#shifting winds

Finally, your father had sat you down and quietly asked if you would be interested in apprenticing under an experienced seer. You quickly nodded, as excited as you’d ever been, until you found out that you would have to travel to this teacher, would have to stay with her for some time.

You and Ravi had never spent more than a day or two apart, and the thought of being away from him for months made you feel almost sick.

When you told him, later, you could sense that he had much the same reaction, but he quickly masked it with an excited grin, his eyes lighting up. You then told him that you weren’t sure about going, weren’t sure about leaving home for so long.

(About leaving him, went unsaid, though you both knew that’s what you truly meant.)

His face instantly fell, his hands coming to rest on your shoulders, his voice insistent.

“No, Sol, you have to do it…it’ll be just what you need, you’ll learn to better control your visions, you…you won’t have to fear them anymore. Home will still be here when you get back.”

And that was that. Your brother always knew just the right thing to say, and within a week your bag was packed and you were saying your goodbyes.

When Ravi pulled you in for a hug, he squeezed you even tighter than normal, as though he was trying to give you a hug that would last the four months you would be away. The shaky exhale he let out as he finally let you go nearly had you changing your mind, but then you saw his face, ever reassuring, and you knew that there was no turning back.

(Sometimes you wish you had just stayed. A lifetime of draining, murky visions might’ve been been better than what you had now.)

Your mentor was old, and blind, and just a little bit scary. The first time you met, she grabbed you by your arms, staring into your eyes with her own, milky and unseeing, for much too long. Finally, she released you from her surprisingly strong grip, and nodded, muttering to herself as she turned away. You stood, awkwardly, in her little hut on a small island miles and miles away from home, until she turned back to you, jabbing a finger in the general direction of your chest.

“Before I teach you anything, you must make me a promise. A vow. Solemn and true, and not to be gone back on unless you wish to suffer the consequences. Can you do that, child?”

Not quite knowing what you were getting yourself into, you nodded slowly, before realizing your error and murmuring a quiet “yes.”

“Take my hand,” She commanded, uncurling her hand between you both. You took it, surprised by how hot it was, and something sharp pricked at your palm; you could just barely feel a bit of blood trickle out before she tightened her hold on your hand.

(Something rather sensible yelled at the back of your head for you to pull away, for you to leave, for you to go and find a mentor that didn’t start your lessons with a blood oath of all things.

But you trusted your father not to send you to someone who would harm you, who would make you do anything terrible, so you ignored that voice, and stayed where you were.

Foolish child, you think now.)

“Do you swear to me, Soleil, daughter of Dalia and Rasmus, child of the Tidelord, that you will never use your Sight for personal gain? That, no matter what you may see, you will not attempt to change fate, simply to save yourself?”

(Such a strange request, and yet, you thought little of it at the time.)

There was only the slightest of hesitation before you squeezed her hand back, your voice steady as you spoke.

“I do, I swear it, no matter what.”

The air seemed to grow heavier as the words left your mouth, thick with something, and you would swear that the old seer’s form seemed to shimmer slightly, before the moment was gone and she released your hand, nodding.

“Then let’s get to work, you have much to learn.”

Your lessons went faster than you expected, and they worked, helping you more than you ever could have hoped. The various techniques that the old seer taught you to control your visions paled in comparison, though, to when she finally showed you how to use a scrying pool.

Where once the things you saw were shrouded in darkness, with blurry faces and muffled voices, and only the occasional clear vision, the scrying pool made everything crystal clear.

“Not all seers need one of these, but the way your Sight works, I knew straight away that this would work.” The old dragon told you, seeming almost cocky that she’d known just what you would need.

Two weeks before you were scheduled to go home, the worst vision you’ve ever had came upon you. Idly tracing your finger along the surface of the pool, you had been waiting, had felt the incredibly subtle shift within yourself that meant something was coming.

You could’ve never prepared yourself for what you would see, could’ve never even thought that you would need to.

(Ravi, looking angrier than you’ve ever seen him, and your body, lifeless at his feet. Voices, screaming in the background, desperate and anguished and angry, and gods, how could this ever happen?)

The vision faded away as quickly as it came, and near instantly you fell to your knees, tears pulling at your eyes, your chest tight and your lungs refusing to work.

Suddenly, the old seer was in front of you, hands coming up to your cheeks, not gently.

“Remember your vow, child. You mustn’t go trying to change the future now that you’ve seen what might happen. That path will only lead to darkness, and it will never end, your soul twisting and shriveling as you always find just how to evade the inevitable. You cannot play with fate, girl, cannot run away from Death, and I refuse to of taught someone that goes and uses their powers for foolish purposes.”

“But…Ravi, he-”

Her hands squeezed tighter, then, and as your tears dripped down your face, you could almost swear you heard a sizzle as they hit her fingers.

“No, no excuses. You made me a promise, remember that,” She snarled, milky white eyes and a scowl swimming in your watery view. “Your vision may or may not come true, but breaking your promise to me will certainly lead to your death. Do you understand me, girl?”

Just barely swallowing down the bile burning at the back of your throat, you nodded, the “yes” you gave her little more than a whimper.

Two weeks later, you return home. You bury that vision deep, and decide that, if it even comes true, it can’t be any time soon. Because the moment your brother sees you again for the first time in months, he hugs you so hard he lifts you off of your feet, and you hug him back just as fiercely.

How could someone so gentle, who loves you so much do such a thing to you? It’s impossible you decide, what you saw must’ve been something akin to a terrible nightmare, and so you’ll forget about it, as best you can.

(All of your other visions have come true, a part of you whispers in your darker moments.

But this is different, this is Ravi, and he would never, a more optimistic part of you argues, and that’s that.)

But then suddenly it’s two years later and you now know exactly why Ravi would ever do such a thing. Your father was poisoned, has been laying comatose for five months, and you saw it, over a year ago, and you did nothing.

You could see the aftermath, could see that everything, eventually, would be just fine, and so you stayed quiet.

(And yes, that’s partly why, but it’s partly because you’re selfish and afraid, and your mentor never exactly went over the terms of your oath, and you don’t quite know what crosses the line over into self-serving.)

And now your brother is hollow, distraught over the fact that he doesn’t know how to heal your father, and you can see now how easy it would be for his emotions over that to twist into anger towards you, should he find out that you knew all along, that you did nothing to stop it. And you know, if he were to ask, you wouldn’t be able to lie to him, that you’ve never been able to lie to him.

But still, you question, would that anger be enough to drive him to murder? You know your brother, your twin, your other half, and even knowing how furious he might become, you still can’t see him doing anything but saying some harsh, well-deserved words, or perhaps refusing to talk to you at all.

And that would hurt, that would hurt more than almost anything, but you still can’t see him hurting you physically.

That unknown is what frightens you the most, not knowing what’s going to happen to drive your brother to such an extreme. There are very few unknowns in your life, and this one might be the scariest one you’ve ever encountered.

You contemplate just doing it yourself, completely taking Ravi out of the equation, because he doesn’t deserve to have that on his hands, and you can’t bear to think of him having to live with your blood on his hands.

In the end, though, you’re as afraid of death as you’ve always been, and so you decide to simply wait, and you hope that perhaps, just this once, your Sight will be wrong.

-

this is literally the worst thing I’ve written in a while but I don’t care!!! it’s so vague and not at all what I wanted it to be, but I needed to have this info out there for future things to make sense. if anyone has any questions please ask, and if they’re not spoilers I’ll totally answer them, because I need to yell more about this sad child!

some things that didn’t make it into the story:

Soleil went back to her mentor’s hut, a few months before Rasmus was poisoned, so that she could ask her some Important questions. the hut was gone, as though it’d never been there at all.

Between Ravi being practically inconsolable and Mira (who is also Soleil’s mate) being busy being Mad at Thain, Soleil has been even lonlier than usual and I just want to give her a hug. She’s been alone with all of her thoughts and her secrets and it’s Not Great.

That mysterious old seer will be seen again in the future.

There are a few select dragons that are basically invisible to Soleil; she never sees them in her visions, nor some of the things that they might do. Mira is one of these dragons; Thain is another. ;) The only reason that she saw her father being poisoned is because of Kepi’s involvement.

just one or two more interludes before we get back to the main story! I have Plans to hopefully have the last part of Shifting Winds (or at least the second to last) posted on my birthday, which is on the 27th, so fingers crossed that I can make that happen.

Mira was born into a noble Maren family, to a very well respected king and queen. From the start, she was afforded the best education, covering a wide range of topics, even those not related to her people, and when she wasn’t taking her lessons, she was observing her father in his kingly duties. When she made the decision to leave her parents’ kingdom under the sea, she spent quite a while traveling around Sornieth, educating herself further in every way she could. Then, after she had found a home in Roava, she had served as the king’s primary advisor, and, if she said so herself, had done a very fine job of counseling him.

So, when Thain, the healer, the new queen’s friend, came in with his sneers and scoffs at her guidance and input, with his constant arguments and his know-it all-attitude, Mira couldn’t help but find herself just a tad bit homicidal.

Despite such urges, she liked to think of herself as level-headed, within reason. Sure, she was strong enough to put most dragons in their place with a little bit of force, but she had been taught that it was always best to at least attempt to talk things out first.

Which she had been trying to do. For the past two months. Every time Thain disagreed with what she had to say, she tried to explain to him the sense in her ideas, all the while gritting her teeth that she had to explain herself at all. Things began to escalate, though, more and more as the weeks went on, until not a day could go by without at least one venomous exchange of words between the two.

Things with Rasmus had been different. He was no puppet, and she no puppetmaster, but he had understood that when it came to running a kingdom, she had the knowledge that he needed. Of course, there had been times when he had disagreed with what she had to say, had gone against her advice, and that was fine; she was there to advise, to offer guidance, not to argue him into submission.

At first, she had thought that being Kepi’s advisor would be much the same - she knew the new queen, considered her almost family, and had thought that the respect she felt towards her went both ways.

And perhaps it did, but one wouldn’t quite know it by the way that Kepi often kept quiet as Mira and Thain argued and sniped at each other, the once tranquil throne room feeling more and more like a battleground.

(There were times, few and far between, when the queen would finally intervene, snapping at Thain to stop, to let Mira speak her piece. Those were small victories, tainted by the glares between Kepi and Thain that would follow, causing Mira to wonder, not for the first time, just who was in charge.

Mira rarely had moments alone with Kepi, and when she did, those thoughts were always on the tip of her tongue, questions of if there was something the new queen needed to tell her, if there was anything she needed to know about the mysterious iceborn healer. Something always stopped her from voicing such questions, though; someone interrupting, or the need to discuss important matters regarding the kingdom. Months later, perhaps, she would wonder what might’ve happened had she not been so damn hesitant.)

Things came to a head just over three months after Rasmus had fallen into his coma, two months since Kepi’s coronation. They had been gathered at the small, round table that often sat in the middle of the throne room, parchment spread out as they went over any issues that needed attending to; Thain and Mira sat across from each other, on either side of Kepi, while Ameria, the queen’s assistant and occasional advisor, sat across from her.

Thain had shown up only a few minutes prior, and while Mira attempted to focus on what she was reading, she could just tell that Thain was gearing up to say something, something that she knew she wouldn’t like. His brow was furrowed, his lip twitching as though he wanted to smirk, but knew that he shouldn’t; both things she had come to recognize as meaning something vile was about to spill from his mouth.

She could not of predicted just what he was going to say, though, and had she been able to, she very well might of punched him in his face before he could even say a word, consequences be damned.

“I’ve just come from checking on your brother, Kepi,” He began with no preamble, leaning forward. The queen, busy with reading the parchment in her hand, looked up, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“And how is he doing today? Any changes?”

While Ravi, the king’s son, was his father’s primary healer, Thain often checked in to see how he might be able to help.

“I’m afraid not, no, though he remains stable.” The queen “hmmed” in response, her attention already returning to other matters.

“I have been thinking, though,” The healer continued after a brief pause, and Mira braced herself for whatever Thain had been thinking about. “And I believe that perhaps I should take over his care.”

Mira froze, Thain’s words taking a few long moments to properly register in her mind, and even then, she was sure she must have misheard him; she was even more sure that she must have also misheard Kepi’s response.

“That sounds fine to me, so long as it won’t interfere with your duties here.”

The conversation continued, but it was a quiet buzz in Mira’s ears, a dull roar overtaking her thoughts until she finally interrupted with a very quiet:

“What?”

All eyes turned to her, but her own gaze was locked onto Thain, as he narrowed his eyes at her, sensing a challenge.

“Is something the matter, Mira?” He prodded, feigning innocent curiosity.

“You…you can’t just…what about Ravi?”

“What about him?”

““What about him?” He’s already caring for the king, why would you need to take over?” Thain had the gall to roll his eyes and Mira had to grip the table with both hands to prevent herself from lunging at him.

“He’s much too close to the whole situation. If we have any hope of ever finding a way to wake up our queen’s poor brother, it won’t be through him. He’s so…emotional. It’s clouding his judgement, and I simply don’t think that-”

The healer was cut off by hands slapping roughly against the table as Mira stood, towering above them all, the wood nearly splintering beneath her hands. She was an imposing sight, and she knew it.

“That’s enough,” She practically snarled, her eyes swirling whirlpools of rage. “I’ve sat here for two long months and listened to you argue with me at every turn, give horrible advice, and just be an all around terrible presence, but I will not sit by and let you speak that way about Ravi.”

Ravi was family, her mate’s brother, a shining light among them before all of the stress of his father’s sudden illness came crashing down upon him.

(She often looked at Ravi and saw the little brother she left behind at home, sweet and loving and entirely too empathetic.)

Mira could let most arguments between her and Thain lie, had grown increasingly numb towards her advisor related duties, but this was different, this was Ravi, and the odds of her shoving her trident through the healer’s chest in the near future had just increased tenfold.

“Of course he’s emotional, it’s his father, but if you think for one moment that he would allow his emotions to cloud his judgement or get in the way of finding some sort of cure, then you’re an even bigger fool than I previously thought.”

Thain stood as well, a cold fury burning in his eyes, and oh how Mira wished for him to give her a reason, an actual, plausible reason for her to attack him in this moment. If he struck first, nobody would be able to quite blame her for whatever may happen next.

“How dare you, you will regret-”

“Stop,” The queen hissed, standing as well, clearly sensing just how close Mira was to leaping across the table. “Stop it, the both of you. I will not have any more fighting between you two. Thain, sit down.”

As the Nocturne begrudgingly did as she said, Kepi turned her gaze to Mira, softening slightly. Mira was coming to realize just how good of an actor the queen was, knowing that the way that her face turned sympathetic, her tone grew quiet, was all just an act. A good one, but not one that Mira was going to fall for any longer

“Mira, I know that it’s difficult to hear, but I trust Thain in this. If he says that Ravi is no longer fit, then I wish only to relieve Ravi of at least some of his stress, and for Rasmus’ situation to receive the best possible attention.”

Mira couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and she was quick to make that clear.

“If you seriously believe that he will do any better than Ravi, Ravi who is doing everything in his power to bring Rasmus back to us, then perhaps you’re a fool as well.”

(Mira realized in that moment that perhaps not all of the anger that she’d been feeling had been because of Thain.)

Kepi’s face instantly darkened, hardening as she straightened up, any trace of sensitivity gone as she spoke.

“Get out of my throne room. Now.”

Later, maybe Mira would regret her words, falling too quickly from her mouth before she could filter herself, but for now she simply gave a mirthless laugh.

“Gladly,” She spat, knocking her chair to the ground as she turned and stormed out of the room.

All the while, Ameria stayed silent in her seat, the normally talkative Spiral deciding it best to stay out of everything. It’s not that she didn’t agree with Mira in every way, no, she just had a different way of going about things.

Because she, too, had seen the secretive glances that Thain and Kepi occasionally shared, had caught snippets of the verging on threatening way that he sometimes spoke to the queen, and it worried her.

She stayed quiet, bit her tongue more times than not, because she was afraid of Thain, of whatever his intentions were, but she was even more afraid of leaving him alone with Kepi. If she were to leave, or to be kicked out as Mira had been, he would be the only voice left whispering in the queen’s ear.

And Ameria, caring to a fault, refused to let that happen. She wasn’t entirely sure that she trusted the new queen yet, despite all of the good that she’d been doing for the kingdom, but that didn’t mean that she was going to leave her all alone with one of the most loathsome dragons that Ameria had ever met.

And so she would endure Thain’s cold glares, as though he was wishing her away, too, and she would not allow him to bait her into inane arguments, using her charm and quick wit to remain on Kepi’s good side. For the sake of the kingdom, but for the sake of the queen, as well.

-

I really liked this when I wrote it last night at 3 in the morning, but now I’m like??? It really got away from me there at the end, but oh well, it serves it’s intended purpose, which is to be a brief interlude between actual “official” parts of the main story.

There may or may not be one or two more things like this before the “actual” story keeps going (in quotation marks because, I mean, this is part of the story, it just doesn’t overly progress things along, other than giving some insight into some things, as well as getting Mira out of the throne room and Ravi away from his father), but we’ll see! I really just want to get to the rest of the story because it’s been sitting in my head for so long.

Mira is channeling all of you guys that fuckin hate Thain too lololol she’d like to hand out tridents to all of you :’D

(It had been like something out of a story. Rusila’s mother had wanted to match her up Rasmus, a newcomer to a ship and barely more than a child, not to mention of a gender that Rusila wasn’t particularly interested in.

Rusila had panicked beneath Aranea’s expectant gaze, and had quickly told her mother that her and Malia had been seeing each other in secret, that she couldn’t possibly be with Rasmus.

Aranea had always favored Malia, so of course she instantly approved, and Malia? Malia had been more than happy to play along after Rusila asked her to, stuttering adorably.

She would often wonder if that might’ve been the time to tell Rusila that she had always had a crush on her, and perhaps of made their fake relationship into a real one.)

Sitting down heavily on her bed, Malia read the letter for the seventh time, the parchment crinkling slightly in her tight grip.

Malia,

By the time you read this, if all goes well, I will of been gone for hours. Rasmus is taking Cord, Dalia, the children, and I somewhere far away, somewhere that my mother can no longer hurt us. At least, that’s the hope. I wish that I could tell you where, but that would be too dangerous.

I feel like a coward telling you this in a letter instead of in the flesh, but I knew that I would never be able to tell you otherwise.

I just needed you to know that my feelings towards you were never pretend. I wish that I could’ve told you that during the last year, but I was always too afraid. I didn’t want to lose you.

I know that you probably don’t feel the same, and that’s alright. I appreciate everything that you did for me over the past year, Malia, more than I can say.

I hope that we will see each other again someday, in a different life. Be safe.

I love you.

-Rusila

Those three words stare up at Malia, taunting her, curling around her heart and squeezing tight. She wants to scream, she wants to cry, she wants to fly away into the rain until she finds Rusila, taking her by the arms and whispering, I love you, too.

It’s too late for that, though, and so instead she runs her fingers along those three damned words one last time before folding up the letter into a tiny square, tucking it into a small pocket in her swordbelt, where no one will find it.

In three days, Aranea will return, half-drowned and bloody, having murdered two of her other children. In a year, Aranea will die, killed at the hands of her vengeful granddaughter, and Malia will seize control of the ship, much to the happiness of the crew.

A year and a half after Rusila left, Malia finally sets eyes on her again, but it’s too late.

When Rasmus had contacted her about becoming a partner to the kingdom he now led, sending along the no longer secret coordinates to the island that they lived on, Malia had immediately set sail. Sure, the opportunity interested her, but everyone on the ship knew that she had an ulterior motive, and were all less-than-secretly rooting for her.

(“Excited to see your girl again, Captain?” Kalliope had teased, winking at the Skydancer.

“Shut up, Kalli,” Malia had nearly blushed, and the Pearlcatcher had only laughed, patting her captain on the back.)

When Malia finally saw Rusila again, the first thing she noticed was how happy the other Skydancer looked.

The second thing she noticed was Rasmus’ little sister, Kepi as she would later learn, on Rusila’s arm, smiling as she kissed the taller dragon on the cheek.

Malia decided that she couldn’t quite fault Rusila for moving on after so much time had passed, certainly since they’d never even been truly together, but that didn’t stop her from sending Rusila longing looks every time she returned to Roava, unsure whether or not she wanted her to notice.

(Rusila never did, but Kepi certainly took notice.)

Present

Kepi found her mate on the balcony outside of their shared room, leaning against the stone railing, staring out into the distance.

In the waters just off the coast, The Crimson Jewel, the ship that had once belonged to Rusila’s mother, was burning. It was an intentional fire, and its former crew stood on the shoreline, celebrating the ship’s demise.

For a time, Rusila’s niece, Savitri, and Malia had played at being friendly rivals, but they had recently come to a mutual agreement; neither of them were the perfect captains of their respective ships, but together they would be a force to be reckoned with. Deciding to become co-captains of Savitri’s ship, The Scion’s Triumph, they had then quickly come to the decision to destroy the Jewel.

The boat was haunted by Aranea’s cruel ghost - not literally, though sometimes it felt like it - and no one was sad to see her legacy meet a flame-filled end.

(Earlier in the day, Kepi had accompanied Rusila down to the docks when she went to see the ship one last time.

Rusila had grown up on the Jewel, and nearly all of her best and worst memories lived on that boat. She had run her hand across the smooth red wood, from end to end, before standing at the edge of the ship, staring out at the water.

Heaving a shaky sigh, she nodded, before turning away and disembarking, giving Kepi a watery smile as they made their way back to the castle.)

Leaning against the railing next to Rusila, the two stood there in silence for a bit, watching the Jewel slowly break apart, the sunset a rather nice backdrop for the end of a tragedy filled era.

“I wish that my mother could’ve seen this,” Rusila finally said, a hard glint in her eye. “She loved that ship, more than anything. More than she ever loved Magnus or I. I wish that she could’ve seen it burn, and could’ve felt the sort of loss she should’ve felt over her own children.”

Kepi rested a hand on her mate’s back, rubbing lazy circles as she spoke.

“I’m sure that your mother is rolling over in her grave as we speak.”

Rusila smiled a bit at that, and after a few more moments she shifted, moving behind Kepi, wrapping her arms around her as she rested her chin on top of the queen’s head. Her movements were slow, always just the slightest bit hesitant when initiating any sort of physical contact.

They stayed like that, quietly watching the “show”, until the sun was nearly gone, stars beginning to dot the sky above them.

“I miss it, sometimes,” Rusila eventually murmured, her voice tinged with melancholy. “The sea.”

“The ocean’s right there,” Kepi teased, though she was pretty sure she knew what Rusila truly meant, and she’d be lying if she said it didn’t scare her just a little bit.

“You know what I mean…sailing, being out there on the open sea with nothing but ocean around you for miles and miles. Or maybe you don’t know what I mean, sky pirate,” It was Rusila’s turn to tease, referencing Kepi’s mother’s airship.

(Kepi bristled just the slightest bit at the mention of her family, thankful that Rusila couldn’t see the way that her face fell, or her teeth clenched.)

Finally, pushing aside any vulnerability that threatened to creep into her voice, Kepi asked the question that worried her the most.

“Would you ever want to go back to it? To that life?”

“Maybe someday,” Was Rusila’s airy, breathed out response, and while she thought that the “only if you came with me” went without saying, it most certainly did not in Kepi’s mind.

Kepi had invited the crew of the Scion’s Triumph to dinner in the castle that night, and it had turned into a rather raucous celebration. Stretching long into the night, Kepi was mid-conversation with one of the crewmembers when she saw it, out of the corner of her eye: Malia, leading Rusila from the room by her hand.

(It’s nothing, you can trust Rusila, a part of her mind reassured her.

But can you trust Malia? Follow them, another voice advised, and so she did.)

Excusing herself from the conversation, Kepi made her way towards the door as inconspicuously as possible, not wishing to draw any attention to herself.

Once outside, it was easy enough to figure out where the pair had gone, their voices easily heard from around a nearby corner. Creeping towards the adjacent wall in a way that looked absolutely ridiculous for a queen, Kepi rested her back against the wall and listened.

“-maybe it’s time for you to get to bed,” Rusila’s voice was quiet, coaxing.

“No, Rus, please, I just…I just can’t put this off any longer, please just listen,” Malia’s voice was only slightly louder, pleading, sounding entirely more emotional than Kepi had ever heard the captain.

Rusila must of gestured for her to continue, judging by the quietly murmured “thank you” from Malia. There was a stretch of silence, before finally-

“I still have that letter you left for me. I read it every now and then, as…I don’t know, as a reminder, I guess. Of what could’ve been…of what still could be, some day.”

“Malia, I’m with-”

“With Kepi, I know! I know, and I’m not asking you to choose. I just…I need you to know that…I love you, too.”

“Too?” Kepi couldn’t help the chill that ran through her at the use of that word; Rusila had told Malia that she loved her? When? Unable to help herself, the queen just barely peeked around the corner, finding herself with a side view of the other two. They stood less than a foot apart, and that alone made her want to interrupt, made her want to walk over and shove Malia away from her mate.

Instead, she stayed still, waiting to see what Rusila’s reaction would be.

“Malia, I…I-”

“It’s okay, I know that you might not still feel the same way, I don’t…let’s just forget I said that, okay?” Malia began to back away, sounding uncharacteristically uneasy, but before she could get very far, Rusila grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in.

Kepi’s heart stopped for a moment before she realized that Rusila had merely pulled Malia in for a hug, not something else; nonetheless, her mate’s next words still made her heart ache.

“I do still love you, I’ve never stopped,” She said, holding Malia close, and after a moment of shock she hugged Rusila back, eyes fluttering closed.

Kepi had heard and seen enough; as quietly as possible she turned and fled, willing away any tears that threatened to fall, her mind whirling.

If only she’d stayed a moment longer, she would’ve heard her mate’s next words:

“But I love Kepi too, I love her so much, and I just…this is all too much, Malia,” Pulling away, this time it was Rusila that took a few steps back, though Malia made no move towards her, clearly seeing the other dragon’s sudden anxiousness. “Everything with Rasmus, and how strangely Kepi’s been acting lately, and now you tell me this, I just…I just can’t…”

Rusila’s voice broke as she trailed off, not making eye contact with Malia, and the captain finally put her hands out in an attempt to stop Rusila’s increasingly panicked rambling.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay…the last thing I want is for my…my feelings for you to be another problem on your plate. Really, we can just…forget that I said anything, at least for right now, okay?”

Rusila finally looked up at Malia, her eyes searching the other dragon’s face for sincerity, before nodding, wiping at tears that had yet to fall. Malia smiled, a melancholy little thing, and Rusila smiled back, happier than she could say that Malia understood, that she understood Rusila as she always had.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the room they shared, Kepi was planning the conversation she would be having with Malia the next day, cutting all ties between the kingdom and her and her crew.

-

abrupt ending but??? this was…..entirely too much fun to write lololol. I really wanted to get the next part finished by today, because it’s intense, and it’s my birthday and I always post lore on my birthday, but this is a suitable fill-in lol. the other one will be finished very soon, though! and hoo boy, it’s very emotional.

the last two years the lore I’ve posted on my birthday have centered around Aranea, and while she may be dead, she’s still here in spirit. :’D the first year was about her getting her ship and becoming a pirate, the second year was her getting super dead, and now this time her ship is the one dying, so it’s pretty fitting~

Ravi prattled on nervously about something or other, his hands flitting about over his father’s body, and Kepi tried to listen, but instead her eyes fell on Cord. Kneeling next to him, she noticed the barely contained panic on his face, the way that his hand hovered just barely over Rasmus, shaking, afraid.

Reaching out, on instinct or as part of her act - she would swear it was the latter -, she took her brother’s mate’s shaky hand in her own, squeezing, holding it as she found her words.

“Ravi,” Her voice cut across his rambling, sure and strong. “He’s still breathing, he’s…okay for the moment. We should get him to his room, so that you can check him out properly.”

Reaching out to take one of his hands as well, offering a low “it’s okay,” she imagined - with little modesty - that she must look the picture of strength, level headed and calm as she comforted the two panicked dragons before her and took control of the situation.

Standing, keeping her hand around Cord’s, her gaze landed on Thain, at the back of the crowd, and her next words came just as easily.

“My friend, Thain, is a healer as well…I’ll have him come, too, okay, Ravi?”

Ravi nodded jerkily, his eyes not meeting hers, still on his father as Arys and Rusila, both looking quite shell shocked, very carefully lifted Rasmus.

Kepi nodded, waving for Thain to follow, pausing for a moment as she scanned her eyes over the crowd, standing tall as she spoke, her voice easily projecting.

“The King will be just fine, everybody, he’s in very capable hands,” Giving them all a reassuring smile, she turned, Thain falling in at her left side as she gently tugged Cord along at her right. Cord was well-loved among the clan, and she knew that it would only work in her favor to be seen treating him so kindly.

(That’s not why you’re being so gentle with him, a low voice murmured deep within her. She swiftly locked that voice away with the rest of her emotions, ignoring it before it could go on, not wanting to hear what it had to say.)

As they followed closely behind the others, up the stairs and towards Rasmus’ room, Kepi could tell that Thain wanted to say something, but of course couldn’t with Cord there.

When she felt his cold, cold fingers just barely brush against her own, a product of him walking so close to her side, she instantly closed her hand into a fist, moving it away.

(Don’t touch me, a distant part of her hissed at him.

He’s done you a kindness, risked himself for you, don’t be so harsh, another part murmured. She wished for them both to shut up.)

They arrived at Rasmus’ room moments behind the others, walking through the double doors just as Arys and Rusila carefully lowered him onto his bed.

Laying there, eyes closed, he almost looked peaceful.

(He’s just sleeping, really. That’s all it is. He’s completely fine, a part of her reassured, while another hissed, until he isn’t. Until the next part of the plan.)

While Kepi stayed in the doorway, Cord frozen at her side, Thain moved forward, approaching the bedside.

She couldn’t help but grit her teeth at him laying his hand on Ravi’s shoulder, murmuring some sort of false reassurance; Ravi simply nodded, still staring helplessly at his father as the Nocturne began to see if he could “help” Rasmus. Finally, as though realizing how utterly uselessly he was behaving, Ravi sprung into action, joining Thain in examining the king.

Taking in the scene, Kepi waited a few beats before letting out a quiet, falsely mournful sigh.

“Let’s leave them to their work, hm? Ravi will let us know when Rasmus wakes up, we should all get some sleep.”

(When Rasmus wakes up, she says so easily, as though she doesn’t know that’s not going to happen.)

The other three nod, but Cord merely loosens his hand from hers and lowers himself against the wall next to the door, keeping his distance from the bed, yet still clearly not wanting to leave.

As Kepi and Rusila left the room, Arys, too, stayed behind, stopping outside of the closed doors, falling into the guarded stance that he held every night.

Time seemed to slip away as she and Rusila walked to her room in silence, and the next thing she knew they were laying in her bed, side by side, staring at the ceiling.

After what could be either minutes or hours of silence, Rusila breaks the quiet, her gaze still trained upward.

“He’ll be just fine, I’m certain…Ravi is such a good healer, and I’m sure your friend is very good, too…” She murmurs; the doors to the balcony are open, and her words are almost drowned out by the crashing waves outside, but Kepi can still clearly hear the way her voice strains. She thinks that Rusila is likely comforting herself as much as she’s attempting to comfort Kepi, and that, after everything else, makes her nearly feel like she’s going to be sick.

Even with her emotions buried so deep, she doesn’t trust herself to say anything, not with Rusila, who she would likely tell anything in a moment of weakness; instead she closes the distance between them, the few inches of open bed, laying on her side as she nestles her head against her mate’s chest, curling into her. The Skydancer easily wraps her arm around Kepi, pulling her closer.

(Rusila always understood actions better than words anyhow, though physical contact had seemed like such a foreign concept to her when she and Kepi first got together.

She still wasn’t a fan of physical intimacy - or any sort of intimacy - in public, but in private she seemed at her most happy when they were laying in Kepi’s bed, cuddled together.)

Rusila’s heartbeat is fast underneath her ear, and with Kepi’s right arm somewhat squished between them, she reaches out her left hand, wrapping her arm around Rusila’s stomach until she finds her right hand, taking it gently in her own.

Concentrating on slowing down her own breathing, she rubs slow circles on the back of Rusila’s hand, listening as her mate’s heartbeat quiets to a much slower beat, her chest rising slower and slower with every passing minute.

“I love you,” Rusila murmurs as sleep begins to take her.

“I love you, too,” Kepi whispers back, and it’s the most honest she’s felt all day, and the most at peace.

She doesn’t want to join her mate in sleep, doesn’t want this moment to end, to have to deal with what she knows the morning will bring, but she has little say in the matter, Rusila’s heartbeat and the ocean outside such a lovely lullaby.

One month after her brother fell into an unending slumber, Kepi became queen.

For three weeks she had been ruling in all but title, and she had been patient in making it official.

One week after Rasmus collapsed, Mira, his primary advisor, had called a meeting of sorts. With Rasmus out of commission, and Cord refusing to leave his bedside, Rusila had been left in charge of making all of the important decisions. But as it had become clear that Ravi and Thain would take a while to figure out what was wrong - difficult, of course, when only one of them was actually trying - it had also become clear that someone else needed to be put in charge; Rusila was only growing increasingly frazzled, the stress of being in charge of her Guard and the rest of Roava just too much.

“You’ve done a fine job, of course, Rusila,” Mira had reassured at the meeting, laying a comforting hand on her mate’s aunt’s arm. Rusila gave her best modest smile in return, but it mostly just looked tired, and perhaps a bit grateful that she could go back to only being in control of the Clan Guard.

“It’s just…if Rasmus is going to continue to be…out of commission, we need somebody that can handle the situations and decisions that come with ruling Roava, for longer than originally expected…how is he, Ravi? Thain?” Mira turned to the two healers.

“I…he hasn’t gotten any worse, but I just can’t figure out how to…reverse whatever’s happened,” Ravi responded, looking quite exhausted. Over the past week he had gone from hopeful to distraught and back again in turns, and it was clearly taking its toll.

“While I am certain we will eventually suss out the problem, for now it would seem that the king will not be waking up any time soon,” Thain added, an air of solemnity to his words; Kepi, sat at his side, knew better.

(“The boy, your nephew, he is smart, but not smart enough…he’ll surely never figure out the cause of his father’s ailment, or at least not until it is much too late,” Thain had gloated to Kepi one night, and she had smiled, perhaps laughed even, though deep down she couldn’t stand to hear him speak of Ravi in such a way.

“His grief is clouding his mind, no, he will be of no worry to us.”)

Mira nodded, heaving a deep sigh as a heavy silence took over the table. Finally, she looked up, directly at Kepi seated across from her.

“Kepi, I…I know that this is a lot to ask of you, and, of course, you don’t have to agree, but…until Rasmus recovers, would you consider ruling in his place?”

It was too good to be true, and Kepi almost felt as though she must’ve misheard Mira, had she not glanced towards Thain at her side, and seen the delight hidden in his eyes.

She hardly had to fake the way that she opened and closed her mouth several times before responding, her expression falling into a mild, almost amused smirk, her eyes crinkling, appearing the very definition of humble and slightly confused.

“Me? Well, I…I would be happy to help in any way that I can, of course. I wouldn’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom, I’m afraid.”

“Perhaps I can help? In my travels I’ve…assisted clan leaders, and have been able to closely observe their triumphs and mistakes…I’m sure that I could offer you some worthwhile advice,” Thain chimed in, right on cue, sounding almost hesitant; Kepi silently commended them both for their acting skills.

“And, of course, Ameria and I will advise you as well,” Mira added, referring to the king’s assistant and other advisor. “Trust me, Kepi, you have a good head on your shoulders, a strong will, you’ll do just fine…I wouldn’t of asked you if you weren’t the right dragon for the job.”

(“We never could of planned for how impossibly easy that was,” Thain would delight over what had happened later, when it was just the two of them. “It’s practically as though they couldn’t wait to have someone other than your brother as ruler.”)

And she did do just fine; more than fine, in fact, she thrived, falling so easily into the role of clan leader.

She does her brother’s job from a table set up in the throne room; the throne itself sits untouched, waiting for its rightful owner to return. Kepi stares at it every day, eyes narrowed, and thinks soon.

Soon comes three weeks and two days after the king’s collapse, in the form of Mira heaving a great sigh as they sat at the table in the throne room.

“We need to make it official,” She says, sounding thoroughly disappointed.

“What’s that?” Kepi asks, not looking up from the parchment in front of her, detailing the past week’s comings and goings in the marketplace.

“This. You. I…Rasmus may very well wake up at any time, but he may very well not, too. Roava is a burgeoning young kingdom, it can’t go on forever with no official ruler that isn’t currently unconscious. Being a ruler is more than just making decisions, it’s also being someone that the subjects of the kingdom can look up to, can respect…so long as we have you here, titleless and hiding behind a table, Roava will continue to not be the best it could be.”

Mira sounded uncomfortable at best as her words tumbled out, quite obviously afraid of offending Kepi, of seeming disrespectful towards Rasmus.

Kepi, for her part, kept her reaction restrained to a small, almost sad smile, her tone quite melancholy, while just beneath the surface she wore a toothy grin, something inside of her exhaling finally.

“I couldn’t agree more, Mira. Perhaps…perhaps some sort of small ceremony would be called for? And, of course, we’ll make it clear that the moment my brother wakes, I will relinquish the crown back to him.”

The Guardian exhaled at Kepi’s words, glad that she hadn’t stepped over a line, and nodded agreeably.

Five days later, what was meant to be a “small ceremony” turned into a rather larger gathering, with what felt to be half the clan stuffed into the throne room. For those that were there for Rasmus’ coronation, it was clear how much the clan had grown, so many new faces present; some, despite the solemn reason for the event, looked positively excited.

(Noticeably absent from the event were Cord and Arys; both had scarcely left their respective posts for the last month. Cord insisted that he be there when, when, when Rasmus woke, and Arys…Arys had sworn himself to the king, had promised to protect the king until his dying breath, and he did not take his oath lightly; besides Ravi, Thain, and Cord, he allowed no others into the king’s room, fiercely protective to a fault.)

Rasmus’ crown sat on his bedside table, waiting for him, and both Kepi and Mira - and Thain - had agreed that it would possibly not be taken kindly were Kepi to take his crown, even temporarily.

(Privately, Thain had sneered at the mere thought. “That…thing is no proper crown, no, you must have a real crown, something much more fitting for a queen.”)

Mira had taken care of designing and obtaining of the crown, much in the same way she had taken care of Rasmus’, and just as before, it was perfect.

Quietly elegant, the gilded circlet rose into curled spikes on the front, back, and sides, a simple filigree running along the edges; rubies, opals, and garnets were interspersed around the whole thing, in just enough of a quantity to scream royalty.

Just as before, Mira also took charge of the ceremony, her voice ringing out across the crowd, stood next to Kepi, who stood directly in front of the throne. Mira’s words were the same as the first time, though this time they were laced with a certain sort of hesitance; she silently hoped, prayed, that she would not have to do this again for a long, long time.

Finally, the Guardian moved to stand behind the throne, standing at twice its size as she slowly, with an air of finality, lowered Kepi’s crown upon her head.

“I present to those gathered, and to the kingdom at large, Kepi, First of Her Name, Queen of Roava!”

With that, Kepi lowered herself onto the throne, her back straight and looking positively regal. The applause from a majority of the crowd was unexpected, and her heart soared.

Upstairs, the brother lay still, king no more. Downstairs, the sister sat upon his throne, a queen in every sense of the word.

(The voices in her head still warred on, quiet and subtle in their fighting, yet no sign of her inner turmoil emerged on the outside.

Somewhere, though, deep down, she knew that she couldn’t keep her emotions buried forever, as hard as she would try.

The only question was if she would be able to keep them quiet long enough to stand by and watch her brother die.)

-

*500 years later* and there we go! it’s not my best but it’s not my worst either?? i’m beyond caring it took me much too long to get this part written and i just want it out there! now, in-between this and the next part, I may write some little oneshots that wouldn’t really have a place in the main story, but are still part of the story as a whole, but we’ll see how my writing flows I suppose lol.

“I...I don't know that now is the right time, actually. I think that I need more time, more-”

“Stop.” His voice was icy, and it echoed around her mind as she stopped her almost-ramble. “We cannot wait, Kepi, that is out of the question...the effects of the plant will only work if it is used within a week of harvesting, and after that, the gods only know how long it would take for it to regrow.”

She let out a quiet, shaky breath then, turning her head to stare out, over the edge of the wall, towards the town that Roava was slowly turning into. Thain followed her gaze, taking another step closer, lowering his voice and letting his anger quell for the moment.

“Besides, the sooner you are in control, the better, wouldn't you agree? Look at this place...it's fine, seems to be getting along as well as it can, but think of how much better it will be without your brother ruling. You could transform it from...this, into a place known all across Sornieth as a sprawling, strong kingdom with a beautiful, powerful queen.” He paused, reaching a hand out to her face, still turned towards the village, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, ignoring the way that she flinched, ever so slightly.

“I had been...observing things here, before I went to get the plant...it is clear, most of the dragons here tolerate your brother and his antics, but do they not deserve better?”

Kepi kept her gaze locked on the darkened town, unconsciously afraid of what Thain might see in her eyes were she to face him, but after a few moments, a whisper crossed her lips.

“Yes...yes they do.”

“Of course they do. I'm so glad that you can see that, too,” He leaned back, small smile returning to his face. “Tomorrow, then. I will see you again soon.”

Kepi still didn't turn to look, not until after the chill left her bones, the warmth of the night returning, and when she did, all she found was empty air. Taking a few deep, shaky breaths, she was stuck, halfway between smiling or crying at what was to come.

With a shake of her head, she set her shoulders back, pushing down any emotion her heart may be trying to force on her, and resumed her walk along the wall.

“Kepi!”

Rasmus’ voice rang loud, a bit too loud, across the dining hall as she entered. He was sat at the head of the table, and was waving at her, smiling brightly.

She forced a smile onto her face in return as she approached, though she knew part of it was genuine playful exasperation at her brother and his almost childlike excitement.

“Why did you never tell me about your friend Thain?” He lightly admonished as she came closer, and it was only then that her eyes strayed from him to take note of who was sitting next to him. While to his left sat his mate, Cord, to his right sat Thain, in Rusila’s usual spot.

The sight of him there, sitting next to her brother, smirking, looking perfectly at home, made her heart skip a beat, the scene just so...wrong to her eyes, so out of place. She quickly schooled her features, though, despite how stunned she felt; she knew that she must act as normal as possible.

“Thain, what a surprise it is to see you, it's been too long,” She hoped that her words didn't sound as wooden as they felt leaving her mouth, playing at surprise as best she could when she felt so shaken. Taking her seat next to Cord, no one seemed to be particularly suspicious as far as she could tell.

“Well, you did say that I could always visit you here, so here I am,” He smiled, and he seemed so...normal, just then, she found herself at a loss of what to say. Thankfully for her, she didn't have to say anything, her brother stepping in.

“Of course, any friend of my sister's is a friend of mine,” He grinned, laying a hand on Thain's shoulder; he seemed to flinch, ever so slightly, likely at the deep cold, but he managed to cover it up well enough, not pulling his hand away too quickly. He turned his gaze to his sister, then. “Before you got here, Thain was just telling me about when the two of you first met.”

Kepi looked up from her food, set in front of her moments before, eyes flicking between her brother and Thain, wondering what he possibly could've been saying. Keeping her voice as level as possible, and stuffing a forkful of food into her mouth directly after, she responded with a curious, “Oh?”

“Offering to protect him on his journey through the Tangled Wood, I never knew my sister was so...valiant,” He smirked, eyes glinting playfully.

“Well, I'm no Arys, but I have my moments...just yesterday I held a door open for someone else three different times,” She smirked right back, the heaviness on her chest lightening just a bit, so long as her eyes didn't stray back to Thain.

Rasmus’ laughter was loud and pure, and this, the teasing and the joking, it was so easy, too easy.

Focusing on her food, she hardly noticed as Rusila sat down across from her, until she heard Rasmus apologizing for giving up her seat, explaining who Thain was, introducing the two. Her eyes shot up then, at the two of them sat next to each other, and her stomach flipped as she watched Thain hold out his hand for Rusila to shake.

“As Rasmus said, I am an...old friend of Kepi's. And you are?”

Before Rusila could even say anything, Kepi was interjecting, drawing Thain's gaze to her instead.

“She's my mate.” Her words cut into the moment, louder than she intended, but she didn't quite care.

(Stay away from her, don't touch her, don't look at her, went unsaid, but she knew that Thain understood the meaning behind her words. We have our plans, she plays no part, she’s mine, stay away, stay away, stay away.)

Neither Rusila nor Rasmus, a teasing comment on the tip of his tongue, mentioned that that was the first time she had called Rusila her mate in public; the air was suddenly tense, Kepi and Thain's eyes locked, everyone but them slightly confused.

Thain broke away first, knowing that the tension needed to be broken. He looked back to Rusila, his hand still holding hers.

(Kepi reluctantly quieted the urge that told her to dive across the table and tear their hands apart.)

“Well then, it is a pleasure to meet you, Kepi's mate...you are both very lucky dragons, if I say so myself,” He smiled, and Rusila reflexively blushed slightly as she pulled her hand away, mumbling that it was nice to meet him as well.

When breakfast ended, Thain announced that he was going to do a bit of exploring around Roava; Rasmus shook his hand, expressing his disappointment that he was too busy to show him around properly, and leaving him with, “You're more than welcome to stay here tonight, in fact I insist. At the very least, I expect to see you at dinner!”

Kepi wanted to laugh at that, Rasmus’ words playing over in her head for the rest of the day.

Dinner came, with Thain sitting at Rasmus’ side again, having proclaimed him his guest of honor. “You're my sister's friend, and a fine seeming dragon at that, and it will be easier for you to tell me anymore stories about her if you're next to me.” He grinned, drawing a laugh from Thain, who gladly took his seat.

(If only he knew just how easy he was making things.)

Kepi had felt jittery all day, even moreso now, knowing what was coming soon. Attempting to distract herself, she turned her attention fully away from Thain and her brother, instead conversing with her nephew, Ravi, sat right next to her; he always lifted her mood, and most anyone else's.

Long after dinner was finished, conversation still flowing around the table, Rasmus was the first to call it a night.

“It's been a long day of kingly duties,” He laughed as he stood, steadying himself with the help of the table. “And tomorrow will likely be another...best that I get to sleep.”

Cord squeezed his hand, promising to join him soon, still talking to Rusila. Rasmus made his way down the table, murmuring good nights as he passed everyone; Kepi turned and looked up at her brother as he passed, staring him in the eyes as she said goodnight. He smiled as he squeezed her shoulder, his touch feather light, and moved on.

Kepi looked down at her empty plate, squeezing her eyes shut as she heard the doors to the dining hall open, and then, and then-

A flurry of gasps came from the other end of the table, followed by the sound of multiple chairs scraping against the floor, and everyone at her end of the table turned a curious eye, conversations forgotten.

“Ravi!” One voice rang out, the king's sworn knight, Arys, sounding frantic. “Come quickly, it's the king, he's collapsed!”

Ravi and Cord both nearly threw their chairs on the ground as they stood, rushing to the scene; Rusila followed a moment later, leaving only Kepi, Thain, and Kepi's niece, Soleil.

(Soleil, the seer, who had been casting curious glances at Kepi for months, who Kepi couldn't help but wonder just how much she could see.)

Kepi opened her eyes, looking up, finding her niece staring directly at her, her eyes cold, hard, and knowing.

Why didn't you stop me, part of Kepi wanted to ask her, but she quickly pushed down that part. The time for doubts was gone, it was too late to do anything but play her part, and play it well.

Slowly, she stood, looking over at Thain as she did. He was feigning concern, casting glances towards the other end of the room, but when his eyes met hers, she could see the delight, the triumph, the amusement in them.

Perfectly still for the first time all day, she moved towards the group gathered, all staring down. Her temporary absence was scarcely missed, everyone focused elsewhere.

Gently pushing through the onlookers, she knew what she would find, knew what she had caused.

Ravi and Cord were both kneeling on the ground, and between them lay the king, Rasmus, her brother, his eyes closed, his body almost completely still. His chest was still rising and falling, but much too slowly; Ravi seemed at a loss as he checked his father as best he could, his hands shaking. Cord merely watched, his hands hovering just next to Rasmus, as though he was afraid to touch him. 

Ravi spoke, very quietly, almost to himself, his voice breaking as he glanced towards the gathered crowd of dragons. “He...he won’t wake up.”

-

:’)

for the record, since I want it to be clear: Rasmus isn’t dead. he’s just. sleeping. really deeply.

Thain is the Worst let’s all go kick his ass

Her job as a member of the Clan Guard could be a bit boring at times, but it was still fun, still felt rewarding.

Six months in, she found herself on the job one one of those boring nights; she was stationed on top of the wall that surrounded the castle, tasked with patrolling along the edge, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious and let anyone in through the closed gate if need-be.

The night was warm, so she supposed that’s why the sudden coldness that came over her made her blood run cold, filling her with a sort of dread.

(It wasn’t. She knew that, but she refused to admit it.)

Even before she turned around, ready to begin her next walk around the wall, she knew what she was going to find. Still, she couldn’t quite contain the jump of surprise when she turned to find a certain Nocturne standing inches away, a familiar smile on his face.

She had met Thain a year ago, during her travels, in a small tavern on the border between the Tangled Wood and the Sunbeam Ruins.

When she’d first entered, eyes scanning across the other occupants, she’d noticed him in one corner, at a table by himself, a cloak mostly concealing his face. Paying him no more mind than everybody else in the packed room, she’d made her way to the bar, sitting down at one of the stools as she ordered.

She felt his presence before she actually noticed him, a sudden chill coming over her in the otherwise stuffy room. It wasn’t until she glanced slightly to her right that she realized that he had crossed the room and sat down on the stool next to her. He was staring at her from beneath his cloak, icy white eyes making her involuntarily shudder for the second time.

“Hi,” She offered with a small sideways wave of her hand, her lips upturning in the semblance of a smile.

“Hello,” His voice was velvety smooth in response, hands coming up to pull back the hood of his cloak. His hair was short, with an almost-but-not-quite slicked back appearance, green with flecks of blue throughout; several dark red spines poked through, slanting backwards, matching the dark red of his skin.

(With his pointed nose and strong jawline, Kepi supposed he was handsome, though there was an almost…eeriness to him that negated that thought.)

As the bartender handed Kepi her drink, and took the strange Nocturne’s order, she attempted to break through the awkwardness.

“So, where are you headed?” The tavern was no more than a crossroads; everybody in there was on some sort of journey.

He regarded her for a few moments, silent, his stare verging on making her uncomfortable when he finally responded.

“My path is taking me through the Wood next. After that, we shall see.”

“Oh, so like me, then…I sort of just go wherever the wind takes me,” She smirked at the joke of sorts, Windborn eyes glinting. “The Tangled Wood can be a little…dangerous, though, are you going alone?”

“That was the plan. Why, are you offering to travel through with me?” A small smile came to his face, eyes questioning.

It wasn’t necessarily a strange question for Kepi, not when she so often traveled with others. She would meet single or groups of travelers in inns or taverns much like the one they were in, and if she found them interesting enough, offered them her company for a bit. She was mostly content to travel on her own, but traveling with others for a short while, meeting new and interesting people and learning their stories, that was half the fun of exploring for her.

Nonetheless, she hesitated for a few seconds; she had barely spoken to this Nocturne for more than a few minutes, didn’t know anything at all about him. But, there was something intriguing about him, something below the surface that made her want to learn more. And so-

“Sure, why not? I wasn’t sure where I was headed next anyhow, and I don’t like the thought of anyone going through those dark woods by themself,” She smiled fully, extending a hand towards him. “I’m Kepi, by the way.”

He stared at the outstretched hand for a few moments before taking it in his own, shaking her hand slightly; she nearly pulled away out of reflex as soon as he touched her, his skin colder than ice, leaving her hand almost numb afterwards.

“Thain,” He smirked, an odd glint in his eye as he held her hand for a few moments too long. “A pleasure to meet you, Kepi.”

They left the next day after spending the night at a nearby inn, meeting up outside after a good night’s rest. As they began their trek through the Wood, the morning light soon gave way to the natural darkness of the Shadowlands, the mist so thick at times that Kepi felt she might choke on it.

When it became a tad too much, she concentrated for a moment before releasing a small burst of air around them, momentarily clearing the fog. When Thain turned to look at her, an almost impressed look in her eye, she shrugged.

“My dad’s the real wind mage…that right there, what I just did, is pretty much all I can do…it’s more than either of my brothers can do, though, I’m the only one that inherited any of his ability,” She grinned, crooked and proud at the same time.

Thain remained silent, simply staring at her more, and she felt hesitant to try and start any more conversation for the moment.

They’d been traveling for two days - two long, mostly awkward days of Kepi almost regretting agreeing to go with Thain - when they encountered him.

The fog was light in the area they were in, offering views of the dark trees all around them, almost beautiful as they stretched towards the sky, the sentinels of the Wood.

Suddenly, as they walked along the path between the trees, Kepi spotted what appeared to be a dragon, simply standing off to the side of the path, staring straight ahead.

Coming to a full stop, Kepi held out a hand for Thain to stop as well, cocking her head to the side as she stared at the blindfolded dragon, feeling almost amused. Sure, the Tangled Wood was full of odd folks, but the way that this dragon was just standing there, statuelike, he felt almost out of place.

When he turned, slowly, to stare directly at Kepi, she felt an odd chill run down her spine, barely able to contain the shiver that came over her.

Her curious side overriding the one telling her that it might not exactly be safe to approach such a mysterious figure, she walked closer, standing in front of him for a moment, staring at his blindfolded face, before clearing her throat slightly. She didn’t pay much attention to Thain, who had crept closer as well, stopping a few paces behind her, watching the encounter with a careful eye.

“Uh…hey there,” She started, unsure what exactly her plan was in talking to the strange dragon; she hadn’t quite thought that far ahead. She settled on the first question that came to mind, even if it was a little direct; something made her feel as though it was the right thing to ask in this situation. “Who are you?”

"It holds no importance...our paths will never cross again." He paused, as if he'd lost his focus, before resuming a few seconds of silence later. "But you need to know of where your own will go...of the magic that carries you...from your father, son of a god, and the Wind itself that flows in your blood..."

Thain, bemused at first by his traveling companion’s awkward attempt at speaking to the mysterious dragon, felt his breath hitch at what the Skydancer said.

Well then, he thought, wheels already turning in his head. He leaned in a bit closer as the Skydancer spoke to Kepi in halted, drawn out sentences, listening closely as he spoke of what he had seen, of her brother, of kings and queens, of what laid before her.

Eventually, the mysterious seer paused mid-sentence, and when he didn’t continue after a few minutes, Kepi turned away, her face almost blank, seemingly in shock at everything she had just been told. She started when she found Thain there, nearly right next to her, seeming to of practically forgotten what she had been doing prior to her encounter.

“Did…did you hear all of that?” She asked after a few moments, voice strained, not looking directly at Thain.

“I did. It was all rather…fascinating.”

She snorted, as though that was the understatement of the century, a smile coming to her face and falling away just as quickly, her thoughts racing.

“I…some of the things he said…”

“You know,” He cut her off, his tone smooth. “If what he said was true, about your father, then I believe the power inside of you must be much greater than you realize. You would be capable of amazing things, perhaps…perhaps I could help you with harnessing those abilities, with learning to use them properly.”

(What he didn’t say was that he had sensed that great power inside of her from the moment she set foot in that tavern, his own powerful magicks drawn to her, as though saying there she is.)

Finally meeting his eyes, he saw that tears were pricking at the edges, the sudden and very surprising information that the seer had given her a bit much for her to take in. He nearly grinned, thankful for the opportunity to strike when she was so vulnerable, so confused.

“I…that would be…that would be great, thank you, are you…are you sure?”

He did grin then, a chilling thing that might’ve given Kepi an ominous feeling had she been paying attention.

“Of course, it would be my honor.”

What followed in the next few months was a grueling, almost painful training regimen, as Thain set about helping Kepi in drawing out the powers inside of her. They both learned that her power was vast, even stronger than Thain first thought, much to his quiet delight.

“Your father,” He said one day during their training, after she had produced a rather intense gust of wind. “Is a fool…his powers can only be even stronger than your own, and yet he uses them to…what? Fly an airship? He’s an absolute idiot for not-”

He was unable to finish his sentence, as he was shoved against a nearby tree, the wind holding him there for a moment before he was released, stumbling forward as he immediately stared at Kepi with outrage. His glare was nothing compared to her own, though, pure venom seeping into every word as she spoke.

“Never speak of my father like that again. Ever.”

And he didn’t. For a few weeks, at least, until he subtly mentioned it again, this time more careful in his words. She merely grunted in response, concentrating on the small twister that she was carefully weaving.

After that, he mentioned it more and more, until, eventually, she began agreeing with him, not only about her father, but about what could be done with her powers, with her status as he referred to her lineage.

“You know,” He began one night at dinner, in the way that he began so many of his statements. “Being a queen is practically one or two steps away from being a goddess, considering who you’re related to. …Didn’t you say that your brother recently became a king?”

Kepi was…uncertain at first, though he saw the light in her eyes, something there seeming very interested. It was simpler than when he turned her against her father, reminding her how foolish her brother was, at least from what she had told him, wondering if such a dragon could be fit to rule.

It was only a matter of time before she started to agree, to even almost seem to think that what Thain was saying was her idea.

Then, then it was only a matter of perfecting the plan that Thain had already concocting, of figuring out every little detail.

They parted ways not long after, Kepi on her way to Clan Roava, and Thain to seek out the necessary components for their plan to work. Thain would join her in six months, give or take, once she had had enough time to ingratiate herself with the dragons of Roava.

And now, six months later, here Thain stood in the dark of the night, the moon above casting an almost eerie light over him as it poked through the clouds.

“Kepi,” He smiled, the chill around him almost visible. “It’s so good to finally see you again.”

-

who wants to help me kick Thain’s ass?

part two coming very soon! shit is about to go Down and it’s going to be great

if anyone has any questions or anything about what’s going on here definitely ask I want to yell about these dragons so much