#Her dragon's headless body rotting next to her

[backjustforberena]

I don't think telling Corlys that Rhaenys died with honour, and how she might have wanted to (if she, in fact, did want to die in dragon flame especially as she thinks both her kids died by fire) means an actual jot to Corlys.

All he probably thinks is about how Rhaenys SHOULD have died. And she should have died at home. She should have died at peace, in peace. She should have died decades from now, with a smile on her face and no troubles. And, most importantly, she should have died after him.

[aquadestinyswriting]

How to Resurrect a God

You know how I made that post about how Shaping worked? Here’s something that should help with the showing, not telling thing. There’s a follow-up piece to go with this that I’ll be posting in a bit.

Context: Based off a D&D session that actually happened. Some creative liberties have been taken to add a bit more drama, but otherwise the things that happen in this piece were actually roleplayed out.

Summary:  The Adventurers have been tasked by Drakemar to revive the Elven God of the Sea, who was killed in a battle against the patron deity of the Orcs. They’ve spent the day resting in a pocket dimension on an island off the coast of Arborea waiting for the orcs and goblins playing with the Dolphin God’s remains to leave before making their move.

Words: 2,807

Warnings: aside from vague descriptions of a rotting body? None are really required that I can think of. Please tag me and let me know if there is something that needs one.

tags: @druidx, @strosmkai-rum, @asher-orion-writes @blind-the-winds @odysseywritings

And here’s the link to the follow-up piece: A 'Little Chat'

The stars twinkled through the breaks in the clouds high above Arborea. The body of the Elven God of the sea hung limply from the iron tree that He was strapped to. The orcs and goblins that had been desecrating the headless body were now wending their way down the various gangways and into the pubs of the shantytown that had been built up around the gantry. As the sounds of jeering laughter faded, a small, rounded face popped out of a small hole in the universe about thirty feet off the ground above a nearby hill. Felix grinned as he noticed the orcs and goblins had finally left the iron ‘tree’ that the Dolphin God had been pinned to,

“Looks like the coast is clear.” he chirped, letting down a rope from the pocket dimension that his Rope Trick had created. Meredith rubbed one of her eyes and yawned widely as she shuffled over to the opening,

“‘S way too late to be up.” she grumbled, “Or early… whatever time it is, all I can tell ye is that it ought to be a crime to be awake right now.” Felix shrugged as he handed the rope to a lanky, teenaged human boy, who shivered as the chilly night air came through the hole in the ‘floor’,

“It’s not so bad.” the gnome said, “It’s better this way than trying to fight our way through half a world’s worth of orcs and goblins.” Meredith simply grumbled again, trying to hold back another yawn as the human boy slid down the rope and onto the ground below,

“Yeah, it’s definitely all clear down here now.” he called, “Can we get a move on? This place is giving me the creeps.” A squat and muscular half-orc snorted as he jumped down through the hole in the universe, landing gracefully next to the boy,

“It’s just the headless body of a God.” the half-orc said flatly, “Dunno what’s so upsetting about that.” Elowyn rolled her eyes,

“‘Zeage, leave Darius alone, and enough with the sarcasm.” the woodling said irritably, “We haven’t got long to get this done.” she reminded the monk.

It didn’t take long for the odd assortment of people to climb down the rope. Felix looked up at the hole in the universe and grinned as a young gold dragon turned her head to speak with the dozen or so kobolds that were sitting patiently on her back.

“You lot alright up there?” the gnome called. The dragon looked down at him and nodded,

“Yes, we’re fine.” she replied, “Just making sure no one’s going to fall off.” Gingerly, Aurianna spread her wings and jumped from the hole in the universe, gliding down onto the ground below. As soon as the dragon had touched down, the kobolds hopped off and looked over to Elowyn, who was staring up at the decaying body of the eleven God. The largest of them cocked his head,

“You seem worried.” Cragspine noted. Elowyn sighed and shook her head before turning to look at the reptilian cleric,

“It’s nothing.” she said, “We’d better get a move on, there’s no telling how long we have.” The woodling looked over to Darius and Felix, who both nodded and walked to a ridge directly overlooking the metal structure around the massive body. Both sorcerors noted how many guards had been left and quietly discussed the use of their Sleep spells before Darius walked back over and waved his hands over Elowyn and Meredith. The dwarf snorted as the spell washed over her,

“How long is this gonna last?” she asked, her tone terse. Darius chewed his lip nervously,

“Honestly? I’m not sure, but it should be good for at least a few hours.” the teenaged human replied. Elowyn held out a hand to stop her old friend from saying anything else,

“Thank you Darius, we’ll try to make do with what we have.” she said. Elowyn turned to Meredith, who yawned widely again, “You good to go?” Meredith nodded,

“As I’ll ever be.” she muttered, looking up at the gigantic corpse with a somewhat dubious expression. Elowyn laid an encouraging hand on the dwarf’s shoulder,

“Hey, the dick of a vampire dragon wouldn’t have given us the Clay that was left if he didn’t think you could do this.” she pointed out, “And for the record, I know for a fact that you can.” 

“While I appreciate the enthusiasm, hen, this is a wee bit bigger than plugging up a hole leading to the Pit.” Meredith pointed out, but smiled anyway, making Elowyn’s heart flutter slightly, “But I’m gonna give it ma best shot anyway.” Elowyn grinned back and nodded. The woodling looked over the ridge, checking to make sure that Darius and Felix were alright. Her sharp eyes picked out the gentle glow of the Sleep spells taking effect on the few guards stationed around the body, looked over to Meredith and nodded. Taking a deep, if shaky breath, the dwarf nodded. The two women took off.

The stench of decay was the first thing the two women noticed as they approached the torn out chest cavity of the Dolphin God’s’ body. Whatever divine power was left within it was clearly beginning to wane as rot set in. Meredith cast a critical eye over the injury, the darkness within not bothering the dwarf in the slightest. Elowyn screwed up her eyes in an attempt to see much of anything,

“Think we can risk some light?” she asked, “Mostly because I won’t be able to see a damn thing once I’m in there.” Meredith shook her head,

“A Light spell would draw too much attention.” the dwarf responded, “There ought to be enough light to see by once I get started, an’ besides, I dinna need to screw up whatever night vision you do have once we’re done.” Elowyn recalled how exhausted Meredith had been using the first wodge of Clay to seal up the portal to the Pit beneath the Wizard’s Tower, grimaced and nodded,

“Good point.” she murmured. Meredith took the woodling’s hand and squeezed it before flying inside the huge hole the God of the orcs had left,

“Right, I think I ken what’s what. Come on, we dinna have all night.” Elowyn tried to ignore the skips her heart was making as Meredith confidently led them both to where the God’s heart used to be. The dwarf grunted as she wriggled the pack off her back and took out the comparatively large pot that Drakemar had given her,

“Tell ye one thing, I’m glad to be rid o’ that thing. It’s too damn heavy to be lugging around all the time.” she grumbled. Elowyn shrugged as she tried to make out what Meredith was doing,

“The pot might be useful later?” she suggested. She heard Meredith give a somewhat amused snort,

“Maybe.” was all the reply Elowyn got before she felt the pack being handed to her. The woodling awkwardly shouldered it, suddenly momentarily blinded as Meredith began to work the Clay, a pale light illuminating the dwarf’s face as she moved the slippery substance between her hands. Elowyn nodded as Meredith looked over to her,

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out.” she said with a smile. Nodding, Meredith whooshed out a sigh, closed her eyes, muttered a prayer then got to work.

While the task ahead was so much more complicated than the last and the pull on her soul so much stronger, the Clay seemed to be a lot more compliant this time. Internally grimacing, Meredith shook her head to clear the thoughts away. She needed to keep her mind as clear as possible, this wasn’t going to work otherwise. Steeling herself, Meredith focused on the brief lessons she had been given as to how a heart looked and behaved and willed the Clay hovering between her hands to take on the correct size and shape. 

Elowyn glanced nervously between the hole leading back outside and her best friend. The woodling had no idea what was going to happen once Meredith was done and the lack of knowledge was making her anxious.  At least things seemed to be going a lot more smoothly, she noted, watching Meredith’s face for any hint of a struggle and seeing none. To calm her nerves, Elowyn floated around the cavernous space and checked her gear over in the soft light of the Shaping spell.

Meredith wondered briefly what she could do about the God’s missing head as she continued willing the Clay into the correct shape. As soon as the thought had crossed her mind, the Clay suddenly started to act of its own accord, startling the dwarf. She steeled herself to wrest some sort of control back when the somewhat gentle tug upon her soul turned into a grab. Meredith struggled to free herself from the grip of the magic pulling her along as the Clay suddenly began to connect to the rest of the body, a ripple of immense divine power washing over everything in its path and reversing all of the rot and decay it touched. 

Elowyn blinked as the light from the spell increased in intensity and watched in awe as the heart-shaped lump of Clay connected to the remaining blood vessels and began to pump. Grinning, the woodling looked to Meredith, only for her own heart to leap into her throat. In the increasing intensity of the light, Elowyn could see that Meredith hadn’t broken her connection to the Clay. Not only that but there were tendrils of semi-golden light wrapped firmly around the dwarf’s wrists, tugging at something the woodling couldn’t see. Looking behind her, Elowyn’s breath hitched as she realised that the magic was beginning to seal up the wound that the pair had entered the body through. Making up her mind, Elowyn flew over to Meredith, grabbed her shoulders pulled as hard as she could manage,

“Ok we’re leaving!” 

Meredith struggled against the grip of the magic that threatened to consume her, only barely aware of Elowyn’s shout to her, but it was enough. Sending a desperate prayer to Moradin, Meredith gathered what mental strength she had left and pulled. Slowly, the grip upon her mind and soul began to weaken before finally ‘snapping’ away with a jolt that left the dwarf reeling. Groaning wearily, Meredith pulled herself out of her trance despite the desire to sink into the forgiving darkness of unconsciousness.

Elowyn’s throat constricted as she noticed that the hole in Deep Sachellas’ chest was closing more rapidly than she could fly while she was carrying Meredith’s half-lifeless body along. Her ears pricked, hearing a soft groan coming from the dwarf,

“Anyone get the cart…” Meredith slurred. Elowyn internally breathed a sigh of relief,

“Come on, we need to move.” she encouraged, jostling Meredith to drive her point home. Blinking, Meredith made out the rapidly closing hole and nodded. Despite the heaviness in her limbs and the ache in her everything, the dwarf pulled herself off Elowyn’s shoulder and focused on flying out into the night sky.

As soon as the pair were outside, Elowyn led them down to the ground,

“Guys we need to go!” she yelled, glancing up at the God’s body briefly and freezing. Tendrils of magic and clay worked their way up from the stump of neck that had been left and coiled and twisted until a head was formed. Deep Sachellas roared in anger and agony as He finally came back to the world of the living, His face twisted into an outraged snarl. He pulled on the chains that held His body in place.

On the ground, Enezeage and Aurianna were the first to reach Elowyn and Meredith, the latter slumped over as she struggled to stay awake. Snorting, Enezeage hoiked Meredith onto his shoulder and started to run towards the beach where the boat they had taken to get here was waiting. Wasting no time, Elowyn followed the stout half-orc, running as fast as her legs would carry her, then faster as she felt the ground beneath her shift.

“Auri, grab the kobolds.” Elowyn yelled as she noticed the reptilian figures watch in terrified awe from the top of the ridge, “Felix, Darius, move!” she yelled. The teenaged human nodded, zooming off faster than even Enezeage back towards the beach. Felix dithered a little,

“What happened, what’s going on?” he asked, ducking underneath a clod of earth that had been thrown in the group’s direction. Clearly  one of the chains had already been ripped free. Elowyn shook her head,

“Not now Felix, we’ll work it out once we get back onto the mainland.” She said firmly, focusing on one thing and one thing only. Getting back to their hired boat and hoping against hope that the Captain of said boat hadn’t already scarpered. 

“Get aboard, get aboard!” The squid-faced man yelled, waving his tentacle arm at the group, “I don’t wanna be abroad when His Nibs over there breaks free!” Elowyn and her friends didn’t need the extra encouragement, all of them scrambling up onto the deck of the little vessel and holding onto whatever they could find as the crew started up the engine and the boat careened back towards the dock on the opposite shore. Elowyn watched in terrified awe as the Dolphin God set about the orcish village that had been built at his feet, furiously swinging the chains that were still attached to his wrists and ankles around.

Meredith, for her part, was vaguely aware of the chaos surrounding her. When Enezeage pulled her up and onto his shoulder, she tried to protest as she usually did, but couldn’t find the strength to do so. Instead, the dwarven cleric tried to stay as conscious as possible, but the bounce of Enezeage’s steps as he ran towards the boat finally lulled the dwarf down into the darkness. She was fully unconscious even before the half-orc had leapt onto the boat’s deck.

Elowyn did not get a good look at Meredith until she and her whole party were dropped off onto the beach of the mainland, having spent the trip back keeping an eye out for flying debris launched in the boat’s direction. When she turned around, her heart squeezed painfully as she looked at the dwarf still draped over Enezeage’s shoulder. While Meredith had always been pale, she was chalk white under her beard and there was a sheen of sweat over her brow. Enezeage rumbled as he looked at his charge,

“Yeah, she ain’t doing too well.” he said, “I mean, she’s breathing, but it’s pretty shallow.” Elowyn stamped down the swell of panic that rose in her throat and nodded,

“Alright, ‘Zeage get her on Aurianna. We’ll go on ahead to that elven city we were at before.” she said as firmly as she could manage, “We’ll meet you guys there.” Enezeage nodded and placed the unconscious dwarf onto the young dragon’s back. He stepped back as Elowyn hopped up behind Meredith,

“We’ll be right behind you.” he grunted, “Take care and look after yourselves.” Aurianna swung her head to look at the squat half-orc,

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they make it there safe and sound.” she said, bounding off into the trees. Enezeage sighed and scooped the kobolds up,

“Well, if we wanna get there anytime soon we might as well get a move on.” he turned back to the squid-faced Captain, who shook his head and waved his tentacle arm,

“Given what you folks managed to do here, I’m gonna forgo that payment.” he burbled, “Getting to see an honest to goodness God get brought back to life is payment enough.” Enezeage nodded gratefully, bowed, then ran off into the treeline. Felix grinned at the Captain and gave him a sweeping bow,

“Well, we couldn’t have done it without your help, sir. Take care and have a wonderful day.” he chirped before tugging on Darius’ arm and encouraging the young human to follow after their larger friend, Darius casting Expeditious Retreat on them both so they could keep up with the monk.

Elowyn tried to keep her breaths even as she and Aurianna bounded and half-glided through the dense forest. The city wasn’t too terribly far and it was filled to the brim with clerics, some of them likely very powerful ones at that. That, and there was an actual Angel guarding the place, if anyone knew how to help Meredith, surely it would be him, right? The woodling glanced down at the prone dwarf and closed her eyes, desperately willing the dwarf to just hold on. Sensing Elowyn’s distress, Aurianna pushed herself to run faster still, spreading her wings just that little bit wider to catch whatever currents she could as the spires of the elven city began to loom overhead.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Ice Dragon’s Lament

or: Jane is put in her fucking place

Prompt: “Do I look like I’ve moved on?”

———————

Joan wasn’t sure why she woke up with such a festering feeling of paranoia, but she couldn’t shake it off all day. First, she felt like someone was in her closet, despite it being morning- the sun was supposed to keep away all the evil things, and yet she was fearfully peeking inside the small space to check for an intruder or crazy person hiding inside. Then, she was too anxious to ride in a car, fearing an accident, so she walked to the theater...but that alternative didn’t help either. She kept thinking that a truck would careen onto the sidewalk and plow through her or a car would speed down the road when she’s crossing the street and run her over or construction beams would collapse from their places and impale her. Finally, upon arriving at work for rehearsals, she found that her paranoia moved from her own safety to her queen’s safety.

Like that, Joan was following Anne, Jane, and Kitty around- more than she usually did. She wasn’t at a distance, opting to rather stick close by their sides and scan whatever room they were in several times for any possible danger. Anne found it quite funny, cracking jokes with Kitty, who thought it was weird, and Jane just got annoyed after awhile. She hated having the music director hovering over her, and it was going to be a hellish seven hours of work and rehearsal if she didn’t put a stop to it soon.

Two hours in is when Jane finally snapped.

They just finished up running through Don’t Lose Ur Head and Joan was checking up on her again. For what was probably the fiftieth time that day.

“Joan, for the love of—” Jane took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “I’m fine, alright? Look, I’m fine. Will you leave me be now?”

Joan blinked, slightly startled by the queen snapping at her. She backed away a little, but didn’t completely stand down, much to Jane’s dismay.

“I just wanna make sure you’re okay,” She said meekly.

“I know.” Jane sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. “What has gotten into you? You’re never this clingy.”

Joan winced. She knew she was a tad codependent (read as: “extremely codependent”), but, up until that moment, everyone had the good grace to not point it out. She didn’t like it being said out loud- it made it real. It made her pathetic attachment real. It let it be known to everyone because the other queens and ladies in waiting were gawking from the sidelines, listening in as she’s berated for her separation anxiety.

“I-I just...” Joan looked down at her feet.

“Joan...” Jane sighed again. She really hadn’t meant to make the poor girl embarrassed, but she was going to be pulling her hair out by the end of the work day if something wasn’t said or done about all the pestering. “Look-” Another sigh. She’s trying to find a way out of this without shattering the emotional music director in front of her. “I get it, okay? You’re protective of us because we’re your queens. But you need to move on. You’re stronger than this anxiety, Joan.”

Joan stiffened. Her head was still lowered, but her fists clench at her sides.

“Move on?”

She raised her head and her eyes are lit up in a way Jane has never seen before. Joan’s lamb-like features bristle into the face of a raging ram- like the ones the devil could become or the ones that demons disguised themselves as. Like Baphomet. Sharp horns curl dangerously around her head.

“Do I look like I’ve moved on?”

“Joan—”

“No.” Joan dared to cut her queen off. She riled herself up to her full size, which wasn’t much, and her scrawny limbs didn’t help, but it was enough. Her smoldering eyes and horrifyingly neutral did all the work for her. “Hold your tongue for just a moment. I can’t bear to hear your excuses.”

She was speaking to Jane as if she were the queen and the older woman was a mere servant. If they were back in their first life, Jane would have honestly been impressed and might have made a comment about Joan being a wonderful monarch, but, right now, she was too stunned to say anything.

“Do you know the full extent of what I saw?” Joan asked. She’s dumbing the question down for Jane. “Do you understand what it was like for me? Hmm?”

Jane says nothing.

“ANSWER ME, LADY JANE!”

Like a bullwhip, Joan has her fist smashed down onto the table they’re standing next to, causing it to shudder treacherously. If such a violent action hurt her hand, she doesn’t show it. She just continues to stare at Jane, eyes like fragments of ice, and she knew the woman could feel the cold, congealing weight of her resentment.

“I don’t know.” Jane grits.

She doesn’t like this. She doesn’t like being put on a soapbox and made a mockery of by a lady in waiting, and that’s what Joan liked so much about the situation. She felt so empowered, and she wasn’t going to let that go just yet.

“Of course you don’t,” Joan snorted. She slowly raised her clenched fist from its spot on the table and a dark bruise was already forming in her pale skin, but she could hardly care. “I expect nothing less from someone so callous and cruel.”

She pressed her hands together, sliding the fingers in between one another, and her gaze grew startling patient. Perhaps it wasn’t patience, though- the emotion in her eyes was unreadable.

“You don’t know what I went through because you never stopped to care for just a moment.” She said, each word oozing with icy venom that chilled Jane to the bone. “And to think you call yourself the mother of the group...”

“Who do you think I am?” Jane growled.

“Who— Who do you think I AM?” Joan exclaimed, breathless. “You don’t know what I had to endure for you. Or for Anne. Or for Katherine.”

“Don’t bring them into this.” Jane warned.

“They’re in this just as much as you are, Jane.” Joan said lowly. “I watched you die. Do you know what that does to someone?”

She waited, but Jane offered no answer.

“It sticks with you.” Joan went on, “Dying is one thing. Watching it happen is a completely different horror, and it’s something all of you forget.”

Once again, she waited for Jane to say something, but the queen continued to just stand there with her jaw clenched and fingers tight fists at her side.

“I got to watch you slowly rot away, Jane.” Joan explained. “I got to watch you cry and scream and piss all over yourself because you were too weak to even control your own bladder.”

Something on Jane’s face twitched at that and she could see an embarrassed blush creeping up on her cheeks. It was about time. She deserved to have a taste of her own medicine she’s been indirectly force feeding Joan for months.

“I got to watch you drool and froth at the mouth like you had fucking rabies. I got to sit by your bedside and hold your freezing cold hand while you stared blankly with your face covered in spit and snot and tears and sweat. I got to listen to you howl and beg for your son for hours and you would onto get louder when you were turned down. I got to hear about how the nurses whispered about your oncoming death and I got to smell the infection setting into the tear from your vagina down to your rectum.”

Suddenly, Joan is starting to look a lot less like a ram and a lot more like a livid ice dragon. Her skin is plated with chilled silver scales, as tough and freezing cold as a hissing, fanged glacier. She has teeth like razor sharp icicles and eyes as frigid and uncaring as a winter wind. Her voice was thunderous enough to crack an entire iceberg in half.

The lamb she used to be was gone, gored beneath the serrated talons of the ice dragon.

“I was nineteen years old, Jane.” Joan said lowly. “You don’t recover from that.”

Then, she spun around and faced the beheaded cousins, who had been standing meekly with the others, none of them daring to get caught in the crossfire.

“But that’s not all,” She said. “I got to watch you both die, too. I watched a decapitation twice! And nobody fucking remembers or cares! Nobody even THINKS to ask if I was okay after having to carry your headless body because Maggie was crying too hard to do it herself,” She drilled icicles into Anne’s gut with her stare. “Or if I was recovering from watching you be put on display before your head came off.” She froze Kitty in place with her chilled tone. “Nobody ever cares! And I’m sick of it!”

She swung back around to Jane. The queen stares fearfully at her and she wonders if she really was slowly mutating into a monstrous ice creature before her.

“I’m sorry,”

The words came from behind Joan’s back and she couldn’t really pick out who exactly said it, but it wasn’t from anyone she wanted to hear it from.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” She said, not turning away from Jane. “Trust me on that.” She paused for just a moment, licked her lips (her tongue almost looked forked and dark blue), then said again, “I don’t want to hear it from you.”

Jane’s left leg twitched slightly. She sniffed, trying to gather up she dignity, but Joan was smashing it to the ground by just looking at her. And she hated it. She hated how powerless she felt under a fucking ex-lady in waiting.

“I’m sorry.” She finally said.

A ghost of a pleased smile appears on Joan’s pale lips.

“It’s good to hear, but I’m afraid you’re too late. The damage is done, Lady Jane.”

“Stop acting like this!” Jane suddenly snapped, raising her voice. “I get it- you’re upset! You’re mad! But this is not how to—”

“Acting?” Joan chortled cruelly. “You think this is some sort of act?! You really are as dumb as the historians say!”

Jane’s eyes resemble a bug’s for a moment- large, bulging, oh so very inferior and helpless. The ice dragon wants to crush her beneath its talons, feel her slimy guts oozing out the way a beetle’s would.

“It’s sad, I know, to be humiliated...” Joan hummed. “...to lose all feeling in the shame, but...I have not felt anything for a very long time.” Her eyes narrowed and her tone flicks stinging irritation into Jane’s face. “I’ll do anything necessary to be noticed and to have people become aware of me. I’ve been alone for too long.”

Jane doesn’t say anything. Her jaw is clenched tightly again. Joan tilts her head.

“It’s funny how you say I need to move on.” She said. “Because you wouldn’t say that to your precious Kitty, would you? About her getting her head chopped off? You wouldn’t tell her to move on from the trauma of that.”

Something new sparks in her cold, winter eyes- through all the hatred and anger and annoyance comes misery and pain.

“You wouldn’t tell Aragon to move on from her miscarriages. You wouldn’t tell Anne to move on from mourning Elizabeth or for Anna to move on from her survivor guilt. You would tell Cathy to move on from missing Mae. You would tell Maria to move on from the trauma of holding her queen in her arms as she died or Bessie to move on from the affair or Maggie to move on from losing her best friend.” Tears start to brim in Joan’s lower lashes. The emotions are welling up too high, even for her. “Nobody would tell you to move on from Edward. So why do you tell it to me?”

Nothing. Nobody answers.

Joan shakes her head with an anguished smile and the tears spill free. She laughed shakily, wiping a sluggish hand under one of her eyes.

“Shit!” She laughed. “I guess I really don’t mean anything, huh? Is this how little I mean to all of you?!”

She shakes her head again, the laughter dying off into weak, miserable noises.

“You know, Lady Jane, I always wondered what kind of person you really were. Well, now I got my answer: A selfish, cold hearted BITCH who never gave a shit about me!” Joan roared, and she anger just continued to build up until she was drowning herself in it. The ice dragon rears, half-frozen tears on its face, a dangerous freezing death breath streaming from its jaws as she cried, “Are you happy now? Huh? DOES THIS MAKE YOU HAPPY?!”

It’s only then that Jane realizes what she has done to the girl in front of her. The neglect, the lack of understanding, the blindness to the pain, the way she overlooked her and traded her out for Kitty- it’s been festering inside of Joan for so long.

All because of her.

“Joan,” Jane whispered. She takes a small step forward. She can’t see the ice dragon raise its icicle-like horns in a warning and growl lowly, staring down its long, pale, hooked snout at her cautiously. “Oh, Joan... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

This time, she means it.

Joan froze, like she was finally affected by her own black ice. She held perfectly still as Jane reached out and cupped her tear stained cheeks with her soft, warm hands. The touch of those hands was something Joan craved for so long.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Jane murmured, feeling tears well up in her own eyes. “I should have realized, Joan. I’m sorry I didn’t realize. I didn’t see how much pain you were in.”

Of course she didn’t.

Jane felt Joan’s jaw grit beneath her hands and she tried to tighten her own grasp. She didn’t want her to pull away. She wanted to hold her.

“Joan-”

“No—”

“Joan, please-”

“No—!”

“Please, I—”

Wild fear fights through the snowstorm raging in Joan’s eyes. Joan grabs one of Jane’s hands and squeezes it, then raises her other one, but the movement was hardly a warning.

The force of the blow was so strong and so sudden it sent Jane careening backwards, tripping over her own feet until she unceremoniously fell onto her back in a way that would have made everyone laugh if it weren’t for the fact that she had just been slashed across the face. She sat up dazedly, pressing a hand to the four, fresh stinging marks in her flesh, which stretched from her temple, across her eye, and stopped just above her top lip, getting the side of her nose and part of her cheek damaged in the process. They are already practically glowing neon red and lazily oozing blood in several different areas. When she looks up, she finally sees the arctic beast staring at her from Joan’s tear-filled eyes.

“I gave you your chance,” Hissed the dragon. “And now I’m taking it back.”

It— they— she— the beast strides past Jane and towards the door, spiked tail swinging dangerously towards the queen’s already-wounded face. Its shuddering moon silver wings give off waves of terrible chills as it grasps the doorknob with trembling claws that are flecked with blood and skin.

“You can find someone else to lead rehearsals today.” It— they— the beast- dragon— she said. “I’m done.”

The door yanks open. The mane of icicle horns bristle and ears flatten backwards. Talons scrape against the floor and leave marks in the tile. Hints of frostbreath hiss from in between razor teeth.

“Oh, and thanks for nothing.”

It slams shut.

The dragon is gone.