LisaeIdace

Lisae'Idace Pronounced Lih-say Ih-daes She/Her Mate of Ponos and Huria Chemist Permafrost Impaler Familiar These creatures freeze, then skewer their victims. (KS-Sponsored by Zen.) 2600 Lisae'Idace (Lisa for short) is a chemist, and a very passionate one, at that. She and her brothers were hatched in the Southern Icefields. They hardly remembered the Icefields, though, because not long after, they were moved to their mother's lair, and lived there ever since. It was a dark, lonely cavern, deep within Greatwyrm's Breach in Dragonhome. At first, they had been as silly and care-free as any hatchlings. But as time went on, Lisa began to realize their lives weren't so normal...

Children

With Ponos:

Grapejuice

Trida

Siren

Witchcraft

With Huria:

Sunshine

Watermelon

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____Lisae’Idace and her two brothers, Godron and Suchiru, had lived under their mother's watchful eye their whole lives. They were always kept busy with chores or studies, and were never permitted to leave the lair. “For safety,” she would say. “Anything could happen out there! I couldn't bear losing you.” The darkness of the gorge was their home, and all else was forbidden. If they ever got too close to the exit, their mother's personal guard - a tall, dark, and creepy Imperial - would halt them.

____Their father, meanwhile, was very… distant. He only interacted with them when his mate instructed it, and he never once spoke to them. At most, he would stare at them with his pale purple eyes for a moment, then look away. It was hard to tell if there was anything going on behind them.

____As they aged, Lisa and Suchiru began to show unique capabilities. Suchiru found he could turn his body into an ethereal cloud of black smoke. Their mother dubbed this ability “shadow mimicry.” She took to training him hard, relentlessly forcing him to push the limits of this skill. Suchiru obeyed, always wanting to please her, though he often confided his exhaustion in his siblings.

____Lisa proved herself to be highly intellectual, and took an interest in alchemy. She was fascinated by it, but found the practice somewhat archaic, and would expound about dreams of refining it. Her mother practiced alchemy herself, and assisted Lisa with her studying, but seemed to keep her at arm's length. Lisa wasn't sure why, and began practicing it more privately.

____Godron, meanwhile, did not exhibit any unique skill or prowess. He seemed to be a very average dragon. This meant no special training, which left him free to do most of the daily chores while his siblings were busy. Despite his unexceptional semblance, their mother was oddly affectionate towards him. She never went so far as to dote on him, but she was much less strict with his obligations than his siblings. If she was playing favorites, then he was the winner.

____Lisa was skeptical of it all, and hoped to someday uncover what was going on. It was easier said than done. Time marched on, and soon enough, she and her brothers had become young adults. And yet, she was no closer to unraveling it all than she had been before. It weighed on her mind constantly, leaving her very distracted and discouraged.


____One night, Lisa was feeling restless. She decided to get up and go for a walk around the cavern, hoping to ease her mind. She entered the main room of the cave, a large, open space in which they usually gathered to eat. As she walked through, she heard the sound of her mother's voice. Lisa quickly hid behind a large rock formation, and waited. Her mother entered, followed by her father and the guard. Her mother seemed to be talking to herself, with the other two as her audience.

____"Godron is a well of raw, powerful magic. It will soon be ripe for the taking," Her mother mused, pacing back and forth in front of them. "I have waited long, and this will get me one step closer to my just rewards."

____Lisa's father shifted uncomfortably. The guard simply nodded, his expression remaining stoic and unreadable.

____"What about Lisa and Suchiru?" Her father asked, speaking up.

____Lisa's heart skipped a beat. She had heard her father's voice. She was thrilled to have heard it, but… it sounded heavy, like he was burdened by something. Her mother was surprised, too.

____"Finally found your voice, dear?" She said sarcastically. Then she sneered. "They'll be useful, but ultimately, they're just pawns. Godron, however... he's the key. Besides, if I don't claim that power, I'd be letting it go to waste. That simply wouldn't do."

____Lisa's heart sank as she listened to her mother speak about her and Suchiru with such disdain. But her focus quickly shifted back to Godron. It was all starting to make sense. She had to get him out of here before it was too late. She waited until the conversation was finished and they had left before emerging from her hiding spot. She made her way back to her room, her mind racing with plans and worries.


____A couple weeks later, Lisa had a plan. Before enacting it, though, she had to get Godron on board. Late one evening after supper, she tip-toed into his room. He was lying atop a pile of rocks, ready for bed.

____"Godron?" Lisa whispered. Her brother opened a sleepy eye.

____"Mmmm… what…" he mumbled.

____"I need to talk with you." She replied.

____For a moment, he stared at her in silence.

____"Now." She said, growing frustrated.

____"Ughh. Can't it wait til tomorrow?" He said, frustration mounting in his own voice.

____"No, it's important."

____"Fffffffiiiiiiiiinnnnnneeeee," he groaned, shifting on his rock pile. He picked his head up and looked at her. "What is it?"

____Lisa sat down. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Godron, there's no easy way to say this, but... mother wants to hurt you. She doesn't care about us, and you're going to be her main victim. We need to leave."

____Godron raised his eyebrows, taken aback. Whatever he had expected his sister to say, it wasn't that.

____"What… what are you talking about?" He said, confused.

____"I heard her talking one night, just a couple weeks ago. She said she wants to take your power, all for herself."

____Godron snorted. "You're crazy. What power?"

____"She said that you possess raw, magical power," Lisa replied. Godron rolled his eyes. "Think back," she continued, "haven't you ever noticed anything different about yourself?"

____Godron shook his head. "No, cause there isn't anything different."

____Lisa frowned. "It's because you don't know how to use your power yet. She's never taught you. Think about it: she trains Suchiru, and she helps me with my alchemy, but she's never had you do anything."

____"Because there's nothing there," Godron reiterated. He turned away from her. "I'm not special like you two."

____"Don't say that!" Lisa said, almost yelling. They both stopped and listened for a moment. When they were sure that no one was coming, Lisa continued.

____"I think she hasn't trained you because if she did, you'd become stronger than her. She wants to keep us under her claw."

____"You're… you're just being paranoid," Godron said, his tone dismissive. "Mother cares about us. She'd never hurt us."

____"Do you really think that?" Lisa probed. "She's never let us leave this cavern. She barely allows us any time to ourselves. That guard watches almost every move we make. For crying out loud, we're adults now. We should be leaving anyway, but we can't. Doesn't it all seem strange to you?"

____"Well… yeah…" He answered, wavering a little.

____"And what about father?" She said, pressing onwards. "He ignores us, he follows her every command, and he never speaks to us. I'd never even heard his voice until I heard mother talking to him about you."

____"Now you're just lying," Godron scoffed. "Father can't speak. He's mute."

____"Mute, is he? And who told you that?" Lisa asked.

____"Uh, well…" Godron wasn't sure how to reply. "Mother did… I think…"

____"No, she didn't." Lisa said confidently. "No one did. I thought he was mute, too, but now… now I think we just told ourselves that."

____Godron sat in silence for a moment.

____"What… what did he sound like?" He asked eventually.

____"He sounded… tired. Worried." Lisa answered. "Worried for us. I think whatever mother wants to do to us, she did something similar to him. Probably that guard, too."

____"I… I don't know what to believe right now," Godron said, meekly.

____"Then believe me: if we want to be safe, we need to leave," she said. She took another deep breath. "I've been working on a plan. I've brewed a potion that will put mother, father, and the guard into a deep sleep. Nothing will wake them up until it wears off. That will give us a chance to escape."

____Godron looked at her, his expression skeptical. "And what if it doesn't work? What if we get caught? She'll definitely hurt us then."

____"Whether the bad things happen sooner or later, they're still happening, right? Do you really prefer to just wait for it?" Lisa asked firmly. Godron didn't reply. Her words sunk deep into his mind. Lisa felt more confident; she could tell she was getting through to him. "We can't stay here any longer. We need to be free."

____Godron found his voice. "What about Suchiru?" he asked. "Does he know about this?"

____Lisa thought for a moment, uneasy.

____"I'm not sure what to do about Suchiru," she answered. "I'd like him to come with us, but I think he likes being here too much. He's too devoted to mother. If we tell him, he might tell her."

____Godron still looked uncertain, the gears turning in his head. "Let me think about it," he said finally. "I need time to process all this."

____Lisa nodded. "Okay. But remember, we only have one chance at this. If we don't act soon, we might never get another opportunity to escape."


____A few days later, Godron agreed to Lisa's plan. As evening fell, her father returned from his daily hunt. Lisa offered to prepare supper.

____"Oh, that's a good girl!" said her mother. "Don't dawdle."

____Lisa put on a fake smile and went to work. She prepared the food for Suchiru, Godron, and herself normally. As she was preparing the food for her parents and the guard, however, she pulled a small vial out from her satchel. She glanced at the kitchen entryway, uncapped the vial, and began pouring its contents out onto the three dishes. As she was, she heard footsteps in the entryway. Her heart jumped. She turned around quickly to see who it was, trying to conceal the vial.

____It was her father. He stared at her blankly from behind his armored mask. Lisa felt like she had swallowed her tongue.

____"Father, I, uh…" Her voice trailed off. Her heart was pounding. She slowly lifted the vial upwards. "This is a, uh… it's a new dressing I br- made. Made, yes. I wanted to tes- t- to- to try it out tonight."

____Her father looked at the vial, then slowly looked back at her. Lisa held her breath. She was sure it was over.

____"I… see…" her father said quietly. He nodded, then turned and walked away.

____Lisa was stunned. A million questions ran through her head, none of which she had time to answer. She hastily poured the rest of the vial's contents onto the meals. She loaded them all onto her wings, and made her way out into the dining area.

____"There you are, Lisa," her mother said. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. I sent your father in to check on your progress."

____"Yes, I noticed, mother," Lisa quickly replied.

____After she had placed all the dishes, she took her place and began eating. She occasionally glanced over at her father. He was tearing into his food, even making a bit of a mess. He never looked over at her.

____"My, my," her mother chuckled, "I don't know what you put in this, but he's ravenous for it."

____Their father gave a hearty "gulp!" in reply. Suchiru eyed him suspiciously.


____Not long later, after everyone had finished eating, their mother, father, and the guard all turned in early. They'd all become so inexplicably tired out of nowhere. Lisa and Godron didn't waste a moment. They gathered up a few sacks they'd packed, and headed for the cavern's entrance.

____They stopped in the entry and looked up. From the bottom of the gorge, the night sky seemed so far away.

____"You nervous?" Godron asked.

____"Yep," Lisa replied. "You?"

____"You know it," Godron answered. He squinted as he gazed upward. "Any idea what's out there?"

____"Not a clue," Lisa answered.

____"I've wondered that myself for a long time," came a voice from behind. Lisa and Godron jumped and spun around. Before them, dark shapes coalesced and took form. It was Suchiru. "Off to go exploring are you? It's a bit late for that," he said.

____Lisa and Godron glanced at each other. Now wasn't the time to back down.

____"We're leaving," Lisa said, trying to sound confident even though she was shaking inside.

____"Why? It's not so bad here," Suchiru said.

____"Come off it, Suchiru," Godron snapped. "You know as well as us that's not true. I knew it, too. I just didn't want to admit it."

____Suchiru frowned. "Mother will be furious when she finds out you've gone," he said sharply.

____"That's why we're leaving!" Lisa retorted. "We can't stay here anymore! It's not safe!"

____"And what, you're just going to leave me here alone?" He snapped back. Lisa and Godron weren't sure, but there seemed to be a tinge of sadness to his tone. Lisa cautiously approached him.

____"Look, Suchiru, I know you love our mother… but… she's not good to us. She's not good to you. She wants to hurt us. You don't have to stay here. You can come with us."

____Suchiru's face was unreadable. His mother had trained him well. But looking into his eyes, Lisa could see he was torn. He wasn't sure what to do.

____"Father knows we're leaving," Lisa explained. "He could've stopped us, but he didn't. Deep down, he wants us to go."

____Suchiru scoffed. "Please. What has his sorry hide ever done for us?"

____"He's fed your sorry hide for twenty-three years," Godron growled.

____Suchiru squinted at him. After a moment, his eyes returned to his sister. Lisa met his gaze. All three stood in silence for a moment. Lisa and Godron anxiously waited for Suchiru’s reply.

____His lips quivered as he turned away from his sister.

____"I… I'm sorry, but, no." Suchiru finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "No, I can't go with you. I won't stop you, but I- I just can't."

____Lisa's heart sank. "Suchiru, please-"

____"I said no!" He shouted firmly. His expression soured. "All my life I've been living in your shadows. With you two gone, mother will finally see how worthy I am."

____Lisa was distraught. "Do you really think-"

____"I don't think! I KNOW!" He shouted again.

____Lisa felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She'd known he would be resistant, but she had still hoped that her brother would come with them. She hadn't expected his reaction to be this harsh, though. Godron walked up beside her and brushed her with his wing.

____"You tried. He doesn't want to go," he whispered in a reassuring tone. "We're burning moonlight."

____Lisa sighed. She knew he was right. As they turned away, she looked at Suchiru one last time.

____"Take care of yourself, Suchiru," she said. "Maybe we'll see you again someday."

____Suchiru didn't reply. He turned his head away for a moment, hiding his face in the shadows.

____Godron's voice fell to a whisper. "How did father find out?"

____"Don't worry," Lisa whispered back. "I'll tell you once we're on our way."

____Godron felt he should worry, but decided he could withstand the wait. The pair exited the cavern, jumped up, and took flight. Up, up, and up they went, until they crested the edge of Greatwyrm's Breach for the first time. Suchiru watched them until they were out of sight. He stood still for a time, looking at the night sky. After much pondering, he turned and ambled back to his room. He'd have much to talk about with his mother tomorrow.

____Lisa and Godron soared high into the sky. The cool, crisp air felt good on their scales as they glided through the night.

____"Isn't this amazing?!" Lisa called to her brother.

____"Better than I thought it would be!" Godron called back.

____Lisa smiled. Bittersweet tears welled in her eyes.

____"Well, where are we off to, then?" Godron asked.

____"Oh! Right," Lisa said, blinking quickly to clear her vision. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a map of Sornieth. It was old, but the general landscape was still accurate. "Dragonhome is the northernmost landmass on this map. We need to head south, as far as we can." She scanned the map, plotting a path in her mind. "We'll head to the western coast of the Windswept Plateau. From there, we'll try to find a ship that's heading to the Icefields."

____"The Icefields? Are you sure?" Godron asked, a bit surprised. "I understand going far away, but... that is really far away."

____Lisa shrugged. "We were hatched there. Seems like the right place to start things over. Besides, go big or go home, right?"

____"We're definitely not going home," Godron shuddered. "The Icefields it is."

____The pair flew onwards through the starry sky. Lisa was a bit uneasy - it was all uncharted territory to her - but for once, she really felt connected with her brother. It was rare that they were on the same page. Being so in sync felt… right.


____It took a few weeks, but eventually, they made it to the coast of the Wind Flight with only a few scraps and scrapes. They hadn't been pursued by their mother or her minions, but they didn't intend on slowing down. Well, Lisa didn't, anyway. They'd found a small harbor soon enough, and she had wanted to find a ship right away. Godron, however, had insisted that they rest for at least one night. Lisa had begrudgingly agreed.

____To her annoyance, one night turned to two, then two to three, then three to four. Lisa spent each day walking up and down the dockside, trying to find a ship heading to the Icefields. Godron, meanwhile, began acting oddly. He'd slip away each day, and return late in the evening. Lisa pressed him for details, but he'd either dodge the questions or give vague answers. Lisa was getting concerned. So much for being on the same page.

____On the morning of the fifth day, Lisa was trekking through the harbor once more, still searching for a ship. As she went, Godron came running along to meet her, all giddy about something. Lisa wasn't sure whether to be worried or not.

____"Lisa, Lisa!" Godron shouted. "I've got good news!"

____"Please tell me you found a ship," she said, eager to get off her sore feet.

____"Not just that," he said with a huge grin. "I found a mate!"

____"You- you what?!"