Archive of Our Own ^beta

Few rays of morning glow peaked through the clouds and into the forest-laden swamp below. Even fewer bounced off a rundown wooden cottage deep that lay deep within its heart. The interior was plain and faded, just the bare essentials for living as well as a woven basket resting on the countertop. The walls as well as the floorboards creaked on occasion and were lined with a thin layer of dust. A woman with an arm of green scales from shoulder to fingertip sat at a small table on the far corner of the room. Her eyes were yellow and she wore a purple hood, over her brown shirt and matching long pants. Taking a sip of tea, she let out a content sigh. The month had been quiet, perhaps a bit lonely and repetitive, but relatively peaceful. She was alone now, a single remnant of a long dead race. That was how it should be.

Her blissful silence came to an abrupt end upon a hard knocking on her front door. Blinking, Rue turned towards the source of the noise, pausing for a second to move a strand of her green-tipped black hair back into pace. Closing her eyes as she set down her tea, she stood up and went to investigate.

As the door opened, she was greeted by an all-too familiar pair of scarlet eyes and wavy-voluminous orange hair.

“Oh good, you are here,” she began, adjusting the plate of armour across her chest.  “May I come in, Rue?”

 “What can I do for you, Elenora?” the raven-haired woman stepped aside allowing the taller woman to enter, closing the door behind their long tail.

The draconic woman ignored her for a brief time as she observed the state her friend had been living in.

“About the farewell you gave us,” Elenora began, removing her armour and setting it on the countertop.

“I do not recall giving one,” Rue replied.

“No, you did not,” Elenora faced her. “You said nothing. We’ve been worried for weeks,” she exhaled a long breath. “So please, tell me why, why you are living in the middle of a swamp all alone, Rue?”

“It… was for the best. I do not belong in this world,” Rue avoided meeting the older woman’s gaze.

“The same world that you are responsible for creating,” Elenora raised an eyebrow. “No one stood up to Gherald like you did. Your actions brought about his end.”

Rue shook her head. “It wasn’t me. It was Brynzin’s axe and your flames that ended his reign.”

Elenora shook her head. “Not that,” she took a breath. “Everyone was surviving on their own. Rue, you brought the territories together. You intervened and because of you the dwarves were freed from their greed, the Mother Tree was not burnt down and a terrible Faeland curse was broken. Scintillam also gained the courage to free himself and his people. He was Gherald’s chief enforcer, remember? You inspired change.”

As Elenora summarised these events, Rue could not help her thoughts turning toward that man.

Gherald, the tyrant king, the immortal lord, the God of Territory; he had many names. Centuries ago, a human wielding soul-taking magic assimilated any and all he could touch and rose to power, bringing about an age of darkness. Countless beings of all shapes, sizes, races and genders were extinguished during his reign. Each being he assimilated into himself gifted him with new abilities, ensuring his rise. Now he was buried and the souls he had accumulated were finally allowed to rest.

“Please come back, Rue,” Elenorna broke the silence. “We miss you.”

 “I’m sssorry but I do not belong in thisss world,” Rue scratchily replied, prompting the Dragonkin to take a step forward.

“Would you tell me why?” Elenora asked, concerned. In the past she had been repulsed by the way the younger woman’s voice would change at a moment’s notice. Now it was something she had found oddly charming about the head of the resistance.

“You would not underssstand and I do not wisssh to trouble you,” Rue replied, looking away.

“It’s a bit late for that isn’t it?” The orange-haired woman held the raven-haired’s scaled hand. “Please tell me, Rue. I will listen.”

The gesture for comfort caused Rue to tense as she stumbled to find her words.

“I-I…” the raven-haired woman trailed off.

“It’s okay,” Elenora reassured, rubbing the back of her hand. “Shall we go about this the way I do with Tula and go about this problem step by step? Start at the beginning.”

“I… I jussst,” Rue took a moment to calm herself. “I don’t belong in this world. The rest of my kind, my mother and father, Severam… They were wiped out by Gherald and his forces. I’m all that’s left of the hydra-race. I don’t belong,” Elenora nodded as Rue continued. “I’m the only one who has hydra blood in their veins. I’m like-”

“You are not like him,” Elenora interrupted and silence fell between the pair. “Sorry, continue,” the orange-haired woman murmured.

Rue took a breath. “… I’m like him. We’re both relics of a past era. The Hydra race ends with me. It’s better if I just and disappear like the rest of my kind. The world can move forward into a new era this way, an era where hydra don’t exist,” Rue had come to this decision long ago.

“The moment… we broke into his throne room, I forgot everything we had been fighting for,” she continued with a shaky breath. “I jussst saw a chance for revenge… a chance to kill the man who killed my mother, who killed Ssseveram. Maybe,” she took a breath, “maybe all of this was just for revenge.”

Elenora exhaled, wiping sweat from her brow. “I see,” she took a breath and pondered. “Being honest, I would have felt as you did in that moment. Gherald ruined the lives of countless beings, as did I. You may not have the right mindset in that moment, but I cannot fault you for how you felt. ”

“You’re far too soft on me,” Rue breathed out.

“And you’ve always been soft on me,” Elenora said. “I know everyone else feels the same way.”

“Even so, I cannot go back,” Rue said. “This world has no need for hydras anymore.”

“The world has need for you, Rue. You’re more than just half of hydra,” Elenora said, taking the raven-haired woman’s hand into hers. “You’re Rue Severam, our friend and I- we love you.”

“Am I really more…?” Rue asked, a tear falling down her cheek. Elenora’s words were something she had longed to hear for years. She had been accustomed to being a symbol of resistance, a symbol carrying the struggles of those who had been lost. “The fae think that the remnants of Severam’s soul could be used to jumpstart the hydra race,” she mumbled.

“And that got you thinking about it,” Elenora said and Rue nodded in confirmation. “How long has this been weighing on you?” She asked in a tone usually used by for concerned parents, siblings or even closer.

“…Ever since we left the Faelands a year ago,” Rue answered. She could never resist answering the taller woman when she used that tone. It had become one of her weaknesses.

“Why did you not say something then?” Elenora let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s not easy to talk about, having a soul that could be used to revitalise an entire race of beings… It sounds like something you would hear in the Umbralands,” Rue breathed out.

“Last I checked, the fae are too ‘harmony of nature’ to resort to necromancy,” Elenora let out a soft chuckle and pulled Rue into an embrace. “And you’re right, I don’t understand… but,” she paused to think her next words over. “Rue… what do you want?”

Rue froze for a moment and slowly her arms wrapped around the Dragokin’s shoulders as she returned the embrace. There had seldom been a moment where she could consider her own feelings and desires. She had always been focused on what came next whether it involved fostering relationships between Territory’s leaders or ensuring the care and safety of those under her banner and ensuring all protocols were met.

“I… don’t know,” The raven-haired woman confessed.

“That’s okay,” Elenora comforted her. “Tell me, in this moment, what do you want right now?”

Rue nodded and breathed out as the thought. Gherald’s downfall would have been her first choice, revenge or otherwise, but he was gone now.

“I want… to rest for a while, to not have to worry about leading everyone. Just for a moment,” she breathed out.

“Then… come back home with me,” Elenora said. “You can rest there. You will be amongst friends who care about you.”

“It’s better if I stay here,” Rue would breathe out. “I need to clear my head; I should stay here.”

“You’ve been out here for weeks feeling like this,” Elenora reasoned. “Isolation has not helped you at you. It is a terrible way to live. I know that more than anyone. You showed me that when you found us that day.”

Elenora’s words were true. It had been at least a few years since the day Rue had appeared on her doorstep. In those days she lived as a hermit and single mother with a child brought into this world from a night of temptation. Before then, she was one of Scintillam’s most powerful and most feared mages and worked under the Tyrant King himself. She relished in battle and taking the lives of those who would not fall into line. Countless raids on Scorchland cities earning her the moniker of the ‘Crimson Flame,’ symbolising the destruction and bloodshed she left in her wake. Rue had shown up to her doorstep knowing this. The younger woman was alone and with no armour to protect herself with. To the Dragonkin, that was the half-hydra’s first mistake. Her second, presenting her case, why she visited that day.

Rue was in the midst of building a resistance to unite against the Immortal Tyrant and rid him from this world. When her daughter was born, Elenora’s value and perspective on life began to change and the Crimson Flame vanished from the world. Not wanting to see her daughter brought into a world she tried to leave, Elenora demanded she leave. She had not expected Rue to be stubborn and whilst she did in the end, it was only after seeing her daughter.

As the days continued to pass, Elenora had found herself thinking more and more about their meeting until as if by fate she crossed paths with Rue once more. Considering the world her daughter found herself growing up in, the orange-haired woman joined on the condition that Tula’s safety was guaranteed.

Their relationship was rocky to start with but Elenora proved herself a capable and loyal ally whilst Rue kept her word, even going as far to watch Tula upon a moment’s notice. As the resistance continued to grow, the two women became close as they gathered and rescued others who sought to join them. Rumours did circulate of them sharing sleepless nights together, but neither were ever willing to confirm.

“You gave me a purpose, gave both of us a home and a family to be a part of. You need stability, the same family that you gave us. Please, come home and be with those who care about you.”

“Ele…” Rue trailed off as her voice became scratchy again as she weighed her options. “I ssshouldn’t… I don’t belong in thisss world.”

“If you didn’t belong in this world, Brynzin and his herd would be long dead, Lily and Farren wouldn’t have had such an amazing sister,” Elenora stated. “Tula misses you too. You brought us together, Rue. You gave us hope, you gave us a home. It doesn’t feel right without you.”

“Two fae, a centaur, two dragonkin and a half-hydra,” Rue breathed out, conceding as her arms dropped and she averted her gaze. “What an odd family.”

“Yes, quite an assortment we are,” Elenora would smile and release her embrace. “One that will always care about you and love you, just as you do us.”

Rue was quiet as her gaze fell toward the cabin’s floor whilst the other woman’s words ran through her mind and memories came flooding back. The comradery they shared, the warmth they filled each other’s life with, even the times where they were at each other’s throats. Tears began to fall from her eyes as it dawned on her what it was that she had cut herself off from.

“I-I want to go home,” she sniffled after several moments.

“Then, what are we waiting for?” Elenora said, tilting Rue’s chin upward and giving her a reassuring smile.

Rue sniffled again and wiped her tears as she nodded and the Dragonkin woman stepped back to stretch.

“If I recall, it isLily's turn to cook tonight,”  she said thoughtfully and turned towards the door.

“…. Wonderful… blasssphemousss amountsss of sssugar…” Rue exhaled and gave a dry chuckle. “It still sounds better than the spined eels I have been eating.”

“You and your peculiar food preferences, I swear,” Elenora resisted shaking her head in amusement. “Don’t even think about turning around once we leave your cabin. I will drag you back by force now.”

“Do you think I would?” Rue wiped her last tear away as they stepped outside.

Feeling the damp loose soil beneath her feet, Elenora smiled. “That’s something I have grown to like about you. For better and for worse you always keep your word when you decide to act.”

Rue would follow, closing the door before catching up to Elenora, walking just a few paces behind her “It’s… Valentine.”

“What is?” Elenora turned back to look at her and Rue hesitated before speaking.

“My last name.”