Redemption

"At what cost"?

Ronny's Pov
Fury cursed upon me.
I'd just felt a harsh pull down the bond I shared with Aifos, only for it to turn black and still, as it always happened anytime one of us would remember the past too vividly. Through them I stared up at the icy eyes of their father, listened to his booming voice whose words were always those of respite and reject; I raised my hands and cowered, and ran in the middle of a downpour.
I twisted around and flew towards the palace, a snarl on my snout.
How did she dare, that puny flier, make my Rider relapse in their old pain? She needed to pay for her carelessness; she needed to feel her gryphon's hurt, to share with me the helplessness I was currently feeling because of her.
She would pay for it!
-If I were you, I'd stop in my tracks right now.-
Mighty wingbeats reached my ears as the huge black body of Tairn suddenly filled my vision, blocking my way.
I snarled at him, -Why should I listen to you?-
-Because it's the most sensible thing to do.-
I tried sneaking past him, but he immediately mirrored me.
-Let me pass!-
-I won't. Struggling is useless.-
A growl worked up in my throat, -I won't tell you again. Let me pass.-
-I won't let you ruin this already fragile alliance on a whim.-
-A whim? That's how you call my Rider's pain? A whim?-
-That's how I call your idea of vengeance against Kilaralair's flier.-
-She messed with your Rider's mind, too. Or have you forgotten?-
His teeth flashed, and his mask of stern calmness cracked. He could be riled up too, then.
-Silver One is strong enough to deal with the flier on her own.-
-Well, mine isn't!-
-Perhaps you aren't.-
With a distressed roar, I swung my claws at him, and he reared his head back, but didn't move to reciprocate my attempt to fight, despite the tightness of his muscles.
He was holding back. The great Tairneanach, holding back!
What a sight.
-Why must you always be around? Let me deal with that flier on my own terms!-
-You are too angry, and will kill both her and her gryphon. Since it didn't get into your thick skull, I will repeat myself: drop it, Ronny, or else I will make you.-
A low laughter bubbled in my throat.
-The others may obey your every command, but I am not like them. You should try better; perhaps you should stop bossing me around.-
He narrowed his eyes, -My patience is running out.-
-Good to know. Mine already has.-
I swung for him again, and this time he let out a loud roar and lunged for me. With his maw splayed wide, and given the fact he was bigger than me, I knew he was coming for my throat; it was a move I'd seen too many times not to spot it miles away.
I ducked both my chin and wings and fell into a steep dive.
The distinctively sharp intake of breath coming from behind me told me he was about to breathe fire, so I rolled around and mimicked him, our flames clashing and extinguishing in a sudden rush of heat.
By now, we were too close to the ground, and thus had to raise our altitude, each trying to gain the upper level on the other with mighty wingbeats.
This time, Tairn was the first to attack, and his talons dug in my shoulders as his wings slammed on my head. I retaliated by sinking deep my teeth in his neck, and slashed at his flanks.
He kicked me away, and immediately exhaled flames; thankfully for me, Aifos' shields worked, but I could feel a distinct loss of energy from their part.
I had to be more careful.
I pumped my wings and flung myself directly into the fire, but Tairn was already waiting for me, talons drawn sharp. We clashed once again, and shredded each other's scales; but Tairn didn't attack me with his tail, which would break my bones far too easily to my liking.
He still was holding back.
I had killed those many dragons because most of them held back, because most of them couldn't find the strength nor the will to end the life of one who was supposed to be of their own.
Envy surged upon me, and doubled the strength in my jaw and the harshness of my claws. They dug in his black scales, and his blood dirtied them with brilliant crimson.
He never grunted in pain, not even once when I yelled him to.
Tairn, so noble, so worthy of respect he was looked upon by every dragon, had always believed in his Rider's capability, hadn't killed a peer when he should've!
I should be like him.
I should be like him!
Why wasn't I like him?
I kicked him, and fired him up, and tried to spiral around him so to sink my teeth in the nape of his neck and put a stop on all of this, but he mirrored my movements, so I aimed at his throat instead; but someone yelled out my name, and for some reason my teeth came up short.
-Ronny! Don't! Please!-
Tairn shoved me away, and both of us with uneven wingbeats watched a golden dragon flying towards us. His eyes were widened, and the tips of his wings were shaking.
-Stop! Both of you!-
-Chex,- Tairn said sternly, -Why are you here?-
But Chex straight up ignored him and swung his snout to me instead. It was twisted in rage, -You are fool, and senseless! Why were you fighting him?-
-Because Ronny would have drawn the blood of our allies.-
-I would've made sure she would keep in check her powers in the future!-
-At what cost? Tell me. At what cost?-
Tairn's fierce golden eyes met and held mine, and I sharply swerved my head around.
At what cost?
He didn't know I'd slaughtered every dragon who stood in my way; he didn't know I'd watched Umaroth, the white dragon, the Chief of the dragons of the Ancient Order, slowly bleeding to death under my very claws.
He didn't know about the whispers hissed under my back in Vaeta, the way every dragonet would duck and flee at my shadow, the way Aifos would always be shunned because of me, by humans and dwarves and elves alike.
Because they loved the mass murderer that I was, in spite of their bleeding wrists and choked sobs, in spite of my fights and snarls.
-At what cost?- I roared, -At the cost of all of us!-
Enough! Enough with puny people hurting my partner of heart and mind!
Aifos deserved the sun, and the stars, and the moon and-
-I know how it feels.-
My thoughts screeched to an halt as my whole body stiffened: had Tairn heard all of my inner speech? Had I truly been so naive to forget about my shields?
Was he about to shout enraged and strike me with a blow of his killer machine of a tail?
-I, too, wanted to protect Silver One from all harm.-
It wasn't what I expected, and, in spite of everything, I found myself intrigued. Chex, too, gave him a curious expression, and said nothing.
-But too soon I realised I couldn't. How do you think I felt, everytime her ligaments snapped on the mat, everytime her tortures made her scream, everytime she was too deep in Basgiath for me to reach her and fly her to safety? Chex was with me, that day. He knows.-
There was a vibration of desperation in his voice which softened my tone.
-You don't have to worry about that. Aifos will never be tortured. I will burn anyone who stands in their way with such ideas.-
-We are at war, Ronny! Riders may be taken prisoners and questioned.-
-Not mine! I will kill them myself, if it means they won't suffer like I did.-
Chex's wing brushed mine, as gently as a lover's caress.
Tairn tilted his head at me and narrowed his eyes, -Like you did? So you got... Questioned?-
-Yes. For most part of my life. Fuck, for all of my life! Ten years are nothing compared to a century.-
-I didn't know that.-
-Of course you didn't!-
-If I may ask, who dared do such a thing to a dragon?-
Bitterness bubbled up through my throat, and I didn't know whether it would come out of as a laugh or a cry.
Chex's voice was low, -It was his previous Rider, Tairn.-
Surprise flashed through the black dragon's features so intensely it almost resembled pain.
-What? How? Why didn't you break the bond?-
-Alagaesyan dragons are tethered to their Rider's life,- Chex went on with the same carefulness, -He didn't know he would survive the Rider That Was Not Meant To Be's death until he actually died... And I don't think it ever happened. The breaking of a bond, I mean. Did it, Ronny?-
-No.-
-What... But... But a dragon never answers to any whim of men!-
-A Navarrian dragon, perhaps,- I sighed, -But don't look so stricken, I am fairly sure I am the first one with such a past. I hope I will be the only one, as well.-
-Wyven food!- grumbled Tairn, -Doing such a thing to one of us!-
-I am not a lamb myself, I'm afraid.-
He looked at me, -None of us is.-
-Now,- snapped someone who definitely wasn't Chex, -If you had finished talking, I would like very much if either of you didn't die bled out.-
We turned our heads to a rather annoyed Sgaeyl, her frown so similar to Saphira's I wouldn't have known better hadn't it been for her smaller spikes, and daggered tail.
Chex nodded, and looked at us, -She has a point, y'know.-
Tairn bowed his head, glanced at me, and rumbled an amused chuff.
-Let's go scare the wits out of some mender.-

A/N
Hi guys! I hope you like reading this fanfic as much as I do writing it!