"I still don't know if this is a good idea Orynn," Aoife said as they made their way through the caverns.
"No? Well I don't see any other alternative for making you understand the point that I'm trying to get across." He replied flatly.
"Are you sure that she won't be angry?" Aoife half whispered, her stomach coiling in upon itself as they neared their destination.
"I'm sure. If anything, she'll be glad of the company. Nothing beats an unexpected visit when you're alone all day."
She pursed her lips at his last comment, thinking that perhaps there was a good reason that she was alone all day.
"But…"
"No 'but's'. It's the simplest way for you to get all of your questions answered about both Lexi and the nature of dragons." Orynn interrupted her quickly before she could think up any more excuses as to why this would not be a good idea, "My mother knew Lexi when she was a child, before they were bonded."
"So Lexi grew up here?" Aoife frowned slightly and with a sigh, Orynn stopped short and turned to her with an exasperated expression.
"I wish that I could give you all of your memories back so that you would already know the answers to these questions, Aoife, but I can't. Perhaps my mother may also have some insight as to how we can go about restoring them all because all of this is far beyond my own experience level."
Aoife lowered her eyes and nodded sadly.
"I'm sorry."
"What? Why?" Orynn blinked in surprise.
"For you being landed with me to babysit." She mumbled, "I hate this…how I am. I feel so helpless."
"None of this was your fault and if anything, I am glad that one of Lexi's friends is here to help me free her from this situation that she never wanted in the first place." He answered sincerely, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Come on, we're almost there."
Aoife felt rather than heard the deep rumbling that surrounded them the deeper that they went into the maze of tunnels and when they finally reached an enormous door that Orynn approached without hesitation, she found that her feet refused to move any further forward.
She watched as he moved the colossal doors that looked like they weighed an impossible amount and swallowed nervously. Just how dangerous did the creature have to be to be held behind a door like that?
"Orynn…" She began, licking her lips nervously and finding that her mouth had dried up suddenly.
"Aoife...it's fine, I promise you." He murmured into her mind as a soothing sort of trill emanated from his throat, "She knows we're here."
She sucked in a breath and tried her best to calm her heart that hammered violently in her chest, and finally, began to move her feet towards the entrance.
She was not prepared however, for the sight that greeted her when the entryway gave way to the Cavern beyond, with the single largest solitary figure of an enormous, almost ethereally beautiful dragon curled around itself in the center.
It watched her curiously, its eyes filled with an intensity like none that she had ever witnessed before and all of a sudden Aoife seemed to know in her very soul that this dragon at least, was not capable of the acts that history had told her.
"My son tells me that he can speak to your mind, young one."
Aoife stiffened as a voice intruded into her head and the dragon's eyes blinked at her slowly. The action itself reminded her of her mother's cat when it wanted to put you at ease, but the thought seemed absurd for a moment until she really considered it.
Sure, a cat could lull you into a false sense of security, present its belly and then latch onto you like a wailing banshee for daring to ruffle the fluff, but it could not decapitate you with a single swipe of its paw. Aoife was absolutely certain that the same rules of wariness that you would apply to an unfamiliar cat, should also apply to something as impossibly large and enchanting as this dragon before her…no matter how much you wanted to run your hands over their shiny fur, or in this case, scales.
"I…I mean..yeah. We discovered it by accident though…" She stammered, her voice shaking slightly.
A deep rumble emanated from the dragon's chest as it shifted slightly, the noise of the chains raking across the floor setting Aoife's teeth on edge.
"You will find that things like this are rarely a coincidence." She said as she beckoned her closer, "I am unaware if Orynn has introduced me to you yet, but I am Bella, soulbound to Lexi as her protector."
For a few seconds, Aoife was at a loss for words as she tried desperately to think of the appropriate way to respond to an introduction from a dragon. After an awkward silence that seemed to extend forever, she swore internally at herself and plastered a grin on her face.
"I'm sorry, things have been a little overwhelming recently," She began whilst privately realizing that this was probably the understatement of the century, "It's a pleasure to meet you though."
Bella chuckled again.
"Yes, Eromaug does have a way of ripping your life away from you and turning it into something that benefits him, doesn't he?"
Aoife nodded numbly.
"I don't know the extent of what happened to bring me here, but considering that most of my memories seem to be missing, it must have been something pretty big."
"Again, if Eromaug is involved, it most likely was," Bella snarled, her dislike of Eromaug abundantly clear, "As for your missing memories, I might be able to help. Would you like me to take a look?"
"A look? Inside my head?!" Aoife squeaked despite her best efforts not to.
"I can assure you that having me poking around in there is far more likely to give you a positive result than whatever Eromaug did." Bella answered with a flick of her claws, "I cannot guarantee I can fix whatever has happened to you, but I may be able to give you some insight as to how to go about fixing things yourself."