In the Eye of the Beholder

[Calmay]

Balenth followed Axel into the portal. He was slightly uncomfortable about entering th portal, but if Axel did it it had to be safe. When he emerged he instinctively examined the room and saw someone reading a book. He was not told that another person would be in the room. He bowed in greeting and then looked at Axel. "Is this the Sora you mentioned earlier." He was guessing it was Sora since she had already meet Roxiri so she could tell it was not her. He stood there wondering what to do. His clothing was dripping on the ground and starting to form a small puddle. He did not want to sit down in case he started to soak the bed as well. He wondered if there was some sort of clothing available for him in the room.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I picked up a random pair of clothes for Balenth and handed them to him. Sora raised an eyebrow but said nothing for a moment. "Yes, my name is Sora, and this is Riku. By the way Axel, Roxiri said that she left you your dress by the window. Also, I'm heading out for an assassination. " Sora said, Riku cawing at his name. After she was done speaking, she stood up while placing the book back on her bed. Riku flew into the air, onto her shoulder, as she left the room to go kill someone.

I went to the window, picking up my dress. "That was Sora. She's a human assassin and her crow was Riku. Isn't he a pretty bird with his coloring? Most people mistake him for a dove with those white feathers and blue eyes. Oh, and you can change in that bathroom over there. I'll change in here." I said, smiling. Sora wasn't very good with people, but Riku made up for that. He usually cawed at people as if speaking to them.

[Calmay]

Balenth shrugged as Sora left the room. He had no problem if he did not have to introduce himself to her. One less person to remember if they met again. He took the clothing from Axel and made his way into the bathroom. As he took off his clothing it disappeared as if he just released a spell. He grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair dry before putting on a shirt. He then put on the dry shirt and finished changing. He was completely dry. His normal clothing would become summonable when they were dry enough. He should have enchanted more clothing so he would have not had to borrow his current outfit. He leaned against the door waiting to hear from Axel when he could enter the room again. "I'm done changing, just tell me when you are done." He did not want to enter the room and find her still changing. Though it did not mean much to him some people got offended when someone else saw them changing.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I changed slowly, drying myself off with a spare towel by a sink. "I'm done!" I called back, brushing the water out of my hair and taking my earrings out. I put my moon clip into my hair once it was dry enough. "Are you really sure we should see them? I mean, what if they're not in the same town anymore?" Yes, I was trying to get out of it again. I couldn't help it. I hadn't seen them in three years and they were probably either mad or depressed. Probably furious.

[Calmay]

Balenth walked out of the bathroom and looked at Axel. She looked much better dry and in that dress. He smiled at her when she asked the question. It looked like she was really unsure about going to see her parents. "Look at it this way. The longer you wait the harder it will become and the more they will become convinced that you are dead. Some people say that a parent should not outlive their children." He could not force her to go since he had no idea where her parents lived and they were not his parents. He had made it clear that it was Axel's choice and that she had to want to do it. "Plus don't you want to find the answers to you questions. They are the only ones that can tell you want you want to know."

He made his way to Axel. "Very few people move when they have hopes that their child is still alive. They tend to believe since the child spent so much time in that home they could get back to it." He wanted her to be brave and not to have any doubts to her decision, it would just make it harder for her to go through the action.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I nodded, swollowing my feeling of fright. It was best to get this over with. "Okay. Shall we go then?" I asked, feeling my magic spreading warmth through my body. It was trying to comfort me. I smiled nervously, feeling my magic smile back at me. Most people didn't get how it communicated with me, but it was like having a person inside of you. In a nonweird way. Sometimes it even spoke, but it was rare.

You'll be fine a woman's voice said in my mind. It was my magic's voice, one of a young womans. I never knew why it had such a voice though. But it was a comforting, mother voice. But not my mother's voice.

I held an arm out, another portal flashing into existence. It led to the doorstep of my old home. To my parents. And with my eyes closed, I stepped through into the yard of the small house by the ocean.

[Calmay]

Balenth smiled at Axel when she decided to going again. She was indeed a brave child, even he had not the courage to visit his old village, but he was not going to tell her that. He watched her open another portal and walk through it. He started to understand the convenience of these portals and how quickly people could travel. However he still liked travelling by air then this portal. He looked at the house and saw how it was close it was to the ocean. "Your parents have an amazing house. Plenty of people would give anything for such a house near the ocean. Well I guess we should get through this before you have any more second thoughts." He took Axel's hand and started to make his way towards the front door of the house. When he reached the door he stopped and waited to for Axel to knock on the door. He was going to let her to knock on the door. It was after all Axel's house and not his house.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

Before I could think of anything, I knocked on the door loudly. Only a moment later, a woman of thirty or younger opened the door. She had long blond hair with green eyes. She looked Balenth and myself over, a confused look on her face. "Who is it mommy?" A small voice called out from behind the woman. A young girl, with blond hair and grey eyes, stood behind the woman.

"I'm not sure. Are you two lost? The town is just over there." the woman, my mother said. She didn't know who I was. And she had another child. I lowered my head, my bangs covering my face. I felt it heat up, my eyes tearing up. I spun on my heel, ripping my hand from Balenth's, and ran as fast as I could from that house. Just like I had three years ago. And that child was three years of age.

They had replaced me. I continued to run, tears blurring my vision. I felt my tears falling into the wind, my lungs burning. I needed to get away from here. My own mother hadn't even known the face of her own child.

[Calmay]

Balenth could feel the anger rush up from inside. This woman had forgotten her child and hurt Axel. He was going to chase after he but first he was going to deal with the woman. He slammed his hand on the wall showing his anger. He held himself back from doing anything more to the house. "You are a terrible parent. How can you forget your own child. Do you even know how much courage it took Axel to come here and you act like you do not know who she is. You do not deserve to be a parent. I should have never let her come." He held himself back from saying more since there was a child with the woman. He then turned around and started to chase Axel. She had a head start but he had much longer legs.

He was right, he caught up to Axel and grabbed her in a hug. He held her tight making sure she would not run away from him again. "I'm so sorry. I should have never made you come here. I did not expect her to do such a thing." He knew that was all he could do. He would let her cry until she could not cry anymore. The only thing he wanted know was for her to stop crying and he would do anything to make her smile. He was going to stay with her until she smiled again, he knew that she would not be crying if he had not convinced her to come visit her parents.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I tried to rip myself away from whoever was holding me. I wanted to escape. I needed to. I heard screaming, a loud painful noise. It took me a moment to realize that it was coming from me. But I let myself continue to scream, my tears coming quickly. They pelted the ground like the rain had earlier. I felt my magic running chaotic, wanting to comfort me, scream with me, and to scream at my mother all at once.

I continued to scream, but I gave up against whoever held me. I let my body go limp, tears continuing down my face. And, slowly, my screams died down to the sobs that shook my body. I wanted to run but I couldn't get away from the strong arms. I wanted to fight, but I was too tired. And I slowly allowed sleep to take me, not wanting to face whoever held me. A dreamless sleep...

[Calmay]

Balenth held tight as Axel struggled to escape his grasp. She was clearly wanted to get away from him, but he knew that if he let her go she might have done something that she would regret later when she calmed down. Eventually she fell asleep. She picked her up and held her in his arms he needed to take her somewhere to rest. He wondered where to go. He had no idea where to go, he had never been in this village before he could only think of one place to go. Axel's old home. He made his way back to her house making sure to keep her asleep. It was likely that she would not agree with his choice. He walked up to the path and to the house. The door was closed again. This time he knocked on the door. "Open the door. I know you are home." He knew they were home and he was not going to let them get away with what they had done.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

In my sleep, there was only darkness. And though I didn't know it, my mother opened the door. My mother, Karin, quietly opened the door and let Balenth and my sleeping body in. My father, short red hair and grey eyes, narrowed his eyes at us but said nothing. The child wasn't in sight, probably in her room. Then my father spoke up.

"Do not come here any longer. That child is of cursed blood. But Alexa does not have the tainted blood. We tried to hide that girl from the world, away from dragons. Her parents told us to. Her blood is too dirty to remain here." he said, glaring. He streched out a hand and suddenly a portal of light to where we had come from, the inn, and gave me a death glare while I slept.

[Calmay]

Balenth looked at both the parents saying nothing. Why were they being so cold to the child. She had done nothing wrong. She could not help her linage. "Who are you to decide who had tainted blood and who does not." He was surprised when he heard that they were not her parents. "What do you mean her parents? Aren't you her parents?" He had so many questions to ask, but to do so he could not leave yet. He placed Axel down and made his way to the portal and placed his hand on the rim. He forced the the portal to close showing that he was not ready to leave yet. "No one is leaving this room until I have the answer all the questions I have." He then returned to Axel ans sat down letting her head rest on her lap. He was not let her get up yet.

He leaned back on the seat. "We can do this like civilized people, or I can force it out of you. It's all up to you." He was serious about this. If what they said was true and that she was not their child he was not going to hold him get away with hurting her.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

"Of course we aren't her parents. That girl has the blood of a dragon tainting her blood. She is a mutt, not a pureblood. No matter how little of it, she has two different kinds of blood in her. Karin and I are pureblood humans. We are no mutts like her." the man said. Karin stayed quiet, staying by the door.

"I'm sorry, but we have no answers besides those. Axel was given to us by a strange couple a long time ago. Please leave us alone and take her with you." Karin said quietly, not looking at Balenth or me. My breathing was steady. I was still asleep, dried tears on my face.

[Calmay]

Balenth clenched his fist when he heard them say that dragon blood tainted her blood. They had no idea what a blessing it was to have such blood in one's veins. How rare it was for a human to even be loved by a dragon. The only thing that kept him from hurting the man at this moment was that Axel was on his lap. "A mutt. You have to be kidding me. Do you know what it means to have dragon blood in you veins? How many people in the past would do anything to have a child with a dragon? I have no idea what you humans think about the dragons and their offspring, but how dare you be so insensitive to this girl. From what she told me you kept her in the house all the time. Even if she has dragon blood there was no reason to keep her locked up like you did." He could not help himself from holding back, but he was sure he was left to his own devices he would be hurting these people. He still made no effort to get up he had one more question to ask them.

"It might have been eight years ago, but he wanted to know what they looked like. If you answer that I will leave with Axel." He stocked Axel's head. They had some sort of connection. They had the blood of dragons running through their veins, though his was pure dragon while hers was diluted. He looked at the two people not giving an inch, he did not care if they were uncomfortable, they deserved to feel that way.