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DKP 8-31 A lack of trust
🕑 Added 2022-10-14 19:43:42 +0000 UTC“Do'an,” Lilly whispered as she understood the slightly different pronunciation of the name. She was shocked that the empire knew so little of these people they weren't even saying their name right. She lifted her head high and tried to look impressive as the women suddenly fell to a knee and bowed their heads.
“Mother of the ancient blood, why have you come to us?” Ithica asked.
Lilly didn't know what to do with this situation or how to respond. She had met people of the Doan, and she was right. They did respect her because she was a dragon and were willing to talk. It was a dream come true, but what should she do now? Should she demand to know where their army is? Should she try and reason with them? They looked at her, patiently waiting for an answer Lilly wasn't sure how to give. She wished Sarah was here because she would know what to say.
“Mother? Are you well?” the woman asked with her head still down.
“I’m sorry,” Lilly replied and tilted her head to the side slightly. “I am not familiar with your ways.”
“You aren't familiar with the ways of your people?” the woman asked slowly as she dared to look up.
“Please stand up,” Lilly insisted, hoping to relax the situation. She waited until all the women were standing and waiting before daring to explain. “I am not from the west,” Lilly said. “I come from the east in the land you are at war with.” Lilly hoped that explanation wouldn't cause alarm, but her hopes were dashed when the women stepped back.
“You are one of the Sisvor drakes,” the woman said.
“I am not a fallen dragon,” Lilly corrected as she was surprised the woman knew some of the dragon language. She noted the disgusted look on their faces and decided to try and soften the tense moment. She lay down comfortably, curling her tail up and lowering her head to speak to the women directly. She tried to keep her voice calm as she explained that she was a dragon like all the others and didn't understand why they were fighting.
The women leaned in close to whisper to one another then their leader boldly stated their understanding of it. The dragons of the east were trying to resurrect the destroyer who would wreak havoc on their world. She would start by killing off the dragons, then turn her wickedness on the people. They were fighting to prevent a second calamity and restore the rightful goddess to her place.
“So you think I want to restore somebody who will kill me?” Lilly asked. “Why would I do that?”
The women debated in a whisper again, and their leader answered that Lilly didn't know the truth. She blindly believed the lying goddess could be trusted and didn't realize the doom she was trying to unleash. Lilly wanted to tell them she was Balisha's highest priestess and that the goddess was already slowly growing in strength. She decided to engage them instead, asking what the truth was so she could understand it.
The women relaxed a little bit, and the leader dared to step closer.
“You do not wish to destroy us?” she asked.
“No,” Lilly replied. “If I could accomplish anything, it would be to understand you. I want to end this war without the terrible bloodshed that is coming. To do that, I need to understand why you are fighting it.”
“It is not our place to barter with the enemy,” the woman replied.
“I am not your enemy unless you make me one,” Lilly insisted and struggled to think of a way to reach them. All of this centered around their beliefs about what happened between Solesta and Balisha. She needed to address that issue first if they were going to have any kind of dialog.
“You see me as an enemy because of your beliefs,” Lilly said and lifted her head. “But I am not your enemy; you have the wrong impression of what Balisha wants.”
“Do not speak that hated name to us,” the woman snarled and stepped away.
“Alright,” Lilly replied and glared at the women. “But why do you think she would want to destroy the dragons?”
“She betrayed the true goddess of dragons by weakening their kind,” the woman replied.
“Is that what you think?” Lilly asked and slowly got up. She had a very risky idea in mind, but one she thought might start to change their thinking. She bid them to step back and waited until they were a safe distance away. She wondered what Sarah would say about what she planned to do but felt strongly it was worth the risk.
A white mist began to crawl across her scales, and soon she was engulfed in a cloud of swirling light. The woman gasped and pointed in shock as the sound of rushing winds filled their ears. The cloud flashed with a light that filled their eyes with spots, forcing them to blink as the cloud began to dissipate. All four women practically fell over when Lilly walked out of the cloud naked and held her arms out.
“This is what Balisha did to the dragons,” Lilly stated and held sill so they could see her clearly. “She gave us the power to take your form so we could share our lives with you.”
“This can’t be,” the leader insisted with a hand raised as if Lilly were about to call fire down on them. “How have you done this?”
“This is Balisha’s blessing,” Lilly repeated and held out her hand. “Go ahead, touch me. I am as human as you are.”
The women looked hesitant to consider the idea but slowly advanced as a group, and their leader reached out and dared to touch Lilly's fingers.
“She feels like any other woman,” she said, encouraging the others to touch her as well.
“Now, do you see?” Lilly asked. “I know you don't like to hear the name, but this war comes down to one thing. Balisha believes we dragons should have a human form so we can mingle with your kind, and Solesta believes the human form makes us weak and will lead to our destruction.”
The women looked up in awe and huddled to whisper once more. They returned to reach out and touch her hair, taking a small pinch of it to look at the color.
“Why is your hair blue?” the woman asked as she rolled it between her fingers.
“Because I am an ice dragon,” Lilly replied. “My hair and eyes reflect the color of my bloodline.”
“And you say this is what the lying goddess wanted your kind to have?” Ithica asked.
Lilly felt her heart beat faster to see genuine curiosity in the eyes of people who were supposed to hate them. However, it was short-lived when one of her companions stated that Lilly could not be trusted. Lilly stood before them and pointed out that she had taken this form to prove she could be trusted. She wanted them to see the gift that all dragons had, but Solesta wanted to take away.
The leader paused to consider her words, then asked Lilly to come back with them to their tent. Lilly was so excited she readily agreed and followed them to the strange campfire. She was amazed to see was under a loose skin covered in gray that hung irregularly from ropes. Patches of moss, leaves and a few sticks were placed on top, giving the impression of a hillside from the air.
Lilly realized they knew to hide from dragons in the air. She would never have found them if she hadn't been on the ground. The women went to what looked like a metal kettle hung over the fire and offered her a tea. They sat cross-legged on the ground and poured the tea into five small wooden cups, then added what looked like finely ground herbs to all of them. Ithica held the cup out to Lilly, offering it with both hands.
“Please,” the woman said with a bow. “We are honored that you wish to speak with us.”
“We should not have words with her,” one of the others interjected as Lilly took the cup. “She is the enemy.”
“She has not come to slay us,” Ithica replied and turned on the woman. “Now hold your tongue, Saraanie. We have an ancient mother as a guest.”
Lilly watched as the two women exchanged heated expressions that seemed to be an argument being held silently. Ithica then turned back to Lilly and took a sip of her own tea. She asked why Lilly had come to them and why she chose to walk among them as a human. Lilly explained that she was from the empire but did not understand why the people were at war. She believed that if she could just come to understand the Doan's way, perhaps she could help avoid the war.
“There is no avoiding it,” Ithica said with a dismissive wave. “Our dragons say you have corrupted your ways and worship the destroyer goddess. We have been told to sweep your lands and enslave its people so they can work in the mines.”
“So that's what you want the people for,” Lilly said as she started to feel very naked. She hooked an arm over her chest, and Ithica noticed the gesture. She snapped a finger at one of the women and ordered them to fetch a pack. The woman did as instructed and returned with an animal skin pack that was handed to Ithica.
“Here,” Ithica said as she took out a skin drape. “This will cover your shame.”
“Thank you,” Lilly replied and took the skin, wrapping it around herself. It reminded her of Gersius's cloak from so long ago and how it was her only garment to hide her nakedness. Once she was settled, she sipped at her tea and smiled at the slightly bitter flavor. She tried to ask them about their culture and why they obeyed the dragons, but the women didn't want to answer. Over and over, they brought up how they could not trust her and that she was still the enemy.
Lilly felt mixed emotions about having this conversation but gaining nothing from it. These women would not speak of anything but their belief of how evil the empire was. They were certain that if the empire were to reform, they would bring back their fallen goddess. If that happened, the dragons would die, and the world would be torn asunder. Lilly asked them why they couldn't tell her more, and they repeated that they were just scouts and had no authority to speak for the Doan.
“There must be somebody I can speak with?” Lilly pleaded. “There is no reason for us to be fighting this war.”
“Reasons matter little,” one of the women said. “There is great honor in conquest. We have always been foes, and it is to our mutual credit that we continue to fight.”
That sounded like the kind of response Gersius had said they would give. A single-minded belief that they had the right to wage war simply because they should. She asked again if there was anyone she could talk to that had the authority to speak for their people. The women huddled to whisper once more, with a few tense words being spoken in disagreement.
“There is perhaps a group you could speak with,” Ithica replied when the huddle broke. “But you would need to take great personal risk to do so.”
“I would do anything to stop this war,” Lilly replied sincerely.
“I do not know why you would, but if that is your desire, then you need to speak to the wise ones. They have the position to discuss such things with you,” Ithica said.
“Wise ones?” Lilly repeated. “Who are they, and where do I find them?”
“They are a council of women of great insight and knowledge. They do not lead the tribes, but their words carry great weight. To find them, you must go east,” the woman said and pointed with her spear in the direction. “Go across the waters you call the serpentine and look for the camps with blue tents. Those are the dwellings of the wise ones.”
“And they will talk with me?” Lilly asked with wide eyes.
“I cannot say,” Ithica replied. “But they will respect your desire to speak the very least.”
“We should not be talking with this one,” one of the women insisted. “We could be punished for such a thing.”
“Be at peace, Kerrani,” Ithica urged. “She is still one of the ancient mothers, and if she wishes to speak, we do not have the authority to deny her. However, we can not speak for our people. If you wish to say more, you must go to the wise ones.”
Lilly understood that this was all she would get from these women, but this was already more than she had dreamed possible. They asked her questions about the empire and why she had sided with them. Lilly took this opportunity to describe the attack of the other dragon and how a man of the empire had saved her. She was careful not to say the man was Gersius for fear they would know that name as a hated enemy. She then explained how every time she tried to learn the truth from somebody from the east, they attacked her instead. She sided with the empire because she was not given a choice, making several women frown. Lilly saw this as an opportunity to press her point of view that they were fighting to remove the dragons' choice to be in human form. If Solesta's faith were to win, the dragons would lose their human form.
“She is either a liar or believes a lie,” the woman known as Kerrani insisted. “The dragons have always been honest with us.”
“Then how do you explain her human form?” another asked. “Has any of them ever said they could take our form?”
Lilly watched as the women broke into an argument over what they believed. In the end, they clung to the tradition that the dragons of their land had always been truthful. If they didn't use the human form, it was because they saw no need to. Lilly tried to argue that they were under a curse that made them think of the human form as a weakness, and using it was abhorrent. This caused even more accusations that Lilly was not speaking truthfully. She began to sense that the women's mood was turning, and Ithica finally set her tea aside.
“Perhaps it is time you left,” Ithica suggested as Lilly finished her tea. “I wish you well if you intend to follow this course.”
Lilly felt a sense of urgency to get away and took this opportunity to thank them for their hospitality. She then stepped into an open area and began the transformation. The women watched from under their tent as Lilly spread her wings and rose into the night sky, flying after Sarah with all haste. It took her hours to find her, only catching up as Sarah was on her way back.
Lilly kept her news quiet until she flew beside the larger dragon, glowing with excitement.
“Alright,” Sarah grumbled as she turned her head to face Lilly. “Why do you feel like you are about to burst into flames?”
“Please don't be mad at me,” Lilly said first to try and head off the reaction she expected from Sarah.
“Child, if you have to ask that, then I already know I won't like what you have to say,” Sarah grumbled. “Now out with it!”
“I found the Doan,” Lilly blurted, causing Sarah to jerk her head back.
“What? Why didn’t you say that right away? Where are they? We must tell Gersius,” Sarah stumbled out rapidly.
“I didn’t find the army,” Lilly corrected. “I found one small group of scouts. Five women in total.”
“Scouts mean the army is nearby,” Sarah cited. “Why did you not capture one of them so we could question her?”
Lilly took a deep breath and admitted to what she had done. She described how she found the scouts by scent and encountered them on foot. This allowed Lilly to speak to the apprehensive women who did not appear to be threatening.
Sarah felt shocked over the bind, but Lilly pressed on with her story. She explained how the women used irregular tents covered in natural materials to conceal them from the air. There was no sign of the army itself, and the women wouldn't speak of it or their mission. Sarah listened to every detail and was surprised when Lilly said they offered her a garment to cover herself and tea to drink.
“You took your human form?” Sarah said in shock, and her head turned to glare at Lilly. “Do you have any idea what a risk you took? A single stab of a spear and you would be gone!”
Lilly could feel the anger over the bind that those glaring eyes conveyed. She tried to explain how the women had approached openly and addressed her in a friendly manner. She felt they needed to see the human form so Lilly could explain the conflict between Balisha and Solesta. She admitted that the women were surprised by the form, but it didn't sway their opinions. They held that they had the right to wage war on the empire because there was honor in conflict, and the empire had sided with Balisha. Lilly hoped that would settle Sarah's arguments, but she was surprised to feel a swell of emotional pain. She asked Sarah what was the matter, and the red insisted they land. No sooner had the two landed than Sarah swept Lilly up in a firm embrace, tears falling from her great red eyes.
“Sarah, why are you so upset?” Lilly cried.
“Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?” Sarah sobbed. “Do you not know how much I worry about you? I can’t even imagine what I would say to Gersius if you went missing and I found you dead on a mountainside later. Your husband suffers inside over sending us out. He wants to keep you near his side to protect you, but he knows he has to send us. He would never forgive himself if you were lost in such a way. I felt apprehensive just asking you to fly alone tonight to cover more ground. We all feel an intense need to keep you close and safe because you are the very heart of this family. I feel the danger even more since you shared your fear about the dreams with me. I haven't had the courage to speak to Gersius about it. I fear it would haunt his heart.”
“I'm sorry,” Lilly pleaded. “I wasn't trying to have a conversation. I flew over one of the attacked villages, and I had the idea to try and follow the trail by scent. I only meant to find out if Gedris was right about the women of Ulustrah being used to cover their trail. I think she is right because it was possible to follow the scent much deeper into the mountains. I never expected to find scouts, and I never thought they would approach me openly. When they did, I didn't know what to do. I wished you were close enough to come and speak to them, but you weren't. I had to make a decision, and I guess it was a risk, but I have learned that they will talk to a dragon.”
“Lilly, promise me you will not do this again,” Sarah urged as she held Lilly out to look her in the eyes. Their long necks allowed Sarah to press her face directly over Lilly, her massive head dominating her sight. “Promise me you will not seek out these women to try and talk to them again.”
Lilly promised, but inside, she felt a terrible conflict. She knew it was pointless to seek out the women again because they didn't trust her in the end. If she wanted answers, she needed to seek out these wise ones, but they were too far to the west. All she could do was hope her family would take her encounter as proof that the Doan could be spoken with.
Sarah held her tightly, wrapping her wings about them both to drown out the world. Lilly felt surrounded by a fortress of red scales, seeking to protect her from the world. The hug between dragons continued for a long time as Sarah's tears fell to Lilly's scales. When it had gone on far too long, Sarah swept Lilly into her arms and flew back, cradling the little dragon to her chest. She landed in the ring in such a turmoil of emotions that Thayle came running immediately.
“Sarah, what happened?” Thayle asked anxiously as she saw her hand Lilly down.
“She can explain it better than I can,” Sarah replied, urging Lilly to change.
Lilly took her human form, and the two stepped aside so Sarah could change. No sooner was Sarah dressed than Gersius rushed into the ring, demanding to know why Sarah felt so upset. All eyes turned to Lilly as Sarah told them she had found the Doan.
Lilly spent the next hour in the meeting tent explaining her encounter as Gersius glowed with disapproval. Like Sarah, he was horrified that she took her human form and went off naked and defenseless with four Doan women. He paced irritably as Thayle tried to calm the situation, pointing out that Lilly had responded out of love. More importantly, she had found a way to track the Doan and had found the first of the enemy's scouts. Now they knew for certain the Doan were in the mountains northwest of here.
Sarah drew more attention to the hidden tents and how they had probably flown over dozens of scouting parties and never realized it. Despite Lilly's tremendously foolish actions, she had made discoveries that could not be overlooked. Gersius agreed but made his feelings clear when he said that the risk she took wasn't worth it. He had bitten his tongue over the incident with Aywa's people when Lilly agreed to duel a woman who could easily have killed her. This time he was not going to keep quiet. He pulled Lilly up and held her close so he could look into her eyes.
“I will die without you,” he said firmly. “You are not your own being to take risks like this, Lilly Dra'Udwan. You are a part of us and as important to our existence as a heart. If you die, you take us all with you.”
“I'm sorry,” Lilly whispered as tears filled her eyes. “I thought it was the right thing to do. I can't explain why, but I knew it had to be done. They needed to see my human form because their dragons have been keeping it from them.”
Gersius flared with pain, then his own eyes wet, and he pulled her into a hug. Sarah came to them and wrapped her arms around them as he started sobbing quietly.
“I think it’s time we retreated to our room,” Thayle urged and started to guide them away.
They retreated to the private space, and Gersius fell on Lilly, passionately making love to her. Lilly clung to him, feeling like she was part of his being. She realized she couldn't live without him either and finally felt a sense of fear over her actions. Sarah and Thayle joined the passion, the four uniting in love that didn't fade until the tension and fear of what transpired was burned away.
It was a magical moment full of high emotion until Gersius announced they were flying west in the morning. Gams hadn't been able to come after all and had sent another messenger to relay his current position. He had suffered a series of defeats, citing hoards of bandersooks and, much to their dismay, dragon attacks. It appeared the enemy wasn't willing to play Gersius's game, and Gams couldn't get away from the front to meet with them. Gersius wanted to see the situation for himself and discuss the matter with Gams so they could devise a new strategy.
Lilly did her best to hider her reaction as she realized they were going to the border keeps after all and would be a short flight from the Doan. She didn't know how she would manage it, but she knew this might be their only chance to talk to the Doan before the war became unstoppable.
