Chapter 145: Empress of Pride
Banella advanced through the mansion like a woman on a mission. It was time to put an end to this silly war for once and for all, and put her power to some use instead of for selfish gain. For the first time in her life, she actually truly felt like she was doing something right.
She did her best to avoid the fighting in the corridors. She needed to reach Quartz at soon as possible. She would put a stop to this no matter the cost. Her claws were already dirty, what was one more act these stupid dragons were too noble to consider. Sure, she had never actually killed another dragon before, but how hard could it be?
"Ah, Banella, what hole did you finally crawl out of?" A hiss sounded behind her. Banella turned to see some plucky golden mirror creeping down the corridor towards her. His tail was swishing, and he was clearly prepared for a fight. She rolled her eyes, this is the last thing she needed.
"Let me go, you fool, you do not know what you are doing!" Banella hissed back, "I'm trying to help this stupid tower! Don't let me regret my decision!"
"I don't believe you!" The mirror exclaimed. Who was this kid? And who did he think he was?
"You don't have to, you can't stop me," Banella shot back, and she turned and continued on her path.
Banella heard the clatter of claws against the marble floor behind her, a growl rising in the mirror's throat, but Banella easily dodged out of the way of his inexperienced attack. It was pitiful really. But, she reminded herself, it was these pitiful dragons she was risking herself to save. Oh, what had she become?
Banella managed to round the corner and slip into the entrance to Quartz's chambers before the mirror got to his feet again. Her relief, however, only lasted a second. She smelled Nova before she saw her friend, lounging on some silk cushions and sipping a cup of expensive jasmine tea. She smelled of roses, and her perfume filled the room.
"So, you finally decided to show your face?" Nova said, not even bothering to look up from the ring she was admiring on her finger.
"You managed to escape the fighting," Banella said, impressed at her friend for being so resourceful, "How'd you do it?"
"Oh, it was easy!" Nova giggled, "Quartz and I are engaged! The wedding is set for after we overthrow those petty rebels."
"What?" Banella felt her stomach drop. Nova had been the only true friend she had ever had, and her betrayal stung like a knife to the gut.
"Oh, don't act surprised. I've been dropping hints for months, trying to get you to steal the throne yourself, make yourself the sole powerhouse of Windkeep Tower," Nova purred as she poured herself a fresh cup of tea, added a cube of sugar to her teacup and stirred it with a talon. "But after a few months it became clear you lacked the ambition. You are too weak to desire such power, so I realized if I wanted a place in this new empire, I had to switch sides."
"What about your husband?" Banella asked, trying to subdue the rage boiling inside her like The Great Furnace. "I thought you loved him."
The imperial cracked a smile. "Yes, I do love him, the precious fool. But there is more to life than love. I want more from life than he can give me, he is far to soft. Did you know, he donated half of his savings to the resistance, just because Fenn and Elric took pity on him when he was a poor lost child looking for a home?" Nova laughed mockingly, "Fenn and Elric are weak, that is why they are in the ice. If Ivorn isn't careful, he'll go much the same way. I didn't want to be brought down by him, not when I could make myself one of the most powerful dragons in Sornieth by partnering myself with just the right dragon. Quartz and I make a much better pair."
"You're evil," Banella hissed, stepping away and shaking her head.
"Oh, don't act like you're any better than me," Nova smiled, "You've shared far too much with me to pull off such a lie. Goodness, you must have shared your whole life story with me between all our little tea parties! It's a shame really, all that rage and desire, yet it's gotten you nowhere."
A growl rose in Banella's throat as she prepared to attack.
"Oh, no dear. Don't attack me, I'm not looking for a fight," Nova laughed. "I'm not trying to stop you from seeing Quartz. I'm actually quite interested to see how this plays out. He's going to get quite the shock seeing you, let me tell you."
"What do you mean?" Banella snapped.
"Well, after paying Vaughan so generously, I thought you would be gone much longer," Nova grimaced, "It looks like we can't always get what you wish for."
Banella hesitated. She knew Nova wasn't worth her anger, this pain could be dealt with later, but she didn't want to waste any more time. But it was so tempting to rip Nova limb from limb. She didn't care how much bigger the imperial was, she felt she could take her. But there were more important things now. Nova could be dealt with later.
"Go on ahead. Like I said, I won't stop you!" Nova reassured, "Although I should probably warn you, his wife's already in there."
"I am his wife!" Banella roared. She didn't want to claim that title anymore, but it was her title, and she wasn't going to let anyone take it from her. Besides, she was confused. If she and Nova were out here, what other wife did he have?
"I mean his original," Nova's eyes flashed knowingly. "Oh come on, I may have not been born yet when the power couple of Windkeep Tower fell apart, but even I know of their legendary partnership."
Banella stared blankly at Nova. What was she missing?
"Of course, you were probably too self-absorbed to notice," Nova laughed. "You'll see for yourself soon enough."
Nova was clearly just trying to wind Banella up. She shook her head to clear it, and without another word to Nova, she burst through the double doors and into the inner sanctum of Quartz's chambers. Nova was right, someone else was there.
A brown wildclaw, flanked by a manticore, was staring down Quartz. Banella knew she must have met this dragon at one point or another, but she could scarcely remember who she was. The two opposing dragons were so engrossed with staring each other down that neither noticed Banella enter.
"You can't do it, if you kill me you're just killing yourself too," The wildclaw taunted. That was when Banella noticed what Quartz was holding. It was some sort of machine, similar in size and structure to a camera. The barrel of the machine was pointed at the wildclaw's chest, and Quartz seemed poised to shoot. Banella very much felt like she had wandered in on something she very much should not be intruding upon, but she was frozen to the spot.
It was then that she placed the wildclaw and everything clicked into place. This was the dragon who's heart was bound to Quartz's. His match and equal in every way, the only dragon who was truly his match. This was Querida, and as she stared wide-eyed at the couple, she noticed the gleaming blade Querida had poised over her own heart.
They were at a stalemate.
@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Amezrou @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm @rainphee @FallenEclipse @Tirtouga678 @catmeow1 @ShinyDecidueye @AlchemyFox @demitri
I decided I should have at least one skin/accent chapter title before Greenskeeper Gathering was finished, just to fit with tradition!
Fun fact: Nova's mate, Ivorn, is one of the very first dragons I bought. I got him my first day on Flight Rising, and is one of the few of my original dragons I still have. He spent a while with my sister, after a lair purge, but eventually he found his way back to me and become a strong part of Windkeep Tower for a long time now. Of course his loyalty would be to Fenn and Elric, he's been with them since the beginning of their humble little wind clan.
Also I have had a long day and am downright exhausted and I can't believe I actually got this chapter written!
