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DKP 8-15 A battle of truths
🕑 Added 2022-06-17 18:14:03 +0000 UTCGersius stood outside the bars of her cell, wondering what was going on in her mind. Rose stared back with red flaring in her aura and wearing an expression that screamed of murder. He had grown so accustomed to being able to read his wives' minds, knowing their every thought. How he wished he could do such a thing with Rose and know what to say to reach her. Sarah was distraught over her daughter being a prisoner below the city and couldn't bring herself to face her again. Gersius was concerned for Sarah, who was anguishing over the march. She hated the idea of leaving Rose behind to rot here for what could be months, but what else could they do? Lilly planned to confront her with Shadros at her side, hoping two dragons would have a bigger impact. He knew they were probably on the way already, but for Sarah's sake, he wanted to try and reach her.
“Why are you here?” Rose asked as Gersius remained silent.
“Why are you?” he asked in return, hoping to bait her into a debate.
“You know why I am here,” Rose growled. “And one day, you will pay for this.”
“You are here because you chose to stand with a dead goddess against your mother,” Gersius corrected as Rose remained silent. “By some luck of the divine, you were captured, and I believe it was for a reason.”
The anger flared even higher as Rose recoiled from his words. She argued that they had gotten lucky because they were not anticipating the black dragon. She then launched into a tirade about how they kept corrupting the dragons with their poisonous emotions, and now Shadros would suffer with them.
“Why do you think that every dragon who experiences the power of emotion turns to our side?” Gersius asked.
Rose didn't answer, but her aura twinged with other colors as she thought about her answer. Sarah was right. Lilly's display of power had cracked that shell and caused her to question her beliefs. This was the pressure point that would ultimately give them a way in, but how to exploit it?
“They change because once they experience the emotions, Solesta’s curse falls away,” Gersius explained. “Then they open their eyes and don’t understand why they were fighting against us in the first place.”
“You can’t poison me with your words,” the dragon growled. “My master has warned us of your lies.”
“They aren't lies,” Lilly said, causing Gersius to turn to see she and Shadros standing in the hall. Rose recoiled from Lilly, moving back in her cell as if afraid of the woman's power. She and Shadros approached to stand beside Gesius as the two watched the woman inside.
Gersius considered the man who had grown to become a staunch defender of the city, particularly the woman he saw as his wife. Shadros still saw many things from a dragon's point of view, but he admitted to loving Mingfe, and her near-death had shaken him. It showed he cared about what happened to her, and Rose represented the danger that nearly took her away.
“You two betray the blood that courses in your veins,” Rose growled. “You worship a goddess that wants to see us extinct.”
“I don’t worship Balisha,” Shadros replied. “I have no use or goddesses or the divine.”
“Then why are you helping them?” the woman balked.
“I help them because they helped me to understand what Solesta tried to steal from me,” Shadros said.
“Solesta is trying to protect you!” Rose insisted as her aura flared with rage.
“Why do I need to be protected?” Shadros shouted back. “Am I not a dragon? Am I not part of the ancient bloodline that prides itself on being so powerful that were are above corruption?”
“But the corruption comes from a fallen dragon,” Rose countered. “Balisha knows how to poison our minds with her false promises.”
“Then why was Solesta helping her at first?” Shadros asked. “Was she so moronic that she didn't see her doom before it was too late?”
“Do not say such things about the goddess!” Rose cried. “Solesta is our champion!”
“Then why is she dead?” Shadros asked in a perfectly calm voice.
Rose didn't seem to have an answer to that question, so Shadros stepped closer to glare at the woman behind bars. The two looked like rivals squaring off for a dual, but Gerisus could see Shadros was trying to figure something out. He was free of the curse but still didn't trust the divines, nor did he care about war and politics. All he wanted was to take Mingfe and fly back to his lair to hoard both of them to his heart. But now, something was bothering the dragon, and Gersius could see the colors of his aura flashing as he ran a gamut of emotions. Perhaps seeing the kind of dragon he was not so long ago was causing serious self-reflection.
“I used to be like you,” Shadros said as he stared the woman down. “I hated my captor with a burning rage and plotted night and day to kill them all. Thankfully they never gave up on me, and though I couldn't see it then, they treated me with great respect.”
“They were manipulating you,” Rose countered.
“They promised to set me free if I could not find the heart to stay,” Shadros said. “Thanks to Lilly, I began to doubt my beliefs and wonder why she was so happy among humans. It is hard for a dragon to understand such things, especially with that damn curse clouding our vision.”
“She is bound to them!” Rose cried. “Don't you see they have commanded her to obey them like a little mouse?”
“Then how do you explain what happened when your friends tried to break my binding?” Lilly asked. “I seem to recall most of them died in the effort.”
“You are beyond redemption,” Rose spat. “Because of you, more than a dozen dragons are dead.”
“Those dragons are dead because of Solesta and her poisonous curse,” Lilly countered. “Balisha isn't demanding or enforcing your loyalty. All she is doing is offering you a choice. You can live as you always have, hiding in your home and sleeping your life away, or you can walk among humans.”
“You should consider the latter option,” Shadros said. “I have found great satisfaction among the humans.”
“I don’t need their weaknesses,” Rose spat. “If you wish to embrace them, that is on your head.”
“I don't have their weakness,” Shadros countered. “I don't fully understand what it all means, but I know I am better for it. I also know that my mother understood these things, and thanks to them, I know what she meant when she spoke her final words to me.” His voice was filled with passion and pain as he tried to face the angry dragon and explain that he considered his new emotions a blessing.
“You were not meant to know these things,” Rose argued.
“Then you are a fool!” Shadros shouted, his voice echoing in the hall. “Anyone who would hide from the truth is weak. I have come to understand what it means to love, and now I regret every second I spent as a wild animal living in a burrow.”
“We are not wild animals,” Rose tried to argue, but Shadros cut her off. He challenged her to describe any dragon accomplishments that proved they did something any common badger didn't.
“We can speak!” Rose countered with a smile.
“Is that it?” Shadros asked. “Even the birds can communicate in their own language.”
“We can use the power of the weave,” Rose pressed.
“So can the humans,” Shadros laughed. “And because of their gifts, they can use it stronger than us. They are not the rodents we so arrogantly think of them as. We are the ones who borrow into the ground and build worthless nests.”
“We don’t need their way of life,” Rose insisted.
“Of course not, because we are animals,” Shadros lashed back. “We are flying lizards that borrow into the ground and sleep for most of our lives.”
“Stop saying we are animals!” Rose insisted. “We dragons have an ancient culture that predates the humans for longer than their history.”
“And what have we built in all that time?” Shadros asked. “What have dragons created that stands as a testament to their achievements?”
Gersius was surprised at the viciousness of Shadros's attack. He obviously didn't like what he saw in Rose, as it reminded him of what he was. Rose wanted to debate the philosophy of Solesta and Balisha, but Shadros was not a priest. He was ignoring the philosophy and challenging her identity as a dragon. By comparing her to an animal while elevating humans, he was wounding her in a way she was not prepared for.
“We have temples!” Rose screamed.
“Built for us by humans!” Shadros shouted as even Lilly stepped away and hurried to Gersius's side.
Rose looked at Shadros with a broken expression and moved deeper into her cell. Shed turned to avoid looking at his face. Her aura filled with sadness and pain as her worldview shattered under his cold, ruthless logic.
“Go away,” Rose said in a pained voice. “I hate you all.”
“I used to say that,” Shadros replied as he turned to leave. “But you might want to consider the one blessing you do have.”
“What blessing do I have in this cursed place?” Rose asked.
“A mother who loves you,” Shadros said as he stepped away. “My mother died long ago, and she said something that has haunted me ever since. She said she loved me, and I had no idea what those words meant until these humans came to show me the truth. You are so full of hate you are going to squander the one gift I would trade anything to have. A chance to tell my mother that I love her too.”
He walked away to leave Rose in silence as Lilly clung to Gersius with tears in her eyes. Gersius put his arm around her as he felt her pain over the bind. Shadros was hurting inside over his mother, and something about Rose dredged up all those feelings. Lilly was so moved by what he said that she was speechless and filled with pity for him. All he wanted was to speak to his mother one last time and tell her he understood what she said.
“Shh,” Gersius urged as he rubbed Lilly’s side. “Even I am moved by what he said.”
“Why are you behaving like this?” Rose asked as she watched from the back wall of her cell.
“Because that poor dragon is in so much pain over so beautiful a wish,” Lilly replied as she looked up to glare at Rose. She wiped her eyes and turned to face the woman who wouldn't approach the bars so long as Lilly was there.
“What he said was true. We dragons live no better than wild animals. We waste our long lives for nothing,” she said and looked down. “I wish I could help you see what you are missing. I wish you could know what it's like to love somebody. But I was like you, and I know the truth. You are filled with pride and hate. You have no path forward unless you choose to do the impossible.”
“And what is that?” Rose asked, stunning Gersius that she was so willing to ask the question.
“You would have to give us your true name, and we would have to allow someone who could love you to bind you to their heart,” Lilly replied.
“Never!” Rose hissed as Lilly nodded that she understood.
“I said the same thing, and so did Shadros,” Lilly agreed. “But thankfully, we didn't have a choice as our lives were at stake. I was terrified when he bound me because I felt like I was little more than a pet. But then I started to feel his emotions over the bind, and before I knew what was happening, my eyes started to open.”
“You mean they were clouded,” Rose countered.
“No, I mean Solesta's curse started to lift, and I saw a world that had always been there, but I was blind to,” Lilly said. “You are fighting us because you can't see it, but our words hint at it. We can tell you are smart and starting to see the flaws in your logic that demand explaining. When you're ready to ask the questions, we will be happy to answer them.”
“You have nothing to teach me,” Rose said. “I know the truth and will not be swayed from my path. Dragons and humans are not meant to mingle, and doing so nearly caused the extinction of the dragons.”
“Only because Solesta changed her mind,” Lilly said. “Shadros was right about that too. Solesta was in full agreement with the plan from the beginning. She only changed her mind when it bore unexpected fruit. Then she reacted with rage and sparked a war that most of the divines stood against her over.”
“She saw the danger and acted to save us,” Rose insisted.
“By cursing you so you couldn't feel certain emotions?” Lilly asked. “That wasn't done to protect you. It was done to spite Balisha and prevent her blessing from spreading over the world.”
Gersius saw Rose flinch at that possibility and could see her light flashing with uncertainty. She was reeling from the debate and needed time to think through her feelings. Lilly read his thoughts and turned to nod her agreement, taking the lead and heading out of the room, leaving the two alone again.
“Aren’t you going to leave?” Rose asked as he considered her once more.
“I am going,” Gersius replied. “But I do so out of pity. I hate to see you this way.”
“Why would you care about me?” Rose asked.
“I care about all dragons,” Gersius replied. “But you are special to me. You see, humans have a tradition where if a man marries a woman who already has children, those children become his.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Rose asked.
“I have married your mother,” Gersius replied with a firm tone. “And that makes you my daughter.”
“I am not your daughter!” Rose screamed as her eyes burst into red flames.
“Believe what you want to believe,” Gersius replied as he turned to go. “I will see to it that you are given the best food, wine, and bedding I can offer. You will be kept here until the war ends, and then you will be set free.”
“You will never set me free,” Rose argued.
“I have no intention of keeping you,” Gersius said without turning to face her. “You have to choose your own path. We will offer you our perspective, but unlike Solesta, we won't force you to accept our beliefs.”
He walked out and left the woman to simmer in her anger, hoping those cracks in her armor were widening. He would have to tell Sarah about what transpired and hope she didn't take the news too harshly. Rose was firmly entrenched in her beliefs, and a few arguments were not going to peel away those barriers so easily.
He made his way to the upper halls, nodding to guards who saluted at his passing. He followed the pull of Sarah and Thayle to find them in a beautiful moment. They were naked, with Thayle laying with her back to Sarah's stomach as Sarah stroked Thayle's tummy. Thayle let out gentle sighs as Sarah rubbed gently, caressing the woman to soothe away her pains.
“You are permitted to speak,” Sarah said when she felt his presence in the room.
“What is going on here?” Gersius asked.
“She had another stomach ache, so I was helping to soothe it away,” Sarah explained. “How did it go with my daughter?”
Gersius explained the encounter, especially the painful rebuke by Shadros. Sarah seemed pleased that Rose had been given so stern an argument, but he could feel her anguish that nothing had truly changed.
“It will take time,” Gersius said.
“We don't have time,” Sarah reminded him. “Your armies are marching north and west as we speak. Already Gams is fighting border skirmishes, and bandersooks have suddenly appeared in the north. We can only assume the northern army is close behind, and our forces are not in place yet. We can't dawdle here to argue with my angry daughter; our empire needs us.”
Gersius wished he could argue with her, but the truth was undeniable. The true war had begun, and he was the one who fired the first shot. If he didn't follow up his attacks, the enemy would think him weak, which might embolden them. Still, he wished there was something he could do to ease Sarah's pain and some way to help her spend more time with her daughter.
“You can’t,” Sarah said as she dragged her nails up Thayle’s stomach. “We have to march, and she must stay here.”
Gersius joined them at the bed and placed a hand on Thayle's stomach to help soothe the hurting woman. Thayle smiled at the new touch and reached high to wrap her arms around Sarah's head. Gersius admired the loving scene and, for a brief moment, wondered how Rose would react to seeing such a thing.
“Probably with disgust,” Thayle replied as she opened her eyes to look up at him. “But you seem to be happy to see it.”
“I enjoy seeing my wives sharing love,” Gersius replied. “Still no cause of your stomach pains?”
“It’s just stress,” Thayle replied. “It will go away in a few days.”
“It’s already been going on longer than that,” Sarah quipped. “I can’t get it out of my mind that this is some new attack of our enemy.”
“Well, nobody has been able to detect anything,” Thayle reminded. “Evan Tavis came in to use his magic ring to look for weaves and found nothing.”
“That still doesn’t mean it isn’t an attack,” Sarah insisted.
“And it doesn't mean it is,” Thayle replied and stretched. “Besides, if it's going to get me attention like this, I don't know that I care.”
“You are a minx,” Sarah laughed and returned her gaze to Gersius. “Thank you for talking to her.”
“I will do what I can when I can,” Gersius offered. “But I think Shadros stung her. Her aura was filled with doubt, and her stinging words died off.”
“Let’s pray he did manage to make her question her beliefs,” Sarah agreed but felt sad over the bind. “But no matter the case, we must fly out in two days. As much as I want more time with her, I cannot turn my back on my responsibilities. The empire must come first, and that means we must go.”
“I hear Alyse should be in the city sometime today or tomorrow?” Thayle asked.
“She was going to stop here on her way north,” Gersius replied. “Jessivel is already here and will leave with Alayse once she gets here.”
“I hope those two can make it work,” Thayle said. “I have seen the light between them. They admire each other for various reasons, and I think Alayse feels something for him.”
Gersius found that hard to believe, but the light never lied, and it was apparently flowing between those two. It probably helped that they were often on assignment together and developed a strong complementary nature. Jessivel, by all accounts, saved Alayse's life by nearly sacrificing his own. That moment had touched the woman who, until then, held a great deal of distrust. Now she was one of his greatest commanders and leader of his largest army, with all the accolades to go with her new rank.
“Which is all she ever wanted,” Thayle said as she read his mind. “Alayse loves to be recognized.”
“She deserves it,” Gersius replied and dared to reach a little lower than Thayle’s stomach.
“Husband, don’t play in the garden unless you plan to water the plants,” Thayle scolded.
“I fear there is no time to tend the garden,” Gersius sighed.
“There is never any time to do anything,” Sarah interjected. “Perhaps we should go to the valley in the dream for a few hours later tonight. It might do us some good to pretend to be where we all wish we were.”
“Maybe,” Gersius said as he wished they could spend a week in a dream where they lounged in the valley. It was something that they all desired, but it was such a waste to sleep when he didn't need to. There were endless reports and maps to study. If he could stay up all night, he could personally handle many of the empire's challenges.
“We are sleeping for at least two hours,” Sarah insisted. “And we are spending it in bed.”
“You are already in bed,” Gersius pointed out, trying to be humorous.
“You will be in it with us, doing your duty as a husband,” Sarah insisted.
Gersius went to nod when an idea came to mind. What if they brought Rose to the valley to spend some time as a proper daughter? They could give her a bedroom and a place at the dinner table to share their lives. Maybe if she saw the life they were trying to build it might cause her to question her loyalties. He looked up from his thoughts to see the stunned looks on his wive's faces as Sarah started to cry.
“It was just a thought,” Gersius insisted.
“It was a beautiful thought,” Thayle replied.
“I wish we could do it,” Sarah sobbed. “Oh, I wish I could be her mother again.”
“Oh, is there no way we can devote the rest of the day and night to being in the dream?” Thayle asked. “Don't we deserve a moment away to be happy?”
“How will you convince her to sleep so you can bring her in?” Gersius asked.
“I don’t know,” Sarah cried. “But I want to hold my little rose in my arms.”
Gersius nodded and stood up, leaving the two women to hug as they wished for a miracle. Gersius kissed both their heads and promised to be back soon. He called for Lengwin and some other heads, asking them to meet him in the council chambers. He also sent a messenger to find Lilly and ask her to meet him in their personal chambers. Then he steeled his heart and went back below the palace, passing into deep halls where heavy doors sealed off rows of cells. He returned to find Rose sitting on the floor, sniffing at a plate of food as if certain it was poisoned.
“I can show you how to eat that,” Gersius said to get her attention. In an act of defiance, the woman looked up and batted the plate away, scattering the food across the floor. He began to wonder if having the woman in the dream was a good idea as Sarah so badly wanted a good experience. Rose might very well fill the whole event with frustration and pain, but he had to try for Sarah.
“I did not mean to anger you,” Gersius said. “I will have them bring you another plate so you can try it.”
“I don’t want your food,” Rose replied and looked away. “I want to be left alone until my master comes to free me.”
Gersius sighed and walked up the bars before sitting on the floor to meet her. She looked at him curiously as he leaned back and took a casual stance. He wanted to appear as unintimidating as possible before he broached the question he was about to ask.
“I was thinking about what happened between you, Lilly, and Sarah,” Gersius began. “I know Lilly overwhelmed you in the dream and forced you to a rose garden someplace.” Rose didn't say a word or acknowledge that she had been so easily dragged about by Lilly. She glared silently as Gersius debated his next words but chose to use them anyway.
“What if we all went into the dream together and spent a day or two alone to talk and learn about each other?” Gersius offered.
“I have nothing to learn from you,” Rose laughed. “Nor do I want to spend time with my fallen mother.”
“But she wants to spend time with you,” Gersius pressed. “She loves you, and she desperately wants to be able to tell you that. We have a place in the dream we frequently go where we have a little home and a private valley. You would be free to wander and think while your mother takes care of the home and her girls.”
“Her girls?” Rose repeated.
“She is a very old dragon and has a strong motherly nature,” Gersius explained. “She treats Lilly and Thayle like daughters most of the time.”
“Lilly is her daughter, but I do not know who this Thayle is,” Rose countered.
“A human woman,” Gersius replied. “Sarah is married to her as well as Lilly and I. We are all a family in the human sense, and Sarah has found great reward in caring for it.”
“She cares for rodents like they are her children?” Rose said with a look of disgust.
“No, you misunderstand,” Gersius sighed. “Look, it is difficult to explain unless you understand love. I know you do not; thus, anything I could say to try and help you see it will not suffice. But you could witness it and even participate a little. It would allow you to see why your mother has chosen this path.”
“Ha, and why would I want to do anything to honor her?” Rose asked.
“If you come and spend a full two days in our house without flaring with violent threats, I will set you free,” Gersius said.
“Free? Just like that?” Rose asked.
“I will escort you out of this cell myself and take you to the upper gardens where you can change forms and fly away,” Gersius agreed.
“You lie,” Rose accused. “Your word can’t be trusted.”
“I could always say I am not lying, but you will not believe me,” Gersius admitted. “But what have you got to lose? You could spend two days here in this cell alone, or you can spend it in our faraway home.”
Rose looked at him as a flashing appeared above her head. Gersius knew that light was a decision being strongly debated, and he offered silent thanks to the divines that she was even considering it.
“Two days, and you set me free?” Rose repeated.
“Two days, but you cannot make these two days torture for your mother. You are free to debate your beliefs and share your opinions, but you must keep your hatred in check. If you become too great a source of turmoil, I will have Lilly eject you from the dream, and your two days will have failed.”
“That’s not fair!” Rose snarled.
“Also, since you refuse to give us a name you would prefer, you will answer to the name Rose. You will also be free to wander, but you will sit down for meals with us. You don't have to eat them, but you must remain at the table until the rest of us are done.”
“So this is meant to torture me?” Rose replied.
“No,” Gersius said and ran his fingers through his hair. “This is meant to give us a chance to learn about you. Meals never last more than an hour, and we only have two of them a day. The rest of the time, you can lock yourself in your room or wander the valley for all I care.”
Rose looked at him with anger as her aura flashed with a terrible decision. When she finally replied, Gersius nodded and took his leave after explaining how they would proceed. He then went to the council chambers and met with the leadership. He laid out his plans for the next two days to confused faces who couldn't believe he would be asleep. Gersius went over the reason for the poorly timed dragon sleep but assured them that it had to be done for Sarah's sake. Tavis and Ayawa would take over the leadership of the empire while they were asleep and would be given full permission to wake them up if needed.
When it was all set, he went back upstairs to find the two women hadn't moved, but now Lilly was helping to stroke Thayle. They looked up when he entered the room and tried to read his thoughts, but he intentionally thought random things to confuse them.
“So what was so important I had to be called out of prayers with our followers?” Lilly asked.
Gersius smiled and walked up to the girls before taking one of Sarah's hands.
“Rose has agreed to spend two days with us in the dream, living in the valley,” Gersius explained.
Never in all the time he shared the bind did he feel such a mixture of thrill and pain. Sarah was delighted to hear the news and terrified of what might go wrong. She was so overcome she had to cover her face as she broke into tears.
“How in the name of the divines did you convince her to spend two days with us?”
Thayle asked.
Gersius dreaded this part as he explained how he promised to let her go. Sarah pulled her hands away as a look of dejection crossed her face. She didn't like the idea of her daughter running back to the enemy to die on some other battlefield later. Gersius explained it was the only way to get her to agree and then went over all the terms. She could express her opinions all she wanted, but she was not allowed to let her anger rampage. She also had to sit down for meals and agree to allow them to call her Rose. If she lost control and turned the experience into a struggle, she would be removed from the dream, and the terms of their agreement would fail.
“So we have two days to convince her to stay?” Lilly asked as she looked at the other women.
“Two days,” Thayle replied with a nod. “I don’t see how we can do it.”
“I don't care how we do it,” Sarah said as she looked at Gersius. “But I will find a way to reach my daughter.”
Comments
Sam4005
Ty for chapy 😊
