Prior to Sharlae coming to see the phoenix, Duke had been there.

Seeing his precious Phoenix hide behind a tree, Duke said, “Perdita…”

Over the silence, Duke slowly walked to the tree where his Phoenix was and when he turned around it, he heard her soft voice say, “You know?”

Duke lovingly looked at her then, nodding, “If only you knew that my lightning would free you from enslavement…”

Seeing her look surprised, Duke took her into his arms then and hugged her tight. “I’m sorry for letting you down, Sweetheart. Forgive me…”

Perdita nearly cried, hugging him back, “It wasn’t your fault!”

 

In the next few minutes, they hurriedly come up with a plan to get Sharlae.

Duke was ever so happy into giving his Phoenix a dragon robe to wear, so that she wouldn’t be naked, but Perdita showed a rare smile, teasingly saying that she couldn’t wear it.

Thinking that she looked good in his own dragon scaled clothes, he made Perdita promise to wear it later, as he felt overwhelmed with how perfect she was being covered in his scent and his dragon scales.

Perdita shooed him off after that, but not before he took her lips in hers. It had been like a tease…A thrill…A future promise…

 

Of course, first Perdita needed to be alone. So that Sharlae would come.

Then, Perdita was sure that Sharlae would then try to enslave her, even though she had just been reborn. It was also another reason why Perdita was frolicking around in her Phoenix creature, so that Sharlae would enslave her and fall for the trap.

Afterwards, they wanted the thunderclouds to strike at the Phoenix, to break the enslavement and finally set the Phoenix free from any future and present enslavement.

But now…Now it was Sharlae’s turn!

 

Being Immortal, the Dragon King could not come up with ideas to permanently destroy Sharlae as of yet. But at least they can make her go through what she had made the Phoenix go through!

The Dragon King had not put two and two together until a few days after following the Phoenix’s ashes.

He then remembered that Sharlae had acted like she knew where the Phoenix was and got worried that it’ll happen again!

After trying to come up with ideas on what to do about Sharlae, it hit him like a ton of bricks…That the reason why Sharlae knows where the Phoenix is…Is because she had done the curse! The one that had made his Phoenix be able to be enslaved, was none other than Sharlae!

…She was despicable!

And the worst part about it was that Sharlae was an Immortal!

 

“Stop it! I’m not your enemy!” Sharlae yelled but no one attempted to help her. No, there was no one there on her side…

She was…Alone…

Alone and looking at the man that she held dear being with another woman.

It hurt her eyes, as she fiercely glared at the undeserving Phoenix…

Duke looked at Perdita and was worried, she was looking back at Sharlae with a fierce, angry look. “Sweetheart?”

Perdita lost her glare and smiled weakly at him, “Cain helped me, I was…Just…”

Watching her look up to Sharlae again, Duke felt an anger…Could it be possible be that she liked that man that she had married?

 

Thinking back to the ice blocks though, he didn’t see her write too much down in the way of feelings for that man, unless it was dislike or gratefulness…

Feeling hands to his face, Duke looked at Perdita, who was now looking at him, and she smiled, “He was a process I needed to go through. My father was blood related, whereas Cain wasn’t. I was able to understand then how far someone that isn’t a part of your family can go. So…I was not sure what type of feeling I am to have right now. Should I hate Sharlae for killing him when he was setting me free or…”

“Hate her! She cursed you!” Duke stated straight away, even though he didn’t directly answer what she had asked.

Perdita took a moment, caressing her dragon’s cheek. “Maybe she did curse me but, considering now that I know how I made it to Immortal Realm, do you think I would have come here this quickly if she hadn’t cursed me?”

 

“I would have found you earlier and helped you!” Duke stated, holding her hand with his.

It was so good to have her beside him again!

Perdita got closer to Duke and smiled, “Mmm, I am able to defend myself now, she will be punished…Don’t be so angry…”

Duke bent down, kissing the beautiful Phoenix in his arms and picked her up.

“I’m not angry…I have you now!” He stated, showing a sexy smile. He had lived long enough, too long, and now that he had his Phoenix by his side, he was willing to forego many things and just be happy! After all, he had spent so much time feeling incomplete and now that he felt complete, he wanted to make the best of it!

Perdita put her arms around his neck and her eyes sparkled.

“Uh…” Duke stated, a little bewildered.

“What is it?” Perdita asked.

Duke stared at her eyes a bit longer, before saying, “I guess I saw right, your eyes change colour. The colours of the rainbow…It’s…”

 

Perdita saw how Duke loses himself in her eyes and suddenly felt enlightened. She closed her eyes then, to stop him from losing himself further.

Feeling him cuddle her closer to him, she smiled and opened her eyes again…She wasn’t ready to start the journey of ascending yet…

She still wanted to learn more about this place! She wanted to experience more and have a life that she wanted to have.

Besides…For it not to be as difficult…They should connect…All the way…

Blushing to her thoughts, Duke found it absolutely adorable and flew to his castle with her in his arms.

They could deal with Sharlae later…He had a much better idea to occupy his time!

 

Laying down the most precious treasure he’s ever had onto his bed, Duke couldn’t help but already be excited!

It wouldn’t be the first time for them, but he knew it felt great!

Perdita saw how happy Duke was and laughed.

“…What?” Duke asked. He was just about ready to kiss those lips that he’s been craving for so long.

Perdita stopped laughing and sat up, making Duke sit back, watching her like a hawk.

 

Pulling her hair back behind her, she took Duke’s left hand and third finger from the thumb.

Instincts poured into him from his dragon and Duke dived in, sucking slightly upon her neck, taking in the Phoenix’s blood, whilst Perdita sucked from his finger.

After blood was then merged into them, both Perdita and Duke were engulfed by fire, wings coming out of their backs.

Both creatures and humans were ready to complete the mating so that they were forever be bonded to each other.

Duke didn’t need any more than a smile to press himself into his beloved Phoenix.

And just as both had thought last time…This time was a hell of a lot more intense!

Fire and thunder, lightning and nearly a whole castle getting destroyed…And days before the Dragon King and his Phoenix were seen next!

 

***

 

Before taking the next step of ascending, Duke was not at all upset to stay just because the Phoenix was not finished on this world yet.

He doted upon her extremely well, coming up with ideas and exciting places to go.

It was now an extra goal in his life, to make his beloved Phoenix smile.

Perdita, on the other hand, did her own things to dote upon her dragon. Of course, he was one to want to be intimate with his Phoenix often but in other ways as well. She would find him if he was busy, and just sit there doing something simple, so that he knew that he was not alone or didn’t have to look around the whole planet to find her…He appreciated that most of all but…Of course that was also known as a distraction…

 

Both Perdita and Duke grew to know one another as the time moved on. They rarely got into a dilemma where they were furious with the other, which helped a lot when they were both pretty new with this type of relationship.

They had never been someone that was so special to the other and unable to live without them. They weren’t being used or wanted just because of their body or wanted selfishly. They were learning to love each other and yes, it wasn’t all perfect but because of this, they felt it to be perfect.

They were able to learn that a relationship was worth it and had no regrets, even if they did the same thing all the time, or if they started to get bored. They learnt that there maybe one or two things that didn’t really appeal to them about the other and had to learn how to deal with that…But of course, it wasn’t that big of a deal to stop their relationship…

 

To a certain degree, they might have started their relationship because of the bond between them but it came to a point that both of them knew the other and nearly even understood the other without any speech between them, either through their link or through their mouths.

It could be the bond between them but…Perdita was always very happy just being beside the man that had the biggest impact on her life. And Duke could not even bare the idea of being alone again, always making sure that Perdita was happy so that she wouldn’t leave him. Keeping and remembering these important facts also helped them become a loving pair that did not make a big deal out of small things.

They realized that talking things out was a needed asset to a relationship and they also came to know pretty early that people can misunderstand very easily.

 

Misunderstanding was something that could be found quickly, because they could feel how the other was feeling through their link, but sometimes they realized that they could have said something better as it had hurt their loved one’s feelings and they hadn’t meant to.

Both of them enjoyed making up though, smiling so freely and openly to one another after something that they had fixed was a relief to both of them.

They found out that they were quite a selfish pair though, no longer wanting to mix themselves with too many others. They trusted the other completely so easily and that seemed to help their relationship become completely stable a lot quicker. Everything else was something that they didn’t mind learning over time as they knew they had a long time to be with each other…

There was one thing that they didn’t question over all this time though, and that was the love that they had for each other. They knew it in their bones how much the other loved them and so with all the learning curves that they endured from the start, they knew that as long as they remembered how much the other meant to them, that things can be sorted out…

 

Duke liked it when she used her flame powers, so that he could call down his thunder! Being able to use lightning nearly anytime made him quickly get rid of most enslavements on the planet, leaving a specific type of creature alone. With his lightning, the Phoenix then sent down tears with the rain, to help heal the people who had been hit by lightning, so that they wouldn’t die.

After that, enslaving creatures become somewhat rare. It also became something that couldn’t be done by those who got struck by lightning, but it didn’t mean that the idea of it wasn’t passed down to the new generations…

 

He liked the fact that Perdita was able to forgive him and how often she says, and he feels that she’s happy.

Secretly, he also likes her making things for him…Even though he knows she’s not very good at sewing or knitting.

He also liked her playing music for him, and only him! He often watches her in a daze as she plays her flute, which was now playing quite a happy tune, much more than a sad tune.

They flew often, spreading their wings and even scaring people with their shadows or their haste from going from one place to another.

They enjoyed their freedom, their intimacy and their togetherness…Fulfilling what they hadn’t been able to do prior to finally being with one another.

They even got married, even though it wasn’t needed because they were already bonded with one another fully but…After having a child, watching them grow up and living a life with them, it came to a time that Perdita was content to leave…

 

Being a mother was a blessing that Perdita was glad to have enjoyed.

She was scared while she had been pregnant, scared that she would loss the child and then never be able to have another…But, there were no problems, well not ones beyond that of a normal pregnancy.

Duke and herself had doted upon their child with love and tenderness, being extremely happy with what they called their miracle.

It was a little girl and she had a bit of a lazy nature when it came to cultivation, so she had not gotten her creature until she was twenty-one.

Their daughter had indeed liked someone early, but Perdita and Duke were glad that they waited to let their daughter take the next steps as the person who their daughter set their sites on had a change of heart, or…They hadn’t really loved her to begin with.

It wasn’t like he was a nasty person, it was more so that he found someone more dear to him and could only break someone’s heart because of it.

 

Their daughter was known as Hundrea and her creature was a whelp…Well, it was a whelp to begin with but could turn into a dragonkin if cultivated properly.

Hundrea’s creature was that of one that would be by her side, not something that she could turn into, and that seemed to have made her upset.

She had wanted to fly like mother and father, but she couldn’t now.

Perdita and Duke could only console her so much, before they started to see that their daughter was a bit of a brat and stated that she should love her creature no matter what!

 

It took until Hundrea was thirty to break out of her own box and start thinking of others more.

She did not become someone that took over her father’s work, and Duke made some decisions to give back the countries their own power, before he was to leave with his beloved Phoenix.

Upon Hundrea’s fiftieth birthday, Perdita and Duke gave their love and told their daughter how proud they were of her.

Hundrea had been mad at first, knowing for quite some time now that her parents were leaving her but at this time, she finally accepted it and wished her parents a great future.

 

After this time of experiencing enough, Perdita finally asked if Duke was ready.

He simply stated that he was ready whenever she was…

She was his home and he was not going to leave it!

If she was ready, then he’d do whatever he needed to be ready too! She wasn’t going to go anywhere without him!

Even with so many years being with her now, a lifetime, it still wasn’t enough!

He couldn’t wait to spend eternity with her!

Taking her beloved dragon’s face in her hands she let him get lost in her eyes…The rainbow started to show itself behind her, taking the colors from her eyes with it. Finally, the Phoenix creature came out, flapping its wings and a full circle rainbow showed behind it. The dragon was surprised to see lightning in the swirl inside the rainbow and never knew how that came to be as he had been lost in those eyes of his Phoenix…

 

The swirl showed a picture, but it was like it was in water and it was the Phoenix’s very tears that showed this picture, then…Her feathers, with all those magnificent colors were on the outside of the rainbow on top of dragon scales, making it look like an artwork that would be priceless!

Again, both Duke and the Dragon had no idea how this had happened, but it seems that they had helped this portal come to be.

Looking at his Phoenix, Duke didn’t seem to care anymore about it. His Phoenix can do whatever she wants, he is just happy that whatever she did seemed to have worked, which would obviously make her happy and that was all that mattered.

With just a look from the Phoenix, Duke understand and changed into his dragon, following her through the rainbow…

 

The planet Seal no longer had a Dragon looking for his Phoenix…Until perhaps someone gains that creature unexpectedly that is…But the Phoenix…Her rebirth may not be for another five or so hundred years minimum and then, she would have to experience many different things to climb up to a point where she can help her dragon ascend.

For each colour attained on her feathers was an experience, an experience that she has accepted as part of her life. After obtaining the colours of the rainbow and a few extras, she is then able to teleport her dragon and herself into another dimension and ascend…Of course, one can’t do this without the other and…Is that all they need to do to ascend? Or…Is there more to it?