Master of Dragons, Part 1 (complete)
Chapter 9

She could hear Elric shift, but she kept still. He would have to see her for what she was now. It was not going to be her shame, she would not allow it to be. A moment later, arms gently wrapped around her. His front hovered above her back; he was being courteous of her wounds. She tried to look at him, but he buried his face into the nook of her neck before she could turn her head. His messy hair tickled her cheek, and his expression hidden from her. It was a familiar feeling, being in his embrace, despite the fact it was only their second time.

What was going through his mind?

He was her best friend. They had been raised together, ate together, trained together. His reaction would be the most raw, and the one that would hurt her.

But she was ready.

"I should have protected you." She blinked at the huskiness of his voice. Then she felt the wetness on her skin, and the slight quiver of his arms.

This was not what she expected.

She could feel the raw dryness behind her eyes, the one where tears wished to gather. But… She had no more tears to shed. That night had changed her. Before she would have cried with him. Before, she would have felt horrified, or embarrassed. But she felt neither. She only felt remorse for his suffering for her sake.

"You are not re-responsible, El." Her voice was low, soothing as she leaned her head against his, but he continued to quiver. "I will make sure it never happens again." She said as she smiled softly. The dragon placed a paw to her leg, and she felt warmth. No, she would never be beaten for being a woman again.

"I am a man, I should have been there to make sure nothing happened to you!" His voice rumbled, obviously distraught.

"No." She spoke as she pulled away, and turned to face him. His eyes were red, and cheeks tear stained. She placed her hands on either of his shoulders. It was a bit awkward, as he was much taller than her. "I am s-strong, El." She tried to reassure him by squeezing his shoulder softly. "I will not let this break me, and you will not feel responsible for..." She paused. "This." His dark eyes roamed over her, but she remained firm.

He nodded.

"Of course, you would handle this…" His tone and laugh was forced, and his expression strained as he looked behind her. Color drained from his face, and she blinked. What…?

She looked behind her. There stood his father, his jaw dropped and eyes wide.

Oh.

He had seen her back.

More importantly, he had seen that she was bare-chested infront of Elric! She gathered her shirt, gaze shifting to Elric, who was blushing heavily and averting his eyes.

Oh, so he did sneak a peek.

She blushed lightly and slipped her shirt on.

"What happened?!" Mr. Finch demanded. He quickly crossed the space between them. Fury, and pain etched itself so deeply, she wondered if it would be permanent.

She looked to Elric, who was now picking at a book, avoiding looking at either of them. Then she looked back to Mr. Finch.

If only she had been part of this family. Her life would have been so different.

But, she wouldn't have had her father. Nor would she have had her little sister.

She forced a small smile, trying to ease Mr. Finch. He stood rigid. "Kain-" She started. In an instant, Mr. Finch was at the door. His name was all he needed. She quickly followed after him. "Mr. F-Finch!" She called, but he continued down the hall towards his study. He continued onward, ignoring her call.

She caught the hem of his sleeve, and he finally stopped. Dark eyes turned to her. The fury was shocking, making her fear, although she knew he would never hurt her. "Verrine?" He questioned quietly, as if forcing himself to speak civilly.

"I..." She paused, her voice cracking. She took a breath, then continued. She would handle this. She had to. She would not leave the Finch's to deal with her problems. "I w-will handle this." She looked down the hall, surprised to see Elric and the dragon close on their tail.

She might as well do it now.

"I will be l-leaving." She announced. Elric froze, eyes wide. Her little dragon continued, and hopped onto her foot. This was when Mr. Finch noticed her, his expression shifting from rage to astonishment. Dark eyes shifted between her and her dragon.

"No-" His hand shadowed his face, the grief hard on his throat. "This cannot be…"

"Yes." Her tone was steady as she looked to Elric. "I will be leaving to The l-land of Moon." Elric stared at her long and hard, and she stared back. "I will get stronger. So st-strong that this will never happen again."

She could see Elric shake his head. Why? "You are making that damned face again." Elric huffed, while offering her a pained smile.

He knew she could not be swayed.

"…. But you are a woman, Verrine." Mr. Finch growled, he had turned to face her. He now looked tired, so tired. "You might not be accepted. I don't want anything else to happen to you." She shuffled as his eyes once again turned to her dragon. "But you won't listen, will you? You have always been stubborn." He placed a hand ontop of her head and smiled, his gaze shifting to his son. "I can offer you one other option." She blinked. What could it be..? Dark eyes fell on her once more. "You can become part of my family, and you can marry Elric."