General Richard Viper

Richard Viper hadn't slept well at all the night before, which really hadn't been any different than the past five years after Nidia was found dead on the floor of his guest room. The room he'd let her use to recover after the attack on her and her sister. After he had lied and told her that her husband had died while trying to save them. After he had confessed his own love for her. To know deep down that her blood was on his hands did not set well with him, and worse than that, he had denied it to the world. He was a liar, and a murderer. With Nidia, everything that had made General Viper a good, honorable man died as well.

Rubbing at his eyes, then massaging his forehead with a single hand, he sat in his study, reviewing another text about the Dragon Stones, the myth that had foolish men risking their lives for a wish. Yes, to have a wish granted would be wonderful. But for grown men to give up what they had left to go after the nearly impossible chance of getting back what they lost made Viper pity their stupidity. He was different. He had nothing left to lose. He was alone. He had no respect among the people. The only thing he had was a long sword that had been passed down from his father. It was the only thing he really cared for anymore. The only thing besides Nidia, of course. Even more so lately he was forced to think of the long gone beauty, thanks to her younger sister Ophelia, who had been bugging him to speak to her about an urgent matter. Not urgent enough, he had told himself over and over again. But even a stubborn man could only take so much pleading from a woman. He had finally agreed to meet with her. This very morning in fact. Although deep down he wished and prayed that the woman wouldn't show.

She had. Looking almost as beautiful as her sister. They had the same eyes, that deep brown that pulled a man in with a single glance, and the same creamy pink tone to her skin, that seemed too fragile, even for a woman. But, Ophelia had a gentleness about her that Nidia hadn't. Nidia was a strong woman, one who could usually hold her own and knew what she wanted. That difference was really the only relief Viper had as Ophelia started to ask him to employ her, telling him that she was homeless and unemployed and in desperate need of a job. But all he could tell himself was every day that Ophelia worked for him, was just another painful reminder of what Nidia had left behind. How he would see her sister's beauty hidden within her every single day. An awkward silence fell between them for a few minutes, and he swallowed, staring at her for a long time before opening his mouth and letting out a deep sighed reply. “You...you look a lot like her. Your sister, I mean...Nidia...”

The last word had escaped his lips with a painful tone, and he quickly reached for his ale, taking a deep swig of the bitter liquid before setting it down and shuffling through some of the papers on his desk. Maps and letters...other junk that he hadn't gone through in some time. The young girl sitting on the other side of the desk hadn't said another word, probably too stunned to come up with something to say, or perhaps processing his words in search of her answer. Viper wasn't sure, and he really didn't care. The woman made him feel uneasy. For her not to hate him was a mystery; he had blamed her for the death of her sister. So guilt combined with staring into the face of the dead woman made his stomach flip with some unpleasant concoction of emotion. A feeling he'd rather never feel again, if such a thing could be helped.

[This chapter was written by a former co-author, Alex Kennedy, who is no longer with Ash and Kiki, and was edited by Ash Skyler and Kiki Rhodes for the purposes of this and future publications.]