The Dragon Knight Prophecy

1-20 The rivers end

 The barge set out with the morning light, sailing upstream for hours. Lilly sat in her usual place at the rear of this while Thayle tried to comfort Gersius with the others. He was concerned that Lilly was too angry to forgive him, but Thayle didn't believe that was the case. Something else was bothering Lilly, and it didn't have to do with her wings. In the hopes of finding out, Gersius suggested she talk to Lilly to gain more insight.

Thayle sat beside the upset dragon for the next two hours as Lilly struggled with her place. She was hurt over what Gersius said the night before, forcing Thayle to explain his motives again. Lilly nodded as she was told how he was afraid that keeping her close would bring her more harm. Thayle did her best to help Lilly understand that this was a very selfless point of view. As badly as he needed a dragon, he wasn't willing to use Lilly for his goals. She meant too much to him now, and he wanted her help, but only if it was what she wanted. In the end, the only thing that mattered to Gersius was if Lilly was happy.

"He wants me to be happy?" Lilly asked with sad eyes.

"Of course he does," Thayle insisted. "You have to try and understand how he feels. He can't forgive himself for what happened to your wings, and he doesn't believe you will either."

"So he wants me to stay but says I should go home because staying isn't safe for me?" Lilly asked.

"That is exactly how he feels," Thayle said and put a hand on Lilly's knee. "I hate to say this, but he isn't going to get over this fear unless you talk to him. He needs you to reassure him that things are going to be alright."

Lilly sighed and stared into the water a moment before asking Thayle to send him back so she could talk to him alone. Thayle was delighted and rushed to tell Gersius that Lilly wanted to talk to him alone. She urged him to be gentle and let Lilly tell him what was on her mind. Above all else, he had to be the rock she had come to trust in. Lilly would likely run home to hide if he couldn't hold her hand through the storm. He questioned if this was a wise idea, but Thayle wouldn't let him back out. She was ready to talk, and he needed to be the man who always knew what to do. He walked to the back of the ship as Ayawa came to stand behind Thayle with a frown creasing her face.

"You're meddling again," she said in an accusatory tone. "Why won't you let this die and spare him the pain?"

"This wasn't meant to die," Thayle replied without looking back. "I swear on my faith I am going to meddle in this until Ulustrah herself orders me to stop."

"His pain is on your head," Ayawa said with a sigh. "I hope this doesn't come back to bite you."

Thayle watched as Gersius moved to Lilly's side and sat beside her. She sincerely hoped Ayawa wasn't right.

Lilly looked up with pain in her eyes at the man she felt such twisting conflict over. He sat beside her, and their eyes met before both of them turned to look at the water. Inside everything seemed to shift and churn, emotions she had no concept of, making it hard to think. The only familiar thing was the anger, but she did her best not to turn it on him. She wanted more than anything for him to put his arm around her back and say he would keep her safe, but instead, he said what she didn't want to hear.

"I am sorry," he said and glanced her way.

Suddenly that anger had an outlet as Gersius assumed responsibility for her wings again. Lilly knew the Father Abbot was to blame. Thayle explained it a dozen times, but somehow his passive admission undid all that work. Before she knew what she was doing, her mouth opened in anger, and she spoke with venom.

"Stop saying you're sorry," she hissed. "I keep trying to forget this pain, but it comes back every time you apologize. I wish you would just leave it alone and let me heal."