"If one suffers, we all suffer. Togetherness is strength. Courage."
-Xamdú
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Karos breathed in the cold air and exhaled watching as it formed small clouds. There was much beauty to be found in winter if one only just looked hard enough to find it. Being with Ake, was like watching the snow fall. Every memory being like a snowflake, unique and short-lasting. He continued to walk on ahead as he saw Fariel staring at him.
"We are nearing Gasa."
"Is there something I should know?" Karos asked and looked at him awaiting his reply.
"The blacksmith... Oraanu... Karos, I have many things to tell you. With the stars falling from the sky, I must tell you now."
Karos closed his eyes and reopened them again.
"Go on."
"Miracles... had been looking over you for some time."
Karos blinked, unfazed.
"But he is dying now."
"Dying?" Karos asked stopping in his tracks. "... Then Oraanu... "
"He is fine."
Karos stared into his eyes filled with worry he had not noticed before.
"Oraanu... killed the only blacksmith that I knew to go to. I failed you in that. As I went to look for another, Miracles stopped me."
Karos did not like the direction of where his story was going. He pursed his lips and lowered his eyes not bothering to hear another word. Fariel was his closest, truest friend. He wanted it kept that way, but Fariel continued on.
"Because he is the god I had served until now."
"So Analia was right about you keeping secrets?"
"A secret that had kept you alive and well all these years."
The snow crunched under their feet sounding out his erratic heartbeat.
"It does not matter to me," Karos said as he looked at Fariel. "None of it does, Fariel."
"As their games began, Miracles decided it would be best to go look for you... before Mercy or Malice. But you are of Malice's creation and so she had marked you as she had marked many before you since that time."
"Ah, yes, of Mercy and Malice's past love and love between the dragon and human," Karos smiled.
"He told you?"
"Yes, he had."
Karos saw Fariel stop and stared at him, mouth agape.
"He tried once to tell me when we had come to Sydania's place. He told me he had realized he was in love with me then... and tried to confess with the story of how the dragon became human." Karos scoffed away a smile. "He told me it was fate... him and I, but I do not think so."
"What is it then? To you, I mean."
"... I am not sure, but like you with Oraanu, I just want to be with him. If there is such a thing as fate then it is cruel and unforgiving."
Fariel looked away from him.
"Just how much must I prove to be with him, I wonder."
"Karos... "
"I do not care about this world or the gods or the people in it, and I would have gone on uncaring if it was not for him because this world is the one I must share with him. I am selfish."
"You always have been."
"I believe I was quite lucky to have fallen in love with him and he was quite unlucky to have fallen in love with me. Have you not always believed so?"
Karos looked at Fariel as he pursed his lips and turned his eyes away from him.
"You were trying to protect me from this aching, bitter feeling in my chest, were you not?"
Still, Fariel did not say a word.
"Because you had felt this way once before?"
Karos stopped as they approached the top of the hills covered in frost. Gwasas massed around the valley and around the river causing Karos to close his eyes and rub his forehead.
"We will have to go around," Fariel said.
"They are nearing Gasa."
"So we must hurry."
"But look at their direction. They seem to be heading to Bahnasa as well."
"Ake can take care of himself. What you need to worry about is yourself and your people, Karos."
Karos walked around the bend of the hill not bothering to check to see if Fariel would follow.
"We must go back."
"Karos!" Fariel came and stood in front of him blocking his path. "He does not need you to protect him. It is quite the contrary! You need him to protect you!" Fariel shoved him back. "You will only be a burden to him there!"
Karos knew Fariel's words were right. He wanted to go back to Ake and would try to make use of any excuse to go there, but it was useless. His head bowed as he nodded and let Fariel guide him away. It was painful. It made his heart hurt.
They crept into the cover of the trees making sure they had not alerted any of them to their presence before going in further. As soon as they passed through muddy land wet with melting snow, Fariel put a hand to his chest.
"Put this on yourself."
Karos did as was told without hesitation. It was to hide his scent. Karos knew that by the way Ake would burrow his face into his neck and breathed deeply.
"Humans... We have a strong scent?"
"Yes, unlike any of us. They can only smell the rest of us out by our blood like any other beast. They will have scouts, so keep alert."
Karos nodded and moved ahead once he was finished. He looked up at the treetops covered in snow before his eyes trailed down and across the forest of trees watching for any signs of lingering gwasas. As they moved deeper, Karos could smell the scent of death wafting from the horde of them.
They had to hurry to Gasa and get rid of the looming threat as soon as possible. Malice had made her move. It still made little sense to him why such a god was set on destroying something that had come from her over a tainted love that had nothing to do with them. If only he could speak reason to her. Make her understand just what is that she is doing, maybe then things could be different.
"Down here," Fariel whispered.
Karos went down the unmarked path and was wary of any sticks and twigs peaking up from the snow.
"We are away from them now. You can breathe."
Karos sighed out and laughed away a shaky breath. Just as he was about to say something a gwasa came from out of the trees and tackled Fariel to the ground. It bit into his arm causing him to cry out.
"Fariel!" Karos came to help him but Fariel shook his head.
"Behind you!"
He turned around the minute one lunged and bit through his armor and into his collarbone. He grabbed it's neck and tried to tear it away from himself before he went for his sword. It took its teeth from out of his flesh and tried to bite his sword arm. The minute his sword as out of his scabbard, Karos plunged it into its neck and twisted it as he pulled it back.
There was a snap sound followed by something falling to the ground.
"We must hurry before the others are alerted," Fariel said as he rose. Blood dripped down his arm causing Karos to take a closer look.
"It bit off quite a bit of flesh," Karos murmured.
"It will heal with time. This way. Quickly now."
Karos followed behind him but it was not long before he heard the trees rustling accompanied by running pairs of feet.
"Fariel, we are surrounded."
Soon the trees gave way and they were in a clearing. They were like sitting ducks. Karos clenched his hand right against the hilt of his sword.
"How many?" Karos asked.
"Twelve, at the very least."
"We had worse odds before... "
One came screeching which Karos silenced with a strong thrust of his elbow. He swept his sword across the front of him slicing two in half while the other three backed away. They attacked all aiming for different parts of his body causing him to back up.
He ducked to the ground as a gwasa tried to bite at his arm and another his leg. As soon as they missed, Karos dug his sword deep into their flesh and severed off each of their heads. His shoulder was burning with fiery pain causing him to hiss out. He hunched over a breathed deeply afraid one of his wounds had reopened. They were not fully healed.
"Karos, behind—"
Karos felt something tackle him back to the ground and a cry of pain causing his eyes to widen. He heard a snap and a thud just as he was turning around to see what had happened.
"A-Ake."
"Karos... You are... You are fine," Ake breathed with pain laced through his voice.
Karos did not see any injury from the front, but as he rose he saw silver blood oozing from his back. Ake did not waste any time in bringing him into an embrace.
"That is all that matters," Ake murmured into the skin of his neck as his arms grew tighter around him.
"Your back, Ake."
"We can treat him inside the gates."
Karos grabbed one of Ake's arms from around him and took it in his hand tugging him through the rest of the clearing. All of him wanted to feel happy that Ake was here. His heart was aching to see him and was dying at the thought of leaving him again. However, Karos could not help but feel a dark, ominous cloud surrounding them.
They banged on the gates causing one of the watchmen on guard to wake from his sleep and cue the other guards to lower the crossing first. Soon the iron gates were lifted and they went inside, but Karos stopped as he saw a bunch of unfamiliar faces surrounding him. He tried to push Ake behind him, but he would not relent.
As they split down the middle, a short auburn haired man came out of the sea of men causing Karos' eyes to widen.
"Baastian!"
"Karos, you are well!" Bash cried causing him to grab his hand in his and make a tight fist.
"Listen, Ake needs his back tended to. He has been bleeding quite a bit and there are gwasas nearing Gasa and Bahnasa, so we must hurry with the plans I had laid out."
Bash stared blankly back at him.
"Bash!"
"We do not help dragons," Bash hissed.
"What has gotten into you?" Fariel asked as he shoved him back causing the men surrounding them to approach closer.
"Being locked in a dungeon tends to make one lose their trust with the things that had done that. Do you not agree?"
"Baastian, order them away. Now. Fariel and Ake had nothing to do with that."
"It will not be so bad to see the crowned prince bleeding out to death, now will it?" Bash asked directing his question more so to Fariel than him.
"Baastian, enough!" Karos heard Analia's voice shoot through the air before seeing men being pushed back left and right. "Do not try to shift the blame on all of them when you are to blame for all of this!"
Bash laughed while taking a shaky hand through his hair. "Stand down, men."
"Come, let us get you inside," Analia said coaxing them to move through the crowd of soldiers. Instead of moving towards the palace, they moved inside one of the palace's guest house for envoys. It was strange, but Karos did not question it. He would have his answers soon enough.
As soon as they were inside, Karos was quick to undress Ake and have someone see to his wound. He had not said much of anything at all and it worried him. There was sweat raining down from his forehead as he laid him down on his stomach causing his lips to purse.
"What is wrong with him?"
"Exhaustion and poison is all it is," Fariel said as he moved Karos away from Ake.
Hand me that thing with two handles.
"This?" Karos looked at the metal tool with some apprehension.
"Yes, give it here."
Fariel would not hurt him, not now and not like this. He handed him it and watched as he separated one of his wounds on each side.
"Mead."
"Mead?"
"The bowl of mead there. Give it to me."
Karos handed it to him without any more questions. Fariel dipped both of his hands inside before putting two fingers inside of Ake's back causing him to cry out in pain.
"Fariel!"
"Trust me, Karos."
Karos pursed his lips and bent down next to Ake's face taking his hand inside of his while trying to wipe away the sweat forming on his forehead. Ake squeezed his hand tightly as Fariel dug into another one of his wounds causing Karos to muscle down the pain that came with it. Karos had noticed his strength that he once had before over him was barely present now. At one point, that squeeze would have shattered his bones into dust. It was strange.
"I am finished." Karos watched as Fariel dropped something into a dish and sighed. He dipped his hands into the bowl of mead right after.
"What was it?"
"Teeth."
"Teeth?"
"Teeth from the gwasas. They are like poison to us once they go through the flesh."
"Then you—"
"I was bitten, but no teeth lodged into me. I am fine."
"He will be fine now... right?"
"Yes, give him a couple hours of rest so the poison can work its way out... but he cannot become a dragon like this. Though it may work its way out of his human body, small traces of it in our true form can accelerate it. He could die from this amount of poison."
Karos continued to brush Ake's hair from in front of his face and grabbed a washcloth to wipe away any lingering sweat. Ake would do whatever he wanted. He never listened to him, so Karos knew then he would have to make sure he would have no reason to do such a thing. Although he would be angry with keeping things away from him, Karos hoped he would come to understand.
"Help me with him. I have to bandage him up," Fariel said.
Karos lifted Ake up and leaned him against him feeling his breath blowing onto his ear. He swallowed dryly at the reason for why he had become this way. It was true what Fariel said to him then. He was becoming a burden to him.
"It seems as though everything Malice creates has an adverse effect on your..."
"On us? Yes, well... Malice did not create you all from love. You were meant to kill. To kill us."
As soon as Fariel was finished with the bandaging, Karos laid him onto his side and kissed his cheek.
"Come out now. Analia says Baastian has something to say about all of this." Karos nodded and laid a small kiss on Ake's lips before getting up and following Fariel out the door. What could it be, he wondered.
They walked down the hall lined with soldiers standing at each side, all looking and leering. He did not want to leave Ake there alone. Ake grew anxious when there were a lot of humans around and he was not near.
Analia waited outside the door and gave him a small smile, but Karos had not forgotten what she had said and tried to do. He ignored her and went inside. Bash sat in one of the embellished chairs, face drawn into a scowl and body slumped. Karos tried to make eye contact with him, but he would only look away.
"Bash, tell them. Tell them what you had done, so they can right the wrong you had committed against them," Analia said.
Karos looked at Fariel as he took a seat and looked on.
"I had done something worthy of your scorn for centuries to come... " Baastian said. "But I told you I did not want to come. I had told you! But you forced me. And I wanted to live!"
"Baastian, what in the god's names have you done?" Fariel pressed.
Baastian shook his head. "I had tried to get Ake off of Isla before it was too late, but he would not listen to me. I had really tried, Karos."
Karos' eyes closed as his heart fell to his stomach.
"You did not... " Fariel said.
"Malice had told me to! She threatened to kill me if I had not done it," Baastian shouted.
"You are the one... You are the one who caused Illiya to do such a horrible thing?" Karos asked in disbelief.
"That is why the king had wanted us dead!" Fariel roared and rose from his chair, but Karos pushed him back down.
"Forgive me," Baastian sobbed.
"What is done is done, Fariel. We cannot change what had happened then, only what will happen now," Karos said. He turned his head to Analia who sat in silence the entire time. "Gwasas are nearing Gasa, so there is no time to be divided. Rakkaus—"
"He had taken over the palace," Analia chimed in. "And locked me in a cell with Baastian. That is why we are sitting here now."
Kaross rubbed his eyes before taking both hands through his hair.
"Ake is here. Rakkaus will listen to him because he has no choice but to," Fariel said causing Karos to look at him. "And because Ake is here, the king has no choice in this. He has to help."
Truly, Ake was the glue holding them all together, Karos thought with a lingering smile.
"Oraanu," Analia said.
"Hm?" Karos asked.
"Where is he? He is not here."
"Back in Bahnasa," Karos answered but Analia shook her head.
"If Ake had followed you, as I think he had done, I would not doubt that Oraanu would not do the same. After all, he watches over Ake."
Karos looked to Fariel whose eyes were lowered to the floor.
"Analia, he is in Bahnasa," Karos said, this time, with meaning. "He is there with the king."
Analia gave him a look before she nodded.
"That is right," she said. "He could be there."
"He is fine," Karos said. "Just fine."
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[A/N]
Things were just getting situated and bam. Bash had to go and drop the baton. :/
Do you think Ake made a wise decision following Karos and not heeding his father's warnings? As Karos said, he is the glue tying the dragons and them together, but I don't think Ake would be too happy to hear about what Bash had done.
Leave me your thoughts down below!
Thank for reading, commenting, and voting! It really means a lot to me. With this coming to a close and all, it's getting harder and harder for me to write. 😢