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The Journey (EvaRose & Rage)

"It's a dragon, Haine," she said softly to him. Jyade looked at him then back at the wolf at her feet. "There's not much one can do when it comes to revenge against a dragon." She thought about his question and knew it'd be impossible for the two of them to bury the large wolf by themselves. The fairy moved slightly by her neck, looking down at the wolf as he clung to her top. The poor fairy was saddened over this too, having been with the wolf for a long time. Of course, the rest of the wolves would have to be told about their alpha's death.

The fairy moved off of her shoulder and to a tree nearby, looking at the two of them before looking at the wolf corpse. "I can call the other fairies and we can bury him and the humans. We'll be using magic to do it of course-"

"I'll help right now," Jyade cut in. She wasn't about to go right now, not until she was sure that the wolf was properly buried. She went to the tree the fairy was in and sat at the base of it. The fairy nodded and spoke softly, the ground near the wolf moving a bit. The dirt near the wolf shifted before Jyade started to whispered an incantation. Vines grew out of the ground and carefully picked the wolf up before setting it in the hole that had been made. The vines went away and the dirt moved back to fill the hole. She turned to the tree and put her dagger out of her pocket, digging the blade into the bark and carving the the letters A and W on it. If she were to come back, she wanted to remember where the wolf was buried.

The elf leaned back against the tree, staring at the area where the wolf was buried. She wished that this didn't happen, she truly did. She lost her actual parents and now her adoptive parents were gone too. There was nothing she could do about this, even if she wanted them all to be alive. Her head was hurting a bit, and she wasn't even sure why. She didn't want to eat, didn't want to go away, and also didn't want to stay.
 
Haine watched the entire scene with a saddened face, his hands still clenched into fists. It was a crude burial, but it was better than having him just lay there. The Alpha deserved a proper funeral, and maybe they could hold one later when they weren't in danger of getting mauled by flying, firebreathing lizards. Haine walked over to Jyade, standing next to the tree that she leaned her back against. They didn't have much time, but he didn't mind taking a moment to watch over the grave of the wolf. He never really attended burials ever since he was in the military where they dug mass graves to dump all the bodies into. It was either that or burning them.

After a few moments of silence Haine walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know it hurts," he stated softly, "I know that if feels that a part of you was ripped out, but there was nothing we could do." He cursed at himself, hating how bad he was at comforting. "I want to give him a proper funeral and grieve, I really do. But we can't right now. We're going to have to leave soon, and whoever sent the dragon isn't going to give up anytime soon. I need you to stay strong, and I need you to have my back while I have yours. You know I can't do this alone." He pulled his hand off and took a step back. He wasn't very good at these sort of talks anyway.

He grabbed the locket from his pouch and looked at it again, clenching his hand around it. "That dragon said something about a mistress. I have a feeling that she's responsible for whatever happened here."
 
"Most likely," she said softly, her voice cold once again. Her eyes darted down to Hunin and she picked up the gryphon chick, looking down at it as she began to scratch its head lightly. She had to push back her feelings again, at least until they were done with this and she could come back to the forest. They had to keep going no matter what. He wasn't good as those type of talks, but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to listen and think about what he said. She couldn't just sit there and grieve the way every woman could; she was the one who had to suck it up and just start fighting again.

Her toes dug into the grass, feeling the wet dew on each blade and how cold they were. She wanted boots. Maybe they made her make more noise than she preferred, but they kept her feet warm and safe from things like thorns and snakebites. Of all the things that happened in her life, she never got bit by a snake. She saw people who got bit by snakes, but the slithery serpents always stayed away from her, as if she were more poisonous than they were. And maybe she was. It seemed that everyone she got close to was destined to die for some unfortunate reasons.

"We might as well just keep moving," she said softly. "I don't know know about you but I can't sleep right now."

The fairy flew onto her shoulder, and sat down, earning itself the attention of a certain curious gryphon. It wouldn't look at Haine though, having been the one to see him fight the dragon. It wasn't as if he didn't trust the man, he was just scared or him and what power he possessed. "I'll stay with you two until you're out of the forest, we don't need you to be attacked by any forest creatures after all." Jyade nodded, looking around the area before turning and starting to walk away from the newly made grave.
 
Haine gave the grave one last long look before trudging after Jyade, the sheathe of his sword clanging softly against his back. It was still dark, but the skies were quietly brightening with the raising of the sun. The air smelled like the the rain before a storm, and the winds were beginning to pick up. Although it would be a while until the storm broke loose, Haine could already tell that it was going to be a heavy one. He had been in this same situation in countless battles before, and reading the weather was one of the first things he learned to do in a battlefield. Would it effect the dragons? He wasn't sure, nor did he want to find out.

Haine kept a firm glance on Jyade. She was strong, yet he knew that she hurt on the inside. Not because of the wolf's death, but Haine had a feeling that perhaps something else was on her mind. He wasn't sure about going on and asking her about it, but maybe that was something for later. Either way, he was very concerned about her, and felt that he couldn't leave her alone more than ever now.

"It was a few years ago," Haine stated out of the blue, climbing through the trees and over the bushes. "I was in the emperor's army at the time. There were only around one thousand of us and we were ambushed in the middle of a forest like this one. We were completely surrounded with no way out. I saw all my comrades get slaughtered right in front of my eyes including my closest friends. I was the only one to fight out of there alive... and the only reason I survived is because of what I am." Haine balled his hands into fists.

"I know we've talked about this before, but I just want to say that I don't want either of us to die on this journey. We're going to get the princess together, and we're going to get her back together. No more losses, even if we are up against a legion of dragons. We're getting out of this, elf-girl. Together. Understood?" He wasn't even sure why he started saying all of that... being around Jyade was making him do such strange things.
 
She truly was changing. She didn't notice it before, not until Haine started to say those things that made her feel happy even then. It was strange to her, the fact that the words coming out of one man's mouth could make her feel strangely happy during this dark time was strange. He was so nice and kind to her, telling her more about his own life even if it did hurt him, just so she could feel better. There was never a man like this in her life before, one that she opened up to or could lower defense around. She looked back at him and nodded, blinking a few times when she saw a flicker of movement, stopping to peer past him and deeper into the forest. She thought that she saw something move, but after staying like that for a few seconds, the elf decided it was nothing.

Jyade's green eyes flicked back to Haine and then she stopped. She stopped thinking, stopped hearing, even stopped feeling. Her breath caught in her throat and even her heart seemed to have stopped, she felt like she was choking but it was more pleasant somehow. She was silent as she caught her breath, looking away now that she was able to fully think about everything. She couldn't understand what was going on with her, why she had to stare and the silver haired and armor clad man like that. She never reacted like that before, not to anything she saw. There was only the fairy and the gryphon though, Hunin once again silent and asleep while the fairy was sitting silently on her shoulders, but her cheeks flushed red from embarrassment nonetheless. "I understand," she said softly. "Thank you."

The woman turned away quickly and continued to walk, trying not to think about the way she acted. Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute though, and her thoughts kept traveling back to the knight. She could smell the water in the air as well, could feel the wind pick up through the trees. She didn't want to be stuck in the rain, the same way no woman really did. And then she stopped.

Bushes in front of the shook only a few seconds before a dragon ran out and to the two of them, red with black eyes and a lot smaller than the last. Actually, this one was an inch or so shorter than Haine. Jyade had to move out of the way as the dragon skid to a stop, only an inch away from where she stood before. It just looked at them, only shaking as it stood there, looking like it would collapse.

~
The sorceress was done spying on them now. The shadow she used had been seen by the elf, but she was too angry to listen to the rest of their conversation. All of what the man said infuriated her. Saying that the two of them would make it TOGETHER and all, it was almost like hearing a confession of love. The last thing she wanted was for the two of them to be in love. She called out to her dragon again, telling it to stop looking for the misplaced dragon and get the man once again. She heard the roar of the dragon from inside her castle before she told him to bring the elf as well. Maybe she couldn't get him to come without the elf, but it wouldn't take much to get him there if the dragon just took the woman. Even if he couldn't capture the man, this knight seemed like the ttpe that would die for a comrade. The woman made a note to darken him a bit, make him more hearless like her pet dragon was, as she sat on her chair and waited.
 
Haine cracked a small smile at Jyade, watching her make her way down through the forest. He was glad to see her a bit more chipper... he preferred her to be like this. Although there were times when she could appear cold and distant, she could also be gentle and heartwarming. He found himself enjoying her company more and more, and just one of her smile made the day seem all that much brighter.

When the dragon appeared, Haine's hand immediately gripped onto the hilt of his sword. It was a natural reaction for things that just charged at him like that, and by the time the dragon was directly in front of Jyade his sword was out in front of him. Haine quickly grabbed Jyade, tugging her behind him with his sword angled like a shield in front of the drake. When he finally was able to come to his senses, he noticed that the dragon wasn't doing anything. It wasn't attacking, it wasn't growling, and it certainly wasn't breathing fire. It was rather small, just barely shorter than he was at its full height. Its red eyes were terrified instead of blaring, its trembling form not in the least bit intimidating.

Haine wasn't as in tune with animals as Jyade was, but even he understood that this smaller dragon was basically no threat. Could it speak like the other dragon? "What do you want?" He asked, keeping Jyade behind him. While she certainly was no pushover in a fight, he was the only armored one. If somebody was going to take a hit, he would prefer it to be himself. Haine glanced back at Jyade, unsure of the situation.

"What's it doing?" He asked, lowering his weapon slightly.
 
Jyade looked at the shaking dragon carefully, trying to see if it was a threat to them the way Haine was only a few seconds ago. "I'm not sure, I've never spoken to a dragon before," she said softly. She moved from Haine, knowing very well that he was trying to shield her from harm, but acting tense in front of a scared dragon wasn't going to help none. The dragon looked at her and gave a soft growl, but it didn't sound the way a threatening one would. It was the only way the little thing knew how to talk, as it couldn't talk in their tongue yet.

"It ran away from...somebody. He says his mother is still captured though." The dragon seemed to calm down a bit and sat on the ground, looking at the two of them with blank eyes for a moment or two. "It's only a baby dragon Haine. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

The dragon was still shaking a bit, stopping after a minute or two before lifting his head to peer through the leaves and to the sky. A shadow fell over the lot of them as something flew past overhead. It was the black dragon from before, having flown near the river in an effort to find the two travelers that his mistress wanted so much. The red dragon knew that it was the dark beast and jumped up, looking at the two as it growled once again. "I couldn't understand most of it," the elf said. "But I think it had something to do with the black dragon."

Jyade held Hunin carefully in one hand as she went to the red dragon, reaching up to scratch under its chin softly. The little dragon stayed there as she did that, staying quiet as the black dragon cirled around the area. It couldn't see though, which was good because soon it gave up on its search and flew off somewhere. The red dragon laid down on the ground, his head tilted back a bit so she wouldn't have to stop scratching. "See? The poor thing is just scared."
 
Haine sheathed his sword, trusting Jyade with her judgement of the situation. He angrily watched the black dragon soar overhead, staying as quiet and still as he could. While he wanted to do nothing more than cut out its heart, he knew better than to try and take it head on. He was going to have to come up with some sort of a plan to fight that dragon later... his sword alone couldn't do it. He would probably end up shattering it on the dragon's scales. He would need something of a stronger steel to be able to compete with the beast's natural armor.

Haine turned his attention to the dragon, glancing back and forth from the baby to Jyade. It did appear to be completely harmless. Haine quickly glanced left to right, trying to see if there were others. When nothing stood out he stepped up to the dragon to get a look at it. "Strange," He started, "I don't know anything about dragons, but it seems odd that it came right up to us and tried to avoid the bigger one from before. I don't know what's up, but I have a feeling that we're going to find out whether we want to or not." The wind started picking up again, and a few drops of rain splattered over his armor.

"In any case, we should get a move on. The rain is going to start coming down, and we could use it as cover from the skies to hide from the dragons. I'd rather wait for the storm to blow over, but we can't miss this opportunity."
 
It was odd of course, the fact that the dragon didn't mind being around the two of them but was scared of the black one. In her mind, it was obvious that the dragon had nothing to do with the black one, or was scared of it at least. That was good too, since they didn't need the red one to call the larger and possibly get them hurt. Jyade nodded, looking at the dragon for a moment before walking past and continuing to make her way to the forest edge. Haine was right, the rain was starting to come down on the two of them faster within a matter of seconds. There was something strange about the sudden storm, but the elf didn't want to make anything seem dark than it already was. Their day already wasn't going well.

She could feel the rain falling on her and shivered a bit, the air cold enough without the blanket. Unfortunately, it burned when the wolf did and now she was without a blanket. She wished that she had that blanket then, since it would've had the smell of the now dead wolf on it and would be able to keep the rain from soaking her clothes the way it was now. She ignored the feeling of her wet clothes clinging to her skin, tried her best not to think about the fact that her feet were freezing. It didn't feel right to her, being so could when she was used to the warmth of other countries.

The red dragon was following her. The poor thing was lost and could only think about following the two of them. It stayed a few feet away though, cautious but not scared around them like it was around the black dragon.

She saw it then, the trees parted and all she could see was what looked to be plains, with bushes and trees here and there. She stepped out of the forest...and was in the air in seconds. The black dragon was sitting at the edge of the forest and had its tail around the elf's ankle, holding her up as it looked down, waiting for the knight to come out. "Come on knight," it growled, its loud voice making the ground shake.
 
The rain wasn't letting up for a moment, and soon his silver hair clung to his face in moisture. His cloak was drenched and heavier, but it at least kept his armor dry for the most part. If that was wet, he didn't know how much clunkier and awkward it would get. Although it was made by the finest smith in the Imperial City, it could still rust and be very uncomfortable from rain. He shifted a bit, already starting to feel uncomfortable. The armor didn't help with the cold, and the chain mail he wore underneath it was freezing to his skin. He would have to bite past it until they snuck out of the forest and got out of these strange lands.

When Jyade stepped out of the edge of the forest, he quickly sensed something was wrong. Before he had a chance to react Jyade was suddenly swept up into the air, her body being held up by the tail of the black dragon. Haine quickly snarled, his sword in hand as he jumped out from the forest. He held it in front of his body, his eyes locked onto Jyade. This was the worst possible situation they could have been in... what did this dragon want him with, exactly?! He cursed, motioning for the smaller dragon to stay back.

"What do you want?!" Haine snarled, holding back the beast inside of him for the moment. If the beast came out now, he wasn't sure if he could protect Jyade. The beast was only concerned with survival, not the lives of others. It was one thing that Haine hated about it. The rain hid the sweat that poured down his temple, his breath being seen in the cold rain. "Let her go!"
 
Jyade tried her best not to shout as she hung from the dragon's tail, fearing that it would let her fall if she moved or shouted. She clung to Hunin, unable to think about the fact that her skirt was hanging and no longer covering her the way it was supposed to. With eyes wide from fright she looked down at Haine and the red dragon, wondering if the black one holding her would let go once it got to Haine. There were so many times she could've died before, but now that the moment was close, she found that she was scared of it. She feared death.

The large dragon growled, having caught a glimpse of the red dragon. The trees around the forest edge had been burned and were only now starting to grow so there wasn't much cover for the red scaled beast. Still, it had to do as its mistress said and get the knight and elf, which meant that the smaller dragon wasn't its target. "I will let her go only when we reach my mistress's castle. For some reason, she wishes for the both of you to join her." He could feel the elf he held shaking and chuckled darkly, knowing very well that she was scared. And the gryphon in her arms was awake and chirping. It never ate elf or gryphon before, but was looking at the two with narrowed eyes, hungry looking eyes that made it clear that the dragon would swallow the two in seconds if Haine didn't agree to go.

She felt the dragon's gaze on her, only holding Hunin tighter to her as she tried not to panic. The dragon commanded her attention with its aura alone and she looked at it, frozen instantly as she looked it in the eyes. Darkness, death, bloodlust, she saw it all in those eyes. Such a darkness that she never saw before, whatever made this beast so dark and evil had to be evil as well, and possibly more so than the dragon holding her.
 
Haine tightened his grip on his sword, his jaw grinding his teeth together. They stood there in the pouring rain, Haine's silver hair clumped to his head from being soaked. Go with the dragon and possibly die, or refuse, have Jyade die, and then possibly die. Just a few moments ago he told her that he didn't want anyone else to lose their lives, but here they were. Haine ran numerous scenarios in his head, trying to figure out some sort of strategy to get through this. Every attempt ended in failure, and Haine felt even more useless with each passing second. Gritting his teeth, Haine spun his long sword in his hand. He didn't have much of a choice.

"Fine." He said in defeated tone, sheathing his sword into its scabbard on his back. "Do what you have to do. But don't you dare hurt her or the gryphon, alright?" He glared, stepping just a few feet in front of the flying beast. He wasn't scared for himself; he was scared for her. Haine gave her a glance and flashed her a small reassuring smile before going back to glare at the dragon, clenching his hands into fists on his sides.

"But tell me... who is this mistress?" Haine asked, "Is she responsible for all the bodies we found in the forest?" If so, he could never forgive her. Not after putting both him and Jyade in this kind of a situation.
 
"That's me of course," the dragon growled. "It was amusing, ending the lives of those pathetic humans." It looked at him for a moment before sitting back on its hind legs, moving the elf from its tail and to one of its paws, holding her carefully in his claws before looking at Haine. "You can ask questions when we get there. Don't try anything."

Jyade was relieved, a bit, at least to know that the three of them wouldn't be immediately harmed, though there was always a possibility that they would be later on. She saw Haine's smile before, and was only reassured even more. Sure, it wasn't better to be in the dragon's claws, but there wasn't any place she could be when it came to this dragon without feeling scared. "I wouldn't try to hurt me if I were you," she heard the dragon growl. "If you try anything funny I will squeeze her until she can't breath."

With that said, it swiped its free clawed hand and snatched up Haine, taking off into the air with a mighty pump of its wings. He could hear his mistress and knew that she was pleased with him since he now had the knight she wanted so badly. He couldn't understand humans and their need for companionship, but knew about the need to live another day. It, like the beast in Haine, was only doing what it needed to survive. If the dragon wasn't so scared of its mistress then it would've killed her a long time ago, but here it was listening to another of her orders.
 
Haine grunted a little, his teeth grinding together when the black dragon's claws curled around him. It wasn't tight enough to squeeze the air from his lungs, but he felt his ribs groan from the flying beast's massive strength. With his arms at his sides, the dragon had rendered him completely motionless. The knight could only growl and seethe with anger when he was hoisted into the air, the rain constantly pouring down onto their bodies. How the dragon could navigate in such a heavy storm, he had no idea... but he hoped that it would crash on some mountain side at some point. With a flap of its wings, it completely took off from the earth.

If the beast in Haine took over now, nothing would really change. If he struggled, Jyade could get killed right then and there. She could be squeezed or dropped hundreds of feet to the ground. Strangely, he found himself more afraid of her losing her life than his own... it wasn't like this was the first time, but this feeling was particularly stronger than what he had originally thought. He had a hard time catching a glimpse of Jyade because of the rain and the fact that he was being swung around, but he hoped that she was okay.

"How far is it, dragon?!" Haine shouted, his fists clenching angrily at his sides. His voice was gruff and very, very angry.
 
"Quiet human!" The dragon growled, though it said so reluctantly, remembering the way that the man hit him earlier. The dragon flew into the large, open window of the castle, looking around the large room carefully and using on its hind paws so that it wouldn't crush the puny creatures that it gripped with its claws. The only way the dragon could get through the rain was by hearing the sounds that his mistress made to call him back to her side.

"You finally brought him! And her." The voice reached her ears before the dragon placed both her and Haine on the floor, her clutching Hunin to her chest as she moved with shaky legs until she was balancing on both feet again. The woman laughed a bit as she snapped her fingers, fires appearing around the room, hovering a few feet above the floor and letting them see the library that they were in. In the middle of the room was a clear sphere in the middle of a table, a crystal ball that had a dot of black nothingness in the middle of it. "I'm sorry about how forceful he was. I'm trying to get him to stop harming people, but it's hard to get a dragon to stop following its instincts."

The woman was a lovely blonde whose blue dress went to her ankles and the sleeves covered her arms to her wrists. The dress wasn't one of those poofy ones, but one that was straight and went with her body, showing off her thin waist and lovely bust. The sorceress looked at the elf with her blue eyes narrowed before glancing at Haine. "I am very sorry about my dragon, I didn't mean for it to hurt you all."

Jyade couldn't help but notice the way that the woman wasn't looking at her or even acknowledging her for that matter. It was rather annoying since the dragon happened to of killed her adoptive father.
 
When Haine was released, his metal boots clanked loudly against the stone floor of the castle. He staggered a little, but he quickly straightened his posture. His ribs slightly ached from the grip of the dragon, but it wasn't something that he couldn't get over. He shook out the small pain from his arms before glancing to check on Jyade. She looked a bit shaky, but overall she seemed just fine. He wanted to grip his sword and pull it out of the sheathe behind him, but he was constantly worried about that dragon.

Finally, he looked over to see who owned the voice.

The woman was gorgeous- if not, beautiful. If Haine was younger and inexperienced, he may have found himself to be charmed by such a woman. But now, he was able to sense a sort of uneasiness in the air- some of it emanating from the dragon. She was the only dry one in the room, with Haine's armor completely coated in the moisture and his silver hair was clinging to his head. He met her eyes with a frown, unsure of what she was going to try and have him to do.

"What is your name? And what do you want?" Haine asked, clenching his hands into fists.
 
"Mystique," she said softly. "All I really wanted was to get the two of you out of there. There are other dragons outside, so I just had mine come out to get the two of you. It is hard to get a dragon to do as you say all the time though, which is the only reason why he killed the wolf and threatened the two of you. Again, I'm sorry about that." But she wasn't.

The woman reached up to brush a few strands of hair behind her ear, her blue eyes forever on the armor clad knight. It was like she had her eyes glued to him and either didn't notice that he was angry, or just didn't care. In all truth, she was glad that he was angry. She saw him when he fought her dragon, and that was what she wanted. She wanted the heartless beast inside of him out but at her side, taking down kingdoms and enslaving pathetic humans. She wanted a dark thing as her king, somebody who didn't care if they were crushing others dreams to get what they wanted. And Mystique, she was ready to look through every spell book she owned until she found a spell to do that with.

Jyade wasn't sure if Haine felt it, and didn't bring it up. Her skin crawled as she looked at the blue eyed woman, noticing the way her eyes were stuck her companion. Unintentionally, she took a step toward Haine, and the woman's eyes finally fell on her as well. The sorceress looked at the elf with that contempt that every woman seemed to have in their eyes when looking at one who dressed as...provocatively as the elf. "How about we get you dressed in something that isn't rags? You'll catch a cold if you wear those wet things."

"I'm fine really," she said quickly, glaring at the sorceress. It wasn't like she felt a dark air coming off this woman the way she did the dragon, the only thing she was actually reacting to was the way the other woman had been looking at Haine earlier.

The sorceress shrugged and motioned to the dragon, and it flew out of the castle and into the rain within seconds. "This is the only protected area around here since the dragons destroyed the town nearby. I can give the two of you a room and some dry clothes. The two of you could catch a cold if you keep your wet clothes on."
 
Mystique... that name was completely oblivious to him. Meaning she wasn't a current enemy of the empire... keyword being "currently". Something about her didn't rub him the right way... he heard her apology for the wolf, but he wasn't sure if he could accept it or not. He had a hard time reading people, so could he believe it? It would be much safer to just stay on his toes and assume that she wasn't being truthful. Still, he loosened up when it didn't seem like she wanted to kill him. It was weird how... watchful she was being towards him. Her eyes were locked onto his for such a while that he felt awkward enough to look away. Why was she so strange?

"So... the other dragons were what destroyed the town?" Haine asked, cocking his head in curiosity. "What could have possibly made them do such a thing?" And this woman was commanding a dragon? That just sounded strange altogether. He had never heard of somebody actually giving orders around to massive black flying monsters that breathed fire. He gave Jyade a quick glance to show her his uncertainty before looking back at Mystique.

"How can we know that we can trust you?" Haine asked, standing up straight. He wasn't trying to look imposing, but he was still quite forward with his question. "Your dragon threatened us so that we could come up here, I don't like that." He swiped a few wet silver locks of hair from his left eye, showing the three scars that had been slashed over it. The beast in him was dormant now, but he still had anger burning in his veins.
 
"A dragon is a dragon, I can't control ones every moves," she said softly. "If I were to tell the two of you that I could completely control that beast then I would be lying." The woman looked at Haine as she spoke, valuing his opinion far more than she did Jyade's. Of course, if he tried to turn her down then his opinion would mean nothing and she would be forced to do the same thing to him as she did the black dragon that was currently flying back to the forest in search of the smaller, red dragon.

Jyade watched the sorceress with narrowed eyes, frequently glancing at Haine to see if he noticed the same thing she did. It didn't look like he noticed it, the adoration or attraction that showed in the other woman's blue eyes. Maybe it was just her though, she wasn't sure, but it still ticked her off. "He is right, your dragon isn't all too welcoming and we have a long way to-" Lightning flashed not to far from the castle, the brightness blinding her for a minute and making her stop speaking altogether as she moved one hand to rub her eyes. When she opened them again, Mystique was looking at her with that same disdain in her eyes.

"This storm is only going to get worse. It isn't safe out there and all I'm trying to do is provide you two with shelter for a night. Like I said, you'll be safe from the dragons while in here, and not another drop of rain will fall on you," she finished, turning her gaze to Haine before glancing at her feet almost shyly.

Jyade couldn't help but roll her eyes, hearing the sound of thunder now that the lightning already flashed. She didn't want to admit it but the strange woman did have a point, the storm was getting worse and if there were dragons outside then it'd be hard to see them before they were tracked down by scent. Hunin moved slightly in her arms, silent for once though the gryphon chick nuzzled her arm lightly. His feathers were soaking wet, the same way as her hair and clothes were. Even if the elf didn't want to admit it, staying in the castle didn't sound like too bad of an idea. "We won't be able to see in front of us if we go out there, you know." She looked at Haine as she spoke quietly, not wanting the blue eyed woman to hear. "It's your decision though."
 
Haine still didn't like this... not one bit. But what could they do? The storm was insane out there, and who knew how many dragons were on the prowl? Haine didn't want to be out there as much as anyone else would, and this castle seemed cozy enough. But was it safe? And could he trust this woman? He wasn't sure. He heard that sometimes the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she could be. If she was a warrior, he'd be able to understand a little more. In any case, he had two options: leave the safety of the castle and go out into the overwhelming rain, or stay inside under the protection of the mysterious woman.

Haine glanced over at Jyade before looking back at Mystique. She was still acting quite funny, but only to him. Was he wearing something odd? Or was it something he said? Either way, it didn't really matter to him. "...We'll stay at least until the rain lets up." Haine stated, nodding his head at Mystique, "Thanks for your hospitality, but I'm sorry that we'll be heading out so soon. We have an important task ahead of us, and I'd like to get it done as soon as possible."
 
Mystique nodded, wanting to act as if she didn't care that the two of them left. She cared about the man of course since she wanted him to become her king in the future. "I assume that the two of you will be sharing a room. That is what lovers do after-"

"Separate rooms please," Jyade said quickly. Her cheeks were a light shade of red after she heard the other woman call the two of them lovers, knowing what such a lable meant. They weren't lovers, but the thought made her heart race anyway. "I would like to have separate rooms really. We're only traveling together."

Mystique smiled at the elf though she wanted nothing more than to strike her down with a bolt of lightning. "I can understand, you must want a room to yourself since you've been traveling for so long. Come on, I'll show you to your room." The sorceress turned and walked out of the room, leading them through the halls of the castle and to the wing that the bedrooms were in. The elf looked every so she would be able to remember which way they were going, but every wall was bare and looked the same as the other. It was confusing really, and frustrating for that matter. Mystique stopped after some time, two doors on opposite sides of the unpainted hallway opening for them. "They both have a bathroom in them so you can get washed up. I can bring up some clothes if you like." She looked at Haine more than she did Jyade, the as before.
 
Haine jerked at Jyade, frowning at her answer. It wasn't like he wanted to be in the same room for affections, but more because it made more sense. If something was going to happen, it was best to stick together. Her response was rather quick and emotional- and for some reason he couldn't help but feel a little hurt at it as well. Being called lovers didn't bother him, but still... it sort of burned when she quickly denied it. Haine shook his head, his silver hair splattering the rain water around him in a small circle. Now wasn't the time to think of such things.... he had to be alert at all times.

The way that Mystique took them was peculiar and very, very confusing. Like Jyade, he tried his best to memorize the route, but he found it nearly impossible. The hallways were all alike, the doors looked completely the same... it was almost like they were going through a strange loop of some kind. This made Haine nervous... there was something strange about this woman and this tower, but he couldn't figure it out. What did she want?

"Thanks," Haine nodded to Mystique. He would rather use his own resources, but all of his things were drenched. "Just something simple for me to wear for now, and a few towels if you don't mind. I'd like to get my armor and gear all dry." The way Mystique looked at him was chilling... seriously, was he saying something weird or did he just look funny? Haine gave Jyade a nervous glance, shifting his eyes from the two woman.
 
Jyade saw the ay that Haine glanced at her and a shiver ran down her spine, not feeling safe right now either. "If you don't mind, I'll actually be sleeping with Sir Haine," she said softly, stepping over to the knight as she spoke. "We've been together for so long; it'd be weird not to be by the big lug for a night."

"Oh?" Mystique was angry about this and blatantly glared at the elf. Having an elf around would make things harder for her, though it did depend on how much this elf knew about magic. One could only be as good as they learned to be after all. If they learned nothing, than they would be no good at it.

"Yes, we’re a fighting duo you see, have been since we turned ten. The knight that taught him was married to a nice woman who taught me. It was such a wonderful life with those two," the elf lied. She didn't know why she was lying like that, but felt the need to anyway. If they were going to be sleeping together in the future though, then she would have to come up with a more believable story than that. Though, it did depend on where they slept.

"Very well. I'll be back with some clothes soon," she said before turning and starting down the hall quickly.

Jyade saw a flash of red in the woman's eyes when she turned, but only thought it was on account of the little flame in the hallway that provided them with light. With a sigh, the elf turned and went into the room, glancing over at Haine with a look that told him she wasn’t in the mood to answer a question. And she wasn’t. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about why she quickly turned down the offer to sleep in the same room as he did earlier, she wasn’t in the mood for his sympathies over the wolf’s death, and she wasn’t in the mood to hear him say that that was a crappy story. She already knew those things, and didn’t want to talk about it yet.

The woman looked around the room as she went inside, bending down to set Hunin on the floor gently. The gryphon ran off and over to the large bed quickly, climbing on it and curling up into a tight ball. It was a large enough bed for two normal sized people to sleep on with touching one another, but with Haine, she wasn’t so sure about that. There was a small table by the bed, a dresser on the other side of the room, a door leading to the adjoining bathroom by that, and on the other side was a bookshelf filled with books. The books were all written in an ancient language though, every one of them a book full of different spells. "I'm going to go get washed up," she said quickly, leaving no room for discussion as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. It was a nice enough bathroom, kind of smaller compared to the bedroom, but the bathtub was large enough for anyone to relax in. Strangely enough, there was already warm water inside, a light for in the full length mirror because of it. Compared to the last place they stayed the night in, this place was paradise. Well, once one forgot about the strange woman and her dragon. The elf however, was determined to forget about these things as se stripped down, humming softly under her breath.
 
Haine caught Jyade's glance, and that's all he needed for a warning. He knew that she wasn't fully comfortable with males yet, but in order for them to both be safe this was for the best. The Mystique woman was really making him nervous, and the less he knew about somebody the more he felt threatened. The woman seemingly came out from nowhere, and they were risking something with trusting her. Still, with Jyade in the same room as him it wouldn't be as bad. Haine didn't say anything when Jyade went into the bathroom, and instead went over to the center of the room. The bed was a little too small for him, so it would be quite a fit.

Haine unhitched his cloak from his shoulder, letting the wet fabric drop to the floor. He quickly grabbed it off off of the floor and set it over the chair to dry. With his armor and clothes soaked, he felt unnecessarily heavy. He quickly took off his gauntlets and set them onto the small table, his wet hands freezing. He didn't want to completely strip, but he at least wanted some of the wet clothes and armor off of him.

After a few moments, his upper body was bare and wet. He shivered, glancing around the room for anything to at least dry or cover himself with. He spotted a small folded blanket on the bed and quickly grabbed it, running it over his hair and body. "I don't know if I like this." Haine stated, loud enough for Jyade to hear from the bathroom. "There's something about all this that's really, really off." He glanced around the room, spotting the strange arcane bookshelf.
 
Her knives were on the floor by now, each one lined up by her clothes carefully while her sheathed sword was leaned against the wall by the tub. She knew that it was about time she had it sharpened again, but with the two of them constantly moving and being ran out of the last town, it was hard to get that done. Jyade stopped humming when Haine spoke, listening to him as she got into the tub, enjoying how big it was compared to the other tubs made in those days. "There is," she called back in answer, "but there isn't much we can do until she tries something funny or the storm lets up."

She sighed softly, closing her eyes as she slipped under the warm water, letting her entire body be covered before sitting back up. The elf lifted her hand, looking at the little black and white beaded bracelet that the girl from the caravan gave her. After all this, she still had it on and hadn't taken it off. She had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't talk about the woman and let her possibly listen in on the two of them. "Remember Haine, we have to appear like her happy guests. We can't say things too loudly, since she could be at the door trying to listen in."

Mystique was at the door by then, frowning a bit as she listened to the two of them speak. 'I can't believe she's trying to put all this stuff in his head, trying to make me seem like a bad person,' she thought to herself. In her hands were a few clothes that she had to make using magic, some oversized shirts and pants just for her beloved and a nightgown for the elf as well as a green dress in her hands. The woman stood up straight, waiting a moment before lifting her hand and knocking on the door.
 
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