Where Dragons Rule
Dissent
By Sonny Dae
© 2019, Sonny Dae, All Rights Reserved


 

Chapter 4: The Interloper

Aeris paced around the room. She
couldn't help it; if she were going to ask Master Aaron's
permission to visit the dragon that saved her the other day,
everything needed to be perfect.

Aeris wasn't allowed to leave
the estate grounds without Master Aaron present and even then she
didn't get out much. She was always told this was for her
protection; there were people and dragons alike that would harm her
without reason, and after the encounter with that Green Crested
Genial, she believed him.

Instead of being afraid of her
kind, Aeris was more curious than ever. Why did the dragon hate her
so much? What was a Matriarch? Why were domesticates hated so much?
She tried asking Master Aaron but he simply brushed her questions
aside saying she needn't worry about it. Maggie also wouldn't
answer her questions, claiming she didn't know the answers. Aeris
knew the two of them were hiding something from her and she intended
to find out what it was.

The door to her room opened and
Aeris watched excitedly as her master entered.

“Aeris are you alright? I heard
you wanted to see me."

“Everything's fine, Master,"
Aeris said cheerfully, “I just wanted to give you something."
Aeris bounded happily over to the old table and gingerly removed the
cloth covering it, revealing a slightly lopsided cake sitting
underneath. “Ta-da!"

“Aeris—"

“You see I wanted to do
something nice for you—"

“Aeris—"

“—so I decided to get you
this. It's your favorite… I think."

“Aeris, where did you get this
cake?"

Aeris' ears fell. “I… Well
you see…I…"

“Lydia told me about a cake she
made this morning that mysteriously disappeared. I'm assuming this
would be the missing cake."

“Master, please don't be
angry," Aeris said hurriedly, “I tried asking her to make one but
she wouldn't do it. I tried to make one myself, but I didn't know
how, and when Lydia caught me in the kitchen, she threw me out. Then
I saw this cake sitting on the table and I overheard her saying she
didn't like it and wanted to throw it out, so I figured I could use
it and no one would mind."

“I see." Aaron walked the
table, carefully inspecting the cake. “Did you ask Lydia if you
could take the cake?"

Aeris dropped her head. “No."

“Uh-huh. Do you know what
flavor it is?"

Aeris dropped her head even
further. “No. I tried to figure it out myself, but I don't know
much about cakes. I know it's very good, though," she added
quickly.

“I see. I guess that would
also explain the bite marks on this side."

“Yes…I wanted to make sure it
tasted good before I gave it to you."

Aaron nodded, a smile beginning
to spread across his face. “And what of the bite marks on the other
side?"

“I wanted a second opinion."

Master Aaron burst into laughter.
He gently patted the dragon on the head. “Aeris you make it
impossible to get angry with you. Now tell me, why are you giving me
a cake? It's nowhere near my birthday, or any other holiday for
that matter."

“I just wanted to do something
nice for you," Aeris said giving Master Aaron the biggest smile she
could. “And I wanted to apologize."

Master Aaron's smile faded.
“Apologize for what?"

Aeris dropped her head. “For
disobeying you the other day. If I had stayed put like you said and
hadn't gone to talk to that dragon…"

“Aeris, that was not your
fault." Master Aaron kneeled and looked her in the eye, “I don't
care what I told you to do, that dragon had no right to attack you.
You don't need to apologize, and you certainly don't need to
bring me gifts. If I'm upset with anyone, it's that dragon."

Aeris nodded, her chest
tightening. She didn't deserve to be in the care of such a loving
person. When her master was being threatened, she had done nothing.
Fear paralyzed her and forced her to watch. Master Aaron didn't
hesitate; he put himself in danger, knowing a single human stood no
chance against a grown dragon. His kindness stung worse than any
punishment he could've given her.

“Well, Master, I wanted to ask
you about that," Aeris said softly, as she stared at her claws,
slowly drawing a line in the dirt floor, “Why did that dragon—"

“Aeris, you asked me that
question a hundred times, and I told you, you don't need to worry
about it. Trying to figure out why anyone does the things they do
will only drive you mad," Master Aaron gently lifted Aeris' head,
forcing her to look him in the eye again, “All you need to know is
that sometimes people do nasty things to others. It's better to
simply avoid those kinds of people instead of trying to understand
them."

“But what about the dragon who
saved me?" Aeris asked, hopeful, “Can I understand her?"

Master Aaron raised a brow.
“Aeris, what are you talking about?"

Aeris played with her claws. “The
other dragon. She told me to visit the Patel family if I wanted to
speak to her, so I was wondering if I could—"

“No," Master Aaron said
flatly.

“But—"

“Aeris, while I am grateful to
that dragon for interfering, I am also certain she didn't do it out
of the kindness of her heart. She likely wants something from you and
now thinks that because she saved you, she can get it," he went
back to the door, “I don't know what that dragon wants, but it
can't be anything good. I don't want you speaking to her."

“But, Master—"

“No, Aeris. You are not to see
that dragon again, end of discussion." Master Aaron left the room,
slamming the door shut behind him.

Aeris slumped to the floor
devastated. In all the stories she read it worked. She was so certain
if she brought Master Aaron a gift, he would at least talk about
letting her see the dragon, and she certainly did not expect that
reaction.

Aeris left her room. She couldn't
accept Master Aaron's decision; she wanted to know more about
dragons, about herself. She wasn't going to stop when she was so
close to finding out more.

“Lord Strauss seems quite upset
doesn't he?"

Aeris started at the sound of the
voice behind her. She turned to see Charles leaning against the wall.
Aeris was too stunned to respond. Charles never visited her room and
rarely spoke her. And here he was standing a few feet away, talking
to her directly.

Charles slowly approached Aeris,
looking down at her from the end of his beak-like nose. “I wanted
to check on you. I heard about that incident in the commercial
district."

Aeris swallowed nervously and
bowed. “Thank you for your concern. But I'm fine."

“You shouldn't be doing this,
you know."

Aeris raised her head, giving
Charles a confused stare. “I'm sorry?"

“All this snooping you've
been doing. You need to leave it alone. Has it ever occurred to you
maybe no one told you the truth of your origins to protect you? And
here you are trying to bribe those secrets out of them with cake."

“Protect me from what?"

Charles stared at her, his eyes
once again piercing her very being. She again felt chained to the
spot under his watchful eyes. Finally, he spoke again. “Little
dragon, are you happy?"

“I am," Aeris replied without
hesitation. “I love Master Aaron, and I love Maggie. They look
after me and take care of me."

Charles nodded. “Then you need
to stop prying into things best left buried. Enjoy your happiness.
Because as you already learned, it's a fleeting thing and can be
gone at a moment's notice." He walked past her, back toward the
estate.

Maggie walked past him. The two
looked at each other. It seemed to Aeris they shared a moment; a long
conversation with one another that only spanned a few heartbeats.
Aeris wasn't sure what just happened, but she chose not to question
it.

“Aeris, I've been looking all
over for you," Maggie said. She held a long scarf in her hand.
“Come. Lord Strauss is looking for you. And he wants you to wear
this."

Aeris didn't follow. “Hey,
um, Maggie? Do you think I'm a good dragon?"

Maggie crouched down and began
tying the scarf around Aeris' neck, hiding the bandage she wore. “A
good dragon? What do you mean by that?"

Aeris focused her gaze on
Maggie's feet. “I…I just wonder what Master Aaron thinks of me
after what happened. I tried to apologize to him—but then I
mentioned seeing that Ravager again, and I think I upset him. I think
he may have thought I was lying just to get something I wanted."

Maggie gently lifted Aeris'
head. “Aeris, when Master Aaron told me what happened do you know
what he said?"

Aeris slowly shook her head.

“He told me that he was worried
sick when he saw you hurt, and he was beyond happy when he learned
you were going to be okay. I can assure you, he is not angry with you
in the slightest. And just so you know, neither am I."

“But Charles said—"

“Stop," Margret said, firmly
gripping Aeris' face. The once gentle look in her eyes had suddenly
turned cold. “Stop. Charles does not know you like I do. And I
promise you are not a bad dragon."

Aeris nodded silently, but she
didn't believe Maggie. She thought so horribly of her master that
day in the commercial district. If he had known, would he have still
saved her? The real that nagged at her wasn't if Master Aaron would
have saved her, but should he?

Maggie placed a hand on Aeris'
back and steered her toward the front of the estate. “Don't blame
yourself, Aeris. There's nothing you could've done."

“I know."

Maggie was right—she knew that,
but knowing the situation was her fault to begin with made any words
of encouragement hollow. She felt nothing as she crossed the yard.
Not the sun beaming on her scales, the wind caressing her face, nor
the grass underfoot. Aeris kept her head down, finding Maggie's
lead on pure instinct.

It wasn't until she caught
Master Aaron's scent on the wind that she looked up. He stood by
the horse-drawn carriage wearing his usual business-vest and slacks.

A young woman, looking very close
to Master Aaron's age stood next to him. She had all the airs of a
noblewoman from her straight-back posture, to the stark confidence in
her dark green eyes, to the crisp cleanliness of the casual dress she
wore. Only a noble could afford clothes that didn't look the
slightest bit worn-in. Aeris stared at the woman mesmerized. Her
glossy pale skin, long dark hair, and strong jaw made her look as if
she were carved out of marble. It almost felt like looking at a
life-sized doll rather than a human being. The woman had a strong
commanding presence Aeris was unaccustomed to seeing in a woman. A
breeze blew, and Aeris caught a whiff of the woman's perfume,
making her wrinkle her muzzle. Aeris stopped and stared.

Realizing the dragon wasn't
moving, Master Aaron jogged over to her. “Ah, Aeris. There you are.
Come here. I want to introduce you to someone." He gently pushed
Aeris closer to the woman. “Aeris this Lilith Chamron. Lilith, I
would like you to meet Aeris."

The woman Master Aaron introduced
smiled warmly and said, “Hello, Aeris. It is a pleasure to meet
you. I've heard so much about you. I'm glad to see you were not
harmed following that tragic incident in the commercial district the
other day."

Aeris was still mesmerized by the
woman's features, but she bowed, her body moving on its own thanks
to years of lessons in etiquette. “The pleasure is mine, Lady
Chamron, and thank you for your kind words," she said mechanically.

“Aeris, please, just 'Lilith'
is fine. We'll be spending a great deal of time together after
all."

Aeris snatched her head up and
turned to Master Aaron, her heart leaping up into her throat. What
did Lilith mean by that? Was Maggie being replaced? Aaron's
expression was neutral, making it impossible to read his thoughts.

As if sensing Aeris' unease,
Lilith added, “Lord Strauss and I are dating, so I expect I will
see you quite often." She smiled at her to further ease the
tension.

Aeris only nodded in return, her
tail wrapping around her legs. Something about Lilith's smile
felt…wrong. It felt as if the smile was done out of politeness
instead of genuine kindness. She had read about characters like this
in her books; these characters always had hidden agendas and they
were seldom pleasant. She also saw enough fake smiles at the various
events she attended. She didn't dare make her grievances known.
Master Aaron would never forgive her should she do something foolish.

Lilith approached Aeris and
patted her head. The woman's touch was gentle but stiff which only
confirmed Aeris' suspicions. Lilith was patting her head out of
politeness. Before Aeris could stop herself, she pulled her head out
of Lilith's reach.

Aeris was horrified. Her first
reaction upon realization of what she had done was turn to Master
Aaron. His face was calm, but the disappointment was visible in his
eyes as he looked at Aeris. She turned away from her master's
stare.

Maggie quickly appeared by Aeris'
side. “Please forgive her, Lady Lilith. Aeris is normally very
polite, but she doesn't like to be touched by anyone she doesn't
know."

“It's not a problem. I
shouldn't have been so forward. I know how proud dragons are; they
do not prefer to be petted like some common house cat," she bowed
deeply and said. “Please forgive my rudeness, Aeris."

“N-no, I'm not offended,"
Aeris said quickly. No human had ever acted that way to her before
and it felt strange. She stole another glance at her master. The
disappointment was still in his eyes, but now it had moved to the
background like the distant rumbling of an approaching storm while
the weather was still clear.

Maggie bowed politely. “Speaking
of rudeness. I apologize for the intrusion. My name is Margret Hayes.
It is an honor to meet you, Lady—"

“No, no, no. I won't have any
of that 'Lady' business," Lilith said quickly. “You don't
need to be so formal. I expect we'll become very close, you and I."
Maggie straightened up with a confused expression, Lilith added,
“Aaron and I are dating."

Maggie turned to Master Aaron.
“Oh. Forgive me, Lord Strauss, I had no idea."

Master Aaron chuckled. “That
was kind of the point. Lilith likes her privacy. You know what?
Lilith and I were just about to eat lunch in the garden. Aeris, you
should join us."

“I think that is a wonderful
idea," Lilith said. “It'll be a great opportunity for the
dragon and me to get to know each other."

Aeris fought the urge to frown at
the bitterness in Lilith's voice when she said “the dragon."
She bowed deeply. “I would be honored, master."

“Why of course. Aeris is the
most important being in my life. Margaret, inform Lydia in the
kitchens to make something, then get Aeris prepared and bring her to
the garden. Nothing too fancy, but at least a light polish."

“As you wish, Lord Strauss,"
Maggie replied, bowing. “Aeris, wait for me in your room."

Aeris nodded and walked back to
her room. Normally, she was excited when her master brought guests
over. But seeing Lilith, she wanted nothing more than for the woman
to leave.

It didn't take long for Maggie
to return, wearing the dress she usually wore for parties. She
polished Aeris' scales in silence and picked out a nice emerald
vest for her to wear.

They went back out and headed to
the gardens. Aeris loved spending her time in the gardens though she
was scolded something fierce if she every ruined any of the plants.
She enjoyed the way the flowers smelled and the various colors of the
different types of flowers fascinated her. On nice days, Maggie would
read to her there.

Lilith was already there, sitting
at a large table in the garden's center with Master Aaron.

Lilith was the first to notice
their approach. “Aeris, Aaron was just telling me about your
terrible ordeal in the commercial district the other day," Lilith
said. “It must've been terrifying. I'm so pleased you're
unharmed."

“Thank you," Aeris said while
wishing she could dig a hole in the dirt and stuff her head in it.

“I still can't believe
someone would think to harm Aeris," Master Aaron added. “She
doesn't have a single violent bone in her body. Why she's never
once raised her voice or even tried to bite someone."

“I-I don't really know,"
Aeris lied. She fought to keep her tail from wrapping around her
legs. She wished they would change the subject.

She seemed to get her wish when
Maggie and Lydia appeared, carrying trays with food and drink for
everyone. Maggie carried a tray of sandwiches, while Lydia's tray
held a tea kettle, an ewer, and two cups. The ewer was for Aeris.
Because of her muzzle, she couldn't drink out of cups as humans
could and the ewer made that easier.

As they passed out the food and
drink, Lydia avoided standing too close to Aeris. It was no secret
the brown-haired woman was afraid of dragons though Aeris had no idea
why. She had been nothing but nice to Lydia from the day they met.
But the poor woman started shaking if Aeris so much as looked at her.

Aeris lapped eagerly at her tea
the moment the ewer was placed in front of her. It was rude, but her
mouth felt dry. And she wanted an excuse to avoid answering more
questions.

“Lord Strauss, these letters
arrived for you," Maggie said, sliding the paper envelopes across
the table.

Master Aaron picked up the
papers, a large smile on his face. “It seems Mr. Bachmann has
finally decided to reply. I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I
have been waiting for this letter for a long time. If you'll excuse
me." He followed Lydia back toward the house.

“Is everything to your liking,
Lady Lilith?" Maggie asked.

Lilith smiled and said,
“Everything is excellent. Thank you so much, Margret."

“Lydia is the one who prepared
the food, but I'll be sure to pass your compliments along."

“Thank you so much."

Maggie bowed and left the two of
them alone. Aeris watched her leave, silently begging the woman to
take her along.

Aeris turned back to Lilith to
see the woman staring at her. Aeris did her best to hide how
uncomfortable she was.

Lilith broke the silence first.
“I hear you and Aaron are very close. You've been with him since
he was a child, yes?"

“Yes, that's right."

“So the two of you are close?"

“Yes, I would say so."

“And yet you didn't protect
him when his life was in danger."

Aeris looked away. She knew she
should've protected her master. She wanted to, but upon
seeing the look of unbridled rage on the Genial's face. The way he
snarled at her. She knew death was the only outcome if she tried to
face him.

“I wished I could've done
more," Aeris whispered. “But I don't know the first thing about
fighting another dragon."

Lilith took a sip of her tea, the
disappointment clear in her eyes. “Well, I suppose next time you'll
think twice before approaching another dragon, won't you?"

Aeris stared at the ground.

“It's rude not to respond
when someone speaks to you," Lilith said curtly.

Aeris quickly nodded.

“Speak up."

“Yes, I will," Aeris said,
her claws scraping the ground.

The rest of their lunch was eaten
in silence. Aeris avoided meeting Lilith's eyes though she could
feel the woman staring at her, reading her. It was worse than when
Charles looked at her. There was nothing but pressure and judgment.

Aeris had no idea how much time
had passed, but she could barely contain her joy when Maggie
returned.

“Lilith, Lord Strauss wishes to
see you," Maggie said.

Lilith nodded and turned to
Aeris. “It was nice meeting you, Aeris. We should do this again
sometime."

Aeris smiled and nodded more out
of reflex than politeness. She waited until Lilith disappeared from
view before saying to Maggie, “I don't like her."

“That's a shame. I thought
she was quite lovely," Maggie said. “Unfortunately, you'll have
to like her, or at least tolerate her. She's going to be living
with us for quite some time."

Aeris spun to Maggie. She had to
have misheard her. She wished she misheard her. “Did you say living
with us?"

Maggie nodded. “She's moving
in today. But don't you worry about that. Come. Lord Strauss just
received an invitation to another party. He asked me to get you
ready."

Aeris groaned. That meant another
bath.

****

Aeris sat quietly in the corner
of the banquet hall watching everyone dance and interact. She was at
another party. She even wore a new vest her master picked out just
for her. It was deep blue with a short skirt that made her feel she
was wearing a dress. She should be happy. She wanted to be happy. But
how could she, knowing what she knew? The different smells made her
nauseous, the sounds made her head hurt. Even the banquet hall seemed
too bright and hurt her eyes.

She slowly looked around the
room. Everyone seemed so happy talking, mingling. The worst part of
it was that she was, once again, the center of attention. Every time
she was introduced to someone, she sensed them judging her. Their
tones, no matter how gentle, always sounded disappointed or angry,
and their friendly smiles resembled disgusted sneers. No one brought
up the incident with the Genial, but she felt as if they were judging
her nonetheless.

Master Aaron must have brought
her here to cheer her up, but it only made her feel worse.

“Hey, Aeris. Are you enjoying
yourself?"

“Yes, Master Aaron, I am having
a wonderful time," Aeris smiled broadly at Aaron to prove her
point. The smile was fake, but she didn't want him to know that.
She also didn't want Lilith to see how unhappy she was. She felt
the woman silently probing her defenses for weaknesses.

“Aaron, she's obviously bored
here," Lilith said. “She's the only dragon in the room. Why
don't you have her go out in the garden with the other dragons? Let
her mingle with her kind for once."

“That's not a bad idea,"
Master Aaron said.

Aeris' face fell. “Master,
the last time I tried talking to a dragon—" She quickly fell
silent upon seeing the scolding looking Lilith gave her.

Master Aaron didn't notice or
he chose to ignore it. “Aeris, these dragons are all domesticates.
They won't think any less of you for being who you are. Besides I
would never send you anywhere near them if I thought they might harm
you." He sighed and dropped his head. Aeris noticed his eyes were
glossy as if he were ready to start crying. “Also I feel partly
responsible for what happened. If I had let you be around other
dragons from the start, you would have known to be more careful."

Aeris stared at her master,
stunned. She couldn't believe Master Aaron was blaming himself for
the incident. The entire time she thought he was upset with her, and
she tried thinking of ways to apologize for being disobedient. But
instead, he felt the same way about her.

Aeris opened her mouth to say
something, but Master Aaron gently rubbed her snout, silencing her
once again. “Let's not talk about this now. Right now, you should
go outside and be with your kind for a change."

Without another word, Aeris
quickly headed for the garden. She still felt terrible for the
horrible thoughts she had about Master Aaron, but knowing he was
going to allow her to be around other dragons made her feel much
better.

The garden was not as large as
the banquet hall, but it was just as beautiful. The entire area was
covered in green archways and hedges of various shapes and sizes.
Some of the hedges even had flowers blooming on them further
accenting the design. A large fountain sat in the middle of the
gardens. Its center was a creature Aeris had never seen before. The
top half of the sculpture resembled a human but the bottom half
looked like a fishes fin. She made a mental note to ask Maggie about
it when she got back. Surrounding the strange centerpiece were
several smaller sculptures resembling different types of fish; each
one shot a thin stream of water over the large half-human sculpture
in the middle.

The dragons sat near one of the
stone benches by the fountain. Aeris recognized some of their species
immediately. One of the dragons was a Silver Horntail, a grey dragon
with several thorn-like protrusions on the end of its tail. The two
bright green dragons were known as Aquarian Short-Snouts. Just as
their name suggested, their snouts were shorter than those of the
other dragons. The last dragon was a species Aeris knew all too well;
a Green Crested Genial. Thankfully this was smaller than the last one
she encountered.

As Aeris approached the group,
one of the dragons, one of the Short-Snouts, took notice of her and
signaled the others. “Well, well, well. What have we here?" the
dragon said in a deep, raspy voice, “You new here?"

Aeris looked around the group in
silence. She had no idea what to say, and part of her was terrified
of what could happen if she did.

The other Short-Snout spoke up.
“Oy. My brother asked you a question."

The first Short-Snout stepped
between them. “Now, now she'll answer when she's ready." The
dragon gave Aeris a warm smile. “This is your first banquet I take
it?"

“N-No. Actually, I attend
banquets all the time," Aeris said quickly. She kept her gaze on
the ground, fearing offending one of the other dragons.

“If you do this sort of thing
all the time, how come I don't recognize you?" asked the
Horntail.

Aeris curled her tail around her
legs. She didn't have an answer to the Horntail's question. While
she had attended many banquets over the years, this was the first
time she was ever allowed around the other dragons.

“Leave her alone, Reks," the
Genial said angrily, the dragon's voice suggested it was a female.
“Can't you see she's nervous?" The Genial turned to Aeris her
tone much gentler than before. “I'm sorry about him, he's
always like that with newcomers. My name is Glee and this—" she
hooked the thumbclaw of her wing around the horn of the Horntail,
pulling his head down. The Horntail began to protest, but Glee
growled at him and he quickly fell silent. “—is Reks. Now those
two over there—" Glee used her tail to motion to the two
Short-Snouts “—is Caleo and his sister, Rowen. Now you, my dear,
are…?"

“I'm Aeris," Aeris replied
softly.

Reks snatched his head away from
Glee. “Yeah, I kind of figured that. Perfect little Aeris; the
humans' favorite."

“Shut up Reks," Rowen said
frowning.

“Why don't you come over here
and make me?"

“I thought you'd never ask…"
Rowen crouched low to ground ready to pounce at Reks.

Glee quickly stepped between the
two dragons. “Both of you stop it. You're acting like clan-borns.
Now I'm not going to be the one who has to explain to the humans
how this place got destroyed. Now unless you want your masters paying
for the damage, you'll sit your asses down and act like you were
taught manners." Glee was shorter than both dragons, but they still
dropped their heads and did as they were told.

Caleo appeared by Aeris' side.
“I'm sure you figured it out by now, but our masters talk about
you a lot. Reks is a little jealous of you. He'd kill to get the
humans to treat him the way they treat you."

Aeris tilted her head in
confusion. “Wait. What does that mean?"

“It means the reason we haven't
seen you before is because you're allowed inside the
parties, while the 'common' dragons have to sit out here."

Aeris looked at the group in
shock. All this time, she assumed she was the only dragon that was
brought to these things. “You mean, all this time…"

“Yep. We get to watch from the
sidelines—"

“—then hear about how
beautiful and magnificent you are all the way the way home," Rowen
finished, “But don't worry, Reks is the only one who's jealous.
Honestly, I find these human gatherings boring, so I don't really
care."

“Yeah. Being out here is so
much better," Caleo agreed, rubbing his face against Aeris'
cheek.

Aeris quickly moved away from the
dragon. She knew it was rude, but she didn't like him touching
her. It reminded her of the way Aaron touched her when he wanted to
be alone with her.

“I'm sorry that happened,"
Aeris said to Reks. The Silvertail huffed and turned away from her.
“If I had known there were other dragons at these gatherings—"

“You would've done what?"
Reks snarled. “Save your pity. I know the truth. You were either
too fucking stupid to know any better or too full of yourself to
believe any other dragon exists."

“Reks! She is simply trying to
apologize, you do not need to speak to her that way," Glee said
angrily. “Just ignore him. The rest of us are not angry with you at
all."

When Glee approached, Aeris
stepped backward, nearly tripping over herself. The other dragons
tilted their heads in confusion.

“See? I told you. She doesn't
even want you near her," Reks said.

“No. No! It's not that,"
Aeris said quickly, dropping her head in shame. “I met a Green
Crested Genial once before and… it didn't end well."

“Didn't end well how?" Glee
asked.

Before Aeris could answer, Glee
turned back to the banquet hall and grumbled under her breath.

“Looks we'll have to continue
this another time; my master's calling me. The rest of you play
nice and try to remember that you're civilized." the Genial
quickly walked back to the banquet hall.

The other dragons swarmed on
Aeris the moment Glee was out of view.

“Come on, come on," said
Rowen, bouncing with excitement. “Tell us what happened."

“Well, two days ago I was in
the commercial district—" Aeris began.

“Wait a minute. That was you?"
Reks asked surprised. A large grin began to spread across the
Silvertail's face.

Aeris couldn't explain why, but
for some reason Reks' question and the smile on his face made her
stomach drop.

“My master told me about some
stupid domesticate who picked a fight with a clan-born," Reks'
grin widened even further, threatening to split his head in two. “I
can't believe that was you."

Aeris felt her heart begin to
race. Her tail curled defensively around her legs. “T-That's not
how it happened," she squeaked. “I didn't pick a fight. I just
wanted to talk and—"

Reks began laughing so hard, he
fell on his side. Aeris quickly fell silent. She glanced over at
Rowen and Caleo, hoping they would offer some support.

To her surprise, they, too, were
laughing.

“ 'That's not how it
happened'," Rowen said in a high squeaky voice. “Are you
really that stupid? As if some clan-born would even look at us."

Caleo was the first to stop
laughing. He threw a nasty look at the others before walking over to
Aeris and throwing one of his wings around her.

“Leave her alone. It's
obvious she's too naïve to know any better."

“Oh shut up," Rowen shot
back. “You're just being nice 'cause you think it'll make 'er
lift her tail for you."

“She's not gonna put out,"
Reks chimed in, still wearing his devilish grin. “Even if she does,
she doesn't even act like a real dragon." The Silvertail began
slowly circling the two of them. “Trying to talk to a clan-born?
Thinking she's the only dragon humans care about? She's stupid
and pathetic. Honestly, Caleo, you can't be that desperate."

“So she's not gonna give us
the full story," Rowen said, joining Reks in his predatory
circling. “So tell us, Reks, what did happen?"

Aeris opened her mouth to
protest, but Reks immediately cut her off. “My master told me how
she screamed and begged for her life. How she needed her master to
come to rescue her from her stupidity. He told me she pissed herself
out of fear. "

The other dragons burst into
laughter again. Even Caleo found it hard to stand as he screamed in
hysterics.

“I would pay to see
that," Rowen said.

Reks smiled and lowered his body
to the ground as he continued to circle Aeris. He looked like a large
silver snake slithering around her, waiting for its moment to strike.
“I like the sound of that. I bet I could…"

Aeris wasn't listening anymore.
The sound of her heart beating furiously pounded in her ears. Her
breathing came in short, panicked bursts. Her tail curled so tightly
around her, she couldn't move without tripping over it as flashes
of that day began to appear before her eyes. Flashes of people
laughing at her as the Genial stood over her, snarling and growling.
She could hear them cheering as he threw her into the wall. She
frantically scanned the crowd, hoping someone; anyone would stop the
dragon from tearing her apart. The Genial opened his mouth revealing
several rows of pointed, razor-sharp fangs. Aeris cried out as she
felt a familiar pain in her neck when the dragon clamped his jaws
around her throat.

“NO!"

Aeris snapped out of her
flashback to notice she was standing in the middle of the garden, her
breath coming in short, hard bursts as if she had been running for
hours. Reks was laying on the ground beneath her, limp as a doll.
Caleo and Rowen were standing several feet away, their eyes wide and
filled to the brim with shock and fear. She looked down at the
Horntail beneath her and noticed she had a claw pressed against his
throat, her muscles tensed and ready to slice his jugular at a
moment's notice. Reks said nothing. He did not attempt to throw
Aeris off. He just lay there, eyes closed tight, quivering beneath
her like a scared child.

Little by little, her confidence
drained out of her. She didn't know what happened but she wasn't
going to stand around and wait for their shock to wear off. Without
saying another word, Aeris ran back to the banquet hall as fast as
her legs could carry her. Aeris racked her mind in a desperate
attempt to recall what happened. All she could remember was standing
in the garden while Reks, Caleo, and Rowen teased her. She remembered
the humiliation, but not what came after. Her memory just jumped to
standing in the middle of the garden and holding Reks down. It was
like a story containing a missing chapter. She couldn't recall a
single sight, sound, smell, or even feeling of that event.

She was so distracted, the moment
she entered the hall, she nearly ran into her master. “Oof! Hey, I
was just about to come to find you. I thought I heard something
outside and—" Master Aaron said looking down at Aeris smiling.
The moment he saw Aeri's face, his smile dropped. “Is something
the matter?"

Aeris cast her gaze to the floor.
“No, nothing's wrong," she said. She wanted to put as much
distance between herself and the other dragons as possible. The last
thing she wanted was for Master Aaron to make a bigger deal out of
things than there already was. “Can we go, please? I-I don't feel
very well."

“Okay, sure we can leave,"
Master Aaron said.

“But Aaron—" Lilith began.

“This isn't up for debate,"
Master Aaron said firmly. “We're leaving."

Lilith pouted, but said nothing
and followed him as he guided Aeris through the banquet hall to the
outside.

Aeris kept her head and her eyes
down. She wanted to avoid any contact with anyone as if just by
looking in her eyes they would know. They would suspect something was
wrong and they would ask questions or they would simply know. First,
the Everfields, and now this. Aeris was beginning to wonder if
something was really wrong with her.

She needed to talk to that
Ravager from before. She needed answers before she did something
terrible.

Thanks for reading.

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