12

Akyryss swung several feet off the ground in a makeshift hammock. Fashioned from all twenty-six silk curtains in her bedchambers, she swung back and forth slightly in her human form. She didn't feel herself this morning. She watched the sunrise over eastern lands, backlighting to the massive cloud of smoke that rose far across the small stretch of ocean.

As the sunlight slowly crawled down from the roof, illuminating the world in its warmth. With it, it chased the darkness away, and the intense emotions that had swirled in her heart. Emotions that were not hers, but of the one she loved. She hadn't thought of it then when the power flowed through her with those words.

She assembled her servants and assaulted the most important port in the Theocracy's possession. It was the port connecting it to the desert cities and the elven lands. She had burned that infernal city to the ground, but not before looting it dry. She felt no mercy when she burned the insects to charred bits.

But the power had faded and with it, it brought another problem. Despair and sadness. It had been overwhelming as it swirled in her head. She turned back, feeling it had all been for naught. Her dragons celebrated the raid and praised her to the burned heavens.

Tears rolled down her painfully beautiful face as her eyes watched the sunrise. She curled her knees to her chest, and just let herself be pushed by the coastal winds. Behind her, several different maids mulled about with concern.

"She's crying!" One elf maid to a catgirl. "She's never cried before!"

No one knew what to do, and most of them had been struck stupid from her sniffling. Her heart was breaking. Her love was hurting, and she couldn't fly to her right now. Not without jeopardizing her land. It was a conflict she could not reconcile. Would Cyril want her to come to her? Or would she want her to defend the island? This was supposed to be their paradise, but it was all bust now.

The Theocracy would mobile against the island soon. She had no plans against it. In fact, Sicuro had just scolded her for her rashness. They were ill-prepared for what she had done. She had completely cut all ties with the closest country without preparing their stores. Sicuro had left her alone when she bawled like a child in her hammock. Even that man did not know how to deal with a crying holy dragon.

The door squeaked open behind her, and a familiar tapping of leather boots filled the large rocky chamber. Soon, Sicuro's concerned face popped over the hammock's right corner.

"I brought your favorite food..." He said with a weary smile.

A moment later, the smell of sweet maple barbeque sauce filled her bedchamber. The squeaking of the rolling tray accompanied it. It grew closer and stopped. Sicuro disappeared and reappeared a moment later, holding a metal tray with an entire rack of glazed ribs. Steam still wisped off its perfectly cooked meat.

"Pork ribs," He smiled. "Freshly harvested before grilled. Lathered with your favorite sauce."

Akyryss could be a child sometimes, and more often than not, he had to coax her with food. When she was mad, sweet drinks could lul her into a more gentle state. When she was down, she would devour sweet ribs. When she was frustrated, chocolate from the tropical regions of the island. But this...? He didn't know. He hoped he could lul her out of her bedchambers with it.

The entire palace was worried about their dragon ruler. She had walked through the entire teary-eyed. This had never happened before, but they all saw it. And like when she wanted to be alone, she stole all the curtains in her chambers and fashioned a hammock before the maids could pull out her real hammock. But no one believed she should be alone right now. Not when they didn't know why this was happening.

Akyryss glanced at the ribs for a moment, then shook her head without a word. She continued to sniffle in her makeshift hammock. Sicuro was lost then. What could he do? The island needed its ruler now more than ever. He had already made the necessary decisions, but no one would follow him for long. Word was already spreading of what state the White One was in. If this continued, the island would tear itself apart.

This mythical being was the only thing that held them all together.

"Akyryss," Sicuro said without any honorifics to provoke a reaction.

Nothing.

"You have to do something," Sicuro said softer. "At least tell us what is wrong..."

She looked up at him, with... Pleading eyes. He was starstruck by just how perfect she looked, and how dangerous this was. This was not the Akyryss he knew. She had never looked at him with that look. And he had to snap her out of this.

"Please tell us what we can do to help you," Sicuro said. "Please. The island cannot live without you. We are all waiting for you."

"What do you do when the person you love is hurting?" Akyryss whispered loud enough for only Sicuro to hear.

The man didn't know how to answer that.

"May I refer this question to someone with this experience...?" It took effort for Sicuro not to sigh.

This was just too much for him. A broken heart, really? The island had ground to a standstill because its ruler had a broken heart? The dragon looked at him, mulling it over before nodding.

"Chalia," Sicuro leaned back and beckoned for the elf maid. "I require your assistance."