Fire and Ice

Chapter Fifteen: What’s Missing

Rhem’s mind trailed back to the syrup-coated flat cakes he had devoured yesterday, the combination of its memory and his hunger caused him to salivate. Licking the drool from his chops, he snapped out of his daze and turned to Princess Celestia.

“Is there anything else I could try?”

“We can have a menu brought out for you,” she replied. “Or maybe even have a buffet brought out. We certainly have plenty of dishes for you to choose from.”

“I do not know what good a menu would do. I cannot read,” the young dragon relayed with a smile. “I do know that I want pancakes. Anything else you would recommend with them?”

Princess Celestia blinked with an expression of surprise, not having expected that.

“You… can’t read?

“Well, that’s not a problem. We’ll just bring out the buffet, then!” A smile tipped her lips. “As for the pancakes, I would suggest fruit. We have different kinds of pancakes, too. Blueberry pancakes, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes. We can even mix and match! Blueberry and buttermilk is quite good!”

He licked his jaws again in hungry anticipation as he and the alicorn traversed into the castle and made their way into the dining hall. Ear frills twitching, his attention was stolen at the sound of the clopping of hooves upon the marble floor. Turning his head into their direction, he smiled gently at the nervous servant. This pony’s fear appeared to be at a lesser extent compared to the other servants he came across. As the dragon showed no signs of hostility, the rest of the staff was beginning to settle down in small dosages.

“E-erm… Anything you want, Your Majesty?”

The princess turned to the servant. Gazing him up and down, her smile widened as she felt herself grow hungry again, even after consuming the light breakfast she had earlier.

“Yes, we would like pancakes,” she answered, then turned to Rhem and recalled how much he needed to eat. “Lots and lots of pancakes.”

“Um… Right away, Your Highness.”

The pony dipped his head as a sign of respect and made a full turn back into the kitchen. He even spared Rhem an acknowledging glance before taking his leave, which made the dragon feel even happier.

Rewarding the servant’s glance with a smile, he shifted to the princess, his eyes displaying his satisfaction at receiving attention from the stallion.

“This one actually looked at me.”

“I’ve always noticed the morning crew to be a little more upbeat, compared to the other shifts. I suppose it helps to be a morning pony. Gives you a better appreciation for life and others in general.

“… That, or they’re just beginning to get a bit more used to you,” she admitted, giving a sigh. “It’s too bad you’re not staying. If you were, I would say the rest of the employees would eventually get used to you by the end of the month.” She stretched her wings and folded them back up again. “And possibly after a few years, the rest of the populace.”

Rhem was washed over with bliss to hear that from her. He knew he couldn’t stay, but he was determined to return someday. Perhaps then, the equine people would get used to him then. He would be accepted… He would have a real home…

The Draconian was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the tears of joy dawning in his eyes.

Princess Celestia did not wish for Rhem to leave. He was still a young and idealistic male. Perhaps that sort of bright light she needed to keep her happy, and to help further guide and comfort her without Princess Luna being there for her.

And, in turn, when he inevitably DID go back… she could provide him with the same--a source of inspiration and power. A light in the overwhelming darkness. Though, as she looked into his eyes, she got the feeling she already was.

“Rhem…?” she began, arching an eyebrow upon noticing his tears. “Are you… crying?”

“Huh?” He blinked, tears falling from the corners of his eyes. The wet movement on his cheeks brought him to the realization that he was indeed crying. “Do not tell King Talonblaze. We are not allowed to cry. It is a sign of weakness and we get beaten for it.”

“Don’t worry.” The mare giggled lightly as she shifted closer, leaning in to lap his cheek while levitating a napkin to him. “I won’t tell a single soul.”

Giving him a nuzzle, she moved back to her original position.

Accepting the napkin and wiping one of his eyes, the dragon smiled with a soft purr, a light shade of pink tingeing his cheeks at the touch of the warm tongue.

“Y-you are a wonderful friend… I must be the luckiest dragon that ever lived to have made a friend like you.”

Of course, it was natural for him to say something like that with the life he had led. Dark, cold, hostile, painful, and void of any form of comfort or positive social interaction. It was a miracle all the innocence in him hadn’t been snuffed out of him.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. You know, Rhem, you astonish me. I’m actually really surprised--even after all you’ve been through, you still hold onto your idealism. There have been ponies who have been through much less than you have, but they allowed their hope to be completely crushed.

“You have the strongest sense of character I have ever seen in somepony. Promise me you’ll never lose that.”

Wiping at his other eye, Rhem stared at the mare with a fair amount of surprise.

“I do? … I will try not to lose it.”

He never would have expected her to say anything like that about him. In fact, the strength of his character never really crossed his mind, hence being so occupied with surviving and focusing on his training to strengthen his physical body and mind.

“I don’t think I would have been able to hold onto mine were I in your position,” she admitted, dropping her eyes to the table and staring at her reflection on the polished plate before her. “Banishing Luna was one thing… but to force myself to… to outright kill my own flesh and blood? With my own hooves?

“I… c-ca… I couldn’t do it. Even now, I don’t think I would be able to.” She sighed, returning her gaze to her companion. “Or even follow along with King Talonblaze’s tyranny--at least, not without taking my chances at taking him down first.”

“I remind myself that I would not be able to defeat him on my own… There are too many protecting him.” Suddenly, an idea sparked in his brain, his eyes lighting up. What if he secretly put together a rebellion? No… That wouldn’t work… They would have to have a place to plan in secrecy. No secrets were kept long considering how tight security was in Draconia. “I will think of something.”

“I’m sure you will. You’re a bright dragon.” Smiling, the alicorn reached over to nuzzle him. “You’d have to be to make it to the top of King Talonblaze’s guard at such a young age. I have no doubt in my mind you’ll be able to think of something.”

She leaned back before another waiter emerged from the kitchen, levitating pitchers of milk, juice, and water, the first couple of platters of pancakes already drizzled in a small amount of syrup, along with a dispenser of additional syrup, and bowls of strawberries, blueberries, and sliced bananas.

Another blush bloomed upon his face at the compliment. Nostrils flaring at the strong scent of food approaching, his stomach reminded him of his hunger. Eyeing the tantalizing spread set down upon the table, he began salivating all over again. Before digging in, he addressed the servant and thanked him. Smiling as he responded with a nod, the general opened his jaws wide and proceeded to devour the pancakes right off of one of the platters.

Princess Celestia found herself a bit surprised, yet happy, that the servant stuck around long enough to accept Rhem’s thanks. Heart a bit aflutter, she levitated a stack of three pancakes upon her plate, topped them with strawberries, and cut them apart. Perhaps today would turn out to be an incredibly good day…

Rhem went through stack after stack, having developed a well-defined taste for each kind available. He was especially fond of the blueberry cakes topped with strawberries and bananas. There was absolutely no way he could get through breakfast without a messy face, even if he licked his lips. By the time his hunger had been satisfied, his lips, chin, and nose were sticky with syrup and smeared with bits of all three kinds of available fruit here and there.

For the entire time she calmly ate her breakfast, she watched him eat--only to burst out in giggles at the sight of the dragon’s messy face. With a final chuckle, she magicked another cloth napkin to begin wiping his face off.

“Like a child,” she mused, wondering if she should have wet the napkin first.

The dragon clenched his eyes shut for a few fleeting moments, chuckling in delight as the princess wiped off his face. The fabric only managed to do half of the job, unable to remove the stickiness of the syrup. Opening his eyes, the reptilian licked his lips again.

“That syrup is really sticky.”

“Yes, I know. I should have wet this first…” she sighed, then called out for one of her servants. As a young stallion trotted up, she requested a wet cloth napkin. As the stallion bowed and ran off to fetch one, she reached over to lap up some of the syrup from Rhem’s cheek before the servant returned. Thanking him, she promptly wiped off the dragon’s face off in a more proper fashion.

The napkin, warm from the water it had been soaked in, worked at his scales in circular motions and short hard rubs, leaving nothing behind but a clean hide. Rhem wore a wide grin, chuckling every now and again as Princess Celestia cleaned his face, closing his eyes when the cloth neared them. After it left him, the Draconian gazed upon the royal mare, his fiery yellow-orange orbs glistening.

It was a ridiculous notion: a ruler of an entire country subjecting herself to cleaning off the face of a general--a foreign general, to be exact. He knew King Talonblaze would never do such a thing. None of the dragons in power would--or anyone else in Draconia. Everyone looked out for themselves. This only amplified Princess Celestia’s image in Rhem’s eyes.

It was indeed a silly sight, but the princess of the sun cared not. Rhem was quite young that he may as well been like a child to her. She thought of her ponies as such anyway, even the ones that were elderly in their years. The ponies she considered dear friends were long gone. Even Star Swirl the Bearded, one of the best friends she ever had…

She forced a smile on her face before her train of thought could go any further. It was no use dwelling on the past.

The mare gazed at Rhem with a sort of unfocused, far-off expression.

He brushed the moisture from his face with the back of his scaly hand as he continued to look upon the Equestrian monarch with admiration. He noticed her dazed eyes, realizing them to belong to someone with a wandering mind. He really couldn’t help but wonder what she could possibly be thinking about. He had a few ideas, but decided to ask.

“What is on your mind?”

“Hmmm?” Princess Celestia raised her head a tiny bit, snapping out of her reverie. “… I’m sorry, Rhem. I… had this image of a mother pampering her son… and I just… got to thinking what it would have been like if I ever had a colt.”

“Oh…” Rhem lowered his eyes for a few seconds before returning them to the mare, brimming with sympathy for her. From what he had learned, it took a mate to create a baby, and Princess Celestia didn’t see any point in having one. “You… do not have one because you do not see any reason to have a male due to your immortality… Or is there another reason?”

“No,” she said simply, a twinge of melancholy in her voice. “It’s precisely the same… If I take on any stallion, then whosoever becomes my husband will eventually pass on before me. If I have a child or children… even they will not inherit an eternal life.

“Of course, that’s not to say their lifespans wouldn’t be unusually long. If I were to have a son or daughter with a mortal stallion… I surmise my child would potentially live to see at least a couple hundred years. Possibly even half a millennium. Even so, my child would still…”

She closed her eyes and went silent for a couple of moments.

“It’s hard enough at times with my public. I view them all as my children collectively. You sort of begin to see it that way after a few hundred years.”

“Oh… right… I suppose the odds of the baby inheriting immortality would be slim.”

Rhem frowned as he lowered his vision to the empty platter, his heart aching for Princess Celestia’s predicament.

“Unless you found another immortal male,” he added idly, only half aware of what he actually said.

He had a point, but… there weren’t many immortal males she knew of. There was Tirek and Scorpan, but Tirek was… a monster, and Scorpan was located in his homeland.

Then there’s Discord, but there was nothing appealing about his character, and she couldn’t possibly begin to even think of her enemy as a friend, let alone a mate. The fact he was currently stoned in the most literal fashion further cemented the absurdity of it--even if she were the least bit attracted to him.

Rhem was… cute, she decided after a bit of deliberation. While she could conceive the idea of having a child through him, she had to admit that he was… quite young. Compared to her, he was practically out of diapers.

That left King Talonblaze, and she physically shuddered at the thought of bedding with him.

As a pair of servants exited the kitchen to take the used dishes and Princess Celestia’s leftovers, Rhem nodded his thanks to them and looked to the alicorn.

“Celestia? What is it like for a mother to pamper her child? What usually happens?” he asked, wanting to get a better understanding of the mother-child relationship--a healthy one, to be more accurate.

“Well…” Princess Celestia, glanced off to one of the stained glass windows with a smile. “I don’t personally know myself. I’m not a mother, I never have been. Even though I like to think of my subjects as my children… it’s not the same.

“From my observations of seeing mothers with their foals, I see that mothers provide their children everything they need or want to the best of their ability. A lot of ponies will go to great lengths to provide for their foal’s happiness, sometimes even sacrificing their own desires, even needs, above that of their babies.”

“Oh… That answers my question good enough.” Rhem turned his gaze away, eyes skimming the windows across the dining hall. There was a lot more to life than he had been anticipating. A lot more than he had been missing--that the citizens of Draconia had been missing. “I guess… everyone in Draconia never experienced what it is like to have a mother.”

“No, I suppose not. But, even here it’s not all rainbows and roses. There are a surprising number of children who don’t know what it’s like to have a mother.” Princess Celestia followed Rhem’s gaze to one of the windows. “There are foals in Equestria who don’t know what it’s like to even have parents. Of course, we try to care for them in orphanages across the country, but… still. There are stories of those lost and homeless and without families. It breaks my heart knowing that there are ponies out there like that.”

“At least… they have each other to go to… We are on our own… Everyone in Draconia looks after themselves… They are not allowed to look out for anyone else. King Talonblaze does not want any weaklings to survive…” With a heavy sigh, Rhem returned his gaze to Princess Celestia. “I… am almost tempted not to tell anyone back at home about families. They might feel bad about what they have been missing.”

“That’s up to you,” said Princess Celestia, looking over at him and bringing up a hoof to rest it upon his shoulder. “Though, maybe you should use this information as a sort of… inspiration. Once King Talonblaze is gone, then you can begin pursuing things that were denied to you. You, and the rest of the Draconians… you can abolish King Talonblaze’s cruel laws, start families… and rebuild Draconia into a proper society.”

The dragon smiled softly, his head giving the tiniest of nods.

“Yes. Once King Talonblaze is overthrown… more competent and benevolent dragons will take his place. That should set things right… Then I can come back here.”

Princess Celestia smiled warmly, her eyes shutting halfway.

“… I would like that. I can only hope that it won’t take too long.”

Of course, the immortal alicorn knew it would take years. Decades, even. So long as King Talonblaze was defeated in the end.

“Yes, I am hoping that, too.” The dragon placed his clawed hand upon the mare’s foreleg, as her hoof was still resting upon his shoulder. “I would really like to serve you, Celestia. You are the greatest ruler to ever live.”

“And I would very much like to have you as part of my court,” Princess Celestia replied with a wide grin. “I have to admit. It’s not often I get anypony from foreign lands wishing to swear allegiance to my throne. Allies, yes, but outright fealty? It’s almost unheard of.”

“It is the least I can do for you.” Rhem removed his palm from her leg and pushed himself out of his chair, stretching out his wings after doing so. He was anxious to get started with Princess Celestia’s lessons, but duties came first. “Now, shall we head to morning court?”

“Sounds like a good idea.” She nodded, sliding from her seat. “Some more exposure to the other ponies might help them get used to you.”

The dragon general nodded and delivered a quick nuzzle to her cheek as he allowed her to lead him off.