*sigh* Yeah, in the hospital right now, and I'm surrounded by sterile whiteness. But at least this will give me lots of time to write, right? Oh, boy. Here's chapter 13!

SPECIAL NOTE: A few friends of mine helped me compile a Curse of the Dragon soundtrack for me! =D Special thanks to Evanescences Angel for inspiring the whole thing! The link to the play-list and song-list can be found on my profile if you're interested. It will be frequently updated as I update each chapter! Feel free to take a listen, or you may ignore if you wish to just read without it.

Happy reading!

Curse of the Dragon Chapter 13
Smile: A pleasant or agreeable appearance, look, or aspect.

"But despite the blacksmith's regrets, he handed the sword to his adopted son with a sad smile on his face and hope in his heart. It was time that he let the boy live his own life and follow his dreams. And when his adopted son finally became the knight he always wanted to be, the blacksmith smiled proudly.

They lived happily ever after…"

"You have a very nice smile!" proclaimed a soft-spoken, sweet voice.

Ahiru looked up from the book to see Malen grinning at her. "That's the happiest I've seen you yet," the bespectacled girl declared, adjusting her glasses.

The redhead blushed at that, realizing for the first time that it's been so long since she was genuinely happy. But how could she help it? The story of the blacksmith and his adopted son was one of the most heartwarming tales she ever read--the blacksmith's concern was weaved seamlessly with his love and understanding, and her admiration for Fakir's writing only grew.

And perhaps the acceptance of her fate had its rewards. After all, she would be restoring the freedom of such a spectacular group of people. Ahiru could only imagine the wondrous things the Wyvern villagers could contribute to the world. Giving up her life really didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore. Maybe Ahiru could look back from the afterlife and realize how much she helped them, and these thoughts made her feel so much lighter than she had in days.

Dying seemed like such a small price to pay now.

Ahiru's smile grew even wider. "I was just reading this story. It's really nice."

Malen blinked at the book in Ahiru's hands and raised her eyebrows. "That's-! Where did you find it?" Excitement dripped from her voice. "I thought for sure that Fakir's stories were destroyed back when…" She trailed off, growing silent, but the small smile remained.

Ahiru's happy visage faltered a little, but she was able to keep a cheerful expression on her face. "Ah! Uzura had it in that box right there." She pointed to the large package by the bed. "She kept a lot of things, I think."

Malen padded over to the box. "Does Fakir know that his book still exists?"

"Yes. He…kind of got a little mad." Ahiru bit her lip, remember his utter fury at the sight of the book in her hands. "But he let me keep it anyway."

Before Malen bent over the box, she raised an eyebrow at the blue-eyed girl, the light from the oil lamp reflecting off the lens of her glasses. "Really?" she questioned, seemingly bewildered.

Ahiru's eyes widened. "Yes. Is that bad?"

"…No. I suppose not." She adjusted her glasses. "It's just surprising. That's not like him."

Before Ahiru could ponder this any further, Malen released an enthusiastic gasp. "My sketchbook!" Thrilled, the girl pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose as she bent to pick it up and clutch it to her chest. "I really thought it was gone!"

Ahiru shut Fakir's book and eagerly hopped up next to the dragon-girl. "Those drawings are yours? You're very talented!" She paused for a moment, remembering the sketches she saw. "You know, you draw Rue so well, too! It looked just like her!"

Suddenly, Malen's shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "Oh, that's because she's always on Autor's mind."

Blinking, the redhead stared at the girl next to her. "Hm?"

Immediately, Malen's smile grew again as she shook her head. "Ah! Nothing! Forget I mentioned it," she said with a small giggle.

Fiddling with her braid, Ahiru remained unconvinced. But it simply wasn't right to push it. Instead, she hugged Fakir's book closer to her and beamed back at Malen. "Did Uzura always keep things like this?"

Malen rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. "Always. She's quite the little nosy one."

Ahiru nodded in agreement. "But she's very sweet!"

For a moment, there was a lengthy moment of silence before Malen broke through the quiet atmosphere. "Oh! You need to come with me. Denos woke up. And there are a couple of people who owe you a few apologies, including myself, I'm afraid."

Ahiru raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? I'm glad that she's all right now, but apologies? What for?"

"Quite a few things, actually." Malen bit her lip. "I'm surprised that you're not expecting us to say sorry for all you've gone through these past few days. We've only made it harder on you thus far. Raven will have our heads if we don't set things right with you now that everyone seems to have calmed down a bit."

They've only made it harder on her? It seemed the opposite to Ahiru. It was her presence in Wyvern that brought about Ryver's lack of control and caused unnecessary stress on the villagers of the underground hamlet. Not to mention her difficult behavior. For the most part, they have been very kind to her and understanding of her position. It was only recently that she began to do the same for them.

A frown found its way on Ahiru's face. "I still don't see how you can be at fault for anything. I mean, I think the problem is me; I'm the one who's making it hard on all of you."

Malen stared at her for a while, long enough for Ahiru to grow uneasy. The redhead swallowed. "Everything all right?"

The dragon-girl forced her gaze away from Ahiru to the stone floor, as if deliberately avoiding the eye contact. "Yes. Everything's fine." Then, Malen turned toward the cloth doorway. "Shall we go?"

Karon sucked in a breath before knocking on the door to the Prince's chambers. As his knuckles rapped against the wood, a thin sheet of sweat formed on his brow. "Come in," came a quiet reply from within. Karon swallowed thickly and turned the handle of the doorknob.

His heart clenched when he spotted Prince Siegfried sitting in the darkened room on the windowsill, staring out into the darkened gardens. His black shirt was unbuttoned, and the moonlight danced across the Prince's face and reflected in his now-ruby eyes. His fingernails scratched over his chest, leaving red, painful welts over his pale, flawless skin.

"Your Majesty," Karon murmured, "the army will now depart. They are meeting Rungholt in the Great Fields."

A ghost of a smirk dusted itself upon the Prince' face. "Good. Good. They'll never see it coming."

"And Kinkan Town has been successfully evacuated."

Prince Siegfried chuckled, shoulders quaking more than it should and his eyebrow twitching. "That's fine." I suppose they can be spared, he thought to himself.

Karon slumped his shoulders in defeat before turning toward the door. Before he could leave, however, Prince Siegfried called out to him, "Oh, Karon."

The royal advisor turned around. "Your Majesty?"

The Prince smiled softly, a gesture that would have been welcoming if not for the cold, ruby stare that pierced Karon's heart. "Please let our General and our Captain know that, should they fail, don't bother coming back. Alright?"

Karon's mouth fell open. "…What?"

"Oh, one more thing." Prince Siegfried's grin grew and his eyes glinted. His nails scraping against his pale chest dug deep enough to draw small droplets of blood, like rose petals strewn over pure snow. "Please send up that servant girl, Pique. I wish to see her."

"Your Majesty-!"

"Now," the Prince snarled.

As Karon whirled around and left, swallowing his concern and confusion, the Prince turned back to the window. He pressed his face against it, reveling in the coolness of the glass, and let his breath fog the surface. He watched as the fog grew over the glass, expanding on the window. After exhaling several times, his arm seemed to lift itself on its own, his pointer finger drawing symbols on the clouded facet, his digit squeaking against the smooth place. Slowly, the symbols formed into two words just as his eyes flashed a golden amber for no longer than a second.

Help Me

Prince Siegfried's eyebrow twitched as he violently rubbed the fog off the glass with one arm and scratched his chest erratically with the other.

Malen lifted the cloth and Ahiru was led right through Raven's doorway.

The fireplace was lit, the embers' flickering lights dancing off the stone walls. Raven was, once again, sitting calmly on his couch, hands folded under his chin and his eyes closed.

Three other figures were standing beside him. Denos, the small, pale girl with pitch black hair looked directly at Ahiru as she entered. The corners of Denos's lips turned upward and her ebony eyes brightened at the sight of the redhead. Ahiru gave her a small smile, slightly glad that the girl seemed a little happy to see her. Rue and Ryver, however, refused to look at her, preferring to keep their gazes to the floor.

Ahiru bit the inside of her cheek. Fakir wasn't in the room.

"Elder?" Malen padded to Raven's side, placing her small hand on his shoulder. "Miss Ahiru is here, Elder."

Raven's ruby red eyes fluttered open, turning toward Ahiru. A soft smile grew on his face, and the redhead let out a breath in relief that he seemed to be in a good mood. He stood up to his full height, taller than the other occupants in the room. "Are you feeling all right now, Miss Ahiru?" he inquired, his deep voice laced with a caring tone.

She returned his smile with one of her own, clasping her hands behind her. "Yes, I'm fine."

Denos pushed her dark hair over her shoulder and strode to Ahiru's side. Ahiru noticed for the first time that this girl was the only one who was shorter than her besides Uzura. Denos gave her a wide grin, but her ebony eyes glittered with guilt. "…So, I didn't cause you any lasting damage?"

Ahiru chuckled, hoping to ease whatever worries the dark-haired girl had. "No, no damage at all! But I hope that you're okay. I heard you were hurt more than I was." She bit her lip and fiddled with the end of her braid.

"Can't keep me out for long, you know. Don't have to worry about me." She shrugged. Thanks for…caring, though. And I'm not very good at…apologizing, or anything, but for what it's worth, I am sorry about all that."

Ahiru's eyes glowed with appreciation. This was the first time she spoke with Denos directly, but already she found herself liking the smaller girl. "No harm done at all!"

Raven placed a hand on Denos's shoulder, nodding approvingly. When he turned to Ryver and Rue, however, he noticed their averted eyes. He cleared his throat loudly. "And you two?"

Rue didn't move, but Ryver growled, dark brown eyes blazing as he finally looked at Ahiru. A shiver ran up her spine at his sneer. "I'm sorry for endangering the village. But I don't see what the hell I should apologize to you for."

In the corner of her eye, Ahiru noticed Raven tense up, his jaw tightening and his hands clenching at his sides. Immediately, Ahiru stepped forward in Ryver's direction. "N-no! There isn't anything to apologize to me for. You're right! It's my fault, really, so I'm sorry about everything." Ahiru swallowed thickly, but forced out a small smile. "I promise that I'll stay out of your way. I promise I'll try not to be such a burden from now on until…" She reached for her absent pendant again, then silently reminded herself to get out of that habit. "…until your curse is broken."

At this, all eyes in the room widened and locked on Ahiru's face, including Rue's.

Ahiru shifted uncomfortably. Why were they staring at her like that? Did they not believe that she would try not to be such a hindrance to them? "Ah-I mean, I know I'm clumsy, and I'm kind of just inherently accident-prone, and I'm a little bit annoying sometimes, and there's nothing else I can do, but I can try not to be so much trouble for you…!"

Ryver's Adam's apple bobbed. He glared at her for a long moment before giving her a sinister smirk. "…Good." And he left.

Raven turned to Ahiru, struggling to keep himself calm for the time being. "Please excuse me, Miss Ahiru. I'm afraid I have something to take care of." He whirled around, but the redhead caught the sight of his chilling sneer and livid ruby eyes before he left the hut, his calm aura morphing into the dark shadow that seemed to follow him out. She shuddered, wondering if Raven was going after Ryver. Was it something she said? She thought it was a good thing that Ryver agreed with her.

A hand placed itself on her shoulder and Ahiru turned to see Rue gazing at her in confusion. Denos and Malen stood behind the other dragon, giving Ahiru blank stares.

Malen's glasses flickered in the fire's light. "Are you…still under Denos's power?"

Ahiru blinked. "Huh?"

Denos looked down at the stone floor. "I don't think she is, Malen."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Rue placed her other hand on Ahiru's other shoulder, her fingers tightening ever so slightly. "You…intend to break our curse? You're willing to…?"

So, that's what this all was about. Ahiru gave Rue a bright smile and nodded, feeling a relieved that it wasn't about her being a bother.

Rue's fingers slipped off Ahiru's shoulders and she allowed her arms to fall to her sides.

"Hm?" Ahiru tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Something was strange about Rue's expression. She seemed unusually bewildered, and there was something else there that Ahiru couldn't quite place. Could it possibly be gratitude?

Just as Rue opened her mouth to speak, someone stepped through the stone shack's threshold. Fakir strode right in, hands in his pockets, his usual frown marring his face. Even as his expression was as unpleasant as ever, Ahiru had to bite back her growing smile, remembering his stories. Fakir scanned the girls' faces, lingering on Rue's for a moment longer, questioning his sister silently with his intense emerald gaze, but Rue turned her attention back to the stone floor.

His brow furrowed even more, but shook his head. "Malen," he stated, voice smooth, deep, and leveled as always, "Hermia, and Freya are looking for you."

Malen swallowed, then nodded slowly. She gave Ahiru a genuine smile and squeezed her hand. "Thank you," she whispered, loud enough for only Ahiru to hear. Ahiru blinked in confusion as Malen passed Fakir and left.

Fakir turned to Denos. "You're looking lively."

She smirked back at him. "As ever."

He nodded, then turned to his sister, concern evident in his eyes. "Rue?"

The ruby-eyed dragon lifted her gaze to look back at Ahiru. This time, her eyes were glistening with unrestrained gratefulness. "I'm fine," she said evenly, though never looking away from the redhead before her.

Ahiru looked up at her with a small smile, finally beginning to really understand.

"Ohhhhh!"

Uzura bolted into the room, bumping right into the back of Fakir's legs and falling onto the floor. Fakir pivoted around. "What the-? Uzura, what are you-?"

"Orlin is using my drum for something mean-zura!"

Rue raised a thin eyebrow. "Your drum?"

"He took it away and wanted to use my sticks for a mean trick on Rein-zura! Come and see-zura!" She tugged on the leg of Fakir's trousers before dashing off into the direction she came from.

Rue released an exasperated sigh. "Great. Another prank. You'd think after three hundred years, Orlin would be sick of tormenting us all by now." She moved toward the door. "I suppose we should go see what those boys are up to, then."

Fakir scowled. "And we'd better get Uzura's drum back before she starts bawling."

As Denos and Rue left, Fakir lagged behind and turned to Ahiru, his annoyed expression still present on his face. "Hey, moron, are you coming, or what?"

Ahiru clasped her hands in front of her, her soft visage contrasting greatly with his ever-present frown, and yet still able to meet his stare halfway.

He said that he left writing behind. But would he still refuse to pick up a quill when the curse is finally broken? Was it possible to get him to start writing his stories again? Maybe, when his freedom finally comes, he might even become world-famous and people all over the world would be able to enjoy his tales of happiness and glory…It wasn't such a bad goal, was it? To get him to pick up a quill again before she died. Knowing Fakir, he wouldn't do it for quite some time, but at least it would give her something to try for as she waited for the day when their curse is broken. Suddenly, it seemed so worth it, and a large grin--larger than any of the ones she's had since her parents' deaths--made its way to her face.

And then, out of nowhere, Fakir flushed, of all things, his blush reaching all across his face, and this certainly brought Ahiru out of her reverie. He stumbled backward, completely out of his norm. "W-What's that smile for, you idiot?!" he exclaimed, his voice wholly losing the smoothness it always had before, even while he was angry.

Her eyes widened in amazement. She had never seen him like this. "Uh…huh?" W-What's wrong with him?!

As if catching himself, Fakir swiftly turned to the side, but the redness didn't go away, much to Ahiru's continuing wonder. "I-Idiot," he mumbled, "You just smiling out of nowhere like that is disturbing."

Disturbing? Disturbing? Ahiru bristled. "What? So I'm not allowed to smile or something?"

His scowl deepened. "Not like that, you're not."

She stomped closer to him, folding her hands in front of her chest and huffed. "What is your problem?! You can't tell me I can't smile!" She clenched her hands at her side.

"Smiling at random times make you look like a complete idiot, idiot!"

"Why do you care if I look like an idiot or not?! It's not like it's any of your business, anyway!"

What was going on here? Fakir was usually so…frigid. This was way different. He was almost…childish? And why was he so frustrated with her smiling? Not to mention how awkward he seemed just seconds ago.

Fakir's eyebrow twitched and his jaw tightened. Then, he suddenly straightened and folded his own arms. "Hn. This is a pointless conversation."

Ahiru's jaw dropped. "But-! You just-! It was-! You started it!" She shoved hard at his chest, pushing her entire weight into it.

"What the-! Hey!" He grabbed at her braid and yanked hard.

"Ow! Let go of my hair, you jerk!"

"I will once you stop being so goddamn immature!"

"Ooohh, right, you're showing lots of maturity for someone who's lived for longer than three centuries!"

"Why you little-!"

And then, Rue cleared her throat. Fakir and Ahiru froze and slowly turned toward her and the thoroughly confused and amused Denos. "…What in the name of heaven and hell is going on in here?"

As Fakir was distracted by his sister's dumbfounded expression, Ahiru pulled her braid out of his grasp and huffed, marching away. Honestly! That dumb, dumb, stupid, dumb…! Agh!

"Moron," he hissed back through clenched teeth as she passed him to leave the room.

"Jerk," she shot back over her shoulder and disappeared out of the doorway with the still-baffled Denos leading the way. What was wrong with Fakir? Why did he act so differently all of a sudden. And there she was, all that time hoping he'd become famous and successful in his freedom, wanting to encourage him to never give up his dream... Well, see if I care now!

She couldn't even remember the last time she felt so genuinely angry.

Still in Raven's home, Rue stared at Fakir, almost cautiously. He scowled back at her, still seething from that confrontation. "What?" he spat.

Rue never lost her wary expression. "You're…angry, Fakir. And flustered. Those are two very strong emotions."

He snarled and rolled his eyes. "You think?! That little cretin wouldn't just shut up and listen to me!"

"You didn't transform."

At this, he stiffened and stared back at his sister. No, he didn't transform, nor did he even have the urge to transform, which was probably why he just let loose on her like that, completely unrestrained for the first time in three centuries. "I've…gotten good at controlling it."

That was a lie. And Rue probably knew it. But there was no way in hell Fakir would ever consider telling her the plausible truth.

Was it possible that the image of the moron's beaming face kept him from losing himself?

Malen walked into Hermia's hut, unsurprised to see her and Freya, but raised her eyebrows at Autor's presence. They stared at her, eyes serious and lips pursed.

Autor stood from his wooden chair. "I know you may feel uncomfortable doing this after so long, Malen, but we've spoken with Raven and he's decided that this is probably the best way to figure things out."

Malen adjusted her glasses. "Figure what out?"

Hermia bit her lip. "I've been feeling things lately, Malen. And it's a little unsettling."

Freya stood from her position on the bed and crossed the room to the smaller girl. She took Malen's hands in hers. "I'm sorry for this, but we need you to sketch something for us.

"Please, draw what's on Fakir's mind."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry, not much happens, but I promise there will be more action next chapter. Oh, and another reminder to those who are interested to go see the soundtrack on my profile, okay? All comments are appreciated!