“What say you?” Victoria had appeared as if by magic and stared at them arrogantly. Disgust littered her features. Before she could start in on them anymore, Keristrazly, newly transformed back into his red-tinged Half skin, stopped her.

“Be not angry Victoria. They have long since decided to fight Void. I fear that they were momentarily swayed by his minion’s sorcery.” Keristrazly chided.

“It is… embarrassing.” Queen Hermania finally admitted. “We have all of us sworn blood oath to stand to the end. A tithe, as he has offered, is unacceptable. Yet I fear, for a moment, even I considered…” She looked up, horror on her face. The obvious embarrassment and shame of what she had considered made her beautiful features twist in an awful way.

King Marden nodded. “Most unbecoming of myself as well. I do not know how you stood against that aura, Queen of the Half, nor you, Empress of Elysium.”

Victoria’s gaze softened. “Yes, I suppose if it had not been for friend Aidan I might have been taken aback as well.”

“Me?” Aidan arched a brow and deigned to look surprised. “I haven’t done much.”

“That’s true. Usually your crazy is pulling the caboose.” Amelia admitted, then immediately adopted an innocent expression when he began to glare. “What?”

“Twas he who showed me his illusion of what my people would look like after Void visited death upon them.” Victoria said gravely. “Most terrifying.”

“Ah. I guess that happened.” Aidan said after a moment of unrepentant reflection.

“Yes, I am also under the impression that he orchestrated it to enrage me.” Victoria’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes?” Aidan didn’t look sorry, or even worried at his position situated directly underneath Victoria’s glower. In fact, his smirk was starting to pull from amused straight into belligerent. He started to speak but Amelia cut him off, knowing that if he kept on he’d just start poking at Victoria. She thought, really, he couldn’t help himself sometimes. The last thing she needed was the still worked up Queen killing Aidan right in front of her or something. Though knowing her luck, Aidan would have incited the other heroes at that point and a full battle would be underway. Like the other hard to kill species, Aidan would likely still be standing at the end. Laughing that laugh. Then Amelia would have to kill him herself.

Amelia blinked a few times, waking herself from her delusions. It might have been because she was just thinking about crazy things, but there was the tiniest hint of mischief in her eyes as she focused on the red Half.

“Still. Keristrazly. You have changed.” Amelia walked up to him and put her hand just above his head, flat, and measured it out to her waist. “You’re, well, tiny -- and adorable.”

“I do not believe we have been introduced.” Keristrazly breathed steam through his nose at her, his dark obsidian pupils focused on her for a moment through his smokey golden eyes and turned into slits. He didn’t look pleased that she had called him adorable. “Have a care for your words human. I am told you are quite delicious.”

Amelia snorted loudly at him, and then moved her hand over his head again and gave his short dark hair a rough raking with her fingernails. Underneath her fingers, his hair felt hard and unyielding even though it moved slightly, like very fine steel down. Shock rode through his expression. He was not the only one that seemed surprised by the motion. Marden and Hermania stirred uncomfortably, taking a half-step back. They had just witnessed him morph into a dragon and thwomp Mourning, after all. Victoria let out a short nasally laugh.

“I think friend Amelia already has your measure and believes your threat not at all.” Victoria mused quietly. She had snuck in a bit close herself and looked a little jealous as Amelia continued to stroke the hair, smirking at the rage that was playing itself across Keri’s face.

“I PURSUE STRENGTH. I AM THE-” He began crossly.

“Nicest, kindest, laziest dragon of them all. We are already great friends in the future. Don’t spoil my impression of you. You even let me ride you whenever I want. When you are not too busy napping in the early morning sun and letting children climb you. You always have that little teeny tiny smirk as they climb. Sometimes you snort very convincingly and grumble at them. They all shriek and run, but return before long. You love it.” Amelia said glibly, lying through her teeth about the flying at least.

Suspicion immediately appeared in Keristrazly’s eyes. He had talked to Victoria apparently at some point and couldn’t immediately refute her claim. Instead, he chose to sulk, moving to stand closer to Victoria as he shrugged away from her hand. Absolutely adorable was all Amelia could think.

“Future?” King Oresdin prompted gently, hoping to steer the conversation from inciting a dragon battle.

“Yes. I’m from the future. Technically your descendants will all bow down to me. But like I said, let’s not complicate our relationship. No bowing necessary.” Amelia turned a cold gaze on him, and this time he did not laugh. A mirthless and uncertain smile played across his features. “Mourning was a little stronger than I remember. Yes, Aidan?”

“Yes, but he didn’t have a visage army and he wasn’t prepared for her, friend Victoria.” Aidan graced the Half queen with a smile and she stiffened slightly, moving the tiniest bit closer to Keristrazly. Amelia couldn’t say she blamed Victoria. There was something about Aidan that defied logic and if you were standing too close to him and didn’t know him very well you might think he was dangerous.

“You have fought him before?” Hermania blurted out.

“Well, yes, Keristrazly and I defeated him atop the mountain.” Amelia turned and pointed to the mountain that overlooked Blutonsi. “He was overseeing a large pitched battle.”

Before anyone else could start exploding into questions, Aidan asked her, “how does it make sense that he is working for Void?”

“Well,” Amelia pondered that herself. “I suppose when this expedition defeated Void, or at least repelled him, he decided that it was possible to fight Void. His insanity can be somewhat explained if you think about his army.”

“Eh?” Aidan looked surprised.

“Well the Visage were all undead correct? So his life steal ability wouldn’t have worked on them. It’s… a simple strategy if you don’t have moral compunctions about saving the population.” Amelia said after some thought.

“You are turning into quite the monster.” Aidan said softly.

“Hmm?” Amelia blinked, feeling a little hurt.

“No, it’s a good thing. It’s just weird that you can empathize to that extent.” Aidan allowed.

“Understanding people is my thing,” Amelia said slowly, unsure as to why he was criticizing.

“I’m not criticizing.” He said gently, once again giving her the peevish thought that he could peer right into her brain. “But… Mourning isn’t people.”

“C’mon Aidan. Everyone is people.” Amelia turned and headed back into the tent, leaving the startled Transient and the Residents behind her to slowly filter in after.

“When did you start doing the Empress thing so well?” Aidan complained. “Mutineer. Not that I’m complaining. New cunning and confident Amelia is a huge turn on.”