Song is, "Gangsta's Paradise" written by Coolio, remixed by 2WEI.
https/youtu.be/ES9XrjH_XHU

Chapter 25: Mama Bear

"Does this mean I have to be reprogrammed?" Allan asked as he and Aynaet sat on the bed in her room, an uncomfortable look on his face as he studied her.

Aynaet sighed and lowered her head. "If you don't want to be reprogrammed, I won't make you go through with it," she answered. "But...I don't know how I can justify to Arthur to...keep you as is, you know?"

Suddenly Allan smirked. "How about as a spare?"

Aynaet arched a brow as she glanced at the sex doll. "A spare?"

Allan held a hand up. "Just hear me out. Arthur is human, right?"

"Yes."

"He's a human with three wives. You three are the same person, therefore, all three of you are sex goddesses. He's gonna get tired."

Aynaet snorted with laughter. "I reckon that's a good point, but...obviously this decision will have to wait until I can tell him who I am."

"I'm pretty sure he already knows, sweetheart. I don't think you give the man enough credit when it comes to figurin' things out. After all, I'm based off him so I think, in a way, I know him pretty well."

Aynaet looked into Allan's eyes with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I give him plenty of credit. I blessed him with the gift of sight in one of my prayers...even though at the time I..." she looked away and bowed her head, looking at her hands. "I never doubted him, not exactly. I always knew Arthur would find a way to rescue me or die trying...so after the first fifty some years of being down here, I figured he, along with everyone else, died trying." She huffed and wiped away a tear. "But nooo...Mallacht had to fast forward time down here, to ensure my turn to darkness." Suddenly the queen growled and tightened her hands into fists. "That clever mother fucker thought of everything."

Allan sighed, putting an arm around her and kissing her temple. "He didn't know about me, did he?"

"No."

"Then he obviously ain't thought of everythin'. That means we have a chance to beat him."

Aynaet blinked and gazed at Allan. "We?"

"Yes, "we". You think I'm just gonna stand by and watch everyone else fight this war? No no no," he chuckled, lifting her chin and pecking her nose. "I'm gonna fight with you."

Aynaet looked at Allan skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"It ain't like I'm a rookie, darlin'. Valentine trained me to fight."

"But have you killed anyone yet?"

"No."

"Then you're still green," she said. "You can have all the training in the world, Allan, but what good is it if you can't take the life that threatens yours?" Allan had a confused look on his face but Aynaet held up a finger. "The first kill is always the hardest. It decides for you if you will kill again or not. For some, they vow never to kill again."

"But not for you." Allan pulled Aynaet into his lap and cradled her. "Do you remember your first kill?"

Aynaet nodded, cuddling against him. "I do...I think ever since the door opened, I've...I've been getting small pieces of my childhood back. Memories that were locked or messed with before are becoming clear now and...heh, now I know why I couldn't do fishing right."

"Whatchu mean?"

"I hated fishing. I could never understand why I hated it so much, or why it was so hard for me to learn. But now I get it." Aynaet looked at him and patted his face with a frown. "My first kill was also when I met Dubh and Mallacht for the first time, so...who knows how long those two have truly been entangled in my life." With a huff, Aynaet flopped back on the bed, her arms raised lazily around her head as she glared at the ceiling. "When this is over, I just want a nice, long vacation where nothing goes wrong."

Allan laid down next to her with a smirk, his hands placed on his stomach. "That sounds nice, but you keep actin' like your life is just a series of...bad, bad things, honey. Look at all the good you've had, the good you've done. Don't that mean anythin'?"

Aynaet closed her eyes. "This place is only Hell to me while it's a paradise to others, I was taken from my family on my wedding day and most the people down here see me as a monster and Mallacht as a hero. So no, Allan," she growled, sitting up. "The good doesn't mean a fucking thing."

Allan sat up and forced Aynaet to look him in the eye, his fingers holding her chin. "I know you don't believe that nonsense," he said with a serious look in his eyes. "You start believin' that, Mallacht wins...and you ain't got it in you to let that happen." Aynaet scoffed but Allan remained firm with her. "Don't scoff at me, woman."

The queen heard shouting from the other room, so she and Allan quickly got off the bed and rushed out to the middle room where everyone else was, and Arthur was arguing with someone over the ear com.

"Dammit, woman! If you're in trouble, let me come help you!" Arthur snapped.

"What's going on?" Aynaet asked as Arthur continued to shout.

"Umber's kraken is fighting with Rose," Valentine explained. "Or Violet's dragon form, I should say. Mr. Morgan is fighting with her about coming to her aid, but apparently he's too important to the cause to fight so early, and I believe I agree with her."

Aynaet nodded. "What do you suggest?"

"I'll go help them," he said, walking to the front door.

"I'm coming with," Cyan said but Valentene shook his head.

"You don't have your dragon, little brother, and I'm not going to carry your fat ass around."

Cyan grumbled. "I'm not fat!"

"Like hell you're not," Valentine chuckled lowly before approaching Arthur. "Lord Morgan, I will go assist your wife and the others, if you deem me worthy of the mission."

Arthur paused, looking at the man strangely before clearing his throat. "Alright, they're just off the coast of Van Horn. Thank you, Prince Valentine," he said. Valentine quickly left the house and Arthur sighed while rubbing his face. "Valentine's on his way. Please be careful, darlin'."

The Earl of Moycullen plopped down in a chair and laid his arms on the table, resting his head on his forearm. "You alright, man?" Cyan asked while biting into a slice of tropical lime pie.

"No." Suddenly Arthur raised his head and looked at Cyan with an arched brow. "What was that about you not havin' your dragon?"

Cyan sighed and took another bite of pie. "Dad took my dragon from me, as punishment for siding with Mom during the rebellion. He took the others, too. Except Valentine's, heh...that fucker's the only one who was strong enough to keep his dragon form."

"Cyan!" Aynaet hissed. "I don't think Mr. Morgan would appreciate having this conversation."

"Why not?" Cyan asked. "If he's gonna fight with us, he needs some background information."

"Wait...how are you folks dragons?" Arthur asked. "Do you get it from your mom?"

"Dad, actually," Cyan said.

"That don't make no sense."

"Why?"

Arthur sighed. "Look, kid. There's some things about your dad that I'm sure you wasn't told, like the fact that he's a soul shard from another person, and that person was a werewolf."

Cyan raised a questioning brow and looked straight at his mother. "Did you know about this?"

"Yes," she replied.

"So me and my siblings are werewolves?"

"Yes."

"So how are you dragons?" Arthur asked.

"They're shapeshifters," Aynaet replied uncomfortably. "They get that from me. Mallacht used Lilly's powers to make himself into a dragon because he got "bored with the wolf thing".

Arthur looked at the queen, then back at the prince as Allan slinked off into the kitchen, probably to help Babd and also avoid a hostile situation with Arthur. "So...when you say he took your dragon from you..." Arthur began.

Cyan frowned. "He ripped it outta me. Then he killed it."

"Is that why you don't have horns like the rest of your siblings?" O'Callaghan asked.

"Yes."

"Oh, you poor dear..."

Aynaet needed to change the subject.

"I suggest we come up with a plan to free Mallacht's captives from the Garden of Names," she said.

The queen's eyes locked onto Arthur's and he looked like he was studying her intensely. O'Callaghan seemed to notice this and tugged on Arthur's ear. He immediately changed his expression, but his eyes were still on Aynaet's. "What do you suggest?" he asked.

Aynaet glanced at the buffet of food and drink on the table, then she grabbed a mug and a plate before gathering up nourishment. "Now that I've given it some thought, we need to go and investigate the garden. I'm willing to bet it's just a prison to them, so...we need to find the power source that keeps them trapped in the statues."

"Why would he make you torture them, though?" Arthur asked curiously. "You said earlier it was for punishment...for somethin' you didn't do."

Aynaet huffed as she poured herself a carbonated beverage. "Those people were innocent. I don't like to harm innocent people."

"I see. But...what is it that you got blamed for?"

The queen took a bite of a toasted sticky bun. "The death of Magento," Aynaet replied.

"One of your kids?"

"Yes," Aynaet said, her voice beginning to quiver. "He was...different than the others."

"Why?"

Aynaet eyed Cyan and he frowned at her before looking at Arthur. "Magento and Crimson were twins, and Momma's pregnancy with them was longer than ours. Other pregnancies only lasted a day, but the twins weren't born until three months after conception. And unlike the rest of us, they weren't born full grown and it was a...natural birth."

"Fuck..." Aynaet thought.

"I got a lot of questions 'bout all that," Arthur chuckled before sipping on his mug. "You're saying that the rest of you came outta your momma...as is?" he asked.

"Yeah." Cyan bit into his slice of pie. "I don't know if you guys ever saw the movie "Alien" but there's a scene where this guy has an alien burst outta his belly...our births were a lot like that."

Aynaet groaned and held her face, elbowing the table. "They don't need to hear about that, Cyan," she complained.

"I do," Arthur said, making Aynaet look at him strangely. "I want to know what you went through."

Aynaet eyed the man curiously before snatching her teeth into her food and chewing. "Why?"

"I feel like you got a hell of a story to tell, is all," Arthur remarked coolly before glancing at Cyan. "So why were Magento and Crimson born different?"

"They were a product of cons-"

"Shut up!" Aynaet snapped, slamming her hands on the table and standing while glaring at her son. "Not another god damn word, Cyan! It's not his business!"

"The fuck it ain't, woman!" Arthur bellowed, standing abruptly. "I have a right to know what my wife went through!"

Play music here

Aynaet froze stiff, her eyes like a deer caught in the headlights as she looked at Arthur in shock. She hadn't expected him to call her out like that. "How stupid do you think I am, Lillian?! I know it's you!" he shouted.

The queen straightened her back and cleared her throat, preparing to retort but before she could say anything, a load roar was heard outside and Aynaet glanced at the front door before running to it. She opened it and ran out into the snow, followed by the others as a large, crimson colored dragon came to land clumsily and collapse on the ground.

"Crimson!" Aynaet screamed as she ran to him. The dragon began to shrink into that of a man with short, crimson hair, four black horns on his head and crimson colored eyes and Aynaet immediately pulled him into her arms, embracing him tightly as the others gathered around her. "Are you hurt?"

"N-No," Crimson sniffed as he clung to his mother. "N-N-Not r-really."

"Haha! Look at him, running straight to Mommy!" Aynaet heard someone shout and laugh. "What a little bitch!"

She looked up and saw Emerald, Amber and Amethyst flying above the shield in their dragon forms, circling and laughing like the vultures they truly were. Aynaet looked at Crimson's face and gasped at what she saw. Freshly made whip scars were on the side of his face, the words, "Emerald's Bitch" now imprinted on him. Crimson trembled with a frown, his eyes watery as he gazed at his mother helplessly. His clothes had rips in it and she saw the words, "Amber's Whore" and "Amethyst's Slave" on his skin when she lifted his coat and shirt. Aynaet slowly raised her head, glaring at her three violent children with a fierceness she hadn't felt in years.

"Oh, they're sooo fucking dead," she thought viciously.

"Ooooh shit," Cyan said. "They done pissed off Mama Bear."

With a low, demonic sounding growl, Aynaet looked at Cyan coldly. "Take him inside," she ordered. Cyan grabbed his brother and escorted him back to the observatory as she looked at Babd, her hand outstretched. "Key. Now."

"Lilly," Babd said. "I don't think this is a good idea, what you're about to do."

"This is not negotiable!" Aynaet screeched. "Unlock me! Now!" Babd sighed and pulled out Rose's electronic key device from her black cloak, walking up behind Aynaet and inserting it into the keyhole. The Demon Queen kept her narrowed eyes locked onto her children. "Everyone else take a step back."

They did as they were told and with a click, the suit opened and black smoke surrounded Aynaet as Babd lifted the head dress off. The smoke billowed and grew, a loud, menacing growl erupting from Aynaet as she took the form of a pitch black dragon with white eyes, her wings outstretching through the smoke. Her scaly skin was like oil and it moved like life around her, and she pushed off the ground with a mighty roar as she flew towards her enemies.

"Oh shit! Let's get outta here!" Emerald shouted, the three turning tail and flying away.

They were fast, but Aynaet was faster. She gained on them quickly and flew above them, lining herself up as her throat clicked to use her sonar for their exact locations. Aynaet increased in size and the oily substance that coated her burst into hot, red flames. Her children shrieked in fear as burning oil dropped from her body, threatening to burn them to ash if they got hit. The trio split up to try and confuse their mother but she was having none of that nonsense. These little shits were done.

Black chains shot out from Aynaet's body and flung themselves towards their targets, hooking into all her children's skins and making them cry out for mercy.

Aynaet was deaf to their pleas.

The chains pulled back quickly, Aynaet's wings flapping so that she flew in place and could concentrate on her current task. The kids struggled and screamed bloody murder as the chains gripped around them all, and once Amber was close enough, the queen snatched her in her claws and bit off her head, swallowing before tossing the rest of the body into her mouth. Blood dripped from her fangs and her mouth was still full when she killed her son Amethyst next in the same manner. The princess Emerald was all who remained, and she begged her mother for forgiveness.

Aynaet remained hardened and instead of granting Emerald's request, she snatched the princess in her jaws and feasted on her, blood and burning oil dripping onto the shield. Off in the distance, Aynaet could see Umber's ship approaching and she saw Coral, Valentine and Rose in dragon forms flying above the floating ship. They were being pursued by Umber's kraken, a giant sea monster with a hole full of razor sharp teeth for its beak. The creature had long tentacles and a bulbous, floppy head.

Essentially, the kraken was a giant octopus on steroids.

With another defeaning roar, Aynaet sped towards the ship to offer her assistance.