Aah, finals are over, and now I can relax for a little bit before school resumes next week. I wanted to thank you all for continuing to read this story, and your comments always make my day! And I kind of want to promote my other story, even if only the prologue is out. Please read Loose Ends if you have time!
Happy reading!
Curse of the Dragon Chapter 11
Lost: Having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place or direction.
"Won't you dance with me?" Rue gracefully twirled her arms above her head before lowering one as an offering to Ahiru.
The giggles of the twirling, glowing ladybugs slowly melted into a choir of sweet and harmonic songs. The "aahs" and "oohs" molded together, a new medley of voices forming a distinct tune that no instrument could imitate.
But despite the music and the wondrous lights glittering around her, Ahiru could not forget how horrendous her dancing was.
"D-dance?!" Ahiru waved her hands before her face frantically. Her quack-like squeak and wild gestures contrasted greatly with the gentle vocals around her and Rue's elegant movements. "I-I'm sorry! I can't! I never could! I was never any good at it! I've tried to do it before, and I loved doing it, but I've always been the worst in my beginners' classes and my teacher always was disappointed with me and threatened me with marriage-!"
At this, Rue slightly raised a thin eyebrow and smoothly dropped her arm to her side. "Marriage?"
Ahiru bit her lip and shuffled her feet. "My teacher was…weird. My father told me that he was the best one in all of Hedeby. Still, no matter how good of a teacher he was supposed to be, he wasn't able to help me much… As much as I want to, I know that maybe I'm just not meant to dance…"
Rue blinked her scarlet eyes before slowly shaking her head. Again, she offered her hand to the awkward redhead before her. "The first thing you need to know," she mumbled, her melodic voice fitting with the tune of the ladybugs like puzzle pieces, "is that dancing is a form of expression; a dance full of feeling can be beautiful, regardless of how unskilled you may be." The corners of her full lips lifted slightly, and her eyes were unusually warm, flickering in the blinking lights surrounding them. "Dance with me, Miss Ahiru."
The braided redhead sighed. How could she not be swayed by Rue's musical voice and words, as well as her soft expression? Ahiru fiddled with her braid for a moment, before swallowing and delicately placing her hand in Rue's.
The dragon gave her a refined curtsy and Ahiru shakily followed suit before they began. "Just follow my lead," whispered Rue, her soft voice still able to be heard over the ladybugs' song.
Rue's rested one foot against the instep of the other, both firmly turned out. As Ahiru struggled to imitate third position, Rue spoke again. "Part of me is sorry that you had to witness what we went through in the past. It's not a memory I tend to look back on fondly. About a century afterwards, we were almost driven to kill ourselves."
As Rue smoothly transitioned from third to fifth with the music, her arms raising above her head and toes aligned with her heels, Ahiru fumbled to keep balance, both because of her innate clumsiness, and Rue's words. "W-what?" Ahiru bit her lip, shakily rising to her tiptoes as Rue effortlessly lifted herself en pointe, arms still in the air. The ruby-eyed dragon glided through the glowing sunflowers beneath them, as if walking on air, and the redhead tried to focus on not tripping over herself. "Why would you want to..?!"
"Wouldn't you? After living for one hundred years in here, wouldn't you go mad?"
Ahiru let out another quack-like squeak as Rue unexpectedly held her waist and lifted her into the air.
And suddenly, Ahiru felt very strange…as if she wasn't herself anymore. She was simply watching through her eyes, and the feeling of Rue's hands at her waist disappeared altogether, even as she was still suspended in the air…
Rue brought her back down, twirling the smaller girl around. But Ahiru didn't feel dizzy, didn't feel Rue's hand grasping her own, didn't feel her feet on the flowery, glowing ground. All she saw were the blurs of the little ladybugs and flashes of Rue's ruby eyes and dark hair as she spun.
Ahiru was numb.
What was going on?
Finally, the ruby-eyed dragon stopped, dropping Ahiru's hand. The redhead couldn't even feel that and wanted to speak of it, but for some reason, nothing was coming out.
"Ultimately, it was Uzura who saved us. She was frozen as her innocent self, never to understand the position she was in, always thinking as a simple child. We couldn't selfishly kill ourselves, leaving her alone for eternity, wondering why we all weren't there anymore."
Suddenly, Rue's eyes blazed. "So we kept our hopes up, waiting for three hundred years, most of us getting used to controlling our feelings, latching onto Uzura's innocence to maintain what was left of our sanity.
"We began our search for Drosselmeyer's descendants twenty years ago. And now that we've found you, there will be nothing to stop us from achieving our freedom."
Rue lifted a hand to place it on Ahiru's face, but again, the frightened and confused girl felt nothing.
What's going on?! I can't even speak!
"You will willingly give your life for us, Ahiru."
"Yes."
Ahiru was certain that if she had any control over her body at the moment, the hairs on the back of her neck would have stood. She had heard her own voice speak, even if she did not mean to say anything. Panic seized her, but she was unable to feel any change in heartbeat.
"We won't have to kill you ourselves. You'll do it for us, won't you?"
No! There must be another way! "Yes."
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Rue's lips. "Thank you."
Stop it! Stop it! Please! What's going on?!
And suddenly, the ladybugs dispersed from their whirlwind of lights, their song ceasing and scattering into light, mischievous giggles as they returned to their homes beneath the glowing sunflowers. Everything was dimmer.
Rue seemed to see something behind Ahiru. Her eyes widened, feelings of relief and dismay conflicting within her glittering ruby irises, focusing over Ahiru's shoulder.
Immediately, Ahiru sucked in a breath. She suddenly felt her wobbling legs, the flowers tickling her feet, her heart pounding in her ribcage, a drop of perspiration rolling down the side of her face, the cool air of the underground meadow. Her head spun with the onslaught of the sensations from regaining control of her senses. And she suddenly felt so heavy…
The world swayed around her, but before it all went black, Ahiru saw Rue shedding angry tears and felt two strong, but gentle arms catching her, encircling her waist from behind…
The white-haired prince began to approach Rachel slowly, his arms stretched wide to embrace her like a bird inviting its prey into its dark wings.
Her eyes wide with fear and worry, Rachel slowly inched away from him until her back was pressed against the door. "Your…Majesty?" Her hand began to frantically feel for the doorknob behind her.
Immediately, Prince Siegfried sneered, an expression that never graced his face before. Rachel resisted the urge to scream. "What's the matter, Rachel?" he spat, still encroaching upon her quaking form still fumbling for the doorknob. "Don't you love me?"
She could no longer hold her tears back, and drops began rolling down her face at a rapid rate. Why was he like this? "I-yes, I love you! I took care of you! But not-!"
"Not what, Rachel? Love me. Love only me. Give me your heart and I promise you eternal happiness!" His face was above her own now, eyes flashing red in the darkness of the destroyed room, hands clenching against the door on either side of her head. He moved a hand to press against her hammering heartbeat.
She had never been afraid of Prince Siegfried before; why had he changed? "I can't! Please…Your Majesty, I love you as a brother! Th-there's Hans and…!" She had to stop herself from mentioning Karon. "Your fiancé! Please, she must be out there somewhere! We'll find her, Your Majesty!"
His scowl slowly formed into a sinister smirk, one that should never belong on his face. Still, there was a slight twitch in his eyebrow. "My fiancé is dead. And in any case, I can have any woman I want."
Finally, Rachel's pinky made contact with cool metal, and she grasped the handle of the door, forced it backward, and slipped from beneath his arms. The frantic head servant ducked out the open door and slammed it closed before Prince Siegfried could catch her.
She backed up against the opposite wall, quivering and sobbing, and sunk to the floor. Pique and Lilie, who were cleaning a nearby room, immediately rushed to her side.
No sound came from the Prince's quarters.
Ahiru woke to yelling. There were two distinct voices that she recognized. One was feminine, musical and hypnotizing, and currently infuriated. And the other…
…Fakir?
Her eyes snapped open, and she turned her head on the pillow to watch the arguing siblings. Ahiru could see Rue's face, red and tearful as it was. Fakir's back was facing her, his hands clenched at his sides and hair free and out of his usual ponytail. His arms were still bandaged, but she wasn't able to tell if his chest was any better because of his dark blue shirt.
Absolute relief flooded into her very being. He's awake…
She looked to the side and saw three others in the room as well. Orlin watched the scene with a slight smirk on his face, aquamarine eyes twinkling in amusement and his hands ruffling his own navy blue hair. Gust was shaking his head, blonde ponytail waving behind him, and his violet irises looked down at the ground.
The last one, Rein, looked like he had seen better days. Ahiru distantly remembered how injured he must have been from his confrontation with his brother, Ryver. Rein's black, wavy hair was wrapped in far more bandages that were on Ahiru's head. One dark brown eye was swollen shut, and he suffered from a severe split lip.
"Denos is completely unconscious because of what you convinced her to do! Rue, do you realize what you could have done?! Do you know how long Denos may be out?!" Fakir's deep, smooth voice rumbled and bounced off the stone walls of the room.
In the back of her mind, Ahiru remembered the small, pale, sarcastic girl with jet black hair she met only once before.
"It was for the best, Fakir! Ahiru was willing to-"
"She was not willing to do a damn thing!"
Rue stomped her foot, tears cascading down her smooth cheeks that were flushed with anger. "You don't get it, do you?! If we were to control Ahiru, then she could've taken her own life and I wouldn't feel like such a murderer!"
Ahiru bit her lip. That's what it was? She was being controlled?
"So you're willing to resort to deception at Denos's expense?!" Fakir spat, clutching onto Rue's arms. "Elder Raven would hate to hear of us putting Denos in danger in order to sidestep our guilt!"
Rue violently wrenched herself out of her brother's grip. "We're three centuries past chivalry, Fakir, and you can scarcely call yourself a knight," she declared evenly, "The end result is the same. The girl will die, regardless. If you're so unafraid of guilt, then you take responsibility and kill the girl yourself."
"Fine! I will!"
With that, Rue whirled around and strode out.
Ahiru's eyes began to sting again, and she had no idea why. Fakir had already made it apparent many times before that he wanted her dead. But the thought of him doing it himself, wanting to kill her, being happy when she was finally gone…
It hurt far more than it should have.
"Hey, you okay?" Perhaps on any other day, Ahiru would have found it funny that Rein asked her this while he was so injured. Instead, she simply sat up in the bed and nodded.
Fakir stiffened, then spun around to look at her.
Suddenly, it seemed to Ahiru that the absence of his emeralds had been far longer than it really was. His expression was still tense from his argument with his sister; his mouth was set in a thin, grim line, and his eyebrows were still drawn together. But when his eyes met hers, the physical space between them severed in half, though neither of them moved a muscle, and Ahiru was almost frightened of breaking the connection by changing her position. The rest of Fakir's face was stony, but something whirred around in his eyes, clouding them, as if he were fighting himself. And they seemed even darker and more conflicted with his unruly bangs casting shadows over his face, his emerald gaze acquiring a strange, cat-like glow.
Ahiru could only imagine what he must have been seeing in her own eyes. She felt naked and exposed. Yet she couldn't--wouldn't pull her gaze away.
"Hello? Miss Ahiru?" she distantly heard Gust ask. It was Fakir who broke the connection when his eyes shifted to look at his blonde friend, and Ahiru suddenly felt farther from the emerald-eyed dragon.
Orlin sniggered. "You're pretty swoony, aren't you, Miss Ahiru? Falling unconscious twice in two days." Gust elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey!"
Ahiru swallowed. "What happened to Denos?"
Rein sent her a pitying glance, even through his bruised face. "She…can take control of people, so they are basically her dolls. But it's very difficult for her. We guessed that Rue convinced Denos to do it to you. She fell unconscious at the same time you did."
So…that's Denos's power…
Fakir's hard expression didn't change. "You three. Go check on Denos and Elder Raven." They stared at Fakir seriously for a moment before the three other dragons nodded, but not before sending peculiar glances at the small redhead on the bed.
Once they disappeared out of the cloth entrance, Ahiru found her voice again. "You're awake."
Fakir made no reply. Instead, he kept his back to her.
She bit her lip, grappling for something to say. "I'm sorry that I made you get hurt. But I'm glad that you feel well enough to be out of bed." He remained silent and motionless, still not looking at her. "…Thank you for saving me."
At this, he turned in her direction, but still kept his eyes glued to the floor as if avoiding her gaze. His voice was fierce and almost resembled a growl. "Idiot. We couldn't let you die too early."
Ahiru pouted, irrationally annoyed. "Well, you don't have to get defensive! I was just thanking you."
"Well, don't."
"Fine." She was only being grateful. He had no reason to give her an attitude about it. "I take it back then."
She stared at him for a moment, his eyes obscured by his bangs and his lose hair falling over his broad shoulders.
Rue could communicate with birds. Denos had the power to control others. Autor had the power to write and revisit history. Fakir used to have the power to make his own stories come true. And other powers like fireballs and super strength…What other abilities were within the Wyvern villagers? And it wasn't just those supernatural talents; they were a noteworthy group with or without them. They played their instruments beautifully, to the point where the music must have been rained down from heaven. And Fakir and Rue's dancing…They were cultured and talented and beautiful…
And what could Ahiru do? She'd never touched an instrument in her life, and she couldn't even begin to imagine herself dancing decently due to her extreme clumsiness, and she was never the prettiest girl, and she was never particularly smart. The only thing noteworthy about her was that she lived a very comfortable life and she was engaged to a prince…
Funny, she thought, I haven't thought about Mytho in a while…I wonder how he is?
With a sigh, Ahiru realized that there was nothing special about her.
And she thought of Rue, who wanted so desperately for the curse to be broken, but also didn't want to face the shame of taking another person's life for her own interests. And Denos, who agreed to it. And Fakir, who threw himself into harm's way for her. And Edel, who dedicated herself to protecting her village. And all of them, refusing to give up living, for the sake of Uzura's innocence.
It was all for their freedom.
Did Ahiru even want anything that badly that she would fight for it?
And that's when she realized it. The only thing useful, the only thing Ahiru could possibly be good for in this world, was to give up her life willingly for these amazing, beautiful people.
"Fakir?" Ahiru asked timidly, "…Are you going to be the one to kill me, then?"
He lifted his head to look at her, the slightest confusion clouding in his eyes. "…Hn. Why?"
"…Do you think…you can make it painless?"
Fakir's mouth fell slightly open, emerald eyes clouding even more. For some reason, he didn't answer. Any other moment, and Ahiru probably would've found his uncharacteristic expression amusing.
"So…it has to hurt, then?"
Fakir took a sharp intake of breath before whirling around and leaving the room.
Ahiru swallowed and bit her lip, reaching for her absent pendant. I guess that's a yes…
Karon walked into the throne room, only for his jaw to drop at the scene.
Prince Siegfried, dressed in an embroidered black tunic with black leggings, lounged in his throne, swirling his red wine in a golden goblet. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but his eyes seemed to glow a startling red, and an uncharacteristic smirk was plastered on his face. "Ah, Karon. Good morning."
The royal advisor blinked, but bowed respectfully nonetheless. "Your Majesty."
"Will you tell General Lysander to contact Captain Humphrey? I want those knights back to the Chateau immediately."
Karon's eyes widened. "Your Majesty! What of Miss Ahiru?"
Prince Siegfried's smirk grew. "I'm sure that wherever she is, she can take care of herself."
"But Your Majesty-!"
"Silence!" spat the Prince. Karon jumped.
What's gotten into him?
"Now then," the Prince continued, taking a delicate sip of his wine and swishing it in his mouth. "Call back Captain Humphrey's men. We need more knights here. With the whole army together, we can exterminate the Rungholten vermin that continues to poison my country." With a flick of his wrist, he dismissed Karon.
The royal advisor, bowed and made his leave, all the while keeping his absolute fear and shock behind a façade of indifference.
Prince Siegfried…what has become of you?
When Fakir reached his own home, he quietly made his way into his room, and promptly slammed his fist into the stone wall.
He never felt so lost and confused before in his life.
Yay for chapter 11! I hope you all enjoyed. Feedback is appreciated, and thank you to the new readers! It's always a pleasure to hear that more people are starting to read this as well!