Stand in The Flame

Chapter Three: Battle Scars

Aenwyn was in complete shock. Standing in front of her, in place of the dragon that had been there, was some sort of naked  hybrid woman. The woman had the same piercing violet eyes, sand colored wings protruding from her back, and even the tail that seemed to grow out from the middle of her lower back. She was tall, at least six foot even, and that was without the horns on the top of her head. Her face was beautiful, with high cheekbones and a flattering jawline. Her hair was unruly, but she pulled the look off shockingly well as her dark blonde tresses splayed down to her lower back. The elf's gaze traveled lower, observing lips the color of the pink roses that grew around the palace, then broad shoulders and muscled biceps. The hybrid woman's breasts were pert, and not too large as to throw off her obvious masculinity. Her torso seemed absolutely ripped, abdominal muscles strong and hard. Her forearms were covered in golden scales and her fingers were tipped with long, rounded but rather blunt nails. Thigh muscles bulged as the calves as well. The woman gave the little elf a cocky smirk, seeing her eyes wander.

A deep blush formed on Aenwyn's face and she looked away as she cleared her throat. "Please, dress yourself before we discuss this further." She murmured, swallowing thickly. Back in the kingdom, it was an unspoken knowledge that Aenwyn preferred the female mages and archers than that of the male wizards and knights. She sighed in relief when she heard the shuffling of cloth.

"I do not understand what makes you so flustered about my openness to nudity. We are both female, no? It is simple anatomy." The hybrid woman laughed softly and by the Creators above was that a heavenly sound. "Though, if it makes you more comfortable, I will clothe myself. You may turn back around now, Little Elf." 

Aenwyn did as she was told, looking back to see that the hybrid was now in similar leather armor to her own, and the tail, wings, and horn had disappeared. the scales remained on her arms though. "What..." Aenwyn pursed her lips, "What do I call you? Do you have a name?" She asked quietly, looking up into those piercing violet eyes. 

"Yuvon." The woman said, but it was a language Aenwyn didn't understand. "Though, in Elven, I believe it is pronounced Aureum." She moved to sit on a seat shaped rock. "And you are a princess, I know that much. What in Creator's name happened to you? What did you do for them to put you on trial?"

Aenwyn frowned deeply, slowly moving to sit on the giant bed-mat of furs. "I was not on trial." She said, her voice clipped and defensive. "I am Aenwyn Fardove. My father is the King, but my mother...." The small elf sighed deeply, "my mother was a simple commoner that my father had an affair with. A dragon...it kept attacking our villages, our kingdom. We didn't know what to do. The elders and my father came to the conclusion that a sacrifice needed to be made to the Creators and chose me as the one to spill blood from."

Violet eyes narrowed almost dangerously. "And you went along with this foolishness? Sacrifices have been deemed useless since before I myself was born." Aureum said, folding her arms over her chest. 

"At first I did go along with it." Aenwyn explained, but she paused for a moment. When in the hell had this hybrid become her confidant? Why was she taking the time to explain this to her? Blue eyes raised and met that sharp violet once more, the woman urging Aenwyn to continue. "When the time came for my 'noble duty,' I had realized that it was simply a sure way to get me, the bastard child of the king, out of their hair for good." The small elf felt her eyes burn as her vision began to mist. "He...M-My own father...He wanted me to...he wanted to kill me!" It was as if the realization had just hit her, and Aenwyn felt tears slipping from her eyes and down her cheeks. "I don't know why. All I ever wanted was his approval! I trained with the mages and archers, I even trained with the knights! I've gone to battles and on hunting trips, but every single time I would come back victorious he'd only gaze down at me as if I were nothing but an inconvenience!" She cried out, her hands coming to her face to cover her tears. 

Aureum walked towards the elf, her violet eyes filled with strange and unidentifiable emotions. "Little one, I will be totally honest, when I was healing you I did not think you'd survive. You surpassed my expectations. You've been asleep for three days." As if her length of sleep was a cue, Aenwyn's stomach rumbled louder than it ever had before. The hybrid woman laughed brightly and shook her head as she stood up. "You must be starving. Can I trust you to stay put while I hunt for something for you to eat?" She teased, slipping the armor off and the steam like smoke filled the cavern once more.