And Estel didn't know what to do. Necrafa wasn't exactly able to control herself when she was angry, which caused her to witness the worse of the lich queen. She saw how Tazma wanted to escape when Necrafa had first been released from her prison. She saw how everyone was afraid of Necrafa whenever she terrorized the realm. And it was the same thing with Zarya. She couldn't control it.

Zarya collapsed to the ground. But she continued to scream. Estel crawled her way over to Zarya and held her in her arms.

"It's okay, Zarya. Relax" Estel whispered.

Zarya dipped her head into Estel's neck, giving up on trying to control the scream. She waited until the surge ended. And when it did, she looked up at Estel.

"Are you okay now?" Estel asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes," Zarya whispered. "I think I need to wake up."

"Okay," Estel whispered. "I'll see you soon Zarya."

Zarya nodded as everything around her slowly started to fade.

Zarya gasped as she opened her eyes. She cried as she looked up at her mother.

"Mom" she whispered shakily.

"Hey," Melody smiled. "Are you alright?"

"I... I don't know," Zarya admitted. "Necrafa talked to me again. Her real name is Estel. She's nice."

Zarya sobbed as her mother rocked her in her arms.

"It's alright, Zarya" Melody whispered. "We can talk about it tomorrow. I'm tired. I want to go back to sleep."

Zarya didn't answer. She continued to cry in her mother's arms, not caring who was in the room at that point in time.

The queen looked at the doctors. "I think we need to be alone for the rest of the night. Good night" she told them.

The doctors glanced at each other before walking out of the room. The last doctor waved as she closed the door behind her.

"It's alright, Zarya. Don't cry," Melody whispered. "We have to clean you up. You can sleep in the middle of the day tomorrow if you want."

Zarya sighed as her mother stood up and walked to the bathroom. This was almost like a routine for Zarya. She would scream and bleed, and her mother would have to clean up the mess because she couldn't exactly do it on her own.

Melody opened the bathroom door and shut it as Zarya heard a familiar click. Melody set her in the tub and began to strip her, her touch being as soft as the feathers coming off a pelican.

She turned on the pipe as the water flowed through the showerhead. She rinsed Zarya, making sure the soft sprinkles hit every part of her body. Zarya cried the entire time. She was in so much pain. And the queen knew it too. But she ignored her soft cries until she finished showering Zarya.

She turned to lift the towel off the bathroom stand. She picked up the mysticon and wrapped the towel around as she shuddered in her arms.

"It's okay, Zarya" she whispered as she opened the door and walked out.

The queen walked back into the room with Zarya as she shut the door. Zarya felt the queen's soft hair as the urge to sneeze was coming.

Melody covered her nose with the towel.

"Bless you, sweetie" she cooed as she set Zarya on the bed.

Zarya squirmed slightly as her mother undid the wrap the towel had over her body. A fresh pair of pajamas appeared beside her a few seconds later.

Melody slipped on her clothes in the softest way she could. When she was through, she kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I love you" she whispered.

"I love you too" Zarya smiled.

Melody pulled the towel from underneath Zarya before setting her in her sleeping position. She set the towel on the hook of the door.

The queen then turned off the light before walking over to the side of the bed.

"Okay. Now it's time to sleep," Melody whispered. "And I mean it. Sleep. It's been a long day."

Zarya was about to close her eyes when she heard her sister call her name.

"Yeah Arkayna?" Zarya answered from her spot.

"Are you alright now?" the princess asked.

"Yes," Zarya answered. "Good night, princess."

Arkayna sighed. "Good night, Zarya."

Ok, that's it for this chapter. Things are starting to happen! Estel and Zarya's relationship is definitely my favorite thing about this story. Please, comment, and share. Peace!