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Elusian summers had always been rather short and cold, a far cry from that which outsiders expected when they thought of the season. It was never something Alear paid much mind to before as dragon’s skin was rather thick, allowing her to shrug off the cold rather easily. Humans, on the other hand, lacked such a luxury, preventing even the most well-adjusted to extreme climates from surviving the cold for long.
Suffice it to say, Alear began to actually feel excitement for summer as she befriended humans. Even if Elusian summers were a bit cold, they were still nice enough for humans to sit outside and enjoy. Hence why she was quick to accept Hortensia’s invitation to tea.
And why she now found herself in a rather…awkward situation.
Sat across the table from her was Princess Ivy—or Queen Ivy as it was now. Hortensia had set them up to meet for tea, abandoning them as soon as the two had arrived. Worse, she’d locked them in the castle garden, saying something about how “you know why you’re here and I won’t let you out until you talk.”
Alear’s face burned bright red at the accusation as she tried desperately to avoid eye contact with Ivy, trying to break the door down in her frustration. She knew she should’ve kept her mouth shut around Hortensia during their down time together, but something about the princess always managed to lower the dragon’s guard as she’d let this or that slip about her wonderings as to how Ivy was doing. Not to mention her fear that the woman had no need of her presence.
Though without her dragonstone or sword on hand, such efforts seemed futile. So here she was, having tea with the queen of Elusia in complete silence. What could Alear even say? When had they last even had a proper conversation? Back at Florra Port when she’d burned down the town to spur Veyle into action? Or perhaps during their final confrontation over the Emblems? Because Alear was hardly in a good mental state during either of those events, not to mention they were opposing forces of sorts. And before all that, Ivy hardly even wanted to converse with the Fell child.
Sure, Ivy seemed more willing to speak with the dragon after she revealed her hand—or rather after her corrupted did so. Maybe some of this distance would have been closed had she personally handed Lyn and Lucina over to the princess and expressed her desire to see them end up in the Divine Dragon’s hands. But she had her appearances to keep before Sombron, and thus was forced to fight Veyle whilst her corrupted dealt with assisting Ivy and the Divine Dragon.
Still, Alear was responsible for the deaths of many Elusians. Ivy had to hold some sort of grudge over that. Maybe that’s why she hardly spoke a word to the dragon since the war ended. Yes, she allowed Alear to stay within Elusia Castle, but that could be written off as a way to keep the worshippers of the Fell Dragon complacent. But…no, that seemed to mean an action to assign to Ivy. These thoughts were getting Alear nowhere fast. She may as well get this over with so Hortensia might release them.
“I’m sorry for the trouble, Queen Ivy.” The new title felt foreign to Alear’s tongue, yet proper all the same. Much as her heart screamed to simply call Ivy by name, she bit her tongue and spoke with the upmost respect. No matter how much Alear had cared for the woman, she refused to put such feelings forward. “It must be rather uncomfortable spending your time with me despite your busy schedule.”
“Alear…”
The dragon’s ears twitched at the sound of her name spoken so softly. There was no title—no connection to her status as a Fell Dragon—simply her name spoken with a care she’d never heard. It was enough to draw red eyes from her tea to meet those of violet. And for once, Alear found it impossible to read Ivy’s expression—the strange look in her eyes as her brows creased ever so slightly. An emotion Alear hadn’t understood, being one of neither hatred nor deception. Perhaps it was pity or—
A gentle hand came to rest atop Alear’s, bringing her thoughts to a halt. “Please, there’s no need to worry yourself. I will admit that I’ve wished to spend time with you. It’s simply that you’ve seemed much more at peace of recent. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Oh.”
The singular syllable dropped from Alear’s lips as the cogs began moving in her head. Without the interference of Sombron or the Elusian court, this was a place of no malice. Of course Hortensia set this up if the both of them wanted to talk. Though it seemed neither Alear nor Ivy was willing to take the first step forward out of fear of overstepping bounds. No wonder the princess always seemed so annoyed when Alear asked about Ivy or worried over how she seemed much too busy for much of anything.
Laughter bubbled from the dragon’s chest. Such a rare thing, but she couldn’t help finding their situation even the slightest bit silly. And how Ivy’s eyes seemed to shine as the foreign sound escaped Alear’s lips. “Wasn’t I the one who always wanted to talk to you before? I can assure you that much hasn’t changed. I’d gladly spend time with you if that’s what you want.”
Red eyes darted away for a moment, her face heating up once more as she realized she was wearing her heart on her sleeve. She always was too soft around Ivy, but maybe it wasn’t so bad. Especially when Alear caught a glimpse of Ivy’s own smile. “I suppose you’re right. Though I’d much prefer it if we were to meet on our own terms and not by Hortensia’s whim.”
Alear let out an amused huff. Much as she appreciated Hortensia’s little scheme, she had to agree with Ivy. No matter how beneficial this was, she still found herself wishing to disappear amidst the embarrassment of it all. “Then we should start over and do just that.” She paused, considering her next words—debating if it would be fine before finally swallowing her pride. “How about it, Ivy?”
The way the Elusian’s face lit up was all the answer she needed. How she could believe Ivy would look at her any differently slowly escaped her. For even if they had once been foes in battle, Ivy had still shown care then. Surely now would be the start of something wonderful, as far as Alear could ever hope.