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You're Alive?! {Eckhart}

Started by Celegwen, December 10, 2017, 01:46:44 PM

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Celegwen

@Eckhart_Von_Musel
_________________

Black-Hearth was a name one would think would live on forever. Emilia Black-Hearth would probably live on even longer. The fall of that incredible dragon was one that Idryth sometimes had trouble believing. She heard stories of the dragon and looked up to her to an extent. She never imagined the great family would've drifted from each other. Nor would she have imagined the great Emilia Black-Hearth would've been destroyed by her own magic.

Idryth had avoided the castle in the Kilanthro because she felt it would be guarded by strong magic. After so long, all magic wears thin. It probably had would've been long enough at that point. Plus, she had always wanted to see the place where that woman resided, especially what kinds of riches were kept on the grounds.

She rode up to the castle, which didn't look as abandoned as she thought. Someone was there recently; a month or two ago, maybe? It was probably fine. Dismounting from the horse, Idryth slapped its hindquarters and sent it running back to the place from which she stole it. She rested her hand on the pommel of her sword, wary that there could very well be traps hidden inside. Entering, she found that it was a stunning example of craftsmanship and quite well-built, clearly meant to last a long time.

A devilish smirk crossing her lips, Idryth started through the castle halls at a quick pace. Whether the former owners were there or not, she knew that theft was still a race. Her boots clacking on the floor, the young dragoness looked through several rooms in search of something that would really catch her eye. In a room she assumed had been Emilia's, she opened a walk-in closet and grimaced. Lingerie? Idryth thought with a frown. That's more than I wanted to know, Emilia. She shuddered and continued her search.

You would think an all-powerful dragon family would have riches I haven't come across before, she thought. This is pathetic. She decided that it would probably work better to just take some of the valuable items in plain sight. That is...until she saw the amulet... A beautiful, golden amulet on a thin chain with a stone that matched Idryth's eyes in color. The rectangular stone was chipped slightly in the lower left corner, which is how the young dragoness knew it was the original. Jackpot, she thought, taking the amulet and holding it up for the midday sun to catch it through a nearby window.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

It took eighteen straight hours of climbing, but Emilia Black-Hearth finally made it. The human woman pulled herself up onto the Citadel's doorstep, her black robe drenched in sweat. For a moment she allowed herself to rest, resting her hands on her knees. "I... I knew... I could do it..." she said aloud, chest heaving. "I... Just wasn't trying... hard enough... the first three times..."

Staggering forward slowly, Emilia opened the large door. It wasn't locked- never a good sign. Cautiously, the woman poked her head inside to see...

Nothing. The entrance hallway was empty. No servants scrambled to greet her. Frowning, she walked inside. None of the candles were lit, and Emilia could only see by the sunlight coming through the stained glass windows. Finally Emilia reached the end of the hallway, and entered her throne room for what seemed like the first time in an eternity.

Once again, there was nothing. She had hoped that Kaida may have stuck around- hell, at this point she'd even settle for Eira- but none of her siblings were waiting for her. Emilia's footsteps echoed across the room as she slowly walked up to her throne, the once magnificent chair now coated in a thick layer of dust. The woman swallowed nervously. "Did... Everybody really leave?"

Wiping the dust of the seat, Emilia sat down. She closed her eyes, waiting for the feeling security the throne once brought. It never came. She adjusted her position slightly, to no avail. Emilia opened her eyes slowly. "It's because I'm taller now, that's all." she told herself. "The throne was made for my old body."

Emilia would close her eyes again, shutting them tightly as if to hold back tears. "Damnit! Why doesn't it feel the same?"

Celegwen

Idryth stuck the amulet in a small pouch on her belt, then heard what she thought was the sound of footsteps. She crouched against the wall, listening. It seemed pretty close, so it was either the throne room or one of the nearby halls. Considering the echoes stopped and no one came into view, the dragoness assumed it had come from the throne room.

She stood up and decided to investigate. With her footsteps now silent, she quickly made her way towards the throne room, stopping occasionally at the ends of the halls to peer around the bends.

Pressed against the wall outside of the throne room, Idryth glanced around the corner. She saw the golden throne with someone sitting on it. It was a blonde woman dressed in rags. She appeared to be homeless, especially by the looks of the dirt and muck in her hair.

"Step down, worm!" Idryth spat, walking into the throne room with a slight twitch of her upper lip. "You sit upon the throne of a great dragon. Do not dare think you are worthy of even being sheltered by this roof."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia's slowly opened her eyes at the sound of a voice. It wasn't a cry of adulation as she would have liked- quite the opposite, in fact. "Worm?" the tyrant said as she rose from her seat. "I do hope you're spelling that with a "y". You'd be a fool to spell it the other way."

She allowed herself to rest her eyes on the newcomer- a woman with a sword. Emilia couldn't bring herself to care about the trespasser's appearance, not when her actions insulted the former dragoness to her core. "If you truly care about keeping the unworthy from entering my home, then I ask that you remove yourself." Emilia said with quiet fury. "You're an eyesore."

Celegwen

"Your home?" Idryth said, a huff escaping her lips. She gaped slightly at the ragged woman and lowered her sword in astonishment. Did this thing really just try to insult her? "You humans never learn."

When the woman stood, the dragoness felt suddenly challenged. "This is no home for a street rat," she hissed, sneering at her. "You're in the home of Emilia Black-Hearth, a queen gone from this world." Idryth sheathed her sword and crossed her arms over her chest. "I ask that you remove yourself. Peasant scum is not welcome on these royal grounds."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia glowered at the woman, eye twitching. It was one thing to be mocked and belittled by humans on the street, but in her own home? The warlord clenched her palms, ready to scream in anger...

"No. I'm better than this."

Emilia released her fist, sighing. "Tell me, girl." she said softly as she began to walk towards the intruder. "Do you have eyes? Can you not see?" When she was about three feet away, Emilia stopped. She rested her hand on the hilt of her wooden blade, looking down her nose at the woman. "I am Emilia Black-Hearth."


Celegwen

Her first instinct was to scoff at the peasant woman. Did she really expect anyone to believe she was the great leader of the Black-Hearth family? But Idryth stayed quiet.

This can't be happening, the dragoness thought to herself.

Idryth unsheathed her sword once again, then placed the tip of the blade on the ground and bent her knee. Even then, she didn't remove her eyes from Emilia's blues. She didn't know why she believed the clearly human woman was in fact the dragon warlord of legend, but the power and authority behind every word and movement wasn't something that could have been faked.

"You have my apologies, your grace," Idryth said, not trying to hide the suspicion in her tone. "Everyone thought you were dead."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia let out a satisfied hum, the ghost of a smile on her lips. It had been a long time since she'd been shown proper respect, and the former dragoness couldn't help but bask in it. "That's better." she said dismissively, turning around and walking back to her throne. "For future reference, I prefer 'Miss Black-Hearth'."

Emilia sat back in her throne letting out a sigh. "She's not optimal, but she seems loyal enough. I can use that." she thought pensively. She gave the woman a curious look. "What's your family name, girl?"

Celegwen

Idryth rose to her feet again, sheathing her sword. Miss Black-Hearth, she thought. Almost as though she knows she isn't revered anymore.

"Qiosara," she said, taking a few steps towards the throne. "Idryth Qiosara." She looked away briefly, scrunching her nose and frowning. "I know the nature of my questions may be intrusive. Still, I feel I deserve some kind of explanation, as I'm one of the few dragons who remain loyal in admiration of your name and one of the few alive who even know who you are. Why should I believe you are who you say, when you bear the foul stench of humanity?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Qiosara?" Emilia thought, raising a single eyebrow. "We never had an alliance with that family." She closed her eyes pensively. "So she's not one of our old soldiers, but she just so happened to be here at the same time I get back?"

Emilia crossed her arms, visibly annoyed. "Temporary setback. Reincarnation isn't cheap." she said pointedly. Emilia hated admitting it, but she had learned the hard way that pretending otherwise got her ridiculed. The human shifted in her seat, trying to find a position that was comfortable. "Now, tell me why you're in my house. You are trespassing, you know."

Celegwen

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," Idryth said, letting her lips form a slightly sideways smile. "I'm really a...collector. When I thought you dead, I came here to rob the castle." She opened the small pouch on her hip and pulled out the red and gold amulet. "Saw this in a little room down the hall and fancied it. There was no lock or anything, so I helped myself. Corner of the stone has a chip in it. Now that you've returned," she extended her hand with the amulet it in, "I imagine you want this back."

The young dragoness released a short sigh. "And, Miss Black-Hearth, if I had more of a malicious side to me, you would be fucked. With all due respect, of course."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia's eye twitched. "Insolent bitch! That is entirely unjust! How dare you?" Struggling to keep her composure, the woman tittered. "Hahaha, really? How pragmatic of you." She quickly snatched the amulet back and put it on. The former dragoness thought the piece was a but tacky, but that didn't matter to her at that moment- it was hers, and she wasn't about to let some upstart steal it from her.

Emilia stood up, crossing her arms. Her limbs felt like they were made of jelly after her climb, and she was having difficulty keeping her eyes open. "Well Qiosara, I'm afraid that you've overstayed your welcome. It was nice meeting you, but you can leave now."

Celegwen

Idryth crossed her arms, mimicking the other woman's posture. It was a subtle diss, as though showing Emilia that the young dragoness possessed the strength the human woman no longer held. "You know," she said, placing one finger against her lips, "I disagree."

She put her hands behind her back and started approaching the throne, running her finger along the golden seat. Releasing an exaggerated sigh, she turned to look at Emilia. "See, I figured out how this will go. I am a dragon, true I am young, but a dragon will never cower before a human. You are a human, one of those...insects that believe they may walk upon the same ground as a dragon. And by the look of that sorry excuse for a sword, I am capable of besting you with weapons. You have no place telling me where I may or may not be."

With a slight smirk, Idryth looked the raggedy woman up and down and shook her head. "The Emilia Black-Hearth I knew of would never have stood for my insulting her. You're no longer that great power, and I do believe you know better than anyone that, without your power, you're simply pathetic."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia stared blankly at Qiosara as she spoke. It was all things she'd been told before- she had no powers, she wasn't a dragon, her time was over, etcetera. "Yep." she thought numbly. "Blah blah blah. Keep talking, slut."

As soon as the dragon stopped talking, Emilia drew her sword and swung upwards, striking Qionara upside the head. The woman fell backwards, and Emilia soon had the tip of her blade at her her throat. 

Emilia stared at the invader, her icy blue eyes murderous. "Tell me, child." she said , her voice unsettlingly calm. "Do you believe in gravity?"

Celegwen

Fucking bitch! Idryth thought, rolling onto her side. That stick was harder than it looked. The sudden assault caught her off guard. She definitely didn't expect the woman to actually retaliate. She brought her hand up to the left side of her head, then back down to see her own blood on her fingers, something she'd only seen once before.

Despite the pounding in her head, the dragoness laughed, licking a spot of blood from her hand and wiping the rest on her pants. "There's the Emilia I respected," she breathed. Idryth didn't care about the wooden blade at her throat: it was a demonstration of power, more than anything else.

Emilia's voice would've given chills to a human, but the dragoness simply smiled at the gravity question. Though she could've moved, Idryth remained on the floor under Emilia's blade. "I believe in it more than most," she said, a hidden meaning obviously present in her tone. "Why do you ask?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia's expression remained the same. On a better day the sight of blood running down Qiosara's face would have brought her immense joy, but today was different. "Do you think there's a joke here? That you're in on something? Ha." Emilia said humorlessly. "You don't believe- in fact, I don't think you understand at all."

Emilia lowered herself slightly, never removing her sword from the girl's neck. "Gravity..." she began, her voice soft. "... Is invisible. It keeps all of us in place- in our rightful place. A human will never be able to fly, because gravity deems them unworthy. And if one tries? Gravity will force it to fall eventually. Gravity is absolute that way." Emilia straightened back up, sword still hanging dangerously above Qiosara's neck. "A bug will always be a speck. A human will always be worthless. A dragon will always be mighty. And Emilia Black-Hearth..." A determined smile flickered across her face. "... Will always be the one on top."

Emilia's face became expressionless once more. "I will ask you one more time. Do you believe in gravity?"

Celegwen

Despite no longer having a dragon's body, Idryth felt dragon's fire burning within the human woman. The dragoness looked up at Emilia, this time moving to stand. She knew the woman had made her point, so it would likely not be too disrespectful to rise.

Idryth couldn't help but smile, as she took a breath. "I agree," she said simply. "A dragon shall forever remain above humanity, but you preach what you no longer live. You're a human, Miss Black-Hearth, as much as you may hate to acknowledge it. I believe that can change. Though gravity deems them unworthy of flying, humans have taken to the sky upon the backs of dragons, and you can do the same."

The dragoness drew her sword and took a step back, briefly swinging it around in her hand. "I want to help you rise to your former glory, if you'll accept. Mastery of the blade; regaining your power; whatever it may be... My sword is yours to command."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia lowered her blade, allowing the woman to stand. A look of relief spread across her face. "Thank Nevira, I finally have subordinates again." She smiled. "That's what I thought. I accept of course, but there's just one thing..." Emilia shifted her weight, leaning backwards slightly. "If you ever ask me to ride you, you're fired. I will not work with somebody so willing to degrade themselves like that."

Emilia turned and began to walk away. "Now, prepare me a bath while I find some clean clothes. This robe is dirty and it smells genuinely awful."

Celegwen

Idryth huffed, rolling her eyes to Emilia's back. "We can agree on one thing," she said. "That does smell awful. I won't be preparing you a bath, though. I'll not be your fucking maid."

The dragoness shook her head. She sheathed her sword again and folded her arms over her chest. "Your rise to power part two does not hang on my fixing you a bath. If you wish to train or discuss some kind of plan, I'll be in the library."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Emilia continued walking, waving Qiosara off. "I can discipline her later. For now, clothes."

Walking through the halls of the citadel was an oddly uncomfortable experience. Emilia had called the castle home for thousands of years, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that she was no longer welcome. Each step she took caused the feeling to increase, and by the time she had reached her old bedroom the woman almost didn't want to enter. Her hand rested on the doorknob uneasily. "This my house. This is my room. Everything here is mine." she thought, breathing growing sharp. "Where is this feeling coming from?"

Finally, Emilia threw the door open and strode inside. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim purple light being given by the fixture on the ceiling, but she was eventually able to see that everything in her room was how she had left it. The large canopy bed was still made. The portrait of her mother was still hanging from the wall. The walk-in closet had her entire collection intact, albeit a bit dusty. Sighing in relief, Emilia collapsed onto her bed.

It was then that she saw it. Her diary lay face open on top of her bedside table, padlock snapped apart like a broken toy. She only had to glance at the entry on the page for her to have a panic attack.

Quote from: Emilia Black-HearthI almost lost control again today. Eira interrupted a family gathering, and her human-loving antics pushed me over the edge. If it weren't for Kaida and Electi, the void likely would have overtaken me for good this time. I managed to trick my siblings into thinking it was a ruse, but I cannot go on like this for much longer before somebody discovers the truth.

"Who read this?" Emilia said out loud, shaking in fear. "W-who read my diary?" Her breathing became harsh, and the former dragoness found herself curling up into a ball. "It can't have been Qiosara, or she wouldn't respect my authority. But only a dragon could have broken that lock. It- it had to have been one of my siblings." Tears began to roll down Emilia's face. "Oh Nevira, please tell me it wasn't her. I'll never be able to look her in the eyes again!"

Images of her youngest sister flashed through her head, thousands of years worth of memories rushing back to her at once. Kaida had been the only one of her siblings who Emilia had truly loved, but if she had discovered Emilia's secret...

"I can't let her see me yet." Emilia decided, standing up abruptly. "I can't let any of them see me, not until my glory has been returned." Emilia looked at the painting of her mother, wiping tears from her eyes. "I can still fix this, mom. Our family will reign supreme." The woman's eyes glinted with steel. "I promise."

With that, Emilia began to rummage through her dressers, hoping to find clothes that fit...

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