Chapter 44: Fiona Rumbledore
--Chapter 44--
Title>> Fiona Rumbledore
The silence between them lingered for several long seconds. Or at least it felt like it.
Even as Xavier’s eyes remained on Fiona in an attempt to see through her answer, he found that terribly difficult.
After a short while, she finally replied his attempt.
"No."
Her tone was neither hostile nor was it dismissive.
But it drained all the blood from Xavier’s face immediately.
’No? Was that the only word in her vocabulary?’
There was a finality to her words that actually had him worried about his plans.
And even before he could respond. "Wh--"
She turned without any explanation and continued toward the heart of the village.
The escorts immediately fell back into formation around her. Blocking any opening he could get.
Xavier’s hands curled into a fist, his expression slowly returning to normal as he watched her leave.
His eyes remained glued on her back and wings as best as he could.
And from the deep black streaks that kept spreading like an infection around the base of her wings.
He subconsciously agreed that it was by no means an ordinary injury. Whatever had found its way into her wings hadn’t merely wounded her.
It was still changing her.
’No wonder...’ he thought. His fingers loosened from the fist, as he looked at his open palm.
’Would restore actually work?’
His focus shifted from his open palm again, he tilted his head upwards to see her.
However, Fiona had already disappeared beyond a bend in the winding path, even as the rest of the escorts dispersed alongside her.
All that was left from the procession were two male guards with leather armor and steel helmets. That were stationed outside the alcove.
’They must be kidding if they think this could ho--’
Xavier’s thoughts were mid completion when something streaked overhead like a bullet.
It was definitely small but its speed was near unmatched even for Xavier
Little more than a blur, it crossed the canopy above rustling the leaves softly.
Xavier would have thought he was seeing things from hunger and exhaustion if it wasn’t for one of the guards that instinctively looked up.
"...Miss Skylar," the guard said with a mix of excitement and relief.
The second guard followed the movement across the trees, the tension in his shoulders easing ever so slightly.
Xavier raised his eyes toward the canopy as well. But whatever this miss Skylar was?
It was already gone.
***
After having a final talk with some of the procession team.
Fiona decided it was time to get some alone time.
Truth was... The dragon had already taken enough of her attention already. She didn’t have anymore to give.
After a few orders to the village guards to keep searching if they are any more intruders. Fiona turned to leave.
She was barely five steps into her exit when a small pale hand grabbed her wrist.
Fiona slowly turned and it was the pregnant fairy warrior, Freya.
Her brows were arched up even as she locked eyes with Fiona, her expression hid a faint trace of worry.
Worry that her voice couldn’t hide as decently as her eyes did.
"Are you sure, you are going to be okay?" She asked in a low, and motherly tone.
"I’ll be fine," Fiona answered without hesitation, holding back a wince under her breath as a piercing pain raced up the arm that was grabbed by Freya and straight into her wings.
Freya noticed the subtle reaction and relieved her hold. But before her mouth opened to speak again...
Fiona spoke first ... "My magic would handle it with time. Trust me Freya."
"I trust you," Freya responded without stuttering.
"I just need you to trust us more darling..." Freya added, kissing Fiona’s knuckles.
With a small nod, Fiona pulled her hand away and bowed to Freya slightly. "I will, Master."
The tiniest crease of relief appeared on Freya’s forehead as she let finally allowed Fiona leave.
Without another word, Fiona quietly separated herself from the rest of the warriors.
After all, they had protected this village long before she became Chief. Watching over one outsider wasn’t beyond them.
Instead, Fiona took a narrow inner path that wound between the older tree homes toward her own residence.
Her pace remained calm and consistent for a few more seconds until she disappeared from the view of the others.
And only then, did her right leg have a different opinion to what she showed.
Barely two steps after the tree line hid her from the rest of the village, her knee turned to noodles and suddenly weakened beneath her.
Her hand shot out toward the nearest wall, fingers digging hard into the rough bark before she could lose her balance completely.
"..."
She remained still in silence, one hand against the living wall with her forehead lowered slightly.
’Breathe... Fiona, Breathe..!’
She spoke inwardly, doing her best to keep her breathing controlled.
And it seemed to be working until a wave of pain like tiny piercing thorns moved through her wing down to the side of her body in a paralytic surge.
"Fuck..." The word barely escaped her lips as she fell on one knee.
It had been three days. Three dreadful mornings of waking up believing this pain had finally stopped spreading.
Believing the Village’s best potions had dealt with the corruption.
But every evening the corruption kept proving her wrong without fail. It kept shoving the lies she told everyone and herself, back in her face.
After the rush of agony depleted, Fiona slowly rose from her knee and pushed herself away from the tree. She straightened up once again and continued moving.
The pain didn’t go away but Fiona gritted her teeth and simply chose to walk with it.
Soon enough, the largest residence in the village came into view.
In the presence of waving Children, Fiona straightened further with a wince and waved back at the giggling kids as she reached her door.
Finding her way inside, she stepped across the doorway that still wasn’t tall enough for her.
Because of that, Fiona lowered her head as she stepped inside.
’Are this doors shrinking or am I getting taller...?’ She thought.
Entering the house, the door closed softly behind her as she settled into the silence. For once that day, nobody needed their Chief.
And as such, she was quick to relieve herself of that weight, Fiona took off the belt of her sheathed sword first, placing it on the side of a wooden chair.
Then she worked through the armour. The left pauldron came off first, then the chest piece followed behind as well.
The leather bindings beneath followed soon after until only the back plate remained.
With a quiet breath, Fiona undid the final clasp of the plate slowly till it slipped free. And her left wing slowly unfolded behind her.
Her eyes lit up in silent suffering as her fingers slowly withdrew from the infected wing.
Fiona had gently pressed two fingers against the edge of the affected tissue to inspect it.
But each time she tried, only pain answered her instantly.
"..."
She hated to admit it but the dragon had been right. And if she continued avoiding her reality, she was unsure what would happen to her people.
That reality scared her more than anything else.
Especially now, with a dragon inside the village. An occurrence that had never happened for as long as the village existed.
Yet...it wasn’t just the fact that he smelt like a dragon that was the problem.
It was the fact that his bloodline still felt different.
It felt broken. As if someone had stitched multiple pieces of different things together to form one creature.
But even stranger, beneath all those fractures, her powers allowed her sense something else.
Something she’d told no one. Because it would send everyone into the panic she was trying desperately to avoid.
Fiona quietly closed her eyes. The corruption had been spreading for days.
She couldn’t rule out the possibility that it had begun affecting her own judgement and appraisal ability.
’But a young dragon like that, with an Aspect...?’
’That was beyond Ridiculous.’
But as much as that was unexpected.
She knew, she could endure the corruption that plagued her.
But
She wasn’t certain her village could endure what was coming without her at full strength.
--End of Chapter--