Aria couldn’t feel her arms. 

The flash of light hurt her eyes, even though it was hers to command and control. The surging flames of cloying smoke and shadow broke under the weight of her Trait, scattering to every corner of the crumbling ballroom. But still, the chaos of Trait continued to grow.

“Run!”

Aria didn’t hear where the shout came from, backing away from the countless clusters of people desperately trying to assist where they could despite the swarming shadows daring to inch ever closer. Batting the shadows away with another blast of Light Trait, she didn’t notice her mistake until it was too late.

“Throneholder!”

The familiar roar of her dragon made her heart leap, but one wrong step made the ground collapse beneath them. Her Light Trait had broken what little support the collapsing foundations had. Aria desperately clung onto what little balance she had, her eyes being drawn to the very person responsible for all this distraction. Commanding the shadows, kneeling in the middle of the chaos, was Rider.

“Lady Throneholder. She’s awake.”

Aria blinked. 

Groaning at the sudden interruption of her dream, Aria gingerly awoke from her cocoon of warmth and attempted to ignore her aching limbs. Caught between a slumbering dragon and an entangled blanket wasn’t exactly ideal, but as she gave her Oathed a sharp nudge, he woke with a yelp and clumsily flopped away from her. Freeing her from his grip, the behemoth snuggled back into the blankets and growled.

“Ethros. Hurry up.”

Aria watched in awe as her Oathed gave a bestial yawn, stretching and resizing with ease even as his bones cracked painfully to give way to a much more comfortable size. No matter how many times Ethros: the Blinding Light of Opalis shapeshifted she would always be amazed at the ingenuity of dragons.

“Are you done gawking at our guest, Aria or do we have a Regent to go check on?” Ethros mumbled, his claws digging into the soft, white furnishings despite all her attempts to keep it clean.

His voice was as smooth as the steel white scales on his back, flicking his tail rudely at her even as the guard who came to fetch them remained stone faced throughout the entire exchange. Aria vaguely remembered her from the party, her blonde hair still tied immaculately despite being the one stuck serving drinks instead of patrolling the grounds like the rest.

“Must you say it like that, Ethie?”

Aria smiled apologetically at the Excelliars guard, struggling to recall her name but immediately realising the brevity of their situation. Half hoping she didn’t get too drunk and forget the night before, the events of Scholar’s Keep flooded into her mind like a poorly planned nightmare and she dared to look down. 

Still dressed in a half ripped dress from the previous night's disaster, Aria’s embarrassment creeped up slowly even as she remembered why she had been summoned. After three days' of rest, Ixis was finally awake. Which meant Aria could visit. But not looking like this.

“Give us a moment, please. Alone.” She said firmly, covering herself up a little with Ethros’ discarded blanket. 

The female guard gave a curt nod in response, shutting the door behind her. Balling the blanket into a fist she chucked it at Ethros’ head, laughing as he comically collapsed as if struck by a bullet.

“What? I thought you liked her? If I knew you ordered her to your room specifically I would’ve left you alone last night. I know how lonely you get during the rainy season.”

Aria lashed out at her Oathed, dragging herself up and out of the comfort of her bed, currently deconstructed into a makeshift fort, and pelted him with as many pillows she could grab.

“You. Are. An. Arse.”

The dragon cackled at her menacingly, his size letting him weave around the pillows as he became no bigger than an egg and then back to his usual size, darting towards the door in an attempt to open it and tell the unsuspecting guard exactly what she thought of her.

“Oh, Skyla! The Throneholder has changed her mind! Maybe you could both go visit Lady Ixis togeth-“

Ethros’ voice was cut short by a pillow suffocating him.

“Not another word.”

Aria hissed, the Novawraith wriggling under her grasp despite his tricks to get out of it. Her Light Trait surged eagerly but the continuous glare from Aria turned Ethros’ eye rolling into a meekly obedient pet. He nodded. Aria let go.

“Jeez, Ari. I’m just trying to get you to lighten up. Besides, you need to move on. Rider clearly isn’t-“

Aria raised her hand, brandishing the pillow like a sword. Ethros gulped.

“What I mean to say is that I’m worried about you. I know it’s been hard since…you became Throneholder. Your mother and I, we always wanted what was best for you and even though I’m no longer her Agar, I’m still trying to do my best. Maybe…if you can’t reach out to someone like Skyla then your Regent is the next best thing?”

Aria forced herself to ignore her Oathed and busy her mind with getting dressed and burning what was left of her ridiculous outfit, choosing form over functionality any day even as the bitter rains made her chill despite the stifling warmth of the castle within. Pulling on a jumper Aria thought of wearing armour for a show of strength and unity, but before she knew it, she was slumped on the bed, running her hands through her bed head of hair.

Scholar’s Keep was at the furthest point of the Opalian borders, stuck between the river town of Windgraft and the bustling trade city of Willowridge. Aria had tried host in nearest their borders to favour Shuriken who were most against the idea of combining their forces against the army of demons, but instead she had been tricked by the allure of darkness once again. The very Shadow Traited she had once called her Regent.

“I’m so tired, Ethie. I thought preparing this war would distract my mind or focus it solely on the demons like I’m supposed to. But the moment…she arrived it’s like my mind isn’t my own anymore. I don’t know whether it’s just heartbreak or her damnable Shadow Trait but I feel like-“

A loud knock at the door broke her from her thoughts and the well practised smile of a Throneholder returned to greet whoever was on the other side of that door. 

“Forgive me, Throneholder but Lady Quilla is insistent. She won’t wait much longer. If you want to see Lady Ixis now…”

Ethros began to chuckle to himself, Aria rolling her eyes but making sure to give the jittery guard…Skyla a grin. The Throneholder stood proudly, her Oathed doing the same as he jumped and gilded onto her shoulder, gesturing to Skyla to lead the way.

“Then I ain’t fighting a damn Sentinel to do it. Come on, Ari. Let’s go see our Regent.”