It had been six months since Julia had treated Aegle, and began to teach both me and Aegle the extent of her knowledge.
The elevish guard had been sent out as a search party, but Aegle hid herself well, not wanting to return just yet.
The only issue, despite the kindness of Julia, despite her teachings, despite the constant searches for Aegle. Was Aegle.
No, it was not the confused head scratches, or the cold sweats from her nightmares. It was her wounds.
Aegle, after the blood mist covered day had come out of that shed broken, with closed and sealed wounds, almost gone, except, her arm.
The bloodied bandage? Her arm.
Her arm, all the way down to the shoulder blade, everything that could be taken off was.
When she awoke screaming, I looked up almost every night to see her cradling herself and rubbing her pitiful lump.
She would write, not in her native language, elvish, but the language most used by humans and those in the plains, Chaos.
She not only had to relearn to read and write, but she also had to learn to live with one arm.
She learned of the church of Chaos, a place for the devote of the god of Chaos, and the same for the God of Order
But while she learned to live with humans and wield a staff I learned of life force, the driving factor of everything. That everything that revolves around me.
I learned how to condense, release, and dissipate.
My favorite part about being with Julia though? She taught me how to speak. she told me of how I can growl, and how life can create anything, most are just not skilled enough.
She told me of ways to turn my wings larger, or smaller. Though her knowledge was not perfect, it was exactly what I needed.
‘Day’ after ‘day’ ‘week’ after ‘week’ we heard Aegle’s cries, her countries screams, and Julia’s soothing teachings, and after 6 months of teaching, Julia’s body collapsed, and she died peacefully, next to the newly order herbs.
*************************************************
Aegle, still suffering from her trauma had only grown an inch, despite the children around us growing five. Me on the other hand, had been healing Aegle, with growing and increasing skill.
Aegle had once asked Julia about life force, wanting to learn herself, but Julia said she didn’t know how to discover someone’s affinity or someone’s ability as a magician, so Aegle put that plan on hold.
We walked away from the villages grave, and though Aegle had announced Julia’s death, no one came.
We walked towards the edge of the village, having not walked openly in the village often, the villagers took just as much interest, weather maliciously or not.
We walked out the gates just fine, to see the ground I evaporated lay there, intact, but the scorch marks around still remained.
Aegle looked around, with sweat rolling down her forehead.
I jumped up, focusing to enlarge my wings enough to fly up and touch Aegle cheek, healing the mentality that ailed her, temporarily.
Aegle looked at me sincerely and then looked forward. Her face tinged with pained memories
She couldn’t see the road I dragged her here on without memories of the monster remaining. I guess, being the smart girl she was, had realized the monster had somehow came from Serpens to here.
She looked towards the forest blankly. The place she had shed her comfortable princess life and became hardened, at least, as hardened as a 13 year old girl could get.
She went from the girl on the top of the stairs from the beginning, and now that she had to climb them, she’s grown.
She started walking, shaking slightly but otherwise fine. She only carried a staff at her side and nothing else.
The walking continued, she trekked to the place she had been attacked, and looked at the ripped tent, the blood, and the wretched memories and puked, wiping her mouth and leaving eventually.
I followed her walk towards her past, periodically flying up to heal her stress. She trudged. She stumbled, she shrieked. But she got up, and tumbled towards the past once again.
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She traveled across the road for hours, reaching no end. She found carriage after carriage and asked them of the eleven royal family, but they shook her off and rode faster.
Until, she found a large village, constructed of marble and blistering white majesty. At the gate a robed person, again with white splendor covering them.
They welcomed us warmly, saying the abyss will swallow all. Aegle talked to the man, and I could strangely follow parts of it, hearing humans words felt weird, but natural.
“Lady, are you an elf? Your ears are magnificent! The God of Chaos’ apostle, Candice, will surely be glad of the arrival of another one of Chaos’ kin.”
After saying that a woman swiftly delivered him a slap to the back of the head.
“OWW!”
The woman seemed discontent.
“Don’t not say the God of Chaos’ name informally.”
The woman turned to Aegle and pointed inside, not noticing me as the man did.
“Please, we’ll show you to the place outsiders with nothing stay.”
Aegle sighed but followed the lady, telling me,
‘They really didn’t notice you, a dragon, are they stupid?’
I nodded.
We followed the woman, and as we got further away from the man I heard him gasp, and yell something, but the woman didn’t hear, and continued on her way.
Aegle was given a small bed in the middle of a large room, packed with others.
“I’m sorry, this is all the accommodations we can give, as there are many people here. Please come to the altar and pray tomorrow.”
I laid on Aegles mattress and the woman suddenly gasped.
She dropped to her knees quickly
beside the mattress, I assume praying.
She stayed that way for a minute or two, and then bowed, still kneeling just towards me now.
“I have sinned immensely. I am so sorry for not seeing you sooner, Great Dragon.”
I nodded, standing up. I enlarged my wings and flapped them, for dramatic effect.
Her jaw hung open and I touch her mind,
‘What perks do I get for being a dragon, also, please treat my bond kinder than me.’
She nodded and stood up, asking to to relax as they prepare a better place for us to stay, and to arrange a meeting with a priest.
She looked starry eyed and curious, I guess most would be after seeing a Dragon.
Aegle laid down, and I moved to lay on her lap.
At times, it felt almost as if those horrible times six months ago were just a distant nightmare, but it was unforgettable, Aegle’s arm won’t come back from forgetting.
the woman came back much later, currying attention from the rest of the people in the room. They all looked shabby, but otherwise, healthy.
“Please follow me, we prepared a room fit for a sacred being like you.”
We followed her, through marbled streets glittering under the dimmed sun, and the shining citizens, smiling constantly.
The businesses, adding variety to the marble had interesting things in the windows, drawing your eyes to a dress, a doll, or a teddy bear.
The woman looked forward, towards a giant castle like cathedral sitting in the middle of the radiance.
The quickened her pace and Aegle winced slightly, her wound bleeding a little.
I touch the woman’s mind, ferociously yelling, telling her to stop, and she does, looking nervous.
I flap up and touch Aegles wound kindly, making the radiance of the area a little brighter.
I tell the woman to continue, and she does, keeping her pace in check this time. Aegle walks, again admiring the windows.
We get to a gate, a massive marble gate with a drawbridge over a small moat like chasm with two unprepared looking guards sleeping next to a lever.
they woke surprised when the woman yelled, saying that, “WE HAVE A DRAGON AS A GUEST AND YOU TWO ARE SLEEPING!?”
And the turn to me and returned to her previous demeanor, saying , “I’m so sorry, oh Great Dragon. We have shown you something someone of your stature should never see.”
The guard quickly got up, with a glance from the woman to help. They began letting down a bridge to cover the chasm and standing aside, letting us pass.
We walk to the giant castle like cathedral, guards more diligent stationed around the area, walking.
The woman leads us straight forward, providing either identification every once in a while or a nod towards me to get further into the cathedral.
The inside of the cathedral was radiant, as was everything else, but it had no statues of gods, or phrases, or priests walking about.
We continued walking through the echo-y and large halls, Aegle and the woman’s footsteps creating echos. My feet were padded, so I created no noise.
The halls stretched and twisted, going past room after room, empty altar after altar. After a long while of the empty rooms, the eerie halls ended and we reached a room.
The woman opened the door, bowing and then retreating. We entered the room, Aegle jumping on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
I jumped on the bed and laid on Aegle as usual, she winced though, so I got off.
I curled into a ball, not going to sleep.
When I saw Aegle in discomfort, I would go and heal her, soothing whatever was ailing her.
And with the rhythms of waking to Aegles grunts, and then hearing her breath soften, and slow, I would close my eyes, and hope the starry stream wouldn’t take me.
*************************************************
I jolted up, jumping. This is the first time since Aegle lost her arm I have slept soundly. I woke up and found Aegle not next to me.
I looked around the small box shaped room, a dresser, with no clothes, a small flower pot on an open windowsill, and the bed I was sleeping on. Nothing more, except for the bed of course.
The door was closed. The box was empty, I was alone.
Was Aegle gone? Her being gone for the first time since I met her makes me uncomfortable. Why can’t she just stay with me?
I flew up to the doors handle, pulling it down and landing, and then prying it back with my horns.
The door flew open, maybe I used too much force? I walked out into the wide, empty halls. On either side of me was a stretching hallway and rows of rooms beside me.
I walked down the hallways, until I got to an altar, not too far from where I was. I saw Aegle, sitting on one of the many lined benchs. She was just sitting, looking into the colored windows shining with twinkling splendor.
I walked up to her, and she looked at me groggily, turning her head slowly and stiffly, like she hadn’t moved it in months.
She said mentally, not even mustering the strength to say it out loud, despite us having spent so much time so just learn the language.
‘Hey Den, (her nickname for me, as my name was apparently strange.) I’ve been her for hours. But no one has come.’
Aegle was bright child, a light that should have been encapsulated by this church and multiplied. But her fire was put out and she couldn’t start it again on her own.
Maybe the priests could help?
I leave Aegle after laying on her lap for a while, but she remained unmoving and unchanging so I hopped down and trotted towards another hall, in hopes of finding the reason the halls are so empty
I walk through the maze like cathedral, larger and grander than a castle, almost as large as the city itself too.
I see an open room full of bustling people, gathered around a round table, just like in Aegles room 6 months ago. This time though, the people looked haggard, and the men sat at the table talking away and away.
One man from the table noticed me, and called something out, frantically. I couldn’t understand him.
The man that had called me was skinny, almost frail for a man with a sword on his hip. He was wearing a bright red uniform sprinkled with details.
On the other hand, the people around him where in white robes, just as the woman was.
I walked in, with a gesture from the suited man.
The suites man wasn’t smiling, his jaw didn’t drop, his eyes where sharp, but dazed.
A fat old man with a saggy face in robes got up, his arms outstretched like he wanted a hug and he exclaimed, in a language I understood, “ A DRAGON!, he cackled a little, holding his head, “ the God of Chaos has blessed us, bringing us his sacred creature to fight with us!”
He pointed to a man with a with suit, similar to the red one, and the man unsheathed his sword, making the man in the reds eyes turn frantic.
The man tried to run by the white suited man practically flew, blocking the mans path.
In an instant, the old man said, “WE WAGE WAR!” While holding his arms outstretched, this time to the sky, almost like he wanted to hug God himself.
And the white suited man, in a swift slice, spurred the red mans blood on the floor, and on me, making his head roll past my legs.