The Ice Queen - "Reunited" Ch. 6 (Patreon)

Cassian

Humans always react extremely when faced with what they do not understand. Especially when they are reminded of how inferior they truly are in this world and that there are creatures out there that have more power than they could ever dream of. They’ve spent their entire existence creating weapons and applying science to the world around them, counting out the possibility of our existence. And when the truth is shoved in their faces, they immediately want to destroy the threat to their fragile reality. Now is no different.

As I look at the faces of the doctors who have been in charge of Neytiri’s life for the past few months, I feel irritation. They were a smug bunch when offered this position. Especially when they were warned of the dangers that came with it. But when actually faced with those dangers, some want to turn tail and run while others want to do the only thing you can expect of the humans. They want her dead.

“She’s a monster, Mr. Varus! You don’t understand what we saw… what she did.”

My gaze drifts to the cast that is now wrapped around his broken arm.

“I understand having eccentric tastes, but that- monster is a danger to everyone on this island and possibly the planet!” Another shrieks.

“We can’t just let something like that roam alive, and keep it a secret-”

I rise from my seat, forcing the current complain to stop mid-sentence. My gaze shifts to the doctor that I put in charge; Dr. Washburn. Her wrist is fractured, her ribs cracked, her eye is black and her lip is split. She was closest to Neytiri when she awoke. She’s lucky Neytiri’s first reaction was a physical attack. She has yet to voice her opinion. I remain silent as I study each of them. I know they are intimidated by me. It’s an effect I’ve always had on humans. It’s their natural instinct even if it has been dulled by laziness over the centuries.

Mentally, I remind myself this is a natural reaction. Not only did she injure them seriously, but she also killed one using her power. If not for my own power to counter hers, she could have killed me as well. My body still throbs from the force of her attack. Not only was it a deadly attack, but it was a type of attack I’ve never seen from an Ikniri.

“Who would like to leave my employ?”

I don’t have the time or the patience for these kinds of conversations. Some eyes widen around the room while others visibly sag in relief. I pay each of them a hefty sum to be here. Once they leave my employ they will never see this kind of money again. Nonetheless, the three doctors that I was expecting slowly raise their hands.

“I trust each of you is aware of the stipulations in your contracts. If you breathe a word of anything you saw here, even if it has nothing to do with the woman that attacked you, that will be the last thing you ever breathe to anyone. Am I clear?”

Faces visibly pale as the sound of heart rates rising fills the room.

I gesture to Ulric as I speak.

“You have ten hours to be packed and off the island. Ulric will escort you. I will see the rest of you in the morning for a quick meeting pertaining to your future here. That is all.”

I watch silently as each doctor leaves the room, before looking at Ulric.

“Have each of them tailed the second they leave the island.”

Ulric nods, his expression grim.

“What is it?” I ask. He’s hesitant in responding, so I know that what he has to say is going to be something I won’t like.

“Have you seen a healer for your injuries yet?” he asks.

“Of course not.”

I had given Caius the honor of being the first person she saw when she awoke, but whatever he was saying to her was making things worse and I could feel her mind through the blood oath breaking under the weight of her horror. So, I decided to step in without seeing a healer first.

My wounds are usually quick to heal, especially since I’ve had years to cultivate my own power. But Neytiri’s mind seems to have fractured, unleashing something that even I am unfamiliar with. Once Caius is able, I will get him to go into the Ikniri village and see if the elders know anything. For now, I must proceed very cautiously with her. Her power when she is in that state is deadly.

“Forgive me if I am overstepping, but she is too dangerous to be able to roam freely. She doesn’t even trust you, she could snap at any moment.”

I slowly stand ignoring the screaming pain of my injuries.

“Putting her in chains or wiping her memories will not help. It will only deepen her trauma and put us at greater risk. For now, clear the estate. Only those I authorize will be allowed within for their own safety.”

“Cassian-”

“That isn’t a request, Ulric. Now, go make sure the doctors leave without incident.”

* * * * *

Neytiri

The world as I knew it is gone. I always knew progress would change the world, but I never imagined it would be so drastic as to not include us in its future. The new room I’ve been given doesn’t have a view of the village. It overlooks the massive courtyard of the estate that is now covered in snow. Even the fountains have been frozen over with the chilly exterior. Proof of our existence is everywhere, yet humanity has written us off as legends and myths. The lands we once owned are now being fought over between them and according to Caius the safest place for us is this island.

A light knock sounds at the door pulling my attention from the window. I turn to see Cassian stepping in. He is obviously well-adjusted to this world. The way he maneuvers it contains just as much confidence as he once did in the past. His features are much softer than they were in the past as well. He watches me as if he is genuinely happy to see me.

“I came to check on you before you fell asleep.”

I turn my body to face him completely. Caius may want me to, but I will not let my guard down until I feel that I can trust him. I especially don’t trust him since he is controlling my power now. I slowly sit on the cushion attached to the window as he sits in the cushions across the room, his dark gaze watching me cautiously.

One thing I have noticed is how cautious he seems to be when watching me. Cassian has never feared me. But now he looks at me as if there is something he doesn’t quite understand about me.

“Did you eat well?” he asks.

I nod in response. The food was unlike any I had eaten in the past. But I won’t tell him that. Cassian seems to sense my reluctance, laughing. The sight of his smile reveals the one dimple that sits on his left cheek. It also reminds me of the times I would sneak into his camp as a child. All that time he was looking into the face of his family’s murderer, but never revealed that to me.

“I saw a map today… a new map.”

Cassian’s smile drops as he studies me and I find myself uneasy at his gaze. I’m not used to having his attention without the intent to kill behind it. I slowly bring my knees to my chest, resting my chin atop them.

“The world has changed a lot since your slumber,” he says. A bitter laugh escapes me.

“Changed?” I repeat. Despair washes over me as I speak aloud my feelings.

“We are in hiding. Our lands… our homes… our history are all gone. Why did you let them take it all away?” I ask.

Cassian’s expression softens as he takes me in. He seems to be thinking long and hard about my question.

“What would you have preferred I do? Wage war on the world? Take what I deemed fit and imprison those against me?” he says.

I flinch at the double meaning of his words.

“I had conquered the world after your death. But it all meant nothing. I didn’t plan on being a part of it any longer. I didn’t even have this island in mind at the time. I wanted to escape my own emotions and not have to face what I had done. I wanted the world to heal without me in it.”

It’s hard to associate Cassian’s words with the man I knew him as. Cassian was a tyrant who didn’t care what the aftermath of his actions was as long as the world felt his pain.

Cassian looks up at me, his dark eyes peering into my soul. And I finally see it. The emptiness.

“At the time it seemed like a good idea. But when I went away humanity gained control of weapons and wars brewed amongst themselves. And my own people that I left the lands to couldn’t keep away from each other’s throats long enough to see what was happening around them. By the time I returned, there was nothing left to do but protect what was left.”

I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as Cassian continues.

“They’re a dangerous bunch, Neytiri. They do not think of each other as one race. The world is no longer safe for us because they have gained dangerous magic. Science, they call it. If they catch any of us, they will dissect our bodies to create more powerful weapons than what they have now.”

Cassian stands to kneel in front of me, grasping my hand gently in his. The heat from his palm is uncomfortable though, and I find myself wondering if he lowered his body heat just for this purpose.

“This place was created so we could be safe unconditionally.”

I slowly pull my hand out of his grasp, looking out the window. The snow has begun to fall even harder around us.

“You fear them?” I ask.

Cassian laughs pulling my attention.

“No. But I fear for my kind. And for yours. It’s easier to stay hidden and protect them from the outside world than it is to allow them to live freely in the human world, especially with us looking so different.”

Cassian gestures to the mirror across the room.

“Look at us. We cannot blend in with their society. All it takes is for one of us to be caught, then the rest of us will be hunted down that share those features. They will take those that aren’t within my reach, torture them, and kill them. They’ve done in among themselves for trivial things like skin tone, religion, and race. I wouldn’t put anything past them anymore.”

I watch Cassian trying to hide my confusion. He speaks much differently than he once did, his love for not only his people but my own shining through.

“So… you have no desire to rule over them?”

Cassian chuckles looking back at me.

“Ruling over them would be pointless now. They have democracies, dictatorships, and monarchies of their own. Ruling them now would mean warring against their new world. I don’t care enough about humans to bother with such an endeavor. I only care about our kind. Keeping them safe is my priority and I can do that here.”

The old Cassian would be thinking of ways to not only take back the land but punish humans for setting foot on ours. But this version of him behaves like an actual king, and not the tyrant I came to know all those centuries ago.

Caius was right, he has changed.

“Being alive for so long has given me much to think about. All I care about now is your recovery.”

His words trigger my memories forcing me to think of our final battle. The terror I felt, the pain, the feel of his heated blade piercing my flesh. I flinch when I feel a sharp pain in my head, and the world seems to drown out around me. A weight forms on my chest and it suddenly feels impossible to breathe.

“Neytiri.”

I hear my name looking up into the dark depths of my enemy. Dragonborn. The darkness surrounding the obsidian color of his pupil swallows me whole and the sliver of control I had on the world snaps.