The single word that fell from his lips confirmed the conclusion she had come to, and the dragonmare wondered if he remembered that she was there, that day he was healed, she saw his burns, she knew only dragonfire could do that, and she told, she had to tell her mother, the very same mare who was laying before them in silence and stillness only death could bring. It was Amaris' fault he was ever found out - but not your fault that he did the act, a voice cut through her mind, one of the dragon-souls she had summoned. They were at the mercy of her thoughts when they entered this world, and not all accepted them all easily - some spoke back. The words set her mind to pause for a moment, to refocus, to shuffle the priority of thoughts back to what needed to be done now.

Aaron's questions still rung in her ears, though it had been many moments since they were spoken. Amaris turned her molten gaze upon him, her façade apologetic and sad, weary, and pleading forgiveness - for now was not the time to talk of such things, and she hoped the words she proffered him would be enough until a better time came. "It was an accident, Aaron. Torasin's death was an accident."

It was time to carry on, then - but another arrived. She could sense him from a mile away. He burned, a sun in his own right, the son that should have been, the brother who could have been. He stood far away, and yet he was burning, his mane and tail and eyes alight - Amaris remembered the gems that dangled from chains around his neck, she wondered if another had broken, she remembered the fear that had ripped through him when one of them broke as they entered the Dragon's Throat - he was magnificent and yet -

he was over there, while she was here, crying over her mother's dead body.

His presence faded as he wandered away, and it wasn't until he was almost completely gone from her golden view that she remembered the words Mauja had said again. Lace, and her crown snapped back to the spotted one, though her eyes were still brimming with tears and her façade was unreadable in all its grief and wearisome ways. A smaller equine arrived - Amaris could see the similarities between he and Aaron. Amaris wanted to tell him to go away, he was too young, too young to see this, to watch a corpse burn, her mother's corpse, Mirage was dead, Lace is dead too -

Mauja was looking at her again then, signalling her that he was about to release whatever he held within him. It re-anchored the dragonmare to the moment once more, and she clutched to its security for all she was worth - because if she didn't, she would fall apart right there, next to her mother's corpse.

Fire spilled forth then, and understanding dawned even as her dragon-souls added their own flames to the pyre. Amaris had stepped back (when? She did not know-) though she was closer than most, for dragons did not fear the fire nor the uncomfortably high temperatures it brought with it. Desperately, she remembered the young colt that had arrived, and she moved to his side, to murmur gently to him, to explain all that was going on - but how could she explain this to someone so young, someone who didn't even know her, or her mother. Idly she wondered if he was the get of Aaron and Kimber's friendship, though that thought, like the millions of others scattered through her mind right now, was soon forgotten.

"She lived a long life, and now she sleeps, to never rise again. Please understand," the words faded into silence as the mare's gaze wandered from each of those who were present and lingering - she had to wonder why each of them did stay, especially those who did not even know Mirage, who did not care or understand or appreciate everything the DragonHeart had done. Without her, would any of you even be standing here, this close to the Edge? Without her, would any of you have ever seen a battle? and with those thoughts, came the chaser; maybe that's just why they are here, even if they don't know her or understand what she did, they know that she did something, she means something to someone at least, and she deserves this vigil, this respect, even in death, especially in death.

Don't let the rest of the forest burn, she wasn't sure when he had said it, but she nodded now anyway, and did just as he asked. Any flames that spread too far from the body she quelled with a stomp of her hard hooves or the sweep of her tail. Singed hair mattered little to her, as she swept her elongated appendage across the loam to ensure the flames had nothing to spread to. Orangemoon presented a risk with its dried, falling leaves, and while the flames burned hot and high, they seemed to stay in control - on her mother's corpse.

Amaris didn't know how long it had been, but at some stage she had stopped walking, stopped moving. She was standing as close as the heat would allow her to her mother's head again, watching the embers crackle and pop through the body, watching it eat equine and dragon alike, without discrimination. Golden eyes watched the golden flames, their acrid scent bringing more tears to her eyes - what did it matter at this stage, whether she was weeping from the flames or from the loss of her mother? The dragongirl wept, and waited for the DragonHeart to depart this earth one final time, as ashes on the wind.

@Aaron @Brendan
Probably Amaris' last post for this thread.
Anyone is still welcome to attend! If anyone wants to talk to Amaris please just feel free to tag me in a new thread :)

Amaris