Edge continued sobbing for a good five minutes before he squeaked as he was shaken roughly. Were he still human, he could suffer serious internal bleeding. "Come on, Edge, pull it together! I can't feel any other hydra in the castle, but the dragons are still -here- and we need to be prepared for anything! You know I... I can't protect you as well as the others might, so you need to snap out of it!" Between sniffles, the king prodded, "How are you so sure? That there are dragons in the castle?!?"
"...Because I just finished mating with one, until he ran off on me. Without me... baiting him he'll raise hell. And I don't know... I can feel others in here, but we're alone. Edge, you can still fight, right?" Charon asked slowly. Edge was... not okay, and it was taking everything he had just to keep his stutter in check. He needed to give his king the support he needed.... Even then, he was scared. The past thousand years or so, Edge had always been unstable, but he could fight, and that was important.
Charon recalled fondly, that their king wasn't... always... a monster. Charon had been with him through thick and thin, but he didn't even know what could have caused such a massive change in is heart. Maybe dying too much takes it's toll. After all, Edge never even got to grow up, really. As Charon stroked the seemingly younger boy's hair, he wondered how any council of dragons could kill a 'savior' when he was this young.
It was why Edge never got any older, because he was killed when he was in such a young form. His king had told him the story of his friendship with dragon kind, and it wasn't a fairy tale. Edge... Charon held him closely as he sobbed, quietly now, brokenly. And Charon thought he had it bad. Even now, he could remember... what it was like to comfort others, when he was still a water dragon.
When the oceans were still clear, they had a term for dragons who turned the water ugly. They were called 'bastards'. Water dragons exiled them from their colonies, not wanting to have such a thing around their beautiful kingdom. Well, kingdoms. The water dragons spread themselves out like a parasite, and had underwater habitats everywhere in the ocean.
Charon had bright blue eyes and Navy blue hair back then. Even in his humanoid form, he had gills on his neck. He was a warrior, though in their language it was translated to 'kiramme' or protector. A prodigy, they called him, not for his ability to fight or be strong, but because he was skilled... at sleeping with others. Based on appearances, he was quite a prize. It was how he could get everything he wanted in life.
And then one day, he made a mistake. On the battlefield, he was captured by a 'bastard' one of the dirtied ones. But instead of getting killed, Charon managed to mate with the stranger instead, buying his life. But when he got back, his skin was tainted blue with the blood of his comrades, and as I'd the bastard had cursed him, they would not wash out. So he was exiled as well, until he met Edge drowning himself in the waters of his beach, and saved him... That was how Charon... how he became one of the first hydra. Beelzebub, of course, was the first after Edge.
Violet eyes perked up as Edge shurgged off his robe and threw off his crown, leaving him in a hoodie and sweats he must have just put on an hour ago. "I can't be king, Charon... I need to... get out of here, they're gonna get me, and in this state I..." With a cry, Edge clutched his sternum. "I can feel it... my... my heart, it's..." With a resounding cry that was haunting but frightening in the same time, Edge willed his soul to be strong. Then, staring up at the confused and scared Charon, bit his lip and...
...kissed the other passionately. Bewildered by his King's behavior, but not wanting t get him mad, Charon happily returned the kiss. Eventually Edge came up for air. He was broken still, Charon could see it in his tears. "Come on, don't cry over that... dragon. Sure, some are pretty hot, but yours was okay at best. Plus, he's not even strong, so why bother? Trust me on this, Edgey, you'll feel better. Just be careful... a broken heart IS the only way we can die." The smaller boy nodded slowly, as if he had forgotten. But the pain in his chest... that was gone.
"We have to go."
"Go? B-But you just came back!"
"We're no match for the dragons. I can't fight, and if they're still in the castle then..." Charon nodded, then frowned at Edge's fully human form. "Are we going to fly, or..,"
"Uh... carry me?" He pointed out like it was obvious. Only his king...
"But Edge, I thought you said you were going to break the rocks that our allies are trapped in." Edge's eyes got wide and he drew back.
"I... I did? I... I can't remember anything..." Charon 'tsked' and put his king on his lap. "Ah, Edge, that's why you have me. Now come on, we're gong somewhere we can't be cornered."
"The ballroom?"
"Uh-huh. Hey you remember the castle!"
"N-No, I... just kinda guessed." The boy admitted.
Gritting her teeth at Ferrum's unsatisfactory response, Terra inched closer and closer, going to close the gap between them and dish out a few blows. That is, into, Anemoli came, and she was calmed. But only slightly. "Ferrum, do not think for one second you will ever be redeemed in my eyes. Ah, what is it you said to Relin? 'You may fight alongside us, but you are a traitor in our eyes?' You should be ashamed." She spat, evidently angry when Relin came.
Terra was silent, wanting to hear everything before she made a choice. Relin was willing to kill the father of his sons. She couldn't take the chance of swaying him now, but even then... something felt wrong. She could hear him crying like a lost child, and from the key the sound resonated from, she could tell it was real. She was about to say something, when the hydra, who seemed to be somewhere above them, started yelling and they could make out words.
"Ow! What the hell, Edge?!?"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"
"Why would you do that?! I thought... Aaaah! I thought we were friends!"
"Leave me the fuck alone! I don't know you!"
"Edge, you're being stupid!"
"Hyaaah!"
"Ngggh... Edge, please, just tell me what you want... ugh! Tell me... tell me what you want and I'll give it to you... I'll search the whole world, walk for eons... you... you know that, right? I-I'd do anything..."
"I don't fucking know!!"
"Augh! Nn... It's alright, I'm.... no, can't die here... it'll take... days.... Edge, you... you'll die, without me, so just... just heal me, okay? Just... just..." With another battlecry followed by a scream, Terra heard the flapping of wings and then the king grunt in what must have been pain as something knocked t the floor.
"He... He is insane... I almost feel sorry for that other hydra. Such loyalty, even in the darkest of places."
"Sleipnir , I don't know where that is." The hybrid looked at Leo. "I... can't remember. Sleipnir ? I don't know how to find it or anything...." Skykark whispered, knowing that he couldn't take care of his brother.