'I guess it's useless; we're just too different.' Kalli watched as the Dragon sat in her throne, swathed in vibrant violets and blues. The statue standing behind her chair gazed upon her audience with strange, jeweled eyes. One giant wing wrapped almost lovingly around the back of her throne, those long, carved talons sank into the chair arm. The statue seemed to be watching her, its scaled neck curled, the expression on its beautiful face haunting. 'I guess... things will just go on as they have. Her over there in her world, and me in mine.'
The veined white marble wings of her own chair spread out around her. The bejeweled wings of her Phoenix caught some unfelt breeze, each feather carved with care. The detailing amazed Kalli, and she found her eyes ranging over the statue. The Phoenix stared down at her, the gilded beak cracked open, as if it were calling out to the winds. Its top feathers tumbled down its graceful neck, swirling over each other in a long line of something metallic and a very pale yellow. The Lion and Serpent's chairs remained empty, and shadows seemed to settle around the seats. The statues seemed very cold, and distant, as if dead until discovered by their rightful owners. Empty, cold stone eyes seemed to be watching nothing, as if both the Lion and Serpent were lost in the dreams or the thoughts of the dead.
The Delegate from Methron continued his speech, calling upon the power of the Gods and Dawns to settle a dispute. 'And once again, the stories prove false. No one ever mentioned Dawn Dragon Ikeda sitting through a meeting. No one ever said anything about Lion Milan filing paperwork. And certainly no one even hinted at Dawn Phoenix Raenshia settling domestic disputes for anyone! Much less ungrateful, unbelieving peasants from the desert. Being a Dawn is no fun at all.'
Kalli felt as if her dreams had shattered to pieces as she half-listened to the man continue his over-long and horribly formal protest to the unfair application of certain Dawn-made laws. Kalli's eyes wandered, ultimately setting on the Dragon. Mae looked amazing, her hair wound up in intricate beads and braids, her curls only half tamed. Green paint fanned out from her eyes, matching the wild emerald of her irises. Her long nails were jeweled, and shimmered faintly in the low lighting. Maellyn looked like an Amazon Queen, her wild dragon guarding over her with immaculate arrogance.
Lord Braliin finished his speech with a flourish, bowing to both Dawns. He left then, to pack, his point heard. It would verified by the Dawn's people, and taken care of, one way or another.
Kalli looked down at her ivory gown as the throne room emptied of everyone, except the Dawns and their guards. She glanced up, to see the Dragon staring at her with a disquieting expression in her eyes.
Hitching her dress up, the Phoenix stepped down from her immense platform, stepping into the marbled center of the throne room. "Do you want something, Dragon?"
Mae's expression turned from one of curiosity to complete stoicism in the blink of an eye, changing her whole demeanor. She looked as strange and imposing as her throne Dragon, as they both stared at the Phoenix with emotionless jewel-toned eyes.
"No, Dawn Kalli. I was merely staring, because you looked a little pale."
The formality in her wife's voice stung. Unable to bear the growing distance between them, Kalli picked up her skirts in quivering hands and tore from the throne room with a reckless speed. She heard Ry's cry of surprise behind her, but she ignored it, running into the sunset with tears raging down her cheeks. 'Damn you, Mae; why did you have to be so heartless?' Kalli ran all the way to the beach, her sandals digging into the sand. She ran until the surf brushed her legs, chilling her and banishing the heat of her anger.
The salt water drank in the fabric of her dress, discoloring the careful ivory color of the cloth. A tiny rip in the skirt had grown, and Kalli knew the dress was ruined. Uncaring, Kalli pushed away from the shoreline, sighing as the chilly waves embraced her. The icy arms of the water washed over her, holding her in an ever-moving, sandy hold. She was content to be cold, content to shiver in the rolling roar of the waves.
Time passed slowly, as the sun turned in, falling asleep in a blanket of midnight-blue. Kalli watched as the colors of day drained away, leaving a blue-black shell. Where everything was colorless, everything was bland.
It felt, then, as if the sun would never rise again.
I tried to keep to Inky's description of the throne room as close as I could. There were a few not-so-obvious (but changed for good reason) details that were different. The Dragon Statue is looking at the Phoenix, and the Phoenix is looking down at itself. That's kind of symbolistic, but not really obvious. Umm, but other than that, I think I got the look of it pretty much the same. I even drew a little map to make sure I had the statues in the correct placement around the room. I hope I did it right...
Anyway, thanks for reading.
Mina