"What is right?" she asked quietly, but with a hint of sarcasm that suggested she thought of Anise as merely a child. "I gave you my rune because I'm curious that you might succeed where my sister had failed -- to return the light, return balance, to a time when the dead were allowed to pass on and greed did not exist."
Anise did not appreciate the tone that the Lady of the Pond took with her. While she had thrown away her title as Princess she had expected some hint of respect from the Spirit as she believed that the Lady had accepted her as the new Lady of Light. She did not back away from the cold presence of the Lady of the Pond. She decided to wait to respond to her as she wanted to be patient and listen to all she had to say.
A cruel smile crawled up her porcelain face. "The Lord of Shadow is accepting of me, now that I'm free. I raise and rush my waters freely in the darkness, but only as long as he allows it. I tolerate his egomaniacal actions, and he leaves me alone. I prefer this to the return of the Dragon you seem to love so dear."
She stared at the Spirit Egg for a moment. She did not step any closer. "There is something you should know, Lady of Light. We the Lords and Ladies of the elements are purposely holding the sun hostage. That will not change unless and until we are certain the Dragon will never return. There is only one thing to which we all agree: the Dragon's return would mean the death of all of us. The Dragon is not she, is not our mother, as you so offensively put it. The Dragon is merely it -- an entity that decided to create life because it was bored. When we became self-aware, when we ceased to obey, the Dragon would have devoured us. We sealed it, with the pirates' assistance. We gave the Lord of Shadow the balance of power so that he might prevent the Dragon from devouring the souls of the dead from beyond its prison."
She lifted her chin and stood calm upon the water. "So, Lady of Light, how do you intend to return the balance of power? Return the sunlight? Shall we sacrifice ourselves for the greater good? Can you assure me the Dragon will not continue its thirst for all-encompassing power?" Her blue eyes narrowed. "Ask it, then, how it gained enough power to bring you here, when it was trapped and weak. Ask the Dragon what it has done in order to summon the Children of the Sun, and you will know why we have done what has been done."
Understanding flashed before her eyes. They were afraid. The dream she had made much more sense. She closed her eyes and nodded. "I see." It was barely a whisper.
She vividly remembered the image of her dream. Of her reaching into another world and eating away at its life energy. She felt the desperation. The pain. The betrayal. The feeling almost felt like her own. Much of the Dragon's feelings felt like they were her own as well. Every time it reacted to the lanterns. Every time she tried something she was incapable of. She had a grounded idea that she had either been imprinted on or by the Dragon and that the two of them were connected by more than just the power they shared. She knew that the Dragon was incapable of lying to her in its current state as its reactions to her environment were to focused and clear. The feelings the Dragon shared with her: the rage, hunger, and reluctance to not kill the Witch.
She reopened her eyes and a light sparkled beneath them. "I need not ask her such a thing." After such a connection with the Dragon through that dream, Anise refused to refer to the Dragon as it. "The Dragon does not lie to me as I feel what she feels. While she speaks to me little we are bonded. You are afraid; I understand that. However, she views of you as her children and your betrayal of her and each other has caused her great distress."
It was at this point where Anise realized just how human the Spirits really were. A small amused smile grew on her face. All this time she had thought that the Spirits were these beings that were inconceivable in nature to humans when in reality they went through growing pains just the same as she did. "You learned to think for yourselves which she hadn't expected, and because of that she overreacted. She overreacted just like my father did when I went through that stage of growth. You rebelled -- with some help -- and then you essentially locked her in the closet and hid the key away. Instead of letting her go to face your punishment you kept her locked in there to fend for herself off of scraps that she had to fight tooth and nail to get. Now that so much time has passed by you're all too scared to face your mother and have a real conversation with her."
Anise paused to let the Lady of the Pond consider and process what she just said. "Now, do you not think that's a bit outrageous? Have you not lived long enough to watch Kith and Pirate grow and learn and develop? The Dragon is furious -- any parent would be -- but she created you, she watched you take your first steps, and she saw you create your first runes. She took time and energy to raise you and care for you. Of course there's going to be growing pains, but do you really think that she would destroy something that she put so much effort into creating? You may not have turned out to be what the Dragon expected, but family is family and that bond can be bent, stretched, and strained but it will never break."
Anise felt something touch her cheek and she raised her hand to feel it only to touch something wet. When had she started crying? Somewhere deep inside, she could feel that she desperately missed her own family. Even though she had decided to throw away her title and live the rest of her life in the forest. She desperately wanted to feel her father's embrace; hear her mother's voice. "Family is something that I likely will never see again. Shouldn't you take the time to talk with yours?"
Anise grabbed the Spirit Egg out of the air with her free hand and extended it out towards the Lady of the Pond. "Come, she missing parts of her, but even then you can still talk with her." She smiled warmly. "Don't be afraid, I promise that I won't let her go too far." She then directed a thought at the Dragon again, I do not know her limits like you might, but please do not maim or cripple your daughter.
