Selma had insisted that you should go out with her, leaving Pythor to shed in peace.
So you spent the next week purusing Ouroboros, shopping, and generally sightseeing.
You had little money of your own, and most of the shops didn't even accept Ninjago's coin currency. Instead they dealt in the small rectangular pieces of metal that were Serpentine tender.
Which Selma had plenty of.
You felt guilty enough after she bought you a tea and a shawl, but after a high-priced gold necklace, you were wracked with shame that she was spending so much on you.
You tried to politely refuse continued gifts, and she insisted that you tell her what you liked. When you didn't, she started buying anything you even glanced at, so you reverted back to shy requests.
In those days, you'd accumulated a rich wardrobe, complete with flashy jewelry, a new set of pens and papers, a carved box full of perfumes and lotions, and various other trinkets and oddities.
Though you would never admit it, you liked having someone that cared enough to fondle you like that. Selma was the closest thing you had to a mother or grandmother.
She had asked about that to- your family.
It was hard to talk about something you had no idea about.
Her only disappointment in that was- she was already intent on giving Garmadon 'a good ass-kicking' for his absent parenting ideals- and needed to know who else to add to that list.
You finished the day, and night had plunged the palace into a low-lighted quiet, the doors of Skale's chilled room open to the almost equally cold night air. The Hypnobrai General himself was upstairs asleep, Junior and Lloyd outside on the balcony with their legs dangling off above the endless expanse of the city.
You looked down at your empty cup of tea, shrugging the blanket tighter on your shoulders.
"Cold-hearted, Hypnobrai, eh?" the Fangpyre maid smiled teasingly.
Coral, Selma's cousin, on her father's side.
Selma flung a throw pillow at her with a huff, then turned to you, "Do you want another glass of tea, hun?"
You shook your head, "No, no, I really need to get to bed," you yawned.
"What would you like to do tomorrow?" Selma asked, picking up a pillowcase and continuing to stitch the hole in it, "I mean, Pythor will probably be fine then, but there's no telling where he'll be."
Coral finished off a strawberry, then spoke with a slight Fangpyre's accent "You realize shedding only lasts a few days?" she smirked.
"Then why have I been out for almost a week?" you furled your brow.
You caught Selma shaking her head at Coral out of the corner of your eye.
"What are you talking about? Why are you shaking your head?" you looked back and forth.
Coral's face twisted into a wicked grin, "Serpentine go into heat after shedding-"
"Coral," Selma said in warning tone.
You turned bright red, suddenly a lot warmer under the blanket.
Selma rolled her eyes again, "So that awkward exchange brings me back to my original question- what do you want to do tomorrow?"
You yawned again, stretching, "I'll get some sleep and see what happens in the morning," you muttered.
Selma turned, holding the pillowcase up towards the balcony, "See, boys, this is what happens when you play with swords!"
You snickered along with Coral, standing and bidding them farewell.
You excited the room, out into the quiet of the hallway, passing no one but a Venomari patrol as you trekked back to Pythor's room.
The sitting area was lit sparsely by moonlight, and his door was still closed. With a sigh, you walked to your room, walking into the bathroom and dropping your shawl on the laundry bin. You brushed your hair out, and sighed, looking at your reflection.
You went back into the bedchamber, stopping at the foot of your bed, where a box caught your attention.
It was tied with a simple bookstring, a note pinned in the middle, displaying nothing but an elegantly penmanshiped heart with a swooping P underneath.
You grinned, anxiously pulling the string loose. The lamplight jumped off the patterns of the royal violet revealed, a folded garment pressed flat. You pulled it free, and it draped to the floor to reveal its form as a cloak, black and gold markings snaking down the back, and across the shoulder.
You pulled it smoothly across your shoulders, the high collar brushing against your jawbone. The garment had buttons in several places, allowing you to fashion it in different ways around you, and it was smooth and sturdy, like leather, but not quite as stiff. Despite the slight chill of the room, you were completely comfortable wherever it was draped over you.
You paused. It was odd, in a human sense, a bit bizarre, but you thought off all the times you'd read about kings hiring armies just to hunt an Anacondrai for its skin. It's worth was almost incomprehensible- it was better than any armor, and elemental-resistant on top of that. It was only malible for less than a day after coming off the bearer, you had to wonder if Pythor had made this himself.
A rather goofy smile twisted your lips, and unable to help yourself, you walked out of your room, and to his, gently knocking on the door.
"I'm glad to see you're not using the balcony anymore," his voice rumbled from behind the door, mildly groggy.
You took that as an invitation.
He was on his stomach, only one of his eyes visible-head tilted on his pillow. The rest of his tail was coiled immaculately around him so it would fit on his round bed and under his heated blanket.
"Oh, good, it fits you," he chuckled, "I'm horrid when it comes to sewing."
"This is far from 'horrid'," you assured, smiling, "You did wonderfully."
He gave a mutter of appreciation for the comment, his eyes closed again.
You sit down on the edge of his bed, mesmerized as you traced the vibrancy of his new scales. Your cloak was a beautiful color, but it didn't shine with the brilliance that he did now.
"Are you okay now?" you asked quietly.
He nodded against his pillow. His coils shifted and slithered, hooking around your back and pulling you to his torso. He fit his head into the curve of your shoulder, a black-scaled hand on the curve of your hip.
"Tell me if I'm being innapropriate, you're just so wonderfully warm," he murmured sleepily into your shoulder.
"No, no, you're fine," you said, winding your fingers through his hair.
He touched the cloak, "I didn't know if you would find it repulsive in a human sense, either."
"I love it. It's one of the loveliest, most thoughtful things I've ever gotten," you insisted, "Besides, I live with Serpentine, and I've been wearing your skin for a while anyway," you chuckled.
He shook his head, "That's pitiful if that's one of your most appreciated gifts," his tail curled down the shape of your back.
You opened your mouth to respond, but he cut you off with a yawn.
"I apologize for not being an desirable conversation partner, I'm quite exhausted."
"And as much as I would like to stay, I really need to go get a shower," you said, but made no move to get up.
"Nonsense, you can do so in the morning," he pulled you closer to him.
A memory bubbled forth, and you smirked, "What are you going to do- make me?"
He wriggled an eyebrow, "possibly."
You set your chin on his head, smiling as you drunk in the smell of his natural musk.
A wailing alarm jolted you upright, Pythor letting out a groan from between his teeth, "Kyrd."
"What's going on?" you looked about, "What is that?"
Pythor started moving, his tail twisting over the bed, "It sounds to me like the beginning of a migraine," he snapped his overcoat over his from, his fingers winding up the buttons. You followed him closely out of the quarters, pausing with him in the hall.
A Constrictai patrol dashed by, Skalidor and Bruno close behind.
Skalidor paused, wearing nothing but a dark kisk around his waist, showing off the scarred scales of his bare chest.
"What is happening?" Pythor asked over the alarm.
"Alarm originally came from Skale's quarters," Skalidor pointed onwards, then slithered that way, Bruno giving a quick nod and pursuing.
You jumped onto Pythor's tail as he started moving, and he gave you a simple look, then sighed, "Skales, chap, what have you gotten yourself into?"
He caught up to Skalidor effortlessly, the Generals swiftly sliding down the hall to Skale's room.
A mixed group of guards had gathered outside parting to allow your group through.
Skales was already speaking to the Fangpyre twins, "No, I couldn't catcccch what tribe they were from, they jumped out the window with Ssselma closse in tow, maybe she got something. They had legs, that'ssss all I got."
Lizaru and Acidicus entered, and you froze in the malice of Acidcus's glare, the same repulsed look he'd given you the day you danced on the roof with Pythor.
You stepped back off Pythor's tail, but drew a bit closer to him, no one catching Acidicus's enraged sentiment except Lizaru, who gave him an unnoticed slightly concerned expressions.
You looked away from the Venomari. The coffee-table was knocked over, and the remaining dishes upon it were shattered off or askew. Junior and LLoyd sit on the balcony above, legs through the rails, faces pressed to the slats.
"What happened?" Pythor's voice broke you out of your observations.
Skales turned to him, his hair wild and unrestrained by the usual ties that gave it the allusion of a cobra hood, "Sssomeone tried to ssteal my Flangblade. Woke up with a figure bessside my bed, blade in hand. I knocked them over, ssshouted, and they lost their grip on it. Ssselma chased them out the window."
Lizaru glanced around, "Are you not worried about Ssselma?" he asked.
Skales scoffed, blowing a strand of hair out of his face, "I'm more worried for whoever that thief was if she catchesss them. Listen, we've got sseriouss ssecurity issssuess if ssomeone can sssneak into my room undetected and sssnatch a Fangblade."
Pythor stroked his chin thoughtfully, "How did they find the blade?"
Skales shrugged, "It wasss on my nightstand, it wassn't like I thought anyone dangerouss could get acesss to the palace, much lesss my quarterss," he curled his lip, "But here we are."
Fangtom joined the conversation, "No, you're right, whoever it wasss would've had to have acess to the palacccee. And they knew you had a fangblade, which is information only ssshared with the councils," he looked up, his white eyes combining those present, "Which meansss we have a traitor in our midstss."
"Some of the staff could've overheard something," Bruno contributed, "or saw it."
Pythor crossed his arms, "Oh, bloody hell, rumors spread like wildfire in this place. Where would we even begin with the staff? There's a countless number of kitchen and cleaning employees. That doesn't even begin to consider guards, bookkeepers, pilots, drivers, the list is limitless," he pulled his loose hair into a tie, "We cannot assess the problem from that angle, we cannot throw out mass rat poison to trap this pest, we have to go about this precisely."
"Until then, we can't risk the Fangbladessss being sstolen," Skales said, "Some security measssure needs to be taken so that not even the higher powersss can take them without all the Generalss permission."
"Why would sssomeone even try to sssteal them?" Fangdam asked, "They're the sssalvation of the entire Ssserpentine."
"For money perhaps? To disregard their people for greed?" Skalidor mused.
"For leverage on the other tribes," Bruno suggested.
"Anyone that hassss sssomething against the Ssserpentine," Skales shrugged.
"That's a long list," Skalidor rumbled.
All the Generals were glancing at one another, the room growing a bit tense.
The tension exploded.
"Foolsss! Idiotss!" Acidicus hissed suddenly, words exploding out as if he'd been forcing himself to remain silent, "You ask how we'd have ratss- and yet you keep them as petsss!!" he flung a hand at you, then Lloyd on the balcony above.
Pythor's eyes widened, then slit, "I can assure you-"
Acidicus continued as if uninterrupted, "Look at it, a human," he spat the word, "sitting with the Prince of the Hypnobrai as if he'sss actually a child like he!" he spun to face Pythor, "And you! You dancced with something that should quiver at your feet, worssship you as an Anacondrai! She should be nothing more to you besidesss labor or food!" he bared his teeth at you, "She should be groveling on the ground you slither on, never riding you, not wearing Anacondrai skin! Thesse filthy humansss have no respect for the Serpentine unlesss they fear us!"
Pythor's shoulders went rigid as he put himself between you and Acidicus, a long low hiss coming out from his teeth, "You are remarkably far out of line."
Acidicus gave him a look, his confusion morphing to morbid shock, then back again, "No, why so angry? You don't really care about that- that human, right?"
Everyone had frozen, speaking in gazes, unsure what to do.
You instinctively moved closer to Pythor, and his hand found your far arm, pulling you against him.
Acidicus's eyes flared, "No, no," he shook his head, "With who you are? No, don't tell me- that you have some . . ." he gagged, "Affection- for her."
You froze as the black scales on Pythor's hands morphed into claws, "I think you can close your mouth now, Acidicus," his voice was straight, crisp.
Acidicus stepped back, gagged again, "Disgusting, repulsive! Beastiality, from a king!
Pythor paused, the whole room holding their breaths.
"I have more respect for the Serpentine and its leaders than you'll ever apparently have, Acidicus, so shut the kyrd up!" the words tumbled out of your mouth before you could stop them, all in Serpentine.
Acidicus went into a shocked form of appalled rage.
"Take that asshat!" Lloyd screeched from the balcony.
"Kado!" Acidicus whirled and screamed at him.
"What does that even mean?" Lloyd scrunched his nose.
"It's a really bad way to say 'die'" Junior offered in an almost inaudible whisper.
"Feeling's mutual, buddy," Lloyd raised both hands, with middle fingers extended.
"I will not accept such insubordination from animalss!!" Acidicus basically frothed at the mouth.
Lizaru took a step away from him, "Father."
"Everyone, stop," Pythor's voice shocked across the space, the command terrifying the the power of his tone.
Acidicus tilted his head, a smirk twisting his lips, "Now, that. That sssounded like him."
There was a pause of tense silence, broken by a confused but blunt Skalidor, "Him?"
Acidicus's smile grew, his eyes dark under his brow, "I wondered why I'd never heard anything about you. But I sssee why, now that I understand what a pitiful excussse for an Anacondrai you are. Good, keep a ssstraight faccce, hide that rage, that monssster that hides behind that inpassive gaze. Pleassse, do ignore that fire in your blood. I heard what you did in Ssschlange and it only confirmed my suspicionsss. Ah- your lip twitched, how awful it'd be if you ssshowed what you were. I fought in the Ssserpentine War, unlike thessse children around me posing as leadersss. You were like a ghossst of that passst slithering into the council room on the first day. I knew what he looked like. And you're the ssspitting image of his youth," Acidicus finished with a sneer, leaving confusion except for you and Skales.
"You are dismissed from this gathering," Pythor said coolly.
Acidicus chuckled under his breath, "Yesss, you're intimidating, but only half as much as he."
"I have no idea what it is you are babbling about, but you have made it apparent that you are both crazy and insolent," Skalidor cracked his neck, "Your king has given you a command, are you going to follow it, or do I need to show you the way out?"
Acidicus cut his eyes to the Constrictai, then shifted his lip calmly, victoriously, "Wouldn't it be a ssshame if they knew, Pythor?"
Skales gave you a fearful look.
Pythor's eyes slit again, and he spoke, in a level tone, "I am the son of General Arcturus," he looked to each, "But I am not he."
He let the words sink in, the twins shocked, as was Bruno, and Junior. Lloyd looked impressed. Skalidor nodded thoughtfully.
Acidicus sputtered.
He had nothing now, Pythor had defeated him by taking away that leverage.
"You've lossst, you sssenile old bat, shut up already," Skales looked at him.
"Foolsss, forsaking the old waysss! The right waysss!" Acidicus shook his fist in a rather stereotypical way.
"The only one we're forsaking is you," Fangtom barred his teeth, his brother following suit.
"You'll make an enemy out of the entire Venomari!" Acidicus grinned again, thinking he had something, "You'll risssk war if you alienate me!"
Lizaru continued to attempt to distance himself.
The seriousness of his threat was dispersed as Skalidor burst out laughing, "You want war?!"
"I'm not stupid, I'm not the biggest fan of the Constrictai, but I'm never going to try to fight them," Fangtom added, "So you'd have them and the Fangpyre against you."
"Hypnobrai control the airforce. I'll light up your toxic swampsss," Skales turned.
Acidicus just glared.
Selma walked in, a club in hand.
"I couldn't catch them- they jumped off into the lower city! Lost them!" her angry eyes accessed the room, "For Heaven's sake, what's wrong now!?"
"Acidicus flipped his shit and then they roasted him and now he's being a total pussy about it," Lloyd contributed.
"Language- go clean the bathroom!" Selma pointed.
"Come on, it's just getting good in here-"
"Did I hear bathroom and kitchen?" she raised an eyebrow like a sword.
"No," Lloyd sulked, standing and leaving an apologetic Junior still watching.
Pythor brought us back to the issue at hand, "Lizaru is to head the Venomari for the time being, considering that you seem unstable and unfit for the task. You are also restrained to the confines of the palace walls, and cannot attend any formal event till you've issued an apology and explanation for your actions here tonight to me and everyone else here," he crossed his arms behind his back.
Acidicus frowned, "You punish me as if I am a child."
"Appropriate, considering that you are behaving like one," Pythor turned to Lizaru, "Can you handle those terms? If he poses any issue to you, inform me immediately."
Lizaru nodded slowly.
"You are dismissed, Acidicus, but Lizaru can remain if he pleases," Pythor said.
Acidicus stormed out.
Lizaru sighed, "I- I need to speak with him, I think I can calm him down," he said quietly, "He's not alwaysss been that bad about humansss, just after what happened to mother- and the Serpentine Warsss," he shook his head.
"Go on, if need be," Pythor encouraged, "Do what you can, please."
Lizaru nodded, and exited with his head down.
Skalidor frowned, "He has compassion, but he is meek. He cowers in his father's shadow, and that's frightening."
"We can only hope for the best," Pythor's eyes were distant.
"But prepare for the worse," Skales muttered.
Fangtom yawned, "As riveting as all thisss drama is, I'm exhausted. What are we doing with the Fangblades?"
Pythor wound his hair through his hand, "We cannot keep them in the palace anymore, with everything that's happened, that much is certain."
"The Constrictai Treasurey?" Bruno offered, "Not even- uh- Arcturus . . . could breach it."
Skales nodded slowly.
"I don't like putting all faith in one tribe, and I'm not just saying that to be difficult," Fangtom said.
"We need the bladesss sssafe, if even one is destroyed, we're screwed, and the curse that ssseals the tribes can never be broken," Skales said, "The Constrictai are patriotic, and honest, brutal, too, but that means they're not going to let anyone take them."
Skalidor held his head up, "I'll give you my word."
Pythor slithered forward, clasping his arm to the elbow, similar to the Constrictai greeting, "Then do so."
Skalidor cleared his throat, speaking in Serpentine, "I swear on the cold blood under my scales, and on my bones as hard as stone. I swear on the mountains, the sky and the rivers. I swear on the dust and the soil I come from, and someday will return to. I swear on my honor as a Constrictai, that I will protect the Fangblades till they can be returned to Ouroboros to free all my brothers and sisters."
Pythor nodded, and they shook.
Fangtom spoke with a sigh, "I am content for him to have it."
Skales pulled the Fangblade out of his shirt, and handed it over. Skalidor nodded appreciatively.
"I will take this and my blade to Indarra tomorrow in the early morning," he said.
Pythor nodded, then turned to Fangtom and Selma, "The Fangpyre staff adept at keeping an intimate eye on things, have them report to you about anything of interest that occurs with Acidicus."
The two nodded.
Skalidor and Bruno departed, the twins shortly thereafter, closing the door and leaving you alone with the Hypnobrai royal family.
Junior walked down to stand by Selma. Skales leaned on the couch, then looked up, face grim, "tell me- tell me what happened with the master of Amber."
Pythor's face sunk.
Selma grabbed you, ushering Junior along, "We're going to the kitchens."
"Bye," you said softly, hand trailing over Pythor's arm.
"Ta, my love," he said equally quietly.
You three exited, and you paused at the fork in the hallway.
"I'm not really hungry, Selma, I think I'll just go back to the room," you said.
"I'll bring you a coffee or something," she was reserved, Junior shifting awkwardly.
"Sounds good," you nodded, "See you in a sec."
She walked away, talking to Junior about getting candy for Lloyd.
You walked back to Pythor's room in the cold silence.
You went to your room, unbuttoning your cloak and leaving it on your bed. You turned towards the bathroom, intending to wash up while you waited for Selma or Pythor.
You looked up at your reflection in the mirror, halted by the pair of malice-filled yellow eyes reflected back as well
You spun, sucked in a breath to scream, but he slammed a hand over it. Flooded with adrenaline, you swung a leg into his shin, biting down on his hand.
Acidicus spat out a cuss in Serpentine, but did not release you, grabbing your throat and slamming you into the wall behind you as your mouth filled with his blood.
"Filthy, disssgusting human," he hissed, pulling a long thin dagger from his hip, "We'll sssee how pretty Pythor thinksss you are when I'm done with you."
You gave out a muffled scream, frothing blood out of the corners of your mouth.
"And the funniest part, is that you won't remember any of it," he laughed, his fangs pulling out as he opened his mouth, drawing the dagger to your cheek.
You thrashed, trying not to start crying.
You heard the door open in the living area.
"Father?" a voice called tentatively.
Lizaru.
You kicked the wall in a desperate attempt to make noise.
It worked, Lizaru flying into the room.
His face slacked in horror, "Father!?"
Acidicus froze.
You struggled, his grip loosening.
He noticed it, turned, and spat venom out into your eyes and over your face.
You choked out another scream, your vision blurring, and pain wracking your features.
"Father, no, you can't do this," Lizaru moved torwards you slowly, hands out, "Let her go. What is the point of thisss?"
Acidicus gave him a crazed look, "I'll break Arcturus'sss ssson. I'll teach him to crosss me," he looked back at you, his grin twisting over his whole face, "I'll teach them all to crosss me."
Their voices were distorted, flashes of color played around your vision.
Lizaru suddenly lunged at him, the knife twitching and slicing you from jawbone to ear.
Acidicus let go of you, jerked away, and you slumped down the wall, your limbs useless and limp.
The two struggled, rolling across the floor, the knife skittering away from the turmoil. Lizaru stood and Acidicus tackled him, shattering the glass doors of the balcony and catapulting both men outside.
Acidicus went caterwauling into the railing, and there was a pause as he turned and took a long look at the city below, back against the rail.
Odd sounds scratched against your ears.
Where were you again?
You shook your head, turned back to the Venomari.
Lizaru's face twisted, slacked in fear, and the voice that came from him was not one of a grown man, but one of a pleading little boy, "Dad, no. Please no."
Acidicus's eyes swirled, and he leaned back. Lizaru jumped forward, hand outsrectched, and his fingers barely brushed Acidicus's chest as the Genral plummeted from the balcony like a stone.
Lizaru's scream echoed off the walls as Selma came running into the room, grabbing your face, and yelling something incoherently.
Her lips moved, but the sounds were like instruments. She grew wings, and pointed ears.
Who was she?
Who was the blue haired kid that just walked in?
Who was the screaming man?
The kid turned into a tiny dragon, and starting crying out smoke.
Who exactly where you again? You were bleeding, but it was rainbows, so it was okay. You touched it and the fairy woman made you stop.
Ninjas started dancing around the concerned fairy-woman's head. You laughed, this made her start to cry.
How silly.
The screaming man just kept screaming.
Your arms were noodles.
A man with a snake tail pushed past the kid. He was the color of grapes.
He looked like a painting. Beautiful- no matter how distraught his face was when he saw the screaming man, and then you.