Chapter Text
A new animated voice rang out in the large room. Pearl paused at the entrance to the room and peered around the corner. Two more women stood in the dining hall; both of which were fairly short, everything but from their sternum on up was covered by the long, wood, banquet table in the middle. The more muscular of the two with light brown skin wore a red and black, leather tunic with bronze detailing swirling all over it. Thick, short, black, curly hair that was pulled into two puff balls on the sides of the top of her head. Standing next to the her was a woman with dark brown skin who wore a blue and white gown with rivers of silver decorating it. Pearl assumed the gown went all the way to the floor. Long, white hair weaved into dozens of box braids were pulled back in a manner that it draped over her eyes, obscuring them completely, and formed an even thicker braid that ran down her back.
“Where shall we set her plate? I don’t want her sitting right next to Garnet, I’d much rather keep a closer eye on her,” the woman in the tunic stated.
“Then set her plate across from you, that way there is one place setting between them,” the mellow voice of the other woman replied.
“That’s a perfect idea! Thank you Sapphy.”
Pearl had no idea what to make of this situation. First two dragons and a lone lady, but now there were three people living in the castle with the three dragons?
A third dragon I still haven’t even seen yet.
As Garnet entered the room carrying a plate piled high with fresh baked rolls, Pearl’s stomach rumbled. There was only one thing she could do, and that was walk in and roll with the punches. Conversation halted the instant she took those three steps forward. Ruby red eyes and covered ones locked onto her. For a moment Pearl felt like she was facing off with those two dragons once again.
“I am Sir Pearl of the Rose Royal Guard, the Lady Garnet generously invited me to join you for dinner.”
“We know,” the muscular woman growled.
The other nudged her with her elbow for the comment.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Garnet smiled as she set the platter of rolls down and made her way to the head of the table. “Sir Pearl, this is Sapphire and Ruby.”
“I am honored to meet both of you,” Pearl bowed.
“Likewise,” Sapphire simply stated.
Without further prompting, the three women took their seats. Garnet was at the head of the table with Sapphire on her right, and Ruby on Sapphire’s right. Pearl quickly followed, taking the seat with the place setting that was right across from Ruby. Just as Ruby had wished, there was one place setting between Garnet and Pearl. Light blue eyes were drawn to the other two platters of food and the pitcher full of wine set on the same end of the table that they were on. One platter was piled high with what looked like grapes that had a close encounter with the ice dragon, and the other was laden with large chunks of perfectly grilled meat. What kind of meat was hard to determine, but Pearl knew by the color and smell that it wasn’t something she had ever eaten before.
“Dig in,” Garnet directed to Pearl as she reached forward to break off a bunch of frozen grapes.
Ruby grabbed a roll, tore it in half, and scrutinized its insides. “Garnet, did you conjure this bread? I don’t want to find any imps in my bread like last time.”
“No, this batch was made with the slower method,” Garnet returned.
Sapphire faced Pearl as she peeled a chunk of meat off the large piece she had on her plate. Small, orange, wisps of smoke rose from the steak where the tear had been made. Pearl was surprised at this, but didn’t dare to say anything at the moment.
“The pronunciation of the incantation to summon an imp versus summoning bread are very similar, last time Garnet summoned imp bread, instead of just bread,” Sapphire explained.
“More like imp infested bread. Each piece was filled with those little buggers. Not only did they run around everywhere, but they stole and ate all of the remaining bread!” Ruby threw her hands up into the air.
“If I remember correctly you didn’t mind having to catch them,” Garnet huffed.
“Or eating them, they do make a tasty little snack.”
“You can eat imps?” Pearl blurted out.
The other three women paused for a moment, sharing a glance.
“We can, although Ruby prefers them more than I do” Sapphire stated.
“But aren’t those poisonous?”
“To humans they are,” Garnet said.
“Wait, are none of you human?”
“Is that a problem?” Ruby narrowed her eyes at Pearl.
The pale woman paused and blinked. “No, it’s not, I mean it actually makes more sense, Garnet’s skills with spell casting, as well as you three living alongside the three dragons here,” she finished her sentence by waving her hand about.
A collective sigh of relief was let out by the other women at the table when Pearl paused to take a drink from her goblet.
“Well I’m glad, otherwise I would have had serious issues with you!” Ruby stated in a slightly joking manner.
The knight nervously chuckled. For the next several minutes Pearl ate a couple of rolls and tried some of the frozen grapes. She had never had grapes like them and it was kind of fun to crunch down into a perfectly good burst of sweet flavor. Thanks were given for the two delicious items she had tried. Light blue eyes watched as her hosts each ate hearty serving sizes of the meat. While Sapphire liked to pull small chunks off what she had on her plate and eat them, Ruby tore right in, devouring the whole beast steak in seconds and Garnet would take measured bites of hers. Each time a bite or tear occurred, orange smoke rose up from the meat, causing the knight to worry ever so slightly about trying it.
“What type of meat is this?” Pearl asked as she stabbed a smaller piece from the platter with her fork. She eyed the tiny wisps of orange smoke that escaped the punctures in the steak.
“Firepit lizard, orange flame,” Ruby supplied between bites. “I really wanted a red flame one, those have much more flavor.”
The knight recalled the volcanic area she had seen while traveling to the castle. Firepit lizards were typically as tall, wide, and long as a supply wagon and very temperamental; prone to burn anything they see on sight. Pearl did have some experience in dealing with those.
That must have been a really long journey for Ruby, especially to transport the whole thing.
Light blue eyes glanced down at the meat on her plate. Carefully she grabbed her knife and cut into it. More orange smoke.
“While I would love to try this, I believe it might be dangerous for me to eat,” Pearl stated.
“What?!” Ruby turned to Sapphire, “Is firepit lizard toxic-?”
“Yes. If she eats that her insides will blister and melt. That’s assuming it even makes it down her esophagus.”
Pearl stared wide-eyed at the woman, then carefully moved the steak as far away as it could be on her plate.
“Humans are so fragile,” Ruby huffed.
Red blossomed all over Pearl’s cheeks. “We are compared to some, but compared to others we are quite durable. May I ask what you classify yourselves as?”
“No,” Ruby growled.
“We are magically inclined individuals,” Garnet cryptically answered. “The ability flows through our veins.”
“How did you find this place?” Sapphire spoke up, changing the topic. “And why did you come here?”
Pearl cleared her throat and placed her hands in her lap under the table. Honesty was the best policy, lying would probably get her thrown to the dragons. “I searched for many weeks for the location of the fire, ice, and lightning elements. Eventually I was given this location and a warning of what would be guarding them.”
“Why do you want these elements?” Ruby jumped in.
“To bring them back to my kingdom so we can use them to help us win the war we were forced into.”
Ruby outright laughed for several seconds. Pearl straightened her back, her face getting redder with every passing second.
“You can’t honestly think you can wield all three of them let alone try to even control one?!”
“I won’t be wielding all of them, maybe one, but most likely they will be given to the three who can handle them the best.”
“Even if they were experienced magic wielders, we’re talking about raw, basically infinite, elemental power. It will take years to get the basics down and not get shredded, let alone master it and use it in a war!”
This was new, not once had anyone mentioned how difficult using the runes, or stones, or whatever they were, would be. Pearl had expected some time needed for getting accustomed to the new powers, but not years, they didn’t have that kind of time. A candle lit in the knight’s head.
“You seem to know quite a bit about these elements, it makes sense, after all, you live here, you must have seen them or had some experience with them, right?” Pearl gently probed.
Ruby shut her mouth with a snap and folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowing.
“We don’t dare to get too close to them, otherwise the dragons get upset. While I can take down a firepit lizard, a dragon is a whole other level,” Ruby grunted.
So they are here! Maybe I can still find them. It may take some time to find someone who can handle them, but we can do it! We can still save our kingdom!
Pearl decided a different angle might get her some additional information.
“Are the elements why you three chose to live here? Or did you just wind up here on accident?”
“We weren’t welcomed in our previous homes, others, especially humans, aren’t too keen on having magic wielders like us around,” Garnet softly spoke as she weaved her fingers together in front of her face, elbows resting on the table. “This place was far away from most establishments and the dragons didn’t seem to mind us once we showed that we meant them no harm and had no intentions of taking the elements.”
“Oh…” The knight didn’t know what to say after that, she had honestly thought this whole arrangement was less than desirable for the three, but instead it was the exact opposite. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Pearl contemplated her next words. “One would think that if they took the time to get to know you better they wouldn’t have chased you out. So far all three of you have shown me incredible kindness and generosity and we’ve just met.”
“Yeah well that’s what we thought,” Ruby mumbled.
“It’s in the past, now we have a lovely home that only has occasional disturbances,” Sapphire softly smiled.
Pearl grimaced, those occasional disturbances were probably knights, mages, or adventurers getting burned, frozen, or zapped to death. Light blue eyes glanced down at her platter, then her stomach.
“Thank you for inviting me to dinner, I really enjoyed the grapes and bread. And thank you once again Garnet for saving my life. I hope you don’t mind me excusing myself, I think it’s time I went and gathered my belongings that are hopefully still in the courtyard.”
“We’re glad you enjoyed it,” Sapphire said.
“Don’t forget to check all six ways for the dragons,” Ruby almost sang.
“Six?”
Ruby pointed up, down, front, back, left, and right.
Basically everywhere.
“Thanks…” the knight pushed back her chair and stood up.
The scraping of a second wooden chair against the stone floor made the pale woman look to the side. Garnet had stood with Pearl.
“I will accompany you out there, if one of them does show they will recognize me and probably won’t attack you.”
Pearl didn’t miss the “probably”.
“I would appreciate that. I’m afraid I wouldn’t last long at all in just my chainmail and tunic.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Sapphire stated.
Pearl couldn’t help but feel a small chill run up her spine at those words. The two backtracked through the castle so Pearl could acquire her sword and the pieces of the right side of her armor that could still be worn. Every other step clanked against the stone floor as one foot was protected by armor, and the other was just her boot. Once she reached the door that opened into the courtyard, Pearl carefully swung it open and peered around. Some lighting still remained from the setting sun, casting long shadows all over the courtyard, and was just enough for her to determine that no dragons were in the area. A sigh of relief was let out. The knight strode towards the surprisingly undisturbed, charred pile in the distance.
“Don’t forget to check behind you,” Garnet’s voice came from right behind Pearl.
The pale woman whirled around, her hand automatically going for her sword. Garnet simply stood there in the shadow cast by the surrounding walls with an ever so slight grin on her lips, unfazed by the knight almost drawing her sword.
“The lightning dragon likes to sneak up on their prey.”
Those words sent shivers up Pearl’s spine. There was something odd about how Garnet said that and how her eyes looked. Pearl could have sworn that the dark woman’s purple irises were glowing with waves of electricity. And not just Garnet’s two eyes, but even the third tattooed one for an instant looked like it was glowing, standing out more than usual in the dim lighting.
“I won’t,” Pearl swallowed.
Swift steps carried her to the pile. The quicker she gathered the remains of her belongings the better. A long sigh was let out as she poked through the charred half. Most of her sandstone and pearls were useless, they crumbled once her finger even touched them. A few rose quartzes and amethysts were still good. Nothing else was, her map burnt to a crisp, as well as her food rations. The second half fared much better, it was more or less slightly damp. Items were moved around to accommodate the remains of the left side. Light blue eyes caught the dull shine from a piece of metal cast to the side. Curious, the knight walked over to see what it was. A frown formed on the pale woman’s lips as she picked up her visor and examined the five, finger-sized dents in it. Originally, she figured Garnet had been able to remove it due to the melted/frozen state it was in, but now that she got a better look, her visor had been ripped off and dented by the woman’s strength alone.
Just what kind of magic wielders are these women?
Time was running out, so far they hadn’t encountered any of the dragons, but Pearl didn’t want to push her luck. The visor was gripped by one hand while the other slung what remained of her pouch belt over her shoulder. Garnet silently walked alongside Pearl through the courtyard. Once the door had closed behind them and they were safe inside of the castle, Pearl turned to the enchanting woman.
“Thank you for escorting me out there.”
Garnet tipped her head forward in acknowledgement. “You probably need to rest. Follow the hallway to the left and up the staircase. There are some rooms near to where you bathed, one of them should have a bed or cot for you to sleep on.”
“Oh, right, thank you so much,” Pearl bowed.
“Sleep well,” Garnet smirked before she turned and headed down the hallway that led towards the dining room.
For a few seconds Pearl just stared after the woman, watching her walk away. Pearl shook her head, breaking the trance she had fallen into and turned to the left. It didn’t take long to locate a room with a bed or to find and move her armor so everything of hers was in the same place. She really wanted to find out more and examine her visor again, but sleep was calling to her tired and aching body. Armor was removed, but Pearl kept her sword and one pouch strapped to her out of habit, sleeping unarmed in a strange and dangerous place was never a good idea. The bed had a solid wood frame, a comfortable mattress, and heavy wool sheets. Pearl wanted nothing more than to lie down on it and fall asleep. However just as she was about to, nature called a little louder and Pearl was sent running down the halls for the closest bathroom. Thankfully she found one just in time. A sigh of relief was let out as Pearl walked back towards her room; or at least in the general direction. The castle seemed to go on forever. Up ahead part of the stone hallway was illuminated by orange firelight coming from one of the rooms.
“You don’t think the knight was talking about those old runes up in the west tower?”
Exhaustion was shoved to the side as Pearl’s ears picked up the sound of Ruby’s voice and the mention of runes. The pale woman held her breath, the door was open and sounds carried easily.
“You mean the northwest tower,” Sapphire stated.
“Yes, the northwest tower that only can be accessed by the long, thin, stone bridge from the west side of the main castle.”
“Those runes?”
“Could those be the elements the knight was seeking?”
Pearl quietly crept closer to the opening. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“The dragons are quite fond of that tower, they are very possessive and don’t like us going near it,” Sapphire continued.
“But those cracked looking old chunks of dirt can’t really be the elements. Sure they glow and stuff, but they’re very underwhelming.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“That’s true…but not with you! You’re just as wonderful as you look!”
Light giggles drifted from the room followed by Ruby talking in a lower tone. Pearl did not want to hang around to hear much more than that. She now knew where the elements were and what they looked like. Eyes darted around. Continuing onward was not an option as she would pass the open door where Ruby and Sapphire were just talking about her. Fortunately for the knight, she was on the west half of the castle. With some poking around she was certain she could find the bridge and reach the tower. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. The only things she had on her was her specialty, gemstone pouch, a couple of daggers she always had on her, her chain mail, tunic, boots, and her sword. As she explored the castle, she checked to see what stones she could use. Her plans were put to a halt as she spotted the beginning of a narrow stone bridge leading up and out into the dark night. The dense smoke swirling around made it even harder to see anything beyond a few yards in front of her.
That has to be the tower on the other side, it’s in the right location. I have to make it into the tower safely, at least one of the dragons will be watching. Once I make it inside I’ll have the runes to help me defend myself.
Fingers pinched a stone and brought it up her face. A tiny sapphire.
Just enough for me to run the bridge and hopefully get to the location of the runes.
Light blue eyes checked to the right, to the left, up, down, and in front of her. No one was in the hallway behind her, she knew that. Pearl swallowed it and began to run for the bridge. Just as she made it to the bridge, the powers from the sapphire flowed through her body, sped up her legs, and gave her a vision of the entire bridge, the tower, and the route to the room where the runes were. Eyebrows were furrowed, not a single dragon was shown in this blip of a vision. While it was odd, she couldn’t waste her time on it and just pushed forward as fast as she could.
A sturdy, black, leather boot soundlessly stepped into the spot Sir Pearl had been only seconds before. Garnet watched as the thin figure disappeared into the smoke, all three of her purple eyes glowing and sparking with electricity. The wind picked up as more electricity began to dance around Garnet’s body.
It took three seconds to cross the bridge and another three to reach the door to the rune room. Upon opening the door, the knight fell onto her butt as she was knocked back with a wave of power. Sitting on a small pedestal made of the same grey stone as the rest of the castle were three trapezoidal runes placed in a triangular formation. Pearl carefully stood up and closed the door behind her. The one on the left had multiple cracks in it, all of which were constantly shooting out tiny flames and glowing all sorts of reds, oranges, and yellows. The rune on the right was covered in ice that had created beautiful, intricate snowflake patterns all over it. Pearl almost wanted to reach out and touch that one, but decided against it. Finally sitting in the middle and farther back than the two was the lightning rune. One single, wide crack ran down the middle nearly splitting it into two. Purple electricity constantly arched from one spot on the crack to another. For several moments all Pearl could do was just admire them. She could feel power radiating from them, much like how if felt to stand near a basket full of gemstones. The knight took a couple steps closer to the pedestal. Eyes scanned the room as she did so, looking for traps that could be triggered if the runes were moved. Nothing.
Were the dragons the only security measures?
Fortune was smiling down on her. She would finally acquire the runes and then would be able to return and save her kingdom. Pearl dug around her tunic for the pouch she had saved just for these; thankfully it was under all of her protection so it survived the fire and ice dragons’ attacks. The magic pouch was opened up and the knight reached out for the fire rune. Pearl’s hand hovered there as a frown formed on her thin lips. Were these really the elements that could grant someone nearly limitless power? When she had opened the door and was knocked back she was certain they had to be it, but now that she had been standing next to them, they didn’t seem so special.
A stone that has similar powers should react to it.
The knight dug through her pouch, two tiny sapphires were set next to the ice rune, and her only garnet was cautiously held near the lightning one. Pearl didn’t have any rubies. The stones faintly glowed and shimmered, but nothing more.
Perhaps they need to be in use to make the stone react?
Pearl reached towards the lightning one only to stop yet again. A heavy sigh was pushed past her lips.
“You can’t honestly think you can wield all three of them let alone try to even control one?!”
Ruby’s words from dinner came back at full force. If these truly had limitless power and were extremely hard to control, then there was little hope that any of her fellow warriors would be able to make use of them without dying.
I would be killing them.
What she needed was not just the elements, but people who could handle them. A candle jumped to life in her mind. Ruby, Sapphire, and Garnet were all experienced magic wielders, who not only that had been living with these runes and the dragons, but had managed to thrive here. If anyone was going to be able to control the elements it would have to be them.
Rose would welcome them into her kingdom, we have all sorts of creatures, beings, and individuals living together harmoniously. Well there are fights occasionally, but they get sorted out. I would help them get to know people and protect them from anyone who would want to harm them. I could let them stay in my home until they have one of their own. And if they helped us drive off the invaders then they would be heroes!
Pearl collected her stones, put away her magic pouch, gave the runes a short bow, turned, and left the room. Booted feet dully thudded against the steps as she made her way down the spiral staircase. The knight’s mind was abuzz with how she would breach the topic with the three women and how she might convince them to join in the fight. Her mind was distracted as she made a note of how long it was taking to get to the bottom of the tower. Running up it had happened in a blink of an eye.
I will rest tonight and then talk to them tomorrow.
Finally, the knight reached the tower’s exit. One hand rested on the hilt of her sword as the other opened the door. Eyes glanced to the right, to the left, down, up, and forward. There was little point to doing so, she could barely see anything. However, the lack of dense smoke enabled her to see at least half of the bridge. She couldn’t use up another sapphire, she needed to save them for the war back home. Pearl readied herself, hoped that there were no dragons waiting for her and sprinted forward.
I can make it!
As she was a third of the way there, a piece of advice made her stop in her tracks and her gut sink to the bottom of her boots.
“Don’t forget to check behind you, the lightning dragon likes to sneak up on their prey.”
It was odd how little smoke was around the tower when only minutes ago it was engulfed in it. Something had to have disturbed it. Her hairs were standing up on their ends and for a second she almost wanted to not look back, but to keep running. However, even as her logical mind screamed at her to continue running, the knight slowly pivoted to look behind her.
Purple arcs of lightening jumped from one spot of a black shadow on the tower to another. The giant reptilian body that was wrapped around the northwest tower was illuminated and pieced together by the purple glow created by all of the arcs of electricity dancing on its scales.
The lightning dragon.
A long tail with short spines sticking out of the top half of it was coiled around the cylindrical tower one whole rotation. Four clawed hands attached to sturdy appendages lightly dug into the stone as the dragon held itself there. Each claw was about three feet long, was slightly curved, and could deliver instant death. The body was mostly hidden by the tower, but Pearl could see the massive wings tucked against the part of its back she could see sticking out from the left side of the tower. An array of glistening, garnet gemstones of all sorts of sizes ran up its spine, down its four legs, and decorated the crown of its head. A multitude of narrow, rigid, tall horns stood out from the crown and back of the dragon’s head like the spikes on a mace. The lightning dragon’s mouth was slightly open, displaying long, serrated teeth that came to a fine point. Despite the overwhelming appearance, size, and deadliness of this dragon, what made Pearl stumble back and quiver were its three electrifying, purple eyes staring right into hers.
Battle reflexes kicked in and Pearl began to unsheathe her sword. The lightning dragon leapt off the tower with minimal damage, and swooped down at the knight, its wings spreading out to nearly three times the length of the fire dragon. Pearl’s sword was only an inch out of its sheath when she felt the claws cut across her torso, slicing through chainmail, leather, skin, and muscle as if it were air. A strangled gasp jumped past thin lips. Wings beat down towards the Earth once, lifting the dragon several yards into the sky with Pearl dangling from the three claws that had pierced the front of her tunic and lifted her up with it. The next beat of the wings lifted them even higher. Light blue eyes widened as what she could see of the castle in the purple lighting swiftly shrank below her. Pearl pulled in a lungful of air to try and steady her panicking body, however, the limited amount of oxygen she got only made her body panic more. The air was thin and with each beat of the dragon’s wings, less and less oxygen was available for her to try and breathe in.
Steady your breathing, no unnecessary movements, don’t fall to your death.
The lightning dragon finished its ascent and just moved its wings enough so they hovered in the thick, black clouds. White electricity crackled through the air and jumped to the dragon’s body, adding to the purple arcs already there.
This is where I die…not even Garnet can save me here.
One hand reached up to grip the claw that had sliced across the right side of her chest. She could already feel the wetness of the blood pouring from her gaping wounds and the subsequent rivers that were decorating her skin and clothes. The pain alone almost made her black out, but Pearl fought it. Ears picked up the sound of the dragon breathing in.
Here it comes.
The lightning dragon roared, causing all of the clouds around them to tremble and spark and for Pearl’s ears to ring. Eyes were squeezed shut for a moment only to open back up and to be looking right into the three, glowing, purple eyes. She knew why the dragon was probably mad and wanted to try and explain herself, but she couldn’t form the words as her oxygen starved brain was shutting down.
I didn’t take them.
Massive wings tucked against the dragon’s side and it threw its head forward to dive towards the ground. The sharp change in altitude thrust the knight into darkness as she blacked out.
Blood pounded in her ears. Her back registered cold, hard stone while her front was assaulted with her aching and burning wounds. Eyes opened a fraction before closing. Arms tried to push herself up onto her elbows, but Pearl barely found the strength to move them. Eyes opened up a little more, taking in the darkness around her and the purple glow hanging in the bottom of her vision. Pearl flexed her neck to try and look down at the state of her body. Chainmail and leather glistened in the low light with the wet, crimson substance coating them. Her head softly fell back against the stone, she only had maybe a few minutes to live before she bled out. Eyes widened as she realized something.
The lightning dragon didn’t kill me? It just laid me in this courtyard and left?
The purple glow in her vision told her the dragon had not left, but was right there. The desire to get to her feet and face the dragon enabled Pearl to push herself up onto her elbows. Her movements stopped as soon as she saw Garnet standing a few yards in front of her. The purple glow was originating from her. It all made sense now. Pearl felt like the biggest idiot in the world.
Three elements.
Three dragons.
Three magically inclined women.
They are all the same thing.
The runes were a ruse. They didn’t radiate the unmistakable power that the dragons did. They were just stones that were given a fraction of the dragon’s power and laid out as bait. There was no doubt that the “private” conversation between Ruby and Sapphire she “overheard” was done so Pearl would hear it. She played right into their hands and Garnet was to finish her off when she took the runes. Except she hadn’t taken them, and that was probably why Garnet didn’t kill her right away.
Pearl pushed herself forward and folded her legs underneath her, wincing at every protest her body made to do so. Garnet simply stood there watching her with those intense purple eyes. The knight stood up on her shaky feet. Blood soaked hands seized the hilt of her sword and yanked it out of the sheath. A black eyebrow was raised in response, amusement curling in the corner of Garnet’s lips. Pearl lifted her sword high only to turn in around and stab it into the ground as she dropped to one knee. Her blood began to drip off her clothing and paint red splatters on the grey stone.
Ruby, Sapphire, and Garnet had been chased from their homes because they were dragons, despite using their human forms to try and make friends and keep the secret. In the end each time they had been found out and the locals sought after their lives. Time and time again they fled until they gave up and just lived in an abandoned castle.
“I’m deeply sorry for not realizing everything sooner and for understanding,” Pearl’s weak voice spoke up. “I don’t want to take the elements from you.”
“Do you know now what exactly can grant someone true power of an element?” Garnet evenly replied.
“A dragon’s heart. You-”
“You eat it. A human only needs to eat a small part of it to acquire more power than they can most likely handle.”
Pearl felt sick to her stomach. For a few moments she just watched drops of blood fall into the small puddle underneath her.
“You don’t deserve to be hunted for what value has been assigned to your physical body by others. I completely understand you and your family’s dislike for humans and all others who have sought to end your life simply for their own gain.”
“A lot of those who come here seeking us say many things in their dying moments. You’re the first to say something like that. Why aren’t you begging for your life?”
Pearl breathed out heavily. Her arms were shaking badly and her head was beginning to swim. “Earlier today I should have died, but you saved me. Just moments or minutes ago, I don’t really know, you spared me once again and gave me one last chance to talk. Begging for my life is pointless because you’ve had it in your hands since the beginning.”
“Do you have any last words? You only have so long left to live.”
The knight couldn’t help but look at her wounds again, her hold on her sword being what kept her from collapsing completely. “My last words…” Pearl struggled to breath back in. “I want to ask of you…Ruby…and Sapphire…if you would help save my kingdom…. In return… my queen…Rose…would grant you lands in her kingdom…and a chance to have that life you were denied…so many times. I would be there to…fight off anyone who would dare to come after you and… would help others get to know you better.”
Garnet scoffed. “No matriarch would do such a thing. Dragons are not welcome anywhere, except in bits and pieces to be bartered with.”
“Rose’s kingdom is different… We have shapeshifters…giants…orcs…humans… elves…demons… and many other creatures and individuals…who all live together…and are fighting to continue to do so.” Pearl struggled to lift her head up and meet Garnet’s gaze. “If they can all live together…why would adding a dragon or three be so hard?”
The trembling, faint knight lost her grip on the sword and fell to her knees; all sounds were muffled aside from her pulse in her ears and her vision began to darken. Her body swayed for a second before falling back. The harsh collision with the unforgiving stone never came as hands were braced between her shoulder blades and the back of her head. Pearl watched Garnet lower her down through her barely open eyes. The beautiful woman reached down for something. Light blue eyes closed as she no longer had the strength to keep them open. Each heartbeat was slower than the previous.
So this is what it feels like to die.
The familiar soothing sensation of her body stitching itself back together washed all over her front. Pearl wanted to open her eyes to see what was happening but fell into the darkness instead.
Moonlight drifted in through the window next to her bed. Pearl rotated her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was alive and all traces of her blood had been removed from her clothing. Just out of her reach sat a plate with frozen grapes and bread on it and a cup that was hopefully filled with something. A creak of metal hinges drew her attention to the door. Garnet silently walked into the room. Purple eyes met light blues.
“You pulled through. There was a possibility you weren’t going to make it,” Garnet simply stated as she sat down in the chair next to the bed. “But your determination to live is impressive.” Garnet grabbed the plate of food and brought it closer.
Pearl’s stomach painfully rumbled. She wanted to ask for it, but it was hard to speak due to how parched her throat was. Garnet set the plate back and grabbed the cup. Pearl stiffened as Garnet’s right hand slid between the mattress and her body and propped her up in a sitting position. The dark woman’s left hand brought the cup to the pale woman’s lips. Water. Pearl drank as much and as quickly as she could. The cool liquid freed her tongue and brought instant relief. Garnet pulled the cup away and lowered Pearl back down.
“How?” the knight gasped out.
Garnet held up Pearl’s vial of healing water. It was empty except for the tiny pink diamonds at the bottom. “One doesn’t heal from Sapphire’s spines without a little help.”
Pearl could feel her face heat up at being found out. “Why spare me again?”
A smirk formed on round lips. “There is potential in you.”
“For what?”
Garnet reached out and brushed a few strands of hair out of Pearl’s face. “Initiating a change.”
Pearl waited for the woman to continue.
“We would like to talk more about this war and this matriarch, Rose, but for now you need to rest and regain your strength.”
Garnet grabbed the plate, plucked one grape off the bunch and brought it to Pearl’s mouth. The knight’s face heated up as she opened her mouth to accept the piece of food.
“That is what made you decide to save my life?”
“That and something else.”
“What?”
Garnet smiled and chuckled. “We shall see what that something else might be, only time and our actions will tell.”
Pearl accepted the next grape. As she chewed her mind tried to decipher Garnet’s cryptic words, but it only took a few seconds for her to realize she was too tired to do so. The rest of the food was silently handfed to the weak knight. Once it was all gone Garnet helped her drink the last of the water. Garnet’s touch made Pearl warm and sent shivers down her spine. With the food and water consumed, Garnet wished Pearl a good rest and left the room. The knight tried to process what had just happened, but instead sleep claimed her exhausted body.