The Dragon's Kiss

Chapter 12 - Accepting

Days went by in a blur, as Ashley spent her days training, and her nights resting. Neither her, nor Haco spoke about the undeniable attraction between them, or about their 'almost' kiss, but an air of awkwardness and tension remained around them at all times. It showed in the smallest of tasks, whether he was tying the strings of her jacket for her, or was teaching her how to kill an opponent with one blow of her sword. They found themselves staring at each other for a bit longer than was needed, their hands lingering on each other's bodies just a little a bit more, as both of them would be extremely aware of the physical contact. She would blush often, whilst his eyes would widen and he'd quickly look away, his jaw clenching to keep himself at bay. 

The strangest thing was, both of them seemed to enjoy it. The longing, the racing hearts, the heavy breaths, and the eye contacts. It was their quiet little secret which could not be discussed even when no else was around, even when they were the only ones present. 

"Bulls eye!" Ashley yelled, a satisfied grin on her face. Her knife had just hit the mark, after hours of stressful practice. 

"Yes," Rieker exclaimed proudly, tapping her shoulder. "See, I'm the best trainer among us."

"There is an imposter among us," Ashley replied in a sing-song tone, grinning at him. She received confused glances from the others, making her roll her eyes. "Never mind. It's an online game back in my... realm." 

She was still not used to the terms she'd be using on a daily basis on Lyrous. Everything around her was too real to be a dream, but too magical to be reality. But she was certain of one thing: it was not a nightmare. Once she had learned to be slightly more accepting, things had started to fall into place. She was spending more time with the 'Golden Trio'--as she liked to call them--and getting to know them better. In the past days, she had learn that Rieker was a much better cook than Haco was, and that not every dish on Lyrous tasted like salted bread. She had learned that Migara used to be a chubby little girl when she was young, and that Haco used to call her cucurbota, which was pumpkin in Lyreon, because of it. 

"You're not the best trainer, you're a fox," Migara declared, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's the one who's smart."

"Oh yeah?" Rieker mocked, narrowing his eyes. "Why doesn't she shoot arrows that well then, huh?"

"Why don't you?" Migara raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't start a fight here, guys," Haco announced, riding towards them on Valak's back.

"He's here!" Ashley chirped, a grin stretching on her face. She ignored the little flutter of her heart, and quickly ran up to him as he jumped off the stripe. "Give me," she said, attempting to snatch the bag from his hands. But he easily dodged her, and held it above her head, grinning.

"Not so easily," he teased, smirking down at her.

Ashley narrowed her eyes. "Haco. Hand it to me right now."

"Or what?" he mocked, stepping closer to her. 

She blinked at him, glancing at him and then the bag. A sly smile stretched across her lips, and she closed the space between them, gazing into his eyes. She placed her hands on his chest, glancing at his lips and then back into his eyes. "Haco," she whispered, breathing heavily.

He hummed in response, his eyes turning a darker shade of blue, his gaze dropping to her lips.

"I..." she trailed off, moving her hand upwards, to his shoulder. 

Haco tensed up, and his grin faltered. She leaned in even closer, her chest pressing against his front, making him blink down at her in confusion, as well as disguised alarm, trying to hide something entirely else.

"What on Lyrous are you doing?" Rieker asked, snapping him out of the trance. 

But it was too late, Ashley's fingers were already wrapped around the handle of the bag, that he had absent-mindedly lowered. She yanked it out of his grip and quickly moved away from him, a huge smile on her face.

"I was showing you I'm fit for the task," she said, winking at Haco.

He clenched his jaw and looked away from her, clearly annoyed.

Migara let out a laugh.

"That actually was pretty good."

"I know, right?"

"Yes, now share that with me." Migara hurried to her, her gaze stuck on the bag.

"Of course," Ashley grinned, "you're my best friend."

She fished out the box of snow-yellow cakes from the bag, and handed one to Migara, before biting into one herself. The sour, yellow syrup oozed in her mouth, and she closed her eyes, letting out a contented moan.

Rieker let out a chuckle, walking up to her. "You really are perfect to seduce the Prince, domina," he said, a mischievous grin on his face. She opened her eyes, raising her eyebrows at him as she swallowed the cake. "You moan like that in front of him, and he'll give you anything you ask him for," he said softly, his voice slightly hoarse. He leaned in closer to her, his eyes on her lips. She blinked, leaning back, as he used his thumb to rub off a drop of syrup on her lower lip. He then met her gaze again. "I know I would."

"Alright, that's enough," Migara announced, clapping her hand over his mouth and pushing him back by the face. "I am not here to watch my brother be gross with a girl I care about. Go away."

Rieker pushed her hand off, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Get off me."

"You, stay off her, scorta."

Haco snorted, letting out a laugh as he lowered his gaze.

"Did you just call your elder brother, a scorta?" Rieker asked incredulously.

"What does that mean?"

"It means w***e," Haco replied, chuckling. He walked over to Ashley, taking the box from her hands and helping himself with a cake. She glanced up at him, but looked away when he met her gaze.

"Yes, I did. What are you gonna do about it?" Migara challenged, crossing her arms.

"Father will hear of this," Rieker threatened, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Oh, sure. He'd love to know what you did last year."

"What?"

"Behind Haco's cottage."

"What did he do behind my cottage?" Haco turned around, frowning.

Rieker's eyes widened. "You wouldn't, Migara," he seethed.

"Yes, I would," Migara smiled. "Remember what happened when you almost set my hair on fire? This is gonna be worse," she warned.

"You're such a b***h," Rieker muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"There. The scales have levelled. I called you a scorta, you called me a b***h. And just for the record, I don't know what you did behind Haco's cottage. I said it randomly."

"You little--" he tried to grab her, but she slipped away, running off. "Get back here!" Rieker yelled, chasing after her, while the air echoed with Migara's crazed laughter.

Ashley laughed as well, shaking her head at them, before she turned to Haco.

"This means he did do something behind your cottage, though," she remarked, stuffing the last bite of her cake into her mouth.

Haco glanced at her, a smile stretching across his lips. "He has done a million stupid things in every corner of Maleficus." He chuckled. "My cottage seems to be within that radius."

"Ahan." Ashley nodded, pursing her lips before she swallowed the bite. "Um, he set Migara's hair on fire?" she asked.

Haco let out another chuckle. "That was years ago. I'll tell you some other time. Or, actually, it'd be better if Migara told you herself. You two seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah." Ashley nodded. "We actually do. I've never met such a badass girl before."

"A what girl?"

"A bad-ass. It just means someone who's... well, tough. Strong, and--"

"Like you?"

Heat crept up her cheeks and her eyebrows furrowed together, the corners of her lips tugging upwards. "Maybe." She shrugged, biting her lip.

Haco smiled, before looking away from her.

- - - -

Rieker put his arm around Ashley's shoulder, as the four of them walked down an empty street of Maleficus. It was particularly bright that night, as the blue moon sailed up in the sky, which was surprisingly also littered with stars, casting a faint blue glow all around. And then there were the skydrops, or as Ashley liked to call them, the blue fireflies, that levitated around them, making everything look empyreal. 

"What does Lyrous have with the color blue?" Ashley asked, glancing at Rieker. They were walking ahead, with Migara and Haco following close behind, arguing whether snow-yellow cakes tasted better than the sea-lava ones.

"What do you mean?" Rieker asked, taking a sip of his lemongrass wine.

"Can you stop drinking that?" She scrunched up her nose. "It doesn't smell nice."

Rieker snorted. "It's not for the weak."

She narrowed her eyes. "You mean I'm weak?"

"No, no you're not." He shook his head, before burping.

"Ew!" Ashley scolded, trying to push his arm off, but he leaned even more of his weight on her.

"Come on, Ash. It can't be that bad." He gave her a toothy grin.

"You're an i***t. A fox."

"But you love that about me, don't you?"

"Not at all."

He chuckled, leaning his head against hers as well. "You know, domina. It's been a long time, since I saw Haco genuinely happy. He's smiling a lot these days. I think you may have... fixed him."

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't think he needed fixing," she replied. "I mean, apart from being a kidnapper, with a slight OCD and the lack of an ability to fail in anything, he seemed pretty normal."

Rieker laughed, nodding. "You changed that lack of ability. He went to get the beautiful Goddess, brought back an equally gorgeous human girl with an amazing sense of humor. A good one, but still a failure."

"Wow, you're extremely honest today," she said sarcastically. "Thank you for that really confusing compliment."

"What are you guys talking about?" Haco asked, as he and Migara finally caught up to them. "And get off her, drunkard." He took her arm and pulled her away from him, taking Rieker's arm and putting it around his own shoulder. 

"I was about to ask him what his father did when he set Migara's hair to fire," Ashley said, glancing at Migara for an answer.

Her eyes lit up with mischief and she grinned. "Oh he got flogged. Thirty seven times."

Ashley gaped, glancing at Haco. "Is that true?"

"Pretty much."

"That's... abusive."

"Not here," Rieker replied, rolling his eyes. "We're raised to be tough warriors. These little things don't affect us."

"How old were you?"

"I don't know, it was around sixty years ago. I was a child."

Ashley stopped walking.

"What?"

"What?"

"What's wrong why'd you stop?" Migara asked.

"How old are you now?" she asked, a deep frown on her face.

"Almost ninety-something. Why?"

She sucked in a breath, her mouth agape.

"Ashley, is everything okay?" Haco asked.

"How long do you guys live?" she asked, an incredulous look on her face. "How is this even possible?"

"Most of us live till three hundred. Before the Battle, we lived much lesser."

"What Battle?"

Migara glanced at Haco. "You haven't told her?"

"Of course he has. That's the main thing. How could he not?" Rieker scoffed.

"No, I haven't. She already had too much on her plate, and I didn't want to scare her further."

"Scare me?"

"Haco," Migara said in disbelief. "What's wrong with you?" She stepped in front of him.

"Alright," he sighed, pushing Rieker's arm off. "You guys are welcome to tell her. I can't... I can't look her in the eye, and tell her what those damned fire-breathers did. Not when we are sending her into their home."

"Haco," Migara scolded. "That's not fair. She deserves to know everything."

"So tell me," Ashley said, shrugging. "What Battle? What's really going on?" 

Now that she thought about it, Ashley realized she knew nothing about the Goddess, or what happened to her. She knew nothing of the history of Lyrous, or of the reason the casters lived in a cloaked city like that. Why were the fire-breathers considered so barbaric? Why were they hated so much? All she had cared about was getting trained to be able to protect herself. But what was she protecting herself from?

"Okay," Migara said, taking Ashley's shoulders. "We cannot do this here. Not like this." She glanced at Haco. "I wanna do it the way we were told."

"As a bed-time story?" Rieker frowned.

"No," Migara clicked her tongue. "The ring around the fire."

Haco scoffed. "Really?"

"Yes. You get the wood with Valak. And... you get the snacks. Rieker isn't in a condition to travel, and Ashley can't be left alone."

"So I'll stay with her," he whined. "Why do I have to do all the work everytime?"

"Because you're nice. Now go."

Haco rolled his eyes, while Rieker snickered. 

"Fine."

"You come here," Migara grabbed Ashley's arm and looped it with hers, "let's go to Haco's cottage. We can sit outside of it, on the grass."

"Great."

- - - -

Ashley watched the flames dance in front of her, as she warmed her hands in the heat. Haco and Rieker were near the trees, as Rieker puked his guts out and Haco rubbed his back, cursing at him for drinking too much. Meanwhile, Migara gently braided Ashley's hair, doing a beautiful braid-crown for her, similar to the one she wore that day. It looked gorgeous on her thick, red hair, but Ashley wasn't very certain of how it would suit her. She had always considered such hairstyles to be too girlish and feminine for her liking, but seeing a badass warrior proudly wear one had changed her perspective. 

"Your hair feels good," Migara said, tugging at a strand.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It looks better than when you showed up. With that black... what did you call it?"

"Dye."

"Yeah, that weird, creepy thing."

Ashley chuckled. "I think that color suited me. It's a lot like my soul, you know."

Migara scoffed. "You're far from darkness, Ashley, trust me. I have seen dark." She gazed towards the trees, a soft chuckle escaping her lips when she saw Haco slap the back of Rieker's head. 

"I bet you have," Ashley replied, glancing up at her. Migara roughly pushed her head back down.

"Ow," she yelped, scowling.

"Head down. You'll ruin the hairstyle."

"Sorry."

"What was I saying again? Oh yes. Your hair. I think the water is suiting your skin and body."

"I don't think so."

"When's the last time you've seen yourself?" Migara asked, rolling her eyes. "I know Haco doesn't even have a stupid glass."

"Now that you mention it, why doesn't he? What human can live without--"

"He's not human."

"Fine, what creature can live without a mirror?"

"A lot of them, actually," Migara snorted.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I know," she smiled. "He's a fox. That's why I call him that."

Ashley took a deep breath. "Anyway, you think my hair is growing longer too?"

"It is."

"But how's that even possible? That's so quick."

"It's how it is," Migara replied, shrugging. Ashley felt something prick her scalp, and she hissed, the scowl returning on her face. Migara tapped her head, smiling proudly. "Perfect."

"I wanna see," Ashley frowned, touching her hair, only to have Migara slap her hands away.

"Don't touch, you'll ruin it," she scolded. "Wait, I'll summon a glass for you."

"Summon?"

"Yeah, it's this service we have for females here. We can get a glass anytime we want, provided we pay a certain amount of dalons for it every week."

"Those coins, right? With that... name."

"Yes."

Migara closed her eyes and joined her hands together, muttering something under her breath. Ashley glanced down at the ground, noticing how the lively grass near Migara's feet suddenly turned brown and dull, as if wilting. She realized Migara accidentally, or purposely, drew power from its life source. She remembered asking Haco about it. "Castery has a price. We always need a source of power. Divignus was an unlimited one, but the dracones locked it away," he had said. The Daughter of Light was a source herself. She could make the mountains move, and the sea rage. The thought made her heart race. What must have happened to her, if she was indeed so powerful?

"Look," Migara grinned, pulling Ashley out of her thoughts. She now had a small circular mirror in her hands, and she quickly handed it to her. "Careful with the edges. It's sharp."

Ashley glanced into the small mirror, her eyes widening. The girl staring back at her was someone she hardly recognized. Her hair, indeed, was shiny and full of life, her eyelashes longer and thicker than she remembered. Even her lips and cheeks looked pinker, as if she had coated them in her sister's liquid blush. 

"What the hell?" she whispered, frowning. 

"What's wrong?" Migara asked. "You don't like it?"

"No," she shook her head. "I mean, I love the braid-crown. I just... I look so different."

"I told you not to call it a braid-crown. It's a twist-band."

"Braid crown sounds much better now."

"No it doesn't. It doesn't even make sense. How is that a crown? A crown is decorated with jewels. Twist-bands are decorated with flowers."

"Then call it a twist-garden. What band is decorated with flowers?"

Migara scoffed. "An Earther like you wouldn't understand."

"So now I'm an Earther? That's such a stupid term." She gaped.

"You're the stupid one."

"You wish."

"Finally," Haco sighed, dragging Rieker back to them. He pushed him down, making him sit on the ground. "This lad wouldn't stop vomiting. Disgusting dracone."

"That's too insulting, even for him, Haco," Migara said in disapproval.

"Is he okay?" Ashley frowned. "He looks like he's about to pass out."

"He's fine," Haco replied. "He's just--"

Ashley glanced at him when he stopped mid-sentence. He was staring right back at her, his mouth slightly parted, admiration glimmering in his intent gaze.

"What's wrong?" she asked, unsure whether the heat from the fire was seeping into her cheeks, or her body was producing its own.

"You... You look beautiful," he said, a soft smile on his face. "Nice work, Mig."

Ashley felt her heart skip a beat, and she lowered her gaze, tucking one of the loose strands behind her ear. Migara had left them out to frame her face, twirling them around her fingers to give them a slight wave. Surprisingly, they remained that way, even without hairspray or any heat. Migara's fingers really do have magic. 

"Thanks," Migara said to Haco, sitting down beside Ashley. "Now that we're all gathered here, why don't we begin the story?"

"You do it," Haco shrugged, sitting down opposite to Ashley. The flames burned between them, and they stared at each other through the soft orange glow.

"Alright. I'm the best story teller amongst all of us anyway."

- - - -

Liana lay still in bed, staring at the ceiling as tears rolled down the sides of her face. She turned her head and glanced at the single bed beside hers. The one that belonged to her sister. She stood up from her own and walked over to it, sitting down. Her hand traced over the black, cotton bedsheet, and she closed her eyes, as more tears left them. Every single thing in that room served as a constant reminder of the one who had lived there with her, but did not anymore. The walls still seemed to echo the sound of Ashley's giddy laugh, yet the clean, neat bedsheet was proof that she was gone. Because if she had been there, it would have been creased and dirty, with crumbs of chips and popcorn all over, and stains of ketchup and coffee.

Liana sniffed, wiping away the fresh tears with the back of her hand.

The uneasiness and anxiety within her had rippled away by now. All that was left was grief and numbness. And a brooding, unavoidable feeling of complete helplessness. Her sister was her world. She was all she had ever known. Nothing mattered to her more than her, and she had been ripped away from her by a mysterious, strange man, under equally mysterious, strange circumstances. Not a night passed by where she did not dream about her. Not a day passed by that she did not miss her. She had been to every detective she could find, spoken to countless police officers, and had even consulted a paranormal investigator. But every attempt had led her to one dead end, or another. All her attempts had been futile, and nothing, absolutely nothing made her feel a step closer to her sister.

"Liana?" There was a faint knock on the door.

She wiped away her tears and ran a hand through her hair, clearing her throat.

"Yes, Mom?"

Mrs. Parker peeked inside, not having the courage to walk in. "Honey, we're leaving. You sure you don't wanna come?"

"I'm sure. I'll be fine." She gave her a small smile.

Mrs. Parker sighed, finally entering the room. 

"Lia, it has been weeks. There has been no call for ransom, the cops have found out nothing. You need to allow yourself to breathe, my Love. I... I can't lose you too," she begged, her voice breaking at the end. 

"Mom," Liana sighed, walking up to her. She pulled her into a hug, blinking back her own tears. "I know," she whispered, sniffing. "I'm doing the best I can, I promise. Ashley was my whole world. Heck, we... we named each other, Mom. I can't just... it's gonna take time. At least not until I know what actually happened to her. You need to understand, she is my rock. My sister, my best friend. She is a part of me. I can't just snap my fingers and be okay, not even for you guys. I cannot be strong for you guys, not when it comes to her."

Mrs. Parker nodded, letting out a sob as she hugged Liana tighter. "I understand, I understand baby. I'm so sorry for this, I'm so sorry for failing you girls as a mother."

"Don't say that," Liana shook her head, feeling guilt clench at her heart. "It was my fault, Mom. I should have stopped her. I should have woken you up, I--"

"No," Mrs. Parker cut her off, pulling away from the hug. She cupped Liana's cheeks, wiping away her tears with her thumbs. "It's not your fault, my sunshine. It's not. How were you supposed to know, that a monster was waiting for you around the corner? There was no way you could have known, don't blame yourself, baby. Do you understand?"

Liana nodded, leaning her head on her mother's shoulder again. "Thank you."

"Shh," she whispered, rubbing the back of her head. "Just take care of yourself, okay? We'll be back in three hours. Please don't do anything stupid."

Liana sniffed, nodding. "I'd never. Not without knowing where she is."

"Caroline! We have to go."

Liana pulled away from her mother, wiping away her tears and giving her a small, but reassuring smile. "I'll be fine," she promised.

Mrs. Parker nodded, caressing her cheek, before she turned and left the room. Liana hurried to the window, and waited, until their car pulled out of the driveway and they sped away. She took in a deep breath, as her hammered in her chest. Once she was sure they were gone and weren't coming back for quite a bit, she pulled out her phone from her drawer.

Her fingers trembled and her breath hitched, as she dialed the number. She was unsure of whether it would still work, whether he would still pick up, but it was worth a try. Ashley was worth a try. 

The familiar eerie music played as the caller tune, sending chills up her spine, as the hair on the back of her neck stood alert.

And then she heard the silence, as well as the soft breathing sounds, waiting for her to speak first.

"El-Elroy?" she squeaked out, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down the side of her face.

There was a silence again, after which he finally spoke, causing her heart to almost stop for a second.

"Mon coeur... Is that really you?"

She could practically hear his sinister smile, and bile rose up her throat, as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Y-Yes," she stuttered, gulping.

He laughed, making her stomach twist.

"To what do I owe the pleasure? I never thought I'd hear that beautiful voice again."

She took a deep breath.

"I want to see you. Right now."

- - - - - -