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˖*°࿐chapter twelve. xii. A DRAGON'S BITE
LAELIA STARED INTO THE EMPTY CAGES WITH WAIVERING EYES, her heart crushed and weeping tears of blood, all of her being wanted her dragons; her children. Allister runs up the stairs and into the room, his boots making soft footfalls on the sandstone. Laelia turns to him. "You came back," she says in a breathless tone, tears forming in her eyes. "As soon as I heard," he claimed. "Do you know anything?"
"Paris is dead," she steps closer to him.
"I know. She was a good ―"
"She's dead. She died alone, she died for me, and I couldn't protect her."
"Vita?"
"We can't find her. She must be dead, too. I led my people out of the Red Waste and into the slaughterhouse," she wanders to the low wall, placing her hand on top of it. "I should have been here," Allister casts his eyes down. Laelia shakes her head in disapproval, "you went to find me a ship." Allister is unwaivering, shaking his head too as he steps closer to the Khaleesi. "My place is by your side. I shouldn't have left you alone with these people." Laelia feels gratitude swell in her, but also displeasure. The sky was blue and the birds were chirping, bad for a day meant for mourning. "These people?"
"They are not to be trusted," he murmurs to her.
"And who is to be trusted? Who are my people? The Greystones? I only knew one ― my brother ― and he would let a thousand men rape me if it had got him the crown," she tearfully remarks. "The Enochians? Most of them turned on me the day Loki said we would have to go and he wouldn't be able to come."
"Your people are in Björndottir ―"
"People in Björndottir don't know I'm alive," she replies. She had remembered this over the past few days, remembering that they think all Greystones are dead, gone, never to be heard from again. Yet here she was. The last Greystone in the world as still alive and she had three dragons by her side ― well, when she gets them back. "They will soon enough," he says. "And then what?" Laelia asks furiously. "They'll pray for my return? They'll wave dragon banners and shout my name? That's what my brother believed and he was a fool."
She walks away to her cages. "You are not your brother. Trust me, Khaleesi."
"There it is. Trust me. And it's you I should trust, Ser Allister? Only you? I don't need trust any longer. I don't want it and I don't have room for it," she crosses her arms over her chest like a child pouting. Allister moves nearer to her.
"You are too young to be so ―"
"And you are too familiar," she snaps, stopping his hand from reaching her shoulder. He casts his eyes downward, "forgive me, Khaleesi. No one can survive in this world without help. No one. Let me help you, please. Tell me how." She turns her head to him with hard eyes. "Find my dragons." He gives her a nod and begins to march away to find anything he could that will help him out, Laelia turning back and feeling horrible at snapping at her only friend. She needed to apologize, but only after they were found.
