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TheAwesoMew
Warnings for:
Child in pain/distress, imprisonment, use of "it" as pronouns.
There was no sound in the Fortress of Ends.
The prisoners were silent as death, encased in blocks of ice. Their expressions were twisted into many things - horror, sorrow, acceptance. Through the haze of ice, the form in front of
Polaris seemed formless. Shifting. Angry. It was but one of the nightmarish creatures from Sorneith's creation. Just one of the horrors that they must keep locked away.
He placed a single glowing claw upon the ice, dipping his head and closing his eyes. His runes pulsed, and he could almost make out the formless creature in his mind's eye.
Sleep. He commanded, channeling his magic into the ice. Bit by bit, the struggling creature faded from his mind. The prisoner was dormant once more.
He lifted his head only once the last trace of the beast's energy had vanished from his mind. The Gaoler stared at it for a long moment, though his expression was shielded behind his mask. The prisoners did not suffer, he reminded himself. They merely slept. They slept in the cold embrace of ice for eternity, forever preserved, forever stagnant.
Forever locked away from the world. In that much, he supposed, perhaps the prisoners and the Gaolers were not so different. He stared for a moment longer into the beast's dead eyes, and saw no flicker of recognition. He wondered, for the first time, if the prisoners dreamed.
There was no sound in the Fortress of Ends. It was silent and stagnant. Such was the Icewarden's decree.
But then the silence stopped, and his ears perked at a familiar noise. He flicked his ear as if swatting away a fly, turning soundlessly towards the source of the intrusion. Sobbing, and two pairs of footsteps. He made no move to speak as two heavily armored Tundras approached him reverently, dipping their heads in a sign of respect.
He did not understand many things about Tundras. He did not understand where the Gaolers had failed, that his Creator saw fit to create his second children. They were... smaller. Weaker. Almost comically so, as if the Icewarden had looked upon the Gaolers and wiped away everything that made them fit to survive in his lands. It was like seeing a parody of yourself, de-clawed and toothless, and Polaris did not like it.
Still. He had some respect for them, as fellow children of the Icewarden. He waited patiently for them to explain themselves. One guard cast an uneasy glance towards the other, who simply looked upon the Gaoler stoically. The two's thoughts flickered across his mind as easily as reading a book.
What- what are these things...? What is that?
Can't be right. Just a child. Don't think about it.
Why is it looking at me like that?
Cold. It's so cold.
He cast them away just as easily as the first guard cleared her throat, stepping forward. "The First saw fit to introduce this one to the Fortress of Ends." She said neutrally, stepping aside and pushing a third party forward.
It was an Imperial, but smaller than any that Polaris had ever laid eyes upon. It was a young one, perhaps. It sniveled pitifully, shivering violently as it looked up at the Gaoler with dark, insectoid eyes. It looked more like a statue than a dragon, carved out of crystal and starlight. Yet it moved nevertheless, storming up to Polaris and spitting at his feet.
The Gaoler wasn't quite sure if he was offended, confused or amused.
The guard who had spoken earlier flinched, casting her gaze aside. Her voice wavered, just barely. "You know what to do." She said softly. She placed her wing over the other guard's shoulder, motioning for him to leave with her. He simply stared, wide-eyed, for a long moment, before taking her advice and turning away. They left the Fortress a tad quicker than they needed to, and that did not escape Polaris.
He tilted his head, and looked down at the little Imperial. This was... unusual. The silence was still gone - it shivered and sniffled, trying to be brave though tears glistened in it's eyes. "New additions are very seldom added." He mused quietly, turning away. "Walk with me." It was a command, but a gentle one. A Gaoler could not abandon his duty, but there was no cause to be cruel.
It - no, she. She stumbled along gracelessly, tucking her wings a bit closer to her body. She glared down at the floor, biting her lip. "Who are you, little one?" He asked gently, glancing at the Imperial from the corner of his eye. She didn't answer, only trailing behind him silently.
"What brought you to this place?" He asked quietly, a faint frown crossing his muzzle, though it was impossible to see behind his mask.
She sniveled and shook her head. "I dunno. I... really don't know." She admitted, shoving a bit more acid in her tone before her sorrow got the best of her. Anger and bitterness kept the sadness at bay. "Mom told me to go with this scary Tundra. Mom said that I was going to go help the Icewarden, but... but then they just locked me up, and then we walked for a long time until we got here. I don't think I did anything wrong..."
Polaris hummed quietly. The fact that she was here might that she was a dangerous to Sorneith, somehow. Perhaps this was just a charade. He read the thoughts on her mind quietly, making out how she intended to finish that sentence.
... unless I just wasn't good enough?
I don't know. I don't know.
This... did not seem like a threat to Sorneith. This seemed like a scared hatchling. That was something Polaris didn't know how to handle. He inhaled deeply, remembering it is not a Gaoler's job to judge who is guilty and innocent. By her arrival here, she had already proven she was guilty.
Still, it was unusual. To be guilty for a crime one couldn't recall. He shifted his position, shielding the hatchling from a cold gust of wind. She didn't seem to notice.
"I shouldn't be here." She spat again, her voice rising. "I didn't do anything wrong, but nobody listens to me. I really didn't! But none of you care! No one tells me anything, I-I don't even know why I'm here!"
"You were not sent here," He explained gently, "Because you did anything wrong. You were sent here because you are a threat to Sorneith. You do not intend to be, nor are you by your own free will. But Sorneith is in danger nevertheless, if you walk upon it."
She fell quiet, glaring daggers at the Gaoler. "I'm not a
threat. You're not listening, either."
"I am." He intoned. "You do not know it, but that does not make it untrue. This is necessary to keep the world safe." He touched his nose to hers, and she met his gaze with teary, blank eyes. "You do not need to be afraid, little one. None of this is your fault. You will not suffer. You simply have to sleep."
And the hatchling wilted under his words, the last trace of bravado leaving her. She stopped walking. She breathed in shallow, rapid breathes, her tears freezing soon after they hit the floor. "I-I really didn't mean to put anyone in danger. I didn't know. But I don't- don't want to-"
die/sleep forever. Her thoughts spun wildly between the two, and Polaris suspected she was having a hard time finding the difference.
"I know." Polaris mused gently. He placed a claw on the doorway. Lines of silver magic filled the keyhole, and it creaked open as obediently as ever. They hadn't the need for this room, for... how many years now? A decade, at least. "None of this is your fault." He echoed, for that was the most reassuring thing he could think of saying. He wasn't sure if it was true. He was less sure if it mattered whether it was or not.
"Come in." He ushered, and the hatchling walked through slowly, hesitantly.
She looked up at him with those blank green eyes. "This... is really the only way?" She asked, quietly.
"You would not be here if there was another way. I'm sorry." He murmured, tucking his wing over the Imperial. "You will save so many lives. You will keep Sorneith safe." He echoed, though it did not feel true. "You are a wonderfully brave little dragon."
She exhaled deeply, sniffing one last time. "Okay. Let's do it, then." She stepped forward into a snowflake-shaped circle of runes, glancing back at the Gaoler one last time. "Is this gonna hurt?" She asked, her voice shaking just a touch.
"Only for a moment." He promised, digging his claws into the ice. It bent as obediently as ever, and he felt his magic channel through the ice, into the rune circle, into the hatchling. No thoughts ran through her mind. She just gritted her teeth as frost enveloped her, wheezing and trying to choke back cries of pain.
She was trying not to worry him, he realized after a long moment, and his resolve threatened to crumble at the realization. No- no, he couldn't. Giving up now would only mean repeating the ceremony later. This was kinder. He gritted his teeth and channeled all his magic into the circle, stirring blizzard winds and forcing the frost to crawl up her body.
And then, all at once, the wind died down. It was over. There was nothing in the room but the Gaoler and a block of ice. Polaris fell to his knees, heaving from exhaustion. It stung when tears pricked at his eyes, the biting cold piercing through even a Gaoler's fur. He stayed there, crumpled on the floor for minutes, trying to gather his bravery.
When he finally lifted his head, he saw the rippled reflection of a hatchling, her head dipped and her teeth gritted in pain. Even now, she tucked her wings against her body, as if trying to stay warm. Tears pricked at her hollow eyes, and Polaris crumbled with the realization that he never learned her name.
He sat there for hours, trying to ground himself again. He barely managed to regain his composure before his shift was over, silently trading positions with a fellow Gaoler and walking out towards the Icefields. He stared out at the mountains for a long, long moment, spreading his wings and looking out across the sky.
What do I do now? He asked himself quietly. Setting her free could very well put Sorneith in danger, but staying here... he didn't think he could bear it. Seeing her frozen, sleeping form every time he checked on the prisoners... he couldn't live with himself like that.
He thought for a long moment, but there was only one answer he could find.
I don't know. His thoughts echoed. When he tried to think of what would be best, his mind fell as silent as the Fortress itself.
I just don't know.
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