‘In scales’; Cadence of a heart.

“Dion?” Rakshasi walked through in a strange village. The houses where build of black stone and had red clay roofs. They towered high above the lone dragoness who was moving around the narrow streets of the town. Her voice echoed through the deserted streets. She shouted again in hope to find Dion: “Svaklar re wux Dion?” yet she heard no reply other than her voice echoing back to her. Her claws made a sharp sound each time they hit the stones. With each click of her claws she grew more and more nervous. A full moon shone between the buildings, illuminating a small round plaza between the buildings at the end of the road Rakshasi was walking. On arrival she noticed even the plaza was depleted of life. She shouted Dion’s name again but all that came back was an echo. She could feel a chill running down her spine, for the floor was covered in some kind of mist. It was no more than ten centimetres high but already thick enough to obscure the ground beneath her claws.

She walked to the building of the jarl, but her path was obscured by a wet splashing sound that echoed through the buildings. Rakshasi stopped on instance when, her body clamped up with tension. She could not hear the same sound again. Her attention turned to the mist below her. She must have stepped into something. But what? Slowly she causes her clawed feet. It was covered in some kind of sticky black substance that had an awful smell to it. Rakshasi coughed and fell backward on the ground. She was covered with more of the black liquid. She gagged as the smell reached havoc on her brain. Slowly she felt the ground give way as the liquid covered her body. She gasped for air as the air got flooded with the scent. The echoes of her struggling faded into an ever growing background noise of shouting. Rakshasi couldn’t hear what each voice was saying. There were many and she was rather occupied with the thoughts of escaping. The light around blanked and the voices died out as the ooze covered her head. Her lunges were burning with the need of air. Her field of vision narrowed until there was nothing but a single light in the darkness.

Rakshasi gasped for air as her eyes shot open. Just a dream…it was all just a dream, she told herself. Her gaze ran around the room she occupied. Another boring day was ahead, just lying in bed being useless. The only real bright spot of the day was when Dion came to stay a while. The doctor nor her daughter where much talkative to her. Most of her day she spend in silence with nothing to distract her from the pain but the numbness of the drugs had have been pumped into her system. She looked around if she could find Dion near. Strange normally he would been around when she woke. It was almost a daily routine. Dion waited for Rakshasi to wake up and, gave her something she could barely describe as proper food. They talked a bit and Dion left for lunch again. Yet today she did not hear or see him close by. The women who took care of her stood in a corner of her house, grinding down some more cocktails for Rakshasi.

Dion looked at the knight in front of him. The knight only stared at him with a cold glaze. He certainly did not fear death. Dion grew rather nervous with the choice placed in front of him. The time of two weeks he was asked to kill another human. Even if the first one was pure self-defence he was not comfortable with the notion of killing a human. Voices in his head told him he should kill this knight for doing such horrible things to the dragons. Dion looked at Arryn. She looked back with a demanding look. Was he supposed to kill the knight himself? Or did he just have to give the order…Maybe he should take him prisoner but that would make the risk only greater if he escaped and attacked him or worse… Rakshasi.

Dion searched for the words in draconic. “Stoth.” It was the only word he knew that came close to what he meant. He missed the words to put it in more context due to the origin of the draconic language. Arryn gave an almost angry surprised look at Dion. “Dion what do…?” Yet the jarl interrupted herself when she realized the meaning. “You don’t mean it right…just look at what” But Dion interrupted her quickly. He was not in the mood to answer hard questions in a language he barely knew. “Stoth,” he repeated himself before walking off.  The back of his mind told him that the knight’s life would not be spared. He had no desire to see his death. He already seen more people killed and attacked in these two weeks then in rest of his life.

“Dion!” as he opened the wooden door to the house of the herbalist; a voice of happiness arrived in his mind. The elderly women was yet again working on one of her strange concoctions. Her daughter could not be found in the house. Dion felt an unpleasant shiver running down his back. He had to tell, hadn’t he? His words came slowly, stuck in his mind. “Rakshasi…there has been a complication…” It was the best he could make of the situation. He did not want to freak her out.  Her voice was chilled, an icy tone Dion did not expect from her. “Complication? How can this situation can be complicated even more?” her sentences ended with a small hiss. Dion’s clas traced along the sides of the bed, his trail trailed over the ground; as he walked to Rakshasi. “The two knights who came with the hunter saw me.” The words cut out any sound between them like the silence before the storm.

After an uneasy silence Rakshasi spoke with an insecure voice. “You killed them?” Dion had to shake his head “No, one of the knights was killed by the guard…the other…I don’t know what happened to him.” He was judged harsh for his failure to know. Her voice was filled with anger “What!? They want to kill us! If the king finds out, not only we are death, but this whole bloody village!” Dion recoiled but had did not fear to defend himself. His own voice showed a sign of submission under the anger of the female dragon. “I do not care about killing! You don’t understand! I murdered a human! Before I came here I was still human and was having a nice life. I do not want the blood of more on my hands!” Rakshasi replied with a tone in her voice disappointed, slide from Dion to a wooden wall filled with different kinds of jars. “You are not the dragon I thought you would be.” Maybe it was something to dismiss Dion, maybe it was to stop this all. Dion himself the other hand grew angry on Rakshasi. “Rakshasi? Really? What did you think I would be for a dragon? I told you I used to be human, I told you I come from a different time all together. Where I come from you don’t kill another. Where I come from we have a law that deals with this.” Little did Dion realise that his stand widened and growls came from the depths of his throat. Rakshasi responded to these basic draconic ways of communication by ricing the volume of her own growling. Dion subconsciously responded to this by loudening his own growl until the whole house shook with the growls. The herbalist stopped with what she was doing and turned around. Her gaze fixed on Dion and Rakshasi. “If you don’t stop with whatever you are doing I will ask the jarl to remove you two from the house!” It was effective, at least for the moment. The two dragons stopped the battle of growls, their gaze broke, and Dion left.

Two weeks had passed since they last spoke. Dion learned that the guard was locked up on his demand. Arryn had not been much help to Dion. She offered him a place to sleep so he didn’t have to go back. Yet she seemed agitated by Dion’s decision to let the knight live and the news he gotten on bad blood with Rakshasi. Maybe he should apologize before it was too late. Maybe he should flee before they could grow to a hate him.  Dion’s eyes glared over the plaza the weather was cool, nested itself behind a thin layer of clouds. Fleeing sounded rather appealing, but it he couldn’t leave Rakshasi behind in this helpless state. The devil on his shoulder bid him that everything would be all right if he ran. His life would be spared if he got enough ground between him and this village. Dion could not believe that he was serious considering a plan to leave Rakshasi behind. A momentary terror of doubt filled his mind.

“Dion!” Arryn called from behind him. Her voice was agitated. “Rakshasi wants to speak to you” Dion felt a cold chill running over his back. It was not only that Rakshasi wanted to speak to him but also the tone in Arryn’s voice. He feared that he would arrive to an angry dragon snarling at his face. With a growl of displacement he said “geou tir coi poktosh.” He could feel a hand pressing down on his scaled shoulder, grabbing it strongly. “Now,” Arryn said between her teeth. Dion’s gaze met hers, Arryn looked like she could breathe fire any moment. It did not look like Dion had much choice, if he did not want to risk the rest of his life locked up in a cold prison. Reluctantly, he followed Arryn. She looked around to make sure he was not sneaking out on her.

The wooden door of the Herbalist’s home swung open with ease. He could not find the herbalist herself. Once he entered Dion shut the door with her outside. He found Rakshasi. sitting on her bed. Her legs looked thinner than usual. Her gaze met his. Her voice was calm “Si rigluin dout letoclo.” Dion looked at her like she set water on fire. “Kii?” his response was. Whatever explanation she would give, he was sure he would not understand in draconic. Not that he wanted to hear the explanation. He feared what it might bring. So far as he could he blocked his mind. A block that was far less effective than Dion hoped for as Rakshasi’s calm voice echoed through his mind. “To help me walking, I want to smell the fresh air.” Her tone of voice and question both confused him greatly. Dion’s reply to Rakshasi was emotionless. “You ask me? How a…” Rakshasi did not let him finish. “Because Dion, if you want it or not, we are tied by fate. The king will already know about our episode and have send more knights for our heads.” She took a pause to let the words sink in. Her gaze looked at her thin legs again. “I can have any human to help me yes. But are you ignorant I want Dion. It has been two weeks since you left me here on my own. It took me a week to forgive you. It took me a week to fear that you had left me” Dion leaned against a table opposite of Rakshasi. He let his mind be carried away with her voice like a lone ship on a wild ocean. “And now I ask your help, to walk. Why do you struggle to help?”

Dion laid his head in both his clawed paws. He did not know what to answer to that. She was trying to repair whatever was broken between them, well he was only afraid. Rakshasi extended her hand to him. She looked rather hopeful into his eyes and with a kind voice she said: “I have forgiven both myself and you for what happened. You only need to forgive yourself…and me.” Dion broke eye contact, unable to look in her eyes. His mind was at war with itself, wondering what would be the right one. Yet once he dared to look up again he could see the answer in her eyes. He extended his clawed hand to meet hers. He stood up and closed the remaining gap. “I will carry you” He said rather dismissive, hiding the emotion in his voice. Rakshasi seemed relieved about Dion’s decision to carry her. With just a warning noise she let herself fell into his arms, he caught her with all his strength. With her in his arms he tried to test her legs by putting weight on them. He could feel half her weight still on his shoulder. “Alright…” Rakshasi spoke first. Her spirit sounded lifted, “…let me take a step…” Slowly she made a step forward. Dion moved almost in sync with her.

Dion and Rakshasi did not exchange more words besides some basic instructions for walking. The two walked around the house until the dragoness could carry her own weight. She still needed Dion’s help for stabilise of herself. After a few rounds she leaned back against the bed. Her gaze did not move away from Dion. She could see his discomfort. “Dion…,” she started softly, wanting to say more but Dion beaten her to it. “Wait, me first. Maybe I should have killed the knight…” He stared straight into her gaze. “…But I no longer know what is right.” He took a pause, a pause to come to peace with his mind. Rakshasi used this pause to finish what she wanted to say: “It is alright…Dion, I cannot say I am still happy about what you did; but I understand. If it helps you…I will try to contain my hatred for the knights.” Dion looked just as shocked to the words of Rakshasi as she was to his words. “You do not…” He was interrupted by her “…Yes Dion, I have to. If you are not fully adjusted to this way of life, I give you time. But don’t take too long. I will kill any who hurts you.” Dion whispered something after her words: “I will kill them myself if they hurt you”

Arryn was no longer at the other side of the wooden door when the two dragons left the building. Dion half expected two or three guards, just in case. What he did not expect was nobody. The Two dragons could walk straight into town without interruptions. The plaza was filled with merchants who had just arrived to sell their wares. Many looked up at the two dragons. A silence felt over the plaza. Dion felt the eyes burning into his scales. He did not like being glared at like this. He wanted to move on but Rakshasi did not move. She hold him in place for some reason. The silence made it possible to hear two foots steps approaching them. Before Dion could turn around to look who was approaching he heard the voice of Arryn. “It seems our two dragons are at peace once more…” Her voice sounded relieved and…happy? Was it happy? Dion did not know for sure: something was odd about the tone. Trying to find more clues he gazed into the public. The same sense of relieve fell over the humans. Dion’s eyes darted between them. He could hear them now cheer. He saw the happiness and he thought to saw one merchant running away…he could not be sure: he only saw the merchant moving in a blink of an eye. For now he had to stand the cheering. His gaze looked at Rakshasi and he wondered how she felt about this. Her gaze was neutral. He felt a hand on his scaled shoulder and soon after that Arryn whispered in both their ears: “Come with me.”

Arryn locked the wooden door behind them. The two dragons and the elf where in the elf’s private quarters. No guards and certainly no eavesdroppers. Dion was just all too happy to get out of the mass of people, and even happier that Arryn offered Rakshasi a chair. After the dragoness took her place on the chair Dion could relax his shoulder. Arryn eyed the two dragon, her gaze mixed between anger and joy. “I see you buried the axe of war,” she started. “What are you two going to do now, I wonder.” Dion’s first reaction was to look at Rakshasi. Despite what happened, he still saw her as a sort of guide for him. Rakshasi was the first to contact him: “Dion, to be fair. I have no idea.” Her honesty was a bitter pill for Dion: he had hoped for a plan. He was deserted of any possible escape, in an age that was all but known to him. The elf spoke again: “I am sure with a month or two, the army of the king will be banging down our walls…You two must have a plan that in what to do…” Dion tightened his fists, in his internal frustration he lost the draconic words: “We cannot let them die for us!” Rakshasi only had to agree. She repeated him in draconic “Yth shilta ti origato wux loreat ihk udoka.” Besides the word ‘wux’ meaning ‘you’ instead for ‘yth’ for ‘we’ ,she copied him word to word. Arryn’s glaze sharpened. Her frustration deepened at the stubborn remark of the dragons. “Rakshasi, my family was killed for your kind’s survival. Do not throw it away now!”

Rakshasi responded again: Stubborn but with more concern then she had showed the elf so far. It made Dion distance himself from the discussion. Dion’s gaze did not focus on Rakshasi or even Arryn for that matter. It was fixed at the wall. He was lost in his thoughts and did not care of notice what the two were discussing between each other. Rakshasi talked fast and used draconic words he did not know. Arryn did not make much sense to him. Without the context of knowing what both parties where saying he could not follow any of Arryn’s words. His thoughts more and more overwhelmed until;

“Dion?” a voice asked him. The voice was distorted but sounded like it belonged to a women... “Dion please wake up.” Everything was black before Dion’s eyes. He had the feeling that he was floating through space and time without control of his body. “Dion please wake up…” the voice called again. Slowly a light appeared. The brightness blinded Dion. “Dion?” The voice asked surprised. He could see a shape. A human with long blonde hair stood over him. Dion did not recognise who it was at first. His eyes adjust to the light more and more. He could see the room who was in. white tiles, an electronic bleed of a heart monitor. Dion wondered what or who. In the distance he could hear someone shout for a doctor. He tried to move his head to the side. He could see a clear liquid dropping in a tube before it went into his arm. Was Rakshasi a dream? Or was this? Dion felt torn between two worlds. He could hear four humans running into the room. They surrounded him. He could recognise two doctors and two nurses. Was he in a hospital?  He could feel the hands on...skin? Slowly he looked down and he saw skin. A human body? What was wrong with him? This was not ….or was it? Confused Dion tried to stand up but his body did not respond to his commands. It was much like the first time he met Rakshasi: confused, alone and unable to move. The doctors held Dion firmly in place, stopping him from struggling and trying to get up again. The words of the doctors and nurses started to fade away. He could see that they injected some liquid into the tube in his arm. The world faded again, blackness surrounded him.

“Dion?” His name was called again. Dion opened his eyes and saw it was no one else but Rakshasi. He was lying on the ground in the private chamber of Arryn. He heard the door; someone entering. Dion slowly moved around, trying to get up. He could not do much; his joints where hurting. “Is he alright?” Arryn asked Rakshasi. She sounded worried for a change. That was some hope for Dion; some hope that he had not made himself an enemy of the village. “How long...” Dion asked Rakshasi with great effort. His head was still spinning and thumbing with each beat of his heart. “Two hours...” Rakshasi said slowly, her voice filled with worry and sadness. “Are you...” she continued but Dion shook his head slightly “No,” he paused, wondering if he should explain his dream or vision or whatever it was he had seen. “I...” he started with some difficulty, searching his words. “...Was...human,” he concluded. He did not know how to explain more. He had not enough energy to explain what a hospital was...what he seen. And even if he had the energy it was not something he was willing to explain at the moment.

“We just had news...” Arryn started without much introduction. “The kingdom has send troops our way.” She sounded conflicted, angry at someone and filled with sorrow. “You must go. You cannot stay here.” Rakshasi protested. She was angry. She growled at Arryn: “Wux shilta ti tir nomeno! Astahii geou svent wux al!” Arryn grabbed Rakshasi's scaled wrists. “Yes I can! The king will not get us. They might destroy our village, they might capture us. But they will not kill us! if they do not know where you two are. Rakshasi is too important to be killed by that beast of a king.” Rakshasi yanked her hands lose. With great reluctance she gave into Arryn's demands. Dion was not the one to protest, at least to Rakshasi. “Are you serious? We can...” But she interrupted him with hissing “Yes I am serious! Do I look like I want to hand over these people to their fate? I don’t, but we have not much choice...” Dion took a deep breath. Tt was mainly to get some air in his lunges to get on his feet. “Alright you win...”

“Dion...we leave tonight.”