Fire and Ice

Chapter Nineteen: A Bond Formed

The guards backed away in sheer, unadulterated horror, the sight of the princess combined with the booming rage in her voice causing them to crouch into submission and quake in their armor. Even the medical staff present were stunned at what their eyes beheld.

Rubbing at the cut he had received, Rhem stared at Princess Celestia, shock piling on top of his previous emotions. He could hardly believe it… He never anticipated that this gentle and compassionate alicorn was capable of such… fury.

She sat there, her mane and tail glowing with flaming heat. The fuel of her wrath was so powerful it was as if she was seething with the full furious force of the sun itself. She heaved several deep breaths as she surveyed all present.

She was met with looks of terror.

The mare turned to face Rhem… pausing at the shock on his face, confused. Her pupils returned--the irises a deep, crimson blood red among a stark white slowly shifted back at the fool who dared to strike her dragon friend.

She was greeted with the image of a cowering stallion guard trembling before her.

Steadily calming down, the fires in her mane and tail went out, the red coloration of her fur bleeding to a more neutral pink. The scarlet of her eyes reverted to the soft magenta upon realizing what happened.

“… W… what have I done…?” she whispered in horror.

The equines were too terrified to even say anything. Rhem, however, broke through his astonishment, needing to comfort her. Lifting himself out of his defensive crouch, he approached her. This time, no one tried to stop him. Gently, he touched his nose to the side of her muzzle.

Princess Celestia lurched away from him at first, trying to drag herself away. Collapsing on the floor due to her injured foreleg, she broke down in hysterical sobs.

She didn’t even seem to be aware of Rhem’s presence--only her words, her promises, had been shattered. All she felt was her own world crumbling down. Her guards, the very ponies she had promised she would never turn against now recoiling from her.

An amplified pang tugged at Rhem as the mare drew away from him. In another attempt to becalm and comfort her, he followed, sitting himself at her side. The sympathetic Draconian lowered his head to hers, nuzzling her and following the gesture with a lick to her cheek. His own pain could wait--he didn’t want her to remain miserable.

The alicorn shivered, suddenly feeling cold. Curling up, she choked and wept openly regarding her actions… As she felt the nuzzle and lick, she lifted her head and turned to her scaly friend.

“… What… what are you doing…?” she rasped. “Aren’t you… terrified of me?”

Rhem shook his head.

“I understand how you are feeling…” he said gently. The dragon leaned in to nuzzle her again. He wanted so much to console her… It hurt him immensely to see her this way. “Trust me… Even other dragons back at home fear me…”

The royal mare blinked in surprise. She hadn’t known this about him. Commiseration coursing through her, she attempted to embrace him, but as she tried to push herself up, she had forgotten about her leg again. Crying out as she put weight on it, she fell onto her stomach a second time.

“Your Majesty!” The doctor intervened, having snapped mostly out of the confines of his fear. “Your leg still needs to be treated!”

Rhem kept his side glued to Princess Celestia’s, refusing to leave her. She needed to have that leg appropriately mended. The mare couldn’t walk with it mangled like that. Who knows? It could possibly start bleeding again.

“Celestia…”

Princess Celestia paused, narrowing her eyes partially at Rhem. Sighing, she turned her attention to the doctor, then dropped her vision to her lacerated leg, which was now folded against her chest. She had considered using magic to try and stabilize it, but the thought of using that much magic after her outburst left her feeling weary. She was already quite drained from both that and what she surmised to be blood loss.

“Very well,” she sighed resignedly, stretching her injured leg out for the doctor.

“I… I do not… want your injury to worsen…”

The Draconian remained in physical contact with her at all times, keeping his side pressed against the opposite side of her leg for the medical staff to resume work. His intentions were soothing--or attempting to be soothing. The remaining equines were astonished the princess was allowing such closeness from the one who had caused her injury.

Rhem, once again, nuzzled her cheek, pushing aside his pain to concentrate on her. He cared so much for her, more than he ever thought was possible… and the look in his eyes conveyed it.

The solar monarch kept her eyes closed, pursing her lips and leaning against Rhem as the doctor and nurses cleaned her leg and applied antibacterial herbs. Thankful for his presence, part of her wished to dismiss the guards medics, but she was afraid she would blow up again. Choking, she resumed silently weeping all over again.

As much as Rhem wanted to let out his own misery, he remained strong for her. His warm tongue brushed the tears off her cheek in gentle strokes, fitting in nuzzles every few rasps. In further effort to comfort the mare, he lifted a foreleg and draped it over her back, his clawed hand slowly smoothing over the far wing.

“You will be all right…” he breathed. “I am here for you…”

The alicorn lifted her head, opening her misting eyes.

“… Thank you, Rhem. You’re sweet.” She shut her eyes again, and not caring who saw, gave him a peck on the side of his face. “… I don’t care what anypony says about you. You are a good dragon. This I believe.”

Now it was the young general’s turn, his eyes pooling as a flood of emotion washed over him. Heaving a couple of times before he got a grip on himself again, he returned the kiss upon her cheek, thinking of it as a consoling gesture. It made him feel warm… Pleasant…

“E-even… after I… I… b-bit you?”

The alicorn princes blushed lightly, giving a single nod.

“Of course. It was an accident, Rhem. If you truly wanted me dead, I wouldn’t be here, would I? In fact, if I had kept a level head and my distance while trying to calm you down… we… wouldn’t have gotten into this situation.” She expelled a deep sigh. “… This is all my fault…”

“No, it is not… You… were just trying to calm me down… You saw something was wrong with me and you wanted to help me…” The dragon’s tears spilled down his cheeks, moved that she cared that much about him. “No one has… ever cared about me before…”

His voice cracked and a sob managed to find its way out of him despite the fact he was holding back.

“I am a princess of Equestria. And I care about all creatures, great OR small… And, everypony deserves… to be loved,” she stated, furling her uninjured foreleg around his shoulders to draw him into a hug. “… And everypony deserves a friend. Besides, even the best of friends fight… It’s what makes them so close when they forgive each other.

“I forgive you.” A smile pulled at the corners of her lips. “I never once blamed you.”

Rhem could hardly believe his ears. She actually forgave him? And she never blamed him? How could this be? No one was ever forgiven in Draconia. Once someone was wronged, a grudge was held until death. The dragon found his emotional dam bursting in a torrent of emotion. Pressing into the embrace, he cried openly to her.

Princess Celestia smiled warmly, rubbing his back with her hoof. Even though he was only nineteen, he held so much emotional baggage for someone as young as he was. He had seen so many horrors and felt so much trauma in many forms in his nineteen years…

Sighing, she suppressed a shudder… Everything that happened recently seemed to be gruesome. First, that poor calf… Now this. She was almost tempted to ask “what next?”.

Sobbing and sniffling, the winged reptile soaked in the comfort the royal equine offered to him. It was incredible that something as simple as an embrace and a few kind words could be so healing.

“… Y-you are… the g-greatest… C-Celestia…”

Wrapping his arm further around her girth, Rhem shuffled closer and held her tighter, nuzzling into her warm fur as he continued to pour out his tormented soul.

“Thank you for your kind words…” Princess Celestia whispered, though she certainly didn’t really believe him at this particular moment. “And don’t be afraid to cry… Let it out. Let it all out…”

Nuzzling him back, she held him close, wincing a bit as the doctor passed the soaked cloth over one of the pinprick wounds. She went silent aside from still whispering comforting words into her friend’s ear from time to time.

Princess Celestia’s angelic voice coaxed the young dragon to release his emotions. All the pain he endured… The tortures inflicted upon his body, mind, soul, and heart that had been stored up all those years were set free in the forms of sobs, whimpers, and tears. The guards and medics were beyond bewildered to witness such a strong creature cry like that… It almost made them feel empathy for him… Almost. He still bit the princess.

Some of the ponies wondered how much pain he had gone through to reduce him into such a pathetic mess. The tone of his voice began to yank at the heartstrings of a select few.

“Everything will be fine, Rhem… Everything will be fine…”

She began to wonder if Blueblade and Red Pommel hadn’t been wrong in suggesting King Talonblaze needed to be captured and confined--especially hearing how powerful Rhem’s sobbing was.

They had a point. King Talonblaze was here… Perhaps, if they gathered their forces, they could descend upon him in the dead of night…

… No, Princess Celestia thought, after a moment. She couldn’t risk it. If they were to fail, they were certain to doom Equestria to war and destruction. She wasn’t certain if she could even bring herself to order the death of another creature, no matter how severe the atrocities were. There had to be a better way.

What were they to do?

Rhem moved in to be as close to her as possible. It was clear to those in the room--or more accurately, those who were familiar with basic psychological behavior--that he needed the physical contact and kind words. By now, the fur in the proximity of his face was drenched in his tears.

One of the nurses who had been paying close attention to their interaction decided to speak up.

“He… has certainly bonded with you, Your Highness…”

Another soft blush bloomed on Princess Celestia’s cheeks.

“… He certainly has, hasn’t he?”

She turned her gaze to him, her eyes clouding over again… She wondered if she was bonding with him, too. Even now it hurt her to see him this pained…

“How does my leg look?” she asked, dropping her eyes to the wounds to notice it had been fully cleaned. She had completely forgotten about it, the pain having dulled from the distraction. Now that she was focusing on it, the pain returned.

“Well… fortunately nothing is broken, but… the punctures are deep. We’ve stopped the bleeding, but we’ll need to stitch you up pretty soon.”

The unicorn stallion nodded at his team to retrieve the supplies needed for stitching.

Rhem sniffled and rubbed at his eyes with his free paw. His normally fiery yellow-orange orbs were red and puffy from the amount of crying he had done. He was also getting a headache. Sobs diminishing to whimpers, he still held on tightly to the alicorn.

“Hm. Yes, he most definitely has developed an attachment,” the single nurse surmised.

“That would explain why I felt my leg was torn…” She let out a chuckle, shaking Rhem lightly in her foreleg. “You got yourself a powerful set of jaws there, son!”

She gave a lighthearted, almost mirthful laugh, smirking at the wild informality she displayed. Although something hit her and she sat there with a blank expression for a second.

Son…

Rhem never had any loving parents. Never had a true role model. Never had… any sort of a maternal figure to look up to. It was with this realization, coupled with the fact that the dragon was clutching onto her not much unlike a child, caused her to gear to this mindset.

He truly was a child. Yes, he was in his teenage years, but he was only nineteen. Dragons lived for thousands of years, and Rhem was immortal, but compared to her, he was still practically a baby!

“… You poor dear…” she crooned, caressing the scales on his back, between his wings. “Are you feeling any better?”

Meeting Princess Celestia’s eyes with a sniffle, a soft smile pulled at his mouth and nodded. Letting it out, along with the comforting he received from her, really did wonders for him. Though… there was one word that threw him off.

Son??

Had he heard right? Did she really call him “son”?

“Um… Celestia? What… what did… you just… call me?” he ventured, eyes wide with hopeful anticipation.

The alicorn smiled.

“I called you ‘son’, there.” She chuckled, supposing it did sound a little out of character for her. “A general term of endearment… but, I almost forgot. You… never actually knew your birth mother, did you.”

It wasn’t really a question as it was a statement.

‘I’ve always wanted a son…’ she mentally mused. ‘A daughter, too. I would have loved several children.’

She suddenly burst into giggles, her eyes partially rolling.

‘I doubt King Talonblaze would be happy with me if I told him I wanted to adopt his general…’ She tried stifling her giggles as she glanced over at the returning medics, who were giving her odd looks. ‘I doubt anypony would be happy with me if I formally made Rhem a Crown Prince to the Equestrian throne!’

The mental imagery of shock on the expressions of noble ponies’ faces nearly sent her rolling.

Rhem just stared, dumbfounded. Slowly, as he comprehended the fact that she had called him “son”, the largest smile that he had ever worn crept onto his visage. In his unrestrained bliss, he leaned in to continuously apply affectionate licks all over the mare’s face.

Princess Celestia burst out into louder giggles--though, not in true mirth, but due to the fact it tickled. She was still a little distraught over the situation, however as she laughed and felt herself relax. Even the dull throbbing in her injured leg began to ebb.

“I… I suppose we’re no longer needed,” one of the still frightened guards spoke up. Without another word, he and the few members of the royal guard exited.

The medics approached Princess Celestia with the needed provisions to stitch up the punctured wounds. Opening a bottle of disinfectant, the needle was sanitized and threaded.

Rhem knew the needle that was going to be stuck into her flesh was to help her, but he eyed it nonetheless, his protective instincts taking over.

“Be careful.”

“Of course we will. We’re not going to deliberately cause our princess harm,” scoffed the doctor.

“I’ll be fine.” She directed a smile at Rhem. “It might sting a little bit, but I’ll live.”

With that, she turned her attention back to her foreleg and the doctor, watching openly and without any fear. She trusted her medical staff completely.

The dragon still had his foreleg wrapped around her and his body pressed against hers. Nuzzling her softly, he observed the doctor work, stitching together the flesh his very own teeth had torn. Though he had been forgiven, he still felt terrible.

“I am sorry for biting you…”

“Things happen, Rhem. I didn’t expect you to react like that. Had I known what was going to happen, I’d have never even considered it.” She turned her head to return the nuzzle. “I would use my healing magic on myself if I didn’t feel too tired.”

“Maybe when you feel more rested…”

Rhem was incredibly grateful to have such an understanding and caring friend. He wanted to do something for her… But what?

Since there were only fang punctures in Princess Celestia’s leg, it didn’t take long to stitch them closed. Once the doctor finished, he and the nurses stepped back to grant the princess and her Draconian companion their space.

“There you are, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Princess Celestia allowed a smile, before turning to Rhem with a heavy sigh. “It’s been a long day. Could you… carry me back to my quarters, Rhem? I’m not sure if I can still walk with my leg in this state.”

She released a yawn.

“Or maybe we can just lay down right here. The floor’s nice and cool.”

Rhem immediately slipped his body underneath hers and lifted her right off the floor.

“I will carry you,” he insisted as he gazed at the pony on his back. “Just give me directions.”

Curling her forelegs around his neck, the mare yawned again and sprawled out and relaxed on his back.

“Head out from here and make the first right. Continue down there until you reach the central hall and make a left. Take another right at the next intersection and go up the stairs until you come upon the landing. My chambers are down the hall, above the courtyard, and in the tower connected by the bridge.”

Exiting the medical wing, the dragon followed Princess Celestia’s directions. As he descended down the halls, climbed stairs, and crossed the bridge, he occasionally glanced back at her to check on her. When he finally reached the door belonging to her private quarters, he pushed it open with his nose and closed it behind him with his tail. He didn’t bother to absorb his surroundings until he was sure the princess was comfortable on her bed. Padding over to the bed, he aligned his body at the edge to enable the mare to easily climb onto it.

“Do you wish for me to stay here with you in case you need me to carry you anywhere? Like… when you need to raise the sun or use your bathroom and such?”

The alicorn had actually drifted off into a light slumber until she heard the massive door to her chambers close. Her eyelids sliding open, she pressed a kiss on the Draconian’s head before crawling off of his back and transferring herself onto her bed.

“I should be okay. I just need a good long nap, and afterwards I should be able to cast a spell to heal my leg… You’re welcome to stay if you want to take a nap yourself.”

Rhem felt a purr vibrating in his throat the instant Princess Celestia kissed him, a warm fondness for her beating within him. After she climbed into bed, he imitated her gesture and kissed her on the cheek. He didn’t know the meaning behind it, or that it could be connected to intimacy or courtship, he just thought it was a simple way to show friendship.

“I think I will stay with you.”

She blushed for the third time, moving over to give Rhem room to join her if he so wished. Spreading her wings out, she stretched out on her stomach and relaxed. There were a number of pillows nearby that could accommodate his size and used to sleep on if he didn’t want to join her at her side.

Rhem was stunned when Princess Celestia made room for him on her bed. She was actually going to allow him to sleep with her on her own bed? Did her kindness have any limits? Taking up on her non-verbal offer, he climbed onto the bed and scooted up to her, wanting to be close to her. Sighing, he rested his head upon the crest of the alicorn’s neck and almost instantly fell asleep.