Part Three: The Assassin

Victory lay in a dark room with taps and clicks of talons in the background. Her body was stiff and unmoving, her mind drifting in and out of consciousness. The last thing she remembered was a mudwing dragging her from her balcony, a skywing fighting to save her, and a sudden rush of water before everything went black.

She couldn't remember how she got where ever she was, or how long she had been here. She only knew that she was alone, trapped in this dark emptiness with no way out. She wanted to cry out, to scream, to tell someone that she was there, but her body wouldn't move, and her voice was gone.

A slow, insistent beeping began to pierce her dreamlike state as she lay there. She felt a sharp pinprick in her arm, followed by a warm, soothing sensation spreading through her body. Slowly, the darkness began to recede, and she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her as she drifted back into the deepest recesses of her mind.

She didn't know how long she had been in this state, but it felt like an eternity. Time had no meaning here, and she was content to drift in and out of consciousness, her mind and body resting and healing. Eventually, she felt a talon touch her arm, and a familiar voice calling her name. She opened her eyes to see Arious standing over her, blurry and fuzzy, looking down at her with concern.

"Victory, can you hear me?" he asked, his voice low and soothing in her ears. She nodded, feeling a faint sense of relief wash over her. She was alive, and she was with someone she trusted.

"Where am I?" she croaked, her voice raspy from lack of use.

Arious smiled, his expression warm and reassuring. "You're in the care of the Seawing's doctors. You've been in a medically induced coma for the past eight days. Don't try to move, Victory. Just rest, and let your body heal."

Victory nodded, closing her eyes once more as she drifted back into the gentle embrace of sleep. She felt safe and protected in Arious's presence, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she felt at peace. 

Her body on the other talon, ached with weakness, her right arm stinging with pain. She let her eyes wander before they widened and her head jerked up, sending pain down her neck and spine. She jolted, Arious swept to her, holding her head in his talons and carefully leading her neck back down to the floor.

"Easy-" He whispered into her ear ", It broke in the fight."

"The fight?" She rasped, cocking her head to the side ", With..."

"With Swampdweller-" Arious confirmed, the corners of his mouth turning sadly ", Victory. He's been arrested."

"Arrested?" She questioned, observing her arm was tightly bandaged in seaweed wraps and layered in clothes she didn't recognize. Herbs and bitters assaulted her nose, and despite the soreness in her arm, she could hardly feel it when she wasn't moving. Her eyes flitted around the room, landing on first Arious, then Archunter, who lay asleep next to Wavetamer.

"Where-" She started to ask, but her head hurt too much ", What happened? Exactly?"

Arious sighed and pressed his snout against hers, nodding. And he told her everything he knew. How Swampdweler had broken her arm, and how he attacked him to protect her. He told her that she had jumped to attack Swampdweller with her broken arm and he slammed her into a wall, only to toss her over the pavilion. Arious explained how he leaped into the water, swimming down to save her because she had stopped breathing.

"You could have died-" His voice cracked, head tilting down to press against her neck ", I failed you."

"No-" She sighed against his horns ", You saved me before I drowned and before he could kill me."

"I could have come sooner-" He whispered.

"I'm glad enough to be alive, Arious-" She leaned against him, wincing in pain ", That's what matters."

"Please," He comforted her, leading her back to a lying position ", You need your rest."

"You look like you haven't slept in days-" She snapped back at him, her tail lashing behind her.

"I've been by your side this whole time-" Arious reached out and brushed a talon against her face "- I know you're not mad at me. You're mad at  Swampdweller, so stop pretending."

He was right.

Victory glared at him anyway, starting to stand and lifting her arm to keep weight off of it. Arious reached out, his wings helping to hold her up, Victory couldn't help leaning into him. She breathed in the smell of his scales and the sea air on his scales.

"Why would he do this?" She whimpered, tears starting to fill her eyes, "Why would he do that to us?"

"I don't know..." Arious whispered back to her "... He was in love with you."

"You don't hurt the ones you love," Victory sobbed into his scales ", Even I know that..."

Arious leaned back, lifting her face with one talon and forcing her to look into his golden eyes.

"You're right-" He spoke sternly "- That's not love. That's obsession."

She nodded.

Victory had been raised in a world that didn't love her unless she was useful to it. Father and stepmother alike, even Swampdweller now, they all were the same in her eyes. Dragons who obsessed over what she could be to them, rather than who she was. She was better than that, better than them.

"I want to see him-" She sniffled, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Victory, no-" Arious tipped his head and brushed his snout against hers "- You don't need to face the monster that hurt you."

"I want to..." She whispered, "...I feel like I need to."

Arious nodded, resting his head on top of hers as he held her. Victory let him hold her, closing her eyes and rubbing the tears away with the tips of her wings. It was all too much for her. Arious wrapped his wings tightly around her, keeping her close to his chest. Victory closed her eyes, letting her self rest for only a moment before glancing up at him.

"Come with me..." She muttered "... To see him. I don't want to be alone."

"You'll never be alone again, my Princess," Arious growled, twining his tail with hers ", Not while I'm around."