Haughty. She narrowed her gaze, wondering when he had gotten so stupid. Once upon a time, as most fairytales begin, she thought he was intelligent and an excellent opponent, but now? His ego was stifling, and she could feel it suffocating where she stood with its overly masculine drama. A sour expression curled her lips and her eyes swept over his form dismissively. She was not a creature to pay homage to self-proclaimed royalty, not when she was ascended.

Tinek snarled, predatory gaze fixing on the stag and locking, slitted eyes narrowing. The dragon balanced on her back, rocking his weight onto muscular, scaled haunches in preparation for flight, keen on keeping those tines away from Ophelia. His bond-mate was strong, and she could fight this gilded bastard; all he would have to do is give her the space to do so.

The Amaranthine was grateful for Tinek’s thoughts, the pair sharing every moment like dancers watching one another in a mirror. His voice was far preferable to the grating tenor of Thranduil’s, and she raised a thin, barely amused brow in response to his silly attempt to get beneath her skin. “Mmm. I would much rather be beneath Torleik than listening to you now,” she replied, not the least bit shy about what she had been doing as of late. “And thusfar, my only chores have been removing the occasional pest, like you…” she trailed, growling.

She had not heard that he left the Basin, though it made sense now. Thranduil didn’t seem the type to want to face Deimos’ wrath if Ophelia came knocking at the sentinels, demanding his blood, and she smiled softly, wondering what he had done to earn his exile. She chuckled in response to his self-inflating proclamations. Maybe this was why he left the Basin. Maybe he gave this same speech to Deimos and earned naught but an eye roll. Oh, a girl could dream…

“Generally if you have to demand a title, you have not earned it,” she replied, sighing. “Pride comes before the fall, Tarnished Thief.” Ophelia was unsure if she would win or lose with how similarly they were matched. Though he was taller, she was slender, built for speed and strength. He was perhaps more agile – that remained to be seen, but as of now, all she could work on was assumption and that was disconcerting. His build reminded her of Deimos, and that battle had not gone in her favor.

But, he played his hand early. Archibald stood before her now, a clever guise, and she smirked. She had fought with and beside this beast before, and she snorted a white cloud of amusement. Ophelia was perfectly content with chatting, but now she very much wanted to pummel his ass into the ground. So, she didn’t deny it. Instead, she prepared herself, watching the snow begin to vibrate as earth was yanked upward. She narrowed her gaze curiously, shirking to the left as a familiar tug pulled at her limbs.

So he could copy magic now? Concerning. She would have to tell Archibald that his powers were being mimicked. Ophelia fought the thickness in her limbs and reached back, yanking a sun amulet from her mane as she mentally summoned her armor. A thousand points of light burst from the metal ornaments, weaving itself into silver armor that encased her body, protecting her from most of the rocks being flung her way while she moved sluggishly. They bounced off with angry thuds, combusting on impact, and she ducked her head carefully as Tinek launched himself toward the deer, his goals aforementioned.

Two of the stones collided with her bare upper legs, and she hissed in an angry breath, feeling the molten projectiles burn her hide. Ophelia quickly shoved the essence of her memory removal magic into the stone and immediately turned it back on Thranduil, hoping to compound the effects from the amulet with direct use of her magic. Thus marked her transition from defense to offense, not a breath of hesitation as she smoothly reached for his mind. She aimed to take as many memories of herself as possible and rip them from his very skull. If he didn’t forget her entirely, then hopefully he would lose her current position, giving her the appearance (or lack thereof) of invisibility.

Beneath the hopeful guise of her magic, she launched forward, feeling the burn on her forelegs as the skin stretched over tensed muscles. She ignored the pain and wasted no time tucking her chin to her chest, aiming to drive the point of her spiraled horn into the meaty flesh of his right shoulder. She wouldn’t go for the heart – not yet. Possessing such a diseased organ as his was punishment enough.  



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(1/4) (793 words in word)
- USES A SUN AMULET
- tries to compound her memory removal magic to rip memories of herself from his head
- Tries to stab his right shoulder with her horn
- Tinek aims to keep the deer away