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DKP 8-29 Clouded Judgement.
🕑 Added 2022-09-30 23:57:27 +0000 UTCSarah's hand trembled as she reached for the door, pausing to reconsider. The house wasn't quite right, with many of the finer details missing. The windows were the wrong size or in the wrong places, and out of habit, she willed these into correct representations. She looked down as Lilly's hand came over hers and helped pull the handle, opening the way into the house.
The inside lacked furniture, and the main hall was too narrow as if crafted from a poor memory or perhaps a mind in pain. Sarah corrected everything by sheer will, putting into place the house they dreamed of living in. They paused in the sitting room to consider what might come of this meeting. Would Rose be enraged to see them, or would she be open to discussion?
“She keeps coming back here,” Lilly said as she read Sarah’s worried thoughts. “That has to mean something.”
“You're right,” Sarah said and headed for the back hall, unable to believe the woman would be in her room. Did Rose feel that was her private space? Did she find some comfort in being here? Sarah paused again, this time outside the door to listen for any sound. She heard nothing and gently opened the door to find the room empty.
“She must be here someplace,” Lilly said and quickly checked the next room. Sarah looked in the master bedroom as Lilly went to look in her own room. They were empty rooms without furniture, as Rose had no idea what they looked like. Sarah felt heartbroken for a moment, then heard a bang from someplace on the other side of the house.
“She's in the kitchen?” Lilly questioned as the two women hurried across the house, passing the sitting room and rounding the corner to see into the kitchen. Sarah's heart raced as she caught a glimpse of motion and saw a red-haired woman in a simple dress sniffing at something in her hands. She wanted to laugh when she realized what was happening. Rose was trying to recreate the food Sarah had served from her memory and failed miserably. She wasn't creating plates or bowls; instead, the food appeared in lumps on the poorly remembered table. Rose kept sniffing at them and discarding them to try again, only to add to her frustration.
“She’s here,” Lilly whispered as she leaned around the corner. “Go and talk to her.”
“What if she runs?” Sarah asked. “Maybe you should talk to her first.”
“Sarah, she is trying to recreate your food,” Lilly pointed out. “Just go in there and tell her you will make her all the food she wants.”
Sarah took a deep breath and changed her outfit to resemble a simple red farmer's dress. She set her long hair through the familiar golden loop and then strode into the kitchen, focusing on setting things right.
Rose jumped back as the kitchen table changed, and so did the surrounding cupboards and ovens. She looked up with rage in her eyes as they met Sarah's gaze but didn't move a muscle to get away.
“If you are hungry, I will prepare you something,” Sarah said as plates appeared on the table a moment before they were filled with grilled meats and sweet cakes. Sarah focused on creating wine and glasses as well as a pie filled with fruit and steaming as if fresh from the oven.
“Why are you here?” Rose asked in an almost normal voice.
“Why are you?” Sarah shot back. “This is my home and a place we visit often. Of course, as my daughter, you are welcome to come here whenever you wish, but I honestly didn't think you would come back.”
Rose held her tongue, but her glare said she had no answer to the question. Sarah was certain she was about to fade away when Lilly walked up to the table and went directly to the pie.
“You should try this,” Lilly insisted as she picked up a knife and began to slice. “It's full of apples, raisins, and cinnamon, making it taste wonderful.” She plated a slice and set it before Rose as if nothing about the situation was out of place. She put a second slice before Sarah and then joked the rest was hers before sitting down to begin eating her treat.
Rose looked down at the pie, and Sarah could see the desire in her aura. To try and reduce the tension, she sat down as far away from Rose as she could get, then took a bite of the pie.
“Oh, these are good,” Sarah sighed. “We really must trade for cinnamon with the south more frequently.”
“What about that other stuff that came from the south?” Lilly asked. “Was it called sugar?”
“It is, and you are addicted to it,” Sarah scolded as she pointed her fork at Lilly. “I would have to buy it by the barrel full to keep you sated.”
“Thayle likes it too,” Lilly protested as she scooped up another bite. She quickly looked over at Rose and urged her to sit down and try some.
Sarah tried not to react as Rose sat and took up a fork to scoop up a bite of the pie clumsily. She watched as her daughter's aura filled with joy at the flavor, quickly followed by a hint of both frustration and embarrassment. She suspected Rose was hooked on human foods and craved to taste them again. She had come to the dream in desperation and tried to recreate them from memory. Thankfully Sarah had eaten some of these foods hundreds of times now and could will them into being easily. She had also spent time in the kitchens learning a little about cooking and knew when a crust was burnt, or a sauce was too thin. Rose had none of that experience or context, and her efforts to recreate the foods had resulted in failure.
“If you ever come back to Calathen, we can go to a bakery where you can try dozens of cakes, cookies, and bread. You will love the bread, especially the ones they top with honey,” Lilly said as if Rose was a regular guest at the table. Rose didn't respond to any of it as Lilly went on describing her favorite bread and types of butter. She told Rose all about the cheese shops and the huge variety of cheeses that could be found. Lilly then talked endlessly about how cheese could be eaten plain or added to all sorts of foods.
Sarah watched as the woman's aura flashed with mixed emotions, many of them anger but a few hinting at sadness and regret. Rose eventually finished her pie, and Lilly immediately piled some of the cooked meat on her plate. She doused it in gravy and then reached for some bread, suggesting rose drown in butter for the best flavor.
“Why are you treating me like this?” Rose said after Lilly was done pushing the butter to her plate.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Sarah asked.
“Because I am your enemy,” Rose retorted as her aura flared with anger.
“Only by your choice,” Sarah replied as calmly as she could. “Any time you wish to end that, all you have to do is change your mind.”
“I will not give up my faith in Solesta,” Rose hissed as Lilly tossed her head.
“I have been meaning to ask you about that,” Lilly cut in. “You can’t bring her back, so exactly do you plan to restore her?”
“I wouldn’t tell you that even if I knew,” Rose countered.
“I was just curious,” Lilly replied with a shrug. “I never learned about Solesta from my mother, and I still don't know much about her. All that I know comes from Balisha, and even she speaks about Solesta with sadness and remorse. I think Balisha misses her in some way. Like I would miss Thayle if we had a terrible fight and went our own ways.”
Rose's confusion was evident as she tried to understand Lilly's point of view. She scoffed at the idea that Balisha would care about Solesta in any capacity, but Lilly was insistent that she did. Lilly believed they were as close as wives, and their conflict had emotionally harmed Balisha. However, Lilly did press the question forward. Why was Rose fighting for somebody when she didn't know how they planned to achieve their goal?
“I don’t need to know,” Rose hissed and threw down her fork in anger. “All I need to know is Solesta died to protect us from the betrayer, and now you are trying to restore her.”
Lilly shrugged again and started to butter some bread. “I don't want to hurt anyone, least of all another dragon,” Lilly said. “I just think we dragons should have the right to experience the emotions Solesta says we shouldn't.”
“Balisha has warped your mind to make you think you need them,” Rose countered.
“Is that what you believe?” Lilly laughed. “I will have you know I knew what love was long before I knew who Balisha was. She didn't teach me these things. She called me to help her because I learned them on my own. She realized I would understand her point of view and her wish for dragon kind. Even if I had never met Balisha, I wouldn't want to see dragons under the curse any longer. I still think you should be free to choose your path, not have it forced on you.”
“I am free to choose,” Rose insisted as she folded her arms.
“Oh, child,” Sarah sighed. “We didn’t come here to argue with you. Please take up your fork and enjoy the food.”
“And you,” Rose said as she stood and pointed at Sarah. “Why did you come out to face me?”
“Because I made you a promise,” Sarah replied. “Just as Gersius promised to let you go if you stayed the two days.”
“You promised to let me kill you,” Rose growled. “I don’t understand why you would do such a thing?”
Sarah stood slowly and glared at Rose as the two faced off.
“You don't understand because you can't understand,” Sarah said. “But let me explain it to you anyway. I love you. I love all of my children, and you are the only daughter I have left. I would rather die than live my life knowing you hate me and will never show me an ounce of compassion.”
“Dragons don't feel compassion,” Rose countered. “It weakens them, as do all of Balisha's lies.”
“We aren't going to have this conversation again,” Sarah said. “We have explained ourselves and our beliefs to you more than enough. You must choose what you believe now and how far you will go to protect those beliefs. For our sake, you are our daughter, and we would very much like you to come to Calathen and join our family. You will be treated like we treat you here, and no one will impede you if you decide to leave again.”
“You won’t convert me to Balisha,” Rose snarled as she glared. “My faith is unshakable.”
“It isn’t a trap,” Sarah countered. “It is an invitation to our daughter to come home. Come home, Rose. Come back and be a part of our lives.”
Rose shook her head as she backed away, her aura flashing above her head. Her hands tightened into fists as red filled her light then she was gone in an instant.
“She got so angry it took her out of the dream,” Lilly said in surprise, then looked at Sarah.
“Did you see how horrified she looked to be asked to be a part of our lives?” Sarah said as that expression lingered in her mind. “She took it as an insult.” Sarah wasn’t surprised at all when Lilly arrived to wrap her arms around her. Lilly reminded her that dragons were solitary creatures even when they weren’t cursed. Sarah’s request she come to be a part of their lives probably shook her several ways.
Sarah knew Lilly was right, but she no longer thought like a dragon. To Sarah, family was becoming all important, and Rose was a part of it even if she didn't like the idea. Lilly looked at the table and started talking about how Rose must be craving human foods. Now that she had tasted them, she was probably hungry for more. She then laughed and said it was too bad they couldn't get her to sample human intimacy. Once she had a taste for that, she would be eager to associate with human men.
“You little harlot,” Sarah laughed and pulled Lilly tighter. “I have to admit that I don’t think I could go very long without Gersius’s touch. I love how he makes me feel when his focus is on loving me.”
“He makes me forget where I am sometimes,” Lilly added. “It's like the whole world vanishes, and the only thing I know is him.”
Sarah felt silly for feeling such a thing for a human man when she was so ancient a dragon. Still, Lilly was right, and their husband's love made all his wives crave his attention. She looked at the empty chair Rose had sat in a few moments ago and began to wonder what was going on in her head. Was Lilly right? Was Rose desperate to experience more human things?
“Sarah, I love you,” Lilly whispered as she laid her cheek against Sarah's head. “Please don't be so upset.”
Sarah closed her eyes as the tears wet the edges, savoring the love of her little blue dragon. Now she understood Lilly’s pain when she thought about other dragons. They had no idea how empty and meaningless their lives were. Lilly had wanted to fill Sarah’s life with the same love and purpose she had, and now Sarah desperately wanted it for Rose. Just to think of how much her daughter was missing made her cheeks run wet with tears.
“It hurts,” Lilly agreed as she read Sarah’s thoughts. “Knowing the truth but being unable to make them see it.”
“Love seems to hurt as often as it comforts,” Sarah replied as she tried to gain control of herself.
“It does,” Lilly agreed. “But now you understand how I feel. That's why I want to save them. I want to save all the dragons, so they don't have to live pointless lives.”
“Child,” Sarah whispered as she wiped her eye on Lilly’s hair. “How will you save them?”
“I don't know,” Lilly replied. “But I will do anything to find out. I swear on my faith in Balisha. I will do whatever it takes to save them. Now, take me back to your old throne room.”
“Whatever for?” Sarah asked as Lilly nestled in tighter.
“Please, just take me there,” Lilly begged.
Sarah focused on the memory of her throne room from when she once ruled a small kingdom, just like her daughter did now. The simple pillared hall appeared with her grand chair raised a few steps off the floor. She turned to look at Lilly, who disrobed and let her clothing fall away as Sarah's felt her heart start to flutter.
“What are you doing?” Sarah asked.
“This is what you told me,” Lilly said as she stepped closer. “You said that whenever I came here, you wanted me naked and in your lap.”
Sarah remembered the conversation from when she felt overcome by new emotions. She had indeed told Lilly she was to be naked in this place and in Sarah's arms while they were here.
“Then come,” Sarah said as she took one of Lilly's hands. Sarah sat on her throne as she guided Lilly to her lap, welcoming the woman into her arms. Lilly immediately curled up with her head on Sarah's shoulder while Sarah stroked her blue hair gently. Feelings of love, safety, and bliss flooded Sarah from the bind. Lilly felt secure in her arms and sought them out as a place to relax.
“Is this why you like to snuggle into me when I am in my dragon form?” Sarah asked.
“I sometimes have dreams about what happened at Whiteford,” Lilly replied. “It reminds me that I am not safe, even in the palace, but I know I am safe under your wing. I know when I am snuggled to your side, nobody can harm me.”
“Nobody will ever harm you again,” Sarah said in a determined voice as she clutched her wife. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“You can’t protect me all the time,” Lilly replied. “And sometimes you are the one who needs protecting. That’s what family is for, to love and protect one another.”
Sarah let out a long sigh as she wanted to cry again. How she wished Rose could know these feelings and seek the safety of a lover's arms. She began to wonder who she could pair Rose up with. What man was strong enough of character to contend with her headstrong daughter? She thought Lengwin, but while he had a good heart, he was a gentleman. Rose needed somebody with more fire in their belly. He needed to have a strong character and dedication to a purpose. He needed to be somebody who could face her down and stand firm when she lost her temper.
“Jessivel,” Lilly said softly. “He is like Gersius in a lot of ways.”
“Jessivel?” Sarah repeated. “But he and Alayse are slowly coming together.”
“So?” Lilly asked as she started to smile. “Alayse is like Thayle. She has a soft spot for women. All three of them could be a family.”
“Ha,” Sarah laughed and kissed the top of Lilly’s head. “Trying to build her a family like ours might be going a bit too fast for her.”
Lilly smiled and wrapped a hand over Sarah's shoulder, snuggling into her wife for warmth and comfort. Sarah could read those mischievous thoughts as Lilly imagined Rose and Alayse laying eggs for Jessivel.
“Sarah!” Gersius’s voice echoed through their minds, causing Lilly to bolt upright.
Sarah focused, allowing the dream to vanish in an instant, her eyes opening to the rain of the real world and a sense of panic. Sarah through her great head up as Lilly asked what was wrong. She called out to Gersius over the bind to make him aware they were awake, and he called back immediately.
“Towns along the north are being ravaged!” Gersius shouted back. “The missing army is here!”
“Child, get up!” Sarah urged as she climbed to her feet. “We are needed to defend our empire and its people.”
“But the cavalry is still days away,” Lilly insisted. “And the army we have isn’t fully equipped.”
“We have run out of time,” Sarah replied as she turned to look north. “The battle has come to us whether we are ready or not.”
What followed was a mad dash to form the army into a cohesive formation and march north with all due haste. Sarah, Lilly, and Shadros were tasked to fly ahead and locate the enemy's main formations. They were not to engage unless forced into conflict by rival dragons, and if outnumbered, they were to retreat immediately.
It was a tense flight north as Sarah worried about the two younger dragons. What would happen if there were five or more rival dragons? What if they had those wicked spears with them? What if they were waiting for them in ambush? All of these worries played through her mind as they headed closer to the mountains, but an hour later, they had still found nothing. Lilly began to question why Gersius thought the land was under attack in the first place. Sarah realized that in their haste to react, she had forgotten to ask how he learned this information. He was half a day's march to the south now, and they hadn't seen anything but pastoral lands and small towns.
Sarah insisted they press on closer to the mountains, and it was in hour two they started to see the smoke. Lilly felt tense over the bind as she constantly looked up, expecting another dragon to dive on them from the sky. Sarah could feel her tension as they flew over a large farming community to see bodies in the streets and burning buildings. From the looks of it, the fires were hours old, probably started even before they entered the dream. The drizzle of rain was turning what was left of the fires into smoldering black heaps that looked like dark stains from the sky. The one thing they didn't see was the enemy, who should be busy looting the town and herding survivors off into slavery.
They circled a dozen times, looking for any sign of the Doan, and when nothing could be found, Sarah dared to land. Lilly and Shadros joined her a moment later, and the three slowly picked their way into the ghost town.
It was an eerie sight to see so many dead but Sarah needed answers. She inspected a dozen bodies to see they had been run through with weapons, not the savage claws of a bandersook. She tried to convince herself that this was the work of a bandit group or perhaps some monstrous race from the northern wilds.
“Why are all these people dead?” Shadros asked as he turned over a body. “Why haven’t they been eaten?”
“Dragons didn't do this,” Sarah replied. “It was soldiers with spears and swords.”
“But where are they?” Lilly asked as she raised her head high to look around. “Shouldn’t they still be here?”
Sarah had them spread out, looking for any sign of their passage. Lilly discovered the trampled area that appeared to show a large force had swept in from the north. No other track was found, indicating the army had returned the way they came, making a quick return to the area of the mountains.
Something about all this began to poke at Sarah's mind. This was a rapid attack followed by a tactical retreat, something the Doan hadn't been doing. Was it possible the attacks along the border by Gams had provoked them into revenge-style attacks? Even so, how had they gotten over the mountains and remained hidden so long? Why did this whole scene remind her of a distraction, something meant to keep them busy, or perhaps, the dragons busy?
Sarah began to worry that this was a trap, but not for the dragons. What if this attack was meant to draw the dragons out so the real threat could attack Gersius? Sarah ordered them into the air and back the way they came. She needed to ensure that her husband and wife were safe, as well as their unborn egg. Lilly listened to her thoughts and became alarmed at the possibility herself. Sarah did her best to try and keep her calm, but nothing would soothe either of them until they saw their family safe. Every minute of flight became a torment as she worried enemy dragons were even now devastating their army.
Over an hour later, they spotted the advancing army and, to their great relief, found them safe. The dragons landed to report their findings to Gersius, Thayle, Mingfe, and Lengwin, who was still traveling with the army.
Gersius looked dour at the idea that the army had simply raided the village and killed the inhabitants. He pointed out how the Doan had been carefully taking prisoners and that this recent attack was a new tactic. He suggested that this was meant to terrify the empire by making people feel unsafe. It would undermine their rule and force them to commit a large number of forces hunting the north for the army.
Sarah felt ashamed of her sense of panic, but Gersius was assertive that this was indeed very strange for the Doan. It was logical to assume it might be bait to lure the dragons away, and it was to her credit she came rushing back. Sarah thanked him but inside, she felt unsure. Her love for her family stirred powerful emotions that clouded her judgment.
Thayle read her thoughts and was quick to console her and assure her it was alright. She and Mingfe explained that worries like that were perfectly normal and that Sarah had nothing to be ashamed of.
Gersius took over the conversation and suggested the army needed to be much closer to the mountains. He was worried these attacks might be meant to draw them further north where the Doan could hit them with their full strength. Sarah was curious why he was planning to do what they wanted, and his answer chilled her soul. He wanted to locate and destroy the army so there would be no more distractions. Then he could turn everything west and throw the full weight of his army against the Doan. This time there would be no chasing them back across the serpentine. He would cross the river and invade the Doan homelands, showing them what happens when they provoke the dragon empire.
Sarah wanted to know what would happen when the dragons rose to defend their homeland, and Gersius was far too quick to answer.
“They die,” he said without emotion. “I have no more patience for our enemies. If they plan to butcher farmers and innocent townspeople just to inflict harm on us, then I see no reason to show them mercy. I will burn their settlements and destroy their infrastructure so that they will talk about the mistake they made attacking our empire for a hundred generations.”
Sarah and Lilly recoiled at his cold demeanor, but neither of them could fault his logic. He was the ruler of the dragon empire, and his lands were under attack by an enemy that believed they had the right to kill whoever they wanted.
“I still don’t believe that,” Lilly countered. “The Doan can’t be that cruel.”
“You saw the town yourself,” Gersius said. “Sarah described the scene. They didn't even take prisoners this time. They simply swept in, killed the innocent, and left. Their actions prove they see no value in our lives.”
“And doing the same to them will make this right?” Lilly asked as she felt awful.
“Lilly,” Gersius said with an outstretched hand. “I didn’t start this war, teach the Doan to be so cruel, or fill them with rage. I respect your desire to want to talk to them, but I don’t know of any way to make them listen. Maybe they will be willing to talk when they see they can’t win and their dragons can’t protect them.”
“Are you sure you want to walk this path?” Thayle asked and placed a hand on his shoulder. “This is going to change you.”
“I am the one who was meant to protect those people,” Gersius replied. “I told the people we were here to protect them, and their deaths are my shame. If my enemy is determined to fight this terrible war, I will fight it in his lands, not mine. It will be his fields that are trampled and his towns that burn. Let his women flee with their crying children and flood the lands further west with refugees. Let him deal with the problems of feeding and housing the swelling refugees as our armies destroy the resources they need. We will pursue them farther than any of our armies ever has, bleeding them until they beg for peace.”
All went silent for a moment until Mingfe walked up and put a hand on Gersius’s shoulder.
“You finally sound like an emperor determined to protect his people,” she said and looked at the others. “I can see the light of your aura, and I know you are shocked by his words, but he has spoken true and the great warlords of my people would be proud. Unfortunately, our enemy will not stop to hear your words or pause to negotiate. They believe they have the upper hand and cannot lose this conflict. They pride themselves on supremacy in combat, and you will not get them to negotiate until you have stripped them of that pride, and they have no hope of winning.”
It was a hard lesson, but one Sarah knew they all needed to accept. Despite their best wishes, some battles couldn't be won with love and compassion. With a sigh, Sarah placed a wing over Lilly and pulled her close, hoping to offer the little dragon some of the safety she craved. Gersius ordered the army to march and asked the dragons to fly ahead to ensure an ambush wasn't waiting. Sarah took to the sky with Lilly nearby, wishing things were different. One way or another, she was going to bring her family the happiness of the valley, even if that meant finding a way to make peace with the Doan.
Comments
Sam4005
OmgbI cant read this anymore. "It's full of apples, raisins, and cinnamon", raisins in an apple pie eurgg, pls. Ty for chapy
