[center][img]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/XxKayla36xX/Kiara.png[/img] [h1]&[/h1][img]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/XxKayla36xX/Sulleykaar%20-%201.png[/img][/center]


Kiara abruptly changed direction as she walked beside Sulleykaar. She was not heading back out the way that they had come in, which would probably anger him, but she had her reasons. She held her long skirts up with tiny fists as her bare feet padded along the stoney hallway headed toward the west wing of the castle. Kiara wasn’t herself, no bubbliness or snarky comments, just silence as she went her own way.


The revelation of his true intentions and they way he had to do so was unforgivable, even by his standards. It would just added to the laundry least of guilt-ridden actions he had made over his long life. He would hold the weight of this until he departed into the nothingness that was every dragon’s fate but at that moment it had to be done, for the better of the realm. He sighed until his attention was drawn to the change of sound next to him. His sight shot over to the new direction that Kiara had taken and he stopped. [color=9e0b0f]“Kiara I said to follow me...Where are you going?”[/color] he asked with a stern voice.


[color=gray]”To my chambers.”[/color] she said flatly without even turning.


[color=9e0b0f]“To what? Grieve over the death of a false rolemodel? Kiara, she was nothing more than a pawn in the grand scheme of things for the Children of Tiamat. Crying will do nothing for you.[/color] he said harshly. There seemed to be no sympathy on his end but that was far from the truth. It did hurt him that he killed what seemed to be her [i]only[/i] role model but what he said held true. He slowly made his way over to her. [color=9e0b0f]“ If you want to do anything, use those emotions in training to prepare yourself for what might be the fate of your realm and protect those left that you still do care for.”[/color] He said softly.


Kiara had stopped abruptly as soon as he mentioned Hyumae. She dropped the hem of her dress back down and her fingers twitched angrily at her sides while she listened. The faerie practised calming breaths like she was taught at Rosa Claire, to keep her emotions in check and the surrounding building intact. She turned on her heel to face him, looking cold, but not particularly fierce. [color=gray]”I just wanted to change out of my gown before training, [i]ass hole[/i]. Do I look ready to fight right now?”[/color] she gestured to the sweeping train of her skirts. It was a cumbersome garment, worn to please the eye but useless in pretty much every other way. The faerie spun back around and marched the next few yards to her suite, swinging the door open with a loud clang. How dare he. [i]How dare he[/i]  speak to her like that about Hyumae. She was so frustrated that angry-sad tears welled up in her eyes. But she wouldn’t cry, she [i]couldn’t[/i] cry now and give him the pleasure in being right.


[color=9e0b0f]“Kyla...Go prepare for the ambush…”[/color] He commanded her. With a simple nod she went off to meet with the others from the Order. Sulleykaar looked down the hall before he sighed. This was going to be tough was his only thought. He decided to move towards her room and wait just outside the doors as he thought about what was to come. There was more to the vision he had but he would only give them pertinent details. Everything else would come in time. The only thing that wasn’t certain was whether or not they would succeed. He contemplated something before he came to a concrete decision. He walked into the room. At the center of the sitting area stood a massive tree with gnarly roots that reached to the far corners of the space. Ethereal lights hung suspended at different lengths from the tree’s branches, lighting up the walls enough to reveal a fine collection of paintings. Some were beautiful and bright, others were dark and terrifying, but they all had a similar style. Water trickled down from the back corner of the room and followed the left side wall in a stream that lead to the pool in the center of the castle. The decor itself was quite lavish, especially the pillowy red couch with gold trimmings beside Sulleykaar. 


He slowly took it all in. It was what he had expected of the faerie royal family. Luxurious and yet natural. However, it was the paintings that he was drawn to, more importantly, the one that looked like it was a portrait of the one he killed. He shook his head lightly before he sighed. With a glowing had he tapped the painting. It glowing dimly with  greenish hue before the light diminished. The dragon shifted over a bit to the next painting and took it in before tapping it again, the light disappearing from it. After a few more he moved over towards the couch and sat down. 


Kiara silently went to her bedroom and stripped off the elaborate costume. She felt like a different person from the one who put it on this morning. Once prized cattle, and now seemingly a slave. She sat naked on her bed and rubbed her face. First her mother, now Hyumae, and her father… she had little left in the Court to ‘care about’ let alone risk her life fighting for. The stupid dragon knew nothing. She would learn this “old scale” and she would master it, and then student would turn on master. Fuck his prophecy, she was the author of her fate, not him. With that, she dressed in a loose tank top, shorts, and tights. The garments were usually worn under faerie armor, but the dragon knew that she had no real use for that, she just wanted something easier to move around in. She braided her scarlet locks into one solid braid and tied it with leather cords.


[color=gray]“Let’s go.”[/color] Kiara said coldly once walking out of her room and seeing Sulley sitting down.


[color=9e0b0f]“Did you pack sleeping gear?”[/color] He said with an eyebrow raise as he looked at her.


[color=gray]”Why? Am I not allowed to sleep in my own bed?”[/color] she asked in rapid response. Where then would she be sleeping? Gods no, he better not be trying to imply...


[color=9e0b0f]“We won’t be coming back for a while. So I suggest you take the essentials and get yourself ready to go.”[/color] The dragon said as he stood up and looked at her with a soft smile.


Kiara’s lip twitched angrily [color=gray]”Why are you smiling? Is this funny to you?”[/color] that sounded a bit more like the regular Kiara, if only for a moment.


[color=9e0b0f]“Sorta…”[/color] He walked over to the door and turned his head to face her. [color=9e0b0f]“You just remind me of...well...me. I’ll wait for you out here. I trust that you know what to grab.”[/color] He gave her a small nod and stepped out, the end of his crimson hair last to leave the doorway.


The faerie growled under her breath and spun back into her room. She stuffed cloth bag full of thing skirts and dresses, some furs in the rare instance that she might get cold, a bunch of pigments and paints, and, of course, make up. Truly a princess, through and through. Kiara tied the bag shut and hoisted it over her shoulder as if it were nothing. The bulging sack made her look comically small as she shoved her way past Sulleykaar in the hallway, heading for the nearest exit.


[center][img]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/XxKayla36xX/Sulleykaar%20-%201.png[/img][/center]

[center][h3]Eagle’s Reach[/h3][/center]


It took about a day for the pair to reach Riverrun. A trail ran along side of a crystal clear river complemented by flowers of all kinds and trees of all colors. On either end rose a mountainscape that seemed to never end. The smell of fresh flowers and the soothing sound of the water against the rocks filled their senses.The creatures of the area watched them closely but never took them away from their environment. It was peaceful and for Sulleykaar, held an immense amount of nostalgia. This was his home, his place of birth. The air felt peaceful and seemed to have a life of it’s own. The place, by nature, was saturated magically with a natural energy.


Kiara was perched up on a tree, sleeping on the branch. The morning sun wasn’t waking her as it should, and she slept like a rock after the previous day’s travel. Thankfully for the tree, she wasn’t quite so heavy when she was sleeping. Long, messy locks of red hair hung from the branch and danced in the gentle breeze.


[color=9e0b0f]”Kiara! We aren’t there yet. Let’s keep a move on!”[/color] The loud, unwelcomed voice warranted a couple of grumpy grunts before Kiara rolled carefully on the branch to face the opposite direction from Sulleykaar. The dragon bit his tongue before clicking it. 


[color=9e0b0f]”Come down now by yourself or else…”[/color] He gave her her final ultimatum. The sleepy faerie curled her wings in close around her defiantly. The next thing that she would feel would be the tree shaking violently with a blast of wind to match in the form of a whitish cone. Kiara fell from the branch rather gracelessly, landing on her hands and knees with a small squeak. She glared up through blinky, sleep-crusted eyes at the now laughing dragon who smiled playfully at her. Kiki rubb her eyes and then stood up.


[color=gray]”You are the worst creature in all the realms.”[/color] she mumbled before slinging the heavy pack over her shoulders and yawning. [color=gray]”Okay, I’m ready.”[/color] she said, though she didn’t really feel it.


[color=9e0b0f]”We’re almost at the halfway point. Let’s go.”[/color] He smiled as he lead her up a trail. The trail held a steady inclined to what could possibly been the mountain they had been walking next to but it wasn’t certain yet. Soon enough they hit a clearing and Sulley stopped abruptly as long breeze lifted his hair up behind him. [color=9e0b0f]”Over there-”[/color] he pointed out towards the [url=http://cdn.desktopwallpapers4.me/wallpapers/fantasy/1920x1200/1/6899-mountain-1920x1200-fantasy-wallpaper.jpg]mountain[/color] in the distance. [color=9e0b0f]”[url=http://orig12.deviantart.net/7bec/f/2009/365/0/8/08e449774d9b129b5a9dc8080b419234.jpg]This[/url] is Eagle’s Peak.”[/color] he said with a bit of nostalgia in his voice.


Kiara looked out at the vast expanse of trees. There were even islands of stone and lang that floated in the sky. That was what really impressed Kiara, stone that floats, she envied it. [color]”This is where you are from?”[/color] she asked, though she already knew the answer.


[color=9e0b0f]”Was…”[/color] He said somberly as he looked towards the mountain in the distance. A twitch at his mouth. He looked to Kiara with smile. [color=9e0b0f]”I think we have walked enough.”[/color] He turned to his right lept forward as he morphed into his dragon form. 


Only because Sulleykaar wouldn’t see it, Kiara smiled wide. Was he going to let her fly again?


[color=9e0b0f][b]”Don’t do anything brash this time Vo Hahdrim because I [i]will not[/i] catch you this time.”[/b][/color] He said in a lie to himself.


[color=gray]”Good… I wouldn’t need you to.”[/color] was all she promised before hiking herself and her pack up onto his back. It would be tough to tell which weighed more at this point.


He brought a large claw up to her side and tapped her gently as a greenish hue engulfed her from the waist down. He leaned his massive head over the side to see the height and nodded to himself. [color=9e0b0f]”This will do nicely.”[/color] He looked over at her with his big slitted eye that held...something mischievous in it as he opened his wings at its fullest length.


[color=gray]”Hey!”[/color] she called out as she felt a warm tingling sensation from the waist down. It wasn’t wholly unpleasant, but also wasn’t permitted by her. [color=gray]”This is my body, thank you very much!”[/color] The dragon unfurled his wings, clearly paying no mind to her complaints.


He leaned backwards and with a strong and might lunge, lept off the mighty mountain at an incredibly steep angle, coming close to terminal velocity. Kiara’s heart lurched at the sudden gust of wind as the dragon jumped. The speed and thrill made her squeal like a kid on a rollercoaster, causing the dragon to look back with a toothy grin. Just before the ground met them he leaned back and his underbelly just touching the tip of the treeline as he sail over the river tilting to from side to side to until he balanced himself out. His massive wings flapped rhythmically as he flew between the floating mountains, coming in close to them for Kiara to see. The faerie gazed around in wonderment. This place was just as magical and lovely as her own home. Colorful, foreign birds zipped by, much smaller and faster than the red dragon. In the distance, she could see other avian creatures, maybe they were other dragons? They were too far away to be sure. Kiara relaxed  and leaned forward into the wind, letting her hair fly free behind her and closing her eyes, forgetting briefly the sadness and anger she had felt the past two days.


It didn’t take too long for them to arrive at the mountain’s cliff. It’s mass was enough for Sulley to move around comfortably and for him to teach Kiara. Carved out of the mountain was a rather large den, large even for a dragon. He descended onto the cliff lightly as he released the greenish hue attached to Kiara. He changed back slowly, getting small enough for Kiara to get off without falling. [color=9e0b0f]”We’re here…”[/color] He sighed as he made his way to the den. [color=9e0b0f]”Go into the den and make yourself comfortable….Well at least as comfortable as you can. I will call you out here at sunset. I have something to do first.”[/color] He insisted.


Kiara looked to the den and then back to Sulleykaar. This was the most freedom she’d been given since their journey began, so she was naturally suspicious. [color=gray]”Okay…”[/color] she said quietly. She had just had far too much fun to keep up being angry, instead she just pulled her pack along and headed for the den. Once inside, she started unpacking her things. She laid out the clothes in a nice, flat pile and then arranged her paints in neat rows beside her make-up. The faerie sat cross-legged and used the small hand mirror to apply shadow to her eyes. She [i]could[/i] just use glamour to change her appearance, but she like the art of physically applying it. And while she might be spending the majority of this trip fighting, that didn’t mean she couldn’t look good doing it.


Sulleykaar still hadn’t returned, so Kiki poked around a bit. The land offered some fruits and small berries to eat. She was hungry, but such food wasn’t what she required for sustenance. When was the last time she fed? She couldn’t remember… that wasn’t good. Ignoring the hunger pains, Kiara went back into the den to find something distracting to do. She opened a few pots of paint and dry pigments to mix in to alter the hues before application. Kiara had no canvas, but the stony wall would do just fine. Closing her eyes, she remembered the view from up above on the dragon’s back and attempted to recreate it in vibrants shades of blue and green.


[center][h2]Sunset[/h2][/center]


It had taken all day but he felt he did right. He sighed as he looked on at it, guilt slowly filled him as he made his way back to the den to fetch Kiara. [color=9e0b0f]”Kiara...I have something I want you to see. It took me all day to make it look right so I do hope you appreciate it.”[/color] He said with some sadness in his voice. Kiara jumped in surprise. Her fingers were covered in paint, but she nodded. Sulley turned and lead her back out to the cliff side. 


The night was beautiful. A light breeze despite where they were but below in the valley the earth seemed to slowly begin to illuminate with a natural light and before the two. Decorated with two pictures from her room on makeshift stands, a pyre sat, on stone and sticks in an elegant and simple manner. Carved out around it, the symbol of the Unseelie court and in Fae’len, “To Hyumae, beloved mother and teacher. May she be welcomed back to the earth with open arms.” He stood there stoically and in a tense posture, awaiting her response. 


For a while, Kiara just stood there silently. She recognized the paintings immediately, were they real? Did he take them from her room and she didn’t notice?  The face that stared back at her hurt to look at for too long, so she moved her eyes to the pyre and inscription carved out. That was what really did it. She wrapped her paint-covered hands over her arms as one would hug oneself and her lower lip quivered. He glance over at her. Should he? Should he not? He made that split decision and moved in next to her, wrapping a single arm around her shoulder and gently rubbed his thumb over her shoulder. He wanted to say something but instead stayed silent for the moment. The moment of kindness, of physical touch, it was too much and her quivering lip turned into a full on sob. She turned and buried her face into the dragon’s chest, half embarrassed at her outburst.


He simply held her, rubbing her back in consolation. Each tear drop only reminding him of the pain he caused her and it ripped into him. They stayed like that for some time as night came. The valley now a glowing sea of life. He gently let her go for a moment as he went over to the pyre. At this point, Kiara had reined herself in a bit more. In the silence, she had reached a moment of clarity, that maybe, just maybe, she was angry with the wrong people. She watched Sulleykaar through a new set of eyes as he walked up to the pyre.


[color=9e0b0f]”Neh viir yol.”[/color] He spit a small flame from his mouth and caught it as it slowly changed from an intense orange to a soft purple. He waited a moment before gently kneeling down and  placing the fire in the carved out trench, slowly wrapping its way in a spiral and and branching off in different ways until a flaming purple symbol of the Court remained. The pyre now burning softly in the night. Sulley left his head down for a moment before rising, a light breeze picking up his hair. [color=9e0b0f]”Kiara… The Unseelie are taught at a young age that [i]‘Honor is a lie’[/i] and so far all I have proved was that it is true...and for that I am truly sorry. I don’t expect forgiveness but..”[/color] He said with his head down. Kiara walked up to him and stood up on her tip toes, even having to use her wings briefly to quickly kiss his cheek. 


[color=gray]”Thank you.”[/color] she said quietly and brought her eyes to the flames. Her breathing was steady and the tears had stopped. A warrior knows when to accept loss. She held her hand out, spreading her fingers far apart and the earth on the sides of the pyre trembled. When she closed her fist, bits of dirt caved in, burying the flames. [color=gray]”Chȗ aan doumhain.”[/color] [i]to the earth[/i], she said in Fae’len.


His eyes followed hers over to the fire and they softened as he watched her bring the ceremony to its final close. He took in a trembling breath as he turned to face her, a fierce yet determined glint in his eyes. [color=9e0b0f]”From here on out... I will teach you everything I know...Every spell, every enchantment and every Old Scale magic I have at my disposal..I will show you the truth.”[/color] He walked over to her and knelt down, his head low.


Kiara nodded [color=gray]“No more lies.”[/color] she met eyes with him again.


[color=9e0b0f]”“No more lies”[/color]He repeated as he looked up at her. It felt strange to look down at him, she hardly ever looked down to anyone, small as she was. She looked away from him awkwardly, looking like she had something to say but was struggling to spit the words out. He scanned her eyes and looked at her slightly confused. He looked away briefly before raising to his feet. The words never came, they could wait. Kiara breathed in and then exhaled loudly. 


[color=gray]”So…. When do we start?”[/color] she asked. 


[color=9e0b0f]”Tomorrow...It will be a long day so make sure to get plenty of rest.”[/color] He begun to walk away until she spoke up.


That reminded her, it wasn’t rest she needed at the moment. [color=gray]”Uhm…. Do you know how my people eat?”[/color] she asked and chewed her lower lip. He looked at her for a moment and nodded slightly. 


[color=9e0b0f]”Yes I do…”[/color] He said a matter-of-factly. 


[color=gray]”Well, it’s kind of been a while and I don’t really see anyone else around, so…”[/color] He remained silent and sighed.


[color=9e0b0f]”Kiara. We have work to do tomorrow.”[/color] He said hesitantly but held firm as he pivoted on the balls of his feet and made his way towards the den. Kiara opened her mouth to protest and then pressed her lips together in a frown. So she was to be starved, then. Pouting, she went to wash the paint off of her arms and hands before retiring to the den for the night. 


[color=9e0b0f][i]’I hope she really is the one.’[/i][/color]. He thought as he glanced over at her before he disappeared into the darkness of the den. 


Once back in the dark little cavern, Kiara pulled some of the furs out of her bag and made a makeshift bed on the opposite side from Sulley. It was nothing like her palatial bed back home, but she was no stranger to sleeping on the ground, she quite liked it, actually. Kiara closed her eyes and breathed evenly, willing sleep to come, but it didn’t. For a while she just stared at the stone wall, the painting she had made, and let her thoughts consume her.


[color=gray]”Sulleykaar?[/color] she asked quietly, her voice small and child-like. She was tracing circles into the stone with her fingernail.  


[color=9e0b0f]”Hm?”[/color] He replied at the mouth of the darkest part of the den.


 [color=gray]”Do… do you have a mother?”[/color] It might sound like a silly question, sure, everyone has a mother at one point or another… but she really knew nothing about him. How old was he? He looked over at her with...an expression that said a lot.


[color=9e0b0f]”Had…”[/color] He said flatly though slightly tense on the answer.


Kiara nodded against the stone floor, even if he couldn’t see it. [color=gray]”Me too, I never met her though. I came into this world by taking her life…”[/color] SHe winced. It was common for the Unseelie, the death that ran through Moriganne and her her people was a blessing and a curse, it made it difficult to create life. 


[color=9e0b0f]”...Go to sleep.”[/color]


Kiki frowned, [color=gray]”I was just trying to say that I understand why you did what you did. About Hyumae. I want you to know that I realize she was a spy, but she was also like a mother to me. The person you brought back is a stranger to me, even if she is real. I just want you to understand me, too. But, I’m not as angry with you now...”[/color] it was about as close to an apology as he would get from her. Though, he might not really know what she was apologizing for.


 He looked down to the ground, a hint of sadness filled the air.[color=9e0b0f]”Two mothers I have taken from this world now…[/color] He mumbled to himself before looking over at her. [color=9e0b0f]” You took the life of your mother at an age you cannot remember… You were fortunate..”[/color]


[color=gray]”I guess…”[/color] she whispered, thinking then of her father. He blamed her for it, she had to live with that… the way he would look at her and see his loss before his love for her. 



He sighed and walked over to her and crouched down and looked into her eyes. [color=9e0b0f]”What you did you were at no fault but me on the other hand…”[/color] Kiara turned to face him better. He stood up while he kept eye contact. [color=9e0b0f]”I have to lie the rest of my days knowing that i was responsible for untimely death and I didn’t know it was her until it was too late…”[/color] 


Kiara pursed her lips sadly, she didn’t have words for situations like this. She wouldn’t say she was sorry, it wasn’t her fault, but she still felt bad…. Which was a unique feeling for her. [color=gray]”We should sleep… long day tomorrow, or so I hear.”[/color] there was a half-hearted smirk to polish off the sentence.

The dragon felt a twitch but nothing surface. He simply nodded and turned to the darkness of the den, his body once again morphing to his true form as the rumble of each step fading into the dark abyss of the den.