Chapter 11: Answers
**Unedited Chapter**
For a moment, everything eddies from Leo's head, leaving nothing but a howling, swirling dark pit of fear.
Then, Leonidas screams.
They are falling, far above the rocks, and the human's basic instincts are telling him that no person could possibly survive a fall this large.
Yet Ausren seems undeterred, his wings catching the air just enough to allow them to miss the scree and arrow into the snowy trees instead. Expertly, the movement drilled by years of practice, Ausren rotates his wings up, filling them with air and slowing the pair down. Then, with no warning whatsoever, the dragon swivels his wings the other way and slams into the ground.
Leo yelps, body pitched forward into Ausren's neck as the dragon's front feet hit the earth and he transitions smoothly into a run. Trees whip by, a mixture of brown and green streaks, yet the dragon smoothly ducks and twists around them. With all the movement, Leo quickly finds himself slipping off to the left, unable to find proper purchase to keep himself in the middle. Noticing the boy's predicament, Ausren moves, dropping his right shoulder and sliding the boy back into place.
Position once again secured, Leo finally gets a hold of a spike, and glances up, attempting to make sense of where they are. Immediately he realizes his mistake as he watches the trees approach with dangerous speed, then disappear just as fast. Despite holding multiple races against Ruhban, the boy has never ridden this fast. A horse simply could not produce such speed. He is moving so fast that even his enhanced eyesight is unable to find a detail in the blurred mass whipping by. Every instinct is warning him to slow down, that impact is imminent. Yet he has no control over speed or direction, and just like when on a horse, the idea causes panic.
"Ausren!" Leo howls again, clinging to the beast for dear life. His new claws scrape on the dragon's scales, creating a weird but strangely satisfying sound. There is no stopping the dragon, no redirecting him, only holding on for dear life and hoping that he arrives in one piece.
Surprisingly, at his shout, the dragon hesitates a step, then slows his pace minimally. While he wants to get the boy back in time, Ausren also does not want to scare him off permanently. Someday, he knows, he wants to convince the boy to fly with him.
Leonidas, for his part, tucks his head down, attempting to focus on the dragon's neck. The less he sees of the landscape, the better. If he is caught on a branch, or simply falls off, at this pace, he'll at best break ribs. His best option is to simply trust the dragon, as hard as it may be in this situation.
"Don't drop me," he breathes into Ausren's scales, resigning himself to his situation. "Please."
Ausren snorts softly, smoke curling back from his nostrils into the boy's face. Voice laced with amusement, he replies through the wind, "I have already told you, Riorra. I will not allow you to fall."
Growling lowly, Leonidas concedes his point. The dragon did in fact make that promise once already. Yet letting go of years of instinct, born from riding much wilder and less intelligent beasts, cannot happen in minutes.
"It may yet take me years to get used to this," Leonidas thinks softly, attempting to keep the thought clear of the dragon's mind. It is not until after the statement is complete that he realizes exactly what it entails. Subconsciously, he has planned to be around the dragon for years. To ride upon the dragon's back for years, despite his current fear. "That might not be such a bad thing."
"What might not be such a bad thing?" Ausren queries, startling the human.
Blinking, still unused to the dragon's mind being accessible, Leo replies in kind, "Nothing."
Ausren shakes his head slightly, leaping over a fallen log, and snorts. Then, "Hold on. We're coming up on a cliff."
"Excuse me?" Leo yelps, sitting upright in a panic and nearly losing his seat. "We are what?"
Traveling from the dragon's chest into the human's legs, Leonidas can feel as the beast rumbles a laugh. "It is small. Only ten feet. An easy jump."
"It's still a cliff!"
Ausren laughs once again, his wings opening slightly. With the tightly spaced trees, he cannot open his wings fully, instead just enough to lift them off his sides. Leo can see as the trees suddenly break and the consistent floor of leaf litter gives way to rock.
Letting out a presumptive screech, the human claws at Ausren's neck, attempting to gain any semblance of control.
"We're going to go off a cliff. We're running toward a cliff," Leonidas panics, clutching hard at the small spike. Ausren's claws make contact with the rock, flexing to give him traction on the slick surface. Then, the ground gives way directly before them. Tme seems to slow once again, adrenaline causing a roar in the human's ears. Glancing down, terror closing his throat, Leo manages to watch as Ausren's foot hits the very edge of the cliff, black scaled claws coiling over the precipice. From the back of the dragon, the ten feet seems much larger.
"Relax, Roirra. Try to enjoy yourself."
With barely a pause in his stride, Ausren bunches his shoulders, his wings snapping out to full extent. For a moment, they seem to hang there, balanced on the edge of the cliff. Then, with a powerful shove from his hind feet, Ausren rears up and launches them into open air. His neck stretches out, his back flexing under Leo's seat. This time, Leonidas manages to contain his scream as, unlike last time, they actually travel up for several yards. As Ausren's shoulders start to tip back down, giving in to gravity, air fills the dragon's wings. Acting much like a sail, the thick leathery membranes snap taught, the bones thread between them flexing to accommodate for the force. Watching the show as though time is moving through molasses, Leonidas stares at the wing membranes. Folded against Ausren's sides, they seem to be an inky black, just lighter than the prince's scales. Here, however, stretched tight against the air, the membranes show their true colors. Closer to the many small bones, the membranes are still dark, nearly black. As they move away from the supports, the membranes move from a brown to a red, nearly translucent near the edge of the wing. Popping through the colors are dark blue veins, contracting and relaxing as the dragon's heart beats. Blood in, they pop against the membrane, blood out and they sink back into subtlety.
The human manages to take a breath, peeling his eyes off the beautiful web of veins and looking out over the trees. Ausren's muscles drove the dragon just high enough into the air that Leonidas can see the fort through the tops of the conifers. The warm light of fire flickers from windows, shining brightly in the dim light. It is barely half a mile away. How far they have come, so fast. The dragon must have covered a good mile or two in simple minutes.
In that moment, Leonidas's fear turns to wonder. How amazing the dragon is. He's magnificent.
The spell is broken as Ausren tilts his wings once again and brings himself and his human safely to the ground. The movement opens a pit in Leo's stomach as he feels as though he is free falling for a moment. Besides a tightening of his thighs to set his grip, the boy manages to keep his reaction to a minimum, peering curiously around as they descend. Tilting his body up, Ausren brings his back feet to the ground first, then drops his front feet next, transitioning smoothly into a run, wings tucking neatly to his sides. This time, as Ausren runs, Leo attempts to relax a little; to put more trust in the dragon beneath him. The dragon has done nothing but help him, why would he take him off on a branch now?
"To keep you on your toes," Ausren murmurs.
Immediately, Leo tenses again, opening his mouth to protest. However, he is cut off as the dragon quickly continues, "Relax. I was simply joking. We are nearly there."
Indeed, the dragon slows his gait from a long lope to a soft trot, then an extended walk. Then, finally, he stops. There, not ten feet away, is the edge of the forest. Unlike up on the mountain, the trees give no warning before they abruptly stop. Off across the large clearing sits the fort, a vague shape in the low light. Distantly, with his improved hearing, Leo notices the shouts of men and the clanking of gates. The soldier's will be bringing in the wood for the night and stacking it.
"Wow," Leo murmurs, glancing behind them. The land slopes up at quite an angle, obscured after only ten feet but thick trees. Again, he finds himself marveling at the distance that the dragon has covered in simple minutes. The hike that took the human nearly half a day took the dragon a little less than four minutes. Scanning the trees for a moment, then the peak so far above his head, the boy shakes his head and breaths, "How have we managed to hold our own this long?"
Ausren huffs softly, his breathing barely elevated, and lowers himself to the ground. Swinging his left leg over the dragon's shoulders, Leo drops his body off its perch. Wiping his shaking hands on his pants, Leonidas for the first time notices that his clothes are still drenched in blood. He'll need to get back to the barracks and change before someone spots him.
Surging back to his feet, Ausren shakes his body thoroughly before raising his head to peer at his human. "Don't sell your race so short," the dragon says. "You have proven that humans are quite capable of being fierce."
Frowning, Leo looks away from the fort back to the dragon. "I've also proved that we cannot defeat dragons on our own."
Stretching his nose out, Asuren gently taps the boy on the forehead, hot breath ruffling his mop of curly brown hair. "Had you a proper weapon, Enozarc surely would have learned to fear you."
Leo scowls deeper at that, reaching up to pat the dragon on the snout. He very much doubts he would have been able to put the fear of much of anything into that dragon. It seemed… quite crazy.
"You should go, Roirra. Your window draws ever closer to becoming closed."
Knowing the dragon is correct, Leo turns from him and starts to walk out into the open. However, a flickering thought stops him in his tracks and he spins around, suddenly panicking.
"Will you--" he starts.
"I will not be going anywhere," Ausren cuts the human off, spreading his wings slightly. The dragon can feel the human's fears, hear them spoken in his mind quite clearly. "I shall meet you here tomorrow morning and answer any questions you may ask. As many as I can, anyway. No go, and when you return to me, bring sheepskin, cow hide, and rawhide. I have a project in mind."
"How am I supposed to carry all of that?" Leonidas asks, bewildered and slightly angry.
"I can meet you at the wall, if you prefer," Ausren offers.
"No! If those towers see you, they'll kill you!"
"Then I'll just have to make sure I cannot be seen. Now, off you go! I shall see you tomorrow."
Sighing heavily, Leo turns and starts the trudge back to the fort. It is not a small walk, and time is of the essence.
He gets no more than ten steps before, murmuring it nearly inaudibly, the dragon whispers, "Goodnight, Leonidas." If not for his newly enhanced hearing, the boy would not have heard it.
Smiling now, Leo turns and responds, "Goodnight, Ren."
The dragon seems to light up, as though he is smiling. The prince lets out a soft brrrrrr, then whips around and takes off into the trees, the boughs bending with the swiftness of his passage.
His chest filling with an unexpected warmth, Leonidas starts off across the field once again. The farther he and the dragon move from each other, the quieter the other's thoughts are. Apparently, distance affects the strength of their telepathic bond. Sticking close to the wall, he makes it back to his escape point and hauls himself back through it. It is not until he reaches up to hoist himself up that he realizes that the scales have once again gone from his limb. Good. The tattoo will be much easier to conceal than the talons.
Slipping through the fort, sticking to the shadows, Leo makes his way back to the massive barracks building. Out in the courtyard, working by firelight, his fellow soldiers are stacking the next day's firewood. They appear to be nearly done, giving the boy only about ten minutes before they come flooding into the barracks.
Moving quickly, Leo enters the barracks building, then his own room. Locating his bunk, he quickly sheds his clothes and dons a long-sleeved shirt and sleeping trousers, tucking his bloody clothes far underneath his bunk. Then, in order to correctly hide his new tattoo, he coils up under the light green wool blanket and turns his back to the door. No sooner has he committed the action than the door swings open, admitting a bundle of loud soldiers. As usual, they ignore Leo where he lays, not caring enough to realize that, by their understanding, he has been in the barracks all day. They have a night of drinking to get to, afterall.
With their entrance, Leonidas winces. His revitalized senses pick up many things he has never noticed before. Like the sheer odor of the men, and how they manage to even pollute the taste of the air around them.
For a moment, the barrak is filled with noise; scraping, pounding, yelling, laughing, and the shuffling of clothing. Then, as quickly as they came, the men exit, shoving through the door after each other.
How ungraceful and loud they are, compared to a dragon. How… disgusting... they appear when compared to a beast with scales like gems and eyes like liquid fire.
Coiling his hands to his chest, tucking his head into his pillow, Leonidas grins ruefully. He has always looked at dragons as quite beautiful, despite many men around him seeing them as nothing but lizards. He had not, until tonight, looked at humanity as ugly.
No wonder the dragons do not want to share land with them. Leo certainly wouldn't. He much prefers his dragon over his own species, and he has spent only the equivalent of a day with him.
His dragon. The thought makes Leo smile. The dragon is his, he supposes, to an extent. At least, a part of the prince's soul belongs to the human, so why shouldn't the dragon? Perhaps belongs is too strong a word. Leo very much doubts he could control the dragon if he wanted to, but the idea that the dragon is his, and his alone, is a comforting thought. Or perhaps it is the idea that Leo belongs to the dragon that is comforting. Either way, he knew, when he had to walk away from the dragon, that he did not want to live his life without the prince's company. Ausren has been kind, gentle, and protective of the human. Unlike the boy's peers, the dragon seems to think that the human is quite brave and fierce. He doesn't seem to mind that the human can't take a killing blow. He actually seems to think that it gives him value, which is so backward from what Leo has always been taught that it is refreshing.
And terrifying.
What if the dragon decides that the human isn't worth it? What if the prince eventually regrets giving the scrap of soul to the boy? What if whatever Ausren saw in the human was an accident? What if, eventually, Ausren does exactly what everyone has always done to the boy? What if Ren is simply interested for his own gain, and when he is done using Leonidas, he'll toss him to the side? What if Ausren does exactly what Cecil did and abandons the boy?
The scales erupt from Leo's arm, claws coiling into skin and drawing a startled hiss from the human. Taking a deep breath, the boy attempts to calm his thoughts. Ausren entrusted him with a piece of his very soul. He will not simply leave.
I thought Cecil wouldn't leave. I thought he loved me more than that, and yet he took the first opportunity to dump his family and hunt glory.
Leo scowls, shutting his eyes tightly. Ausren is not Cecil.
Despite the distance between them and the weakening of their bond, a whisper of concern still leaks into Leo's mind. The dragon can feel his distress, despite not knowing what is causing it.
Attempting once again to calm himself, Leo tentatively sends a feeling of comfort back to the dragon. The last thing the human needs is the dragon to attack the fort. The idea of the dragon dying hurts much more than the possibility of the prince leaving him.
Taking a few deep breaths, Leo murmurs, "Whatever happens will happen. I am bound to him now, and I will need to figure it out tomorrow."
Speaking the thought out loud calms his nerves significantly, and before he knows it, he has sunk into a deep, surprisingly peaceful sleep.
For a moment after opening his eyes, Leo lays still, staring at the row of bunks stretching through the room. So much happened yesterday, life changing events erupting at every turn. Enhanced senses, telepathy with a dragon… riding a dragon… it all seems so surreal. Just like a crazy dream.
Casting carefully around to ensure he is alone, Leo sits up. Dark ink swirls down his skin, wrapping delicately around his slender fingers.
"Not just a dream," Leo breathes, equally relieved and anxious. There is so much he doesn't know about his situation, like why in the world Ausren would want Leonidas to hold his soul. Yet the idea of dreaming Ausren up strikes a hollow feeling of despair deep in the boy's gut.
Scowling, Leo slides to the floor and gets to work on his wardrobe. The dragon promised answers today, and therefore, Leonidas is going to get them. But, as he said he would, he needs to somehow steal sheep skin, rawhide, and cow hide from the stables and butcher first. The actual act should not be hard, so long as he isn't caught leaving the fort. Soldiers are known to take the leather and supplies provided by the fort to fix their own equipment, so him being seen hauling a side of leather around shouldn't be all that unusual.
Sliding on a thicker t-shirt, Leo changes into a clean pair of working trousers and pulls his cloak out to inspect. While the inside of the heavy garment is still covered in his blood, the outside is faring much better. The only evidence on the shell of the cloak is a slight blood smear near the bottom. If the boy manages to keep his cloak wrapped tightly, no one should be able to spot the blood stain inside at first glance.
Good.
Outfit officially situated, the boy dons his usual boots and pulls on a pair of thick gauntlets. He doesn't necessarily need the gauntlets for any other reason than to allow him to more easily hide his tattoos.
Making his way across the room, Leo peaks out the door before exiting. The last thing he needs is to walk into Ruhban. His twin's curiosity and fervor will only serve to destroy the tentative cover he has managed to maintain. Seeing the hall empty, the human continues his advance, performing the same cautious procedure at the exit into the courtyard.
A heavy fog has settled over the fort and surrounding mountains, locking the stone structure into an eerie silence. It does not appear to be snowing, though, which could be counted as a blessing.
All through the fort, silence reins, only the occasional order ringing out through the fog. The men will not be doing much more than manning the battlements and serving whatever orders Cecil has concocted. It will not be until later in the day that they start gathering the next day's firewood.
Deeming the way clear, Leonidas sets out to gather the supplies. A quick spin by the small butcher's hut yields a newly tanned cowhide. Depositing this near his escape hatch in the wall, the boy moves off toward the stables. On his way, he is aware of Ausren's mind coming awake and starting to grow stronger. The dragon is on his way.
Acquiring the missing materials at the stable, rawhide string and sheepskin, Leonidas returns to the wall. Once there, the boy scowls. Ausren's mind feels quite close. Much too close to be at the edge of the forest. Although, to be fair, the boy hasn't actually felt the dragon at the edge of the forest. They both left, the dragon moving so quickly that the distance between the two grew rapidly. Much too rapidly for Leo to get a good feel of how much distance serves to start to weaken their bond.
Shrugging off the unusual feeling, Leo pushes both bundles through the crack in the wall, tosses the roll of rawhide through, and hauls himself up and in. Once there, he pauses, staring off into the fog. He need not be too terribly stealthy, for the fog provides him with an impenetrable barrier between himself and the castle. The only problem is accurately navigating through the white blanket to the forest without becoming hopelessly lost.
Scanning the thick bank of fog, Leo peers as far as he can in every direction, hoping to pick up any sign of the forest to lead him on. Nothing but the thick white wall greets him. Sighing softly, hearing the whisper of Ausren's thoughts steadily growing louder, Leo swings his legs through the gap. He only gets one leg over when suddenly, outside the protective wall, the fog swirls.
A dark, large shape looms, its neck appearing tall and skinny, it's body and head comically large in comparison. Large horns extend from its head, disfigured lumps coming awkwardly off its back. Leo reaches up over his shoulder, reaching for his sword on instinct only to remember he left it in his room. Panicking, the boy attempts to pull himself back through the wall.
Leaning a little too far out, Leonidas recognises his blunder too late, and yelps as his grip on the wall slips and his center of gravity is suddenly out over air. The human has enough time to yowl once more before he falls and hits the snow seven feet below. The white powder erupts around his body as he lands, but cushions his fall nicely. Scrambling upright, Leo turns to face this nameless monster, staggering in the deep snow and nearly falling right back down.
Then, from the horribly disfigured thing in the fog, comes a low ruk ruk ruk.
Immediately, any fear eddies from Leo's head and he finds himself scowling furiously.
Ausren's head breaks through the fog, reassuming it's normal form once it is no longer behind a screen of water droplets. The dragon bares his teeth in an expression that unnervingly resembles a smile.
Lowering his voice to a whisper, Leonidas stalks up to the dragon, slipping once or twice in the slush, and hisses furiously, "You did that on purpose."
"I did not," Ausren replies, his voice similarly quiet. "I had no idea you'd be in the wall. I was simply following your scent."
Letting the dragon off for now, the human snaps back, "You're not even supposed to be up here! What if someone spots you?"
"In all this fog? Unlikely."
"And what if the fog wasn't here? Would you still have come?"
Ausren raises his head, looking haughtily down on the human and stating with confidence, "I can be quite stealthy, thank you."
Leo remains unswayed, but drops the subject. "Fine," he mutters. "Let's just get out of here." Stalking back over to the supplies he dropped in the snow, the boy hauls the sheepskin over one shoulder. Then, pointing at the much heavier cow hide, he snaps, "You can carry that."
Ausren saunters over, kneeling in the snow and offering his shoulder to his human. "I'll carry all of it," he replies easily, "including you."
For a second, Leonidas simply glares. Does he think I need to be carried? I do not need to be carried.
Ausren shakes his head, burying his nose in the snow and flinging the white substance around. Then, echoing in the human's mind comes the answer. "I do not exactly believe you need to be carried, but rather that if you are on my back you will be safe. You cannot get lost if you are with me, and we can make better time to the forest. The longer we are out here, the easier it becomes for your human compatriots to find us."
His glare turning into a scowl, Leo comes forward and mounts the dragon, using his foreleg as a stepping stool. Despite his annoyance, the dragon is right. They need to get away from the fort. "Fine," the human growls, settling the sheepskin securely on his thighs, placing the rawhide string atop it, and balancing himself on the small spike in front of him. "Just no flying. Running was terrifying enough."
Ausren lets out another ruk ruk ruk and grabs the cowhide gently in his jaws. Then, without warning, he surges to his feet, ringing a yelp from the human.
"Off we go!" the dragon comments happily, then bounds off for the forest. This ride is much easier this time, Leonidas allowing himself to relax and trust the dragon. The only struggle he has is when the dragon launches himself up over small cliffs, his body tilting nearly vertical with the motion.
In another miraculous feat, as it appears to Leonidas, Ausren makes the trip back to his cave in a little less than five minutes. Then, once both are settled inside, Ausren rolls out the leather with his front claws as he says, "Alright. Start asking questions."
Sitting across from him, the rawhide on his lap, Leonidas frowns. "Well, first of all, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to attempt to make a saddle," the dragon replies, holding the leather flat with one taloned foot. "If you're going to be on my back for a long period of time in the future, my scales will rub your legs raw. Besides, having stirrups might make you feel more comfortable on my back. Now, ask questions about what happened yesterday. You've got to be bursting at the seams."
Sighing, Leo rubs a gloved hand over his face. Yes, he is curious, very curious, but that answer made him want to stop in his tracks. On Ausren's back for long periods of time? As in flying? For a moment, the boy is silent. It was not until very recently that he realized that he does indeed have a fear of hights. At least, when a very specific dragon prince is launching himself off cliffs. Whatever. I'll address that later.
Taking in a deep breath and folding his hands in his lap, Leo breathes, "Fine. Let's start from the beginning. You told me that you gave me your soul to save my life. How, exactly, did you pass your soul to me and what happened while I was out?"
"Well," Ausren murmurs, carefully scrutinizing the leather beneath him, then looking back at his own shoulders, "to be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I passed my soul onto you. I simply knew I had to, so I did. I didn't want you to die, and I knew that only my soul could repair your wounds in time to heal you. As for what happened while you were out, I carried you back to the cave and watched over you. My soul entering your body healed you, but also gave you the scales. I'm not sure why." The prince lifts his left wing and peers at the stretch of skin beneath it, before lowering it and staring above it as well. "As for what you experienced… the initial healing seemed to hurt. Then, for a long time you were much too cold and you were tossing and turning in your sleep. I've heard that, according to the Legend of the Soul-Bound, both parties must accept the burden of each other. You had to accept my soul, and my company, and I had to accept that I needed you and wanted you to live."
Glancing between Ausren's careful scrutiny and the leather hide, Leonidas asks, "What is the Legend of the Soul-Bound?"
Finally seeming to have exactly what he needs, Ausren turns back to the leather and carefully starts cutting with a claw. "It is a fairy-tale amongst the dragon tribes. Apparently, long ago, when humans first arrived here in this land, the dragon king of the time was infatuated with them. He, apparently, saw something in them that the rest of us dragons didn't. He saw courage and strength in them. So, when the opportunity came, and he had to choose between the life of a human and his own freedom, he chose the human. He apparently passed a part of his soul onto this human, giving the human incredible powers and strength. And, according to the legend, he also became stronger because of it. However, over time, we dragons began to believe this as nothing more than myth. After all, that dragon king was wrong. He put his trust in the humans and not a few years later they attacked. The humans took from us our sacred lands, our nesting grounds and so much more. As war broke out, us dragons discarded the legend as just that. After-all, humans are evil creatures. No dragon in their right mind would willingly give up their soul for a creature as good as a dog. Besides, we didn't even know if it was possible to pass only a part of the soul from the body. And, as generations passed, that dragon-king was regarded as a fool and a liar. He was infatuated with humans and clearly lost his mind. I believed it too. No dragon would wish to give his soul to a lesser creature, especially one as lowly as a human. It is not possible to pass only some of your soul over to another. All of it seemed so incredibly… fake." Ausren seems to smile, even though nothing on his face really changes. "That was, of course, until I met you. I finally got it. I finally understood what that deranged dragon king saw in humans. Some of you can be incredibly courageous, showing mercy and kindness to those who would wish nothing more than to harm you. I understood that some humans, such as yourself, can be so incredibly selfless that the world might just crack around you. Some humans," Ausren murmurs. "Might just be able to change the world."
Unimpressed, Leonidas leans back on his hands and raises an eyebrow. "No offense, Ausren, but you hardly even know me. I mean… I am grateful to you. For everything. From saving my life to being willing to be my friend. I owe you more than I can ever hope to repay. But… I don't think I am who you think I am. I'm not courageous, I'm not brave, and I am definitely not kind. Not how you think, anyway."
Ausren, at that, looks up from his work and scowls. Then, softly, he breathes, "You saved my life."
"So? Does saving the life of a dragon suddenly make me 'world-changing' material?" Leo responds, holding the dragon's gaze.
"Tell me, Leonidas," Ausren whispers. "When you decided to spare my life, did you think I was going to kill you?"
Immediately, the human drops his gaze and mutters, "Yes. I expected to die."
"Then tell me, if I went around and asked every human you know what is the one thing they are all universally afraid of, what would they tell me?"
Leo smiles slightly and responds, "Probably death."
"You, the coward you are, decided to lose your own life for the very creature that might just destroy everything and everyone you love. You decided to spare the life of what, in your eyes, was a purely creature. And why did you do that?" Ausren asks.
"Because I realized that you were not evil. You were simply protecting what you loved. Which was exactly what I was doing. I couldn't kill you for doing exactly the same that I was. That would make me a hypocrite."
"So you sacrificed your own life for a creature you didn't know, simply so that them and their loved ones could continue to live. You were ready to die for the wellbeing and life of another," Ausren sums up. "You, the cowardly and selfish person, gave up your own life for the wellbeing of the people your enemy loves."
Slowly, Leo begins to smile. I get it. I get where this is going.
"You definitely had the skill, even the strike to kill me. I watched your blade. You threw your own blow to save my life, knowing you would die for it. That is not cowardice. Facing the one thing no one can escape, facing the one fear that everyone suffers from, for the wellbeing of another. Giving up your life for another is perhaps the greatest sacrifice there is. That is bravery. That is valor and courage. Mercy is not cowardice," Ausren finishes. Stretching his neck out, the dragon gently taps Leo on the forehead with his nose, his thoughts slow and warm against Leo's own. "I do not know why you can't see the things that I do. I don't understand why you do not think more highly of yourself. You are a very rare creature indeed. One that might be able to change the world, should you choose."
Leonidas closes his eyes at the contact, smiling slightly, before letting out a sigh. With his enhanced senses, he can hear the steady heartbeat of the dragon. It is a comforting sound. Not more comforting than the dragon's sincerity, however. The human can feel the truth in Ausren's mind. The dragon truly believes what he has said. The crown prince of the dragons believes Leo to be world-changing. It, honestly, makes the boy want to cry.
"I don't think," Leo murmurs, blinking his eyes open as Ausren removes his nose. "That anyone has truly believed in me like this before." Of course, there is his family. But that belief was different. Cecil seemed to love his younger siblings with all of his being. But he was always so focused on how he could help them, improve them, that he never really paid attention to their natural gifts. And, Leo is seeing, mercy is not something the eldest brother approves of or sees worth in. As for Leo's parents, they were always gone. Not because they didn't love their children, but because they loved their children so much that they would work a back-breaking job for most hours of the day and come back only to eat and sleep. It really was the only way for them to keep the family afloat and feed four growing children. And, finally, Leonidas's younger siblings. He never really seemed to stand out to them until Cecil left and Leo assumed the role of their protector. Then they believed in him in a way that meant they believed he would always protect them. He would always be there for them and provide for them. Yet that's as far as it went. They didn't see potential for anything else in him. Or, at the very least, that's what it felt like.
"I don't see why not," Ausren mutters, returning to his cutting. "You have potential for greatness."
Leo laughs at that. "To you, maybe. But to my older brother I am nothing but a disgrace. I might as well be dishonourably discharged from the Fifth Army already."
"I have said this once," Ausren replies, "and I will say it to you again. If you base your worth on what others think of you, you will never have much worth at all. Now! Questions! You must have more for me."
"Fine, fine," the boy chuckles. Holding up his hand, tracing the pattern of his new-found tattoo, Leo asks, "What about this? The markings and scales?"
"Well, to be honest, I'm not positive. The legend doesn't go into depth on anything. Simply that some elders believe that the dragon king bonded himself with a human. But, from what I observed, it appears that you might have inherited some of my magic."
"Magic?" Leo asks with a squeak. Of course, being in Batair, one of the most attacked forts in the land, Leo met many mages. None of these mages, or magic wielders, were human. Very few of them were elves, while the majority of their ranks were Sretisephas, or shape-shifters. While given the name of shape-shifters, Sretisephas really only have one other animal form they can shift into. Beyond that, their magic is limited to an element or specific skill set. Their magic is usually low-level, but when many of them are present, they are a force to be reckoned with.
"Yes. Magic. Every dragon has magic. It is what allows us to spit fire, lightning, or boiling water. It also allows us to heal much faster and see much better than any-other creature. Very few of us actually are able to command the raw form of our magic, though. Those of us that can, dragon mages, are incredibly valuable and powerful. When I passed my soul onto you, I believe a bit of my magic went with it, which is why these markings can turn into scales and claws. And, most likely, why we can also feel and speak to each others minds."
"So…" Leo murmurs softly, staring at his hand in awe, "could there be the chance that I received any other magic from you? Do you… do you think I could manifest the raw magic?"
Ausren blinks at that, then tilts his head slightly. "Perhaps. Like I said, I know very little about this. There is always the possibility that you could manifest my magic or perhaps even amplify it. I suppose if some day you start spewing fire we can safely assume that you can manifest my magic."
Suddenly, the dragon stops his cutting and peels away the excess leather, revealing about ten different pieces of leather, one of which is much larger than the others.
"Now," Ausren murmurs, staring down at his masterpiece, "bring that rawhide and sheepskin over here and let's get to work!"
Rising, Leo does as told, dragging the heavy sheepskin over and settling himself next to the interestingly shaped pieces. As Ausren starts punching small holes in the edges of the leather, Leo asks, "So, what other side effects should I expect?"
Ausren lifts one wing in a shrug, quickly finishing a small piece of the leather and passing it off to the human. Cutting out a similarly sized piece of sheepskin, the prince also punches holes in the edges of it. Only when he has finished and slid it over to the human, does he respond, "Here. Attach this with that rawhide string. As for your question, I'm not sure. As I said, my knowledge of this area is very limited. Your sense got much stronger, correct?"
"Yeah," Leo murmurs, threading the rawhide through the holes expertly as Ausren starts on the largest piece. "I can hear your heartbeat and see things I've never noticed before. I can smell the lingering burnt smell in here, as well as blood."
"Very good," Ausren praises. "Your senses have indeed improved. And you seem to be adjusting to them well."
"I'm not convinced I won't have another partial panic attack," Leo answers. "But for now these senses and I seem to be getting along."
"Well," Ausren muses, moving onto the sheepskin once again, "I'm guessing that, aside from the possibility of manifesting magic later on, you probably won't experience any other physical changes."
Leo takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh of relief. "Okay. I think I can live with that."
For a moment, they work in silence, Leonidas finishing a piece of the saddle and having Ausren break the raw-hide with his teeth.
Then, gently, Ausren asks, "Why are you so attached to the humans? They don't seem to treat you very well."
Leo is silent for a long time, working deftly on sewing the hides together. Then, softly, he murmurs, "I'm not sure. I've… never been on my own. Away from any other humans. I've always been surrounded by them. I guess… I'm afraid of being alone."
"Well… what if I were to accompany you?" Ausren questions. "Would you be less afraid then?"
Leo does not miss the insinuation behind that. Would you leave the humans for me? Would you trust me?
For another moment, Leo is quiet. Yes, he definitely would love to ditch the humans and spend the rest of his life as a hermit in the mountains with a fire-breathing war-machine as his protector and friend. Yes, he would love to be around Ausren, who sees worth in him where no one else does. Yes, he trusts the dragon with his life. But Ruhban is still in that fort. Ruhban is still there with Cecil, who has changed into something nearly unrecognizable.
Can I truly leave Ruhban to fend for himself? Isn't that exactly why I started to hate Cecil? Because he left me alone, to fend for myself and our siblings? Can I truly do that to my twin?
"I… yes, I would be less afraid. But my brother would be alone. I have to protect him, at least for a while longer," the boy finally breathes, setting down another finished piece. "I can't… I can't leave just yet."
Ausren seems content with that answer, letting out a small purr sound. Together, they get the sheep skin attached and start piecing the individual parts together, using some strips of leather from the extra hide and a little bit of creativity.
It is not until the saddle is complete and laying on the ground in front of them, spread out neatly, that Ausren murmurs, "So you are not yet ready to leave. That's understandable. I'm willing to wait." There is another small silence. Then, "So what about flight?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone