Chapter 134


    #134 The Words


    Once this was all over, once again, everything became quiet in the arena.


    There was this silence, reigning over the ce like a shadow despite the clear sky. It just didn’t feel


    right. Shareen looked around, at the deserted arena. This ce was desert most of the year, and when


    it was in use, it was to showcase death, Now, it had served its purpose one too many times. The


    Princess let out a long sigh. Maybe all of this was meant to teach them something. That it was time for


    a change,


    Shareen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wiped off the blood dripping down her chin, and


    with a heavy heart, she turned to her brother. Next to him, Krai was still waiting there, his head low, not


    moving.


    “Kairen. We have to go,” she said.


    While she was expecting her brother to ignore her, he slowly stood up, still carrying Cassandra against


    his chest. Both Dragons turned heads to watch him go, and they followed his steps as he slowly left the


    arena. Shareen watched her brother go, but she nced onest time towards the ashes and the pile


    of rocks. She spat on the ck dust and went to follow her brother and leave this ce.


    They walked slowly back towards the Pce. There were corridors to get there from the Imperial


    Pce, of course, and anyway, neither of the dragons looked like they had enough strength left to fly.


    Krai was following Kairen from up close, and even when he had to climb on the roof instead of the


    narrow corridors, his steps were heard heavily above them. Sire actually didn’t follow them back inside.


    The blue Dragon parted ways with them, aiming for another area of the castle. It was easy to imagine


    he had other humans to be more concerned about here.


    Shareen didn’t dare say a word while they walked. After such a long and violent battle, it was strange


    that everything was so quiet inside the Imperial Pce.


    “Brother! We…”


    Anour stopped talking, his eyes going down to the body Kairen was carrying. The young Prince opened


    his eyes wide, shocked, and soon, they got filled with sorrow.


    “No… She…”


    No one answered him. He gasped and covered his mouth, and didn’t dare move when Kairen walked


    past him. The youngest prince raised his eyes towards Shareen, as if to ask something, but he didn’t


    formte it into words. She just nced at him briefly, and they both followed the War God.


    “The… fight outside is over,” said Anour, almost whispering.


    They could hear that. From very far above the Imperial Pce’s walls, the cheers of soldiers could be


    vaguely heard. Shareen wanted to go out and p them one by one. There was no cheering to be


    down now. Not after what had happened, the tragedy that was going on here. She didn’t want to hear


    those idiots.


    “…Where is Mother? And Missandra?”


    “They are with Roun,” said Anour. “Missandra is very badly injured, but Lady Kareen found an Imperial


    Healer to look over her, and Phemera, too… He said they will both make it. Everything was quiet here,


    so I came out to see… Lady Kareen had said we should hide and wait, just in… Just in case…”


    Shareen nodded. Their mother had probably prioritized Missandra and the baby’s safety…


    “Can you go get them?” She asked.


    Anour nced towards Kairen, a bit worried, before turning back to her.


    “Are you sure…?”


    “I don’t…” She sighed. “Maybe … It’s better if they get a chance to say goodbye.”


    The youngest prince gulped down, looking like he was repressing some tears himself, and nodded


    vividly before leaving. Shareen sighed, and continued following her brother. She didn’t know where he


    was taking her, she couldn’t even tell if he had a destination in mind.


    Kairen looked like he was wandering aimlessly in the Pce’s corridors, carrying her body in silence.


    Just after a few more corridors, she recognized the direction they were taking; Towards theke. (4


    She frowned. They had heard some incredible story from their brother while on their way to the arena,


    but… What was he thinking, going back there? That crazy tale Opheus had said uttered about some


    gigantic Dragon hidden theke couldn’t be true… was it?


    Shareen didn’t say a thing, though, and still followed after him. No matter what he tried, said, or did


    now, she probably wouldn’t have found it in herself to stop him. She had never stood against her


    brother, and she wouldn’t do it now. Certainly not now. They walked up to the Lake, were Opheus was


    seated in the grass, a hand on his . dragon. Both Lys and had looked exhausted, covered in


    injuries, yet they all raised heads once they walked in the garden. 3


    The Golden Dragon growled softly, but had couldn’t move. He was exhausted and lying on its nk.


    He had fought a lot today. They all did. Krai too, walked heavily on the grass, walking to Kairen’s side.


    The ck Dragon had never looked so sad when itid down there, it’s head turned towards them.


    Opheus struggled to get up, but his eyes were riveted on Kairen and Cassandra. He didn’t say a thing,


    but his expression was beyond words. That sight had rendered him speechless, choked up, at a loss


    for words. He watched his older brother get to theke, and get down on his knees on the strand. He


    was holding Cassandra as if she was simply sleeping, her head against his neck, hisrge hands


    holding her as tenderly as a man could hold a woman.


    “Please…. 4


    His voice was so low, Opheus thought he had dreamt it. Yet, Kairen was staring at the Lake, his eyes


    searching for something he couldn’t see. He didn’t know what to call, how to do this. It was


    Cassandra’s world, not his. He knew nothing. The War God took a deep breath, and after a hesitation,


    he uttered the one word he knew.


    LIE


    W


    …Almien.” 14


    He looked at theke, but as nothing moved, he took a deep breath and repeated it. Again and again,


    like a prayer; He hugged Cassandra, and begged for her God toe and save her.


    Shareen was staying behind arms crossed, looking like she believed nothing of what he was trying to


    do. Opheus nced at the surface, unsure. Would that creature answer to their call? After what they


    had done? He looked at Cassandra. After they had done this to her? To her people? He exchanged a


    nce with Shareen. The Princess didn’t believe it, but she wouldn’t stop him from trying. She knew


    there was nothing else he’d do but try. 2


    “Oh, by the Gods… Cassie…”


    They turned around.


    Lady Kareen had arrived, carrying baby Kassian and followed by Anour. Somehow, Kian had found his


    way to the concubine and was walking at her feet, looking just fine, unaware of what was going on.


    They hade without Missandra, which meant the younger sister was probably in no state to move.


    In a way, perhaps it was better, Shareen thought. She’d be spared of that vision of her older sister, lying


    lifeless in the War God’s arms…


    In his grandmother’s arms, Kassian began crying. Kian, too, retreated, no longer looking all joyful and


    excited. The young dragon was almost hiding behind Kareen, sending little nces towards theke,


    and making little distressed sounds. This scene was just unbearable. Kareen didn’t even try to soothe


    the baby, the Imperial Concubine had her eyes riveted on her son, lookingpletely devastated. She


    sighed, and held Kassian a bit more closely, caressing his back and whispering gently to him. She kept


    shaking her head, not adding anything.


    Suddenly, something on the surface of theke began moving. They all turned their eyes towards the


    shapes that


    appeared in the water. The ripples started spreading through the wholeke, and somehow, the


    atmosphere around got a lot fresher too, which never happened in the dry, hot Dragon Empire.


    Shareen and her mother exchanged a nce,pletely stunned. They had lived years in this Pce,


    known every end of it and even every secret of the Emperor. Yet, its biggest secret didn’t belong to the


    human realm. It came into the shape of a magnificent Creature that surfaced out of theke for a girl.


    The Water God let the top of its body out of the water, it’s heading to Kairen. It was like a snake


    slowly swimming, chunks of its body appearing randomly on the surface, and disappearing again. One


    could only imagine the actual length and size of that creature. Opheus nced towards the dragons,


    but none of them looked cautious or surprised. They were all lowering their heads. As if the one water


    dragon in front of them was a very venerable creature, a being they were intimidated by naturally. They


    hadn’t done that earlier, in the midst of a battle, but now, there was a clear line drawn between the


    Imperial Dragons, and this Water God.


    Kairen raised his eyes as the Creature stood tall above him. For once, the War God was the one


    looked down upon, and he didn’t care the slightest about that.


    His dark eyes were red with grief. He just didn’t want it, he didn’t want to admit that reality. Yet, as the


    Water God stood tall in front of him, he remained quiet. There was a very strange feeling between the


    two.


    He was holding Cassandra, so light in his arms. The girl from the Rain Tribe. The ve his Empire had


    taken from her people, from the life she should have had. They should have never met. They were born


    in different worlds, worlds that weren’t suited for each other. The moment she had been brought to this


    Empire, she wasn’t meant to survive. She was brought to this Empire to suffer and die. To be a


    ve.


    Yet, of all people, the War God had fallen for that woman. There had been a bit of light for her, in the


    darkness. They hadn’t spent a year together, but she had be everything. She had be what


    she could be, like a flower struggling to bloom in the dirt. The water lily. The Lady of The Mountain.


    Wherever she had been taken, she had done her best to survive and grow. She hadn’tined, she


    had stood brave against everything his people had thrown at her. She had never be resentful


    towards their people. Cassandra had stayed the same girl from the Rain Tribe, and she had changed


    the people around her instead.


    Kairen was sitting there, looking at the Water God and lost.


    What had hee to do? Beg for a second chance? For Cassandra to be returned to her? He was


    sitting in front of her God, with her body in his hands. What would he dare beg for? The Water God had


    heard the Requiem of one of hisst daughters. No one could tell what linked them, but he was


    presenting her body to that God, and begging for a second chance? To take her again, back into this


    terrible world? How could he ask for a miracle, when nothing had been brought but Chaos?


    The Water God was standing there, waiting. No one could tell how much time really passed, with those


    two Gods staring at each other. It was like some silent negotiation was going on between them, yet no


    word was exchanged.


    In Kareen’s eyes, her son was paying a heavy price for many, many people’s wrongs.


    He was the one carrying his lover’s body. The mother of his son was lying in his arms, and he had to


    live with the fact that not only had he been toote to save her, but he was also partially guilty for it.


    Because he had fallen in love with her, so many things had happened. No one could tell how and why


    the ck Dragon had tied their destinies together. Maybe the War God needed to learn about love.


    Maybe it was just about giving Cassandra more time to do all the good she could still do. There was


    something both beautiful and tragic about this pair’s fate.


    After a long while, the War God closed his eyes. One tear slowly went down his cheek, and with a deep


    breath, he held Cassandra in his arms onest time. He hugged her tight, burying his face into her hair,


    his hands wrapped around her body. From behind him, they could feel the heavy weight on his


    shoulders, the mountain of pain and grief that overcame him. Only his son’s cries could be heard, the


    man himself was beyond tears.


    Then, very slowly, heid Cassandra’s body down in the water. Even from afar, one could tell how


    unwilling he was to let go. When his hands finally left her body, he took a couple of steps back, his eyes


    still on her. Never the


    obsidian eyes had been so dark, without a spark of light in it.


    He raised his dead eyes to the Water God, and then, he bowed very lowly.


    Kairen had never bowed to anyone, but now, that man was thrown so low, his face almost touching the


    water.


    “I’m sorry.”


    Those three words were uttered so low, no one else heard it.


    The Water God let out a long, low-pitched sound that resonated within the gardens and beyond. It was


    as if he had been waiting for this. Then, he went down to Cassandra, his head right next to her, and the


    creature took a deep breath in.


    When it opened its mouth, it exhaled some very thin, white dust. As they were confused at first, they


    realized that white smoke slowly covered Cassandra. The air chilled down again, and the ice got


    thicker. Soon, her skin turned whiter than it had ever been. It was like seeing a ghost disappear in the


    snow. Her lips became purple, then blue.


    Kairen couldn’t take her eyes off her until the Water God stopped his ice breathe. Then, with another,


    angrier loud growi, it suddenly came closer and wrapped his body around Cassandra. One of its paws


    grabbed her arm to keep her in ce, but the Creature’s eyes were on Kairen all of the time. The War


    God didn’t even seem to notice, and he didn’t even retreat from the Creature so close. He just watched


    it take her.


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    With another long growling, the Water God slowly went back into theke, taking Cassandra with him.


    It disappeared just like this, and after a while, the surface of the water didn’t move at all, going back to


    being a quiet, peacefulke.