Ahahaha! I finished it! Two day painting. No idea how long it took, but I completely bs-ed the entire grassy hill. One day, I'll go back and clean it up, but today is not that day.

Anyway, had a lot of fun painting Leshra. I think she turned out pretty good. Unfortunately, the downside is that Virihk looks mildly plastic-y, but I think that's because he's pale blue and she's got such rich earthy tones to her skin. Ah well. If I added anymore purple, he'd look way too...well, purple.
I removed the tree. I originally as going to have this huge tree they're sitting under, but I was running low on time and removed it, only to find that without it, it freed the composition up and made it a lot less busy.

Many, many, many thanks to *General-EbonRose who did all the flatting for this image. :worship:

These would be the same characters that are in Fields of Gold, just with Leshra, the dragon, in her human form (as she can't bear any humanoid children as a dragon).

BACKSTORY: *has spoilers for Empires, so if you want to wait ten years for the surprise, please, skip this*
Just some fun stuff first. Amusingly, Leshra is the opposite of every velrocci woman in the empire, which is likely why Virihk is enamored with her. Leshra has blond hair, which a velrocci can never naturally grow (though they do dye it sometimes, but that's considered 'masking' or 'sullying' their natural beauty). She's also darker in skin color than any velrocci and smaller than any velrocci woman (velrocci boys are taught from birth that an attractive woman is a small woman, one that can be 'controlled', though they really don't know why a small woman is a beautiful woman for this reason until later in their lives. Velrocci women, though, cannot be too small, otherwise, they would be unable to bear children and so be nearly useless to the men and unmarriagable, their only value being a concubine. Leshra is naturally smaller than any velrocci woman, even though she's 5'8). Oh, and she also speaks without the bars of slavery, so, um...Virihk knows exactly what's on her mind, especially when she thinks he's being a fool (though she uses much more colorful language to describe him then...in good fun, of course...he finds it hot that she calls him names, as no velrocci woman would call a god-on-earth a bad name, and a slave wouldn't even look so high as his knees). Leshra finds him attractive because she's convinced he is, in fact, a dragon soul born in the wrong body. Personality-wise, he's everything she has been taught to value, minus a few cultural tendencies such as the condoning of slavery and the worship of 'false gods'. Oh, and he's also everything she's been taught to hate, so she wants to taste of the forbidden fruit and has, so far, loved every little drop.

Yes, Leshra is pregnant. With twins no less, though she's convinced she's carrying one son. She's about six months in (though my mother insists she's seven >.>). Virihk is utterly thrilled with the idea of being a father, and he lavishes every imaginable comfort on his pregnant lover (he'd take her as his wife, but his people would have a hernia, and that's not including his peers).

Now, this wouldn't be an Enrosia story if they got to stay happy together and had a blissful ending, now would it?

Yeah, no. This scene would take place roughly around the time when Evir was hacking off Morviahn's head. Soon afterwards, stories would spread through the Empire of a slave revolt in the north, with whispers of a slave warlord who challenged the Emperor and the gods themselves, vowing vengeance and rivers of blood to fill the streets of every city. Those of the council quickly quieted the murmurings, publicly discounting, but privately, they decided to go down the path of appeasement (not the first time someone has tried to bring down the empire, though usually, it's a velrocci unhappy with his lot in life, not a slave). Virihk was a part of this council (as he is one of the major ruling lords).

Unfortunately, Evir wasn't going to accept any scrap of gold from the Empire. He wanted blood, not wealth.

Now Leshra, being a dragon pregnant with a velrocci child, could no longer shift back to her usual form, as it would sever her connection with the unborn child and the fetus would die. Virihk takes every chance he can during this time to torment her with hugs, kisses, and other forms of affection (including lifting her and carrying her around, as she really can't do anything to stop him). They live in happy bliss until the slave army rolls right over Virihk's lands.

*spoilers*
Evir storms Virihk's tower and, coming upon the nearly defenseless Virihk, disables his magical connection to the 'taint' and runs him through. Virihk falls to the ground in a pool of his own blood, swiftly bleeding out in a horribly painful and slow death. Cadrin pushes Evir to just end the man's life, but Evir holds back, watching Virihk suffer. Leshra comes out of the private chambers, having heard the commotion outside, and sees Virihk on the ground.

She's faced with the awful choice. Change into a dragon, shred the men who have stabbed him, and rush him to a healer, but possibly lose not only him, but certainly lose their unborn child. Or she can stand by and watch the love of her life die at the hands of lunatic.

She rushes to Virihk and he begs her to take no action, that he's aware enough of his own body to know when too much damage has been done. He breaths his last, whispering how he will watch over her and their child. Leshra looks up at the men who killed Virihk. Evir holds her gaze then turns away, leaving the room. Cadrin remains and she looks to him. He won't meet her gaze. She tells him that she curses him with the knowledge of what he has done. Cadrin looks at her once then, troubled, follows his brother (who has slaughtered a few more velrocci while he was waiting).

Does the story end here? Hardly. I think Leshra burns Virihk's body and spreads his ashes, but I'm not entirely sure. She gives birth to their twin children, a boy and a girl, both carrying the legacy of dragon and velrocci blood (two of the most powerful beings on the planet).
There's a painting I have planned of Cadrin going into exile with his people and looking out over a field at a fallen tower to see a dark skinned, blond woman and two small children, watching him.