The Forgotten Zodiac

"You look like you should get away from the castle for a bit anyway. Who better to escort you than the finest guard in all of Alastor?" Nate chortled, smiling widely. "Come on, then. Just you and me." He held his hand out to her, setting the stack of papers to the side. "You can forget about your duties, Obelisk can take care of everything for today. You know he doesn't mind."

She gave a weak smile, sliding her hand into his. Her fingers were pale, and not quite so different from Tasia's, save for the fact that Tasia's were twisted and disfigured. Both had slender, narrow hands, and where Tasia had claws, Lexi merely had thin nails. She and Nate started off together, with Lexi walking timidly beside him, her arms around one of his. Her slightly-curly black hair fell in long waves against her shoulders, and she was wearing a pretty red embroidered top with a long red skirt, the outfit complete with a the red ribbon she had just tied her hair back with.

The one thing the same between the two different hands was that they fit in Nate's large one. Snug in the grip of his gentle (yet rough, from working) fingers. Nate could very well be a giant compared to some humans; only a head taller in height, yet with the bulk and muscle to match five. He was fast, too, which certainly made him a threat to behold.

No pickpockets or thugs would be messing with them. Ever. "So, miss Lexanna...you've been living here for awhile now, I know, but...have you tried Strawberry Fizz yet?" He smiled a bit.

Her expression, which was already tight with pain, immediately turned a slight shade deeper. "Werr took me out on a date for some," she murmured, closing her eyes. "It was...so nice...he was kind to me, and he smiled and laughed and held my hand so gently..." She shook her head, not wanting to ruin her time with Nate, and said "Sorry. We can have some together, if you like. It sounds good."

"It's quite alright...just...do try to keep the happy memories in your mind, alright?" Nate smiled, unable to hide the worry in his voice. He squeezed her hand slightly, then put his hand on her shoulder and led her out of the castle and down the long steps to the city. It was bustling with activity, as always, but there was a more cheery spirit in the air today. The Moon Festival only happened once every four years, to celebrate the Blue Moon and pray to the Goddess for plentiful harvests and peace for the next four years.

So, naturally, spirits were lifted with happiness and hope today. There was a bit of uncertainty in the air for some; it was custom for the king to lead the prayer, but some were skeptical that Werr would do it. They had every right to be, but Nate made sure to keep Lexi away from the adults speaking about it off to the side while the children played.

"Whoa! You're big and strong, mister," One child bravely took ahold of Nate's free hand. He grinned and lifted the kid up by the hands, ever careful not to hurt him.

"You betcha!" He laughed. The kid squealed and giggled, and that caught the attention of many others. Before long, it turned into a game of 'how many kids can sit on Nate's shoulders before he falls over'. That number turned out to be 12. The first kid took a victorious stance over Nate, standing on the Dragonian's chest triumphantly while Nate played dead.

Lexi smiled weakly at the sight, then turned his chocolate-brown gaze over in order to look around. The people passing by were bustling about happily, though more than once, Lexi caught them pointing at her and whispering behind poorly-concealed hands. She shivered and tried to ignore them, settling for watching another spectacular sight.

Naybrin was laying in the center of the town, in a one of his larger sizes, smiling away as child patted his flanks or climbed up and down him, some even choosing to slid down his tail or neck. One brave little boy was even hanging on one of Naybrin's ears, but the ancient dragon didn't seem to care.

Nate suddenly grabbed up as many children as he could and took off, carrying them up to Naybrin's head. He landed there and set the kids down, letting them look around; even with Naybrin's chin against the ground, it was enough to see a little over the rooftops and chimneys.

Ophile appeared next to Lexi, blinking up at her. He nuzzled her hand, closing his eyes under her ever so gentle touch. "Hello, Lexanna. Would you like a ride? We can go somewhere a little quieter, if you wanted."

She didn't flinch when he appeared before her. As a matter of fact, she seemed to sense his arrival, and when she felt his soft fur under her hand, she stroked all the way down his back to the base of his tail. She wordlessly settled herself sidesaddle-style on his back, not liking the idea of leaving Nate with no idea where she had gone, but no longer wishing to be around the accusing point of the townsfolk. She nestled onto Ophile's back, leaning down and wrapping her arms around his neck, and he felt her tears drip into his fur. "I just want...to go home..." she whispered, holding on tightly to clumps of his thick black fur.

Ophile nodded, starting off in the direction of the castle. But he turned, and ran up the hill near the castle, where a single Cypress tree was growing. An homage to the Demigod they helped, not so long ago. Ophile let Lexi off, and without warning, settled his front paws on her shoulders. He was heavy, but he was careful not to knock Lexi over. He pressed his nose to her forehead, breathing out a long, heavy sigh.

When he pulled away, they seemed to be in a different place entirely. Ophile had certainly learned a new trick; it was the past. He was showing Lexanna her own past, and what stood before them was her old home.

At Lexanna's surprise, Ophile seemed confused. "Did Werr not tell you? I learned how to do this awhile ago. He...almost every night, he had me make dreams for him, especially when he was sick. I can take anything from your past and show it to you in the present. Oddly enough...Werr only asked to see Welk a few times. To remember the sound of his voice and the look of his smile. He mostly wanted Cynyr..."

Lexi moved towards the door, her expression torn between utter sorrow and slight joy. If Ophile had to guess, he would've leaned towards sorrow. She walked to the door frame, gently giving it a stroke before moving inside. "Cynyr...I don't know if he's alive or dead," she murmured, slowly looking around her childhood home. "Not a single letter, nothing to Werr. It makes me almost mad at him..."

"I'm extremely furious with him. Werr needed him...I understand that he was focused on finding his wife, but Forin could have helped her. None of us could have helped Werr...and now, I fear it may be too late. He's been stifled under his cursed emotions for so long...he finally broke. He hasn't even let me see into his thoughts since locking his emotions up. I wonder if he'll want his dream again..." Ophile stood where he was, watching her. If he moved too much, the apparition would vanish. "I'm sorry, Lexi...I realize now that you meant you wanted to go back to the castle. I shouldn't have looked so far into your words. But, uh...last night, he wanted to see this. The time when he found you and your father...he wanted to go back to it and watch it, over and over again..."

Ophile stood and shook himself, and the apparition wavered. "I don't know what he was doing, but he was intent upon watching that until he fell asleep. I...thought you should know. It's getting late...I know the city folk like to stay up and work, but I'm getting old," He chortled. "We should go back to the castle now. Unless...you wanted to stay..."

((Also, at the first post with Nate, it's said that it's 'late night'. Change that to evening for me, yes?

Alsoalso, I've decided that Isslia won't be found WITH the Stray Guardians, but it'll be extremely obvious that she was there. Welk's nose will be able to pick her up all over the place. She'll have left on an adventure to Gossain, and they'll be able to find her there.

We would run into the Stray Guardians while already set on the path to Gossain in the first place, so that's no issue.))

((Alright.))

"No...I w-want...to stay for a little while," she whispered, leaning against the doorframe. Ophile realized that her clothes hung limp and loose on her frame; they didn't fit her anymore. She was tiny, much moreso than before, and she slowly sank to the ground, keeping her eyes closed. She wanted to keep the last image in her mind of her home. It was a place she feared and hated, but yet...her thoughts were turning towards it, which was something she had managed to lock away for a few years. She hated this placed, hated the life she had been forced to live there. Yet...

She curled up on the ground, her face in her arms.

Ophile watched her, sitting down again. "If you're sure," He murmured, casting his eyes skyward. "Oh, Goddess, what have I done..." He whispered to himself, curling his tail over his paws. He hadn't meant to hurt Lexi. He really hadn't. How could such little mistake could go so awry...?

"And what of his daughter? Shall we jail her, as well?"

"You'll do no such thing!" The voices wafted from unseen people, but Lexi knew what it was. The first had been the city guard intent upon bringing justice into the home. The rest of the words were Werr's. "In fact...I want her escorted to my castle. She is to be given one of the rooms there..."

"I just can't stand the sight of a girl crying for any reason..."

Lexi wept soundlessly into her arms, wishing that, somehow, everything would turn out alright. After all, when Werr had said those words, how could he have known that he would someday cause her the most pain?

*

The next day found Riordan once again sitting in Ink's room, this time wondering if he was insane or not.

Today, he found himself stripped of his regal robes, with brush in hand, using as much skill as he could manage in order to create a picture on the walls of Ink's room. Why he was pandering to his older brother's whims, he didn't know. But it was better than leaving him completely unsupervied, he supposed.

Ink was absolutely loving it. He watched with awe every stroke; he had been given paintbrushes, but hadn't wanted to use them. He was content to watch Riordan's masterpiece unfold. "You're much better at this than I am." He said with complete reverence. Almost like he had gained a new respect for his brother. Which, he probably had; Riordan hardly ever did anything more than talk. This was a very new thing for his younger brother to be going through. "Zex, look at this!"

"I am." Zex replied. Over the past couple of days, he had found himself oddly liking Ink. He was a fully grown man that acted like a child. He hadn't known what extents of mental damage there would be, but there was hardly any. Ink just didn't act or think his age.

"It's wonderful."

"It is."

"Why don't you talk as much when Riordan is around?" Ink's question took Zex off guard.

"Eh...I, uh...I don't think he likes me very much." The black-clad boy muttered.

Riordan chose not to answer this, instead concentrating harder on his picture. Ink had wanted something with lots of color, and that's what he was giving him. A detailed scene with as many flowers as he could cram into it, with the sunlight falling down on them in bright rays. He had even taken the time to put a dragon in the scene, lounging in the middle of the field.

Finally, he stepped back, wiping paint off of his hands.

"It's so pretty," Ink inspected the scene that had been painted for him. "This is the outside! I remember. It's so pretty out there..." He touched the drying paint, his voice wistful and...sad. But he quickly cheered up again. "What's this thing?" He pointed at the dragon, puzzled. "What did you paint here, brother?"

"Have you never heard the stories of Naybrin, the First King of the world, born of the Goddess?" Riordan asked, not really paying much attention to the picture he had just made. "He was born from a tear shed by the Goddess herself, and is the oldest living thing alive. He's a dragon, see. The first kind of creature ever to walk our world. Dragons can fly and breathe fire, and Naybrin...oh, he can do so much more than that. He has power we could never even understand."

"A dragon..." Ink's eyes lit up with curiosity and wonder. "Could I meet him someday? When we destroy Alastor and take it for us, and live in Kaislun? Surely we wouldn't kill the first king. We wouldn't have to. The Goddess would tell him. She'd tell him not to look at us the wrong way when we walk past him." He nodded, smiling a bit. "Wouldn't she?"

"If the Goddess cared for him, and if he didn't want to die like the rest of the Alastor dogs," Riordan answered, wiping paint from his face. "Naybrin is a cunning, age-old beast. If our plans work, we'll have him bound to our side. Just picture it..." His voice dropped low, almost to a purr. "...all of the power we'll gain. There's not a thing stronger alive, not when he's at full-power." He exhaled, shivering, then shook his head and glanced up at the picture.