Ivory & Death | ONC 2021

7. To Rally, To Die

Meeting after meeting, Sol pleaded that they find another way to deal with the Ursa, war was not something she wanted to have a hand in. But the closer to the full moon the hour struck, the easier she could see that war was merely on the horizon of a bright day. 

The day of the full moon, as the sun hung high at noon, Sol paced the line of her bedroom, Kai sitting on her bed with the box in his hands, throwing it up and catching every so often. He could feel how Sol's mind completely ticked over, trying to figure out a way to convince his estranged brother that war wasn't the answer. 

"You can't exactly reason with him." Kai caught the large box again, softly smiling at the though of the content, his mother's scales, fondly remembering the day he and Sol opened the box to find them. He had immediately felt the familiarity of the rough pieces, knowing what they wore, only to touch them and realize just how close his mother truly was to him now, how much powerful he felt, knowing she was there. "It's almost like he wants this war."

"And I can't sit back and let you two kill each other." Sol continued to pace, biting her nails.

Kai sat up now, sitting the box next to him on Sol's bed, watching her walking backwards and forwards past her door; "Would that be a bad thing? If one of us killed the other?"

"Yes." Sol stopped dead in her tracks, staring so harshly at Kai that even he gulped, sitting up straighter. "The worst thing that could happen here is either you or Mathis killing each other."

"You want to protect both of us?"

"I don't want either of you on the throne after killing the other..." Sol's hand balled into fists at her sides, magic dancing around them, as if she were ready for a fight herself. "Because if either of you kill the other, it would only be seen as brother killing brother with senseless violence for a cursed throne." Sol watched as realization passed through Kai's eyes, finally seeing what she saw if the world were to be so cruel. "So you can't go to war, you can't fight against Mathis... you've been robbed of so many years, and yet they want to send you out to the front lines as if your life means nothing?"

Kai stood now, moving towards Sol, only to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest and resting his forehead against her own; "You are not getting into the middle of this, you are not going to fight him either."

"It's the only way to stop everything." Sol closed her eyes, allowing herself to be close to Kai, her hands gripping the shirt he wore. "With the full moon tonight, Mathis is going to attack when he is at his most powerful. You may be a dragon, but a bear as big and powerful as Mathis, even you will have trouble and I-"

"I'm not going to lose you to this war and you are not going to lose me." Kai moved his hands to cup Sol's face, waiting for her to open her eyes, to look up at him. "I made you a promise when we were younger, that no matter where you go, I'll be right there with you. So if you want to pack everything and run, we can do that." Sol couldn't help the small smile that flickered across her face, already knowing neither of them would ever run. "But if you want to fight and no doubt try to save him..." Kai couldn't help shaking his head a little at the woman before him, always trying to help people. "I'll be right there beside you."

"We are not going to kill him." Sol finally said after silence passed between them, leaning up a little on her toes, placing a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Even if I have to fight two armies myself."

"It's a good thing you have a dragon to fly with you." Kai whispered, leaning back down to place his lips against Sol's longer, slower, taking her in as he should have done years ago. He kissed her softly, never moving any faster, nor never asking for more, already knowing that as they simply kissed, war waited just outside their door.