Rose's POV

I wake up drenched in sweat, tears springing to my eyes. I softly cry, gasping out of breath. This is the second week since the attack that I have had nightmares. I am sleeping in my dorm room for the first time since the incident, trying to return myself to a bit of normalcy.

Every time I felt myself spiraling into the depths of my soul, Belvedere was there to bring me back. My oldest companion and my twins have not changed their views of me in the slightest, they still believe me to be a worthy, powerful girl. I feel the opposite.

I can't explain it well, but every time I am approached by someone who I don't know, my mind is brought back to the scene. I have been getting better at not flinching when somebody makes a sudden gesture with their hands, and I have also begun looking people in the eyes again. For the first few days, I felt like I was disgusting, revolting to be looked at. I thought that if I looked into someone's eyes, I would see the same distasteful and perverted look that Emmanuel gave me.

I am so glad that nobody treats me any different. Roman, at first, kept giving me pitiful glances, but after I told him how that made me feel, he spread the word to everyone and now it is like nothing has ever happened. My instructors don't look at me any differently either, in fact, I would say that a few of them are proud.

It took a lot of venting, tears, and tissues to be able to understand that what happened was not my fault. Originally, I had blamed myself for wearing such clothing at a predominantly male school, but Tony reassured me that it was no fault of mine. The golden boys instilled in my head that the 7 were sick in their minds, and fantasized of things that should not have even been thought about.

I soon realized that they were right, it should not have been me changing my clothes or appearance to lessen the revolting thoughts of the group. It should be the seven boys managing and learning how to control their male desires, as well as keeping their hormones in check. Today is the first day I am going to wear an outfit similar to the one I got attacked in, baby steps.

I am slowly healing, it will not be an overnight sort of occurrence. The first night I slept in Belvedere's stable, a few hours after the assault, he told me that I woke up screaming—crying aloud and begging for help.

'It pains us to see you like this.' I remember my dragon telling me. I, of course, apologized profusely. But my companion was very understanding, and told me that he will be with me every step of the way.

I could not have been more thankful to the goddesses for having Belvedere in my life. He, Apollo, and Artemis are the sole reasons I have not crumbled under the weight of the circumstance. The three are my protectors, my saviors. They keep me grounded and remind me of the person I am. Currently, I am a shell of who I once was, but I hope to become that confident girl again.

The boys who attacked me have been removed from the Academy and are banned permanently from ever learning at a magic based school. The Elder's responded to our request very quickly and sent a witch to each of the boys' villages to take away their magic. I don't feel any regret or remorse for the punishment they received.

Although they have already brought shame upon their families for assaulting me, they will be entirely ridiculed and shunned from their respective villages for getting their abilities revoked. I will never allow any of those seven to possibly think, let alone act upon another female in that way again, abusing their ex-goddess given gifts.

Speaking of, Fern has been doing well. I know that she is upset because of losing her rider, but she often times is allowed to roam free during the class periods and fly around the Academy during my dragon training period. I check up on her when I make my way to my own companions, chatting with her for a bit before moving on.

Because I have had the past few days to myself, I have been meditating a lot. Roman facilitates my food intake through Joel, and although it is ridiculous in a way, I am thankful for his concern.

After I caught up to all of the personalized orders at the blacksmith, and filled the group of Chimera's in on what happened, I spent a lot of time with my friends and companions. When I am alone, I grieve and meditate on thoughts of healing and properly overcoming the situation.

I requested to be trained harder in each of my elemental lessons, for reasons that I don't think need explaining. All of my instructors easily complied. In the beginning, I was always sore, now, I am somewhat used to the ache. A perk though is that I am getting even stronger. I attend school, train with some dragons, eat, weight train, meditate, read, work, bathe, sleep, and repeat, all the while spending time with my companions.

I started writing in a journal. It is much like the one I keep for storing any and all information about my remedies, but this one is just for my knowledge. I write down my thoughts and feelings often. I think it is a healthy way to acknowledge what I am feeling without always requiring another presence. When I am alone, I open up my journal and read my past thoughts.

Sometimes I cry at the words I wrote, other times I proudly smile at the evolution of my thoughts. I usually block out my companions when I write down these thoughts, I have to do some of the healing on my own as well in order to close the wound of the event.

I am taken out of my trance when one of my two pagers begins vibrating, glowing ... red? I answer the page of Mr.Gordon and timely make my way to the shop. When I enter, I see Mr.Gordon pacing the shop like a crazed man.

"Rose!" He says in audible relief. "You must follow me!" He says quickly, giving me no time to question him. I follow him to his office, what is usually a clean an organized area is not anymore. Papers are laying on the ground, mugs of coffee I assume are scattered over Mr.Gordon's desk. I notice Mr.Howard slightly smirking at his friend's state, sitting down in an armchair.

"What is the matter?" I question aloud, raising an eyebrow. Mr.Gordon snaps his head to me.

"The matter is that three Magii Community Ambassadors and one Elder has requested a personalized order." He practically shouts at me. I flinch at his tone towards me, obviously noticing that his frustration is clouding his thoughts.

"Why is that such a bad thing?" I ask. I understand why they would request a weapon form our shop, it is fairly known for welding some of the best weapons the Magii Community has yet to see. Although they are extremely high standing members of our community, I do not see the matter.

"It is not a bad thing, in fact, it's wonderful news!" The blacksmith sighs. Now I am especially confused.

"Let him finish." Mr.Howard tells me, noticing my confusion, wearing a knowing look.

"The fact is that they have each requested you to personally weld their orders." He looks me in the eyes. I do not say anything, for I am too shocked to even acknowledge what he said. I know that Mr.Jackson had told a few people about my capabilities as 'Wellington', but I never thought that word would reach members of this much importance. I stumble my way into a spare seat next to Mr.Howard. He clears his throat.

"Look at the four orders Rose, see how much they are trusting your craftsmanship based on a rumor." My combat teacher tells me. I see four papers that look in pristine condition.

I look at the first one, immediately knowing the name. Theodore Declan. He is a talented dual wielder of fire and nature, a master in both of his elements. He was elected to be an Ambassador of the Magii Community due to his wisdom and caring actions for others. I give the order sheet a once over, then do a double take.

Weapon : Elongated Dagger Material(s) : Silver with Gold engravings Personal Design Requests : - I want for the crafter to think of a design that correlates to both of my elements, yet shows a uniqueness to them. :: Ambassador T. Declan - I want a design on the back of the handle that correlates to peace between beings. :: Ambassador T. Declan - I want a surprise design made by the crafter, engraved on the front of the handle. :: Ambassador T. Declan - I want another surprise design made by the crafter, engraved on the tip. :: Ambassador T. Declan Order Total : $1,750

I move onto the second order sheet, another powerful wielder, Benjamin Collins. The Ambassador had the title of youngest elemental master before Mr.Casey took his place. The wielder is extremely talented with his water abilities and mastered both of his sub elements within 2 years. I read over his order form and my eyes bug out of their sockets from a look at the price.

Weapon : Dual Swords Material(s) : Steel with Obsidian engravings Personal Design Request(s) : - I want two separate designs that form into one when the swords are combined. :: Ambassador B. Collins - I want a quote that has to do with family principles on the left sword. :: Ambassador B. Collins - I want a quote that has value and meaning to its words on the right sword. :: Ambassador B. Collins - I want a surprise decided upon by the crafter entirely, located on the handles. :: Ambassador B. Collins Order Total : $3,260

I take a peek at the third order form, the Dragon Riding Ambassador, Kareem Abdul. He is not as powerful as one of the dragon riding masters, but the ambassador is pretty much as close as you can get to that level of power without actually having it. I review his order form.

Weapon : Bow and Arrow with Quiver Material(s) : Burlap with Gold Engravings, Cherry Wood with Engravings Personal Design Requests : - I want a burlap leather quiver large enough to carry 15 arrows. :: Ambassador K. Abdul - I want a long dragon design along the bow, with a regular engraving utensil. :: Ambassador K. Abdul - I want a quiver with one large dragon design and whatever the crafter sees fit, gold detailing. :: Ambassador K. Abdul Order Total : $1,290

I finally look at the fourth order sheet. Elder Alistair Finley. The Elder is ancient but is incredibly powerful, being one of the few people to ever wield three elements. He embodies all but the element of fire. He mastered his air element first, his water element second, and was never able to master the element of nature. He is still extremely powerful with all of his abilities, even for an 80 year old magii user. I nearly faint from the mere sight of the monetary total on this form.

Weapon : Katana Metal(s) : Titanium Personal Design Requests : - I want for the crafter to embody my three elements in his design. :: Elder A. Finley - I want a design that is very similar to a yin and yang, but personalized. This will be between the Kissaki and Yokote. :: Elder A. Finley - I want a quote engraved along the Shinogi in gold. "LIFE can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards." . :: Elder A. Finley - Surprise me with the designs on the Saya. :: Elder A. Finley Order Total : $6,440

"When you gave me this job, I never thought I would end up crafting weapons for some of the top influencers of the magii community." I say wide eyed to my employer.

"That makes two of us." I hear him mutter.

"They included in their personal statements that as for compensation, you are to receive 20% of the profit from each of their respective orders." Mr.Howard buts in. I sit down in the open loveseat once more, a dazed look on my face.

"Rose, I already ran the numbers. The profit-" He gets cut off by me.

"$2,548 for me, $3,185 for the shop, and $7,007 for the Academy." I whisper, already having assessed the situation. Mr.Howard looks at me in utter shock, Mr.Gordon sighs aloud.

"I always forget that you are a super genius when it comes to math. I ought to have you doing the books, less thinking for me." The blacksmith grumbles.

"You are very advanced in mathematics." Mr.Howard states more than questions the obvious. Not knowing how to respond, I just nod my head.

"I'll do it." I say after a moment of silence.

"Thank you." Mr.Gordon sighs in relief. "Not like you really had a choice anyway." He adds with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say old man." I tease, remembering the time a grey streak was found in Mr.Gordon's hair. My boss glares at me, meanwhile Mr.Howard looks confused. I lightly laugh at my employer's childish behavior when he pouts.

"It was one measly time." Mr.Gordon mumbles.

"Is your hearing deteriorating so fast that you don't know whether or not to speak up?" I tease further on. He glares at me again when I laugh heartily.

"When do these orders need to be completed by?" I ask, gathering myself. Mr.Gordon gives me a sympathetic glance.

"A weeks time is when they must be packaged and sent out." Mr.Howard pipes in. I stare at the duo in shock.

"ONE WEEK?!?" I shout. "I need to work on each design, let alone the weapon itself, then the meaning of each drawing. It also has to be perfect on top of that because my work could poorly reflect the Academy if my craftsmanship is not up to par. I must design and think of all of these requirements in a weeks time?! How will I be able to sleep? When will I eat? I can't believe- " The adults wait until I am done with my rant to speak up.

"Good luck." They chirp in unison. I fix them with my stone cold glare and a deadly calm look on my face.

"What?" I grit out. Mr.Gordon looks at me sheepishly and gulps.

"I wish you the best of luck for your new project. You already have the keys to the shop, start working on the orders as fast as you can." He tells me, dismissing me from the room without saying it aloud.

I pick up the four order sheets, grumbling a string of incoherent words and how I better be getting either a raise or a bonus, or better yet, both. I walk to my dorm, grab my sketchbook, and head to the meadow.

I go to the meadow whenever I want to meditate or I just need time to myself. I relax my mind and get to work. Goddess so give me the strength to make it through the week. I can only hope that my nightmares won't interfere with my dwindling sleep schedule.

I have only been sketching some ideas for about 2 hours when I am paged for a second time today. I see a yellow glow coming from my sanctuary pager, alerting me to go to the wetlands enclosure. I grab my sketchbook and quickly walk to the sanctuary. On my way, I get an updated page from the sanctuary, an orange glow. The creature's violent streak is increasing. I sprint the rest of the way to the wetlands enclosure and it is a big fiasco.

I see Mr.Everglade glaring at David, Everett off to the side with a bunch of other sanctuary workers, and Miss Evelyn and Fedir are by the enclosure gates.

"What happened?" I ask.

"The Basilik was getting agitated, so we paged David to calm it down. He did exactly the opposite, riling it up even more." Mr.Everglade speaks up, still glaring at David. I take a look at the Basilik. It has the body of a serpent hybrid of dragon. This particular Basilik is green and is looking at everyone very threateningly.



"Information and progress." I demand. Mr.Everglade shifts his gaze to mine, but I don't take my eyes off of the creature.

"Adult Basilik, more inclined to the water habitat. Brought in after being caught in a fishers net during a storm. Reluctant to trust and was agitated for unknown reasons." He tells me. I nod. I notice that the Basilik does not take her eyes off of David. The boy must have done something that set him off.

"Everyone out." I demand. Miss Evelyn snaps her head to me and begins refuting.

"This Basilik is much like a cobra, meaning that she won't hesitate to spit venom in your eyes if you are close enough. All of our presences are making her more alert and is doing more harm than good. If your name isn't Mr.Everglade or Dylan, leave." I sternly say. She looks reluctant, but Fedir nudges his companion to move away from the enclosure, following the crowd. I give the Zmiulan a thankful nod. When everyone is gone, I ask the inevitable question.

"What did you do?" I ask David. He looks bewildered.

"I didn't do anything." He begins defending, something is up. "I was paged for a purple Basilik. Ever since I have arrived, he has been getting more and more violent." David says. I spot a flaw in his defense.

"You are lying." I bluntly say, giving off no emotion. David looks shocked and slightly off put. "You referred to the Basilik as a male, she is obviously not. Her facial structure and slimness of her body are tell tale signs that she is not a male. This tells me that you didn't bother looking for the details, let alone the information and progress sheet." I tell him my observations. Mr.Everglade's eyes harden at the tamer.

"You didn't read her sheet." The adult sighs. "You would know her past injuries if you did." The adult grits out. David is still shocked at how I called out his bluff. I look at the Basilik and give her a once over. I notice that her abdominal area is slightly larger than it should be.

"How many male Basiliks are in this specific enclosure?" I ask, piecing everything together.

"Three, although one of them is getting treated right now." Mr.Everglade answers me.

"How long ago was this?" I question.

"I would say about 24 minutes ago." He answers me.

"David, how long ago did you get your page?" I ask.

"A-about 20 m-minutes ag-o." He stutters out. I laugh at their stupidity.

"What?" Mr.Everglade asks.

"She is pregnant and the Basilik that is getting treated is the father." I inform. "That is why she was agitated, the father of her babies was being taken away from beings she is weary of." I finish.

The boys look at me shocked. I tell them to leave the enclosure so I can help her. I walk into the enclosure fully, only about a meter away from the Basilik. I sit down and open my sketchbook and continue on with what I was doing previously. I hum a familiar song, softly beginning to sing the words. * Stay With Me - Sam Smith *

Why am I so emotional? No, it's not a good look, gain some self-control And deep down I know this never works But you can lay with me so it doesn't hurt

Oh, won't you stay with me? 'Cause you're all I need This ain't love, it's clear to see But, darling, stay with me

The female Basilik slightly calms down at my tone and non-threatening stance. I continue the song, singing the lyrics of two destined lovers, very relevant to the situation if you ask me.

I decide that I am going to continue singing to her until the father of her babies returns. I continue singing soothing melodies while sketching out some of designs. The creature slithers over to me and stops right in my face. In front of me I don't see a hostile creature, I don't see a threatening Basilik, I see a worried mother of her babies.

I slowly reach out my hand and touch her forehead. She retracts from my touch at first, then returns her forehead to my own skin. I rub over the side of her face, looking at her in sympathy.

"He will come back soon." I say to the creature, referring to her lover. She looks me in my eyes.

"I apologize for David's actions, boys can be so dense sometimes." I lightly laugh to her. She lays down next to my left hand. I continue petting atop of her head, sketching my drawings for the blacksmith. I take a break from my work and skip to a new page in my sketchbook.

I begin drawing the beauty in front of me, making sure not to leave out any details. I finish drawing the detailed sketch of the Basilik and show it to her. She huffs at the image of her, cocking her head slightly.

"Like it?" I ask smiling. She continues laying by my side. "I will take that as a yes. By the way, I will need to name you. If I want to visit you and become the godmother to your babies, I need to call you a name." I tell the creature. She rolls her eyes at my words.

"So you can understand me. Hmmm. How about Seraphina? It means fiery in Latin translation, and you are just a spit ball of personality." I cheekily smile. The Basilik perks up at the name. "My naming skills remain untouched." I boast to the creature.

I continue on with my work while humming until an hour later, when a male Basilik is brought into the enclosure. He is being carried on a lift for heavier creatures. I get up from my position as Seraphina slithers away to her lover. They lower him onto the wetland and he goes into the water.

"Bye Seraphina!" I wave to the Basilik. She lowers her head ever so slightly before following the male into the water. I gather my sketchbook, report my work, and head to the dragon stables. I greet many dragons as I pass by, Fern included, then enter Belvedere's stable. He shifts his position so the I can lay against him.

'Tired?' I ask my companion.

'Very much so. You have no idea the kind of trouble Artemis will get into when he is capable enough. Apollo is more calm during our training, goddess knows I need a mediator to level out the troublemaker.' Belvedere tells me. Although he complains about the two, he wouldn't change their personalities for the world.

'But they are stuck with us till the end you stubborn dragon.' I joke.

'You will be the one to deal with them soon my feisty little one.' He returns it. I chuckle, leaning against my majestic white dragon. I, once again, return to my work while Belvedere takes a nap. This Sunday has been quite hectic for the both of us.

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