The Dragon's Jester

Part 12 - Back Again

"Wow! The special ring worked!"

Khaota and Kithara stood on unsettling, familiar ground. Rocky, dark, damp ground coated in weird-smelling moss and decaying plants. The sound of waves crashing harshly against the grey beaches startled the both of them.

"We're so close to the shore...why?" Khaota thought aloud to themselves.

"How does the special ring work again?"

"Uhh, I think of a person, and I appear within uh...two hundred feet, I think?"

"Who did you think of?"

"It's-...not important."

Why would he be so close to shore? Is he leaving the island? He'd never survive those oceans without a real ship, surely. Hmmm.

Khaota shook their head, deciding not to think about it too much, and began walking. The shore they were on was luckily very close to where they'd first arrived on Mung anyway, so they could vaguely remember the path. 

"I don't like this island. Even my friends are nervous here." Kithara muttered to herself, gripping her daggers tightly and glancing around like a frightened chameleon. 

"I'm not a fan either," Khaota whispered, "but keep quiet. There are scouts everywhere, and if they catch us, we're doomed."

The two continued on their way, mostly relying on muscle memory and vague normal memory until finally, they came across a mountain and began to climb. After a few minutes, Khaota stopped hearing Kithara's footsteps behind them. They turned to look behind themselves and saw her completely rigid. Her eyes were wide, and they could barely even hear her breathe.

"Kithara? What's wrong with you?"

She said nothing. The Yuan-Ti followed her gaze and realised she was looking at the cliff. Memories came flooding back as they realised the pair of them had been here before. 

"Get off me!"

"Give me the maps and give up this job, or she dies."

Khaota's eyes widened too as they walked slowly towards Kithara.

"I just...can't believe what a bad liar you are."

"KHAOTA!"

"NOOO!"

Khaota felt sick, remembering all that had happened.

"You idiot!"

"Stop being loud! Please!

"This. Is. All. Your. Fault. I won't be making that mistake again."

Khaota gently held Kithara's jaw in their hand and tilted her head up to look at them. It seemed to help break her out of the little trance she was in. 

"Kithara?"

"Mm?" 

The clown was trembling, her brow was furrowed, and her pupils had shrunk drastically. She almost looked like her old frenzied self again. Khaota put aside certain feelings for now. There was a more pressing matter to deal with. 

"He's gone now. He will never ever hurt you again, do you understand me? No one will so much as touch you for as long as I live. I know what happened before, I remember, and I regret it more than anything, but I promise you...I won't be making that mistake again."

Kithara's eyes welled up with tears as Khaota spoke to her. Then their final words, turning the sentence that had once been used so cruelly to now mean they would stay by her side. She leapt up and wrapped her arms around their neck, burying her face in the crook of their neck. Khaota held her tightly, making sure to face her away from the cliff.