Back with another chapter! I suppose I should post this now, as finals are rapidly approaching and I'll barely have any time to write for the next couple of weeks. Thank you all for the comments and the alerts. All feedback is greatly appreciated!
Happy reading!
Curse of the Dragon Chapter 10
Transformation: Change in form, appearance, nature, or character.
The briefing room was rather dim, lit only by several oil lamps on the walls. A long cherry-wood table stretched across the carpeted floor. Three men--a blonde General, a weary advisor, and a seemingly emotionless prince--were bent over a large map of Terra.
"…If they take the capital, they take the country. We need to maintain the defensive fronts and keep them away from here." General Lysander's gruff face twisted into a grimace. "I've already dispatched several of my higher-ranking soldiers on pegasus-back to scout the surrounding areas. From the reports, the Rungholten army is expected to be at our gates within two weeks time. They are cutting right through the Great Fields." He traced the route on the map with the tip of his finger.
Karon pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Great Fields…I expect that they will attempt to take Kinkan Town in the process."
Prince Siegfried stiffened and his eyebrow twitched. The movement was so slight that the other two men in the room took no notice of the Prince's reaction.
He had attended Kinkan Academy of the Arts in his early years. The Prince could have been instructed within the Chateau by a private tutor, and that was what most of the advisors had suggested he do. After all, in Kinkan Academy, he would be in the same school as the commoners.
"My Prince Siegfried--my Mytho will enroll in Kinkan," his mother had said with a gentle smile, eyes glowing with such inner warmth that the Council could not find it in themselves to refuse, "That school is best for him. He will learn a great many things that he could never learn within the confines of the Chateau."
And she was right, as always. Prince Siegfried had made many friends of all statuses, and he was exposed to the world outside of his pampered life. He spent his years in Kinkan learning ballet and fencing and all the lessons that a prince should be taught in order to become educated, fair, just, and, most importantly, kind. He always thought that his experiences in the Academy were for the best.
Up until that moment, at least. That moment, the Prince, so afflicted by the loss of his true love, so heavy with the burden of coming battles, wanted nothing more than to forget his fond memories at his beloved school. Then, perhaps he wouldn't be quite so forlorn at the thought of losing the cultured buildings that helped to mold him into the person he was.
Ah. There was the searing pain in his chest again, the burning sensation that he'd been suffering through for the past couple of days.
Still, Prince Siegfried remained emotionless, his face betraying no feelings to reflect the clenching in his ribcage, as if something were ripping his heart out. Instead, his fingers gripped the edge of the table, knuckles turning white.
The other men in the room remained oblivious.
General Lysander sighed. "Yes, we are assuming that is what Rungholt is planning to do, with Kinkan Town's favorable location near the Titania River…and its proximity to us." He indicated to the relatively short distance on the map. "We are already making arrangements to evacuate the town and move them into our own city.
"All the same," the General continued, "we shouldn't wait for Rungholt to come to us. It's probably best that we meet them halfway, before they can reach Kinkan."
Karon nodded slowly, his bloodshot eyes closing. "That sounds like the best course of action. Just be sure that those civilians are safe before we do anything else."
It was then that Prince Siegfried straightened, and left the room without a word.
The two men stared after their Prince, concern and torment reflecting in their eyes. Karon turned to General Lysander. "Any news from Captain Humphrey on our Lady Ahiru?"
"…No, sir, there is yet to be a sign of her."
"…I see."
Prince Siegfried shut the double doors behind him when he made it to his chambers.
The dam he built cracked, then crumbled.
With a strangled cry, he violently ripped the white comforter and sheets from his large bed, and the letters, quills, papers, and documents on the top of his desk smashed to the floor with a swoop of his flailing arms. His embroidered clothes were pulled off their hooks and onto a growing pile on the floor. He tore at the drapes over his towering windows, and he yanked all of his books--the fairytales--off of their shelves. Whatever else he could get his hands on were flung across his room.
When he finally exhausted himself, Prince Siegfried crumpled to the floor, hand clutched over his chest, clawing at the cloth of the blue tunic like talons of a bird. He lost his love. He was about to lead his people to war. And everything seemed to crash down on him, suffocate him, as he fought to catch his breath.
His heart hurt.
With the tightening of his fist, he had made his decision. He would fight this war. He would defend his country at all possible costs. Besides, after the fighting, there would be nothing left of the nuisance that was Prince Femio and his Rungholt.
And he would forget about his love. After all, the Prince could surely find another woman who would gladly give her heart to him, to love only him.
The grip on his heart loosened and then there was no more searing pain.
Prince Siegfried grinned, and his shoulders shook as he quietly chuckled to himself.
Ahiru didn't know when she had last taken off her red pendant.
It was only after she stumbled weakly out of the library when she realized what she just did. Part of her felt empty without it. If she reached for her neck, the jewel was no longer there to comfort her whenever she needed it. Her neck felt naked and unprotected, as if her parents were always watching over her right up until the moment the pendant was gone. She almost turned right back around to retrieve it from the floor where she left it.
But then she thought of her ancestor wearing that necklace while slaughtering a town of wonderful, innocent, magical people, and she couldn't bear to even think of touching it.
"Hello, Miss."
Ahiru jumped with a small squeak. She whirled around, salmon braid flying behind her, to see Gust leaning on the side of the library cloth entrance. It was then she noticed the slight differences that she never acknowledged before. Several small scars were slashed along his arms, his ponytail now a slightly paler yellow than the bright sunny color that it was three hundred years ago. And the violet color of his eyes lost its youthful luster, even as he didn't seem to age a day.
Her chest tightened. They lost so much. "Ah…Hello."
A small grin began to slowly grow on his face, but a tinge of sorrow pooled within his eyes. "So, Autor's told us that you've pretty much seen everything, right?"
Suddenly, she couldn't find herself able to form words. Her eyes began to sting with the oncoming threat of more tears. So, she only nodded. He stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, then spoke again, "I can tell you're a bit…shaken up by all that."
Ahiru tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "A…a little."
"Why don't I take you back to Hermia and Freya? They can check your head and you can rest a little more."
She had forgotten about the bandages on her head. Reaching up, she felt the strips of cloth wrapped around her crown. That's right… she thought, I hit my head on the floor because of…!
"Ah, wait, what happened to Fakir? Is he okay?" she found herself asking suddenly, forcing her own stress away for the moment.
Gust seemed genuinely surprised at the question. His eyes widened and his eyebrow raised, but only very slightly. "He's…well, he's not awake yet. But if I know Fakir, he won't be out for long. I wouldn't worry."
Ahiru, with no pendant to fiddle with, fingered the tip of her braid. She bit her lip. "How bad are his wounds?"
The dragon ran a hand through his yellow bangs, seemingly still wondering about Ahiru's concern. "Well, Ryver almost smacked you with his tail, but Fakir took the blow for you…twice, actually, come to think of it." Gust grimaced. "Then he slammed into a nearby house. So he's got quite a bit to heal up…especially his ribs."
The tears returned, droplets silently streaming down her cheeks. She bit her lip harder. Gust stepped forward, raising his hands as if they would help her calm down. "Ah!! Don't…please don't cry! Ah! He's fine, really! It's not like he hasn't been through worse!"
He had been through worse. Ahiru could see the blood flowing out of a gaping wound on his chest, the power of making stories come true floating out of his writhing body. All of his pain, caused by a man whose blood runs through her own veins.
And, once more, Fakir was hurt. Because of her.
The tears continued. "C-can I see him? Please?"
She had no idea why she really wanted to see him, though. If she was killed before the Dragon constellation was aligned, the whole village would have no hope of breaking their curse and leaving this place behind. That was the only reason why he saved her. Fakir had every intention of seeing her dead, just as long as it was at the right time. He didn't truly care about her in the least. So why did she want to see him? She couldn't apologize to him, not while he was unconscious.
Gust seemed to wonder the same thing. "Uh, really? Are you sure? Don't you want to get more rest or something. As I said, he's going to be fine."
Ahiru shuffled her feet. "I-I know. But, can I see him anyway?"
The yellow-haired dragon blinked, but nodded his head. "Alright. Sure."
Gust led Ahiru back to Fakir's hut. He pushed back the cloth and allowed her to enter before him. Once inside, both of them stopped where they were, listening to the loud voice coming from the other cloth doorway that led to Fakir's room. It was female, and Ahiru instantly recognized it as Rue.
"--realize that this is the second time he's been hurt because of you?! I've had it! You should have gotten it by now that your temper and pride hurts all of us!"
Ryver, his dark curly hair disheveled and his brown eyes blazing with intense anger, frustration, and, above all, guilt, immerged from Fakir's room. He immediately stopped at the sight of Ahiru and snarled. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Gust stepped up, violet eyes calm and steady. "Ryver, just relax, oka-?" Ryver interrupted him and stomped out the doorway, shoving both Gust and Ahiru with his broad shoulders. With a sigh, the yellow-haired dragon turned to the frightened Ahiru. "Don't mind him. He's…just feeling really bad right now. And Rue's probably just pretty scared." He placed a comforting hand on Ahiru's shoulder and steered her to Fakir's room.
Her heart must have stopped at the sight before her.
Fakir was laying on his small bed, a thin blanket covering his waist down. His shirt was off, revealing his heavily-bandaged chest, his telltale scar visible on his right shoulder. Small scratches littered his face, and wounds on his arms were dressed. Even in his sleep, a frown marred his expression, but at least his eyebrows were not drawn together as they always were when he was awake. Ahiru shuddered. He was in worse shape than she assumed.
But, in some curious way, Ahiru was inexplicably happier than she should be to see his chest steadily rising and falling.
Uzura settled herself on top of the bed, sitting next to his head. Her big, round eyes glittered with tears as her little hand petted his hair with the gentleness of a butterfly. On his other side, Rue sat in a small oak stool, hands clutching to one of Fakir's. She seemed to still be seething from Ryver's visit, and when Ahiru and Gust came in, Rue immediately sneered at the braided girl.
"See? Next time someone tells you to run away and get to safety, you run away and get to safety before he has to risk his very life to save you!" With every word, the distraught, ruby-eyed woman gradually rose to her feet. "Fakir has gone through enough pain!"
The words bit Ahiru hard, but not quite as severely as the sight of Uzura flinching at Rue's steadily raising voice.
"Rue," said Gust from behind Ahiru, "Ahiru just came to see if he's alright. I'm sure she feels sorry about what happened." He paused, and then stated evenly, "And Autor showed her everything that's happened."
Ahiru looked on as Rue slowly let out a breath, then ran a hand through her dark flowing hair. "I see." Rue's fiery rubies were slowly drained of her anger, until only anguish remained. "Then you know the reason for your fate and why we must see it through."
Immediately, Ahiru's hand reflexively went to her neck for her pendant. Again, it wasn't there. She bit her lip, fighting tears, and fiddled with her braid. "Is there really no other way?"
Rue's jaw clenched. "No. There isn't. What is written is written." She turned her gaze to Gust. "Will you…look after my brother and Uzura? I want to talk with Miss Ahiru alone. I'll take her to the sunflower fields down below."
With a small, comforting grin, Gust moved to sit in Rue's place next to Fakir. "I'll come let you know if he gets up."
Before Ahiru was led outside, Uzura waved to her, eyes still shining with tears. "Bye, Ducky-zura…" Ahiru responded back with a small, sad smile.
"Hurry," called Rue over her shoulder. Ahiru turned and rushed after her.
"Are there really sunflowers down here?"
Rue blinked her ruby eyes and stared at Ahiru for a moment. "Probably not the ones you're accustomed to. But they are sunflowers nonetheless."
Ahiru realized where she was being taken. It was the staircase outside the village square that led to a lower area, perhaps a whole other platform beneath the underground village. She was going down to the same place the rest of the villagers had fled to when Ryver went on his rampage. She felt a shudder run down her spine at the horrible memories of the panic and the screams and the blood…
"Down here," murmured Rue, her voice quiet, but slightly softer than it usually was. The dragon-woman led Ahiru down the stone steps, deeper into the bowels of Wyvern.
The trip down wasn't quite as long as it felt. Perhaps they were descending only for little more than a minute, but to Ahiru it was quite longer. She leaned against the stone wall for support, moving slowly over every step. It strongly reminded her of her first trip down into Wyvern, led by Fakir and his torch.
But this time, there was no light. And there was no Fakir.
Ahiru stumbled as she mused, mentally berating herself for her inability to think while walking. She felt a cool hand grab her wrist to steady her.
"Not very graceful, are you?"
Ahiru swallowed and continued on, this time being led by Rue's grasp on her arm.
Finally, they stopped. Ahiru couldn't see a thing in the darkness. Until she heard a small click, and then light poured in, burning her vision.
When she could finally open her eyes again, she was met with a sight so incredible and stunning that, even after everything she went through for the past few days, Ahiru couldn't help but smile in amazement.
There were no tall lampposts, and no dilapidated stone homes. There were no palaces and breathtaking architecture.
Before her was a small meadow of sunflowers, but, as Rue said, not the ones she was accustomed to. The flowers glowed brightly, their petals releasing such delightful lights that only a star could possibly be so beautiful. They were enough to illuminate the entire area in a way that oil lamps couldn't possibly do. Ahiru stepped forward quietly, completely forgetting Rue's presence in the meadow.
Ahiru made her way to the middle, carefully avoiding stepping on any flower or petal. It was quite a sight, being surrounded on all sides by bright illumination, never to be extinguished. So, these were sunflowers.
As if sensing her presence, in a flurry of beauty that Ahiru almost couldn't comprehend, millions of little ladybugs leaped from beneath the blossoms around her, swirling about the braided girl in a whirlwind of twinkling lights and giggling little ladies. Above and below her, the flowers and the ladybugs lifted her spirit from the darkness it has been shrouded in for the past few days.
Ahiru's smile grew into a breathless laugh. Sunflowers and ladybugs…
Suddenly, Rue's form appeared from behind the curtain of dancing, swirling ladybugs. She slowly made her way over to the astounded Ahiru.
"Miss Ahiru," Rue murmured, the corners of her lips raising slightly, "Won't you dance with me?"
Rachel rushed to the Prince's quarters, heart pounding furiously in her ears.
She was alerted by several of the servants of crashes and strange cries from his room, and immediately made her way there. When she reached the large set of double doors that led inside, she pressed her ear against the wood. Rachel swallowed when she heard nothing but silence.
"Your Majesty?" she called, tucking some of her flowing brown hair behind her ear, "Your Majesty, is everything alright in there?"
It was a few seconds before she received a response. "Yes, everything is fine, my dear Rachel." Rachel's eyebrows furrowed and a shiver ran down her spine. The voice was so chillingly calm, almost unnaturally pleasant. There was something so inexplicably deceptive about it, that the head servant found herself even more concerned than she was before the Prince's supposed reassurance.
"…May I come in, Your Majesty?"
"Why, of course, Rachel. Please do."
Her hands shook as she turn the knobs of his doors and opened them. Her heart stopped. His room was…almost in shambles. And in the middle of the destruction, the Prince she watched over since his mother died stood with a smirk on his face.
His amber eyes flashed in the darkness, almost reflecting red.
"Rachel, love only me."
Well, that's it for now, guys! Thanks so much for reading!
Fun Facts:
-Titania is the name of the fairy queen in A Midsummer Night's Dream.