Yaicha Through the Looking-Glass
This is a 'how she fell through the mirror' story for my MM character. I included names and descriptions of her family members, so if you don't want to read spoilers, best pass it over!
The sun had set some hours before and the moon was just rising as the royal procession made its way through the front gates. The queen stepped gracefully down from the carriage, and looked up to the line of gargoyles on the roof of the castle, searching for her friend. Catching site of the familiar figure at last, she gave a small wave before taking the offered hand of her husband and walked with him into the castle.
At the very top if the castle one of the statues shifted and moonlight revealed not a gargoyle as first appeared, but rather the figure of a female half-dragon. Yaicha's eyes gazed steadily down at the commotion in the courtyard below but with the wave she was released from her vigil. She stood up and stretched before opening her wings and gliding gently down to the balcony that led into the suite on the top floor of the castle. Her family had lived in this set of rooms for a few years now, despite not being royal themselves. It pays to be friends with the queen.
With a final glance at the moon, Yaicha went inside to the sitting room. Her two youngest daughters had been having a tea party that afternoon and the remains of their feast still sat on the child-sized table by the window. Yaicha popped a little chocolate treat into her mouth as she tidied up the delicate porcelain cups and plates. She smiled to herself as she moved first Avery's wooden sword off the table, being careful to not break the fragile cups, and then pulled Caillean's little bow from the back of her chair. Her twin daughters never ceased to amaze her with their mix of grace and fire.
Placing the weapons in the corner where the children would be sure to find them in the morning, Yaicha moved on to her husband's pile of books. As usual, they were scattered about his favorite chair with apparent reckless abandon. Her own set of magical playing cards was in the center, with a different book on magic on either side. He had been trying for years to determine how they won or lost at her will. "You will never solve the mystery of dragon-spit, my love," she murmured quietly as she gathered them into a pocket. She surveyed the sitting room and decided it was clean enough for the night and padded gently down the hall to the room shared by her oldest three whenever they came to visit.
Pushing open the door gently, her breathe caught in her throat for just as moment as her gaze was caught by two reptilian eyes staring intently at her. She looked back into the face of her most dragon-like child, Gnasher of Foes. He took after his father the most of her oldest three, with his green scales, broad wings, and pointed face. He could not speak in the common tongue, but over the last few years a bond had finally begun to grow between mother and son. She smiled at him and he responded with the highest praise he could, he closed his eyes and settled back into sleep. It had taken years before he could trust their family and friends enough to sleep in the castle.
Yaicha moved into the room, being careful to keep the door from creaking too loudly behind her. She went to the second bed and settled the covers more fully over her second son. Raphael looked the most like her, with green scales and wings, but elven eyes. He shifted in his sleep and a wooden sword fell out his hand. She caught it before it could hit the floor and quietly laughed to herself. So this is who had been teaching Avery to fight again. Yaicha supposed she shouldn't be surprised. There was a special bond between the twins and this brother. He shared their fierceness but was less frightening than Gnasher. Leaning the fake sword against the wall, Yaicha stepped up next to her final child. Susan was the only girl, born of the Green, who had survived. A brief cloud of grief crossed Yaicha's face as she remembered the three children who had chosen to fight against them in the war and had perished with the rest of the Priest's followers. With a visible shake of her head, Yaicha pushed the old sorrow down and gazed lovingly on the face of her oldest girl. Susan was mostly half-elven, though she showed some signs of dragon that separated her from her two half-sisters down the hall. A few green scales glinted gently on the sides of her face and her small, but perfectly functional, wings were tucked tightly against her back as she slept. Yaicha brushed a lock of hair from Susan's face before retreated quietly back into the hall, closely the door behind her.
Snuffing candles as she went, Yaicha continued down the hall until she came to the twin's door. It was open part way and a candle burned steadily in its holder just outside. The girls refused to let her blow it out at night, so she was able to peak in and see her daughters by its light. The bed nearest the door was empty, but Yaicha was not alarmed as she looked to the second bed and found, as expected, both girls crammed onto a single mattress. They hated to be apart and ended up this way every night. Their father had tried to separate them, but they had made such a fuss that no one bothered anymore. The soft light from the candle played gently over their faces, picking out the freckles scattered over little cheeks, and accenting the points of their ears. Yaicha smiled and backed out of the room, going finally to the last door in the hall.
Opening the door she stepped into the master bedroom and looked at the grand four-poster bed where her husband, Journey, was already asleep. She paused by the bed just long enough to bend down and kiss him gently. He kissed her back in his sleep and then smiled and turned over. She shook her head, a matching smile on her lips as she watched her true love and wondered what he was dreaming.
Moving to her side of the bed she was about to undress when she caught a flash of green in the tall mirror standing in the corner. Normally she would have thought it was a reflection of her own scales, but this had been deeper, greener somehow. She walked over to the mirror, hoping to catch site of it again. The mirror was huge, resting in a stand on the floor and raising up taller than she. Journey had brought it to her the week before as an anniversary gift. It was one of the only mirrors in their suite of rooms, as Yaicha had a tendency to break them when her mood was low. The edging was done in swirls and knotwork and there was a rich patina to the metal that indicated it was very old. Journey had found it in an interesting little shop that had recently opened in town and specialized in odd things like griffin heads and manticore tails.
Staring into the mirror she saw at first only her own reflection, wild red hair framing a mostly green, scaly face, and contained only by the brow ridge that began just above her eyes. Just as she was about to give it up for a trick of the light, the mirror seemed to shift and she caught a quick glimpse of a face she had not seen for years. A face belonging to a creature she had both loved and hated more than anyone in this world. The father of her first children. The dragon who had changed her.
Yaicha's voice caught in her throat and she reached unthinkingly towards the mirror. Her eyes widened in shock as her clawed hand seemed to pass through the glass, and she was pulled inexplicably forward. She was able to give only one last cry of "Journey!" and see his reflection sit up and stare at her bewildered before she tumbled forward through the mirror.
The sun had set some hours before and the moon was just rising as the royal procession made its way through the front gates. The queen stepped gracefully down from the carriage, and looked up to the line of gargoyles on the roof of the castle, searching for her friend. Catching site of the familiar figure at last, she gave a small wave before taking the offered hand of her husband and walked with him into the castle.
At the very top if the castle one of the statues shifted and moonlight revealed not a gargoyle as first appeared, but rather the figure of a female half-dragon. Yaicha's eyes gazed steadily down at the commotion in the courtyard below but with the wave she was released from her vigil. She stood up and stretched before opening her wings and gliding gently down to the balcony that led into the suite on the top floor of the castle. Her family had lived in this set of rooms for a few years now, despite not being royal themselves. It pays to be friends with the queen.
With a final glance at the moon, Yaicha went inside to the sitting room. Her two youngest daughters had been having a tea party that afternoon and the remains of their feast still sat on the child-sized table by the window. Yaicha popped a little chocolate treat into her mouth as she tidied up the delicate porcelain cups and plates. She smiled to herself as she moved first Avery's wooden sword off the table, being careful to not break the fragile cups, and then pulled Caillean's little bow from the back of her chair. Her twin daughters never ceased to amaze her with their mix of grace and fire.
Placing the weapons in the corner where the children would be sure to find them in the morning, Yaicha moved on to her husband's pile of books. As usual, they were scattered about his favorite chair with apparent reckless abandon. Her own set of magical playing cards was in the center, with a different book on magic on either side. He had been trying for years to determine how they won or lost at her will. "You will never solve the mystery of dragon-spit, my love," she murmured quietly as she gathered them into a pocket. She surveyed the sitting room and decided it was clean enough for the night and padded gently down the hall to the room shared by her oldest three whenever they came to visit.
Pushing open the door gently, her breathe caught in her throat for just as moment as her gaze was caught by two reptilian eyes staring intently at her. She looked back into the face of her most dragon-like child, Gnasher of Foes. He took after his father the most of her oldest three, with his green scales, broad wings, and pointed face. He could not speak in the common tongue, but over the last few years a bond had finally begun to grow between mother and son. She smiled at him and he responded with the highest praise he could, he closed his eyes and settled back into sleep. It had taken years before he could trust their family and friends enough to sleep in the castle.
Yaicha moved into the room, being careful to keep the door from creaking too loudly behind her. She went to the second bed and settled the covers more fully over her second son. Raphael looked the most like her, with green scales and wings, but elven eyes. He shifted in his sleep and a wooden sword fell out his hand. She caught it before it could hit the floor and quietly laughed to herself. So this is who had been teaching Avery to fight again. Yaicha supposed she shouldn't be surprised. There was a special bond between the twins and this brother. He shared their fierceness but was less frightening than Gnasher. Leaning the fake sword against the wall, Yaicha stepped up next to her final child. Susan was the only girl, born of the Green, who had survived. A brief cloud of grief crossed Yaicha's face as she remembered the three children who had chosen to fight against them in the war and had perished with the rest of the Priest's followers. With a visible shake of her head, Yaicha pushed the old sorrow down and gazed lovingly on the face of her oldest girl. Susan was mostly half-elven, though she showed some signs of dragon that separated her from her two half-sisters down the hall. A few green scales glinted gently on the sides of her face and her small, but perfectly functional, wings were tucked tightly against her back as she slept. Yaicha brushed a lock of hair from Susan's face before retreated quietly back into the hall, closely the door behind her.
Snuffing candles as she went, Yaicha continued down the hall until she came to the twin's door. It was open part way and a candle burned steadily in its holder just outside. The girls refused to let her blow it out at night, so she was able to peak in and see her daughters by its light. The bed nearest the door was empty, but Yaicha was not alarmed as she looked to the second bed and found, as expected, both girls crammed onto a single mattress. They hated to be apart and ended up this way every night. Their father had tried to separate them, but they had made such a fuss that no one bothered anymore. The soft light from the candle played gently over their faces, picking out the freckles scattered over little cheeks, and accenting the points of their ears. Yaicha smiled and backed out of the room, going finally to the last door in the hall.
Opening the door she stepped into the master bedroom and looked at the grand four-poster bed where her husband, Journey, was already asleep. She paused by the bed just long enough to bend down and kiss him gently. He kissed her back in his sleep and then smiled and turned over. She shook her head, a matching smile on her lips as she watched her true love and wondered what he was dreaming.
Moving to her side of the bed she was about to undress when she caught a flash of green in the tall mirror standing in the corner. Normally she would have thought it was a reflection of her own scales, but this had been deeper, greener somehow. She walked over to the mirror, hoping to catch site of it again. The mirror was huge, resting in a stand on the floor and raising up taller than she. Journey had brought it to her the week before as an anniversary gift. It was one of the only mirrors in their suite of rooms, as Yaicha had a tendency to break them when her mood was low. The edging was done in swirls and knotwork and there was a rich patina to the metal that indicated it was very old. Journey had found it in an interesting little shop that had recently opened in town and specialized in odd things like griffin heads and manticore tails.
Staring into the mirror she saw at first only her own reflection, wild red hair framing a mostly green, scaly face, and contained only by the brow ridge that began just above her eyes. Just as she was about to give it up for a trick of the light, the mirror seemed to shift and she caught a quick glimpse of a face she had not seen for years. A face belonging to a creature she had both loved and hated more than anyone in this world. The father of her first children. The dragon who had changed her.
Yaicha's voice caught in her throat and she reached unthinkingly towards the mirror. Her eyes widened in shock as her clawed hand seemed to pass through the glass, and she was pulled inexplicably forward. She was able to give only one last cry of "Journey!" and see his reflection sit up and stare at her bewildered before she tumbled forward through the mirror.