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˖*°࿐ chapter thirty-eight. XXXVIII. DANCE OF DRAGONS
ALLISTER WATCHES THE SILVER-HAIRED QUEENas she sits on a stool with her back ceremonially straight, like a pin, after he stabs one of the contestants in the fighting pit. Black and red dragon banners are all over the place, showing the people the Greystone Queen was among them watching the show. The Quiri citizens booed as Laelia stared at the ground below her. Darys stood beside her, and Allister's eyebrows furrow in concentration. He was no longer looking at her, but at something moving beside her wearing a gold mask.
A Harpy's Son.
He grabs the spear the contestant held, aiming for the balcony, and released it as he launched it, men and women diving away from the flying weapon. It made its mark in the Son's chest. Darys looked at the Son as Laelia watched her old advisor, realizing that he saved her life and that maybe more was in the arena. Darys catches three more Harpy's Sons, countless more rising out in the crowd. Men and women scream and run away, "Protect your queen!" Laelia watches as man's throat was slit, crimson gore draining out of the wound, and sees his crumple to his knees before her soldiers surround her. Slaves jumped over the edge to the safety of the pit below, while the old Masters were killed before their eyes. A woman was repeatedly stabbed in her chest, crying out from the pain before dying out, the brown of her eyes turning a cloudy white like the eyes of a blind man, scaring Laelia as she made sure she never saw a blind person's eyes or this day will surface into her memory. People ran about, trying to find shelter, while Laelia just watched on with terror. She views Darys slice a man's stomach out of his abdomen with a single swipe of his Arhak, seeing the black armor of her soldiers pass by the citizens, trying to find more Sons of the Harpy to kill.
They're dying everywhere, lifeless corpses lying in their own blood as Sons of the Harpy commit a mass murder. Mekhor runs to the Queen, "Your Grace! Your Grace! Come with me, I know a way out! I know a way out!" With that, a Harpy's Son plunges his knife into the dark-skinned man, preventing him from saying anything more about escapes. Darys slices a Son's neck open before he got to Laelia, Allister pushing him over the platform, Darys looking into his blue eyes with confusion. How had he gotten up there so quick?
Though they both loved Laelia, and they both knew they hated each other for it ― especially Allister, for he knew Darys had slept with her, possibly more than once ― but both knew they needed to protect her.
Allister offered his hand to the Greystone, watching as she hesitated, looking deep into his eyes with her violet ones, looking to see if he was real. She passed her hand to him and allowed him to move her away from the fighting, feeling him press his arm against her waist as they walked. Arin picked up a fallen knife, Darys helping Allister get Laelia down, and she watched as Mekhor shuddered as Death's fingers licked up his spine. Melora stared as a Harpy's Son locked eyes with her and she screamed in fear before Arin plunged his knife into the back of the man. He grabbed Melora's shaking hands, both watching as Laelia was taken down into the pit by Darys, "Stay close!" The fighting pit was filled with Unsullied and Sons of the Harpies fighting, but it was overall the safest place to be from all the running; you were surely to be thrown overboard if you were on the stands.
"This way!" Allister lead them to an open door, an alleyway to the outside, but the other side closed before they could make it through. One of the Sons of the Harpy rushed out but was soon killed by the advisor.
"The other side, follow me," Darys says.
They run out, finding Melora and Arin running toward them, Laelia grabbing onto her greatest friend's hand, Unsullied soldiers circling them. More Sons of the Harpy rush out of the alley they were going to go through. Dread passes through them like a wave. They were never going to make out of there. The group was surrounded, at least 50 Sons of the Harpy waiting to kill them. They were advancing to them, a Son was killed by a soldier, and Melora grabs onto Laelia's shoulders, watching as Sons of the Harpy were killed, both of them afraid.
They both look at each other. Their last sight.
Laelia's eyes close, gripping onto Melora's darker hand. A shriek is heard, and it was not human, and when they all turn around, they see nothing that could've made that sound. A louder shriek this time, causing the Sons of the Harpy to stop fighting and look to where it came from. Nothing. A flume of fire is seen, Aenerys flying out of it and circling the arena, Laelia having a wave of relief wash over her. Arin is shocked to see a dragon for the first time, Darys is slightly scared but has grown used to it in the short period of time, and Melora is also relieved. The dragon lands and screeches, his black sharp teeth the same color as his scales, his mother smiling up at him.
A Harpy's Son runs towards Laelia, Darys and Allister getting defensive, but Aenerys was the first to grab him, shaking him until his upper and lower body detached. He burned multiple Sons alive, Arin's mouth agape as he watched the scene unfold. He was seeing a dragon ― a beast he has dreamt about for years ― in action, and the others seemed comfortable around it while he was fearful for his life. Another group of Sons was set ablaze. A spear to the neck stopped his attack, the dragon shrieking a bit an turning to the place where it came from and burning it down. People in colorful robes all burned, the orange color of the fire clashing against the green and grey fabric. A spear hit Aenerys again, his mother watching in anxiety as he was injured, watching him take another man into his mouth and throwing him to the ground, watching as her son was violent towards others.
"Aenerys!" She yelled at him, Darys turning to her for a second before looking at his surroundings.
Two spears stuck out from his scales, his mother walking towards him defiantly, Aenerys' head whipping past hers, and she grabs onto the spear closest to her with a vice-like grip, groaning as she pulled it out. He whipped towards her and shrieks at her, her silver hair pulling back as she watched the blood red mouth of her child. Once he caught sight of who she was, he stops, his orange eyes looking at her and his actions calming. She reaches up, trying to pet him, her fingers shaking as thoughts of the last time he shrieked at her surfaced, but her time with her son was interrupted as he was wounded again. He whips around, screeching at the other men, and Darys throws his knife into one of the Sons' chest.
A chunk of Aenerys' wing is lost, Laelia can see it as she walks around it, seeing all the scales past the hole in it. She places a hand on his hind leg, using the other to grip onto one of his spikeson his back, pulling herself up on his back. She uses the larger spikes to hold herself in place as she whispers one thing, "Valahd." (Fly.)
He shakes his head and begins to run, running towards the small group, Darys pulling Melora out of the dragon's way, and as he gains speed, his wings spread out, Laelia watching the others behind her. His wings flap, trying to bring up off the ground, and he finally jumps into the air, flying his mother of out the pit. She's calm, despite the wind in her eyes, loving the way the wind pulled back her hair.
She was flying a dragon for the first time.
She was becoming her ancestor, Cicero the Conqueror.
