Here is the next chapter! I may update twice this week due to break. I hope you enjoy!
"Wh...excuse me?" Ember asked again, completely dumbfounded by the red dragon's hostility.
"The human-you treat him as if you care for him." Kirk replied, Ember's blue eyes narrowing.
"Of course I do. He is my friend." Ember answered, still standing in front of Silas protectively as the young man breathed heavily, struggling to regain his breath and strength.
"Too close for our species. Humans and dragons can never exist in peace. Peace will only exist until one species dies." Kirk spoke, teeth baring slightly.
"Silas and I get along fine." Ember defended, Silas slowly rising to his feet, limbs heavy.
"Wha...What is your...intent?" Silas questioned, "Why are you here?"
"To protect my species." Kirk answered, ivory talons digging into the ground in rage, "I have been tracking tracking her for days."
Silas sniffed before spitting onto the ground, slightly disturbed at the news.
"Wait...so you were the one in the forest? But I thought..." Ember broke off, shaking her head, "Why did you fly away?" Ember asked, Silas getting an odd sinking feeling in his stomach. It was strange, but he only got it once in his life. He did not trust this blood scaled beast as a pause made the very air pregnant.
"I...did not trust myself." Kirk replied, Ember cocking her head, not understanding.
"What do you mean?"
"Ember." Silas hissed, hand rising to her shoulder, "I think we should leave."
"Why?" Ember asked, Silas being broken off in his response as Kirk roared in rage, talons raised.
Ember gasped as she swiftly stepped in front, canines bared only to have the blow falter in mid strike as Kirk was roughly slammed to the ground by the larger, purple male, wings and talons flaring.
Dirt flew up into the sky as Spyro stood above the blood scale, pinning Kirk as the latter hissed and growled in animosity, pupils sharp.
"Are you alright, Ember? Silas?" Spyro asked, body stiff from previous wounds as he grunted, keeping the strange male down.
"We're fine, Spyro. Let him go." Ember answered, Silas giving her an odd look.
"Not until he calms down." Spyro reasoned, still struggling with the red male below him, his struggles ceasing, "Can I trust you? What was that about?"
"You cannot trust him." Silas answered swiftly, "I have seen that look in a man's eyes before. He shant be around Ember, must less near her."
Spyro looked down at the new male, amethyst eyes studying, "Stay away from Ember, and these humans. I don't know who you are or what your intentions are, but I intend to find out. If you harm anyone-be it human or dragon, you will have to answer to me. Do I make myself clear?" Spyro asked, baring his fangs as the dragon underneath him did his best to nod, Spyro releasing the male.
"You and I, we need to talk." Spyro stated, moving between the pair and the blood scale as Spyro ushered Kirk away, Silas and Ember moving in the opposite direction toward William and his surviving men.
"Listen…."
"Kirk."
"Right. Kirk." Spyro replied, clearing his throat, "I don't know who you are or what your intentions are, but as I said I don't want you near Ember. And I mean it. I'm not sure if I can trust you."
"You would trust a human over one of your own kind?!" Kirk asked, offended.
"A working relationship requires trust, Kirk. Ember trusts Silas, and he and I trust each other. I hate to admit it, but he hasn't failed Ember yet. He keeps her safe. Not all humans are bad. Some even deserve second chances."
"I doubt it. The humans did something to you too. What was it? I bet you say the ones that committed a crime against you don't deserve a second chance." Kirk challenged, Spyro looking at the dragon, eyes dominant.
"Tell me your story first. I need to see if I can trust you." Spyro ordered firmly, Kirk falling silent.
"Will you tell me yours then?"
"Of course."
Kirk paused in thought, trying to think of where to begin, "I was born in a church in a place the humans call 'Scotland'. I don't know how or why, but I was. The local priest of a small village raised me, but there was an uprising and he was killed. The invading humans too me back to their home. They had no idea what I was-and neither did I. They took me to a great city, and they caged me with all the other animals and beasts. They would kick me and whip me and would teach me how to perform with giant balls and do tricks and make me where their strange clothes that would cause people to point and laugh at me. The human would drag me around with a collar and leash, my maw tied shut. Everywhere I went, humans would always point and laugh. I guess I looked funny to them, cause they would give the humans little pieces of gold. But I suppose I was luckier than some of the other animals. Others would be tied down to stakes-like a bear, and then the humans would send their dogs after and bear, which was helpless. It would take hours for some to die. And the humans would laugh and cheer."
Spyro remained silent as Kirk paused, trying to think of where to go next.
"But one day, I managed to escape when I slipped my collar, and I hid in the crates of a cargo ship. I'm not sure where it landed, but the humans sounded different. I tried to live on my own-in the wild, but I was too young and inexperienced. No one taught me how to fly or breathe fire. I didn't even know what I properly was. As I wondered, barely conscious, I saw a fleck of….blue. I wasn't sure what it was, but later I learned it was a blue dragoness. She startled me when she emerged from the bush-and to be honest I thought she was ugly-for I did not see myself as dragon, yet I knew I was not human. I was something….just something that the humans call "Kirk". The dragoness introduced herself…..and I stayed with her and her family in a little cave in the forest with several other dragons. There, I learned how to speak, how to breath fire, fly and hunt. I learned everything from them, and I never felt more at home. But one night, when the moon was high in the sky and all of us were sleeping, we awoke to smoke flooding the caverns. I barely made it out without suffocating, and my eyes stung and throat clenched the fumes were so think. When I got out of the cave, the whole forest was on fire, and several of the families were already trapped in the caves by fallen trees. I could hear their cries, and I wanted to help, but the smoke was so choking and the fire was so bright and hot….there was no way I could have survived if I stayed. So I flew away, high into the clouds, where the ash could barely reach, crying for the loss of my first family and for my cowardice. From the sky, it was then that I saw the source of the murders. There were a group of soldiers that had set a human village on fire, and the fire had spread, carelessly unchecked to the forest. I killed all of those humans for what they did. I couldn't help myself. It just felt so right."
Spyro continued to stay silent, listening with patience. It was so strange. It was as if Spyro himself was Baldwin, and Kirk was the purple dragon himself not a week ago. If the human came to him in his dreams again, Spyro would be sure to thank the man for helping the purple male find himself amongst all the darkness.
"And what did you do after that?" Spyro asked, curious.
"After? I traveled. I traveled all over to find more dragons, but every time…..I found none, or they died. Humans are everywhere, and our race of almost non existent. Doesn't that scare you? It scares me." Kirk asked, Spyro looking at the red dragon.
"So long as there is a new generation, no. I'm not scared. So long as I raise my children right, I know they will be fine." Spyro replied, Kirk looking at the larger male with curiosity.
"You have children? With….Ember?"
"No. Not with Ember. My mate was another." Spyro replied, Kirk appearing crestfallen.
"Ember is the first female I've seen in months. What if we are the only ones left? What if Ember-"
"You leave Ember alone, Kirk." Spyro stated, voice firm, "Ember has been through so much in such a short time, and I don't want you making matters worse. I've known Ember since we were young, and I...I don't want to see her get hurt anymore. She's the only link to my past, just as my children are the link to our future. I'm going to protect them, all of them. I know what you're going through, Kirk. I thought I would be happy killing every human in my sight, but in the end I ended up destroying myself. I know you want our species to survive, I do as well, but violence won't save anyone."
"Say that to all the dragons that were killed by human violence." Kirk hissed, "Maybe if the humans were killed first we would have a higher dragon population."
"If more humans were killed it would only put a price on the surviving dragons. What if they had children and their children were murdered out of fear that they will become their parents? Humans are just as fearful of us as we are of them." Spyro replied, Kirk rolling his eyes.
"That is the biggest lie I have ever heard."
"Have you ever tried talking to a human? Not a greedy, corrupt human, but a good human with morals? They are no different from us. They have wants led by lust and greed-as do we. They fight for what they believe in and to protect their families. They have mates, they have children, they have loves, they have fears, they have guilt-just like us. I have seen both good and bad humans just as I have seen good and bad dragons from my youth. The reason our species fight is because we know so little about each other that we both are terrified. The dragons are terrified humans will hunt them and kill them while the humans are terrified a dragon will just swoop by the burn their homes. All we need is better understanding-if not for us then for the future generations." Spyro spoke, calm despite Kirk's tone.
"Are you always this full of it? How are you so sure?"
"Because the death of my mate was just a misunderstanding." Spyro replied, Kirk's eyes shining in curiousity.
"What happened?"
"She was killed by hunting. One day she just never came back, and I knew something happened."
"Humans." Kirk more so stated that asked.
"No. Just one. Just one lucky blow was all it took to kill my Cynder, and it took just one human to shatter my false reality." Spyro replied, clearing his throat slightly. It was so strange, he no longer felt upset by Cynder's death. He knew she was happy where she was.
"You killed him, didn't you?" Kirk asked, smirking slightly only for Spyro to shake his head.
"No. No, not him. Others, yes. A lot of others that didn't deserve to die. But no matter what I did he just wouldn't die." Spyro replied, falling silent as Kirk studied the purple male.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Kirk spoke, Spyro looking at him briefly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry for yours too." Spyro replied, walking back towards the carnage of the battle field.
"I thought I told you not to follow, Ember." Silas stated, Ember's head low as she lay down next to the chicks, the blood laden field outside of their range of vision. Berend sat under a tree, body hunched and nothing but a stump where his arm used to be. Silas cringed upon seeing the boy.
Ember said nothing as Silas ripped an arrow out of her hide, wincing slightly as Silas checked her for more wounds.
"You could have gotten hurt, Ember. You could have been killed." Silas stated, as if through gritted teeth, "The babes could have been killed. Berend could have been killed." Silas hissed, anger simmering just below the surface as his adrenaline began to increase. He didn't care if his arm was once again dislocated. He didn't care if his side was bleeding. All he could think about was if his loved ones died, and it was getting him worked up, "For Christ's Sake, Ember! Spyro just saved Berend and you were going to risk his life?! Risk yours?! What is wrong with you?! Everything I risked, everything I fought for, died for would have been for nothing!"
Ember's head sunk further in shame before a thought crossing her mind, pink scales turning red in rage, "And without me you would surely be dead! What would happen then? What would Spyro and I do with Berend? You have to be the most idiotic man I ever met that would just throw his life away for a cause!"
"I am idiotic? Are you daft, Ember? Clearly you are if you do not even realize the danger you put yourself in without a second's thought! Rushing into the middle of an army is a damned good way to get yourself killed!" Silas cursed.
"Funny, because you described yourself when you tried to take those mercenaries like a fool with a purpose! And you're not only an idiotic man, but you're a selfish one! The most selfish I know!" At this, Silas snorted loudly.
"Oh, jest! Jest! The dragon jests! How so, Ember? How am I 'selfish', exactly?"
"Because I've never had a choice in how you should protect me! It's all been your choice and you always put the act on yourself so much that you feel like you have to protect me all by yourself. You never asked me once how I felt about you leaving to fight, or how I felt about your actions. And when I voiced my opinion you went with your own opinion anyway and did what you wanted." Ember shot out, the dragoness only feeling the air thicken as Silas' anger rose.
"How dare you speak to me of selfishness. Everything I have done has been out of my own expense-not yours, not Spyro's, no one else. This is war, this is love, this is life, and it is not fair. I may not always be right, but I always put the lives of others before me because it is what I was trained to do-yet I must keep myself alive as well for you to be protected. When I risk my life I may be selfish because I do not ask for your opinion but the world does not wait for feelings-if I hesitate even for a second you and I may both be dead. You are so naive of this world that you do not even realize the danger that stared you in the face just minutes ago. Your head is so full of fluff and nothing that you did not even see the danger that I have seen-for I have seen it before. Part of the reason for my lack of regarding you is because I know what to do from experience. I have been serving and defending ever since I was a boy. If you can do a better job at defending yourself then you do not need me. Do not speak of selfishness while I am the one ripping out arrows from your hide whilst I bleed from a sword and useless arm." Silas hissed, storming off towards his liege.
"What shall we do with him?"
"Execute the bastard! The man has caused enough trouble. Letting him live shall only cause more." Rorek reasoned, William sighing. They were at a loss on what to do with the wounded King.
"You can all burn in Hell!" Eamon hissed, now bound and spitting at the men.
"Sure did not lose any of his arrogance, hmmm?" Rorek asked, kicking the man.
"My brother was always full of pride." William sighed, Carl staying quiet, heavy footfalls approaching as Silas made his way towards them.
"Good God, boy! You are bleeding like a pig!" Carl exclaimed, looking over his son in worry.
"You look thrilled." Rorek spoke dryly, Silas grunting in response, "I am fine. Do we have a decision?"
"No. Though I vote for tieing a steed to each limb and tearing him apart as they gallop." Rorek spoke, William shaking his head.
"I think my brother deserves a more….noble death."
"You claim he is prideful. I see no harm is tearing him limb from limb and parading the parts around. Maybe even hang them up for good measure. Drag the bastard's corpse in the dirt!"
William sighed, looking at the men, "Any objections?"
The father and son remained silent.
"I think we should execute this man within Regensburg. Both as a warning and a statement." Silas spoke, nodding his head, "If he is prideful, why not have all ears hear him beg for mercy? He shall receive none just as the Duchess."
William remained silent, slowly nodding his head, "Yes. Yes, I think that is fitting."
"What?! This is blasphemy! You cannot kill me! I am King! I rule by the grace of God!" Eamon objected, Carl sighing as he smacked the man on the head with the hilt of his sword, silencing him.
"Someone gag that man. His voice will give me a headache." William pleaded, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed.
"Where are we going now, my Duke? Regensburg? Home?" Silas asked, William looking at him briefly.
"Regensburg. Home."
The trio watched as the once rightful King was tied down, each limb going to respective steed as he screamed to be released, damning and cursing everyone.
It wasn't hard to take back Regensburg. Very few of Eamon's supporters were even present, and the ones that were present quickly fled at the sight of two dragons. True to his word, however, Kirk had kept his distance, always a distance away from the force of human and dragon.
Spyro and Ember watched in curiosity, Ember obviously disturbed by the cruelty as the villagers and nobles gathered around to witness the spectacle. The villagers kept their distance from the beasts, yet looked upon them as if they were divine.
Eamon still cursed and spewed venom despite the Executioner's intimidating appearance. The same black-almost soulless eyes watching the fallen King as he made sure the knots were tied tight, readying the whip.
"Last words?" The man asked, voice deep and smooth. The Executioner did not even wince as Eamon spit upon his black mask.
"Go to Hell! All of you!" Eamon hissed, William flinching at the harshness in his brother's voice from screaming.
"You first." The Executioner muttered, cracking the whip loud enough that it sent all four horses in a panicking gallop. The man only screamed for several brief seconds before being torn apart, limbs popping and tendons ripping as blood spilled forth so rapidly Silas thought it had been impossible.
William did not look away as he watched his kin bleed, nor did Carl, or Silas, Spyro, or Rorek-the latter laughing in sadistic glee and cursing and damning the fallen King. Ember, however, turned away, shielding herself with her wing and closing her eyes tightly, the scream and popping of flesh of bone scarring her mind.
Rorek watched in glee as the body parts were dragged around in the dirt, the stallions calming as he watched the smears the blood made on the beautiful cobblestone. He could swear he could hear the Duchess cry out upon justice being delivered.
"Nothing like a trail of blood to find your way back home, hmmmm, Anaya?"
Don't worry Dishonored isn't over yet. Yay? Yes? No? I honestly have no idea why Silas and Ember started fighting, but it went in there anyway. But they did make some good points. Remember, Rorek is still a tickling time bomb! Is it me, or does he seem more violent and bloodthirsty than in the beginning? And does Silas appear more callous and immoral? Either way, thank you all for your support! :) Seeing reviews make me feel like I'm going a good job as a writer. Yay! Thank you!