the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Aescher had also had that idea in his head, but he needed to know what Carpathia wanted to do. He was a dragon – leaving his cave for too long only made him more nervous, but he was willing to do so if it meant taking out a community that did more harm than good. 

Nevertheless, he was still a dragon: prone to anger and distancing himself as well to make things even more difficult, but safer for himself. “If you want to, we can try. The Venatori…they’re in Tevinter, and it’s not close, Carpathia. We might have to take a ship – I don’t know if I could fly us there for more than just  little bit,” he said quietly, resting his chin on his hand once more. Aescher was unused to making decisions for more than just himself, and it turned out he didn’t really like it.

“But I need some help here. I can’t make all the decisions for both of us,” he mumbled, looking back down at his hands. Already he was craving to get back outside and bury himself in some snow. It was a very hard habit to break, anyway, but he didn’t need to make Carpathia any colder than she probably was. “We can leave in the morning, I guess,” he said quietly, feeling like he was suppling most of the conversation. Instead of pressing, he went silent, letting the elf chime in if she wanted to. Varric was obviously done eavesdropping, now further down the bar away from the two of them to give more privacy.

Carpathia felt confused as Aescher pointed out that Tevinter wasn’t close.  Why would he have suggested that the Venatori would have leveled her anonymous guild of druids if there was such a distance between them.  Rumors of an association with a dragon or not, there had only been a span of two or three days at most between Carpathia first laying eyes on Aescher and the scene of destruction the pair had just left behind--and Carpathia hadn’t even known of Aescher’s true form at the time.

But if it wasn’t the Venatori who slaughtered her kin, it was someone else.  She would need help when she discovered who was to blame, and she didn’t expect that assistance to come without a price. 

“I’m not ready now anyway,” Carpathia responded quietly, sharing information they were both likely well aware of. Perhaps she might be at journey’s end when they came to stare the Venatori in the face, but if they were a people capable of laying waste to towns and capturing and inhumanely ripping apart dragons Carpathia would be more of a thorn in Aescher’s side than an ally in her present state. 

“If you could prepare me for it, teach me something along the way, I would try to help you,” Carpathia answered in a hushed tone. She had no idea whether or not Aescher was looking to take a student under his literal or figurative wing. “Even if they didn’t kill my mother and kin,” Carpathia added, eliminating the condition that she would only fight to provide closure of her own past, “they killed yours.  And if I can help you, I will.”

“Tomorrow then,” Carpathia agreed, glancing away from Aescher toward a clock-face hanging in the bar.  Her eyes trailed the second hand as she considered how remarkably slow it moved.  She felt restless all over again and sitting still quickly became a challenge.  Her moss colored eyes flickered toward Aescher again as she considered telling him she was just as happy starting their journey that very instant but she knew he needed rest, and she ought to as well. 

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

“Good enough for what?” he echoed, wondering if she would realize how stupid her question sounded if he repeated it. The dragon was rarely annoyed – he had very little to be angered about in the first place. Though now, his anxiety always got the better of him. It’s why he would spend such little time in the outside world and so much inside his cave collecting whatever he found. It was a miserable existence when he had to remind himself that anyone would kill him for what was on his skin. 

“I just figured you would’ve done something with what I gave you…with what I originally gave it to you for,” he said quietly, dipping his finger into his now cold soup. Aescher rested his chin on his hand, “You don’t know if she was in need.” He tapped his fingers on the bar, “This town is full of thieves. Bet she’ll find you again when we leave, hoping you’ll give this to her,” he flicked it back towards her, uninterested in keeping it now. 

“Do what you want with what you find, it doesn’t bother me.” The dragon huffed out a breath, accidentally frosting the bowl in front of him. He scowled, using his sleeve to rub it off, “I just don’t want us being made for people who are wealthy. Cities? Fine. But towns like these? You can’t trust everyone,” he mumbled. Aescher rubbed at his eyes, letting out a sigh, “Where are we going after this?”

Carpathia didn’t ask another question about her clothing or even lash back out at Aescher with a jabbing comment of her own.  Instead, her shoulders shrunk slightly as something behind her eyes recoiled from her companion.  She stared at the bar stop in front of her looking both wounded and chastised at the same time.  She’d meant to ask what she ought to expect they might walk into, what the clothes needed to be good enough for, what purpose they needed to serve. Instead, she felt like a reprimanded, stupid child, and she couldn’t stop from asking herself what was she but some overgrown child following the only option she had with both blindness and dedication. 

With a little bit of self pity, Carpathia couldn’t help but think back to the night Juvia found her half dead and nearly buried in the snow.  Maybe Juvia could sense magic like Aescher could, but she wasn’t sure.  There was no way Carpathia could be certain Juvia was sure she had been in need, but she’d taken Carpathia in either way and diligently taught her the lessons of surviving off scarcity and the principal of leaving a place better than one found it.  Carpathia, however, mentioned none of this.  A word against Juvia would have undone her.

The slight glisten of candle light catching on the frosted edge of the bowl caught Carpathia’s eye for the mere second it was present. 

“I thought we were going after the Venatori,” Carpathia replied, her head already ducked in preparation for the brunt of Aescher’s frustrations she expected to receive for the comment.

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:. 

“Charmed,” the dwarf deadpanned, though he didn’t linger on everything for too long. He knew when to mind his own business, specifically when it came to whoever entered his bar. Varric had kicked plenty of people out, even those who thought a dwarf with a giant crossbow was joking. 

Aescher hadn’t moved when Carpathia had come back down to the bar. He had finished his drink, though it wasn’t refilled as he rested his chin on his crossed arms. His hood was pulled back up over his head, hiding his disaster of hair that was on his head. When she was back within range, the dragon cleared his throat, “Do you feel any better?” he asked finally, more out of obligation than anything else. He was still miffed about the money that was given away. He wasn’t going to bring it up again, however. 

His gaze was on the dwarf, who had disappeared into the back of the bar. There were few people within the inn itself, which made the dragon feel a little better. Though it made it easier to see who was possibly a threat. Aescher sat up, letting his hood pool around his neck yet again, “If you want to rest, might as well start now. Did you not find anything else to wear?” he asked quietly, glancing at her before he rested his chin on his arms yet again.

Varric had appeared once more, placing two bowls down in front of them before walking off again. 

Aescher let out a sigh, looking at the soup for a few moments. He still felt like he had too much blood in his teeth to eat, but he dragged it towards him anyway. 

Carpathia glanced at Aescher as she took a seat one stool away from him.  He didn’t seen particularly welcoming toward her at this point in time.  She didn’t know if it was because of the coins or because he suddenly regretted not eating her in his lair. 

“I feel clean,” she responded after several moments pause.  She knew immediately she didn’t feel better, and doubted she would for a long time.  But she wasn’t in much of a mood to bare her soul to him.  He’d seen the same scene she had, and although she didn’t think he was asking if she was fine or alright, better didn’t seem like the right word either.

The elf caught Aescher’s eyes as he looked in her direction asking about her clothes. “I got them clean,” she responded with a hint of confusion at first.  It was beyond her at this point to care about her clothing.  They were stained a bit still perhaps but they were functional.  Tired beyond reason, she placed her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes slowly before looking down at the clothing and then back at Aescher. “Are these not good enough?”

Carpathia stared at the soup for a few minutes, trying to ignore the way the steam rising from it looked similar to the tendrils of smoke arising from her former town. She looked away for a few minutes before eating only as a means of sustaining herself.  Feeling as if she would be sick from nerves after only a few bites, Carpathia resorted to pushing the soup around with her spoon.  She considered apologizing to Aescher about the coins, but she wasn’t actually sorry.  

“I apologize that you were upset about the gold earlier,” she finally worked out.  She didn’t feel great about the fact that he had been upset, and her apology allowed her to work around actually giving the coins to the woman who needed them--which she felt justified and unapologetic for.  “I saw that she was in need, not your perspective about the whole incident.” She flicked the remaining gold coin she had back toward Aescher across the bar.  “I’ll only give it to someone else when you aren’t looking.” 

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Aescher glanced over his shoulder at Carpathia, though he didn’t really comment. Instead, a small smile tugged at his mouth as the dwarf addressed him.

“Feathers has a friend that isn’t me? Shocking.” The dwarf was pouring Aescher a drink, though his attention was on Carpathia mainly. The dragon seemed somewhat at ease, rubbing his arms as he waited and not at all bothered by the comment. The dwarf had a smile on his face despite the look of the elf in front of him. 

“Name’s Varric. And you both look like shit. Don’t tell me you set fire to one of my many great novels, Feathers. I told you that you didn’t have to read it if you didn’t like it,” the dwarf flashed a wink at Carpathia, offering her a drink as well before he set his towel down. “I don’t normally ask a lot of questions, but I think you owe me this one – should I be worried?”

Aescher pushed a small bag of gold towards Varric, looking down at his drink for a moment, “Maybe. And you have to accept that – I won’t take it back because you have stupid dwarven pride. Also, your smut novels should not be allowed on any bookshelf,” he smirked, passing a key to Carpathia, “First room upstairs to the left.”

“Well when you overpay by ten gold, it gets a little hard to balance my purse.” Varric looked unimpressed, but he took the bag anyway, looking at Carpathia. “There should be a fire going so you can heat up some water to wash off. ‘Cause you need it.”

Feathers.  Carpathia took note of the nickname, though she doubted she’d ever call Aescher by it.  To her, he was far from some feathery thing in his true form.  He was large, muscled, and scaled. He was weaponized, not soft.  Still, he didn’t actively pose much of a threat to her in any form, instead treating her with a pleasant sort of amusement. Well, perhaps bemusement at the moment.

This, and the memory of his darkened expression and sterner tone after she had given the coins away, caused an idea to settle in Carpathia’s stomach like a leaden weight.  He could be keeping her around strictly for the entertainment, as a play thing.  She didn’t realize how obvious the pall that came over her face at the thought must have been for the dwarf staring directly at her. 

“Carpathia,” she responded, simply for the convenience of not having to be asked what her name was later.  “No novels,” she explained, looking at the liquid before her eyes flickered back to the dwarf’s face.  Her explanation came out in such a flat defeated tone it would have been indistinguishable from a dead pan joke if she weren’t covered in ash in blood. “My village...”

It confused her how Aescher could sit and smile with this friend.  He had seemed concerned, genuinely concerned as the two had exited the wreckage.  He’d helped her bury the dead even.  Now it seemed as if he had all but forgotten.  Carpathia wondered if she might have reacted the same if she’d walked out of her personal hell and into the company of someone she knew, trusted, and admired, but in both cases everyone she had known and loved died. She paused as she accepted the key, thinking about all of this and the fact that she was unspeakably weak in comparison to Aescher.  She wasn’t fit to be an ally--she had to have been brought along as something to poke at and laugh at.

Carpathia didn’t respond save a reserved nod at Varric’s instruction.  She headed in the direction she was told, making quick work of scrubbing her clothing perhaps a bit too aggressively.  She worked out whatever energy she had left scrubbing the stains from the clothes and her skin, crying over them but at least she wasn’t crying in front of someone.  When she had finished, she stared at her black hands, convinced they were cursed, for so long she nearly put herself in a trance.  Jolting from her reverie, she grabbed her clothing and dressed again, creeping back toward the bar where the only two souls she knew the names of in the world remained. 

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Agrimony had almost been forgotten by the dragon, but hearing it only reminded him of what he had originally tried to get the plant for. He gave a slow nod, “Yeah…okay. If you see it, that’d be great.” The dragon managed a brief smile, though it was gone quickly. Aescher pulled his hood up and over his head to shadow most of his features, also to avoid any flash of his scales on the back of his neck. 

“The inn will have beds,” he said finally, trusting a dwarf over most of the other people that could be found within the city. As it was, he hardly trusted a face that wasn’t Carpathia’s at the moment. Druids were safe, as far as he was concerned, but humans – mages, rogues, warriors – were never his favorite. It’s why his gaze darkened the moment Carpathia had pity on a beggar. He waited for the elf to keep walking, gently curling his fingers around her wrist to get her attention, “People remember faces here. If she sees you again, she’ll seek you out, and that means attention. You’re not a well off enough magic user to pick up on things – so don’t give away what I give you.” 

He dropped her hand, still looking irritated as he walked forward. Aescher instead found the inn he was looking for, giving her another glance as he walked towards it. At this point, he was more intent on getting somewhere he felt safe, so he kept walking, figuring she could mosey around the town if she wanted while he headed for some kind of safety. Plus, he liked the dwarf.

The dragon pushed open the door, letting his hood gather around his neck as he pushed it off, dusting off some of the snow that had settled on his shoulders as he made his way towards the bar. 

Carpathia looked at Aescher with a frown etched into her features before he even began talking.  As gentle or firm as the touch had been, it had one overriding feature.  It had been unexpected.  Touch in general was something Carpathia wasn’t entirely used to anymore having lived mostly as an aside in the druidic community. Certainly there were folks who were friendly, but she lived on the margins nonetheless. And Juvia knew better, knew that an unexpected touch or sharp noise sent Carpathia back in time and away to her  village. 

“I didn’t think you had planned to stay here long enough for either of us to have a change to be remembered,” Carpathia mumbled, jerking her arm back toward her body.  She felt exhausted and bitter and angry--none of which were typical for her.  The elf was too tired to add the point, Besides, anyone who remembers my face seems to die for it.  “I’m so sorry I didn’t let her starve to death in favor of avoiding an awkward encounter in a day’s time.”  It came out sharp and defensive, but her face soon softened and looked ashamed and apologetic as she glanced away from effort.  There was something in her features that said she knew she was speaking from a place of her intense hurt at the moment; another part that displayed she very keenly knew what it was to be in genuine danger of starving to death.

Feeling criticized and perhaps more negatively than she had the moment before, Carpathia abandoned her search for something clean to wear.  She needed to wash herself, she might as well wash her clothes as well.  If they were irreparable and stained she would get something new later. The thought of eating made it feel as if there was ash in her mouth.

Instead, the elf followed, quiet and withdrawn, waiting for Aescher to dismiss her to one of the rooms in the inn where she could slip into trance after trance to escape the memories of the day until Aescher pulled her from it in order to move on to the next town. 

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

The pain was a dull throb at this point, and the angry black vein looking marks had receded more towards his heart at this point. While they were fading, it was still there, and Aescher could only deal with it until it was completely washed from his system. He should rest, but that wasn’t an option at the moment. It wasn’t able to be healed by his own magic, and even though it’d take a lot more than just this amount of obsidian to kill him, it still hurt. 

“I can rest later. There’s been worse,” he pointed out, wrapping his vest tighter around his torso. He wasn’t cold, but it did well enough to hide his skin. Aescher looked over at Carpathia, unconcerned with how dirty she was. That was normal for travelers, anyway. “We’re almost into the town. I’ve been here a few times, but…it’s been a while. I think I’m going to visit the apothecary.” 

The dragon dropped his arms to wrap around his bag instead as he stayed a little behind Carpathia now, waiting for her to take the lead. “I’ll follow you,” he held his hand out, dropping four gold coins into her hand. “Nothing here should cost more than ten silver,” he said after a moment, looking up at the small hustle and bustle of the town. It was a mountain village, more of a gateway than much else. Aescher cleared his throat, studying the faces of those who passed before he pulled his hood up, “I’ll follow you.”

Carpathia hesitated for a moment when Aescher said he was alright without the rest. It was clear the elf was thinking about arguing with him.  His color was off and he clearly wasn’t comfortable.  She hated to imagine the condition the worse he alluded to had left him in.  “If you change your mind just say so, alright?” she asked quiet, a little fearful he might lash out when she failed to drop the subject. “If you’re going there looking for agrimony, I know what to ask for. I could make you a tea or a salve and get extra, too.” 

The mourning elf wasn’t sure why she didn’t drop the offer when he had told her to. Perhaps she wanted a task to forget about everything she had just witnessed if even for a moment. She glanced behind her shoulder as he followed her.  She wondered for a moment if he was hiding behind or, or simply wanted to make sure she fulfilled her needs before anything else happened. 

The golden coins settled in her palm like four small weights.  It was strange to Carpathia to reflect on the fact that she hadn’t held so much money in her hand since before she had changed her name and watched her city burn.  What had once been daily allowance weighed in her hand like a small fortune.  She glanced up at Aescher’s face as if to ask if he was sure of the amount he’d presented her with, or if he might have made a mistake.

“I just want something to eat and something clean to wear,” Carpathia responded softly when Aescher said he would follow her.  She shut her heavy eyes for a moment as they crossed into town, her entire body feeling wary.  “Somewhere to sleep.”  She had chosen to use the word some time ago, it was easier to use than trance. 

The unlikely pair hadn’t made it far into town before Carpathia found a face that had once been hers when she meant to be looking for the apothecary or a store where she might replace her ash coated and blood stained clothes.  The beggar was young and haggard from a hard fought live, her face dirty and gaunt with hunger.  The rest of the town passed by the woman seeing through her; she was such a permanent fixture they had long since stopped noticing her.

Carpathia gravitated toward her as if she had forgotten her reason for walking through the town entirely.  Nothing here should cost more than ten silver.  She could buy herself a set of cheap clothing and still have some left over for a bite to eat.  Rather than moving through town and picking up her purchases with haste, Carpathia knelt beside the beggar and pressed three of the gold coins into her hand as she whispered a message.  

Without another thought, Carpathia stood again and continued the main path through town to complete her business so that she could retreat to the empty quiet of a long trance. 

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Aescher was not the best with comfort. It was foreign to him – dragons had little to go by when it came to communities. His father had disappeared, long ago jaded by some unknown reason – his mother had never shared his fate. And while his mother was a white dragon, she never instilled the desire in Aescher to destroy the mortals that were weaker than they. Though at her death, there was an unmistakable need for vengeance that Aescher would one day carry out. 

“It’s okay. She met her fate with dignity. There was little left she had,” he said quietly, unable to really fathom how he had felt when he was so young. The scene never failed to stay at the forefront of his mind, but as Carpathia cried, standing beside him, he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder once more. “I’m sorry, too,” he said slowly, hoping these were the words she could use to find comfort. 

He cleared his throat, deciding for them that they would make their way to a town that wasn’t far off. Shifting, Aescher flattened himself along the ground until Carpathia climbed on, as well as finding a spot for Quell. 

Taking off as easily as possible, it wasn’t long until Aescher was finding another spot to land, sinking his claws into the snow as the elf and familiar dismounted. He shifted back, holding his hand against his chest with a frown. The discomfort was obvious, but he moved forward without saying anything about it, “There should be an inn here. Run by a loud and obnoxious dwarf. We can find clothes – and whatever you need.”

Carpathia looked over when Aescher had cleared his throat only to find his shifted form.  She took the nonverbal instruction and pulled herself onto his back much slower than usual, a pretty distinct giveaway that labor of the burial and emotional labor of processing what had gone on had left the elf exhausted.  She wasn't about to protest or argue, she simply sluggishly obeyed.

She noticed the pained look on Aescher's face when he returned to his human form, the placement of his hand a dead giveaway of what the source of the pain was.  Carpathia felt her fingers twitch at the urge to check the wound, but she knew it wasn't a good idea to do it out in the open where some passerby might notice the distinctive feature of the scales that ran down the dragon's spine.  Instead, she lifted a tentative arm as if to offer it out for him to steady himself with if need be.

When Aescher mentioned heading into the town, Carpathia began to pick up snow to use to scrub at her dirty face and clothes. Her skin felt tight and dry under the ash and soot, and she only now realized how comforting the idea of getting clean felt.  She didn't consider that Aescher had described the innkeeper in a manner that suggested he might have known them, and that the elf may not have needed to worry about her appearance raising red flags.  After a few moments and at least somewhat cleaning off her hands and face, Carpathia followed after Aescher.

The promise of clean clothes and an opportunity to bathe away the grime and smell and feel of her burnt down former home was what spurred Carpathia to follow Aescher.  Logically, she knew she needed to eat and rest as well, though her body felt like it was operating on autopilot and had been for a while.  She didn't feel her own needs as she normally did, but she knew they existed.  And Aescher needed rest as well.  He had helped her when he owed her nothing.  She sped up to return to his side thinking about this, and wary not to delay him further.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t rest?” Carpathia questioned.  “I can get whatever we need...”

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

He felt another hint of sympathy as she realized that all she had was that of what she carried with her. Aescher wasn’t sure he could offer much more – gold was not an issue, so he’d buy her what they needed as they went along. “There’ll be merchants in the closest town. If you need something specific, we can get it,” he said quietly, though he dropped the subject.

Her panic was expected, and the dragon took another step towards her to offer only the comfort of proximity, “We’ll do it together, yeah? We can find out who did this. But it doesn’t need to be today, or tomorrow. Grief can only be healed with time.” Aescher gave a curt nod after his words, moving towards the center of the camp. Carpathia’s question made him sigh, his shoulders drooping as he thought about the weight the statement held. 

“They’ve captured dragons for years. They attempt to squeeze the magic out, tie dragons to necromancy, or one of the Nine Hells of Baator that only Tiamat can reach for the power they could gain.” Aescher glanced over his shoulder to meet her gaze, “Venatori stop at nothing to sacrifice to their archmages. Those who hold power do terrible things with it. I don’t wish to be one of their pets, but they were the ones who bound my mother to her human form. Stripped the scales from her back then killed her while I had to watch. That druid, the one that I spoke about, was the only thing that saved me from the same fate. I can’t….if Venatori did this, I’ll kill them myself. For both of us,” he growled, the words leaving his mouth as more of a hiss than anything else. His anger was righteous at most times, though it was still in his nature to wish ill will upon those who wronged him, or challenged him at anything.

The unfortunate part was that Aescher was not the strongest of dragons. While he was knowledgeable for his level and age, he was still considered young. He’d hate to have Carpathia face another that he could not protect her against. “We dragons are separated by just color. There are those that aren’t always…evil and hate inclined. But that’s…a story for another time.” Aescher cleared his throat, putting his staff back into his bag, “We should leave.”

Carpathia turned back toward the dragon and nodded.  There wasn't much she needed. In fact, she'd become relatively skilled at going without and asking for very little.  She almost denied he offer out of instinct, but her dirt caked and now ratty clothes wouldn't get her too far.

When Aescher took a step toward the druid, it was almost as if his movement opened the flood gates.  In part, she felt overwhelmed with gratitude that she had someone, anyone there with her especially someone generous with their willingness to intertwine their fate with hers.  The other part of her felt immense grief and unnamable sadness.  She lifted her filthy hands to her head and buried her face in them before openly crying for a short period of time.  The elf knew she had to keep herself in as much of one piece as possible.

Carpathia was able to restrain herself to little more than a few round  tears streaming down her cheeks as Aescher shared his mother's fate.  She couldn't imagine housing the cruelty necessary to have seen the scales of Aescher's back and had the resolve to remove them.  He'd worn them in his cage plainly when she had been there with him; she hadn't realized the vulnerability of it at the time.  She couldn't imagine being brave enough to risk her own life to save a dragon in a bad situation like that either. "I'm sorry about your mother," Carpathia whispered.  She was in a state of grief herself, but she did not take for granted that  she'd been spared the sight of those she loved suffering violent ends.

Carpathia joined Aescher at his side when he said it was time to leave, Quell not far behind.  The elf paused only once to look back at the ruined community not yet ready to leave but well aware it was likely the last time she would ever set foot in the place she had considered home.

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

The sword had caught the dragon’s eyes, though he didn’t comment just yet. “It means nothing because it wasn’t made here?” he echoed, giving her a confused look. Aescher frowned a little more, “Maybe you should think about who made it instead.” He watched as she pushed it into the ground, waiting until she walked away to pick it back up again. Sliding it into his bag, he then picked up one of the smaller items, pushing it into his bag as well. He covered the rest in ice, the snow seemingly swallowing it up.

Her question didn’t phase him, and Aescher followed her to the grave. “There’s never a right time to do that,” he stated flatly, like that was all he had at the moment. Waiting would’ve felt just as inconvenient, but he’d rather recover what he could before they left and all was lost to Carpathia.

The dragon helped her when he could, standing once more and taking to leaning on his staff yet again as he waited, “Where do you wish to go, now?” he figured he’d ask the question first, though he didn’t wait long to give his own opinion. “I’ll go with you – to hunt those that did this. If they really are Venatori, they’re no friend of dragons. Nor of the druids all things considering. Their blood magic runs deep, and it’s…never pretty for the lands they decide to infiltrate.”

Carpathia half sighed when Aescher repeated the point she had made about the sword. It wasn't what she had meant, but she was too tired to explain. It was precisely who had made it that she didn't have the stamina to explain; Thalion, her almost husband. She would have recognized his handiwork anywhere, even if it was impossible to think of a reason one of his creations could be found in the druidic village.  Perhaps it would be a clue as to who had laid waste to the community-someone from her village who had salvaged the sword years ago and come for her now.

It was too much to explain.

Carpathia stared at Aescher when he told her that no time would be a good time to take care of the business they had to get to. She didn't look furthered angered or hurt beyond how she had felt moments go.  Eventually, she looked away from him and finished her work.

"I don't know, but first I just need to pack-" Carpathia had turned herself in the direction of where her living quarters had once stood out of habit.  She was met  with nothing but vast emptiness.  The look on her face made it clear that it firmly registered with her that all she owned in the world she wore on her back in that moment.  

"I don't know where to go. I don't know what to do… I don't…" she cut off, looking afraid and overwhelmed at the idea of moving forward all at once as she simply shook her head tearfully.

Carpathia looked at Aescher with a bit more concentration a moment later.  "Did the Venatori kill your kin?"

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Aescher contemplated on explaining the powers of an arch-druid, but he held his tongue instead. It did little for both of them if he questioned her about the dead woman, so he kept it simple with a shrug, “Perhaps.” He made his way through the snow with her, nodding again, “Yes. None of their bodies were left behind, and if they were, they were burned with the rest of the place. The sword barely survived, and the Venatori – they’re filled with mages and rogues who care little except for destruction. They fight ‘for’ Tevinter, but the Tevinter Imperium does not sanction them. It’s a bloody history.”

The dragon figured it was better to leave the story there, since he still wasn’t even sure it had been the Venatori that had killed her clan. He knew they captured dragons for their high mages and necromancers to corrupt, but he hadn’t heard of them so far within his and Carpathia’s land for centuries. Druidic magic was geared towards the creatures of the world, but Aescher didn’t want to think that it could be connected to the killing of his kind.

It was easy enough for him to help, keeping in the same silence that Carpathia had. He didn’t want to disturb her, though once she started collecting remains, he let her do it herself. He instead took to using his staff to piece together the weapons that had been left behind, as well as anything useful that was not burned beyond repair. 

Laying them out, he stared down at them, waiting for the elf to eventually join him. “This is all I could really salvage.” The dragon took a glance at Carpathia, motioning towards the few things that remained, “Do any of these mean anything to you?”

The dragon had plenty of undisturbed time to work as the druid made meticulous work of picking over the town for any remains or items left behind by the dead.  If she had been less affected by grief, the work would have made her stomach churn. She was beyond squeamishness now, and her brothers and sisters deserved the right of a proper ceremony.  There were few social contracts Carpathia gave any mind to-but burials were one of them.

She stopped when her back ached too strongly for her to continue.  She'd been over the entire area and checked the perimeter several times now.  Even if she wanted to continue to search, it would have been in vain. It was time to stop pretending there would be anything more to find.

Carpathia looked over the weapons that Aescher had been able to pull back together with the assistance of his staff.  The elf didn't point out any of the weapons right away, instead glancing in the direction of the dragon's magical item wondering about the parameters of its abilities for a moment.  The druid took her time, but eventually picked up a sword.  It was simple, lacking in ornate decoration, but what it lacked in style was made up for in craftsmanship.  The sword was simple, but beautifully crafted to be effective and deadly.

"Thalion made this," Carpathia stated as she picked it up, looking at either side of it. She glanced at Aescher for a moment before pushing the blade into the ground.  "But he's been dead longer than the others-for years-and it wasn't made here. It means nothing." The elf walked away from Aescher, beginning to pile the dirt back into the mouth of the wide mass grave. "Would it honestly be too much to ask of you to wait until the bodies were in their graves to begin investigating any of that?" The question could have been cold or angry, but she simply sounded exhausted and defeated.

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

“Was Juvia an arch-druid?” he asked as he walked back into the small clearing they’d made. The wolf was where he’d left it, as was Carpathia, and that was good enough for him. He picked up his bag, pulling it back over his shoulder before he reached inside to pull out the staff he’d brought along with him. He leaned on it for a few moments, tapping his fingers against the silver of the staff as he listened to her speak. 

Her question had him straightening up, thinking back on the charred sword he’d found. “It was the hilt of a sword. I was looking at the detail – looks like it came from somewhere over in Tevinter.” He wasn’t sure if the druid knew where that was, so he continued on with his explanation. “The land to the south of us. There’s a cult there – the Venatori. They….it reminded me of their weapons, but I can’t even say for sure. It could possibly be copycats. Not sure what they would be doing so far over here and messing with a druid clan,” he finished.

Aescher gave a slow nod at her question, shrugging his shoulders, “Do what you must. I’ll go with you. If you need my help, you’ll have it.” Even now, the dragon wasn’t sure what they should do. The idea of finding who had done this appealed to the dragon’s nature. He wanted to kill them, and he idly hoped Carpathia would want something to the same extent.

Carpathia just stared at the dragon for a moment when he asked about Juvia's status.  She felt stupid for not knowing the answer despite being the one who had been part of the community. "I don't know," she answered quietly, an element of shame in not knowing present in her tone of voice.  "She was the oldest and the most powerful… She was our leader."   The elf winced slightly as she offered up the information not knowing if it was useful or not. "Is that an arch-druid?"

It was clear that the additional information on the Tevinterian cult was necessary based on the blank expression on Carpathia's face. "I haven't heard of them before," she responded quietly.  "It's the only sign of them? The sign of any invaders?"

Carpathia looked down at the wolf at her feet contemplating the offer Aescher made to assist in the burial ritual.  It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the offer to help with the work, but her entire being felt raw and vulnerable.  The elf would take him up on the offer to be the singular factor of her life still in tact, but she didn't know if she wanted him there to witness her pull herself back together.  

She couldn't think of an answer, so she simply didn't answer.  He would make up his own mind.  Instead, she woke the wolf quietly and moved toward the edge of town with the familiar at her side.  Carpathia stood at the edge of the blackened earth, overwhelmed with the scene all over again. In her mind, she remembered where every structure and family home was, but the town and its inhabitants had been blown to bits.  Finally, she chose a starting place.  The elf was able to find some sort of tool with which to begin to harrowing work of beginning the construction of what would ultimately serve as a large mass grave.  

Carpathia dug angrily and silently.  The emotional exhaustion had already began to take a physical toll.  Her muscles ached and she felt tired and heavy with grief as she continued to work, but if anything her pace improved as the hours pressed on. Nothing seemed to matter but her work.  When she had finished the digging, some hours into the task, she stalked around the town in a disassociated state collecting remains to bury in a stoic silence.

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Aescher listened to her as they walked, waving his hand once more as the last of the flames went out with the snow he’d controlled. Now, most of the carnage was dusted with a hint of snow, though nothing that would cover up what actually happened. The dragon was content to leave the place as it was for now, careful not to disturb anything as they finally made it to the tree line. “Seclusion doesn’t mean you have no enemies,” he pointed out, glancing over his shoulder at her. “Dragons don’t live in groups – we’re alone for a reason.” 

“My guess? One of the merchants had a little bit of stars in his eyes. Druids have their secrets. You ever met an arch-druid? Perhaps you had one here. Some of the most powerful spellcasters around. He could’ve traded information, your location, something to someone who paid him for it.” Aescher was running scenarios through his head as he tried to piece together who would want to kill druids. It made little sense to him, except if they thought the druids posed a threat to whatever they wished to carry out.

The dragon stopped at the sleeping figure of the wolf, staying standing as he pulled his bag off of his shoulders, setting it on the ground. “Stay here. I’m going to take another look around.” Without another word, the dragon started climbing one of the trees, waiting until he was near the top to shift so he didn’t take most of the tree with him before he launched into the air. 

He was gone for three minutes at most, coming back through the trees in the direction of the camp in his human form. “Whoever did this is gone. There’s no sign of anything but wildlife in the trees – but even they fled. The mountain pass on the other side looks like their entrance and exit, but I didn’t want to stay in the air too long.” 

Carpathia watched a few tendrils of steam rise up from the snow Aescher conjured as it melted on the flames and embers of the leveled town in the very same moment it was produced.  It felt almost like putting a blanket over everything to forget it was there, like putting a flimsy bandage over her wounded heart.  It felt impossible to walk away, figuratively at least.  Years after the night of her wedding, Carpathia still experienced the images, smells, and fear like she was living it all over again.  The elf felt that regardless of if she walked out of the ruined druid settlement, she could never leave that scene.  It would haunt her with every sudden noise or burnt smell.

Seclusion had meant a lack of enemies for the community as far as Carpathia knew.  The years she had spent with the sect had passed in a time of peace, and all of the history she'd been taught suggested a history lacking in conflict.  The elf's intuition told her that it probably had a lot more to do with her own personal hidden history than the druidic community.  

If Carpathia had to guess, someone from her past had come to find her.  She was foolish to have ever snuck out of the community to return to her hometown.  Her hand lifted to the feeling of her sister's locket tucked beneath her clothing.  If she hadn't gone back for it, perhaps no one would have died.  Perhaps someone who had wanted her dead the night she fled the village had seen her.  The lack of a dead body out in the wilderness to be recovered would almost certainly mean rumors and skepticism about her fate.  Her eyes flickered toward Aescher again, who she had met retrieving the locket.  If she hadn't gone, she wouldn't have met him, and perhaps the both of them would have ended up dead.

"Juvia was our leader," Carpathia mumbled when Aescher mentioned arch-druids.  Her voice sounded like she had only informed him because it felt like the appropriate response despite the fog her mind was in.   She looked back at the dragon and shook her head slowly in disbelief.  "No one who left the community would have done that to us… they wouldn't…"

Carpathia sunk to the ground by her familiar when Aescher instructed her to stay put.  She sat closed to the wolf, one hand trying to dry the tears off her cheaks despite the fact she was still crying.  She used the other hand to silently pet Quell, already grateful for how much better the wolf looked.

The druid looked up at Aescher when he returned from staking out the nearby area.  Her hand ruffled the loyal wolf's ears as she was informed she was probably the only animal in the nearby area.  "What did you pick up back in the town? You were looking at something," Carpathia asked, referring to the hilt of the sword the dragon had found.  She peered up with him, taking note of the fact they were truly alone.  "What now?"

"Can I go back into the town to prepare the burial ceremony now?"  Carpathia asked, the request devoid of emotion and reflecting the sensation of numbness she felt inside.  "It will take a while…. You don't have to stay for the process."

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

The dragon glanced around the wreckage once more, still scanning for any kind of trouble that they could come across. He dropped his hands from her shoulders, unable to really offer more physical comfort. He instead held onto the straps of his satchel, giving a few nods, “Yeah. Yeah, we can. Let’s just…the fires aren’t even out yet. Someone might be coming back to double check their work and I can’t hide us unless we’re in the trees.”

Aescher also wanted to shift, scan the entire surrounding area for a multitude of things. Survivors, camps, those who had done this – it was the least he could do for the druid.” He met her gaze once more, wondering how to go about her question. “My kin were slaughtered too – I just – know you’re not alone. You have me as a friend now, and I won’t let you go through it alone unless you ask me to leave.” 

He figured that was the best way to put it, instead turning to move back towards the familiar they left behind. The dragon waved his hand as they walked, snuffing out flames with the snow he’d pile on top of the still burning embers. “Whoever did this was here recently. Did your clan have enemies?”

Although Carpathia didn’t verbalize it as Aescher assumed she might and lacked the energy to put up any fight with the man, she druid didn’t care if whoever had enacted this violence came back and found her.  She was numb with grief and had little left to live for--the idea of rebuilding was daunting.  However, she still had enough sense about her to realize that whatever level of risk she put herself in, Aescher was in as well.  When he consented to return to provide proper buriels, Carpathia simply nodded dully.

She thought about correcting the dragon.  Her kin had been slaughtered completely and totally overnight twice.  But it wasn’t a contest, and she didn’t know how else to express the utter heartache and hopelessness, the sheer exhaustion at the mere thought of building another life brought with it.  And she carried the first loss as a secret.  In the end, she was glad she didn’t interrupt, thought she couldn’t understand why a creature as elevated as a dragon would consign itself to companionship with a druid that had a history of death and destruction on her heels.

But she felt significantly less alone just by the fact that he’d said it. 

Carpathia followed behind Aescher, sullen and silent.  She was considering who might have escaped and where they would have went to.  She pondered the small children of the community, where they might have gone and hidden, but all she could think about was the fear they must have experienced moments before their deaths.  She considered the fact that her familiar survived as well--was it coincidence or omen? 

“The clan is secluded for a reason, we don’t have contact with the outside world save a few merchants and traders. We depend on them to bring items we need to survive, and we provide them with the same,” Carpathia explained.  “There’s never been bad blood with them.  We don’t have anything valuable that can’t be produced by the land... We’re all stewards of the earth, we’re all entitled to what it provides.”  Carpathia paused for a moment. “Some druids leave of their own accord, but they don’t return and they don’t send other either. The clan has always kept to itself until.... until Juvia found me and convinced them to make a place.” 

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Aescher touched two fingers to the wolf’s head, letting his fading healing magic soothe the wolf enough to let it rest. There was little else he could do now, instead easily holding Carpathia’s weight. He released her once they walked forward, instead staying a step or two behind her as they slowly made their way to the carnage. The sight that greeted them only reminded Aescher of a town he’d seen burn before, and the blizzard he’d caused to smolder the flames and cease the damage. All that was history, however, and the dragon had to refrain from gagging as the scents hit him hard.

He put his hand over his mouth, trying to lessen the rotten stench of burning flesh that was hitting his senses. At times he cursed his heightened senses, especially when it felt like the death would never leave his lungs at this point. The dragon did not move when Carpathia fell to her knees, instead letting the druid grieve in whatever way she could. There was nothing left, now. Aescher instead took to wandering close by, passing through debris like he would possibly find one more being that was still alive. His magic told him otherwise. 

They were all gone – save the lone familiar that rested on the outlying edges, and was somehow overlooked when the town went up in flames. “Multiple people did this,” he murmured mainly to himself, picking up the hilt of a sword. Despite the brittle, scorched metal, it did nothing to his skin, but he studied the intricate carvings of the wood, only looking at the elf as her grief overtook her. 

A brief flash of sympathy passed across the dragon’s face, and he made his way back towards Carpathia, resting his hand gently on her back, “Breathe,” he ordered quietly, the glow taking over his eyes once more as he forced the elf to take a deep breath. Aescher pulled his hand away, feeling her grief like it was his own. The discarded limb made his stomach churn, though body parts was nothing he hadn’t seen before. How many people had he ripped apart with his fangs and his claws? Numerous – but the sight never failed to make him uneasy.

The last thing he wanted to do was rush her, but Aescher had a feeling that those who had done this were possibly going to come back. “We should move back into the trees,” he said quietly, looking in the direction they’d left the wolf, “If they come back…we just need to move.” He figured the druid might not want to after this, expecting a sort of “let them come” comment from her. Despite this, Aescher helped her stand, meeting her gaze when she’d let him, “I’m sorry, vaecaesin.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking down, “I know how you’re feeling.”

When Aescher approached the elf, she'd charged up one of the small spells she knew.  A meager and flimsy fireball had accumulated in the palm of her hand which she was just moments away from discharging when Aescher placed his hand against her back.  The moment the dragon pressed his palm against the elf, the dramatic and pained sounding rising of her chest ceased and the flame in her hand snuffed itself out.  She exhaled as he had told her, feeling at least a sense of physical relief, though her breathing remained forced and shaky at best.  Her gaze held a degree more clarify than it had moments before.

The elf had leaned back into his touch as long as he'd let her.  Her head still felt light when he withdrew his touch, but her spirit felt leaden and low.  The shock was still setting in, her mind still worked to sort out a hundred different scenarios in which the truth of the matter wasn't as it appeared.  Nonetheless, she knew from experience her entire life was upended, she was going to live in a world where she would have to exist without her clan and mentors.  The world, her world was fundamentally and irreversibly altered.

Carpathia looked at Aescher when he suggested they withdraw from the middle of the wreckage.  She shook her head slowly, not in an attempt to argue, but because her mind was so overloaded she couldn't understand the reasoning.  She looked around the blackened wreckage for a few moments thinking, and when she looked at him the expression behind her eyes almost suggested that the let them come line was moments away from leaving her lips.

Her hang grasped around Aescher's wrist as he stood her up, and she opened her mouth to make a request, the only request.  "Can we come back?" she asked in a raspy whisper as she met his eyes.  "To perform a proper burial? Can we come back and bury them?"

Carpathia searched Aescher's features for a moment, trying to find meaning in the vague words of comfort he had tried to provide.  "How?"

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

The dragon had come to terms while flying, the name suiting him as ironically as possible as well. Despite that, the newly dubbed Aescher was silent as he let his words sink in, taking in the scent of the air. They’d been downwind originally, but as soon as the dragon had landed, every scent had hit him at once. Death, fire, blood – he knew it all too well. Though he couldn’t have kept his mouth shut any sooner. 

He looked only partially concerned as Carpathia took off through the snow, following her as easily as possible. Aescher was no longer worried that there was something left. He kept up with her, only slowing as he heard the same noise she did. The dragon felt pity for the animal, his own conscience at war for a few moments. He had the power to save it – Carpathia’s knowing look in his direction said that – though he wondered if she assumed he could do that, simply because of what he was. Dragons had power over almost any spells that they could practice, but Aescher had locked his healing away before. Yet, as he envisioned the desolation he was sure they were going to walk upon, he moved his bag to the side, kneeling in the snow beside the wolf. 

Aescher’s eyes glowed with a golden hue, the draconic slipping from his tongue as raspy and sharp as imagined. The hissed consonants weren’t exactly soothing, but that was the least of the dragon’s worries as he placed his hands over the wolf’s body. The apology was short as he dug his fingers lightly into the wolf’s pelt, “Irisv.” There was another flash of gold as the healing made his hands glow, spreading through the wolf. It looked similar to the formerly spreading obsidian in his veins on his chest, and eventually, the glowing stopped as Aescher pulled his blood stained hands away. 

“It’s done. She’ll live.” The dragon stood up, using snow to wash away some of the blood, though the red hue remained. Aescher took a deep breath, locking back down the magic he’d spent on healing the wolf. While he was still certain they were not being followed, it was better to look like a wizard companion to an elven druid than anything more. “Carpathia,” his voice was quiet, and he held out a hand to help her to her feet, “We should keep going.”

Carpathia truly hadn't known that she'd been followed by the dragon until he was there when she had turn to beg for the animal's life.  She wasn't sure what it would be at that point-begging or bargaining, but she'd stop at nothing to complete some great act of gratitude for Aescher if he granted her the favor.  The wolf had been one of the first few comforts extended to Carpathia after she had arrived at the druidic settlement.  The canine was by her side as a pup before Carpathia was even on her feet again, and moments when the pair weren't together had been far and few between ever since.

When Aescher approached, Carpathia moved to make space for him quickly.  He would do one of two things that she wasn't capable of doing herself: healing the wolf or sparing it a few more hours of misery before its death.  She wasn't sure which he would choose.  

The young druid held still as Aescher worked, forgetting even to breathe for a moment at the sight of the warm, golden glow produced by the dragon's eyes and hands.  Carpathia didn't make a sound or movement to distract him in his work, her eyes glued to the face of her wolf as she tried to convey comfort in response to the nervous expression in her familiar's eyes.  When the tendrils of healing magic faded and Aescher withdrew his hands from the animal's wounded body, Carpathia turned toward him, trying to find words.  Instead, she found herself capable only of grabbing his upper arm tightly and holding his gaze for a moment.  She was crying still, that was true, but her eyes held more relief and gratitude than anything else.  

Carpathia pet the wolf lovingly as it rested once Aescher had stood and informed Carpathia the animal was out of mortal danger.  She stayed close to the creature, knowing that it had sustained such serious injuries defending the settlement some yards away from them.  Carpathia was proud of the wolf, still hardly much more than a pup but still stronger and braver than Carpathia could ever hope to be.  She was clumsy with magic and combat, and despite her thirst for change she was too rash and cowardly to accomplish much of anything when it came to putting drive into action.

The elf looked at Aescher again when she heard her name, and absently reached for his arm as he offered it to her.  Already her mind was swimming with the dread of past memories and the knowledge that what they were about to walk into was more likely than not a similar carnage.  Aescher was forced to do the heavy lifting in getting the druid to her feet.  She wiped her tears away sloppily as she lumbered toward the community. Each step felt more and more like stepping through quick sand rather than mud.

The heavy  weight of dread and the thunderous noise of her own blood rushing through her veins thanks to her beating heart left Carpathia feeling beside herself and deafened to her surroundings by the time they arrived at the clearing of the firs.  Though the snow was thick and deep outside of the community, inside the line of fir trees the ground was scorched and flattened, the remains of the town smoldering like the embers of an abandoned campfire.  The scene was ominously quiet, no sound from human or nature alike was audible once they had crossed the gate-like line of trees.  

Carpathia reached out toward one of the tree trunks to steady herself at the sight, but her hand missed and she stumbled a few steps in no particular direction instead.  The sight of the town eradicated of any signs of life felt like a blow to the stomach.  The scene was so similar to the one that played over and over in her head.  The impossible black of the ash, the smell of burnt flesh and timber, the coppery smell of blood-it as all the same.  The sole difference, was the screams, but Carpathia heard them all the same as she moved away from Aescher and lumbered toward the middle of the town.  To an outsider, it looked like shock.  For Carpathia, she was moving between two words, flashes of the past and present overlapping and interlocking.

Her hand lifted to reach for the remains of an iron fence outside one of the noble elite's former manners.  As Aescher viewed it, she reached to grab for some phantom object where nothing actually existed, her hand passing through the air before she felt to her knees.  Carpathia's fingers dug into the ash below her as she lifted her head, the destruction of her former life mixing with the ruin of her current.  She began to crawl in the direction of Juvia's home, the elder druid who had found Carpathia in the snow years ago, brought her to the clan and sponsored her, assumed responsibility for her.  There would be nothing there where Juvia's small structure had once existed.  

Before Carpathia could cover much distance on her hands and knee muddling through the ash and debris, her hand landed on something cold and strange.  Carpathia looked down at what her hand rested on.  It was something so familiar, something she'd seen ever day some millions of times before, but she couldn't place it in the current context.  From Aescher's perspective, the young druid lifted an arm, severed from a body some four of five inches above the elbow, and examined it for several long moments before the limb tumbled from her grip.  

Carpathia lifted her hands to her head, caked in blood and ash and grip and gasped desperately.  Again and again, she pulled air into her lungs in deep, hungry breathes but she couldn't escape the feeling of suffocation.  Her eyes flickered around the ruined town manically as she tried again and again, to take in enough oxygen to appease her burning lungs and burning throat.  The overwhelm blinded her to the fact her panic had overridden her senses producing an acute anxiety attack.  She gasped for air, but her mounting emotion and dread kept her from a normal breathing pattern, from doing anything but internalizing the scene and the air and the grief and devastation.  There was too much to see, too much to understand and consume.  Carpathia couldn't process it.  She couldn't exhale.

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

“Aescher?” He repeated, looking over at her. He furrowed his eyebrows, a frown on his face for a few seconds, “It’s better than what?” he didn’t piece it together, instead looking even more confused when she took the bag from him. If Drake was even worried about her finding anything, he wouldn’t have let her take it at all. Instead, he just watched her, trying not to laugh too much. “It’s a bag of holding. I hardly believe one of the druids back at your home did not have one.”

The dragon took the bag after a moment, slinging it back over his shoulder so it would mold with him when he shifted. “Home…right. Give me directions as we fly.” He looked at the bag, moving towards the entrance as he waived his hand, the blockade of ice molding back down into the cavern. 

He arched his back as he stretched, his dragon form taking shape. Drake did as he had once before, lowering his body so Carpathia could climb on and take hold of one of the spikes along his back. He rumbled a little as he waited for the elf, moving towards the edge as the ice retook its place covering the entrance to the cave. 

Leaping off the edge, he tried to maintain a decent level to where he wasn’t weaving in and out of the clouds. It was difficult for the dragon to do so, considering he didn’t like flying long distances just in case someone saw him and his flight path. Nevertheless, he followed Carpathia’s directions, landing in a heap a little outside the druid community, as to maintain his anonymity. Shifting back, the dragon ran a hand through his messy hair, gripping the strap of his bag, “Something doesn’t really seem right about this place.”

"I meant for a name," Carpathia replied passively.  "Aescher was better for a name.  Much less obvious than Drake at least."  She had left the conversation there.  It was the dragon's choice to take the advice and suggestion or not, and with him wasting no time in returning her home she wasn't entirely sure if the connection between the two would last long enough for her to call him much of anything.

The elf collected the staff that had served as a token of gratitude from Aescher and her discarded headdress before climbing up onto the dragon's back with shaking knees.  She had hated flying before, and she felt that the descent would be far worse than their ascent to his hideaway.  Carpathia found a few large, hard scales to establish her grip with and pressed her forehead to the dragon's back with her eyes tightly closed.  Her stomach lurched and her heart raced as the dragon leapt from the cliff's edge.  If given the choice, the elf might have actually preferred the treacherous and tedious option of inching their way down the face of the cliff rather than flying on his back.

Despite the fact that Carpathia felt sick to her stomach from the flight and the fear of it all clouded her thinking, the elf shouted the best directions she could manage to the dragon.  She looked away from the glimmering scales and spines of his back only when absolutely necessary.  The view looking down at the world from so high up was foreign and disorienting.  It made Carpathia second guess her instructions at times.

The unnerved look on Carpathia's face seemed the mirror the comment Aescher made once he had returned  to his human form.  The elf wasn't convinced she had directed them to the right part of the thick, mountain forest.  Landmarks appeared in the same places she had remembered leaving them, a fallen branch, a split pine, rock formations-but everything was different.  The air was heavy with the prickling phenomenon of something gone wrong and greyish smoke hung in the air.  

In a sudden movement, Carpathia took flight toward the edge of the settlement, battling the thick blanket of snow with every step.  The steam of her breath in front of her mingled with the grayish smog in the air in front of her face; it was something she had seen before, her labored breath mixing with the smoke of her burning village when she had fled for her life years ago.  This time, she was sprinting into the fray.

Carpathia pushed herself through the bramble and snow, using her hands to defend against branches as she ran through thickets and pines in the direction of the druidic town.  The smoke grew thicker with every step, its thick scent mixing with the smell of destruction.  

Something stopped her some yards out from the line of pines that stood tall at the perimeter of the settlement.  Droplets of deep crimson blood led to a small snow drift below one of the pines where a wolf was laying, its breath labored and a number of wounds slowly leaking the last of its blood.  The snow beneath the wolf was a deep red, its color slowly crawling out away from the canine's body.  The breath in Carpathia's lungs hitched at the sight and she stopped in her tracks instantly.  Tears were welling in her eyes before she even made it over to the wolf's form,  and she was greeted by a low wine as the wolf lifted its head toward and looked at her with a sense of affection and knowing.  Anyone with even basic knowledge of druidic ability and culture would recognize the bond between the druid and familiar instantaneously.  

"Hey girl," Carpathia soothed, her voice choked and thick as she sunk down beside the wolf.  She looked over her shoulder, eyes erratic in their search for Aescher behind her.  If they found him, they'd be filled with a silent plight for any sliver of healing magic he'd be capable of sparing.  The elf turned her attention back to the wolf, its head now resting in her lap.  With shaking yet ginger hands, she pet the wolf's head gentle as a sob rattled through her.  "It's okay… It's okay…"  Carpathia lowered her forehead against the wolf's and remained there for a second, her only movement the shaking of her shoulder's as she cried over her wounded companion.  A few moments later, if one listened closely, they'd be able to hear the soothing whispers, the thanks, and farewell she offered the wolf.  "You're a good girl, you're such a good girl…. I love you…. It's okay. It's okay."

[xadraedanx]

Elves & Dragons

[carpathian-elf-blog]

xadraedanx:

Drake could sense the change in Carpathia’s breathing; the hitch of her heartbeat as it hammered against her ribcage, and the small shift in her grip on his chest. It made him just as restless, uneasy with the waves of distress that seemed to come from her in waves. He waited for a few moments, moving so she’d break trance as he shifted back into his human form. Her hand was now gripped around the fabric of his tunic, and the dragon curled his fingers around her wrist, tugging lightly until she realized what was happening and let go.

He thought about asking, though there was little trust between the two, and he didn’t want to infringe on her privacy for the time being. “Are you okay?” he settled with that, standing up and making his way towards the chest that was by the bed she’d abandone. He gripped the belt around his tunic, tightening it before he picked up a vest, shrugging it on as well. “I think we should take you back,” he said slowly, not wanting to seem like he was kicking her out.

He made his way back towards the staff he’d left out for her, picking it up and holding it out so she could use it to stand up, “This is my thanks, Carpathia. I won’t forget what you did for me,” he offered a smile, looking over her shoulder and making his way back towards his treasure. Drake tugged out another intricate staff, looking it over before he slid it into a bag, the entire thing disappearing. His bag of holding looked like a simple satchel, and he slung it over his head before he made his way back to the elf.

“Are you hungry? Where do you want to go? I’ll take you. It’s the least I can do.”

Carpathia didn’t break from her trance as Drake shifted forms, essentially demonstrating that whatever mental state she was in hadn’t been a trance to begin with.  When she felt the pressure of his grip around her wrist, her body jolted forward in reactionary defense attempting to pin his body below hers.  Her free hand was at her side curling around the hilt of her scimitar before her eyes came into focus again and she realized where she was.  With a mix of embarrassment and shame, she pushed herself away from the dragon’s human form again and looked sharply toward the mouth of the cave as she attempted to recompose herself. 

“I’m fine,” she barked back, though internally she was grateful that he didn’t seem to question what had motivated her sudden outburst. She tried to ignore him as he walked toward the bed and other furniture further into the cave.  She shivered slightly, the bad memories shaking off of her like a cloud of dust as she inhaled and exhaled a few well practiced, steadying breathes. “Fine.”

The elf settled her moss colored eyes on the end of the staff that Drake had extended toward her and used it to regain her footing.  She held the magical item in both hands as he spoke to her and tried to think of something to say, but the words didn’t come.  “Aescher,” she mumbled, giving no context before suddenly presenting the name.  “Aescher is better.” 

Before the dragon had much of a chance to consider the name she’d offered up, the weight of the bag suddenly disappeared from his hand.  Carpathia had made her way behind him in an instant and now held the lip of the bag open as wide as possible right her fingers and was busy peering inside of it.  Her brow furrowed, giving her a slightly more wild look than her typical appearance.  She shook the bag of holding for a second before tilting her head slightly.  Her next move was to push her entire hand into the bag stopping at her wrist, and then her elbow.  She was only distracted by his voice when she had found herself shoulder deep in the magical bag, her arm suddenly a phantom limb in the real world that she could still feel within the vacuous bag. 

“No,” she responded simply, removing her arm with haste and holding the bag back out to him apologetically.  “Home... Just-home.”