: The Sun and Moon

Kayda looked down in contempt as Ceneth withered on the ground.

Amongst his cry's of agony, a small bell like giggle rang through the air, seeming to invade and break the earlier tense atmosphere.

With a glance, Kayda saw a vision of a young bright girl, trying to withhold her giggles with her small hands. By her side was a devil of a man who's glacier face warmed at the sight of her happiness that must have been a rare sight with the illness that seemed to wreck her body.

If anything, she was nothing like her brother. The exact opposite really.

Dimitri was cold, inhospitable. Being in his presence made you feel suffocated. He held the domenor that tainted the air around him. Causing people to fear the man who looked as if your life was as insignificant as that of a pebble on the side of the road. Death followed him, she could feel that. As he was lofty and uncaring of the life's around him.

Mellisony, clearly seeming to be cut from the same genes looks wise, was like a drop of light. Gently sitting there, poised and relaxed, and oblivious to the conversation concerning her. She seemed to be engulfed by the light shining through the window, as she stared, tilting her head, and looked as innocent as a small sick bunny.

They were night and day. The sun and the moon. One embraced by light and the other, darkness. A sibling duo that drew the eyes of every person present.

Kayda realized then that her eyes seemed to be lured by Mellisony. That young and frail creature that still seemed to be able to smile like that.

And any sense of affinity she felt for her was gone.

Mellisony had people by her side. She could heal from the wounds on her body and the wounds on her mind were small. And unlike herself, Mellisony had the support of the people around her that would drag her out of the darkness.

With a sigh, Kayda looked away from the bright young girl. Her eyes no longer being drawn in by her brightness.

When she looked down at Ceneth, he had supported himself up by grabbing the edge of a nearby table, but his legs shook in tremors.

"I don't see how me being what I am will help with any of this." And as her words fell, Ceneth sat his bottom down on a chair as he sighed at the weight that was taken off of his legs.

With a dark glare, he fixed his spectacles properly and scorned Kayda in his mind.

"Petty." His mutter didn't go unheard by anyone in the room and before Kayda could once again lash out at him for irritating her, he spoke very quickly saying, "the reason why you are here is because we need your blood."

Kayda's eyes narrowed.

"Or, to be precise, we need the unique mana signature your blood holds."

His words didn't satisfy her. And she continued to look at him with a darkening expression painting her face.

Ceneth could only sigh, "Let's just say that you are the best substitute. Her," he waved his hand in Mellisony's direction, "illness, requires the heart blood of a dragon. And of course, dragons are extinct and ancient creatures. So, the only other solution we found was the descendants of dragons. Drakon's. But your kind is almost exti-"

"Ahem!"

Ceneth's attention was directed towards butler Stevens. But he immediately regretted turning around.

Butler Stevens had a smile on his face. But the smile obviously didn't reach his eyes as the hidden danger quietly leaked out of every one of his pores, sending a cold chill down Ceneth's spine and instantly deterred him from speaking another word.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, he felt what he thought was a knife tracing its way up his spine from behind.

Slowly turning around, Ceneth was instantly stunned again by the cold and dead eyes that gazed into him. They seemed to glow as if they were orbs filled with green flames, burning away at his soul. And he could feel, her every intention. As if an invisible knife was slowly making its way towards his throat.

"Miss," breaking eye contact with Ceneth, Kayda looked in butler Stevens direction as he recalled the danger he admitted like it was some leashed dog. He turned to Kayda with a warm and apologetic smile before he slightly bowed before saying, "I apologize for Ceneth's lack of delicacy. He spends all of his time with his nose in his books and has no inclination in social interactions. Please do ignore him."

Ceneth sent a glare at butler Stevens but it was easily deflected by his warm smile.

Kayda just nodded and withdrew the indignation she felt at his earlier words.

"So you want me to be a blood bag."

It wasn't a question, and the room was silent.

Butler Stevens didn't know what to say.

Ceneth just huffed as he crossed his arms, not denying her words.

Dimitri was as silent as he was through the entire conversation.

And Mellisony sat there with her hand on her chin as she hadn't understood a single word they had said throughout the entire time they were talking.

With her eyes on Kayda, Mellisony's gaze never strayed from the creature in front of her. Ivory horns, pale and unhealthy skin. Little silver scales and a long and captivating tail.

She didn't really feel bored while they were talking the whole time in a different language. She was actually grateful for once to be ignored so she could blatantly stare at this new person in front of her. She never had guests and she couldn't remember the last time she went outside. All she had to keep her company was the old voices from story books and their wise tales.

She usually found solace in the books that spoke of dragons and knights. Her brother had found her ones about how the dragon saves the day and lives happily ever after, after she had bawled out her eyes when she was younger when the dragon was slain by the knight.

Such a beautiful and unchanging creature killed for no reason than having treasure and gold. For wanting company from the princess.

She even forced her brother to read her history books on the dragons of ancient lore and their kin the Drakin's.

So no one could imagine her excitement when she saw the girl in front of her undo a spell that transformed her into a character from one of her treasured stories.

As they talked, Mellisony was soon mesmerized by the swaying tail, catching light from the open window with its silver scales.

Without anyone noticing, she moved her wheelchair forward until she was only a couple of inches away from the tail that seemed to hypnotize her.

Without thinking, she reached out, and grabbed it.

Kayda's entire body went stiff and the room went deathly silent.

Everyone froze. And when they finally realized what had happened, Dimitri had shot up from his seat with a face painted black and a hand pulling at his sword.

He had witnessed what she had attempted to do to Clouse after he just attempted to touch her. He had seen the bloody hand of the pig duke and the red painting her lips when he found her.

She may be there to help his sister, but he wouldn't hesitate to stake her through the chest if a single hair on Mellisony's head was misplaced.